When it comes down to it, which place have you been to that has overwhelmed you or lived up to your expectations? Even NYC isn't too interning for visitors after spending 2 days in Manhattan.
I am just going to comment once on this as to not clutter this thread with opinions, but IMO opinion LA was not what I expected and was a huge let down. The trip there was great and I had an awesome time, I was just not so impressed.
The few places that I have been to that far exceeded expectations were, Hawaii (which had a lot to do with my disappointment with LA beaches), Atlantis, Rio, Iguassu Falls, Sedona/Grand Canyon.