Tacky Tourist Photos

SUBMITTED BY: Ari G. LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2010) Any chiropractors in the house?

SUBMITTED BY: Ilya Mirman    LOCATION: Berlin via Washington DC (2010) This kind of aggressive posturing at the Berlin Wall once might have attracted gunfire from the East Side. But in Washington’s flashy Newseum — the mainstream media’s shrine to itself — it is quite safe to be a rabblerouser. The Newseum also has an authentic [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Ilya Mirman LOCATION: Washington, DC (2010) On the campaign trail, politicians spend every waking moment trying to pretend they are just like you and me. Once elected, they want to get as far away from us as possible. (TTP co-founder Ilya Mirman is also the mastermind behind “Kerslappity,” a fun photo-sharing site for [...]

Unlike tourist photo-ops that encourage you to put on silly wigs, slap on a cheesy fake mustache or strap on a one-size-fits-all costume over your street clothes, going Geisha on the streets of Kyoto is a two-hour transformation experience. Guest blogger Glennyce Paetzmann, who visited the ancient Japanese capital back in 2003, reflects on the [...]

Looks like Paris Hilton might be the ultimate Tacky Tourist Queen! Not only is she doing the “Walk Like an Egyptian” pose at Cairo’s top tourist attractions, she also ups the ante by flashing cleavage in her backless maxi dress.  Only a Cleopatra wig and Bangles soundtrack would complete the scene. According to the London [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Jennifer Howard Heater   LOCATION: Orlando, Florida (1978) Yes, when you go to Walt Disney World or any amusement park, you are expected to temporarily suspend your sense of reality. But back in Ye Olde Days, were bank robbers so bold as to stop by the photography studio (which was a formal ordeal back [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Rachel and Steve Moore   LOCATION: Branson, Missouri (2009) Rachel and her brother Steve weren’t looking for a religious experience when they hit the Hollywood Wax Museum in Branson. Most of the museum met their expectations (Forrest Gump on a bench, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, etc.), but the glowing room with the Pope and organ [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Emily Berezin   LOCATION: Cairo, Egypt (2009) Wouldn’t the Middle East Peace talks be a little less boring with cheerleaders? This once-in-a-lifetime pose was not done with Photoshop or trick photography. Emily simply jumped off the camel, which is resting on its stomach on the scorching desert sands of Giza. Emily’s enthusiasm, optimism and [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Rebecca & Steven Resnick     LOCATION: Israel (2008) Their family vacation was only a year ago, but Rebecca and her brother Steven can’t remember exactly where they took these precious “Hole-in-the-Head” shots of Moses and a Crusader. “We know it was somewhere in northern Israel, possibly in the Golan Heights area, but disagree on [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Steve Mandich  LOCATION: Williamsburg, Virginia (1975) The Stockholm Syndrome is when a hostage starts to empathize with his or captors. The Colonial Williamsburg Syndrome is when a torture victim has no memory of being tortured. Five-year-old Steve Mandich is seen here lifelessly dangling from the stockades as sister Cheryl, 10, sticks out her [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Darren Garnick   LOCATION: Prince Edward Island, Canada (2009) When I woke up this particular August morning, I had no idea that I later would be skipping around a Canadian village wearing braids and a vintage 1908-style dress. Ironically, this all happened because I was checking if the Cavendish Figurines souvenir shop (at the [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Dave Pryke   LOCATION: East Berlin, Germany (2009) When President Ronald Reagan dreamed of his Star Wars defense plan, this is not exactly what he had in mind. Filmmaker Dave Pryke encountered a lone Stormtrooper from Darth Vader’s legendary 501st Legion guarding the Brandenburg Gate, which stands just outside the site of the demolished [...]