March 10, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: A few days ago, I read an account of a man who took his family to the Grand Canyon for the first time. He wrote, “I’m going to tell you - pictures don’t even come close to the actual experience. The sheer size of the canyon, the way the colors shift with the light, the layers of history etched into the rock, the kind of silence that feels vast enough to swallow you whole. It’s impossible to stand there and not be in awe!”
But, as he wrote further, he soon discovered that not everyone felt that way. After he’d scrolled through some reviews of the Grand Canyon, he found some one-star ratings that people had left for one of the most stunning natural wonders in the world.
• “A hole. A very, very large hole.”
• “There was dirt everywhere and the hiking trail was too long!”
• “Where are the vending machines?”
• “There was nowhere to charge my phone or use my laptop!”
• “It’s way too deep to see the bottom.”
Imagine standing at the brim of a geological masterpiece that’s millions of years old and thinking, “This place would be so much better with a hot dog stand and some Wi-Fi!”
The takeaway? Even the Grand Canyon gets bad reviews sometimes, and no matter who you are, you just can’t please everyone. ANGELA WATKINS Natural Bridge Station
