Most unpleasent major city street-level?

[tampasteve]

Originally Posted by SpraysOnBlue

LOL @ "San Antonio". You've obviously haven't traveled much.

Yeah, you are right. What, I mean there is only:

The Alamo (aruably one of the most culturaly important sites in Texas and the South)
The Riverwalk (arguably the prototype Riverwalk experience)
Spanish Missions (one of the largest, densest concentration of best preserved Spanish Missions)
Various museums
A huge Zoo
Seaworld


San Antonio has a lot to offer someone interested in the history of Texas. The real question here is have you ever been there? Add on a day trip up to Austin and you have even more with the Texas Capitol building, Museum of Texas History, etc.

[musiccity]

I really like San Antonio, it's a great city. And I've traveled to 16 countries on 4 continents so leave the pretentious comments behind SpraysonBlue.

[SpraysOnBlue]

^ Don't be morons, there's nothing pretentious about it.
Read the CONTEXT and stop being so childish and insecure.

San Antonio isn't on anyone's radar unless you're looking to do a cheap convention. You can see the Alamo, Riverwalk and Seaworld in one day and that's it. There's ZERO reason to revisit any of these 3 attractions and there really isn't anything else compelling about SA.

San Antonio is fine - so is Columbus, Phoenix, Grand Rapids, Boise & Sacramento in comparison.

The CONTEXT IS about which cities are must see for an international visitor with limited time.
SA is not one of those "must see" cities - not even in the south region by comparison.

[hannah_banana]

Originally Posted by SpraysOnBlue

^ Don't be morons, there's nothing pretentious about it.
Read the CONTEXT and stop being so childish and insecure.

San Antonio isn't on anyone's radar unless you're looking to do a cheap convention. You can see the Alamo, Riverwalk and Seaworld in one day and that's it. There's ZERO reason to revisit any of these 3 attractions and there really isn't anything else compelling about SA.

San Antonio is fine - so is Columbus, Phoenix, Grand Rapids, Boise & Sacramento in comparison.

The CONTEXT IS about which cities are must see for an international visitor with limited time.
SA is not one of those "must see" cities - not even in the south region by comparison.

I would never put SA on the same level as Boston, NYC, SF, or even New Orleans in regards to "must see", but if you strongly believe in the part that I have in bold, then you have never been or you only visited what you know. There are even better things to do in SA than see the Alamo, but if that is all you know, then so be it.

[spencer114]

I'd go to LA or Seattle before SF. Both are prettier and more interesting.

[tampasteve]

Originally Posted by SpraysOnBlue

The CONTEXT IS about which cities are must see for an international visitor with limited time.

That is actually out of context. The context is a city that has history and street life, no beaches and no "glass tower" cities. We know nothing of the amount of time planned, and "must see" was never mentioned either. Although, obviously we infer that the sites planned should be the "must see" sites.

If time and funds are limited then yes, stay away from the more distant spots like San Antonio or Savannah and concentrate on a particular area, like the NE or the West Coast. If time and funds are not limited then it would be valuable to visit these areas as San Antonio is rich in Texas history and Savannah is rich in Southern history, the same could be said for Richmond.

All we know is that OP has a friend that wants to see history, street life, San Francisco and might want to visit some places in the Southeast. Ironically we have eliminated most cities in the southeast other than New Orleans.

[SpraysOnBlue]

Originally Posted by hannah_banana

There are even better things to do in SA than see the Alamo, but if that is all you know, then so be it.

I'm not trying to bash SA. I probably shouldn't have responded to the person that advised an international visitor that SA should be one of the 3 cities in the center of the country he/she should consider and compared SA to Chicago and New Orleans.

Originally Posted by tampasteve

OK, if you are looking for history and street life I would make the following recommendations divided by area of the country.

Central USA:
Chicago (m)
San Antonio
New Orleans (m)

[tampasteve]

Originally Posted by SpraysOnBlue

I'm not trying to bash SA. I probably shouldn't have responded to the idiot that advised an international visitor that SA should be one of the 3 cities in the center of the country he/she should consider and compared SA to Chicago and New Orleans.

Thanks, it is quite obvious that you just have no clue about SA, or likely most of Texas. Anyone interested in history knows that it holds much interest. The Spanish missions alone make it a worthwhile destination.

Obviously it is not on the same level as Chicago or any of the other top cities in the USA, but that really goes without saying. But then, I never said it was on the same level.

[LSyd]

this thread is just awful.

-

[tampasteve]

Originally Posted by LSyd

this thread is just awful.

-

Yes, you are right. I am also to blame on that front for continuing the discussion.

[TVN]

They gonna choose autentic cities, New Orleans is chosen, and some city in the cowboy contry. New York and the old history in the north east. And maby San Francisco. So they choose cities that have not destoyed old buildings with history and old architecture, as a priority. Maby autencity is the best branding for cities overall.

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by TVN

They gonna choose autentic cities, New Orleans is chosen, and some city in the cowboy contry. New York and the old history in the north east. And maby San Francisco. So they choose cities that have not destoyed old buildings with history and old architecture, as a priority. Maby autencity is the best branding for cities overall.

In that case, They'd do great with New Orleans. Also, I've heard that Memphis has the sixth largest inventory of historic buildings in the United States. Walking down into the South Main St. district is like walking back in time, but there is a lot of stuff out here like that. You can also ride the "City of New Orleans" Amtrak train between New Orleans & Memphis (and on to Chicago) and high-end cruises between New Orleans & Memphis are apparently becoming increasingly popular. Some of Memphis' biggest tourist draws are Beale Street, Graceland, Stax Museum, Smithsonian Rock & Soul Museum, Sun Studio, Tunica Resorts-Mississippi (one of the largest gambling districts in U.S.). Here's a couple recent articles of interest...

TripAdvisor names Memphis No. 2 ‘destination on the rise’
Memphis Business Journal

Memphis is one of the America’s top 10 “Destinations on the Rise,” according to a ranking by travel website TripAdvisor. The rankings are based on destinations that have received the most positive traveler feedback and interest year-over-year. Memphis was ranked No. 2 on the list behind Austin, Texas.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...phis-no-2.html

Photo: MBJ

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Geographic names Memphis one of 20 must-see places
Memphis Business Journal

National Geographic is giving the Bluff City tourism industry some serious love, naming Memphis to its list of 20 must-see places in the new year. Describing the current state of Memphis, National Geographic writes, "there's something newly electric in the air." The city is included on the eclectic list with international destinations like Kyoto, Japan and Jarash, Jordan as well as stops in Chile, Norway and Grenada. Other domestic locations listed are the Hudson Valley in New York, St. Augustine, Fla. and the Missouri River Banks in Montana.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/b...mphis-one.html

Photo: MBJ

[ah59396]

Originally Posted by LSyd

this thread is just awful.

-

Agreed

[JJG]

Originally Posted by SpraysOnBlue

^ Don't be morons, there's nothing pretentious about it.
Read the CONTEXT and stop being so childish and insecure.

San Antonio isn't on anyone's radar unless you're looking to do a cheap convention. You can see the Alamo, Riverwalk and Seaworld in one day and that's it. There's ZERO reason to revisit any of these 3 attractions and there really isn't anything else compelling about SA.

San Antonio is fine - so is Columbus, Phoenix, Grand Rapids, Boise & Sacramento in comparison.

The CONTEXT IS about which cities are must see for an international visitor with limited time.
SA is not one of those "must see" cities - not even in the south region by comparison.

Get real, dude.

BTW, you can't really have threads like this....

[jcastro805]

Originally Posted by TVN

They gonna choose autentic cities, New Orleans is chosen, and some city in the cowboy contry. New York and the old history in the north east. And maby San Francisco. So they choose cities that have not destoyed old buildings with history and old architecture, as a priority. Maby autencity is the best branding for cities overall.

If your friends are looking for an authentic city in cowboy country with lots of history and street life, San Antonio would be a great destination. It has plenty of history and historic buildings and the downtown Riverwalk is the ideal model for many other American cities.

Originally Posted by LSyd
this thread is just awful

Agreed x2

[Durhamite]

I think all of our southeastern cities have distinct qualities and certain characteristics we should be proud of.....I don't give a damn if some of em ain't got a ton of street retail, historic building stock, etc...somewhat overated criteria to measure the quality of a place anyway. This ain't Europe, don't want it to be....

[musiccity]

Originally Posted by Durhamite

I think all of our southeastern cities have distinct qualities and certain characteristics we should be proud of.....I don't give a damn if some of em ain't got a ton of street retail, historic building stock, etc...somewhat overated criteria to measure the quality of a place anyway. This ain't Europe, don't want it to be....

+1,000,000 too much Europe worship on this forum. If I was a European tourist I wouldnt want to go somewhere that was just like a European city.

[Taller, Better]

I'm not going to interfere here... but do threads like this really achieve anything other than ill will?

[spencer114]

The nerve of some tourists! Expecting cities to be interesting and walkable.

The wording of the question may seem inflammatory but that's just an ESL issue. Don't get your disjointed, sparse feathers in a ruffle. The question is a legitimate one.

[LSyd]

Originally Posted by musiccity

+1,000,000 too much Europe worship on this forum. If I was a European tourist I wouldnt want to go somewhere that was just like a European city.

Europe is great though, although it too has its issues with sprawl, racism, and decay.

-