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Orlando Syndrome & Cures for Curated Reality

1/10/2023

17 Comments

 
Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com
Orlando's fake Eiffel Tower at Epcot theme park

Hot news! Orlando, Florida has now replaced Paris as “the world’s most disappointing city.” Congratulations, Orlando! It’s not easy to beat Paris at anything.
 
For years I’ve been reading about “Paris syndrome,” a form of extreme culture shock experienced by visitors who expect the movie version of the city — quaint, charming, and full of great art, marvelous food, intelligent conversation, and sexy side glances from attractive strangers — and encounter a somewhat less adorable reality. “A small percentage of those who venture to The City of Light experience ‘Paris syndrome," reports LiveScience, “a psychological condition with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, hallucinations and increased heart rate.” 

Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com

Now a brash American city has toppled Paris from this particular perch, according to a 2022 study of 826,000 TripAdvisor reviews. The goal was “to find out which city is most guilty of not meeting tourists’ expectations.” Wait, what? Cities are now supposed to feel obliged to meet the Hollywood stereotypes of out-of-town guests? And for crying out loud, what exactly were Orlando’s visitors anticipating, if not a tourist trap? Paris?
 
As Rich said, when I told him all this, “Let’s face it, you don’t go to Orlando for reality.”

Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com

And here we get to the seriously worrying part of the story: the casual assumption that travel destinations should be predictable, with everything organized for our amusement in what some call “curated reality.” Ten years ago, when we were still adapting to living online, Cyborgology  wrote, “Social media allows us to essentially ‘curate reality,’ cultivating an environment in which we generally see what we want to see.” By now that expectation has spread so deeply into all facets of our lives that some travelers are demanding the same predictability from cities they visit.
 
Where’s the fun in that?
 
For me, the whole point of travel is to experience the glorious rush of surprise that comes with stumbling upon something completely unexpected, such as Albania’s warm hospitality, the zingy coffee culture of Greece, and Sarajevo’s 500-year-old public restroom (which is nicer than you’d think!). 

Sarajevo's 500 year old WC / Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com
The sign explains this public WC was given to the people of Sarajevo by their Ottoman ruler in 1530, destroyed in 1992 during the siege, and rebuilt in 2001.

Luckily, most of the world hasn't undergone a makeover to satisfy the tourist industry. I’ve been to sections of Paris — yep, Paris, France! — that are delightfully quirky, and I have no doubt there are plenty in Orlando, too. They’re just not conveniently located right next to Disney World or Epcot.

​
So how do we find these great experiences? I’m glad you asked.
 
When selecting destinations, get skeptical. When you read “fairy-tale atmosphere,” “feels lost in a time warp,” and “the quaint, small-town Europe you’ve always dreamed of” your Spidey-Sense should start tingling. In 2013, having read those words, I visited the medieval town Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic. At first glance, it was enchanting. Meticulously restored ancient buildings lining winding, cobblestone streets leading up to a 13th century castle — what’s not to like?
 
Then I noticed the garish signs protruding from every possible surface, shouting at me, "Try the mead!" and "Enjoy two-for-one drinks at a real medieval alehouse!" The only townspeople I saw wore cotton-polyester folk costumes to promote ye olde souvenirs. The town was no longer a living community but frozen in time, a propped-up relic as scary as Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
​

via GIPHY

Bette Davis played a former child star who couldn't let go of the past in this spine-chilling 1962 thriller that launched the subgenre of horror films known as "psycho-biddy."

Of course, tourism brings in useful revenue, so it’s only practical for cities to welcome paying guests and adapt to their (reasonable) needs and wishes. Spain, for instance, has devoted millions to improving the quality of its roads and restrooms. And I, for one, am deeply grateful.

​When I first moved to Seville, lots of older bars only had men’s comfort stations, because during Franco’s dictatorship women didn’t get out much. (Don’t get me started.) If I had to answer the call of nature at one of my early hangouts, Los Claveles, I had to discreetly express my request to one of the owner/bartenders, who would summon his grandmother from the kitchen, and she would escort me to the tiny cubicle reserved for female needs in the far back. When a proper ladies’ room was finally installed, I was cheering.

 
Los Claveles, Seville, Spain / Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com
Los Claveles

​Fortunately, like many ancient cities, Seville knows how to adapt to changing times without losing its character. It remains vibrant and is unlikely ever to degenerate into a Český Krumlov -style backdrop designed for what the tourist industry now calls “instagrammable leisure.”

I've learned the secret to enjoying anyplace is simply to pay attention, so you don’t miss the small, interesting moments happening all around. For instance, last Saturday Rich and I were strolling through Seville during an unusually dense and chilly fog. “Hypothermia is setting in,” I muttered through chattering teeth. “Let’s duck into the next café.”
 
This turned out to be the Bar Algabeño, one of the most delightfully unremarkable spots in Seville. No tourists. No hipsters. No angst-ridden youths with eye-popping tattoos. No trendy makeover or amusing napkins. Just a simple, old-school café-bar where a few neighbors were sitting quietly having a coffee or glass of anis liqueur to “reanimate themselves” (as the Spanish like to say) on a quiet Saturday.

Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com
Bar Algabeño

As I sat down, I noticed an elderly Spaniard in a green jacket standing hesitantly, staring about as if unsure what to do next. One of the two camareros  came around from behind the bar and gently escorted him to a table, while the other followed with a glass of beer and some chips. The old man settled into his corner with the contented air of one who is prepared to linger indefinitely in cozy, familiar surroundings. A sandwich soon appeared on the table in front of him as if by magic.
 
And I thought, this is what I love about Seville: the kindness, compassion, the sense of community, and the complete lack of judgement about a guy in his eighties having a beer with lunch.
 
“This is what I’m talking about,” I said to Rich. “This is the opposite of curated reality.”
​
Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com
Rich warming up with a coffee at Bar Algabeño.

Nobody’s ever going to be disappointed by the Bar Algabeño, because we have no pre-conceived notions of what it should offer, beyond a place to sit and sip something and watch the world go by. It will never trend on Instagram. No one will accuse it of “staged authenticity” — another pet peeve of dissatisfied travelers who apparently want their predictability so perfectly seamless they don’t notice it's being managed. No one will ever criticize the Bar Algabeño for being guilty of not meeting expectations.
 
And let’s face it, if Paris doesn't measure up, there’s a pretty good chance our expectations are at fault, not the City of Lights. Not the city of which Oscar Wilde wrote, “When good Americans die, they go to Paris.”
 
So although I never make formal New Year’s resolutions, I've renewed my determination not to settle for curated reality, staged authenticity, or instagrammable leisure. Especially on our upcoming Nutters Tour. The world is full of wonderfully unpredictable, hair-brained, off-the-wall places, and every one of them is on my list.

Curated Reality / Paris / Orlando / Seville / Karen McCann /enjoylivingabroad.com
“You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.” ― Oscar Wilde

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17 Comments
Mark
1/10/2023 04:51:38 pm

I didn't realize Orlando was a city. I thought it was a collection of theme parks. Good read!

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/11/2023 05:30:37 pm

It is home to more than a dozen theme parks, Mark, but also to 2.5 million people. So it's as real as any other city, in its own way. Glad you like the post!

Reply
Vicky link
1/10/2023 05:13:25 pm

That’s helped me articulate why I want to travel and why I tend to avoid tourist hotspots. And it’s not just because I don’t like queuing!
Think the term curated reality is perfect for describing the worst aspects of travelling. Avoid at all costs. Give me a cafe down a side street anytime. We had our best lunch ever in one in Barcelona. Did not compromise on comfort or quality of food either. On the contrary!
Thank you. Food for thought.

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/11/2023 05:32:00 pm

Yes, I was really struck by that phrase too, Vicky. Curated reality isn't for me, and I'm with you all the way as you explore little side street cafés. Much more fun!

Reply
Phyllis
1/10/2023 05:59:11 pm

I started using Rick Steves guidebooks back in the '80's when I took my mother to Europe. They are full, complete and generally accurate, helping us to navigate easily. There's a downside, however. His "favorite place" in the Berner Oberlands in Switzerland is a good case in point. I saw it early when it was as he described, but since has become thronged with RS tourists and all the changes that involves. Sigh. So glad for you to share the little bits of homey everyday life wherever you wander.

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/11/2023 05:41:02 pm

I'm happy to hear you like my tidbits and stories. Like you, Phyllis, I'm a fan of Rick Steves, but sadly many of the places he loved and praised in print — including Český Krumlov and Kotor in Montenegro — by now have become overrun with tourists and have lost their charm, at least for me. That's what motivates me to go further off the beaten track when I can — to discover places for myself, without any expectations.

Reply
Phyllis
1/24/2023 11:50:29 pm

"out there, there be dragons!"

Jackie Smith link
1/10/2023 06:22:10 pm

Thank god for the places not trending on Instagram or with social media 'influencers' influencing by taking selfies of themselves front and center in them! Great post!

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/11/2023 05:42:36 pm

Thanks, Jadkie! As a fellow travel blogger, I know you put the effort into finding cool and unusual places that aren't on Instagram. And as you say, thank God there are still plenty of them out there!

Reply
Vera Badertscher link
1/11/2023 02:53:18 am

And then there is the whole country of Singapore that seems to work overtime to achieve sterile perfection.

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/11/2023 05:44:05 pm

So true, Vera. I visited Singapore decades ago, when it still had a very funky side, but after my last visit I doubt I'll go again. Way too organized for me; I like a bit more room for serendipity in my travels.

Reply
Faye
1/11/2023 03:59:24 am

Interesting post, Karen. Love the Oscar Wilde quotes.

That coffee Rich is enjoying looks so very good…like “real ,full-bodied coffee” that, once you’ve finished it, you know you’ve had coffee!

PS: I am reading your new book and thoroughly enjoying it!

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/11/2023 05:47:58 pm

So glad to hear you're enjoying the new book, Faye! As you know, writing it was a labor of love, and I'm so thrilled it's out in the world at last. And thanks for your kind words about the post. As for Rich's coffee, you're so right. Around here they expect a real eye-opener and boy that's what we all get!

Reply
Heather link
1/13/2023 10:02:25 pm

Words very close to my heart. A guest recently said that Instagram was quite possibly the worst thing to ever happen to Aurora (both Borealis & Australis). I have to constantly remind my guests that trips to the extremities are no guarantee to see lights, and most will agree with me. There is usually one or two per season that will argue black and blue that it's a guarantee - I hope Lapland NEVER turns up on a disappointed list :(

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/20/2023 08:15:28 am

I agree with your guest, Heather; Instagram gives everyone the bizarre impression that the whole world should look like the perfect images from a TV commercial. And it suggests that any trip to Lapland that doesn't result in seeing the lights is a failure. Madness! Travel is meant to be about delightful surprises (like finding your Tastes of Helsinki food tour was for Rich and me) not a series of checklists and must-see obligatory experiences. Where's the fun in that?

Reply
Susanna Perkins link
1/16/2023 02:02:14 am

As an Orlando-area resident for nearly 30 years, I can totally understand how disappointing the city would be to people who come expecting nothing but wall-to-wall entertainment. I'd think the traffic from the airport to the theme parks would be a good starting clue. . .

In reality, Orlando has a moderately good professional symphony orchestra, lots of parks, every imaginable type of restaurant (they get better as you get farther from the theme parks), and one delightful small downtown with cafes, restaurants and small shops running alongside a park and the Amtrak station (Winter Park). There are a number of colleges and universities as well.

Reply
Karen K McCann
1/20/2023 08:29:25 am

Thanks for backing me up on this, Susanna! I've found every good-sized city has its delightful aspects and many suffer from distorted reputations. I remember decades ago when Rich took a job in Cleveland and I went to look the city up in a guidebook. The first words I read were, "Cleveland isn't all smoke stacks and slag heaps..." Yikes! Not encouraging! People thought we were nuts to leave California to go live there, but we loved it and stayed 20 happy years. You really don't know a place if all you read are the Trip Advisor reviews!

Reply



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