My top ten favorite U.S. Cities
Last weekend, I visited the lovely rose city, USA- Portland, Oregon. Now because it is April and therefore April showers haven't yielded any flowers yet (but plenty of showers, because it is the Pacific Northwest after all), we didn't get to see any roses, but there was plenty to see otherwise. Portlandia may be a three hour drive from Seattle, but it really couldn't be any more different. Walking down the downtown Portland streets is almost a futuristic experience; we saw a random rave dance party going on, there is a food cart pod on every corner (including one named Hawthorne Asylum), and everything is eerily isolated, until you get to the Saturday market, where it suddenly feels like you stepped into NYC for a moment. With its many bridges, rustic buildings, street paintings, and pizza shops, I really feel like it was worth the short visit. Also, I am really trying to take advantage of living not-in-the-middle-of-nowhere for a change. It's nice to know that I can get in my car and drive to Canada, the western islands, Oregon, or even California. Definitely a cool change from driving six hours and still being in .... Illinois.
Anyways, some of my favorite Portland experiences were the market, which is open during the Spring and Summer months and featured a drum circle that felt like it was taken straight out of a New Girl episode (Am I Jessica Day yet?), Nostrana (an epic pizza place located in Hawthorne), walking around Mississippi Avenue and thrift shopping in general (12/10 a great city to do this in), 1927 Smores - an actual Smores bar where they use handmade ingrediants and blow torch your smore right in front of you because who needs to start a campfire right? - and above all the rest, Powell's Books. For those like me, who aren't sure what this is, Powell's is the world's largest independent bookstore. While I had read about it while planning our trip, I think Powell's is just one of those things you have to experience for yourself (every person, at least once in their lives). If you're a book lover, Powell's is essentially a mall... for books. With rare books (including Lewis and Clarke's original map), new books, children's books, books of every single genre, and cool knicknacks to spend money on, there is nothing it doesn't have. It is even color-coded by room and has literal MAPS so you don't get lost, so move aside Mall of America, cause this is way better.
Anyway, being in Portland made me realize that there are a lot of cool cities out there that I haven't touched on, either because I was there a million years ago or because it just never came up. So I thought it would be fun to take a little walk down memory lane and share my top ten favorite cities. I decided to keep things fair and leave off cities outside the U.S. (because let's face it, like two cities would make the list from here otherwise), so here we go and in no particular order: my very subjective ranking of the best the USA has to offer.
New York City, NY
If you've read even a single one one of my other blogs, then you know that New York City (aka the big apple) is one of my favorite cities in the world. Sure, it has the distinct smell of garbage mixed with cigarettes wherever you go, streets piled high with trash, and the noises of angry cab drivers stuck in traffic- but the city is always aglow with promise, opportunity, and signs that say $1 pizza on them. Seattle is quaking.
From seeing a broadway show live to running frantically to Times Square to taking the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, even the "tourist traps" are really exquisite. I've assembled this ranking based largely off the places that give the people that visit the most 'bang for your buck'. Sure, there are so many cities out there TO visit, but NYC is a once-in-a-lifetime destination. It is my dream to one day be rich enough to spend a month working from a penthouse suite in New York, looking down at the thousands of luminescent twinkles down below. I'm sort of sitting next to the wrong ocean for now, but here's hoping that happens one day.
2.) Chicago, IL
Chicago is what I call my 'mini NYC'. But I really think this city represents the best that city life has to offer. Like New York, it's got its skyscrapers, well-known tourist spots, and picturesque possibility. Unlike NYC, it is a city that thrives off its different neighborhoods. Not that Brooklyn isn't incredible, but Chicago makes a name for itself because of its many waterfronts, its breezy seasons, and really, what is hidden WITHIN- not from a distance- of its magnificent skyline. While New York and downtown Seattle get dirtier and more rugged as you move within city limits, Chicago is a melting culture pot within the larger one that is the U.S. and there is constantly something to immerse yourself in. I am secretly very glad that I grew up 40 minutes from such a whimsical city. There are far worse places to grow up, and this may or may not be my favorite city of them all. Though I am definitely slightly biased:)
3.) Charleston, SC
Moving away from skyscrapers and moving to the South of the country, we have a city I only recently visited for the first time. Is it too much of an exaggeration to say that this city blew me away? I can't wait to come back to the beautiful (but way out of my comfort zone) boutiques, pastel-lined streets, and exquisite buildings of Charleston. I won't take too long since both Charleston and Chicago can be covered at length in separate blogs I've already done (including great stops and suggestions). But this is a must see for anyone who likes cool cities ith a lot of historical significance, or just anyone- like me- wants to try some good sweet tea.
4.) Nashville, TN
Yee-haw! There may be lots of cities to choose from, but this one is the only ten-I-see....bad joke? But for real, Nashville is one of those cities that seems like an unassuming choice at first glance. It is definitely NOT the go-to for exploring or heading to museums, if that's what you are looking for. But all the cities on this list are really cities that seem almost lifelike, filled with things to do rather than things to learn. Nashville, then- makes the top of the list.
Home to some of the best music memorabilia that exists out there and even better music -point, blank- this wins over Las Vegas and most other entertainment-oriented cities. Then again, that might be because I don't have an ounce of the luck required to do casinos the correct way. If you ask me what my favorite kinds of bars are, the answer is piano bars. Anything with live music is the ultimate solution to feeling bored after being out for a while. Anywhere else in the world, I'm ready to head out after a few hours. But Nashville? Take one trip to the Mellow Mushroom bar and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. I can't wait to go here now that I'm actually 21...and I definitely have never been there any younger than that...
5.) San Francisco, CA
Hey Sharon, you're wondering...I don't see L.A. on this list for some reason, did you forget about it? No. No I didn't. I may not be a big fan of California, but I do have the correct opinion, that Los Angeles is NOT a remarkable city in the same way that the rest of these are. Sure, it has the walk of fame, the ludicrous prices, the trips to movie sets, and the other star-studded tourist traps. But about a block from that, it has staggering rates of homelessness and run down neighborhoods- a city gone neglected for too long. Sure, NYC and Chicago have the same, but they don't pretend to be something they aren't. L.A. was built as a distraction, with the goal in mind that it can blindside the visiting public from what it really is. And like Paris, I'm just not a big fan.
But San Francisco on the other hand, this is where movies like the Princess Diaries were right to be based in. Even though I have a love/hate relationship with hilly landscapes, I have never seen one executed in such a stunning way as it is done in this city. The bay area is beautiful, and even though it seems to get 30 degrees colder as you drive into this city, it is worth it alone for how cool of a place it is. One of my favorite memories was being here for the fourth of July one year- they really know how to do fireworks. Also, I'm a seafood lover, so this one was a give me.
6.) Sedona, AZ
If you are a nature lover than let me introduce you to what joins Seattle as the the city of the most beautiful views in the country. My trip to the grand canyon and Sedona a few years ago was one of the coolest ones I have ever taken. Definitely a change from the other cities on this list, but I am a sucker for seeing nature when it is in its natural habitat and at my own pace. The impossibly high up cliffs, beautiful colors, and jaw-dropping canyons that make up Sedona are worth their fair share in gold. I also shot a gun for the first time here AND tried pickle-pear lemonade. Pretty cool.
7.) Traverse City, MI
Someone out there is gonna murder me for putting such a small, unheard-of city on this list, but call me crazy- Traverse City is pretty dang cool. I took a trip to Mackinac island with my best friends once high school ended, and Traverse City was one of those places that I'll remember forever. Plus, if you love cherries as much as I do, check out the Cherry Pit- it is so good!
8.) Hollywood, FL
Located in-between Miami beach and Ft. Lauderdale, this one is a place I've been a few times with my family that really captivated me for the simple reason that the beaches were nice, the non-alcoholic (at the time) drinks were flowing, and the nightlife and shopping scene was impeccable. One thing you should know about me is that I am a total sucker for a boardwalk scene, and THIS Hollywood impressed me a lot more than the more well-known one.
9.) Philadelphia, PA
Home to the liberty bell and the Philly Cheesesteak, two pretty cool things for very different reasons, Philly is a place I hope to visit again pretty soon. In fact, I'm really looking forward to another East Coast trip in general, because I really do miss how close together everything is on the other side of the country. Don't get me wrong, it's epically close on this coast too; I'm referring more to my time trapped in middle-of-nowhere IL. I truly think Philly is cool because of how it combines modernism and history. With all the bustle of a thriving metropolitan city and the charm of a small town, there is really something to enjoy and love in its trendy, cultural day-to-day.
10.) Seattle, WA
And saved for last, you had to know it was coming. The Emerald City has sort-of stolen my heart, with it's lively markets, diverse neighborhoods, open-air parks, and thriving infrastructure. It's a city that may seem like a skip because of its distance from everything else, but I really think everybody should go once. Who knows...it might even turn you into a coffee lover.