I like to plan trips. I think I would make a good travel agent or tour guide someday. Something to aspire to perhaps. I like doing research about good hotels, restaurants and sites worth visiting.
I also enjoy making lists. So in this post, I will list a few of the cities I am most eager to visit with Ben and what I would like to do in those places.
New Orleans, LA. I attended an American Physical Society conference in 2008 in New Orleans. I was really impressed by the food I ate all week. Usually conference travel results in poor food options–food courts and tourist trap restaurants–but not so in New Orleans. I had dinner at Cochon, which was only a few blocks from my hotel. I also ate at Emeril’s restaurant for lunch. Those meals were memorable and delicious, but even a dish of rice and beans at a less famous restaurant was still fantastic. I’d like to go back and take Ben with me to revisit Cochon and explore new places.
Kyoto, Japan. I lived in Kyoto for 6 months in 2000. The food in all of Japan was amazing! I can’t wait to go back and show Ben the skill of Japanese cuisine for using fresh ingredients to make the most amazing food I’ve eaten in my life. Their attention to detail and reverence for food allowed me so many food options–most were relatively healthy choices, including an abundance of fresh fish. I began to cook for myself when I lived in Japan and was so happy to have great grocery stores in ever neighborhood where I lived.
New York, NY. Ben and I visited NYC in January of this year. We are itching to go back. As soon as Ben’s cousin, Ann-Marie moves into her apartment in the northeast side of Manhattan–walking distance to the Metropolitan museum of art, I’m going to reserve an Amtrak ticket and head up to NYC. It’s a 3 hour trip from Baltimore and so convenient by public transportation. On our second trip to NYC, I’d like to check out a few different art venues (perhaps the Guggenheim and Whitney art gallery). I would also like to take Ben to the Delacourt theater in Central Park to watch a Shakespearean play in the evening. Admission is free and the performances are first rate. Other things I’d like to do is to spend a night at the Standard Hotel in Chelsea and while we’re in the west village area, I’d like to take a walk through High Line park again and watch a play at the Atlantic Theater Company.
Outer banks, North Carolina. I’ve never visited this state, but I heard that this area is truly beautiful. I can’t wait to check it out–but not during hurricane season or high tourist season, if possible. I hate crowds and traffic.
Chicago, IL. I love Chicago most of all cities. It’s the place where I feel the most at home–even though I only lived there for about 6 years. There are still many places where I haven’t been and would like to go–such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s museum and studio. I’d also like to eat a slice of pie at the Hoosier Mama Pie Company. If I can find a permanent job in Chicago someday, I would be very content to settle down there. I could endure the long, cold and dry winters as long as I can afford to regularly go to a good spa where I can get some skin moisturizing treatments.
Salt Lake City, UT. I have never been to this city, but I hear it’s great. On my first trip to Salt Lake City, I hope I can have dinner at Forage. It looks pretty cool on YELP.