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So What Makes A Place Overrated?

This time of year, it can be fun to throw around the word "overrated" in its pop-culture sense--for example, a lively debate about the most overrated movie of 2008. (As opposed to, "Bernie Madoff's investment prowess was, in retrospect, overrated.") But what makes a trip or a destination overrated? For the Los Angeles Times' Leon Logothetis, it's all about the people you meet. Logothetis singles out cities like Prague and Athens for particularly negative interactions with the locals; in Paris, no one would speak English to him even when they were able, and a cab driver ripped him off in Moscow.

We tend to believe people in other countries were not put there for our own edification, but everyone has his own yardstick for determining whether a place is overrated. We'll get started with a few of ours right here; won't you add yours in the comments?

First and Foremost: Hype:
This can be a very personal scale, although many destinations come packaged with universally recognized "You're gonna love it!"s. We went to New York City for the first time too young to be exposed to the hype, but for many first-timers, that initial cloud of bewilderment never lets up. If no one you know has been to a city like Bilbao, you could end up loving it. (Or did we just overhype it right there?)

Comparative Demand:
Logothetis mentions the masses of tourists who "move along the Charles Bridge like zombies" in Prague, and while it doesn't seem fair to completely discount a place because everyone else is there, high-season crowds can put the most seasoned traveler off. Long lines can create Disney-sized anticipation or Sartre-esque ennui. And those crowds may suggest something more damning to a destination: That beyond the tourist track, there isn't much of a public life for visitors to join. Responding to the LA Times article, Village Voice columnist Michael Musto came up with his own list, and of Vienna he writes, "What a snoozy town of old farts! I swear by 9 pm, there isn't a light on in the whole place. You could crap into a streetcorner garbage can and be the most exciting person in town."

Money, or This Way To The Egress:
As much as Logothetis comes off as a bit of a Scrooge in his Moscow tale, it's hard to go to a place where the attractions are free and truly deem it overrated. He's not just being cheap: Destinations that entice you there specifically with the intent on getting you to spend money are tourist traps, but destinations that promise an unforgettable experience for your money are overrated. That's the difference between South of the Border and, say, Iceland, where Foreign Policy warns "you won’t run into Björk in a bar."

Related Stories:
· Athens Overrated? Yes, and There's More Such Travel Spots [LAT]
· The Most Overrated Destinations In The World [Village Voice]
· World's Most Overhyped Vacation Spots [Foreign Policy]
· Three Mexican Restaurants in New York Better Than Dos Caminos [Jaunted]
· Good Circulation Is Overrated [Jaunted]

[Photo: alexey05]