Most popular vacation city in US...

[ricoba]

Yikes...I am surprised to see LA at the top of the list...no wonder traffic here is so bad...it must be because all those visitors!

 

[Talent312]

Yikes...I am surprised to see LA at the top of the list...no wonder traffic here is so bad...it must be because all those visitors!

Mee, too. But why? What does L.A. have that would make anyone want to go there. The Getty? <snort>
Or are we including Disney+Universal?

 

[John Cummings]

We much prefer the beach in the winter, and oddly enough, going to the mountains (i.e. ski areas) in the summer.

I agree with you. We aren't big fans of the beach, probably because it is not a novelty where we live. However, we do prefer to go to the beach in the winter and visit the mountains in the summer.

 

[John Cummings]

Mee, too. But why? What does L.A. have that would make anyone want to go there. The Getty? <snort>
Or are we including Disney+Universal?

First, I assume that the visitor count comes from people flying into LAX. Their destination could be anywhere in Southern California, not just Los Angeles. Second, there are many attractions in the metro Los Angeles area. I lived in Florida for 8 years and would much rather visit Los Angeles and Southern California.

 

[falmouth3]

According to ezine (who are they?) the list is:
The Islands of Hawaii
New York City
Las Vegas
Florida
Alaska
The Grand Canyon
San Francisco
Salt Lake City
Los Angeles
The Carolinas


I don't have any idea how they selected these.

Funny, the Travel Channel doesn't have a list for the entire US. At least not that I could find.

 

[tombo]

Mee, too. But why? What does L.A. have that would make anyone want to go there. The Getty? <snort>
Or are we including Disney+Universal?

Why is LA the number one destination? Because the National Championship game is being played in the LA area in Pasadena. That is why LA is the number one destination for THE NUMBER ONE TEAM in all of college football, THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA!!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!!

I will be in Pasadena for the BCS Championship game and doing the LA thing while I am there with my son, his girlfriend, and many other members of the Sabanation. We are going to see a TV show taping (where else besides NY can you see this?), Venice Beach, Grauman's theatre, Walk of Stars, studio tour, Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Mullholland Dr, Rodeo Drive, Melrose Place, tours of the stars homes, the La Brea Tar pits, etc. etc, etc. There is not going to be any time left for Universal, Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and many other tv shows we would like to see filmed and many other area attractions we would like to visit. I have spent weeks in LA in the past and you can't do nearly all of the fun attractions in 10 days,much less in 5. We will do as much as we can in the 5 days we will be there, but the number one reason reason we are visiting the number one destination is to win another National Chamionship!!!!!!!

Go BAMA, beat Texas!!!!!!!!!

 

[Talent312]

Why is LA the number one destination? Because the National Championship game is being played in the LA area in Pasadena... I will be in Pasadena for the BCS Championship game and doing the LA thing while I am there with my son, his girlfriend, and many other members of the Sabanation...

Well, that explains why LA might become the #1 destination for rabid 'Bama fans temporarily in January, but driving down streets with palm trees, past minor shopping strips and houses with names, just don't do it for me.

 

[John Cummings]

Well, that explains why LA might become the #1 destination for rabid 'Bama fans temporarily in January, but driving down streets with palm trees, past minor shopping strips and houses with names, just don't do it for me.

You obviously do not know very much about the Los Angeles area.

 

[Talent312]

You obviously do not know very much about the Los Angeles area.

I was kind'a hoping to draw something a bit more "contentious."
I actually do like LA. Yes, its a fun, happening place with many unique facets, and I have enjoyed several visits over the years. But I find its pretense to rank as one of the great cities of the world a bit overdone.

 

[Paul Reynolds]

[Commercial post with link to your hotel removed. Advertising is not permitted here. Please review the Posting Rules. - Makai Guy, BBS Administrator]

 

[John Cummings]

I was kind'a hoping to draw something a bit more "contentious."
I actually do like LA. Yes, its a fun, happening place with many unique facets, and I have enjoyed several visits over the years. But I find its pretense to rank as one of the great cities of the world a bit overdone.

I wasn't in a very contentious mood.

I agree that as a large city, Los Angeles is pretty pathetic as cities go. Downtown Los Angeles is nothing compared to other cities much smaller and should be avoided. However, the metro area does offer a lot for the tourist.

 

[ricoba]

In spite of all the traffic (I guess due to all the visitors! ) LA is actually a great place to visit...

Tombo's list of all the things to do in LA proper and surrounding area (Santa Monica/Beverly Hills) is a great list of all the things that can only be seen here.

As John points out downtown isn't much, but they are working on that (though it's still a work in progress).

 

[MusicMan]

As linked to in a previous post, here is
Forbes Traveler North America's Top 15 Vacation Spots and the criteria by which they were selected. And remember it's not that Orlando is anyONE's favorite vacation spot, but on the list of so MANY people. All of the folks with little ones either have gone, are planning on going or WANT to go.

Here's some of the info from the article:


We gathered data on flights, hotels, vacation packages and
customer preferences from six major travel organizations
and agencies (Travelocity.com, Expedia.com, Hotwire's
Travel-Ticker.com, Vacation.com, the Carlson Wagonlit
travel agency network, and Cruise Lines International
Association, Inc.) to present a snapshot of the hottest
vacation hangouts during the past year.



1. Orlando
2. NYC
3. Las Vegas
4. San Francisco
5. Los Angeles
6. Riviera Maya, MX
7. Chicago
8. South Florida (Miama/Ft Lauderdale/Key West)
9. Oahu
10.Bahamas (Bahamas is North America????)
11.San Diego
12.Phoenix/Scottsdale,
13.DC
14.Los Cabos, MX
15.Maui