Must-visit U.S. cities

I was never a fan of it at the head of the steps. I thought it was tacky, but it was there for a long time.
Once it's established, I didn't see the point of removing it.

Of course, I'm just a fan of the museum, not a board member or major donor.

 

For me personally, Detroit is still a must-see city. I grew up not far from it and my uncle lives downtown still, but its decimation makes almost seem like visiting lost ruins from an ancient civilization. I know that sentence probably infuriates the people who live there every day and qualifies as almost morbid, but just driving around Detroit as a visitor feels like a mournful religious experience. And the Ford Museum and Ann Arbor for a day make the Detroit area a weekend trip I still make every year.

 

When my 11-year-old son and I visited Philly in March, our hotel was near the Art Museum. Like, well, everybody out on Sunday morning, we went by the statue, and then ran up the steps in triumph.

There are two iconic figures for sale in every Philly gift shop: Ben Franklin and Rocky Balboa. Muscling in as a possible third icon is The Gang from It's Always Sunny. At least at the airport gift shops.

 

Liberty Bell is pretty ubiquitous in souvenir shops, and images of Independence Hall.
Philly Phanatic might be a little less common now that the Phillies stink again.

 

That's the one thing I remember is that Wolf Creek was a bitch to get to. Skiied Monarch several times, Horn Creek and Breckenridge as well.

 

Pueblo (cross-thread)

 

Bobby Clark Bobblehead is big

Eric Lindstrom not so much.

 

Ann Arbor is good and the Henry Ford Museum is pretty cool, and of course there may be sports- or concert-related events you want to see in the golden jock district downtown, but just cruising around the 85% of Detroit city proper which is a disaster area seems morbid, exploitative and frankly condescending to me.

I guess if I were a resident and I saw people cruising around the neighborhoods in swanky new cars, pointing video cams, etc etc out the window, my atttiude would be, "if you ain't here to help, and you're not, then get the F out."

 

I don't disagree. The phrase "just driving around Detroit" might've sounded like I'm cruising around gawking at it. I'm not that dumb or brave. I'm driving to to my uncle's house when I drive around Detroit. He's got three crack houses on his block, but I'm not some hipster urban explorer. I'm there to visit and I happen to get that feeling that I'm in some historic ruins.

I didn't express myself very well in my first post.