Talk:McAllen

This article makes me feel ashamed to live in the valley. There is not even a mention of the booming ecotourism industry we have booming here.

Honestly: "They are known as the Winter Texans. They are very good drivers- and follow all the rules- even the speed limits- this can frustrate typical drivers."

Come on. —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) 67.11.80.14 (talk • contribs)

Plunge forward! (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 22:01, 19 August 2009 (EDT)

Franchise obsession

So I assume people who edit this article are strangers to the local business. A travel page is for tourists who want something original and authentic and judging from the restaurants and stores mentioned, the editors place more attention at the franchise businesses that make its way to the city. It's pathetic. People want to come to another city because it offers something unique and genuine. From reading this article, it is completely the opposite of original. It's just another copy. Who mentions franchises such as Romano's or Carino's? These restaurants are pretty much everywhere in the country. Nothing great about them. Shine a light at the struggling local businesses in McAllen. That is what should be noted here, not big franchises. De88 (talk) 20:27, 12 October 2016 (UTC)

Normally, Wikivoyage policy is at most to mention in prose that such-and-such franchises are operating in such-and-such area. Non-notable chain locations don't deserve listings. Please go ahead and delete them, and list only independent establishments worthy of patronage. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:11, 13 October 2016 (UTC)

I refuse to edit this article, primarily because the city leaders indulge their citizens with franchise restaurants and national chain stores. As a local from Brownsville, this city competes way to much with my hometown. I have no interest in fixing anything about this article. This city is an embarrassment. Yes - I am biased but I am only this way because I see the way a city neglects their own local businesses. The only reason I came to edit on here was to delete anything that mentioned big box corporations, who do not deserve the free advertisement they get on Wikivoyage. The fact that the people from the McAllen area boast about having so-and-so stores and restaurants is just sad. A city is made great from attractions other than restaurants or stores - museums, parks, art culture, active tourism plans and festivals make a thriving city. De88 (talk) 19:37, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

As a musician and son of an artist and anthropologist, of course I'm interested in good museums and performances, but I don't agree that restaurants or stores can't be important ingredients in making a place great. But my friend, if you refuse to edit this article, don't assume anyone else will. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:36, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

I think restaurants are definitely a key ingredient in making a place great and touristic, but when over 90% of restaurants that open in McAllen and its vicinity are chains, then there really is nothing worth special to mention. That is primarily why I do not want to edit this article. I really do believe local restaurants/stores are what truly make a city worth visiting. Take Austin for example, one of the fastest growing cities in America right now that has known for its unique attractions and great local restaurants. Many stop here to try something different. Some suggest McAllen will become another plastic city in the map of America. I don't disagree with them. They're complete right. Nothing there is original. You have big box chain stores/restaurants and nothing else to offer visitors. Brownsville, on the other hand, has so much to offer and I commend its citizens and local government in wanting to preserve what we have here. Since you mentioned you are a "musician and son of an artist and anthropologist", make Brownsville your next destination. Trust me, the city has many museums and an emerging music/arts scene which the youth is aiding in reviving. Definitely check the city out. There is much more to Brownsville than all the edits I've made on here. You really have to visit to see what I mean. De88 (talk) 02:48, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

"See" section

In all honesty, I've only traveled to the city at best less than 10 times in my whole life. As I mentioned, I refuse to edit this article for reasons mentioned on the above post, but even if I did, my knowledge of regions in this area is extremely limited. I was in the belief that if an editor simply publishes a laundry list of attractions, without providing info/details on them, that it can be deleted from the article. This is an issue that happened over at Wikipedia where laundry lists were not allowed. I'm assuming that this is not the case here on Wikivoyage. Ikan Kekek De88 (talk) 02:28, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

Laundry lists without information are bad, but sometimes it's worse to delete them. It would be different if it were an article called "Parks in McAllen" that consisted of just names and addresses. That would get turned into a redirect very quickly. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:33, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

I do remember a user simply transferring the laundry list to the talk page. Should the parks be left this way or moved here? De88 (talk) 02:52, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

I have no strong opinion about this, but it seems to me that moving every park listing here would be worse than leaving them all on the page. Maybe someone else will have a different opinion. Ikan Kekek (talk) 03:07, 19 December 2016 (UTC)