Cities/towns that's lost their charm

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

Simple question: What towns or cities or locales have lost their charm, or just don't seem as fun or interesting as they used to be?

[JayhawkCO]

Orlando. I grew up.

[SkyPesos]

Paris

[NWI_Irish96]

In Indiana, Madison used to be a travel destination. The regatta is still there but isn't as big as it used to be. The town itself has become run down. An alarming number of businesses have "stars and bars" in the windows, and there were even rumors of a Klan rally.

Monticello is another place that's gone downhill. Indiana Beach is struggling to stay open and the lake properties don't have the demand they used to.

[MikieTimT]

Marble Falls/Dogpatch, AR.

[Max Rockatansky]

Orlando. I grew up.

I'll second this, when I was a kid Orlando was awesome because of the parks.  Having lived in Orlando as an adult I found the tourism incredibly annoying.  I did like downtown but there wasn't really a ton in the normal parts of Orlando that made it stand out. 

[elsmere241]

Nashville.  It was the first place I really remembered as a kid, and so I made the most of it.  I went back a few years ago and it just seemed drab.  Everything was so spread out, too, and the roads were slow.

[Flint1979]

I agree with Orlando. I'd rather be near the water in Florida.

[kphoger]

I've never been to Florida at all, but I've heard Orlando has over-eager police.  Confirm or deny?

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

I've never been to Florida at all, but I've heard Orlando has over-eager police.  Confirm or deny?

Really, that's applicable for anywhere in Florida. Especially 301 between Gainesville & Jacksonville

[Max Rockatansky]

I've never been to Florida at all, but I've heard Orlando has over-eager police.  Confirm or deny?

I didn't find them (OPD) to be any more or less aggressive than other cities I've lived in.  FHP was actually pretty aggressive with traffic enforcement on some of the urban State Roads line Semoran Boulevard (FL 436).

[kphoger]

I wasn't necessarily referring to traffic enforcement.  Just policing in general.

Again, though, it was secondhand.

[hbelkins]

Gatlinburg. I haven't been in 20 years, but from what I've heard, it has really changed.

[Dirt Roads]

Reston, Virginia.  I was never a fan of Reston's governance (mega-HOA) but it was the one place in the Washington metro area that had a rustic feel in the middle of the forest.  The rest of Fairfax County suburbs were built out in the cow pastures.  But nowadays, the contrast is much less noticeable.  Plus, the Reston Town Center now looks and feels like a miniature Tysons Corner. 

[abefroman329]

NYC - we were there about five years ago for about eight hours, flying into LaGuardia to catch Queen Mary 2 from the Brooklyn cruise terminal, and that was more than enough time.

[kevinb1994]

Orlando. The theme parks are for the kids, and then there's just not much else in the area.

[thspfc]

A lot of previously independent towns that became suburbs. Franklin, TN and Grapevine, TX come to mind.

[Life in Paradise]

Gatlinburg. I haven't been in 20 years, but from what I've heard, it has really changed.

How has it changed?  I was there about 15-20 years ago as well as back in the late 80s, and I remember lots and lots of traffic and commercial development then.

[triplemultiplex]

Seeing a lot of examples where people are comparing a place now to the way it was when they were a kid.  That isn't quite and apples to apples comparison, though, since when you're a kid, your world is small and your experience with things like tourist traps is far more siloed than when you hit up those places as a grown up with years of accumulated annoyances and the ability to see them in a wider context.

I think about my own life and how it was a rare and fun treat to go somewhere like Wisconsin Dells.  It was a cool place with things you couldn't do just down the road from where you lived.  But I go there as an adult and I roll my eyes at all of the tackiness and ugly, fake-rustic condos.  Just look at all these damn cars trying to turn left in/out of a road with four lanes and zero turn lanes!

That being said, I think there is a genuine charm that has been lost regarding the Dells with the rise of all of these indoor waterparks springing up all over the place.  A waterpark used to be kind of a rare amenity; the type of thing one had to drive hours to get to.  And being all outdoors, the time window when you could go to one was limited, making it even more special.  Now you can find water slides at chain hotels sometimes.  And they can build these giant indoor waterparks anywhere there are enough people, so it's not about a special road trip to Wisconsin Dells or New Braunfels or whatever.

The outside waterpark will still have its appeal because they can be larger and have more features, but the ubiquity of things like water slides and wave pools at indoor waterparks makes it a little less special in my mind.

[JayhawkCO]

There is far more charm at The Dells than the money grab that is Orlando.

[Bruce]

Leavenworth, WA is way too overcrowded (especially in winter) and has lost some of its corny vibes that made it fun to visit. They've even moved Oktoberfest downriver to Wenatchee because the new residents complain about public drinking after moving to a town known for it.

[M3100]

While driving through Sterling, Alaska, on AK SR 1 on the Kenai Peninsula, Sterling looked like a "used to be" place.  Soldotna, about 10 miles west, was more appealing (and more congested).

[Scott5114]

Simple question: What towns or cities or locales have lost their charm, or just don't seem as fun or interesting as they used to be?

The United States.

[thenetwork]

I will say the Los Angeles/SOCAL area in general.

The first few times I visited, beginning in the 80s, were magical (hitting all the touristy areas) it was easy and cheap to get around...

...but now, with some of the highest gas prices in the country,  the out of control admission prices at tmany atteactions (Over $100 for one person just to enter a Disney property), and the overall deteriorating appearance of the area (increasing graffiti, homeless camps and barbed wire and shields around overhead BGSs to name a few), I just have no interest to spend any time there anymore.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Orlando. The theme parks are for the kids, and then there's just not much else in the area.

In general I feel there's not really much for an adult to do anywhere if they don't drink, especially at night when any museums or such have closed for the day.

I don't drink. I like restaurants, but I can only eat one place at a time, and it takes a few hours before I can try the next one. I can go to a cool park, but after a little bit, what do I do now?