tourism meme, stolen from kivrin

[phosfate]

1. Times Square, New York City, NY: 35 million visitors every year -- but before it was Disneyfied.

2. National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C. (Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,the war memorials): About 25 million 1999

3. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.: 16.6 million

4. Trafalgar Square, London, England: 15 million

5. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, Calif.: 14.7 million

6. Niagara Falls, Ontario and New York: 14 million

7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, Calif.: 13 million

8. Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan: 12.9 million

9. Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France: 12 million.

10. Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France: 10.6 million -- in all fairness, this hadn't been built when I was there.

11. The Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China: About 10 million

12. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina: 9.2 million

13. Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan: 8.5 million

14. Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre, Paris, France: 8 million -- Actually I may or may not have been there. I was sleep-deprived and in unbelievable pain, so I may have just imagined it. My main memory of Paris was seeing All That Jazz with French subtitles, and, for some reason, the horrible airbrushed art on the side of the van parked down the street from our hostel.

15. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France: 7.5 million The classic tourist 15-minute Louvre.

16. Everland (amusement park), Kyonggi-Do, South Korea: 7.5 million

17. The Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China: At least 7 million

18. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France: 6.7 million My verdict at the time: "Neat!"

19. Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, Fla: 6 million Fun. Sweaty, terryfing, barfy fun with glow-drinks.

20. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, Fla: 5,740,000 -- But I do own a SeaWorld sweatshirt. For some reason.

21. Pleasure Beach (amusement park), Blackpool, England: 5.7 million

22. Lotte World (amusement park), Seoul, South Korea: 5.5 million

23. Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan: 5.4 million

24. Hong Kong Disneyland, China: 5.2 million

25. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France: 5.1 million

26. Tate Modern, London, England: 4.9 million It was all just "The Tate" then, and awesome as fuck.

27. British Museum, London, England: 4.8 million

28. Universal Studios Los Angeles, Calif.: 4.7 million

29. National Gallery, London, England: 4.6 million

30. Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY: 4.5 million

31. Grand Canyon, Ariz.: 4.4 million

32. Tivoli Gardens (amusement park), Copenhagen, Denmark: 4.4 million

33. Ocean Park (amusement park), Hong Kong, China: 4.38 million

34. Busch Gardens (amusement park), Tampa Bay, Fla.: 4.36 million

35. SeaWorld California, San Diego, Calif.: 4.26 million

36. Statue of Liberty, New York, NY: 4.24 million -- I've seen it, but not actually been.

37. The Vatican and its museums, Rome, Italy: 4.2 million -- I know. It surprises me, too. Most hilarious museum gift shop in the world. You can get Pope ashtrays and miniature Venus de Milos in orange(!) marble. Yes, the Venus de Milo is actually in the Louvre. Don't question it.

38. Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia: More than 4 million Been past, but not into.

39. The Colosseum, Rome, Italy: 4 million -- I bought an Italian Spider-Man comic from a street vendor outside.

40. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY: 4 million

41. Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, Calif.: 4 million

42. Empire State Building, New York, NY: 4 million

43. Natural History Museum, London, England: 3.7 million I saw my first hologram there. It depicted a faucet with water pouring out. It was covered with fingerprints from everybody touching it. It was like witchcraft.

44. The London Eye, London, England: 3.5 million -- not built when I was in London.

45. Palace of Versailles, France: 3.45 million

46. Yosemite National Park, Calif.: 3.44 million

47. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt: 3 million

48. Pompeii, Italy: 2.5 million

49. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia: 2.5 million

50. Taj Mahal, Agra, India: 2.4 million

Comments

[aberrant1.livejournal.com]

And this is why I need a job with paid time off. Because of all these, I have only been to the ones located in Florida. This is because I live in Florida.

I am not sure even poverty is a good enough excuse for that.

[pandonkey.livejournal.com]

I have a job like that, and yet most of the places I've been on this list are in Florida (where I grew up) or in New York (where I lived briefly). I have traveled a fair bit otherwise, just off the beaten path (and, sadly, not much in Europe and not at all in Asia).

I hope someday I, too, can buy a Spider-man comic in front of the Colosseum. That is absolutely going on my 100-things list. Oh, and the gift shop for St. Patrick's Cathedral in NY is pretty great, too -- maybe it's just because I'm not Catholic, but I was delighted by the tiny plastic saint you could bury in your hard to help your house sell faster.

[pandonkey.livejournal.com]

Er, that should be yard.

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

Oh! We have real estate saint here, too. Much arguing over whether he should be buried right side up or upside down, and whether he should be left there, or dug up and hosed down.

Rome was awfully neat, even though it killed the wheels on my luggage, I was down to my last 10 bucks, and they forced us to see one of those dying consumptive hooker and/or empress operas with no prior notice ("Just get on the damn bus. You'll see when you get there."). The Colosseum and Forum were awesome, and the Forum also has these great scamming feral cats who convince tourists that they're starving so they'll get half their ice cream. The ice cream vendor, to his credit, does not shake his head and sigh in disgust.

I liked the Pantheon best, though. Big dome with a hole in it. Yup. Yup.

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

Florida taught my exactly why some people have to drink bottled water.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

YOU'VE BEEN TO SOME OF THE COOOOOOLEST PLACES!!!! *squeak!*
In comparison, I suck ridiculously much at going anywhere! *hangs head* I've been to 5, 7, 28, & 46 (I live about an hourish from Yosemite).

I envy your world travels, madame!

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

It helps to be old. *nods*

[ahli.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, come to Niagara Falls, AnnLarimer! I'll show you around!

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

Ooo!

[goddessdster.livejournal.com]

Not that this isn't an impressive list, or anything, but where the fuck is The Parthenon, or Olympia? Fuck you, meme creator.

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

True dat.

[ashenmote.livejournal.com]

I've been nowhere.

I've been invited to go to London once, but a playstation got in the way of that.

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

But you have herons!

[ashenmote.livejournal.com]

True. But they are pretty much alone in the belief that they are cultural monuments.

[viedma.livejournal.com]

But they've never been to the Spam Museum, and they've never been to me.