humanodon, check this out, it's a pleasure to read.
Nice, thanks for the shoutout! It's funny that this list begins with Cape Town-- a friend sent me a link to one of those, I don't know, "quizzes" or surveys or whatever, where you pick a bunch of stuff and it determines what city would be a good fit, based on your answers and I got Cape Town. Although, the thing had questions about hashtags and Beyonce, which I know nothing about and so my answers might not have been as clearly chosen as they could have been (as if this thing were at all scientifically accurate in the first place). I have noticed that recently, a bunch of things will crop up in my daily life, which seem to point at one city or another to relocate to (though I haven't yet). A few years ago, it was Portland, OR and now a bunch of my friends live there. Last year it was Chicago, where a number of other people in my life have relocated. Maybe this year it's Cape Town? I'm pleasantly surprised quite a few of the entries on this list, for example, the Frankfurt I remember (though I never knew it well) was notable for having a Pizza Hut in the railway station and I never thought I would see Indianapolis in a travel article from the New York Times. I'm also glad to see that the Mekong river tours are getting more exposure. A friend of mine had designs on competing in that market and I think if managed well, it might develop into a lucrative industry. On another note, the NY Times online experience is getting pretty slick these days . . .
Yesterday I visited my Facebook page and I spent a few minutes writing a long-winded rebuke of the "Beyonce" "hashtag" "where should I live" quiz you are speaking of. I never posted it, I erased what I wrote and it was still cathartic. But I was really disgusted with how popular that quiz was. It was moronic, don't you agree? P.S. Move to North Carolina.
I'm glad someone knows what I'm talking about! Yeah, I don't understand those choices at all. I only got it from one friend on facebook, who remarked that they too were a bit put out by those choices. I'm all for a little idiocy just to relieve tension, but it does seem like people are indulging in it a little too often. In some ways it reminds me of those cootie catchers (those little paper things that "tell fortunes") that little kids play with (or used to). I've been toying with this idea that the internet is supposed to be the lotus blossom that Buddha holds, but in reality it's just a cootie catcher after all. North Carolina certainly does appeal to me. Everyone I know who lives there says it's a nice place to live :)
In some ways it reminds me of those cootie catchers (those little paper things that "tell fortunes") that little kids play with (or used to). I've been toying with this idea that the internet is supposed to be the lotus blossom that Buddha holds, but in reality it's just a cootie catcher after all.
That's an awesome analogy. It's not that I am anti "silly," I did take a "test" immediately following that one about which Star Wars character I am (Luke) but I am anti people taking these things seriously. There are idiots out there that are sure they're supposed to move to Barcelona now because of which Beyonce moment they most relate to.
Yeah, that Indy thing made me question this whole list. I've been to Indy a few times. WTF? I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would recommend anyone else to visit. It's about as typical as a modern, post-industrial, mid-size city can get. I would not feel like I missed anything if I never had been, and I won't fret if I never go again. Not that there's anything wrong with it; it's just as uninteresting a place as I've ever been. Edit: I take that back; Des Moines is the most uninteresting place I've ever been, actually. Forgot about that one.
Well, the entry does focus on the eight mile long "cultural trail" which might be of interest to urban planners, though why one couldn't just check it out with streetview or satellite pictures, I don't know. Come to think of it, most of the urban entries on the list have some kind of design aspect as the focus. There are still some places on this list I'd like to check out though.
You know, I've traveled to more countries than I have states and I have wanted to remedy that for a long while. Like many East Coasters, I tend to have a very two dimensional view of what other parts of the country are like, which I realize is unfair. I've mentioned before that I love to travel by rail, which I really wish was a more affordable mode of transportation in the US. It would be so great if hyperloop or maglev trains gained a foothold here. I really think that cheap, easy travel within this country could go a long way toward really giving its citizens a much better understanding of the enormous place we call home, not to mention the people we share it with. Since that is unlikely to happen, I guess I'll just have to get myself a decent motorcycle and see it that way sometime.
I'm a big fan of road trips by car, actually, although it really is refreshing in other parts of the world to have options. The thing about America is there are dozens of things to see along any linear route, so driving is a boon because you can control your stops. If you haven't gotten out west, you need to. Utah and Wyoming are by far the most underrated states.
Agreed. I just counted and I've been to 45 states. Utah, IMO, has the most natural beauty.
Wyoming is the second most underrated state, Utah the 3rd but the MOST underrated state is without a doubt Montana. North West Montana is perhaps the most gorgeous part of the US. The last best place, the last best people.
May can actually be a great time to explore the lower trails. As you get higher the temperature is fair but you're walking through partially snow covered hills etc. It's beautiful and there are far less people at Glacier to contend with. My favorite trips there have been in May. You're right though, if you're interested in some serious back country hiking May will not work, but for camping and day hiking he should be all set.
He also specifically mentioned loving to travel by car. There's no better drive in the world that I've ever seen than Going-to-the-Sun road (I think that's the name anyway--the one that goes through Logan Pass). That will blow your mind, but no way you can do it in May.
Thanks for the tips, y'all. I do like traveling by car, but we'll be driving to a point and then hiking w/tent etc if we do this trip (it's not dependent on me so I haven't done any research yet). If May isn't as good for back country hiking because all the trails aren't open, we may adjust and camp in different places every night by car. Either way, really.
Let me know prior to going, I may be able to help steer you in a right direction. It's a wonderful place.
Great list, better than I expected, which was the ususal list: go to a touristy sunny beach here, a different sunny beach there (they have natives! whoo). But nearly all of the cities and places are actually worth a visit because of their enriching environments. Maybe I should've seen that it was a NYT piece. And it's always nice to find a Dutch city on it (#10). #17, Calgary, is being worked on. Hopefully I'll be there as an exchange student this fall. Still uncertain though.
Yep, I live in the north of the Netherlands. Rotterdam is an interesting city. I heard someone say that Rotterdam was bombarded by two forces: the Nazis and architects. I'd recommend a detour to Delft, it has an idyllic city centre, a great history of art and is a better representation of Dutch cities than Amsterdam. Only 13 minutes by train from Rotterdam. Delft station is undergoing a massive overhaul though, might be wise to look up where you'd want to go.