Travel and Tourism Thread

[Max]

I think that it would be interesting to start a thread whose purpose is to (1) discuss memories of places we have been to and (2) serve as a place where we can list different destinations that we would like to someday visit. The focus here can be on all vacation spots, whether they are urban or rural, domestic or foreign.

When it comes to travel and tourism, my own interests center on the USA. In part, this is because of the language barrier I would face were I to visit a non-English speaking country. Additionally, I feel the USA is so diverse in what it has to offer that I don't have much of a desire to visit foreign lands until I've seen much of America. (That being said, I would love to visit London someday.) Furthermore, cities appeal to me more than rural areas (as vacation destinations). A big part of why this is has to do with the fact that within a city, so many tourism worthy sites are within walking distance of one another or are easily accessible by public transportation; on the other hand, rural areas can only be explored if one gets a rental car (and I am the type of person who is very uncomfortable driving in unfamiliar areas). (Yet, I do find two rural areas to be very appealing: Lancaster County, PA and the northern New England states of ME, NH, and VT.)

Below is a list (in order) of my top ten most desirable American cities to visit:

1. New York City

2. Las Vegas

3. San Francisco

4. Washington, DC

5. Atlanta

6. Boston

7. Philadelphia

8. a large city in Texas (either Houston or Dallas)

9. Los Angeles

10. Chicago

I'm sure that many of you will find it surprising that LA and Chicago are so far down on the list. In the case of LA, its desirability is lessened because the city is known for having horrible public transportation (which means one needs a car in order to see most of the attractions). Chicago is way down on the list because my favorite part about the city--Marshall Field's Department Store--no longer exists. (Macy's has taken over all Field's locations, including the legendary flagship store on State Street. Although I have not visited Chicago since the Macy's conversion, I have read a lot of opinions stating that Macy's turned the flagship store into a shell of its former self.) IMO, aside from Field's (which was the most beautiful department store I ever set foot in), everything else that Chicago offers can be found (to an even larger and better extent) in NYC.

Aside from Chicago, I have visited NYC and DC. I have also visited Disney World (when I was very young) as well as the Mall of America. Finally, I have been to Cape Cod (the outermost peninsula in MA) many times because my parents have a vacation house there.

Before I conclude, I just wanted to mention that aside from the places that are traditionally thought of as tourist destinations, people can often find certain types of places vacation worthy: for instance, some people love to visit Civil War battlefields while others crave a visit to the presidential libraries. Personally, I would love to visit the largest megamalls (since I have a big interest in retail). While few malls would merit spending one's whole vacation there, here are the nation's three largest malls that each are tourists spots in their own right:

*King of Prussia Mall (King of Prussia, PA)

*Mall of America (Bloomington, MN)

*South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, CA)

Additionally, anybody who loves retail should check out the West Edmonton Mall (in Edmonton, Alberta), which is the largest mall in North America and has an assortment of retailers that are completely different than one would find at a mall in the United States.

[Max]

Sorry to rudely bump up my own thread, but Hurricane Irene has reminded me that vacations aren't always fun, fun, fun. For the people who currently are on vacation in the Eastern U.S., having the weather mess up your plans has got to suck. (Although things are obviously even worse if you live in the path of the hurricane). Has anybody here ever been unlucky enough to experience a ruined vacation (whether the cause was weather or something else)? Thankfully, this has not yet happened to me.

[Max]

There's a really fascinating program currently airing on PBS called "Mexico: The Royal Tour." The show is a chronicle of travel expert Peter Greenberg's guided tour of that country provided by Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Here is a trailer for the program:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B-nhlnrT384" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Obviously, Calderon felt the need to promote tourism because travel to Mexico has declined considerably in recent times. I was surprised to learn that despite widespread public perception, most of Mexico is not a dangerous place: the violent drug wars are just confined to the areas near the US border. (Although to be truthrul, I still am too scared to visit Mexico.)

The most important message this television show gives is that Mexico is a huge country that contains so many natural treasures (in addition to being home to such rich cultures). I was also really impressed by Calderon (who speaks perfect English), who seems to be a smart and honest politician who is doing all he can to fight corruption.

[EricMontreal22]

I grew up, till I was 12, in Edmonton when it was the largest mall--my twin and I's babysitter died in the major accident their roller coaster encountered (which I later rode as a sort of weird rite of passage).

I still say Montreal, where I lived and would live again if it weren't for looking after an ill family member--is the best city on the continent. San Francisco, New York and New orleans come after, with an honourable mention to Vancouver.

[Max]

Eric, I am sorry to hear about your babysitter's death. I apologize for being so cold by switching the subject, but how much did you enjoy your visits to the West Edmonton mall?

I am curious to ascertain the best places in Montreal to visit. Also, is it easy for one to visit Montreal if he only speaks English (and not French)?

[Bright Eyes]

And with Montreal, it ain't expensive either.

[Huntress]

I've been to places in the following countries:

- Austria

- Belgium

- Czech Republic

- Denmark

- France

- Germany

- Liechtenstein

- Netherlands

- Poland

- Switzerland

- United Kingdom

I guess Paris was my favorite city to visit so far.

But you do know that people outside of the US speak English as well, don't you? In most European countries, English is taught at school from 5th grade on, in some countries (for example Germany) children even start learning the language in kindergarten. In addition, people working in the tourism industry are required to speak at least one foreign language. Even if their English isn't perfect – mine isn't perfect either, even though I have studied the language for 17 years –, people at least try the best they can. Even in France I had no problems communicating in English.

[Max]

Huntress, I never realized just how fluent Europeans are in English, so thank you for telling me about it. And despite what you say, your English looks perfect to me.

[Kylie]

Venice, Italy was by far my favorite of the places I've been. Though Edinburgh, Scotland is incredible and often underrated, IMO. I didn't like Barcelona. The people weren't the best, and the area is kinda rough. I really liked Paris and want to go back again.