Pick my Vacation

Tucson, Arizona or Albuquerque, New Mexico - both cities have a great vibe. They are hip and fun but have plenty of natural places to enjoy very near by.

 

A lot depends on what floats your boat. For some folks, a great vacation is going someplace and sitting by the pool for a week. For others, it's all about nature and getting out into it. For still others, it's purely sightseeing: impressive buildings or picturesque towns. And for yet others, it's about cultural opportunities: museums, theater, and so forth.

You have to decide what's good for you.

If you're all about nature, I recommend Yosemite, or Yellowstone, or the Grand Canyon, or Alaska. Or if you can afford it, go to Kauai or Molokai, or down to Costa Rica.

If you're all about going someplace and relaxing by the pool or on the beach, I recommend Maui, Hawaii (the Big Island), Palm Springs, San Diego, or the Flordia Keys. Or, if you can afford it, one of the Carribean islands-- I recommend something that is still the territory of America, Britain, Holland, or France: fewer hassles, less corruption, less rampant poverty, and better sanitary conditions.

If you're after sightseeing, and you can afford it, go to Europe. England, France, the Benelux countries, Spain, Italy...they're all awesome. Otherwise, try Argentina. In the US, go to New England. Picturesque as all fuck, and great antiquing and local shops.

If you're after culture, go to New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, or Los Angeles. All awesome. Great museums. Great theater. Great diversity. Great food.

But one best-of-both/several-worlds comprise that I am fond of is the road trip. Doesn't have to start from where you live: fly someplace, rent a vehicle, drive to someplace else, fly home. Mrs. Levite and I have done several of these, and enjoyed the hell out of them every time.

Top of my list is the California coast: start either in San Diego or Los Angeles, go up to the SF Bay Area or up to Napa, driving the whole way along Highway 1. It hugs the coast (except for a bit where it becomes 101), and you not only see some cute picturesque towns, and some amazing cities with all their culture, but you see some of the most beautiful natural sights on earth. You can stop in Big Sur and hike or do a spa. You can stop in San Simeon and see Hearst Castle (totally worth it). There are beaches the whole way, some great for swimming or surfing, some great for seeing sea life. There's great wine country several places along the route.

But also good are some of the Midwest routes. Start in Chicago, you can head to the Black Hills of South Dakota, some of the most beautiful parts of the country; or up to Minnesota, see all the lakes; or Wisconsin and Michigan, beautiful areas, cute towns, lots of local color.

Or start in Philly or Pittsburgh, drive through the Poconos, head to NYC, then up through to Boston. Or start in Boston and drive down to Washington DC. Or start in Washington DC and drive down to Key West, Florida; or through the South to Savannah or Mobile or New Orleans.

There's plenty of routes I don't know, too. All can be great.

 

A great post but it will take some time before I forgive for leaving Iceland out

 

Here is the list of cities or countries or cruise(s) recommended by everyone.


Alaskan cruise
Boston, Massachusetts
Canada-West Coast
Nashville/Memphis, Tennessee
Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona
San Diego, California
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Portland, Oregon
Japan
Iceland

Perhaps we can create a poll and vote for the best one.

 

Hey, there's a good idea

 

And you will need a passport if you plan on leaving the country. Getting one this close to your vacation might not be possible if you don't have one

 

The list is getting smaller:

Staycation (save money and do nothing)
Boston, Massachusetts
Canada-West Coast
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nashville/Memphis, Tennessee
Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona
San Diego, California
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Portland, Oregon

 

Well I must be the reason Portland made the short list ;-)

I love Nashville and Vegas! Boston is also fun. Phoenix is gorgeous!

There's a train that goes along the West coast, so you could technically see San Diego, Portland and Vancouver all in one trip if you were up for it.

Vegas is actually pretty inexpensive......

Wherever you go, we'll expect photos!

 

Or consider a train trip! Will take you a day or two and give you window gazing time as well as lazy time before you arrive somewhere to sight-see.

 

Take a good book and a movie if you're not in a scenic area, geez.

 

FWIW, I voted Boston. I also vote you take a train there. And tell me how awesome the experience is so I can plan one like it on my own for spring break.

 

If you like bright lights, gambling and the desert, Vegas is the place to be. Everytime I go out there I find more to do.
Death Valley is awesome to tour around for a day, rent ATV's for about $175.00 a day and go for a desert run. You could get away with spending just about $1500 for 4days.

 

Excellent choices, but it is now between Boston and Canada-West Coast.

 

Jove, I think you should choose between those two. Whether it's based on finances, what you want to see, what kind of weather you want to encounter, whatever.. the final decision should be up to you. We narrowed it down for you enough, right?

 

I should have planned my vacation further in advance because flights/hotels/car rentals went way over my budget therefore I have chosen the staycation. And I will live it up like a king as previous stated by Baraka_Guru.

Thanks to everyone who made some fantastic suggestions, which I will use in my next future vacation.