I enjoy being familiar with places and knowing my way around. It’s not because I’m some smarty pants (well…) or want to brag. But I’m a creature of habit. Naturally, I feel more comfortable when I spend time in places I enjoy and know. They almost become a second home. And when I’m stressed, anxious, or down, I mentally transport myself to several homes-away-from home.
Below are some of my favorite destinations I love visiting whenever I get a chance. And please share in the Comments section what some of yours are!)
Las Vegas
Longtime readers of this blog probably know I love Las Vegas.
The Strip and downtown Las Vegas emanate such great energy. So many people are in a fun mood. After all, they’re in Vegas so they can party and blow off some steam.
I enjoy wandering through the various resorts and taking in their themes, restaurants, and bars. Just walking along Las Vegas Blvd. or Freemont Street makes me happy. The people-watching is fantastic. I’m always in awe of the lights, music, and other sensory experiences that so many hotels and resorts offer for free: just stand outside or watch from your hotel window!
I’ve visited Las Vegas something like 60 times. (Honestly, I’ve lost count.) Many for work, some for leisure. But I enjoy each trip to Sin City.
Minnesota Lake Cabin
My stepmother’s family has a lake house in east-central Minnesota. I so envy the people who live in nearby Fargo — and can pop down there within an hour.
Boat rides are a must.
So is sitting outside either with family or by myself. Sipping a beverage or enjoying a wonderful meal with family at the dining room table or on the patio truly makes me happy.
I’m also a person who’s happy gazing at the water while letting my mind go blank.
So I always long for a trip to the Minnesota lake cabin.
New York City
My wife and I just returned from our second trip to New York City during the past month. Both were for weddings (one in New Jersey) — but we made a special effort to spend some extra time in the city.
We have our favorite must-visit haunts. Joe’s Pizza is one of them.
And our newest love is Ollie’s Sichuan in Hell’s Kitchen (on 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). We discovered Ollie’s while walking back to the W Times Square (read a review) from the Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise we enjoyed.
The staff and food are amazing!
I love walking in cities — and New York is fantastic for that.
Like London (even more so, I think), New York’s public transportation makes it easy to get around town.
A few weeks ago, our four-year-old daughter said, “Daddy? Can we go to New York City?”
Lo and behold, we already had a trip planned to Morristown, New Jersey. So we canceled our final night in Jersey and ventured into Manhattan so my daughter could meet New York City. What did she think of NYC?
She’s now lobbying my wife and me to move to Manhattan.
London
I’ve taken several mini-vacation mileage runs to London. It’s a beautiful city and fairly easy to get around (at least, I think so). I’ve always found Londoners to be kind, friendly, and helpful.
A friend of mine lives there, so we’ve met up a couple of times for dinner or a quick sightseeing trip. (His “express tour of London” is so much fun!)
Plus, London Heathrow is home to my favorite airport lounge.
Final Approach
I love traveling to cities that I know and treasure. There’s something comforting about various destinations becoming almost like another home.
Do you get “homesick” for any destinations? Which ones? Why? Please tell us in the below Comments section!
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I’m homesick for Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. I hope that if they require a booster when they reopen, that we can get the necessary shots in time for any trip we want to take.
Berlin, Munich, Salzburg, Singapore, Bangkok (and I usually hate cities)
Hi Chris, I like to vacation in CA where you live and now my daughter bought a lake home in Minnesota where we live and so I will be doing more boat rides. We enjoyed Hawaii a few times but CA is closer and has so many places to see. We have enjoyed many cruises and visited 15 countries in Europe on cruises. New York is fun and we drove around long island and saw the 4th of July fireworks from Queens once but is was pouring rain. Fun times!
I miss the long weekend getaways to London and NYC. And my annual vacation to Maui. Still in hotel sticker shock at the hotel prices for Maui.
I used to go to Tokyo a lot on business and would get “homesick” for it if I didn’t go for a while. Now it’s Paris that I come to miss.
I remember once, when I was visiting my parents, I said in conversation “I haven’t been to Japan since April [this was around August] and I miss it,” and my mom said “You know, Rich, you’re the only person I know who I can imagine uttering that sentence.”
I miss our yearly trips to Monaco and Provence(cooking class)