Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
London was better the second time around for us (the spousal unit was fighting off a bug the first time) and there's always going to be something new to explore there.
London was neat, I went there once. However I got sick of everyone with their hand out all the time (plus I started to run out of money from constantly filling all of those hands). Once my brother went back to Germany, I cancelled the last few days of my visit and went home early. We spent some time in rural areas outside of London - I enjoyed that much more. People were a lot nicer outside the city. That is probably true anywhere. I have heard people in Paris are horrid, but outside the city, wonderful.
'
Tome a trip to another place other than wilderness areas is mostly about meeting people and seeing how they live. If the people are awful, it is not a good trip. Even in remote areas like Zion, you meet cool people who make the trip more memorable. Just looking at rocks and caves and waterfalls is rarely memorable once you have done it a few dozen times (however Zion is different because it is so incredibly varied - that is why I love it so much). The front side of Yosemite for example is a been there done that experience. Once you wait in a mile long line to see a cool waterfall, there is not a lot of reason to go do it again, unless you just hope to get luck and meet some awesome people in the line. (Back side of Yosemite is different, really cool place).
Newfoundland would be the perfect example for me. I lived there for a decade and I was happy every minute. I married later and took my wife there twice, and she fell in love with the place for all the right reasons, as I expected she would. I felt validated..
London was better the second time around for us (the spousal unit was fighting off a bug the first time) and there's always going to be something new to explore there.
Our London trip 11 years ago was a disaster and we really want to visit a second time. Similar to you, my wife had a terrible cold during our entire 6 days in London, and it rained every single day persistently to the point that it was no fun to walk around and explore the city. There was such a dark cloud over that visit (literally and figuratively), and we had a bad vacation but felt like London would've been awesome under better circumstances.
How many places have you been that you loved so much that you went back again -- and you still thought they still had the same magical attraction?
A few that come to mind for me are Romania, Chile and Newfoundland.
Domestically, San Diego. I hope that sense of wonder continues; to be frank I've only been there twice as an adult. Last time was end of August 2018. First was October 2014. I guess I'm too conservative because stayed at the same place twice because it is: 1) clean 2) located near a few things I like 3) reasonably priced if one plans ahead.
Flights from my home, Seattle, are a dawdle. This last time I took the Amtrak, because that all the way from Seattle to San Diego is a fantastic trip (day and a half). Get a small cabin for two, or go solo. Switch trains in Los Angeles.
I wanted to see a Padres game, this last time, and arranged it for when they played the Mariners. (They wiped out the Mariners, to my chagrin but home team crowd loved it of course.) I like going to different MLB stadiums, I'm up to about 10 at this point and want to hit most of them before I drop dead so that will be the real trip, one of these years, maybe on a motorcycle when I retire.
I won't prattle on about things to do in San Diego. Someone on this thread may say "Seattle" because we, too, are a tourist destination. And a good one, in season, about July-November. I usually don't get too bored here, either, truth to tell.
San Diego still has a shine, I have a mind to rent a studio there at some point and spend a month or two, but who knows. I've not been further than a ten mile radius from downtown, so much left to see. Oh, except for a trolley to the border, and walking into Tijuana. That, too, was pretty trippy.
LA and San Francisco used to have the same sense of magic. I've lived in both and feel very fortunate that was done in my 20s. I'd have less sense of humor for the BS at my age. One of my closest pals lives in Santa Barbara and may need to leave when he retires though it's worth all the BS to live there, on the whole, at-current. I just don't think they can afford it anymore once he retires. That, too, is a magical place.
Vancouver Island. Been there twice and loved it both times.
Florida a handful of times. Love getting away in the winter to some sun and sand.
PEI, been there twice. Awesome scenery. Love the quaint fishing villages.
The coast of Maine. Been there three times. Seafood! yum! Can't beat fresh seafood.
I guess you could say I love visiting the ocean
If there's a third time to Vancouver Island, ride the (only) major road all the way to the end up north, to Port Hardy. Take the ferry on the Inside Passage all the way to Prince Rupert, it's a day or two and quite scenic as you'd guess. Drive back to (wherever). More expensive than you'd think, but if done early season at least you'll have room. The ferry was maybe a third to half full when I went, week or two after it opened for the season.
I did this on a motorcycle and the trip was fantastic. Me being me, once in Prince Rupert I booked over to Smithers for the night, then hightailed it home 800 miles to Seattle the next day. Others might want to stop and smell the roses more, but that's not how I roll. B.C. is beyond spectacular up there, this side of Alaska. Those roads up there are the very definition of "God's Country" due to the remoteness and wildlife. Bears and all sorts of stuff, including moose, just wander across the roads. Don't run them over. I wouldn't ride or drive at night for that reason, m'self.
I went to Gibraltar as a sailor. 20 some years later my wife and I went there. Like everyplace it had changed. She was able to feed the little apes that help populate the "rock". It is an interesting place.
The Blue Ridge Parkway has a timeless feel to it for me - it hasn't fallen prey to commercialism, traffic is surprisingly light most of the time, and it is absolutely stunning, especially the stretch between Asheville and Cherokee, NC.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
