Tuesday, September 8, 2009

My Top Ten Favorite Cities

I love to travel. One of the few claims to fame that I have is the fact that I have been to 42 of the 50 states. The following list represents the first 10 cities to come to my mind when thinking of my favorite cities to spend time in...

10. Austin- Austin just has an overall cool vibe. I’m a huge fan of music and Austin has one of the best music scenes in the nation. The city is full of laid back artists, hippies, musicians and college kids from the University of Texas. It’s a great place to have a lot of fun.

9. Miami- Miami is another one of those cool cities. The architecture in Miami Beach is some of my favorite and people just seemed to take it easy there. It’s definitely one of the most fun places to just hang out for a week.

8. Denver- I like the state of Colorado overall, but Denver has to get the nod as my favorite city in the state followed closely by Colorado Springs. Denver has a fun downtown area and has multiple hiking trails and parks just outside of the city.

7. Atlanta- I love the Midtown area of Atlanta the most. What really stands out to me though is the campus of Georgia Tech. I LOVE red or brown brick buildings which you will see plenty of in Midtown and on campus.

6. Boston- I think Boston is the cleanest biggest city I’ve ever been too. Although it seemed to always be under construction, the city still seemed very orderly. The second best fire works show I ever saw took place in Boston.

5. Chicago- I grew up liking almost every professional sports team from Chicago. It started with the 1985 Chicago Bears and watching them play in the first football game that I remember watching (happened to be the '85 Super Bowl). I’ve only been there once but fell in love with the city immediately. I also have many friends from Chicago that can’t say enough good things about the city which only builds my affinity for it.

4. New York- I was fortunate enough to spend a couple summers in a row in “The City” around the 4th of July. The fireworks display over the East River is the most stunning show I’ve ever seen. It truly is the city that never sleeps and there is always something to do. I couldn’t live there, but I love visiting.

3. San Diego- I like pretty much every city in California, but San Diego is the one that I’ve been to most often. I love taking the trolley all over the city and walking through the Gaslamp District. The weather is great year round and it’s tough to beat the scenery in southern California.

2. Phoenix- There’s not much that I don’t like about Phoenix. I love that you can live outside of the city by 10 minutes to get that “country” feel but be close to everything. It’s also nice that there are a plethora of outdoor activities year round from hiking, to boating, to four-wheeling.

1. Tucson- Tucson is (and will always feel like) home to me. I went to and graduated from the University of Arizona and will ALWAYS be a Wildcat. My favorite things that Tucson offers: my family, the mountains, the sunsets, the lightning storms, and the U of A.

So what do you think? Is there a city that I didn't list that I just have to go to? Maybe I've been there and it just didn't make an impression :)

I'd love for you to drop me a quick note about your favorite city and why I should visit....

7 people had something to say...:

kscheffe said...

I'm liking that the CO ranked on your top ten list... You even threw in CO Spgs.. Wooo Whoo!! I like your list. :)

The Navy Christian said...

Well, the fact is that you already posted one of my favorite cities! San Diego is awesome, and I'm glad to see it on your list!

Deb said...

i'm partial to austin, since my i'm from texas, but i love chicago, too.

drew d. said...

Hey Ronnie!

Nice to meet you - I've stumbled upon your blog many times and love the concept. It's fun to monitor your progress!

Your top ten are interesting. I'm glad you like my hometown of Atlanta..... wish I could say the same!

Drew

Lindsay Bishop said...

I've only been to NYC, which I absolutely loved. I love traveling though so all these places sound wonderful. Hoping to go to Chicago this fall! (though my student funds will only allow for a weekend getaway :)

Kristen said...

My favorite city is Portland, Maine (in the summer or fall) - but I am biased because I am from that area :D

I'm glad to see Austin made the list!

HArmstrong said...

bridgetown, barbados. it's hot, and the salt air works magic on the lungs! i try to travel down to barbados a few times each year to get all the junk out of my lungs, but any salt ocean city by the water will do!