West Seattle Blog...

WSB Forum » West Seattle Rants & Raves

(37 posts)

Rant: Rick Steves

Started 1 year ago by DP
Latest reply from ellenater

DP
Member Profile

I have to admit I HATE this guy.

And I don't even know why.

Probably because he so damn . . . LIKEABLE.

Grrr!!!

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
Member Profile

And he truly is a nice guy. A coworker attends the same church as him and she says he's just an all-around good guy; he apparently hosts church potlucks at his place. My dad also works up in Edmonds and lives in Kenmore and has had a beer with Steves more than once at an Edmonds bar.
AND he wants to legalize marijuana.
So of course you'd hate him. Anyone that "perfect" would arouse suspicion in anyone. ;-)

Posted 1 year ago #
KBear
Member Profile

I've met him. Yes, he's very likable. But he probably even likes the people who don't like him. He's also figured out how to make a good living doing exactly what he likes best. Can't dislike him for that, but I am a bit envious.

Posted 1 year ago #
guitarboy53
Member Profile

I love Rick Steves. His podcasts, public TV shows and Europe Through the Back Door has been very informative and entertaining over the years. I have met Rick in person and I have seen him speak many times. Anyone that is planning on heading across the Atlantic and wants some travel tips about their European destination should definitely look into Rick Steves!

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

the one criticism i have is that he makes it seem as though any tourist has access to the people and places he promotes.. not quite true...

i would like more camera crew and producer transparency.. ala No Reservations...

well.. maybe he doesn't need to go THAT far:)

Posted 1 year ago #
johnnyblegs
Member Profile

I hate him because tourists walk around oblivious to their surroundings with their nose in his book. He's kinda ruined some previously unknown gems in Europe.

Posted 1 year ago #
AlkiCabCompany
Member Profile

His shows are very informative. I would like to buy the whole series someday.

Posted 1 year ago #
Trisket
Member Profile

JoB - huh?

Posted 1 year ago #
HelperMonkey
Member Profile

I love Rick Steves!

Posted 1 year ago #
austin
Member Profile

Rick Steves raided my stash and ate all my cashew sandies. :(

Posted 1 year ago #
andrea
Member Profile

Oh, I just have to chime in on this one...I adore Rick Steves! I could watch his shows over and over, his books are thoughtfully well written and informative (used through 17 countries in Europe one summer), and his blog is interesting and funny and he comes across as truly one of the nicest guys around. I mean he's a devoted husband, father, son, world traveler, devout christian and a pot promoter?! How cool is that? I would love to have a few beers with the guy!

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

trisket..

when you take a camera crew with you and pay people for access.. you get to go places and do things other people don't.

how many of us do you think are going to be invited into the mayor's home and be treated to a thanksgiving style feast?

ok.. some of us might meet the mayor and he might like us.. and if our timing is really really good we might be invited to a family feast

but the majority who travel to those same places are going to end up in the local pub eating alone and shop in the local stores without ever being invited into the back room to see how the products are made.

I know that is true for nearly all travel shows so i don't mean to be singling him out as unique... but i really respect Anthony Bordain's show No Reservations for panning to the camera crew and mentioning the production behind the program... They may go a bit far with the production comments sometimes.. but you get the feel of a camera crew and production crew taking you places and arranging things in a manner that only those with big bucks and good connections could manage on their own.

The reason Rick can carry that small day pack as he checks into his latest little gem of a hotel/guest house is that the production crew has already arrived bringing all the stuff that the rest of us lug around ourselves.

I respect his honesty and would love to see and hear more of the production aspects reflected in his show... along with a few helpful hints as to how to end up part of the crowd in the local brewhouse instead of being those tourists sitting alone...

Interaction with local people, customs, environments and food are what sets the armchair traveler from the explorer...

if more people learned to be explorers they would get far more from their travel dollar and do more good for American goodwill than official diplomacy can ever accomplish.

btw.. i too adore him as a person.. and have been known to own one or two of his travel guides.

Posted 1 year ago #
KBear
Member Profile

JoB, I don't think Rick Steves' shows are unrealistic at all. Yes, he uses his connections to stage episodes that make for good TV. But the point is that ordinary travelers can often do the same types of things if they are thoughtful and make an effort. It has certainly been my experience that travelers who make the slightest effort to interact with local people are often rewarded with rich experiences other travelers don't get. And as for the size of his pack, I guarantee you he travels with less than half of what most people lug around, apart from whatever else he needs to do his TV show. So maybe you saw him check into a hotel carrying only his day pack, but his whole suitcase probably isn't much bigger.

And Rick is a much more gracious traveler than Anthony Bourdain. All Bourdain seems to do is sit around smoking and making fun of other cultures' cuisines. That's not the image I'd like people in other countries to have of Americans.

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

KBear...

television shows are highly edited.. and Bordain's is edited to show his wild side... it's what sells the show... just as Steve's man alone exploring the world with just his daypack sells his..

Anyone who eats and drinks and shares laughter with strangers creates a positive image of America... drunk or not.

I agree completely that anyone who manages to interact with local people is often rewarded with rich experiences other travelers don't get... but the reaction i get to the tales i tell from my travels would lead me to believe that it takes most people a lot more than a slight effort to connect with strangers.. especially strangers who may not speak their language.

it takes a willingness to appreciate the way strangers do things and a curiousity about the world that many lack to spark that slight effort into interaction... and the ability to laugh at yourself doesn't hurt. Sometimes lifting a glass is the best way to accomplish that.

As for Rick Steves's daypack.. if i am going to see him check in... i would rather see him carrying the suitcase he actually travels with instead of the daypack that is presented to make good television.

As a woman who recently shopped for two weeks to create a travel wardrobe for a week in a moderate climate that would fit in an underseat bag.. I have a real appreciation for the minimum required to get by when you travel.

Those who travel with only a daypack have difficulty staying clean and neat enough to be allowed inside... let alone be invited in...

having traveled in my youth with little more than my toothbrush and the essentials at a time when no-one expected cleanliness or appropriate clothing as part of the hippy image.. i can guarantee that a half collapsed daypack just doesn't cut it.

i apologize for any remaining bloops... i am having to edit my posts too many times today due to a lack of connection between the little grey cells and my fingers ...

Posted 1 year ago #
KBear
Member Profile

"television shows are highly edited"

REALLY?! I wasn't aware of this!

"the reaction i get to the tales i tell from my travels would lead me to believe that it takes most people a lot more than a slight effort to connect with strangers.. especially strangers who may not speak their language."

It takes a slight effort to learn a few words or phrases in another language, and sometimes that's all it takes to engage people. But if that's more effort than most people are willing to expend, they'll never know what they may have missed out on.

"Those who travel with only a daypack have difficulty staying clean..."

Clearly not even Rick Steves travels with only a daypack. But it IS possible to travel for 2 weeks with only a carryon. And have good hygiene.

Posted 1 year ago #
nighthawk
Member Profile

Rick Steve's has done at least one behind the scenes episode of his show where he did show the production crew. It's small, I can't remember if it's 2 or 3 people and they have been with him for a long time. They all travel light as they have done this enough they understand what they really need.

Posted 1 year ago #
thansen
Member Profile

Hey now, Rick's a great guy. First he's pro pot, so you gotta love that...he took a big risk going public because he could have lost a lot of his older clients. AND he's Norwegian.

Posted 1 year ago #
hoffanimal
Member Profile

JOB, come on, really? Your anecdotal shopping story is somewhat interesting but why all the effort to drag Rick through the mud? Seems energy could be better spent elsewhere.

Posted 1 year ago #
ellenater
Member Profile

I would like to see Rick do a tour of the has bars in Amsterdam. I'd totally watch that.

Posted 1 year ago #
JimmyG
Member Profile

Ellenater, I think you'd want to see him do a tour of the coffee shops in A'dam, not the bars. And I would totally watch that episode.

Steves travelled to Iran with only 2 crew members, he doesn't often take many more than that on his European shows. I don't travel in the same style as Steves (I'm more a hostel/low, low budget/couchsurfer type) but the man has done so much to get Americans over any fears of travelling internationally, that I tip my hat to him.

And after this thread I "heart" the ignore poster button on WSB even more than I ever did!

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

hoffanimal..

saying i would like a little more reality in my reality program is dragging Rick through the mud?

someone is being just a tad bit sensitive..

kbear..

i have often traveled through multiple climates with a carry on bag and agree that it is quite possible to stay clean with only a limited amount of clothing.. I managed just fine for months as a young hippie chick.. tho it was a soft backpack and not a carry on ... carry-on bags were bigger in those days :)

sadly, those who travel and spend their time complaining that it isn't like America do know that they missed out on something.. but they don't know what.. so when you tell your travel tales they think you must be exaggerating since they went the same place and truly didn't see what you did.

Posted 1 year ago #
velo_nut
Member Profile

The wife and I just came back from backpacking Europe for a month. And when I say backpack, I MEAN backpack. One pack each AND it was small enough to be a carry on.

Rick Steves tips and hints as well as his journeys really helped us get the most out of our trip.

Posted 1 year ago #
jellyfish
Member Profile

Wow, Velo. Where did you go?

Posted 1 year ago #
ellenater
Member Profile

I am saving to go to Europe next year, Rick Steves style. :)

Posted 1 year ago #
HelperMonkey
Member Profile

Rick did do an Amsterdam episode on his NPR show.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/ben/amstcoffeeshop.htm

Posted 1 year ago #
velo_nut
Member Profile

@jellyfish-

New York, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Venice, Naples, Avelino, Capri, Rome and back to Seattle.

Posted 1 year ago #
blackwatch
Member Profile

I love Rick Steves and I love the message he promotes....travel simply, with a good attitude.

Great advise that helped us have a great time last time we went to Europe.

Posted 1 year ago #
WSHSparent
Member Profile

On our 2005 trip to Paris, we were grateful for Rick Steve's Paris guidebook...great information for getting around the city, museums, sightseeing, and out-of-the-way attractions...however, we had one snafu...being on a tight budget, we tried one hotel that he mentioned...it turned out to be a little too bare-bones...rickity bannisters, paper-thin walls, weird guys staring at us from their month-to-month rented rooms and a floor in our room that felt that it might break through in certain areas. After one night, we paid up and walked around the neighborhood and found another hotel that better suited our needs...someone a little more adventurous might have been ok in the first place...it DID have a fantastic night view of the street from our window...and we could hear a woman singing opera...I will definately buy Rick's guidebooks for any future trips!

Posted 1 year ago #
blackwatch
Member Profile

We stayed at that hotel and if you're a man or you enjoy naked women you'll be sad to know that the hotel has an inner courtyard and I just happened to catch a whole room of French flight attendants walk around fully naked in the morning. They even waved. I waved back.
I couldn't tell if they were singing opera.

It's not true what they say about the French .... they're very friendly.....
But being respectful I turned away.......

Very slowly...

Posted 1 year ago #
HunterG
Member Profile

Rick Steves kicks ass. Enough said.

Although personally I have a love-hate relationship with the guy. But when I dislike the guy it is only due to jealousy...

Come on now, admit it, getting to travel the world on someone else's dime? Who wouldn't love that? Right place at the right time in combination with a little bit of persistence? Maybe.. lucky... most certainly.

Besides, when I listen to his voice...... it seems...... to put me into a mild..... meditative ...... state .......zzzzzzzzzzz

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

Hunter G..
have you tried Bob Ross reruns...
happy little trees in a happy little meadow with a happy little cabin in the clearing surrounded by happy little flowers with a happy little dog on the porch.....
if you last that long you are a better man than i ;->

Posted 1 year ago #
hopey
Member Profile

If the image doesn't work, click here: Bob Ross & BP

Posted 1 year ago #
rykrite
Member Profile

Rick Steves taught me how to travel when I was 22 (ahem...18 years ago). He's not faking it, and what he preaches actually works. I had one carry-on back pack (packed using his advice), and I did a six week tour of Europe with it. I was invited into people's homes, and I accepted several of those invitations from women (alas, I was too prudish to accept the invites from the guys, which seemed to have "perks" in mind). I was accepted by locals, introduced to all kinds of things, and had the time of my life.

I don't care if the guy has a camera crew and credentials that get him places I couldn't go. I followed his advice, and had a life-altering trip - it changed not only how I viewed the world, but how I viewed myself. He's the PBS star, but as just a regular gal, his advice gave a trip that I will still be reminiscing about on my death bed, hopefully many decades from now.

This reminds me....I have some old, mouldering frequent flier miles. Maybe it's time my little family went to Europe- there are family hostels, we could do it on the cheap.....with just one bag apiece.....

Maybe I'll pop into Edmonds to check it out. I doubt I'll get to see The Man but that's okay - his influence is all over.

This thread is inspiring some thinking - thanks. I miss my "world traveler" self. Maybe time to ressurect her from the dead - the economy be damned! LOL

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

hopey..
somehow i missed your bob ross last month. loved it.

rykrite..
it's a little harder with a family... unless of course you are all old enough to carry your own bags:)

Posted 1 year ago #
rykrite
Member Profile

JoB, yes, it would be harder with a family. But do-able, and probably just as worthwhile as that first trip. I've been back to Europe sevearl times since that first trip, but it's been a while. Our daughter is 7.5 now, and I think she could haul her own pack - plus, we could stay in one city for longer. Right now, I'm thinking a split between Florence and Rome, with just day trips to Siena, Pisa, and who knows where else...

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
Member Profile

rykrite...

i think travel is the single most important experience any parent can give their children..
and that international travel just boosts the payoff.

i agree that it is very possible and hope you are able to pull it off.

Posted 1 year ago #
ellenater
Member Profile

Did anybody happen to catch Rick's travel photography class at Glazer's Camera? I really wanted to but was out of town. :(

Posted 1 year ago #