10 American Cities I Really Want to Visit (Part 1)

10-American-Cities-I-Really-Want-to-Visit
Something about this time of year just puts me in total vacation dreaming mode. Once the holidays are over and the buzz from the new year has died down, my body just immediately seems to go into vacation mode, and I start thinking of all the places I wish I could visit. Most of the time, I instantly think of other countries that I want to go to (there’s a post for another day), but in reality, there are a number of amazing cities right here in the US that I’ve never made it to. So, I came up with a list of 10 American cities I want to visit, complete with what I want to see, where I want to stay, and where I want to eat in each place. This is very much a “money is no object” type of wishful thinking list – no restaurant, site, or hotel is off limits!

It took way longer than I’d care to admit to put this list together (read: several hours for just the first 5 places), so I’m going to split this into two posts. Part 2 will be coming at you next week!

1. Seattle, WA (image via visitseattle.com)
Seattle
Where I Want to Stay: Hotel 1000, because they have complimentary fiber optic internet (which I know TJ would greatly appreciate), and they have all kinds of neat tech features like heat detectors for the rooms that act as a do not disturb sign.

What I Want to See: I’m dying to check out the Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour, which is a walking tour under the streets of the city. Back in 1889, there was a fire that destroyed a good part of the city, and during the rebuilding process, the new city was built on top of what was left of the old city. The tour explores what’s left of the old underground city, and is accompanied by stories about the various locations on the tour. SO COOL.

Where I Want to Eat: Agua Verde Cafe and Paddle Club, which is part restaurant, part kayaking hub. I’d love to kayak for a while with a view of the Seattle skyline, and then hit the cafe after working up an appetite. What I’d Order: Pollo Tacos de la Casa.

2. Boston, MA (image via massvacation.com)
Boston
Where I Want to Stay: The Liberty, which used to be the Charles Street Jail, and was converted into a luxury hotel back in 2007. Drawing from it’s prior use, the hotel even has catwalks around the interior perimeter.

What I Want to See: Bodega, a high end clothing store that’s hidden in an inconspicuous little convenience store, behind a fake Snapple vending machine. Seriously, how cool is that?

Where I Want to Eat: Lincoln Tavern and Restaurant, which seems to have the ultimate selection of pub food. What’d I’d Order: Buttermilk Fried Chicken.

3. Portland, OR (image via travelportland.com)
Portland
Where I Want to Stay: The Heathman Hotel, mostly because it’s the only hotel in the country with it’s very own library, complete with an impressive collection of signed books. It sounds like every bibliophile’s dream.

What I Want to See: I’d love to spend the day wandering around the Portland Saturday Market, checking out all kinds of local vendors.

Where I Want to Eat: Shut Up and Eat, which is known for its fresh baked bread. What I’d Order: Meatball Sandwich.

4. San Francisco, CA (image via sanfrancisco.travel)
San Francisco
Where I Want to Stay: Hotel Vertigo, which was in the Hitchcock film, Vertigo (which, admittedly, I’ve never seen). It looks like it has a cool, almost whimsical vibe, and if you can’t tell from this list, I have a soft spot for fun, theme-ish hotels.

What I Want to See: The Seward Street Slides, which look nothing short of amazing. They’re steep slides, made of concrete, located in a park in the city. Apparently there are signs saying that you can’t use the slides unless you have a kid with you, but I think TJ and I might have to be rule breakers in order to try them out.

Where I Want to Eat: Super Duper Burgers, which claims to serve fast food style food with slow food values (like using all natural vegetarian fed beef that is ground daily). What I’d Order: Mini Burger and Garlic Fries.

5. Aspen, CO (image via aspenchamber.org)
Aspen
Where I Want to Stay: Sky Hotel, which is located right at the base of Aspen mountain, and has ski-in access. It also has a stunning sundeck complete with heated pool and hot tub.

What I Want to See: The Grottos Trails, also called the ice caves. The pictures of this look stunning, so I can only imagine how much more amazing it would be to see in person.

Where I Want to Eat: Aspen Dollar Bar, which is proud to stay true to its reasonable prices. What I’d Order: Pattie Melt.

So, there’s the first five American cities that I really want to visit! Have you been to any of them? Are any of them on your list? Which American cities do you want to see?

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming next Wednesday!

14 Comments
  • Angelica @ Gardening in High Heels
    March 11, 2015

    This is such a great travel post idea! I love the inclusion of “where I’d eat” because that’s always the first thing I think about when I travel…or how I pick where to go!

    • ashleynevis
      March 16, 2015

      Finding new restaurants to try while I’m traveling is one of my favorite things about vacationing. So glad you enjoyed it!!

  • Ashley LaMar
    March 11, 2015

    All of those are on my list but I also want to visit St. Louis and Cape Cod. My husband and I were actually talking about Cape Cod just last night.

    • ashleynevis
      March 16, 2015

      Cape Cod will be on my part 2 – I want to there so badly! I’ve been to St. Louis before, but it was when I was little, so I’d love to go back as an adult. Great choices, Ashley!

  • chelsea jacobs
    March 11, 2015

    YES. All of these places look amazing.

  • Amberly
    March 11, 2015

    Portland and Seattle are on my list, even though I went to Seattle once… I was six, so I don’t really remember anything! San Francisco is one of my very favorite places to visit! 🙂 That’s a lame rule about the slides though… why would they ruin the fun for us older kids?!?! There are a lot of things that I still want to do in San Francisco though.

    • ashleynevis
      March 16, 2015

      When I start planning a San Francisco trip, I’m totally going to come to you for some suggestions!

  • Laura @ Life with Lolo
    March 11, 2015

    Sounds like a lot of lusting for the northwest! I think I’m going to go to Seattle in April so I’m totally checking out this underground tour thing! Also, if you do ever go to Seattle or Portland, if you and TJ like beer, make sure you check out a brewery or two or three. They’re in abundance in the Pac NW!

    • ashleynevis
      March 16, 2015

      Yes! I’ve spent most of my life near or on the East Coast, so I’ve never had the chance to make it to the Pacific Northwest, and I’m dying to go. I hope you do a post on your Seattle trip – I’d LOVE to read it. And please let me know if you do the underground tour thing!

  • Nadine
    March 11, 2015

    All of those places sound fabulous! I have NYC on my list to visit. I haven’t been to any of the cities you mentioned here yet.

    • ashleynevis
      March 16, 2015

      I really want to go to NYC too – TJ is from upstate NY, so while we go up there a few times a year, we’ve never made it to the city. One day it HAS to happen!

  • Dani
    March 12, 2015

    I agree with you 100% on all 5 of these! They’re on my US travel bucket list too!

    • ashleynevis
      March 16, 2015

      Awesome – glad I’m not alone! Where else are you dying to visit?

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