What's wrong with Bordeaux?

Rick has said that "Bordeaux must mean boredom in French," but that quick dismissal is directed to the big city, not the whole region. The Michelin Green Guide is a reliable resource for stops that don't fit the limited space in Rick's book. Note that regional versions of Michelin Green Guide cover and give prominence to places that also don't make the cut in their all-France book. Therefore, prioritizing your sightseeing partly depends on how wide an area you want to cover or hop around on this trip. With a car, a smaller radius is usually easier. By train, some long distances can have faster service than some short distances.

Laura's explanation covers it. But since I'm already half way through my post, I'll finish it.
This is a frequently asked question here: why do Rick's books leave out certain places.
Rick Steves guidebooks have always been selective, especially in the country level books that cover regional cities.
His books at the national level are not intended, to cover every attraction in a country.
He prioritizes according to what he thinks his readers, with their typically limited amount of time, will want to see.
There are also page limits they are restricted by.
Some of the other guide books have a different philosophy. If you like their philosophy, by all means buy their books for that portion of your trip. But you won't find a better guidebook to Paris than Rick's, IMHO.

Go for it. The Gascogne is very popular with the French and valued for its cuisine. If you've got the Green Guide--go enjoy and please report.

I understand the picking and choosing according to what the typical tourist will want to see and have time for... but, what I don't care for (either from RS or any of our learned posters here) is a complete dismissal of an area simply because he/she did not like it.... the mentality of "I don't like it, so you won't either" is absurd. Or the famous "Don't waste your time".... without any clarification as to why this might not be an enjoyable location...
I think RS does a superb job of the areas he covers and likes.... but I still happen to love Malaga and think he needed to travel with our group of 15 women (mostly photographers) and see why we loved it!... and one of the women who is a Spanish professor at the U of M and is from Malaga and has a house there could show him a thing or two to enjoy in her town:))
Maybe we can keep those areas 'back doors'!

You know what they say about opinions .....

Well Rick has one and since it's his book he gets to express it. You as the reader are free to agree or disagree. There are other guidebook series (in fact, he discusses them on this very website) so it's not like there's a total blackout on any part of Europe. You might start with the 2 guides whose names begin with "F" they are more inclusive.

I like Bordeaux. It is an interesting city in a historically important part of France. One of its nicknames is la belle endormie 'Sleeping Beauty. It does have a historic centre but above all it is a working port.

It can serve as a useful base for Aquitaine, the third lion added to the two of Normandy that appears on the coat of arms of England.

It's spectacularly beautiful, rich in history, phenomenal food and of course wine, and surrounded by much of the same, but don't tell anyone or Rick! Not sure why he puts it on the bottom of the list but likes Rue Cler, finds Cinque Terre quaint, etc, etc, but we are all entitled to our own opinions. If it interests you, by all means, check it out. If you get bored, there's so much to do close by.

Thanks for the comments so far, especially the admiring adjectives from Leslie -- just what I want to hear. But I also still want to get any of the 'boredom' or 'sleeping' opinions if they are out there in this community, too, as I make my decisions.
I have the beginnings in mind for an itinerary of a week or so in Bordeaux with regional day trips and a week or so in Basque country with a couple of beach days and/or a Pyrenees day in between. The stretch for me would be that I usually avoid using a car but this area would seem to require one to get out to the wide range of chateaux and eglises that there are. I might actually feel more comfortable renting a maxiscooter some days or joining a wine-and-churches tour van than taking the wheel of a strange car. But that (a motorbike) puts one at the mercy of the weather.
I also want to look further into the tourism conditions -- am I going to run into Brits on holiday at every turn?

You'll run into people from the UK, because they're only a couple hundred miles away from many locations in France.
Lucky folks they are.

and many of them are retired down there!

..." am I going to run into Brits at every turn?" Yes, you very well may and they are probably wondering if they will run into Americans at every turn. That's tourism these days. Pity.

I've taken the Aquitane TGV toward Dax, Pau, Pyrenees. From a scenic standpoint, it's an interesting region. Reminded me a bit of South Carolina (geographically that makes some sense due to proximity to the Atlantic) and sections seemed very sandy soiled with those short crookedy branched trees (apologies, don't know what species they are). Further south you get the interesting mix of snow-capped mountains within view of palm trees. It's unique and worthy of exploration.

I want to clarify that my comment that included "Brits on holiday at every turn" is not a knock on Brits, it is about my concern over how crowded and touristy the area around Bordeaux is -- consider that I like listening to Sam Smith sing, but that doesn't mean I want to hear "Stay With Me" every damn time I switch on the radio.

All things in moderation.

Back on the OP, I notice that the Michelin Guide doesn't make a clear distinction between the museums (fine arts, history, etc.) and the "museums" (bait for selling wine and its accoutrements), which is why I want to hear from more travelers about the spots they found worthwhile.

Bordeaux has been elected "European best destination in 2015" http://int.rendezvousenfrance.com/fr/actu/bordeaux-designee-meilleure-destination-europeenne-annee

There is nothing wrong with Bordeaux, it is beautiful. And Dijon has the same problem with RS guide, even if all my overseas visitors loved my town.
Enjoy!

I like Bordeaux, but I especially like the nearby Gascogne and Pays Basque areas. Rather than go through my recommendations, I'm attaching a link to the blog I wrote during my trips there:
http://www.mainelywinenews.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-from-pays-basque.html

@Robert from Portland: thanks for the great link to your blog -- It reminds me both of the tempting charcuterie and of my interest in pursuing more experience with floc de gascogne -- I've had the Laubade and maybe one or two others available here in CA but I'm imagining that there is much more to discover in the same vein there in its home! Any thoughts on that or related liqueurs?