Comments on: Grief Tourism: Straddling the Boundary Between Sympathy and Snooping http://www.vagabondish.com/grief-tourism-dark-travel-tours/ The Travelzine for Today's Vagabond Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:10:03 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Amanda http://www.vagabondish.com/grief-tourism-dark-travel-tours/comment-page-1/#comment-5867 Amanda Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:05:11 +0000 http://www.vagabondish.com/grief-tourism-dark-travel-tours/#comment-5867 Katrina, thanks for your thoughtful comments. I agree that visiting a memorial (like at Ground Zero) seems somehow much more respectful than seeing the site as it was when you were nearby. As for Anne Frank's house, I've been there myself and class it as one of my most favorite museums in the world!, yet I'd never thought of it as dark tourism - but of course it is, in its own way. But as you say, the exhibition is so well done that it's definitely worth seeing. Katrina, thanks for your thoughtful comments. I agree that visiting a memorial (like at Ground Zero) seems somehow much more respectful than seeing the site as it was when you were nearby. As for Anne Frank’s house, I’ve been there myself and class it as one of my most favorite museums in the world!, yet I’d never thought of it as dark tourism – but of course it is, in its own way. But as you say, the exhibition is so well done that it’s definitely worth seeing.

]]> By: Katrina http://www.vagabondish.com/grief-tourism-dark-travel-tours/comment-page-1/#comment-5732 Katrina Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:48:20 +0000 http://www.vagabondish.com/grief-tourism-dark-travel-tours/#comment-5732 Great article Amanda! I decided not to go to Ground Zero when I was last in Manhattan. I was taking a meeting very close by and had time spare to do so, but decided that I just couldn't bring myself to go and see where so many people died. I think I didn't want to be associated with all the other "rubberneckers" who were there, but I accept now that those people are more than likely paying tribute to those who died rather than just morbid curiosity. I think to have seen the actual scale of the site would have upset me further, I had visited the towers as a small child, but everything seemed big back then. For me, to view the crater and subsequent building processes would have been horrifying and commercial rather than contemplative and respectful. If when I visit Manhattan next time the reconstruction/rebuilding on the site is complete, I will go to the memorial if time allows to pay my respects. Weirdly however, I have no pre hesitations about visiting a concentration camp and will do so when I visit Poland. On the other hand though, I debated for a while whether it was tasteful or not to Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam. I decided to do so and am pleased that I did, but I did feel ashamed when I first entered the house. The exhibition is remarkable and does give you an incredible insight to the nightmare the Frank family and their friends experienced and I would recommend it to others. But only to those who I thought were interested for the "right" reasons. Great article Amanda!

I decided not to go to Ground Zero when I was last in Manhattan. I was taking a meeting very close by and had time spare to do so, but decided that I just couldn’t bring myself to go and see where so many people died. I think I didn’t want to be associated with all the other “rubberneckers” who were there, but I accept now that those people are more than likely paying tribute to those who died rather than just morbid curiosity. I think to have seen the actual scale of the site would have upset me further, I had visited the towers as a small child, but everything seemed big back then. For me, to view the crater and subsequent building processes would have been horrifying and commercial rather than contemplative and respectful. If when I visit Manhattan next time the reconstruction/rebuilding on the site is complete, I will go to the memorial if time allows to pay my respects.

Weirdly however, I have no pre hesitations about visiting a concentration camp and will do so when I visit Poland. On the other hand though, I debated for a while whether it was tasteful or not to Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. I decided to do so and am pleased that I did, but I did feel ashamed when I first entered the house. The exhibition is remarkable and does give you an incredible insight to the nightmare the Frank family and their friends experienced and I would recommend it to others. But only to those who I thought were interested for the “right” reasons.

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