This post is about going to those sucky places. Maybe they aren’t so bad.
These are destinations that (at least initially) evoke no sense of excitement or anticipation in your family. When you tell friends your travel plans to Boring Town, they say, “Uhh, hmmm, that’s….interesting.”
Let’s take Lubbock, Texas, for example. The city that Buddy Holly and Waylon Jennings got the heck out of. Sights include, hmmm, the National Ranching Heritage Center (exhibits of spurs and bits!) and ummm, the American Wind Power Center (windmills!)
“Lubbock or Leave It,” sing the Dixie Chicks.
The legendary folk/country Texas vocal group the Flatlanders (Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore) didn’t name their group “Guys from a Nifty Place,” they named it “Flatlanders.” ‘Nuff said.
OK, so why am I whipping up on poor Lubbock? Because I just don’t think you can designate a place Yuckyville until you have physically been there to investigate.
Ergo, I need to travel to Lubbock before I can pop off about it.
Good thing there’s a visiting RMS Titanic exhibit enticing me to go up there. My daughter and I like the movie about the doomed passenger ship, and I’ve long been interested in its artifacts, so here’s my chance to see something I’m interested in plus check either the Lubbock or the Leave It box.
The exhibit only runs until January 1st, 2007, so I’d better get the family loaded into the minivan and make tracks to northwest Texas.
You never know when a lowly burg holds hidden delights.
One of our best trips while living in the Netherlands was to the industrial seaport of Rotterdam. Awesome place with unbelievable architecture and a fun September Harbor Festival that my kids loved. Believe it.
And you know what else is around Lubbock? The acclaimed Llano Estacado Winery. If the town is that bad, I will at least be able to drown my sorrows in a classy joint.
So try not to ever completely write off a destination. Put it in the hopper and look for an excuse to go sometime. Because you never know how a place might turn out.
Update later on 20 November 2006: Here’s a Frommer’s article on “Favorite Underrated Cities,” including Cleveland, Ottawa, Bratislava, St. Louis and some other surprises.
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{ 11 comments }
hi, i truly enjoy your weblog. i’ve been reading it for a while, and you have your info so well organized and easy to follow, plus quite inspiring.
I’ve added you to my links for my readers to enjoy it as well.
thansk
Hi Marina,
Thanks very much for the link; I added yours as well since so many people are interested in travel to Costa Rica these days. Hope to make it down there myself!
Sheila
if you do, give us a shout out, we love guests!
Its sometimes difficult for me living in a city like Lubbock, to respond to those looks of disdain when I mention where I live. When I first moved here (to be close to my family) I also felt that way about this city. But its not so bad once you take a minute to look around and see what there is to experience. I’m not saying its always as exciting as a big city that never sleeps, but there are some great aspects of this place.
When you make your trip up, don’t forget to visit the Buddy Holly Center, a museum that not only houses Buddy Holly artifacts, but two phenomenal art galleries with rotating exhibits. Also, the Silent Wings Museum is worth checking out. Its a very cool museum about the glider program of World War II, with actual airplanes on display that you can look into. Its located in the old Lubbock airport.
Oh, and I saw the Titanic exhibit a couple weekends ago – it was amazing. Definitely worth the trip here.
Hope you enjoy it when you come!
Hi Wendy,
Thanks very much for your comment, and I hope I wasn’t too hard on Lubbock. I knew about the Buddy Holly Center but not the glider museum (and gliders were key to a lot of what the Allies did to re-take Europe in WWII.)
Always good to get the scoop from an insider; appreciate your visit.
Sheila
There’s more than that in Lubbock, but you have indeed noted a few of the interesting spots.
I live in Lubbock (almost a decade now), and I’ll be glad to show you around if you make it here.
– Keith
I have never been to Lubbock, never heard of it and know nothing about it except for the comments and brief description of information in your blog. With this limited information, I feel the desire to travel with my family down that direction. Why? You might ask? Because it’s not the tourist designations that draw me to locations, but the American Dream that draws me to visit places. Lubbock sounds like a quiet, peaceful little place where parents can raise their children without fear. A place where the clock ticks just a bit slower. A place where neighbors all know each other, and where you can probably leave your car doors unlocked in your driveway, or even your front door with just the screen shut to keep the bugs out. I don’t know about you, but visions of open fields and miles of sky sound really nice to me. I have seen a lot of big cities, but it’s the small towns that call to me. Places where you can find ‘real people’ living ‘real lives’. Yes, Lubbock is sounding better and better already.
Thanks for the comment, KC, and don’t be surprised if we DO show up to visit your town!.
I enjoyed looking through your blog; my teacher husband was a full-time Dad with each of our kids until they were about 3, so it’s nice to see your focus on Dad stuff in addition to your many other interests — saw that you’re an ISTP — I’m an INFP.
Best wishes, Sheila
Hi Linda,
I appreciate your thoughtful comments and even though I’m more of a city gal, I do see the charm in small towns.
From your Family Travel Gear Web site it looks like you live in or near Denver. I’ve always wanted to see more of Colorado….any places you can recommend?
Hope the holiday shoppers are good to your business!
Best wishes, Sheila
Don’t forget Texas tech University. Home of the Red Raiders and our favorite bad boy Bob Knight. Catch him heading toward #880. Lubbock Christian University is also a good place to catch some college sports. Don’t get too complacent about leaving your car doors unlocked though. Raised two kids here who are doing quite well. Cost of living, housing prices and premier medical care make it a great retirement community. It’s a place where everybody eats out on Friday night. We’re “The Giant Side of Texas.”
Thanks for the comments, Bill. I watched Bobby Knight yesterday, in fact, against UNLV. I’m sure the record is coming his way!
Sheila
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