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There's just no accounting for taste. When we asked readers to talk about the places they visited but thought were overrated, the results amazed us. Can someone really dislike the Grand Canyon? Yes. In fact, two readers did. Others registered their displeasure with Italy; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Washington, D.C. For the complete list of comments, go to latimes.com/overrated. And if you disagree, please leave your comments there.

Place: Bali

Last visited: 2000

My perspective: It was the ending port of our cruise from Hong Kong to Bali. The weather was very hot and the humidity seemed near 100%, which we were told is normal for November. Our hotel was very luxurious. We left our patio door open about an inch while we went to dinner and came back to bugs everywhere.

In daytime, mosquitoes ate us up. The hotel grounds were beautiful but couldn't be enjoyed because of the temperatures and bugs. Outside of the hotel's grounds, there was poverty everywhere and beggars. It was not the paradise we expected. Never again. We've been all over the world, and this was the worst spot we've ever been in.

Suggested alternative: Hawaii

--Janet Cross, San Dimas

Place: Austin, Texas

Last visited: September 2007

My perspective: Judging by the hype surrounding Austin, I thought I was embarking on a visit to the eighth wonder of the world. As Gertrude Stein said of Oakland, "There is no there there." The same could be said of Austin. Once you've seen the state Capitol and a tiny strip of phony honky-tonk music dives called 6th Street, there is nothing to do. About the only thing Austin has going for it is a plethora of Tex-Mex restaurants; most are cheap, and the food is splendid. But that's about it.

Suggested alternative: Honolulu or St. Augustine, Fla.

--Christopher di Spirito, Penfield, N.Y.

Place: Seattle

Last visited: October

My perspective: The place is just awful. Gray, one-dimensional and boring. The surrounding geography is spectacular, but the city is nothing more than an overcaffeinated shopping mall filled with upper-middle-class white people wearing backpacks. How many Starbucks and Gaps does one need? Take an hour to visit the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the Experience Music Project -- and that's all it takes -- and you are left wondering why you bothered.

Suggested alternative: Anywhere else

--Patrick Sinclair, Alexandria, Va.

Place: The beach

Last visited: June

My perspective: It doesn't matter which beach. When I was a kid in Glendale, we always thought of the beach as a place where everything was mellow and everyone was beautiful and friendly. Often we found what we expected. It was fun and exciting to travel to Santa Monica or Redondo or Leo Carrillo. But now it's different.

Any beach town is just like any other Valley town or anywhere in Kansas or New Jersey, only with more parking meters. The homogeneity of commercial sprawl has overtaken any charm or quirkiness the beach communities may have had, and the fortress mind-set of the residents of these places makes it unfriendly even to walk around. There are more "No Parking" signs in a linear mile of Malibu curb space than in all of Montana.

Once you get to the sand, it's a competition for an open patch. And don't even think about the public restrooms. Ewwww. And if you do brave the facilities, someone will probably jack your towel, cooler, Frisbee and even your dog if he isn't in your backpack. Your probably illegally parked car will get towed or broken into and all your stuff stolen. All in all, the beach is a terrible trip.

Suggested alternative: The big pool at Hansen Dam

--Dave Stern, Bremerton, Wash.

Place: Laguna Beach

Last visited: September 2007

My perspective: Laguna Beach is overcrowded, with not much to do. There is a dearth of quality, reasonably priced restaurants, with most of the restaurants offering abysmal seafood, considering the coastal location. The downtown is hit-and-miss for shops, and the art galleries are overrated. This beach town is beautiful but disappointing.

Suggested alternative: Encinitas

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