I’ve been planning on taking a vacation this summer, so I decided to do some research beforehand. The last time I just got in my car and started driving. I’d rather not go into great detail, but let’s just say it didn’t turn out all that well (and that porcupines, tequila and snorkeling is not a good combination).
Anyway, while doing my research, I ran across this list on AOL.com of the Top 10 Places To Not Visit. When I saw this, I thought to myself, “This will be a very useful tool. When I think travel knowledge and competence in general, I think AOL.”
These places are known, according to the list, as “hells on earth.” I think you might surprised to find out that the #5 place in the world Not To Visit is our own Oklahoma City. To put this in some perspective, OKC is the only city in the States to make the list. We rank as a worse place to visit than Baghdad and Chernobyl. I mean, Doug Sauter’s mustache is as terrifying to me as the next guy, but I always thought we were at least in better shape than most warzones.
Here is what they said about us:
The weather is frighteningly unpredictable, with blizzards often descending on the city and winds that could knock a high rise clean off its feet. It is, after all, located in the direct path of “Tornado Alley.” The worst time to visit would be from March to August, when the severe weather season makes Dorothy’s Kansas look positively calm. One of the most powerful tornadoes on record — an F5 with wind speeds of 320 mph — devastated much of the city in 1999.
Oh. Maybe these people don’t exactly know what they’re talking about. Perhaps I should put Mogadishu back on my list of potential vacation spots after all.
UPDATE: I guess they removed us from their list. That takes all the fun out of it. Boo.
What a odd list… of course you can also consider the source (AOL) who can’t quite tote the label of “visionary” in putting all of their eggs in the “Geez, this dial-up internet thing is going to last forever and ever” basket.
when i saw this, my guess was that it’s a disgruntled Seattle-ite high up in AOL trying to bash OKC.
It’s obviously not a serious, researched choice (anyone been to Guadalajara?)
My guess is a university of texas journalism student wrote that.
Blizzard Season in the OKC sucks.
Hahaha, lordy….We’re standing shoulder to shoulder with NORTH KOREA! wtf…
Holy ****!!!
What in the world does this mean? I bet Seattle will use this against us as Two in the pink suggested!
Down with the hairy legged women of Seattle and all their attempts to disrupt the goodness of OKC!!!
By the way, there were tornadoes last night…just saying….
So THAT’S why we don’t have more skyscrapers. The windz has been blowin’ dem down!
I’m picturing the skyscrapers having feet. Or maybe I just haven’t fully recovered from the Norman Music Festival.
Never trust a headline with a split infinitive.
Didnt AOL used to employ about 300 people here? So not only do they lay off all those people from their crappy job at Shepherd Mall, they then take a dump on the city as they leave.
What are they going to do next, flood everyone’s mailboxes with free trial software?
i wish i had something positive to say, but i’m currently waiting on my insurance agent to call me, thanks to the raquetball-sized hail…sigh.
I love that we’re the only US city…like somehow, visiting OKC is worse than visiting Flint, Michigan. Or Tucumcari.
Oklahoma City has been removed from the list!
First I checked out the list when I read your blog. Then on the noon o’ clock news, Meg Alexander did a blurb about it. She said that they asked Mick Cornett for his opinion and his response was that someone from Seattle must have made up the list.
Then I was going to show the list to my boyfriend, and Okahoma City was gone from the list. hilarious!
We’ve been removed from the list already.
I think they took us off the list, I just checked and no OKC on the list.
The problem with OKC in general is Kansas sucks and Texas blows - ubfortunately we’re in the middle
The list has been revised. We no longer are mentioned. the list now consists of only 9 places not to visit.
Somthing OKC, Flint, and Tucumcari have in common….no one plans a vacation to any one of the three.
FYI
They took it down because it was a seattle based attack…. sort of an internet practical joke
The original articla and list is still up at Askmen.com:
http://www.askmen.com/fashion/travel_top_ten_200/226b_travel_top_ten.html
After nearly 200 comments from upset readers, the Editor attempted to justify the list as “light-hearted”.
That’s what happens when you pledge the major league city fraternity…you have to deal with the hazing from the active members. After initiation, we will be able to mistreat Boise.