Travel Destinations You Would Like to Go To, But Haven't.

[Rain Man]

A twist on the thread about travel destinations you'd recommend. Where would you like to go?

For myself, I offer the following top ten lists for domestic and international.


Inside the U.S.

1. Key West. Key lime pie and I like wearing white pants. What else needs to be said?

2. Boston. I can't believe I've never been there. Lots of cool historical stuff, I hear.

3. New Orleans. Another "I can't believe I've never been there" place. Probably should've gone when I was single.

4. One of those sequoia/redwood forests in California. Technically, I've been there, but I was two years old. I'd like to go when I know more than three adjectives.

5. Kauai. I'm going to Maui and Honolulu later this year for the first time, but even with that Kauai seems like a place I'd like to go.

6. The Breakers in Rhode Island. I like fancy old mansions. I should live in fancy old mansion.

7. The Vanderbilt Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. See above.

8. Barrow or Nome, Alaska. Doesn't matter which one. I'd just like to see one of them.

9. Niagara Falls. Maybe try to check out the Finger Lakes while I'm there.

10. Martha's Vinyard or Nantucket. Doesn't matter which one.

Honorable mentions in no particular order: Glacier National Park, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Minot (ND), Mackinac Island (MI), Monticello, Mark Twain Museum in Connecticut, rural Vermont, Hudson River Valley (NY), rural northern Nevada just to see what it's like.

International:

1. Italy. I think I'm the last American who hasn't been to Italy.

2. Amazon River. Preferably in Brazil, preferably do a full navigation of it.

3. China. Never seen the Great Wall, probably should.

4. Macchu Picchu. Duh.

5. Timbuktu. I really want to go there, but don't know if it's safe right now (or in my lifetime).

6. Antarctica. Honestly, just so I could say I've been there.

7. Finland. Don't know why, but Finland interests me. It's kind of the invisible part of Scandinavia. Plus, they do naked coed saunas.

8. Bulgaria. This has been intriguing me more in recent years. I'd want to add Albania and Romania to the itinerary, though.

9. Mongolia. Because everyone should go to Mongolia once.

10. Turkey. Seem like there's a lot of interesting stuff in Turkey.

Honorable Mentions in no particular order: Churchill (Canada, to see the polar bears), Greenland, The Congo (just to say I've been to the Congo), Ethiopia, Morocco, Switzerland, Amsterdam, the French Riviera, Tibet, Bhutan (kicking myself that I didn't go there once when I had the chance), Thailand, Bali, Japan, Island of Yap (just to say I've been there).

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by loochy

Kauai is incredible. It was a very big change from Oahu. Kauai is very sparsely populated and it has some really cool stuff. Have you seen Jurassic Park? That's where they filmed a lot of it, such as the helicopter scenes and the gate. The NaPali coast up north is incredible hiking with jungle mountain peaks and canyons above and cliffs with crashing ocean waves below. The south end is what I would call a "normal" deciduous forest, and the west side is desert with a giant grand canyon type gorge. Go there NOW.

Are the dinosaurs still running around?

[loochy]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Are the dinosaurs still running around?

Unconfirmed.

I have to say, though, that when we were hiking I could easily imagine a raptor hiding behind a tree.

On several occasions I pretended to be a raptor and I jumped out from behind a tree and pretended to attack my wife with my super claw foot. Yeah, I'm a dork.

I also sang the Jurassic Park song to myself as we drove up to the old jurassic park gate prop they used in the movie. It was a fun off-road drive in the jeep we rented. This is all that's left:

[Lonewolf Ed]

Inside the USA:

Seattle only to visit Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves
Maine
Alaska
Hawaii
Wisconsin

Outside the USA:

Austria
Scotland
Ireland
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia

[DaKCMan AP]

Inside the US:
Boston
Austin
Maine (will be in Rhode Island next year so may plan a roadtrip around that)
Montana (Glacier National Park)
Wyoming (Yellowstone)
Hawaii (eventually)
Alaska

International (everywhere, really):
Austria
Italy
Australia
Croatia
Thailand
Belize
Costa Rica
Vietnam
New Zealand
Japan
China
South Korea
Singapore
Poland
Czech Republic
Hungary
Argentina
Morocco
South Africa and/or Kenya
Turkey
Egypt (eventually)
Greece
India
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Ireland
Uruguay
Portugal
Cuba

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by Carlota69

I always wanted to go to Key West, until I went. It's kind of a dump with really rude people and bad food. The streets are pretty but you can't go in the water because it's the islands sewer system. It's gross.

The Florida Keys aren't really beach/swimming destinations. They are small, rocky islands. It's not like going to the Virgin Islands or someplace like that.

[Kaepernick]

Tahiti bora bora

Rome

Athens

Cairo

Australia

Montreal

New Zealand

Switzerland

London

I always end up traveling in the USA.

1997 was a 9000 mile, 67 day motorcycle tour of the States.

Did it again in 2002, 12000 miles, 50 days.

I've seen a lot of the west, and a lot of glimpses of the east and the south. Retirement will see me back on the road exploring every backwater east of the Mississip.

I think my international travel days are over, as few and far between as they were.

All I can say is, EVERY man owes it to his wife to see Paris. If you have not done this yet, pick an anniversary to do it, make your plans --2 weeks at the least! -- and learn a few important lines of French. Just saying the most basic things in French makes a HUGE difference how you are treated by the French people. Just the attempt will have people meeting you half way. The people who only speak English and act like they are entitled to, have it very rough. None of this "Hiya, little filly. I'd like a hotel roooom with a view and a big fancy gore-mett dinner. Dont forget the. Vino!"

A little, bonjour, bonsoir, avoir, excusez moi, sil vous plait, oui and merci really goes a long way to combat that rude stereotype the French have. They think it is rude if you come to their country and make no attempt whatsoever to speak their language.

Seriously, anybody who hasn't been to Paris and can swing the cost the next few years, really owes it to themselves to visit Paris, and make sure to save 2 days to visit the Normandy beaches. Well worth it.

[Kaepernick]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Went to Tahiti 4 years ago and did the whole overwater bungalow thing. That is a very expensive trip. Hope you get lots of cash at your wedding.

This is a top 10 retirement goal for me. I don't care what it costs. I am doing it. It is like paying $600 for 20 minutes flying on a B17 or $1000 to spend 3 hours driving each of 6 exotic cars at slow speeds. You just have to do it.

[Hoover]

My inside the US list is a little odd.

1. Seattle
2. Nashville
3. Austin
4. Apostile Islands (Wisconsin)
5. Duluth MN

I've been a lot of places in the US.

I'm actually hitting Nashville for a bachelor party later this month, so that will come off the list.

I'm a big fan of San Francisco so long as it includes time in Napa.

Boston is great for its history. Love the feel of that town.
Miami is great so long as you are with people who like to have a good time.
New York is just to fricking big for my tastes
I've been to Denver and Chicago enough that it doesn't excite me.

Charleston SC is cool, especially if you can stay on the coast

[Kaepernick]

Originally Posted by Carlota69

I always wanted to go to Key West, until I went. It's kind of a dump with really rude people and bad food. The streets are pretty but you can't go in the water because it's the islands sewer system. It's gross. Pretty on the surface, but the under belly is disgusting. The key lime pie was good tho.

New Orleans was fun, the people are really cool. Bourbon Street smelled like puke and piss tho. Great food!!!!!! I'd go back to just for cafe Dumond

I always go to Hawaii because my best friend lived there. He passed away last year, so I'm not sure when I can handle going back. His death was devastating to me. Still is.

So...instead of Hawaii...

I'd love to go to Spain, Greece, Italy, Amsterdam and Switzerland. New Zealand would be awesome too. I just hate flying, and those are some long ass flights.
Puerto Rico is on my bucket list for sure

I was very disappointed in new Orleans overall, and the French Quarter in particular. I imagined the French quarter would be clean, sophisticated and romantic. Nope. Piss and puke and stale beer.

Old town Charleston, SC was what I thought New Orleans would be. I loved Charleston. Want to see Savannah someday.

[vailpass]

Chrissy Teigens's house.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Chrissy Teigens's house.

winner

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Hoover

5. Duluth MN

What's the draw of Duluth?

[Skyy God]

Here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave,_Arizona

[Kaepernick]

I consider Manhattan a must see. Man, New Yorkers are just different from any other people I have ever met, right down to the stereotypes of blunt rapid speech. What a great zoo for people watching.

I had lunch in a tiny cafe owned by an old Polish couple with the 50-something wife laughed the entire time working the counter while her 60-something cook husband constantly flirted with her from the kitchen. It was on the ground floor of the radio building and a 55-ish woman who clearly was a stunning blonde bombshell back in the day, worked the floor and mingled with everybody. Clearly, SHE STILL HAD THAT magic charm in her mid 50s. Then a comic who was doing a show in the radio building, came in to pick up his bag lunch. In minutes he had people in stitches, some literally rolling to the floor in tears of laughter.

Midnight the same day after walking my feet bloody, I am in a Starbucks resting before taking the ferry back to the hotel in New Jersey, and in walk 3 stunning young ladies who look like models, real models not the emaciated ones, with a laptop computer. They were supposed to be working on some project but then got into gossiping over their friends and rivals. I don't know if they had Facebook then, maybe just email. I dont know. But they put on such a show just interacting, I stayed another hour just watching them prance around, make faces, exaggerated reactions to things..it was more entertaining than an episode of Seinfeld.

Manhattan is a must see. I cant wait to go back!

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Kaepernick

I was very disappointed in new Orleans overall, and the French Quarter in particular. I imagined the French quarter would be clean, sophisticated and romantic. Nope. Piss and puke and stale beer.

Old town Charleston, SC was what I thought New Orleans would be. I loved Charleston. Want to see Savannah someday.

I've only been to Charleston and Savannah once, about a dozen years ago. My wife and I enjoyed both cities a lot. Very nice.

I've been to New Orleans twice in the past couple of years. Bourbon Street's not exactly my thing, but there's some nice architecture in the area, and they had the most amazing antique store I've ever seen a couple of blocks off Bourbon Street.