Is there anything wrong with tourist traps?

[sasywtch]

When I hear tourist trap, the first thing that comes to mind is people on here asking where they should visit in S. CA and people saying not to go to the foot/hand prints, Hollywood, etc as it's a tourist trap. I think there are more people like me who want to see those areas just to see for myself. If I see it later on tv, I now know what the area is about. I usually pass L.A. by and continue south to DL but the few times I do, I still like to walk Rodeo Drive, Melrose, etc. Heck I walked in Kyle Richardson's shop and sat across from Lisa Vanderpumps restaurant drinking a cup of coffee and taking pictures LOL I'm such a dork. However, now watching Real Housewifes BH I now know their shop/restaurant is only a few doors down from each other. A fact they have never mentioned on the show.

In SF, I still go to Pier 39 and have no idea why. Probably the parking across the street. I have yet to ride a cable car but this last time I did drive by those houses in the Full House opening.

Driving I40 too many times, it only took one stop at one of those Indian meca stops and that was enough. There are too many to count and they are all the same. If I was driving to FL, I'd probably be one that would stop at that South of the Border place and then say, did that, don't need to do that again. I have passed by the Steak thing in TX numerous times and proud to say, I did not stop. I saw that in too many shows and gosh, no way. You have to not only eat the steak but a salad, a baked potato, a roll.

I am a tourist trap type of person and proud of it. Heck, I loved Farrells for their birthday singing and all that. Bubba Gumps does the birthday thing also.

 

[tvguy]

That's weird

My wife's Aunt always thought it was weird too. She never noticed all the signs until we pointed them out. But she didn't understand why we always had to have one lunch at White Castle and Steak N Shake either.

 

[amberpi]

I'd never heard of this "South of the Border" place, but I love kitschy stuff, so I went to their website.

This line was the first to describe one their accommodations:

"Camp Pedro is our 100 full hook-up site"

Its sad how funny I found this and how many seconds it took me to realize what they were saying. Just a couple, but still too long.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'd never heard of this "South of the Border" place, but I love kitschy stuff, so I went to their website.

This line was the first to describe one their accommodations:

"Camp Pedro is our 100 full hook-up site"

Its sad how funny I found this and how many seconds it took me to realize what they were saying. Just a couple, but still too long.

Well, maybe you're not ready for that dating break after all

 

[amberpi]

Well, maybe you're not ready for that dating break after all

Or illustrates that it was a good decision.

 

[bcla]

I'd never heard of this "South of the Border" place, but I love kitschy stuff, so I went to their website.

This line was the first to describe one their accommodations:

"Camp Pedro is our 100 full hook-up site"

Its sad how funny I found this and how many seconds it took me to realize what they were saying. Just a couple, but still too long.

Holy double entendre Batman!

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I'm not sure how South of the Border manages to stay in business. You can easily see it while driving past. Over the past 10 years I must have driven past a dozen times, mostly during daylight, and it never seems busy. I stopped to visit maybe 4 years ago and there were no more than a dozen cars during a Saturday about 4 pm.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

My mother is the type of person who would eat at the Times Square Olive Garden.

She refuses to eat at local places. Put her in Lobstah Pot, Maine, and she's going to look for a Red Lobster rather than eat at the local place. Put her in Little Guadalajara, New Mexico, she's going to find a Taco Bell.

It's freaking maddening.

That's just like my sister-in-law. There are dozens of good restaurants several blocks away from Times Square, but she insisted on waiting for over an hour to eat at the Olive Garden. And she wanted to go into American Eagle, The Gap, and other stores that are in practically every mall in America.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Generally I enjoy visiting so-called tourist traps if they're located in or near an area I'm already visiting. But I won't detour 50 miles out of the way to see something kitschy.

 

[tvguy]

We've been here since 1823 & my grandfather retired from A-B

Looks like the BUSCH I remember was the stadium name at the top of the old stadium scoreboard...granted in the font style of the beer.

 

[rastahomie]

Looks like the BUSCH I remember was the stadium name at the top of the old stadium scoreboard...granted in the font style of the beer.

My favorite memory of that stadium: Some time during its last few years, my friend and I went to a Cubs/Cards game in mid August. I think the temperature outside was 104 at first pitch - at a night game! The game lasted close to four hours, and the Cards won 1-0 on a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 12th.

I was never so glad to see the Cubs lose a ball game in my entire life.

 

[bcla]

WOW! I didn't realize they had starting charging for the Budweiser tour! We took my son for his 21st birthday 9 years ago and it was free then. The basic tour is $5 now. DS is into craft beers now, and wouldn't step foot in the place, which is why I always ask when coming back from an A's game if he want to stop.

I just went to the Fairfield Open House today. It's over now, but it's still on their calendar of events. We did see the Clydesdales. The Dalmatian was kind of the highlight. It was extremely active while the hitch was moving. It was just lying down once it stopped. I kind of felt bad for the horses, because they seemed pretty happy when moving, but kind of bored when they were stopped. It was a bit annoying though because the carriage was playing an audio loop of the Budweiser jingle from the 70s.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/events-calendar.html#BOH

However, the one thing they did today was have free brewery tours, and they were every half hour. I was wondering if it was the same as when I paid, but there was no alcohol served during or after the tour. They showed the video in the welcome room, but no beer. We could all go to the tasting room, but it was $5 or $20 for 5. That was the same price they were charging outside. I came back later that day (long story) and just before 3 PM I saw people with these small cups of Bud and I asked someone where they got it. Apparently they were giving out samples for some brewmaster's ceremony. Something about at 3 PM

 

[BadPinkTink]

You have to remember what you as a local take for granted or have no interest in, may be something that a tourist does not have where they live. For example, Im from Europe and when I go to USA I eat at places like Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, Bubba Gumps Ihop Dennys etc as we dont have those chains in Europe. I also go to Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Trader Joes and other grocery stores, again for the same reason we dont have those stores in Europe and the food and household items onsale in USA supermarkets is different to Irish supermarkets.

As for tourist traps like Hollywood Blvd or Times Square or Vegas etc. For many Europeans we grow up watching America tv programs and films which these places feature alot. So therefore when Europeans go to USA they want to see in real life places and things they recognise from TV and films.

 

[Kellykins1218]

I LOVE tourist traps. When we were on trips, my mom would drive out of the way if she saw a sign for one. I can't even count how many random tours we've done from glass factories to coal mines. Oh, and the dozens of trips to Clifton Hill at Niagara Falls. They were always fun & now I do the same for my kids.

 

[bcla]

Oh, didn't finish my thought. The samples came on a tray with paper coasters that said "DON'T DRINK UNTIL 3 PM. They had maybe 2 oz in each one. One of the brewmasters was there to tell us about their tradition that every day A-B has a ceremony where brewmasters from all the breweries drink a sample of Bud at the same time.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Nothing wrong with tourist traps at all. There are usually some great things there. You just have to find them. I'm notorious for advising those going to Disneyland or WDW to do their homework. How many people go to Disney and the only planning they've done is book a hotel and maybe a reservation or two? Predictably, if they're going during a busy time, they're probably going to end up waiting in long lines, hot, tired, miserable, be shut out of restaurants booked solid, and not like their experience. The same is true of say Fisherman's wharf. If the only planning you do is book a hotel, head to pier 39 and eat at Bubba Gump, well you're going to be complaining it's nothing but a tourist trap. But there are great things to do there. And you can have a great time if you DO YOUR HOMEWORK. If you don't, you can have a bad time.

 

[tvguy]

I just went to the Fairfield Open House today. It's over now, but it's still on their calendar of events. We did see the Clydesdales. The Dalmatian was kind of the highlight. It was extremely active while the hitch was moving. It was just lying down once it stopped. I kind of felt bad for the horses, because they seemed pretty happy when moving, but kind of bored when they were stopped. It was a bit annoying though because the carriage was playing an audio loop of the Budweiser jingle from the 70s.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/events-calendar.html#BOH

However, the one thing they did today was have free brewery tours, and they were every half hour. I was wondering if it was the same as when I paid, but there was no alcohol served during or after the tour. They showed the video in the welcome room, but no beer. We could all go to the tasting room, but it was $5 or $20 for 5. That was the same price they were charging outside. I came back later that day (long story) and just before 3 PM I saw people with these small cups of Bud and I asked someone where they got it. Apparently they were giving out samples for some brewmaster's ceremony. Something about at 3 PM

Funny, they took the mural of the Clydesdales off the brewery building when InBev bought them, but the Clydesdales still appear in person there.

 

[bcla]

Funny, they took the mural of the Clydesdales off the brewery building when InBev bought them, but the Clydesdales still appear in person there.

The big Clydesdale statue is still at the visitor entrance.

The whole event was in the visitor parking lot, so all the visitors were parking in the larger employee/vendor parking lot. We got there a little after the They had private security there and for whatever reason Solano County Sheriff deputies instead of Fairfield Police providing security. A few people seemed a little disappointed because they announced that there would be several food trucks. There was a taco truck, Buckhorn BBQ, and a stand selling Italian ice. The did have several picnic tables, and we actually brought our own food in without issue.

I'm pretty sure now that they don't normally make the tour free because they can't serve alcohol without charging extra for it. A few people were asking "where's the beer?" But that they served that tiny free sample seemed to verify my suspicion.

 

[tvguy]

They had private security there and for whatever reason Solano County Sheriff deputies instead of Fairfield Police providing security.

That doesn't surprise me. For some reason Sheriff's Departments are more inclined to have programs in place to hire an off duty deputy than Police Departments. Not sure about the new arena in Sacramento, but the old one, which was in the city limits, the security was always off duty sheriff's deputies. The area my mom lived in was in the county, and the homeowners association hired an off duty deputy to patrol a few nights a week. For a flat hourly rate you get a deputy, in a sheriff's patrol car.

 

[L&Lfan]

Does anyone remember Stuckey's? They were the epitome of tourist traps! I remember begging my Dad to stop there on the drive to Florida back in the day. I loved the kitsch and the pecan logs!

 

[bcla]

That doesn't surprise me. For some reason Sheriff's Departments are more inclined to have programs in place to hire an off duty deputy than Police Departments. Not sure about the new arena in Sacramento, but the old one, which was in the city limits, the security was always off duty sheriff's deputies. The area my mom lived in was in the county, and the homeowners association hired an off duty deputy to patrol a few nights a week. For a flat hourly rate you get a deputy, in a sheriff's patrol car.

I think we talked about this last year during the whole thing with Colin Kaepernick and the national anthem sitting or taking a knee. Remember the Santa Clara police union said that they might boycott the games.

The Santa Clara Police Department had a "double badge" program where outside law enforcement could apply for assignments at Levi's Stadium. However, they required that outside officers must wear the city's uniform. I guess it makes sense because seeing (let's say) a Fremont Police uniform in Santa Clara can be confusing. And the biggest police agency in the Bay Area (San Jose Police) didn't allow their officers to double badge.

I guess the sheriff's dept is practical too since their HQ is in Fairfield.