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My favorite cities:
New Orleans Seattle Waikiki or the North Shore of Oahu Lake Tahoe, the various cities along the shore San Francisco Berkeley, CA Victoria, BC London NYC Spain, Australia and NZ are at the top of our future travel list. |
I'm goin' with an island..
I will always have a special, secret place in my heart for Bali. :) Actually, all of Indonesia! :cheers: |
First there are the places I’ve been that I instantly felt so comfortable that I know I could live there:
Paris – Hands down favorite, A place of expats, philosophers, and censored writers. Café culture, art, appreciation for beauty and all things creative – music everywhere. And the language and the accent – saying something in French makes it ten times sexier. Everyone is ten time sexier when in Paris. Berlin – Cosmopolitan island in eastern Europe, brash, independent, unashamedly decadent and just a bit nihilistic. Street actors mocking their patrons, the Love parade, antiquities, and expressionist wonders. Berlin my Weimar Wonderland. Chicago – Delightfully urban with everything you need a quick walk away. Public art abounds, while it’s museums and art institute continue to set standards. It’s a place with it’s own aesthetic represented in its architecture. Beauty is everywhere, and everyone looks sophisticated wandering down Michigan avenue in tailored suits and furs. This is a city for a cocktail in a smoky lounge where a breathy chanteuse cries you a river. Then there are the vacation locals I love so much I keep wanting to back: New Orleans – Another island of decadence tucked deep in Southern repression. Extraordinary food with music in every corner. Hot steamy summers to live out your Tennessee William’s fantasies, sipping bourbon as the heat lightning lights up the sky. San Francisco – A taste of the East Coast on the West, nicely contained in its peninsula. City Lights Books a link to the beat generation, North Beach and its Italian food, The quintessential Chinatown, Carol Doda’s breasts on Columbus Avenue (oh how I miss them), The Presidio and Fort Point to experience your Hitchcockian fantasies. That and a cup of clam chowder and a loaf of sour dough – how could you go wrong? Montreal – a slice of France in North America, cobblestone streets in the old town, and French voices singing out like seductive sirens. Outdoor cafés and a Maple Leaf flag – you are definitely not in America. Seattle – Images of David Lynch and an abundance of Swedes, the Pike Place Market the ultimate shopping place to find the best seafood, wild mushrooms, and forest honey. Then there are the adventure spots: Peru, Arequepa was beautiful and our hotel so much like the village (I am not a number, I am a free man!). Even the young terrorist boy was a charming fellow sharing his notions of freedom. But Iquitos was the pirate town, they’d cut you down in an instant if you weren’t careful, smugglers and the anonymous melee of third world market places. But, I’ll always treasure the bar of the Hotel Crillon in Lima, where we shared drinks with a Saudi prince whose Spanish was so much better than our own, Ceasar, our host whose bribes kept us out of lines and who could get us anything we wanted, drugs, girls, or boys; and the American pilots still in their flights suits just back from another mission in the war against drugs. Sitting in the dark, under martial law, because the terrorists bombed the power lines that night – you just can’t plan a vacation like that. |
Wellington New Zealand hands down.
I love it, it's a city but its still relatively small. It's just so perfect. If I could choose to live anywhere that would be it. I love the atmosphere there. |
Oh, I guess I should give an honorable mention to Honolulu. It was a great diverse city to grow up in as a child.
:) |
London -- just the way it feels.
Bellingham, WA -- views over the Bay Adel, Iowa -- because it reminds me of family. Good Iowa dirt, the sounds of crickets at night, Victorian-style houses, the corner Ben Franklin store, the absolutely beautiful courthouse, and people who know who you are, even if you've never met them. Deep down I'll always be a farmgirl. |
Mes villes favoris, huh? Where do I begin? Or more to the point, where do I stop?
Seattle: Favorite town stateside. Good vibe, and if you’re in the know it has some really wonderful hidden little places to enjoy. Big city, small town; all at once. Plus, its zoo has gorillas. Sweeeet. Portland: Yes, P-Town is pretty dear to my heart. I always describe it to out of towners as a “city with training wheels.” Large enough to have big city intrigue, but is really just a small town with big buildings. Cool place, and plenty of Bohemian charm to make even Ned Flanders feel hip. London: Haven’t spent a lot of time in the Queen’s back yard, but what little I have was enough to get me hooked. Plus, I want to go back and look for the phone booth to the Ministry of Magic. :D Paris: Ahhh, Paris. C’est ma ville favori dans tout le monde. I can’t even begin to describe my love for this place. An entire world of cultures in one city, all easily and quickly accessible via le Metro. There is no better day than spending the early afternoon at the Louvre, then strolling through the Tuileries and having chocolate ice cream at the Place du Concord. Comment j’adore Paris. Puerto Vallarta: So much charm and such a perfect retreat. I can’t think of any other place in the world (other than maybe Hawai’i) where I’d rather escape to. Plus, real blue agave tequila and margaritas the size of aquariums all readily available; who couldn’t love it? Shanghai: A truly remarkable city in a truly remarkable land. While other Chinese cities are gripped with pollution, the residents here have gone to great lengths to preserve their cities beauty. Parks abound and the entire freeway through town is lined with green planter boxes while underneath is mounted a continues series of multi-color neon lights, turning it into a long green ribbon by day and a dazzling light show by night. There is even a Disneyland-esque quality to the waterfront (the Bund) with it’s Victorian buildings and sparkling lights. Almost like a storybook. Geneva: Of all the people in Europe I love the Swiss the most. And not just because of their chocolate, either. They are the most welcoming, kindest and sweetest people one could ever encounter, and unlike many Europeans they have open arms for visitors from other lands. Quite a difference from the French. Honolulu: A place I could spend the rest of my days. Everywhere there is a sense of culture and connection. The spirit of Aloha grabs you and never lets go. With this and the ability to have real Kalua Pork, actually cooked in the sand, and you have the perfect paradise. Though, avoid the strip clubs. Scary stuff there. |
My favorite town on the face of the earth is Santa Cruz - everything that keeps me happy within a 3 hour drive.
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I am not going to put too many cities on this list, only the state side ones, like Nawlins, New York, Seattle, other then that I am a fan of the little resort towns of southern Spain. The little resort islands of Greece(Mykonos being one of them); Souda Bay, Crete; Australia, basically any of the smaller European areas that are either party towns, or extremely quiet towns(what can I say, I'm a gemini, I like both ends of the spectrum). I also had a great time partying in Odessa, Ukraine. I think that about rounds out my favourites, at least for now.
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Two others I really like are San Diego and Vegas(baby) :cool: |
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