Your Best Place in the World

Mrs. t_b_f and I were driving cross-country in June 07 (Oxford-Seattle). Crossing the Rockies, I thought, you know, it'd be really cool to have a little shack somewhere up here where no one could bother you. Then I thought about chopping firewood, shoveling snow, etc., etc., and realized -- I'm a fucking beach guy. No question about it.

 

Three places come to mind:

1) Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. There is just something magical about it.
2) The beaches around Tampa, Fla. Bathwater temperature and you can see the ocean floor.
3) Monterey and Carmel by the Sea, Calif. Only been there once, but it is memorable.

 

Another one for me is a bit of a weird one, but Coronado Heights, Kansas.
It's a big hill in the middle of the Kansas prairie, a bit northwest of Lindsborg, where for some reason the WPA built a picnic area with a two-story castle-looking structure back in the 1930s. There's nothing special about it. Certainly not a vacation spot. You have to drive down some washboarded dirt roads that run through rows in the wheat fields to get there. But from up there you can see for miles and miles, and on a warm day feeling the breeze in your face while you take in the view is pretty special.

 

I've narrowed it down to a diverse group of a few favorites:

1. Sunset Pier, Key West -- at sunset, of course, while sipping a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (also love the previously mentioned Fort Zachary Taylor State Park).
2. Blue Ridge Parkway drive from Asheville, N.C., to Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- beautiful anytime in the spring, summer or fall, but downright spectactular in mid-October.
3. North Shore of Oahu.
4. Sedona, Ariz. (wife and I splurged on two nights at the Enchantment Resort a few years after we got married; the red rocks were especially stunning after a light overnight snowfall).
5. Grand Cayman and Cozumel, both outstanding ports of call on our honeymoon cruise.
6. North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, AKA the Magnificent Mile. I have many favorite places in Chicago, but this one stands out for some reason. The Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower make it an architect's delight, and you're close to world-class dining, drinking and shopping.

 

And bums. Don't forget bums.

 

We visit Chicago a lot; at least twice a year. We've found a place to stay on Michigan that puts us right there by the bridge. A little Comfort Inn and Suites just south of Wacker. Each time I step out into the street, I'm looking at the Wrigley Building. Absolutely great for a morning run.

 

I recently stayed at a place in Chicago that became one of my favourite hotels: the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. It's amazing. Totally recommend it.

 

This thread is not helping with the wanderlust, you guys.

 

The rooftop bar is awesome. And a Shake Shack with almost no lines on the ground floor!

 

Grand Canyon. What a hole! What a hole!

 

There are so many places I love, but nothing hit me like my visit to Iceland last summer. The most beautiful place I've ever seen.