JENN McKINLAY: I had the luck of traveling to new places this summer. San Francisco and Chicago, to be exact. Now, I'd been to San Francisco before in 2015 to attend the American Library Association's annual conference (as an author not a librarian) and I was lucky enough to have my friend Kate Carlisle with me to show me around. Our days were scheduled around events however so it was more of a do a panel discussion, run outside and catch a cab to go see the Golden Gate Bridge type of trip.
This time it was just me and Hub, meeting up with some friends to attend the 60th anniversary concert of the Grateful Dead in Golden Gate Park. We left the 110 degrees of Phoenix and thoroughly enjoyed the 60 degree weather of the City by the Bay.
Then, for Hooligan 2's birthday, we went to Chicago to attend UFC 319 at the United Center as the boy is a huge MMA fan. I had never had a chance to see much of Chicago - mostly what I'd seen was from the window of a plane as I landed and took off again during a connection.
What a fabulous city!!! We loved, loved, loved it. And my people made fun of me because I was completely obsessed with "the bean" aka Cloud Gate.
Normally, my vacations are spent on the beach either in Puerto Penasco, Mexico or Nova Scotia, Canada or both. So, to attend events in two cities was a real change up for me and I really enjoyed it even though I don't consider myself much of a city person.
So, now I'm trying to decide what my favorite U.S. city is -- I'm leaving out all of my trips to Europe because then it would just become impossible.
Boston was my favorite as a teen -- Newbury Street! New York was the top as a college student -- Broadway and Museum Mile! NOLA became my go to when I traveled in my twenties -- Preservation Hall and Cafe Du Monde! (Have fun everyone who is going to Bouchercon, btw!). Then of course, I moved west and discovered San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, and Denver. I've also had amazing trips to Nashville, Savannah, Orlando, and Miami. Shockingly, I have yet to make it to Seattle. So, as I think of all these places and my memories made, I'm trying to pick my favorite and, y'all, I think it might be Chicago.
I just asked Hub what his favorite city is and he said it's either New York or Los Angeles because he feels like he's in the middle of everything in those two places. Interesting. I felt the same way in Chicago, but I'm not ready to fully commit yet. I still need to see Seattle and I've been very neglectful of the flyover states and need to check out Kansas City, Detroit, Milwaukee, Columbus, Boise, Cleveland, and Indianapolis to name a few. LOL.
So, how about you, Reds and Readers, what is your favorite city in the United States and why?
This is one of those "it's hard to pick just one" answers; every big city seems to have its own special charms. But Broadway pushes New York ahead of the others . . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! I love Broadway!
DeleteAlthough I'm Canadian, I am lucky to have visited over 40 states & many US cities.
ReplyDeleteBut by far, my most favo(u)rite US city is San Francisco. I have been there over a dozen times in the last 20 years. I love the quirky neighborhoods, the eclectic delicious food, the varying scenery, the wacky weather and the people.
Also, SF has great used bookstores and museums.
DeleteWe had the best time there. I can't ait to go back.
DeleteThere are so many that I haven't seen yet, but of those I have, I think San Diego and Long Beach, California, are my favorites. However, I do love my home city of Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeleteI love Pittsburgh! I was only there breifly but I loved it.
DeleteI would have to pick Kansas City, Mo. I grew up in the suburb of Gladstone attending NKC schools from 4th grade thru 11th grade so it holds a lot of nostalgia for me and I still have friends there. Highlights are: The Kansas City Museum of Art, the zoo, Starlight Theater, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, the Royals at Kaufman stadium, the Chiefs at Arrowhead stadium, Hallmark, The Plaza
ReplyDeleteIn more recent years I have enjoyed visiting NYC, Nashville, Washington, D.C., Savannah, and Boston.
The Friends & Fiction Official Book Club’s 5 year anniversary celebration in Atlanta was a lot of fun, but I would never have chosen to go there otherwise.
Of the cities I have been to, Vegas, Chicago and Philly, and the Atlantic City Boardwalk are okay. Baltimore and Minneapolis are way at the bottom of my list.
I haven’t really seen much of Milwaukee, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, OH or Cleveland, just driven through or gone to a vintage baseball event and back home without seeing anything else.
Traffic is horrible in all of them.
Hello from Gladstone! To add to your list-the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Power and Light District, Crossroads District, Current Stadium (women's soccer), the National WWI museum, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Toy and Miniature Museum and so many great restaurants.
DeleteAre you really in Gladstone, Robin?
DeleteMy list was just the tip of the iceberg!
I really have to visit Kansas City.
DeleteMy favorite city is a toss between San Francisco (I consider it New York east) and Boston (because of the history)
ReplyDeleteBoston owns my heart, for sure.
DeleteI've been to lots of cities but haven't spent much time in them, not to really know them. I spent a lot of my childhood in New York but not getting to know it. Not really. Our vacations have mostly been planned to be out in the country. I love to visit Boston, Los Angeles and New York. I love San Francisco. Here's a story only a Connecticut native will appreciate.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 23, I visited a friend in Sacramento who took me to San Francisco for the first time. It was gorgeous, a bright crisp summer day. I fell in love with it. That night I called my dad. I told him I love San Francisco. I said I was going to come home, pack up the car and move to San Francisco.
Without missing a beat he said, " Judy, Waterbury has hills."
HA HA. You may notice that I did not say that I love the steep hills in San Francisco in my response!
DeleteLOL Judy!!
DeleteIt does!!! That's hilarious!!!
DeleteDefinitely Washington, DC. I grew up in the MD suburbs and loved going "downtown" as a young teen. Our family used to go down on Sundays to the Smithsonian. We'd pick one building and spend an afternoon exploring. As an adult, I've loved visiting and going to the theater. It still feels like it has everything anyone would want in a small, accessible city. I shudder to think of armed guards roaming around today in what I consider "my" city.
ReplyDeleteShoot! How did I forget? I love DC. There is so much to do and see, I've been twice and need to go back.
DeleteAlthough I have been to several major cities all over the United States and am fond of each one of them for so many different reasons I am especially partial to two of them. I love Boston because it is very "walkable" ~ small enough to cover so much territory in a day ~ but also because it is rich with our Country's history. It is New England to the core with its beautiful Boston Public Garden and Swan Boats, Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Fenway Park....the oldest ballpark (1912) in Major League Baseball. It is Christmas time on Newbury Street and the Boston Common's annual holiday tree lighting gifted from our wonderful "neighbors" and friends of Nova Scotia. It is neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill with its residents' courtyard gardens tucked away off the small streets and the North End...home of Paul Revere and its Feasts of Italian Saints in the summer months. It is Esplanade concerts and fireworks on the Fourth of July that was first created by our beloved Maestro Arthur Fiedler in celebration of our bicentennial birthday back in 1975/76. It is a city that we walked along its Charles River most every Sunday for forty years. My second favorite city is on the west coast ~ Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is truly walkable at only a little over one square mile of land! It's comfortable Mediterranean climate of Fahrenheit temperatures hovering mainly between the 50's and the 70's all year round is so inviting. Its rich history of artists and authors who settled in this city is exciting and interesting. I could easily call Carmel home if I moved out west to California.
ReplyDeleteCarmel is lovely!
DeleteI have to add Carmel to my list. It sounds fabulous.
DeleteI know Boston and San Francisco the best, and love them both the best. This country mouse finds New York overwhelming, but Portland (Maine) and Portsmouth NH are sweet, manageable cities with some great food.
ReplyDeleteEdith ~ When we were trying to decide where to retire we had both Portland and Portsmouth on our list of considerations. We especially found Portsmouth friendly and inviting. Newport (Rhode Island) was also (and still is) another favorite and was always our "Cape Cod" before we moved closer to the Cape.
DeleteI should have added that I was last in Chicago for the formerly named Murder and Mayhem in Chicago conf. I invited my Indiana sister to join me for her 70th birthday, and we had a lovely day together touristing, included the Bean, a historical walking tour, and an architecture tour by boat!
DeleteI meant to include 2019 as the year of that visit.
DeleteI do love Portland, ME!
DeleteFor this Canadian who has visited many cities and towns in the USA, New York City is my favourite because of Broadway 🎶 I’m a live theatre lover 🎭
ReplyDeleteIt is the crowning gem of NYC
DeleteSuch a fun question! I still love Bostón, even though I have lived here for so many years, there is so much history, and always something wonderfully new. New York is endlessly incredible, cannot be matched, and I adore Chicago as well, my hometown! I also completely love Seattle. There’s just a feeling when you find a city that works for you, and it was so welcoming and beautiful and film somehow peaceful. Who knows why. And now I’m really thinking about this! Thank you for the geography day, Jenn!
ReplyDeleteLOL - you're welcome. I have discovered I have so much more to see. Ack!
DeleteNYC is my fave, though agree that San Fran and Chicago (not in winter!) are lovely. LA makes me crazy because of the traffic, and as many times as we've visited DC, I wouldn't choose it over NY.
ReplyDeleteThere's just something magical about NYC.
DeleteYou forgot Cincinnati!
ReplyDeleteMy fave city is Washington DC. So much to see and do.
Adding to my list!!!
DeleteWhat A good question! got to be New York for me. So easy to get around. I went to college there and lived on the upper west side so I know it like the back of my hand the way they reclaimed the waterfront! Oh my!! And now I’m learning Brooklyn since my kids live there.
ReplyDeleteI really love Brooklyn and Queens is becoming the next gentrified borough, or so I hear.
DeleteSeattle of course, the air is lighter, and it is the scent of home. Not the Seattle of today, mind you, the Seattle yet to come.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Coralee, “scent of home”. Show me a sunset over Puget Sound, show me “Momma” Mountain, let me see, hear, and smell the Market…and I am so homesick. Elisabeth
DeleteI HAVE TO GET TO SEATTLE.
DeleteAll of the above! We have some amazing cities in the US, lucky us.
ReplyDeleteI have thought hard about where I would live if we didn't live in Cincinnati, especially now that none of my offspring live anywhere nearby (except the grandson, who just moved back for school). And no matter what, I still love Cincinnati and the beautiful, lush Ohio Valley surrounding it. It is centrally located, has the seven hills of Rome, the Ohio River, large swaths of forested areas, many beautiful parks, loads of public art, a vibrant downtown, a great foodie scene, and a lively collection of cultural giants like the renowned Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Art Museum (and several other museums, including three at the Museum Center in a renovated Art Deco train station), the Cincinnati Opera, Playhouse in the Park, Shakespeare Theater Company, the biennial Blink Festival, many beautiful parks, the best zoo in the US--the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, and many distinct and interesting neighborhoods, many with weekly farmers markets. Plus, we don't get hurricanes or tidal waves, rarely get earthquakes or brush fires, and have mostly moderate weather yearround, along with comparatively affordable cost of living.
Can you tell why I call myself a born-again Cincinnatian?
By the way, Jenn, your family is adorable. And I have been in that same elevator in the John Hancock Building, and just seeing your photo made me dizzy! You guys are brave.
DeleteKaren, Cincinnati will always hold a special place in my heart. When I was growing up in Maysville, KY, just about an hour east from Cincinnati, on the Ohio River and in the Ohio River Valley, it was Cincinnati where my pediatrician was, where we shopped downtown, went to the zoo, and always visited a little deli shop for my dad to buy cheese. Then, there was Coney Island Amusement Park, right before you got to Cincinnati. I remember visiting Coney Island during the polio scare, and my mother told me not to drink from the water fountains or go in the swimming pool. I loved Shillito's store downtown at Christmas with its famous animated elf display and a tented area set up inside for kids to shop for gifts for their parents. The gift I remember and still have is a pair of poodle book ends. I'm sure my parents were thrilled with them. Well, my mother probably did like them. Cincinnati was where my father bought his hats, and then he had them cleaned and blocked after the season for a particular kind of hat. I wish I could remember where. I looked up and saw that Batsakes Hat Shop is one of the oldest there, so it might be there where he went. He also had suits made in Newport. He was a natty dresser. And, when I was in elementary school, our class had the great thrill off riding the train from Maysville to the grand old Cincinnati station. There is one place you haven't mentioned and which I'd like to go with you one of these days. The American Sign Museum has a large collection of vintage neon signs and other signs. It also contains Neonworks of Cincinnati, "Cincinnati’s only full-time neon sign shop."
DeleteI love it, Karen. Thanks for the kind words about the fam :)
DeleteKathy, I live two miles from Old Coney. Bad news: last year they BULLDOZED and filled in Sunlite Pool, the beautiful, largest recirculating swimming pool in the world. To create another music venue, right next door to Riverbend Music Center. Local people, including my husband, who swam there every summer of his adult life, were furious and heartsick
DeleteI think I have a picture of my sisters at Sunlite Pool, but it may have gone into one of their piles of pics after our parents passed. I do have a picture of me sitting with my parents on one of the benches. I can't believe you live so close to it.
DeleteFor over 43 years! I spent so many summer days there with my children. It was a wonderful place, and my oldest daughter was married overlooking Lake Como, then had her reception in the Moonlight Pavilion. The lake has been filled in, too, and they use it as a parking lot. It's so sad.
DeleteThis is a hard question. I have fabulous memories of Vancouver BC, New York City, San Francisco (my son and I took the train there and back and saw a temporary art installation in Grace Cathedral called Graced With Light which involved 20 miles of ribbon hanging in the cathedral), Boise, St. Louis. Right now, my favorite city is Chicago because my son lives there. I love visiting him in Hyde Park. We walk everywhere and it's very close to the lakefront, which is an incredible place to walk or jog.
ReplyDeleteI loved the lakefront. It's really such a fabulous city.
DeleteJENN: Chicago is a favorite. My cousins grew up there and my family often visited Chicago. Yet I haven’t seen the Bean in person either. I remember the deep dish pizza. We went to the beach and the water in the lake was so clean that we could swim in the lake.
ReplyDeleteLoved Boston too, especially the gorgeous gardens with the swan boats on the lake and these cobblestone streets. Yes, we visited Newbury.
Not a fan of big cities though I love the towns outside the big cities. Loved this town in Connecticut. They have a gazebo. I was there for a summer workshop . It was similar to the opening scenes from the Gilmore Girls tv series.
I have been to that CT town too! Another Maine town that evokes Stars Hollow vibes is Boothbay Harbor-Gazebo and all!
DeleteWhat is the name of this town in CT with a gazebo?
DeleteMy Connecticut town has a gazebo on the Green! But we have no connection with the Gilmore Girls.
DeleteDebRo
So many Connecticut towns with Gazebos! The Gilmore Girls town is, I believe, as fictional as they are. Elisabeth
DeleteI just saw on our local news that there is going to be a Gilmore Girls reunion in the town that inspired the stories. I'll see if I can find more information. I never watched that show, but my daughter-in-law loved it.
DeleteGazebos on town greens in CT is definitely a thing. Both of my CT hometowns had them.
DeleteI grew up in a suburb of San Francisco and going to “The City” was always a big deal. I have been to Washington, D.C. and am awestruck every time I visit — the monuments, the many museums of the Smithsonian, the Capitol, the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center…. I was 12 the only time I visited Boston and loved the history of it. Definitely need to go back. Chicago was my mother’s birthplace and I associated it with visiting my grandmother (i.e., visiting relatives and never seeing any part of the actual city), until my husband and I went there. So much more to do than I had realized!
ReplyDeleteI’ve been fortunate to visit quite a few big cities in America, but I think I would choose New York City (Broadway!) and San Francisco (touchstone of my early life) as my favorites. — Pat S
We are in alignment, Pat!
DeleteEeek! Country girl here. After living in and having to drive through most of the US’s major cities, I am not a fan of them. However… (excluding my home state’s near-perfect city of Portland-this is the original Portland in Maine and European and Canadian cities-which I love many of), if I had to choose one to visit again, it would be NYC. I’d stay in Greenwich Village (to see some trees), and catch a couple of shows there. As for a favorite North American city, that one easily goes to Old Quebec City. I’ll stick with villages and quaint towns!
ReplyDeleteI love Quebec City!
DeleteOh, now i need to check out Quebec City!
Delete1972 was the year that I visited the USA. I had a ticket for a month to fly anywhere in the US with the exception of Hawaii or Alaska, as long as it was by several small airlines – usually stand by. I often had to go north to get south or east to go west. The ticket was $50, and became my ticket home from university – cheaper than Air Canada. I went from Vancouver to Seattle (horrible as all people my age were assumed to be drug smugglers) and then to San Franscisco. It was one of the cities that I thought I would like to revisit. The Grand Canyon – stunning, but I was surprised at how it became ‘normal’ looking after about an hour. Not impressed by the rattle snakes on the road outside the bus as we were travelling from Flagstaff! Phoenix – hot. 110 degrees which was unknown to a girl from Nova Scotia. Louisiana – it was just a bit of a bus tour, and then that had to be quickly concluded to scramble to get the flight to Miami. Miami beach – free food – all you had to do was traverse the beach at supper time, and one hotel or the other offered a free supper to try and entice you in. Missed the Everglades. Then I was about to go to a few places along the Eastern Coast when home sickness hit – really badly. Took a flight to Boston, which I had wanted to see, but just saw the airport and then off to Halifax.
ReplyDeleteSo, barring politics and acknowledging that I have grown up (older) and things have changed – I would like to retry San Franscisco as a city, and Louisiana for the countryside. If I had a lot of money – it would be Hawaii, as I have always been fascinated with the leper colony, even though I know that is not possible. As usual, I would eat my way through the visitation site more than anything else, so I can always be enticed by the menu.
What an adventure, Margo! I love it.
DeleteKey West with a nod to Hayley Snow!
ReplyDeleteI love Honolulu (anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands), San Francisco, Portland. Or, NOLA, Chicago. I'd like to visit Seattle. I've traveled thru the south and NE but haven't really seen a lot of those areas and would love to explore more.
Hayley says yes! of course Key West should be on the list!
DeleteSeattle is on my short list.
DeleteWhen I was younger, Chicago was my favorite city. New Orleans has become my favorite city to visit, but I don't think I'd enjoy living there. Honestly, I think I 'm Midwestern to my core. The only two cities I have lived in are Columbus and Milwaukee, and I have loved living in both of them.
ReplyDeleteThat's from me, btw. I did it on my phone while waiting for a blood draw and didn't notice that it had not connected me to my Blogger account. Sigh.
DeleteI feel like the midwest gets overlooked - there are some seriously cool cities in the heartland.
DeleteJenn, love the photos - thanks so much for your great trip report! How fun!
ReplyDeleteHappy to share!
DeleteI'm not much of a "big city" person. It's too easy to get lost, if you know what I mean. That said, any city has charms: Central Park or Broadway in NYC, I enjoyed San Diego when I was there for Bouchercon, New Orleans is fun, Philadelphia and Boston have a lot of history. I'm going to Fort Lauderdale and Miami in December, so that'll be interesting. I like cities where there is stuff to do or learn.
ReplyDeleteI suppose my favorite city is Pittsburgh, though. Big enough to offer things a city does, like good theater and dining, small enough that it doesn't feel like a city. And lots of history!
Oh, Jen. We were in Chicago back when The Girl was doing her college tours, so I get it about the Bean!
DeleteThe Bean - it's just brilliant.
DeleteGood question. I have several. I love St. Augustine for the incredible amount of history in the area. I adore San Francisco, but can no longer attack the hills. I treasure the entire island of Kaua'i because I get water and mountains plus those adorable chickens everywhere. Finally, in the summer season, I fully embrace Anchorage and Fairbanks. The growing season allows for such bounty and the colors are indescribable. I suspect at heart I am a rather sensory soul, vs. a cultural one. Saturate my senses and I am in my version of heaven. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteAlaska is on my list, too!
DeleteVictoria, Kauai is a nature lovers paradise. I especially love the North Shore of Kauai. When I drove into the valley and saw the green taro fields I was shocked how stunning it was!!
ReplyDeleteKauai is on my list!
DeleteJenn, I love those photo collages, and I'm envious of your ability to do, you know, design things. My favorite city? The old stand-by, New York. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the energy, the diversity, the architecture, the parks, and the hundreds and hundreds of things to do and see there.
ReplyDeleteIf I can put in a plug for a great small city - Portland, Maine! Walkable, funky, beautiful, with boutique shopping, world-class restaurants and the best view of Casco Bay you'll get anywhere. Come for the lobster, stay for the indy music and I.M. Pei-designed art museum.
Portland is wonderful--oh the food!
DeletePortland has become a real food town - I love it there.
DeleteI grew up and have always lived in the Boston area. I hav been to many other cities both in the US and other countries and have never had a desire to live anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteFor visiting and places I would go back to I would include Charleston SC as one of my favorites. The reasons would include ambience, friendly residents, wonderful restaurants, history. It’s small enough to be easy to walk everywhere and there are beautiful flowers everywhere in the spring.
I have been to Chicago many times to visit relatives. I have also taken advantage of the cultural opportunities such as the Art Institute and other museums. I have walked around to see a lot of the architecture for which the city is known.. I’ve gone to concerts and the Lincoln Park Zoo.
I have only covered a fraction of what the city has to offer.
Both Portlands, Maine and Oregon. Maine for their art museum, harbor cruises. Oregon for their Japanese and rose gardens. I also enjoyed exploring different areas of both of these cities on foot.
New Orleans, food and music, visits to plantations, bayous, Longvue Gardens.
I haven’t been there for a long time and I have heard that it has become a lot more of a tourist destination, but Santa Fe was another place I liked very much. It was my first introduction to the southwest. From there I visited a number of the pueblos and reservations, Bandalier Monument showing some of the ancient cave dwellings and other historical landmarks
I think you can always find something unique about anywhere you visit.
That's so true - every place has something special about it.
DeleteI would like to visit more cities. I’ve driven through a lot of the states in the north east and out into the Midwest, but never stayed to visit anything. I just wanted to get to our destination as soon as we could. I have made some trips to Boston, though, and I like it very much. I’d like to go back. I love all the historical details.
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Looking at Paul Revere's house always trips me out. So cool. Plus, I love the old graveyards.
DeleteI also love Chicago! But have to put in a plug for the fantastic small city of Madison, Wisconsin. It is a jewel of a city: the State Capitol and downtown on a narrow isthmus between two lakes is lovely, the lakefront University of Wisconsin campus is scenic and vibrant, and the city is safe, clean, walkable, full of bike trails…. You get the idea. A wonderful place to live and to visit!
ReplyDeleteI am partial to college towns. I'll have to check it out.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to any big cities in a while, but two that I fell completely in love with and have family memories are Washington, D.C. and Key West. My husband was stationed at the Pentagon for two and a half years, and I visited a lot, with and without the kids. I stayed home in Owensboro because Kevin was in high school and had such great friends here, and Ashley was in college, only an hour away. But, again, we visited often, and every time I went I wanted to do at least one thing I hadn't pdone before. My favorite place that I spent time at every visit was The National Gallery of Art. I attended The National Festival of Books, started by Laura Bush, for several years. I loved eating at Old Ebbitt Grill, across from the White House and going to Kramer's Books, where I could also eat. I remember eating a chili they had named Obama's Chili, and it was delicious. Of course, there are so many museum and monuments that are wonderfull. The Vietnam War Wall Memorial and The Holocaust Museum are powerful reminders of the loss of life in war. Arlington Cemetery was another sacred place of loss and bravery. Going to the Kennedy Center for a play or The National Theater was exciting. The Metro made it so easy to get around the city. Now, that was back in 2002 through 2005. I've been back a couple of times since, but not in the last ten years, so things may have changed, and I have no desire to go there at the present time.
ReplyDeleteKey West will always remain full of some of my happiest memories with family, especially my two children. Ashley lived and taught there for a year, and Kevin worked on a parasailing boat the last summer Ashley and her fiance were there. Ashley and her fiance got married on the beach in Key West that summer, too. I spent a Christmas there with my kids during their time there. Philip was in Afghanistan then. It always seemed to me like fairy dust had been sprinkled over the island, creating a magical place of happiness. A few years or so after my family was there, I went back with a friend, and we met friends coming off a cruise to share a meal and some exploring in Old Town. My friends no longer believe me when I say something is just another block ahead.
LOL Kathy! You must have taken them on quite a hike:)
DeleteI haven't been to Key West in decade but I loved it so much when I was there.
DeleteIt's a toss up for me between NYC and Boston, but in the end I choose Boston. New York is much more exciting, but I'm more familiar with Boston and I have close friends there.
ReplyDeleteBoston is just so lovable even with its ridiculous amount of one way streets.
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed your time here (Chicago), and it's hard NOT to love the Bean!
ReplyDeleteI loved it! Obsessed as the kids say.
DeleteLove New York, NOLA, San Francisco, and always get a weird little lift of the heart in LA, although I suspect that would vanish quickly if I had to deal with the daily traffic. San Diego is gorgeous. I love Phoenix, too, (just not in summer!) But I want to give a little shout out to Dallas. Although I've lived on the fringes of the city most of my life, I still think it's fab. Fellow Reds will remember how excited I was to play tour guide when we hosted Bouchercon in 2019, and we didn't even scratch the surface!
ReplyDeleteDallas ia an amazing city! Sorry to be so neglectful!
DeleteI love Boston for history, NYC for everything (I've lived there twice and also worked there as a buyer), Chicago for the best museums and nice people (I've lived there for my husband's grad school), San Francisco where my family is from (I have 8 different surnames in the family in SF county and Marin) also my son was born there, Portland OR where I live, Vancouver BC with a huge love of Granville Island, and Honolulu where I went at 16 to study Chinese Brush Painting before Hawaii was a state.
ReplyDeleteHow did I forget Honolulu? I love it.
DeleteWhen you finally hit Seattle, put the Chihuly Museum and Gardens at the top of your list. We visited there just a year ago for the first time and that plus the Pike Place are not to be missed. I am still investigating US and world cities to pick a favorite. Yet, not including NYC, I would have to say that Martha’s Vineyard, 1st and Provincetown, 2nd have the best restaurants! We are staying at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY tonight and our dinner was fabulous. We have been on a Great Gatsby tour this week including the play on Broadway. So, my advice for you is NOT to choose a favorite as there is so much more out there not necessarily in just the big cities.
ReplyDeleteSo very true, Alicia.
DeleteIt's interesting to see CA cities and Boston mentioned several times. I visited Boston and liked it there, but I live in Northern CA and that's my favorite area of the US!
ReplyDelete