Gertrude Stein once said of Oakland, California: "There's no there there." Cannes, sadly, seems to suffer from a similar character flaw. Consider this arch comment from travelmeister Rick Steves: "Cannes has nothing unique to offer the traveler, except a mostly off-limits film festival. You can buy an ice cream cone at the train station and see everything before you've had your last lick." Clearly, Steves has no affinity for Cannes' je ne sais quois -- insisting the French Riviera resort offers little to visitors apart from luxury brand shopping and a day at the beach. But given a chance, Cannes does deliver. Granted, the Palais des Festivals, which houses the International Film Festival, looks like a no-name warehouse, and its signature red carpet is absent except during the festival's annual 10-day run in May, so there is a sense of a let-down. But dig deeper and you'll uncover some rich history, fabulous food, a modest and sweet Old Town called Le Suquet, and La Croisette, a glitzy palm tree-lined boulevard that makes up for the missing red carpet.