Ever fallen in love with a place? (2 Viewers)

[Randy Tennison]

Yosemite is the most beautiful place on Earth, IMHO.

Trunk Bay, St. John - beauty beyond words.

And, of course, Walt Disney World, where I am a kid again.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Two places for me.

First, NYC. I spent two years living there from 11/96 to 11/98.

Sort of a love/hate thing actually. I'm from Chicago so no stranger to big cities. But nothing compares to NYC. Some things I really disliked, but they had less to do with NYC specifically and more to do with me. I haven't been back since then, but I may be in the next year or so to record with my ex-band there.

Second, and more recently, my fiancee and I spent two weeks exploring both islands in New Zealand in October 2004. Just turning to spring there at the time, so not too crowded.

Just a gorgeous country. Relaxed people, great food, and just beautiful locations to drive through.

One of the first days of our visit brought us to Tongariro National Park. There are a few active volcano systems there. We stayed at a hotel called the Grand Chateau (which has since been renamed), and other than some ski lodges and a few other building, this hotel is the only structure you can see from afar sitting at the base of Mt. Ruapehu. This is what it looks like in the summer (from their site):



Thankfully when we were there, snow still covered the mountains. I've never been much of a nature guy, but my fiancee and I took a 4 hour hike out into the wilderness there, and it was the most peaceful experience I ever had. The trails were virtually empty, so it was just us. Once you went about 1/2 km from the hotel you couldn't see it anymore, so it was like being in the middle of nowhere. No sound except our movement, some birds, and the waterfall in the area. Of the many pics we snapped, this is my favorite:



This is the place I picture when I'm in the doctor's office and they tell me to picture a happy place.

I fully intend to go back.

 

[Justin_M]

Hello everyone,
I will also jump on the Pacific Northwest bandwagon. I have lived in central Wisconsin my entire life, but my 3 weeks staying on the San Juan Islands in Washington were the best of my life. It is so beautiful and peaceful there.

I was there with my Animal Psychology class from college studying Orcas. We stayed at The Center for Whale Research (www.whaleresearch.com) and most of the nights we had a beach campfire and slept on the deck. Hearing the Orcas swim by at night was an incredible experience.

My number two favorite place would be Prague. What a great city.

OXonce

 

[Shane Martin]

Neither do I. According to many the city has changed drastically over the past 10 years in attitude so that might affect ones view.

The time I went(my first) was great. People were very friendly and helpful. Now compared to where I live in the Midwest/Southwest they might not appear as open and friendly but for what I expected, I was surprised a bit.

 

[ThomasC]

I haven't been to New Zealand yet, but my friend took this while she was in Queenstown and I've wanted to go ever since:

http://www.users.muohio.edu/choongty...queenstown.jpg

It's been my desktop wallpaper for more than two years.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Nice pic Thomas. We were there. I wonder if that was taken from a helicopter tour, or possibly from an observation point.

Looks like winter, since there was not as much snow that low on the mountains when we went.

Then again, Queenstown is on the south end of the south island, so it's going to be naturally colder.

Funny thing, as we drove farther and farther south, I had the natural assumption it would be getting warmer. Forgot what side of the equator I was on.

 

[Bryan X]

Thanks for the tips about Yellowstone, Scott.



Yes, we made reservations a few months ago to stay in the park. We are really looking forward to doing some hiking and just taking in the beauty of it all.

 

[Eric_L]

Chico, CA

 

[Jeff Pryor]

El Paso, TX. I love this desert town. Lived there for about 4 years. The people (the natives, excluding the military personnel--of which I was once a part of) are friendly and helpful, the food is great, the scenery is pure desert beauty. Great shopping in Juarez, great getaways like White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Ruidoso Downs, NM. And a great big sky.

 

[JeremySt]

These pics inspired me to post some pics of where I live.
Here are some photos, in and around Bozeman.

 

[Matt Gordon]

Great pics, JeremySt!

 

[Ron-P]

Mammoth Mountain, CA. Feels like home away from home, a place that I will retire to someday.

 

[Holadem]

Exactly. That was the original intent of the thread. Most of the posts have been "ideal vacation spot" type deal. Not that I mind.

--
H

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

I must be the only person alive to have ever fallen in love with Houston. There's certainly a lot to complain about the place, but for some reason it just seemed to fit me right for a few years.

 

[Lew Crippen]

My wife and I bought our home within three days of our first trip to Ajijic.

It is home now.

 

[andrew markworthy]

The only cities I've ever loved are: Bath, Athens (the one in Greece, not Georgia) and Venice. But I could never face living in either Athens (too hot in the summer) or Venice (too smelly in the summer and way too many tourists). Bath I could happily live in.

 

[DonRoeber]

I love the Belgrade Lakes area in Maine. I want to go further north one of these days and check out the national park, but a friend of mine has a big cabin on the lake, and it's awfully hard to pass up "Free."

 

[Ricardo C]

Sitting here planning a trip there in a couple months, I gotta say... "Irrational" is right, especially these days

As for me... Massachusetts. Just "right".

 

[Aaron Schmitt]

For me I'd have to say Whistler, BC. I was just there 1.5 weeks ago for the first time, and didn't see much being sick and all, but what I did see was awesome. In fact, I really want to learn how to snowboard now, just from hanging out there for a couple of days. At least that way I could enjoy the full Whistler/Blackcomb experience.

Also, I've lived in the PNW my whole life, and I miss competent drivers here also

A

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Having lived here for less than a year, I can agree with that. It's the only place where I have literally seen multiple people get struck by moving vehicles, flip the driver of said vehicle of while still glued to the hood, pull themselves off and continue on their way like nothing had happened. It's always obvious who's a college student and who's a native.
- Adam (Who's been puked on while taking the D Line home on a Red Sox game night)

After six months, I'm already ready to move some place new. Boston just isn't that place for me. But for the next two years, it occupies my time. Beats the hell out of Rochester, which I actively disliked.

My only real love affair with a place is Albany county, where I'm born and bred (A home away from home only on the technicality that I don't live there at the moment). Real downtown, but small enough to drive without Boston craziness. Twenty minutes on a good day, and you can be in farmland from the Plaza. Riding through Bethlehem, Berne, and the other towns out there, I just feel content. It's where I want to settle once I've got a solid career in order. Here's a picture I took when I was back last week: