OT: What are your five favorite American cities?

[cuseattle]

Great! Give us stories...

I,ll be in Denali next week. First to Talkeetna and some mushing, north to hike Kesugi Ridge above Byers Lake, maybe some kayaking on the lake, on to Denali, north again to horseback riding out of Healy and then north again to Fairbanks.

 

[orange2win]

Jones Beach, the Hamptons, Fire Island, the Jersey shore...

And as long as SU plays at MSG and the Meadowlands, it has great college sports.

Although Jones Beach is in Long Island most folk in the City think of it as local. You say it is one of the best beaches in the Northeast. For me, I rate it as one of the best in the world. Of course I haven't seen all of the highly touted beaches in the world, but of the many I have seen, Jones Beach is easily the best.

As for the rest of your comments on the excellence of NYC, I agree. Just that far off places always look unduly green.

 

[Shenexon]

Chicago
Washington, DC
San Francisco
New Orleans
Portland, OR

 

[OrangeMojo]

My 5:

1. NYC
2. Austin, TX
3. Washington, DC
4. Boston, MA
5. San Francisco, CA

Honorable Mention:
Baltimore,MD / Annapolis, MD / Charleston, SC / Seattle, WA / Atlanta, GA / Hudson, NY / Saratoga, NY / Boulder, CO

 

[djcon57]

San Diego #1...easy.

San Fran, NY, Boston, Seattle all fun visit places. Wouldn't want to live

 

[Eric15]

4. NYC - very low quality of life.

CTO and KaiserUEO, your rebuttals please...

 

[NineOneSeven]

I'm very surprised so many of these are repeats

People seem to enjoy San Diego, Charleston, Seattle, Boston, San Fran, NO, Syracuse (kidding)

 

[cto]

CTO and KaiserUEO, your rebuttals please...

Except for four years as a student in Syracuse, I've lived in greater NYC my entire life (Westchester, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Fairfield, CT) and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I've traveled all over the US (49 states; 50, come November when I go to Maui), and I love visiting places like Savannah, Key West, Charleston, Newport, Montana, the Outer Banks, California, New Orleans, etc), but I if I had to live in ONE PLACE ... without visiting any others ... it would be NYC. The pace of life, the culture, the sports, the public transportation system, the shopping, Central Park, the ability to fly to almost any place non-stop, the nearby beaches and other outdoor activities, all the FREE cultural events -- it's a combo that can't be beat. Sure, it can be done in by the occasional blizzard or hurricane, but each part of the country has its own "natural disaster" quotient (be it earthquake, forest fire tornado or whatever). The lack of space never bothered me. In fact, it is very liberating not to have to worry about shoveling snow or mowing a lawn or dealing with a felled tree. It's NYC for me.

 

[Cusefaninvirginia]

3. Charlottesville VA - really fun, nice college town. Beautiful surroundings with vineyards and breweries. Will be a fun trip for Cuse fans.

Charlottesville really is an awesome town. I live there now - everyone feel free to hit me up with questions about where to go and what to do here if you're planning on coming in for games. We got more good restaurants and bars than you can count

 

[Madbiker]

New York (agree with CTO)
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands (great weather/beaches/ restaurants/ shopping...and it's part of USA)
Boulder, CO (breathtaking scenery, great restaurants)
Indianapolis (best planned downtown of any city. Hotels, event centers, restaurants all in short walking distance with covered catwalks connecting everything which is great in bad weather)
Montauk, NY (best beaches, sea side restaurants)

 

[MiniCuse]

Route 1 rocks, especially driving it in a Porsche 356 Cabriolet. Then there's Nepenthe, a little eatery from heaven hanging off a cliff by the Pacific Ocean. You're makin' me homesick.-VBOF

I'm going out to San Francisco in June to visit friends. I'm driving from SF to L.A. down the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a shame I can't do it in a MINI.

 

[moqui]

I'm going out to San Francisco in June to visit friends. I'm driving from SF to L.A. down the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a shame I can't do it in a MINI.

let me tell you, that is a long-ass ride. I did it once; every time I have to go up north now, I take the boring but much faster route through the central valley

 

[MiniCuse]

let me tell you, that is a long-ass ride. I did it once; every time I have to go up north now, I take the boring but much faster route through the central valley

7 1/2 hours or so is reasonable for a scenic drive like that. I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to do again.

 

[djcon57]

7 1/2 hours or so is reasonable for a scenic drive like that. I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to do again.

Be careful if you are driving at night. The PCH along the middle part is scarily close to the cliffs over the ocean with basically no shoulder.

 

[Scooch]

Fun thread, I'll play...

San Francisco
Boston
Austin
Chicago
NYC

Visited New Orleans for the first time this year and loved it. I guess I'd put it at 6th.

Love Charleston too, definitely a top 10er.

Seattle and Portland are very nice, only been to each once and I think they could move up the list with repeated visits.


By the way, I'm going to disagree with my friend CTO who said that living in Fairfield is like living in NYC. As a fellow Fairfielder I can say that being in town is not anything like being in Manhattan, unless she just means that one has easy access to NYC (which of course is true, we're 45 miles away).

Fairfield is a town, not a city (although has a population of 60K, which isn't entirely small) and I have to say, I adore it. Five public beaches, two public golf courses, public lake with conservation land for hiking, tons of good restaurants and shopping, three venues that attract well-known musical acts and theater productions, two major universities, an hour from NYC, 3 from Boston, 3 from NH/VT skiing... just a great place.

 

[MiniCuse]

Be careful if you are driving at night. The PCH along the middle part is scarily close to the cliffs over the ocean with basically no shoulder.

It will be a morning/afternoon drive so no worries.

 

[NineOneSeven]

NYC isn't my thing. I've been a couple times for weekends. A friend of mine went to SUNY purchase and he loved the big city life. The subways, trains, noise, too much for me.

 

[CiscoCuse]

I think everyone has picked my favorites in the big City categories...but as for the smaller cities / towns

Paonia, CO
Ouray, CO
Saranac Lake, NY
Captiva, FL
Whitefish, MT

 

[cuseinchina]

I'm going out to San Francisco in June to visit friends. I'm driving from SF to L.A. down the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a shame I can't do it in a MINI.

There are few better drives on the planet. It may be even better by train if that is an option for you. Big sur is spectacular. If you could spare a night I highly recommend staying in Santa Barbara and drinking a lot of really good wine at really good restaurants with incredible scenery in all directions. Would also recommend a drive back to Little Caliente Hot Spring if you are adventurous and don't mind a little dirt on the rental car... the drive takes you along the ridge line above Montecito so you have 110 degree desert on one side, and 72 degree mediterannean climate on the other - spectacular ocean and mountain views... then you plunge off onto a dirt road going down into the valley of the desert side winding down the side of the moutains...you'll see a ton of wildlife and probably some tarantulas sunning themselves...at the end of the drive you'll be at one of the nicest hot springs I've ever seen, you will probably be alone or worst case there may be a couple of hippies camped out near the springs. I remember every second of that experience vividly though I only did it twice - you've likely never seen anything like it. Either way the coast highway route is a no brainer if you've never done it and are a guy who likes to drive. Enjoy! (man this is making me think of packing up the family and getting out of NY for good!)

 

[OttoMets]

Hmm, how many of you were there? Trying to see if you were in the same group.. Haha

We had 7, it was a good group.

 

[44cuse]

I'm going out to San Francisco in June to visit friends. I'm driving from SF to L.A. down the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a shame I can't do it in a MINI.

Bring your Winter jacket. And don't think I'm kidding.

Of course, you'll only need it for the 7x7 that is SF, it'll be 85-87 with almost no humidity just about everywhere else you go.

And as for that drive...it's amazingly beautiful. But, it's longer than it is beautiful. Plan better. Figure out a way to mix highway 1 with the 101 and 5. You'll thank me for it.

44cuse

 

[VaBeachOrFan]

Bring your Winter jacket. And don't think I'm kidding.

Of course, you'll only need it for the 7x7 that is SF, it'll be 85-87 with almost no humidity just about everywhere else you go.

And as for that drive...it's amazingly beautiful. But, it's longer than it is beautiful. Plan better. Figure out a way to mix highway 1 with the 101 and 5. You'll thank me for it.

44cuse

Good ideas, as is China's suggestion to stay over in Santa Barbara. Take a tour of San Simeon while you're there and hit a winery or two in San Luis Obispo. Most importantly, take me with you.-VBOF

 

[ForeverOrange]

NYC
Oahu - Hawaii may not qualify, but I loved it.
San Francisco - Lived on the peninsula, In the city it is freezing, but you can pretty much pick the weather you want to experience by riding the caltran south as far as San Jose.
Charleston, SC - Best seafood places.
Reno, NV - fire hot, but good times.

 

[44cuse]

Good ideas, as is China's suggestion to stay over in Santa Barbara. Take a tour of San Simeon while you're there and hit a winery or two in San Luis Obispo. Most importantly, take me with you.-VBOF

San Simeon is SICK! Unbelievable that place. First time I went there was with some family visiting from back East and I didn't really want to go. Can't wait to go again. That place is so ridiculous. Your own private airstrip down on the flats to fly people in and then take the drive up to your castle? I'm available!

44cuse

 

[KaiserUEO]

CTO and KaiserUEO, your rebuttals please...

clearly hes from philly, which makes any point of his irrelevent.

plus, the lack of space, forces one to be social. your apt becomes a place to just shlit, shower, shave, sleep and have sex. everything else you do in public (unfortunetly, some of the above list gets done in public too, but we will move on).

you want to read the paper or that book...go to a coffee shop or bar, maybe a park.

watch that game or a tv show?? bar.

catch up on paper work or things to be done on a laptop?? again...out in a park, coffee house or bar.

some of my best friends here, i met at the gym (yeah i used to go everyday, obviously not anymore...SHUT UP)

contrary to public opinion, New Yorkers are very welcoming and will talk your ear off.

just go out and do what you need to do and let the City come to you. its awesome.

and what CTO said.

Oh Lord