Talk:Rick Steves/Archive 1

Card-Carrying
"Card-carrying member of..." recalls immediately the 1988 US Presidential elections, where George HW Bush accused Michael Dukakis of being a "card-carrying member of the ACLU." Obviously, then, this is not NPOV. Being a member of the ACLU, NORML or yes, even the NRA is not a crime; it is in fact a right guaranteed by the First Amendment. The Dogandpony 11:40, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

It was Dukakis who first referred to himself as a "card-carrying member of the ACLU." Bush merely exercised his First Amendment right to note what Dukakis said. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LesLein (talk • contribs) 16:29, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

Lutheran
Just curious why this religion is part of the article. Even tagged in the upper- right bio box. To the best of my knowledge of RS, he does not make religion of any kind an issue, and certainly does not wear his religion on his sleeve. Curious why this is such a big part of the article when it adds nothing to the story and is not part of how he presents himself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.10.152.64 (talk) 02:41, 26 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Actually, he does. Perhaps not on the show, but he is very open about his spirituality and trying to walk the rope so as not to push it on any traveler who isn't interested. From his blog on his website: http://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/where-does-a-good-lutheran-catholic-eat/ LovelyLillith (talk) 22:35, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

Needs a Full Early Life Section
The article only states where he was born and mentions that his father was a piano teacher. Most early life sections have more detail than that.

69.171.160.240 (talk) 05:33, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

I also am curious about his accent. It sounds distinctly Canadian but he is American born. Was one of his parents Canadian? Or did he grow up partly in Canada or on the Canadian-American border?

69.171.160.240 (talk) 05:33, 30 January 2010 (UTC)


 * He doesn't sound Canadian. He sounds like his dad was maybe Mr. Rogers.  174.89.29.134 (talk) 04:12, 25 June 2011 (UTC)


 * It's a North-Central American accent, also known as the Great Lakes accent. Maybe one of his parents is from Montana. 207.50.145.244 (talk) 05:51, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

He does not sound Canadian - he what to me is a typical Washington state accent. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.161.165.22 (talk) 12:41, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

Only in Europe
"Both his books and television shows deal with travel only in Europe" is not true per se; there are shows on Egypt, Israel, the non-European part of Turkey, etc. Jim

By the way, I think I should clarify that this item is not the discussion of why this article should be cleaned up that is referred to. The request for cleanup was apparently posted without a rationale being included on the discussion page. I can see that some changes should be made but am not sure what the other person had in mind. Jim 00:16, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

Article is not objective
This article is well-written but needs to be more objective. It reads like PR for the Rick Steves company. It must be possible to put Rick Steves in context of history and other travel entrepreneurs. Pangmorn 23:52, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree! His publications are presented as collections of "secret" tips of how to get to know authentic Europe whereas they lead you to similar mainstream tourist places as any other travel guide.


 * Not really. Rick Steves advocates a lot of travel suggestions that are no mainstream. You haven't read his material, you're making an assumption ( remember what Felix Unger says about assumptions? ) Jake b 04:57, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes really. Everything in ETBD or that is written by Steves is purely mainstream. Plus if you follow his suggestions, you'll see more Americans than you will Europeans. This article about Steves needs to be completely re-written. Quietleader 00:25, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I think you will now see more Americans than you will Europeans, because so many Americans are following his guidebooks (much as the Rough Guides brought a lot of Brits to places they didn't previously go), but Steves has definitely put places on the American tourist map that were not there before, probably most obviously the Cinque Terre. Also, he seems to have accomplished a certain degree of crossover, introducing many comparatively mainstream Americans to more of a "backpacker's" view of European travel. - Jmabel | Talk 07:48, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I disagree. I finally caved and visited Gimmelwald (yes, the picture on the page) exactly a week ago. I was shocked. Let me say something -- my wife is Swiss and I've lived in Switzerland for a year and a half. I have a "GA" -- it costs me absolutely nothing to visit there. I thought it'd be worth it after talking about it for so long. My wife's grandmother even challenged me -- "Gimmelwald" doesn't exist (she kept insisting that I meant "Grindelwald").


 * Anyway, the streets were empty other than a French-speaking couple (no English) and some local children (Swiss German) who were chopping ice. We bought some nice cheese (similar to Sbrinz) and Wurst. My wife spoke Swiss German and I tried my best to do the same... They where really surprised to see tourists... The woman from Gimmelwald did say that there are a lot of Americans during the summer and "winter" (post-Christmas). During winter there are a lot of Swiss, as the area is cheaper than the ski town slightly higher (so the Swiss save money by staying there). Don't "judge" without having been. In terms of mountain towns, this is the most "original" I've seen, as there are not a massive amount of condos everywhere (which even pollute Braunwald).--80.219.69.131 (talk) 22:39, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Keep in mind that a lot of the places Rick goes to are "mainstream" now because he popularized them, ie, the Cinque Terra, but to some degree, yes, his "hidden gems" aren't all that hidden. Especially in this day of the Internet, little is "hidden" anymore. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.181.189.193 (talk) 05:53, 30 May 2010 (UTC)

Marijuana activism

 * I notice that Steves's support for marijuana legalization is mentioned, but not cited for. I'm not particularly planning to work on this article, but here is a citable article on the issue on the "Rick Steves Europe" website. Probably if the article is going to engage the matter at all, it should somewhere refer to "harm reduction", a key phrase that he uses. - Jmabel | Talk 07:40, 25 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Also an hour-long radio interview on the subject. - Jmabel | Talk 07:43, 25 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Search Google News, this has many articles for reference, see also: "Marijuana: It’s Time for a Conversation" http://www.marijuanaconversation.org/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.173.31.91 (talk) 01:19, 17 February 2008 (UTC)


 * The link has no apparent information relating to Rick Steves. What is your point with it? -- Bossi  ( talk • gallery • contrib ) 06:23, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The "harm reduction" link? It vaguely relates to Steves' philosophy about cannabis decriminalization. But it's a bit too indirect to warrant folding into the article. Proxy User (talk) 05:14, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Note - I do not want anyone else to repeat my mistake so please note that this discussion is about a paragraph in this section of the article. -- allen四names 18:09, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

Article cleanup suggestion
There are a lot of decent interviews linked in External Links; it would really improve the article if someone handy with writing could incorporate those into the body as inline citations instead. DP 76764 (Talk) 17:57, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

Other political Advocacy
He travels around giving talks about Bread for the World a lot more than his more titilating marijuana advocacy. This should be written up. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.126.104.74 (talk) 02:01, 13 June 2010 (UTC)

Too much on politics
Rick Steves is not a particularly political figure and his views about terrorism and marijuana are not tremendously important or germane. I think a much smaller section on this is merited and much more should be dedicated to what he is, in fact, famous for, which is crafting travel guides for Americans. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.190.80.46 (talk) 16:46, 26 June 2011 (UTC)

Rick Steves wrote an entire book on politics. His writings are infused with his political opinions. Anyone reading his work cannot help but notice how political he is. He talks politics in public appearances. Therefore, his politics are relevant. His views on terrorism and marijuana provide readers with insight into his overall outlook. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.244.187.99 (talk) 15:32, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

Episodes listing please
A list of episodes of Rick Steves' Europe TV Shows, with original broadcast dates and HD format details would be useful, since it is not available anywhere else.-96.237.13.111 (talk) 22:49, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

Supports
In the first paragraph of "Political and civic advocacy", the article says, "Steves supports the decriminalization of marijuana." In the fourth paragraph, the article says, "Steves also supports the homeless." It sounds almost as if the article is saying "Rick Steves supports homelessness." I think that sentence needs to be rephrased. (You can't use two different meanings of the same verb with "also" like that.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.96.152.222 (talk) 01:48, 6 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Agreed, and fixed. LovelyLillith (talk) 19:00, 18 July 2019 (UTC)

Terrorism Views
I reinserted some of the Rick Steves quotes on terrorism. In October 2011 I sent his publicist a question on an unrelated matter that didn't have a source. She updated the page. She left in the information provided on terrorism at the time. If it is okay with Rick Steves' publicity personnel, it shouldn't be a problem with others. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LesLein (talk • contribs) 14:52, 12 January 2013 (UTC)

Teaching at the University of Washington
Rick Steves did not teach at the University of Washington. I think the article was giving the impression he was on the faculty there. That is not true. He taught through The Experimental College, which is a student-run organization (the ASUW) at the UW that allows people with a particular skill to teach non-traditional and non-credit classes (cooking, yoga, tap dance, etc) that are mostly for personal enjoyment and enrichment. Although they have permission to teach the classes on campus during off-hours if they wish, many instructors hold the classes elsewhere. Many of Steves' classes were held in Edmonds, Washington but he also did some lectures at the UW campus.PNW Raven (talk)

nice article
this is a great article. thanks for putting this here! --Sm8900 (talk) 13:38, 16 July 2015 (UTC)

By 2016 Steves is still thriving, and he matters to American culture
Ten years after the older contributions here, Steves has emerged as Arthur Frommer's successor. After World War II, and for decades following, Arthur Frommer's Europe on Five Dollars a Day was a cultural marker of America's affluent new relationship with ruined Europe. Steves has taken over that role, introducing mainstream Americans (now increasingly college graduates) to the modern post-Cold War Europe. As a professor, I'm annoyed by how accurate and subtle many of his Italy lectures are. (Why did I break my neck getting a PhD if a former piano teacher can do a perfectly good Siena 101 class? Grump, grump.) The Tuscany lectures are useful in elementary classes. He avoids loading down vacationers with the disturbing past always near at hand in Europe, yet he isn't Pollyanna. To a New Yorker, his personality seems remote, his accent and manner off-putting, something from Lake Wobegon; yet most Americans feel that way about us. I don't know why I don't enjoy watching him talk. He's doing a fine job interesting mainstream Americans in visiting Europe and seeing the cultural treasures. If he were Kenneth Clark or Simon Schama he wouldn't reach that vast audience. He does a good and valuable job and deserves a longer article here, and further study as American culture. By the way-- why are half of the contributions on this page unsigned? Profhum (talk) 03:01, 30 January 2016 (UTC)

Height
We met Rick Steves many years ago at a fundraiser for Houston PBS KUHT. Back then I was 6'1" and he seemed several inches taller than me. Casey (talk) 01:11, 30 May 2020 (UTC)