MetaChat - I've been watching the Travel Channel all day.

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18 October 2008

I've been watching the Travel Channel all day. →[More:]

First, it was roller coasters (my, they've gotten insane these days, even for a die-hard fan like myself). Then, China. Beijing, the Great Wall, Forbidden City, an overnight train to Xian, the Terra Cotta Warriors, frog dumplings. Now, Singapore with Anthony Bourdain (my favorite travel host, and not just because I like looking at his ass) and bone soup. Just the ticket for someone home sick with a lousy cold, propped up on pillows to breathe. But it's aroused a terrific desire to pack some bags and launch into the world somewhere. At the moment, I'm not fit to walk to the bodega, but if I could, where would we go?

My top five destinations (for the moment), if money and time were no object:

5) Florence. I studied Italian in college and always wanted to go. Just wander the museums and streets. Eat ourselves silly. Such a beautiful place.

4) Ireland. In honor of my maternal grandmother, Mary Mulligan, and a trip I know Jon would love. Pub crawlin' until we pass out. Guinness tour included.

3) Singapore. I have to try that bone soup. Spicy, bright red. I bet it would clear my nose right up.

2) Any all-inclusive Caribbean resort, with blue, blue water and white sand. Not adventurous, educational, or potentially life-changing, but fuck it. I want unlimited umbrella drinks brought to us on the beach, lobster cook-outs, sailing and snorkeling. Clothing optional. (Maui would do, too.)

1) Outer space. On Virgin Galactic, of course. A mere $200,000 a person. I used to work for Virgin, taking reservations. I wonder if I could get a discount. (Meet-up at the first Waffle House in space anyone?)

Course, I'd really like to see the redwoods, too. And then there's China, India, Russia, Iceland, Alaska, bullfights in Spain... Your top five?

post by: Pips at: 17:38 | 22 comments

This is a dangerous question for me because given my track record, I'll just end up moving there. Right now, if money and time were no object...

5. India. I was supposed to go to a friend's wedding in 2005 there but had to cancel two days before leaving because I came down with a month-long case of mononucleosis. I wanted to head up to the north of the country and see the crazy Le Corbusier buildings in Chandigarh and the changing of the guard at the Wagah border post with Pakistan more than the Taj Mahal.

4. Dominica, a little island in the Caribbean which isn't totally dominated by tourism yet - their airports aren't big enough and they don't have many white-sand beaches. Their website makes me want to get on a plane RIGHT NOW.

3. Ukraine. I hope to get to at least L'viv while I'm here in Poland this year, but further afield beckons!

2. Lisbon. Hills! There are no hills here.

1. Mali, home of Timbuktu and the Fespaco film and arts festival.

posted by mdonley 18 October | 18:02

Great list, mdonley... Have you seen the Seinfeld wedding-in-India episode? Truly hilarious (if you like Seinfeld, of course, which, for better or worse, I do). That's too bad about the mono. I was diagnosed with mono on my 16th birthday. We had to put the cake in the freezer. My throat was too sore to swallow.

posted by Pips 18 October | 18:09

Japan, Iceland, Alaska, Scotland, South Africa, parts of Italy & Russia, Corsica.

I had mono as a freshman in college. It sucked but I was so stressed out I could barely tell it was more draining than a cold. Oof.

posted by chewatadistance 18 October | 18:16

1. Italy. Venice, Rome, or Florence will do. I want to see all of these places in Italy, plus some.

2. Barcelona

3. Multi-stop to Seattle/Vancouver/Victoria, BC

4. Budapest

5. A tropical, very expensive, trendy resort that I've read about in magazines. This will do.

There are very few places I don't want to go. I want to go to Yellowstone and roam around Wyoming and Montana. I want to see Berlin, Russia, Sweden, Alaska, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Paris, the French Riviera, Hawaii, Japan, Bermuda, Bahama, Come On Pretty Mama...

posted by LoriFLA 18 October | 18:23

1. Russia
2. Ukraine
3. Norway
4. Czech Republic
5. Germany

posted by sperose 18 October | 18:35

4. Dominica, a little island in the Caribbean

At one point I collected nautical maps, and the hand-shaded pencil drawing for Dominica was so cool, that at least five of my friends bought their own copies. I wish I could post it here, don't have a pic, but check your local map store. It's about 2 by three feet, and there seems to be a figure with a face in the topographical shadings. Since I've not heard much about it regarding tourism, I was worried about cannibals or poisonous spiders.

posted by StickyCarpet 18 October | 18:55

Off the top of my head, and very much subject to change:

1. Bruges
2. Tierra del Fuego
3. Lagos
4. Kingston
5. Cleveland

posted by box 18 October | 19:06

Cleveland? There must be a story there. (Not that Cleveland isn't a fine city.)

posted by Pips 18 October | 19:17

(Wait... Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?)

posted by Pips 18 October | 19:19

5. Morocco. I suppose it's the Casablanca thing... it just seems so romantic.

4. Thailand and Vietnam. Maybe not on the same trip. Thailand because of wonderful food and friendly people, Vietnam because I'm obsessed with Apocalypse Now and former French colonies (see also, Morocco).

3. Spain. I am totally in love with Barcelona, but I've never been anywhere else in the country, and I'd love to. Partly because people whose opinion I respect have recommended Madrid over Barcelona, partly because it felt (at least in Barcelona) that Spain had the perfect combo of laidback Latin life and forward-thinking energy.

2. Paris. Paris is pretty much always in my top five. I love Paris.

1. Buenos Aires and Rio. Or possibly just Buenos Aires. I want to tango till dawn.

posted by occhiblu 18 October | 19:33

Oooh, great question.

1. Portugal.

2. Florence and rural Italy

3. Ireland (ancestor hunting)

4. Some less-well-traveled Caribbean Islands

5. Norway and Denmark

posted by Miko 18 October | 20:35

(Meet-up at the first Waffle House in space anyone?)

I am so there.

My top five places I wish I could/hope to someday visit:

- Scotland (we went to the Highland Games today, and we both have Scottish ancestry, so I'm all about the Scots today)
- Tokyo
- the Salton Sea
- Sweden (though I'm afraid I'd never come home)
- Angkor Wat

posted by BoringPostcards 18 October | 20:57

2. Florence and rural Italy

With a tri-lingual Angelina Jolie lookalike, principal dancer in the Florence Dance Theater, driving her beat up car backwards around the obstacles and through the empty town squares, and truffle laden dinners in elevated fortifications, olive oil coming right from the press, staying in apartments with the shower in the kitchen, yeah, I'd do that again. Corrine, Corrine, where are you now?

posted by StickyCarpet 18 October | 21:07

posted by StickyCarpet 18 October | 21:11

1. China
Still not been there even though I'm practically next door.

2. Sweden
Really want to photograph the Northern lights.

3. Vanuatu
I've never done island type of trip before.

4. Spain
For the colours.

5. Antartica.
I love penguins.

I guess I'm lucky because I've traveled quite a bit already. This time last year I was in Italy and it was fab.

posted by gomichild 18 October | 22:31

1. I'll go anywhere they have space-waffles. I bet they figured out how to keep the strawberries from floating away, too.

2.A shack, anywhere in the world, miles and miles away from anyone.

3. NYC to visit my family.

posted by MonkeyButter 18 October | 22:38

Cleveland? There must be a story there. (Not that Cleveland isn't a fine city.)

Yeah, but it's a short one. Not that I don't like all Rust Belt cities, because I do, but I've got a friend in Cleveland who I miss very much.

posted by box 19 October | 00:16

Thanks, box... so I guess the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was just a bonus.

With a tri-lingual Angelina Jolie lookalike, principal dancer in the Florence Dance Theater, driving her beat up car backwards around the obstacles and through the empty town squares, and truffle laden dinners in elevated fortifications, olive oil coming right from the press, staying in apartments with the shower in the kitchen, yeah, I'd do that again. Corrine, Corrine, where are you now?

Sticky, you are a man of mystery.

posted by Pips 19 October | 11:26

Oh, and the Rock Hall? Not my kind of thing. I spent years in and around Cleveland and never visited it, and I'd hate to break that record. I'd rather visit the Art or Natural History museums, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, or Melt. Wow--that wasn't supposed to sound like a blurb in an airline magazine, but it kinda did.

posted by box 19 October | 11:42

5. Paris. Has been on my list ever since I took French in high school.

4. Hawaii. It was the No Reservations ep that clinched it for me.

3. Japan. Duh, anime-lover here.

2. The UK, because I have friends there, my first boyfriend was of Scots descent and my roommate has a house in Ireland I can use as a base for my travels.

1. Australia. Again, the friends connection.

posted by TrishaLynn 19 October | 17:45

Man, I wanna go freakin everywhere. Current top 5:

5. Take two-three weeks driving through Eastern Europe, starting in Poland and working our way down to Albania.

4. Separately, the Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and then up through Russia to Finland.

3. Canada - Vancouver, Banff, Newfoundland and PEI in particular.

2. I'd love to take 6 months and trip around Africa.

1. And, we have a couple of weeks booked in the Caribbean in Deecember, to which I am greatly looking forward. I've been having dreams of just lying on the beach, feeling the sun on my back and legs, for months now.

posted by goo 20 October | 12:08

1. Egypt

2. Great Britian (yes, it's cheating)

3. Japan

4. Road trip around Canada

5. Road trip around the USA

posted by deborah 20 October | 14:47

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