There are a lot of jaw-dropping things in this world, most of which I have not seen.
I have big-game fished in Alaska, in the Gulf of California, at Catalina Island, and at the Alijos Rocks off the Mexican Coast, seeing Great White Sharks the size of miniature submarines cruise by our boat a few feet from the deck. I’ve seen glaciers and geysers up close and personal, hiked the Grand Canyon, and zip-lined through a forest (with my grandson) near Puerto Vallarta. Good times, all of them.
I have been lucky to have visited a lot of countries, cities and places that have really impressed me. In some cases, the beauty simply takes one’s breath away, and in others the historical nature of the place causes somber reflection.
Below are twenty places that I’ve really enjoyed, sometimes more than once
Teotihuacan (near Mexico City)
This Mayan city dates to the 1st century A.D. This huge city, which was abandoned in the 8th century, is laid out along a wide, paved Avenue of the Dead, and features many massive stone ceremonial structures, including the Pyramid of the Sun. I climbed to the top with great effort (the stone steps are twice the height of normal steps) and enjoyed a magnificent view. No one knows who built Teotihuacan, not even the Aztecs who founded Mexico City, a few dozen miles away. Visiting this place is like a poor man’s trip to Egypt… unforgettable. Mexico City is also a fabulous place, particularly the Natural History Museum, one of the finest in the world, the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco.
The Vatican
The opulence of the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church is breathtaking: gold, marble, priceless art and sculpture everywhere. The fabulous Sistine Chapel is here. It is possible (for a small fee) to enjoy the view of St. Peter’s Square from atop the basilica, which I did. What a spectacular sight! If I were a Roman Catholic, I would be embarrassed at how much money has been spent on this overblown Papal palace. It’s immense and gorgeous and ostentatious, all in one. What would humble Jesus say about it?
Gettysburg (Pennsylvania)
Out in the middle of nowhere, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War was fought. In three days, the North and South suffered about 51,000 casualties. Nowadays, the battlefield is a National Park and cemetery: a very solemn place. A “Cyclorama” audiovisual presentation puts the battle and the key areas of contention into perspective.
Santorini (Greece)
This is an island in the Aegean Sea, a remnant of a larger land mass that was devastated by a volcanic eruption in the 16th century B.C. Some believe that this eruption, and the tidal wave it generated, was the basis of the “Flood” fable in the Old Testament. There are several small islands here which surround, on three sides, an underwater caldera (crater). Whitewashed, cubiform houses cling to the cliffs which rise several hundred feet above the crystal blue ocean. It is one of the most awesome photo spots in the World.
Mount Whitney (California)
Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,500 feet. The hike to the top of the mountain from Whitney Portal (8,300 ft) is ten miles and rigorous, because of the altitude. I’ve made the climb several times and was always dumbfounded by the majestic views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I’ve also been caught in rain, lightning, and hailstorms while doing this trek and am lucky that I didn’t get hurt.
The British Museum (London)
For several hundred years, the British Empire was the greatest the world has ever seen, controlling 24 percent of the land surface on Earth and 412 million people. During its heyday, the British military and governmental agents saw fit to loot conquered territories of priceless historical objects. A vast assortment of such booty is on display in the British Museum. Priceless art from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece astounds the visitor at every turn.
The Rockefeller Grove (Northern California)
This is a relatively small grove in the Humboldt Redwoods National Park which features huge, old growth redwood trees. The loop trail that meanders through this grove is only about six-tenths of a mile long, but the scenery is other-worldly and the quiet of the place makes it seems sacred in some way. Huge trees that have fallen are almost 400 feet long and thirty feet thick. Visitors walk through the woods in reverent awe.
The Alhambra (Granada, Spain)
This is a palace and fortress complex located on a hill overlooking the city of Granada. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world. This Moorish structure was built in the 13th century by the Emirate and was occupied until the Christian Reconquista in 1492. The whole estate is stunning, particularly the Generalife, which is the adjoining summer palace. The Alhambra is a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site.
Manhattan
I’m sure the New Yorkers who live here take the whole monstrosity of Manhattan in stride but, to the outsider, mass of structures and human beings that occupy this island is simply mind-boggling. It amazes me that the ground can support the weight of all the steel, glass, and concrete. Walking down a main avenue in the city is comparable to hiking in the Grand Canyon, as the buildings go into the heavens and direct sunlight is hard to find. A Circle Cruise boat tour around Manhattan is a good way to appreciate the many moving parts of this city. I wouldn’t want to live here, but it is a fascinating place to visit.
Dachau (Munich, Germany)
This is a former Nazi concentration camp which has been remarkedly well-preserved and is located in a residential area of Munich that could be West Covina, California. It is very unnerving to see this place of sadness and death in a parklike setting adjacent to school bus sites and tract homes. The former concentration camp has been kept in its original condition, with the barbed wire fencing, watch towers, prisoner barracks, and crematorium. There is a very fine museum also, letting visitors know what horrible things happened here. It’s a credit to the German people that they have retained this site to remind younger generations what evil lurks in the minds of men. It is part of their penance, I think.
Washington D.C.
I lived here for two years back in the early 70’s (while in the Air Force). The weather was crappy but there was so much to do and see. Back then, before 9-11, one could walk to the top of the Washington Monument and tours of the White House and Capitol were more laid back. The city has a nice subway system which allows one to see a lot of things without burning through a pair of shoes. The Smithsonian Museums are great as is the National Gallery of Art. However, the best “attraction” on the National Mall is the Vietnam Wall. It is incredible how moving this memorial is; it is not uncommon to see people weeping here. Arlington National Cemetery is sobering, too, particularly the Perpetual Flame at Kennedy’s gravesite and the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other sights include Embassy Row, the National Cathedral, the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, cherry blossoms (in season) and Great Falls. If you like history, this place is for you.
Pompeii (near Naples, Italy)
This Roman resort town was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Buried under ash for about 1,500 years, the town has been excavated and partially restored to the point that a visitor can get a real feeling of what life was like in a classic Roman town. There are ruts in the stone paved streets from the chariots, there are partially restored villas, there is a whorehouse, an outdoor arena, and there are remnants of shops and public buildings. Frescoed art adorns many walls. And, there are many plaster casts of Pompeiian residents who were burned alive by the falling ash. I have visited this place twice and was in awe both times. Rome has more famous landmarks, fountains, shops and ruins but, for my money, Pompeii is the place where one gets the feel of everyday life back in the Roman Empire.
The Amalfi Coast
Not far from Pompeii, beginning in Sorrento and continuing down the coast to Positano, is the spectacular Amalfi Coast region of Italy. The only access to this magical region is the 25-mile-long Amalfi Drive, which is a very thin ribbon of road perched on a sheer cliff hundreds of feet above the turquoise Mediterranean Sea. Homes and businesses cling to this precarious landscape and the locals work together to help funnel tour buses past buildings and around hairpin turns on the one-way road. The communities that have eked out an existence in this spectacular setting are brightly colored and the beaches are dotted with hundreds of umbrellas.
Yosemite National Park
It is almost impossible to describe the natural beauty of this magnificent place. Towering monoliths like El Capitan and Half Dome, numerous spectacular waterfalls, a dense pine forest, and the shimmering Merced River make this place a postcard moment that is forever etched on the memory of visitors. I camped here as a kid and was chased by bears. I used to live near this place (at Castle AFB) and enjoyed hiking Yosemite Falls and Half Dome. I also learned how to ski at Badger Pass. This park is prettiest in the Winter, in my opinion.
Toledo (Spain)
About an hour outside Madrid, there is a well-preserved, medieval hilltop town named Toledo. The entire city is contained within massive stone walls, the streets are narrow and cobbled, and the meticulously-maintained buildings and shops look their 1,500-year age. One of the central features of this town is the spectacular Gothic cathedral, which took hundreds of years and vast amounts of money to build. There are many curbside restaurants and tapas bars which are lovely to visit. The walled town is even more intriguing at night, when everyone seems to be out and about, having fun, and enjoying the magical experience of this place. We’ve been all over Spain, it is our favorite country to visit, and Toledo is our favorite city. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Boston
This beautiful city reeks of history. It is a very walkable urban setting, with famous landmarks every block or so. I like the juxtaposition of 500-year-old houses and glass-and-steel skyscrapers next to each other. The Little Italy restaurant neighborhood is gorgeous at night and the food at these Mom and Pop cafes is outstanding. Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, is the oldest stadium in the United States and it was built a section at a time over a hundred years. Nearby Harvard University is the oldest college in America, founded in 1636, only sixteen years after the Pilgrims landed at nearby Plymouth, Massachusetts. The American Revolution started here, for God’s sake. The Cheers bar is here, too.
Hawaii
Charlie and I have been to the Hawaiian Islands a number of times and it is, honestly, a magical place. Scenes of immense beauty are around every corner, from beach scenes, to waterfalls, to volcanoes, spectacular golf courses, and lush vegetation everywhere. One of my favorite adventures was riding a bike from the 10,000 feet high Haleakala Volcano downhill to the sea: there was snow on the ground at the top and it was 80 degrees when we got down to the coast. My Dad and I once took a helicopter ride over Kauai, one of the most beautiful places on earth, seeing a bird’s eye view of the Na Pali coast, Waimea Canyon, and such. Charlie and I once spent a week in Maui, lodging at the Randy Travis compound in Lahaina and playing golf virtually every day at a variety of beautiful courses. Hawaii is a wonderful place to visit but is pretty expensive, too. To be honest, Mexico has all the beauty of Hawaii at half the cost.
Venice
This is my favorite place in the world and I’ve been fortunate to have stayed here a number of times. The beauty of the city is staggering, as is the improbability of its existence… it is built on 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, connected by small bridges over a web of canals that go in every direction. There are no cars here; everything moves via water or human labor. The city is lush with famous architecture, art museums, fancy churches, expensive retail outlets, innumerable restaurants, plazas, and gelato joints. Most visitors spend their time at or near the Piazza San Marco where they get to see St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, hundreds of parked gondolas, and thousands of pigeons. I have found that the beauty of Venice is to be found the further one walks AWAY from the Piazza San Marco back into the neighborhoods where the locals live. There is literally a photo op around every corner, from tiny outdoor cafes to gondoliers shining up their boats to local women hanging out their wash to dry. Gondola rides can be romantic but are horribly expensive. A better way to see the city is to spend almost nothing riding the vaporetto (the Venetian waterbus) along one or more of its 19 scheduled lines. This city is best viewed from the water, where the age, grandeur and implausibility of the city is revealed in a majestic way.
New Orleans
This is my favorite city in the United States. There is a lot of history here, the food is tasty, the music is great, the architecture is singular, the aquarium is fantastic, and the people are warm and friendly. Most people think of Bourbon Street and drunk, semi-clad imbeciles partying hard and acting like fools. Once you’ve walked down that street at night and experienced the mayhem, you’re done with it. The real beauty of this unusual city can be found in the Garden District mansions, fine restaurants in the French Quarter, cool museums and voodoo shops, and the street art for sale around Saint Louis Cathedral. My favorite restaurants are Jacques Imo’s in the Garden District and Mulate’s in the Warehouse District. Fun things to do in this region of the country are plantation tours and air boat rides in the bayous. We’ve never been to Mardi Gras but we participated in a large, ad hoc parade in the Garden District one year with hundreds of well-lubricated college students, bands and makeshift “floats”. It’s a fun-loving town; “stick in the muds” need not visit this place. New Orleans also has a cruise boat port which we used one year (with son Jeff and wife Carol) as a jumping off point for a seven-day trip to Belize. Very nice. I can hardly wait for our next visit to The Big Easy.
Zion National Park
This is my favorite national park. Luckily for me, it is located only about 90 minutes from my house in Mesquite, Nevada. The natural beauty is breathtaking and so many cool experiences are packed into a relatively small park. Two of the best hiking experiences in the United States are located here: The Narrows, a 16-mile slot canyon of incomparable beauty; and, Angel’s Landing, a thrill-ride of a hike with a spectacular payoff at the top. I am glad that I had the opportunity to visit this place when it was less crowded; lately, there are restrictions on entry and permits required to hike Angel’s Landing. Zion is a boutique Yosemite Valley with towering red and white sandstone cliffs. Native Americans must have loved it here.
