Places you have visited that have turned out exactly as you expected (or otherwise)

[Norman Potting]

Canvey Island. Had built up a mental picture of some sort of post industrial run down hell on earth. Bro in law lives near there and visited it a few years back on a damp grey late November afternoon. Fully lived up to my expectations but I can almost forgive it for having produced Dr Feelgood.

 

[kip]

Croydon - thought it might be shit and it was

 

[Commander]

Stoke- sounds shit, is shit. Same with Luton.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Oop north. Turns out to be mostly beautiful.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Milton Keynes. EXACTLY how everyone describes it.

 

[mikeyjh]

Portsmouth suprised me - Historic dockyard is cracking day out, boat tour finishing off with drinks at the quays overlooking all the boats going to and fro, excellent....

 

[Danny-Boy]

Australia - fantastic, except..

Sydney (full of gays/lesbians and thieves).

 

[Danny-Boy]

Croydon - thought it might be shit and it was

Well, if you WILL cruise all the municipal toilets...

 

[daveinprague]

Quhsuma desert in n.e. province of Saudi Arabia ...I expected sand.....I wasnt disappointed.

 

[Notters]

Portsmouth suprised me - Historic dockyard is cracking day out, boat tour finishing off with drinks at the quays overlooking all the boats going to and fro, excellent....

Still a fracking shithole though.

Funny one I always think is Oldham. Yes, it is a dive, but you are always told "DO NOT go to any pubs in Oldham, drink in Manchester", whereas there are actually a couple of decent boozers near the ground.

 

[Commander]

Australia - fantastic, except..

Sydney (full of gays/lesbians and thieves).

I thought the exact opposite. Big desert with f*** all there and full of the most irritating people on the planet.

 

[Badger]

New York - expected it to be great, turned out to be meh

 

[Trufflehound]

...and full of the most irritating people on the planet.

Swedish backpackers?

 

[Commander]

Swedish backpackers?

Yes, I have a particular dislike for them.

 

[Notters]

New York - expected it to be great, turned out to be meh

Really? I loved it! Fantastic food, friendly people, lots to see and do and scorching hot (in July).

 

[Mad Jack McMad]

Hamburg. Practically heaven.

Frankfurt. All the delights of Hamburg but run by Turkish gangsters, constantly having to watch your back.

 

[Richard Hebberd's Syrup]

Chisinau, Moldova

Expected it to be shit, it was. Dead cheap though and you can't argue with a £2.50 bottle of champagne. Cannot wait to go back for the World Cup qualifiers

 

[FamilyGuy]

Hong Kong - I thought it would be interesting, bustling, full of culture - it was a dirty sh*thouse with streets ankle deep in cigarette butts, and noisy and expensive.

Macau (sp?) - I expected it to be historically interesting and deep in culrure - it was one big Casino!

 

[daveinprague]

Hamburg. Practically heaven.

Frankfurt. All the delights of Hamburg but run by Turkish gangsters, constantly having to watch your back.

Never had a problem living in Frankfurt.......Prague on the other hand....have experienced at first hand, the Ukrainian and Chechen mafia's...(who hate each other incidentally)

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Surfers Paradise. Techically the name was correct in that it was a paradise for surfers. Never expected the town to be such a built-up dump though. Think Croydon with a beach...