In response to an earlier post, I am not actually whoever
you think i am from a different topic tree. i may have used
his handle by mistake, but there you go. My point is that I
like to help people. I did a lot of research for my trip,
gained a lot of knowledge, and found thorn tree very useful.
Nothing pleases me more than to be able to share my
knowledge to help others, because there were some things I
wish i'd known before I started.
However, it is very dispiriting to be unable to help people
because they are too vague. They would gain more benefit
with specific questions. It also shows a lack of application
to the task in hand. If someone were going to the back of
beyond in deepest rainforest or asis etc, then it's probably
fine to ask what there is too see, but to have to ask what
to see in the USA - that's insane. Anyone who watches any
films and TV at all will be aware of the sights the USA
contains. Besides, what puzzles me is, why plan a
trip/drive, THEN think about what to see? The reason I went
to the USA was to see specific sights I knew about - Grand
Canyon, Niagara, New York. I have little desire to go to
Zimbabwe (no offence) because I do not know what is there. I
dont understand how people can plan a trip then think about
what to see. Surely the reason you planned the trip was
because you had something in mind already.
For those of you that missed the first gripping instalment
of this saga, I've included the original post below.
A moan
Created by: zzzz
[Timestamp: Thu 13 May, 2:56 Woodenbong Standard Time]
For all those who come here and post items such as:
"I/we
am/are going round/across USA for 1/2/3 months this
summer,
can anyone suggest where to go?", or asking what to see
in a
city like NEw York, might I suggest a tactic that has
proved
useful down the years - BUY A GUIDEBOOK. You must have
bought a lonely planet book to find the web site, and
if you
are going on holiday to a continent like USA, buying a
guidebook is surely an essential. Rather than ask
people for
information on ANYTHING, why not buy a guide book, see
what
takes your fancy (you must have some idea what is in
USA
anyway, as it is always on TV or in films, and all the
sights are famous - Grand CAnyon, Statue of Liberty etc
etc) then ask if there are more specific questions -
car
parking, opening hours, crowd size, cost etc.
I'm not a yank, by the way, but a Brit, in case anyone
is
wondering, but I make the abovep oint because I planned
a 3
month trip to USA using guide books, then came to teh
thorn
tree for additional, more specific info. I'd didn't
just ask
someone where to go. I only make the piont because I
feel it
is very hard for anyone to help you if you are so
vague. The
very first thing to do when going across USA is to get
a map
and sit at home and circle a few things to get a vague
idea
of the route, then look into it deeper for the less
well
known sights. I've found almost everysight worth seeing
is
in Lonely Planet books.
Bye
[Posts on this topic: 6. Latest post: Thu 13 May,
17:54].
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You inconsiderate piece of crap. Could you have not posted
a "see inside"? What pisses me of is when people like you
take up half of the page with some holyer then now
statement defending themselves. There's how it is: people
come here to ask travel questions. If they ask a stupid
question most people ignore them. Causing them to do some
research. If they ask an insightful question it usually
gathers a few good comments from fellow travelers. So if
you don't like the stupid, vague questions then don't
answer them. There is room for all travel questions on
this site.
Yes, I agree that specific questions are so much more fun to
answer and useful. When I have made the same suggestion here
I get slammed like the charming person above has
volunteered. Not at all constructive. I do suggest an
inside posting of long detailed explanations, however.
You are totally right about vague questions. I spend a lot of
time answering questions on Central and South America. Sure
we could ignore the dumb questions but then the poster never
gets to know anything. By posting outside hopefully you've
made some people stop and think. Assholes like David have
driven some of the helpers off this site. I personally think
that David and his ilk may all be one jerk using different
names. Stay around. More people like you are needed. You
notice they are always too gutless to leave an email address.
Hello, I am too cheap and lazy to buy a guidebook and do
basic travel research and I would like to go to the top of
the Empire State Building. Is there elevator service? Or do
I have to climb up the outside like King Kong? Thank you.
For anyone so inclined, see my response to this under the original moan post of 5/13.
Dudes! I'm gonna spend this summer travelling overland from
London to Istanbul. Does anyone know of cheap places to
stay and what should I see or avoid? How much do trains
cost?
I will be in the solar system sometime. What are a few of
the most mediocre things there?
I'm about to get out of bed. Can someone direct me to the,
how do you say, facilities? No flamers, please.
OK, I don't understand why people
felt it necessary to leave the last few
comments, but here's my little insight
into your problem. Actually, I really
sighed when I read your post. What a
scheduled, un-spontaneous life you
must lead! To tell you the truth, I
think the reason people ask such
general questions on this site, is
because many of them are just trying
to get a general overview of
whatever place they have stumbled
across an opportunity to visit... not
necessarily to plan their trip city by
city, minute by minute. When I went
to Japan, I brought a guidebook, but
I didn't plan my trip - partly because
my friends' father owned a trucking
company, and I simply went wherever
the trucks would take me! When I
went to Spain, I didn't take along any
preconcieved notion of what to
expect because Spain is just not one
of those countries people generally
think about rushing off to here in my
corner of the world (Western
Canada). Nevertheless, I enjoyed my
trip immensely - partly because every
castle, every cathedral, every villiage
I stumbled across was my own
discovery - OK, that's not completely
true, I used my guidebook a lot too,
but I didn't use it to plan every
minute of the trip, I used it as it was
meant to be used - as a GUIDE. Read
the "disclaimer" in the front of any
LP. Guidebooks can't and shouldn't
be used to plan every step, just as a
general "idea generator." Half the
fun of travelling is the exploring and
discovery!
There's one other important point I
want to make. Lots of people don't
plan trips to see specific sights, they
go to experience the people and the
culture. You can't do that by visiting
all the tourist attractions. You saw
the Grand canyon, Niagra, and New
York, admirable sights, but what
about learning about the PEOPLE of
America? To do that, you need to
visit the simpler things, the things
that aren't in guidebooks. See a
baseball game, visit an African-
American church, take a trip to the
grocery store! Heck, how many
people actually visit an average
grocery store while travelling! Yet,
after 6 months in Spain I found it was
my favourite "attraction"! What's
that strange chocolate spread
everyone seems to be buying? Do
people actually buy these chickens
with the feet and head still attached?
Wow, I didn't realize olives could
come in so many different varieties!
OK, maybe I'm getting off on a
tangent here, but the point is that
seeing sights is the easy part, but
ways of truly experiencing culture,
especially under time constraints, is
what many people, including myself,
are really asking for!
I am going to go off the edge of a 2000-foot cliff. Can
someone give me any pointers on what to expect? All
suggestions welcome! Peace!!
Do people in your country breath air? I heard that it cost
money. How much should I bring for a 2 week trip?
Let me be the first to thank Yoda for his wondeerful take
on life. But I would like to add two old songs titles that
I think fit this situation: "Mrs. Brown You've Got a
Lovely Daughter" - Herman's Hermits, and of course "Venus" -
Bananarama. I think that says it all.
Why don't you do something constructive instead of writing
elongated 'I am guru' essays on the thorn tree. Sometimes
its nice to throw something general into this travellers
network of knowledge to see what will come out.
I think you get my point.
You really are an asshole. You've proven that with this
post. You already posted this response in your original
thread, now you need to bring it out and post on the main
page again? And you aren't a control freak, either, I
believe that... here is my response to your original whiny
bullshit and it still applies- now go back and cry to your
mommy that the TT won't let you be in charge....
ZZZ... Added by: Regular Reader (In China, NE Asia TT)
[Timestamp: Thu 13 May, 17:54 Tasmanian Standard Time]
This joker has nothing better to do than complain.
He/she/it
is constantly harping about similar useless subjects on
the
NE Asia TT.
ZZZ, why don't you go and get some and quit whining?
Who
really give a shit about your silly opinions anyway? If
you
don't want to answer don't, but please refrain from
attempting to control this thread in the way you
attempt to
elsewhere. I mean, really, who the fuck died and left a
whiny asshole like you in charge? Not to mention that
you
see no hypocrisy in wasting several paragraphs whining
about
other people who have legitimate questions to ask and
are
here to get information, not judgement...