40 Countries and 200 Cities!

So now that I’ve hit a 40/200 milestone – 40 countries and 200 cities visited – I hereby humbly offer my “5 Best Countries to Visit” and “10 Best Cities to Visit” lists.  To be “fair,” I’ve only included countries I’ve visited at least twice and saw at least three cities.  After all, it wouldn’t be fair to judge Indonesia on a one-time visit to (shudder) Jakarta.  Also, for a city to make the list, I had to go on at least two different occasions.  While I feel confident that, say, Barcelona would make the list, it could also be that the one time I went I just got really “lucky” and saw/did everything cool, or had great weather, etc.  SO, without further ado, let’s start with my top 5 countries:

#1 UNITED STATES – Remember, this is best places to VISIT, not live.  And while the U.S. is one of the most dangerous countries in the world—and includes large swaths of, er, “unfriendly to foreigners” folks—you can’t deny the sheer diversity of amazing places to visit/see.  Any country that includes a mix of places like San Francisco, NYC, L.A., New Orleans, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Pacific Northwest, Las Vegas, Disneyland and Disneyworld, etc.  is a must for the true traveler.  Of course it’s huge and spread out, but still #1 just coz of that diversity.

#2 FRANCE – Of course Paris is a big draw here, but you’ve also got the French Riviera, cool historical cities and castles, beautiful countryside and wine valleys, etc.  As for that famous French prickliness and snobbishness towards Americans/visiting, I’ve been three times to Paris now, and also spent time in Marseilles and Carcassonne and never experienced it.  In fact, Parisians have been very polite and helpful whenever I’ve gotten lost wandering the streets of Paris.

 #3 ITALY – While to many, this would seem like a no-brainer for a top spot, numbers 3 through 5 (and a few beyond that just missed) were hard for me to decide upon/rank.  My recent trip to Venice and Padua helps push Italy up here.  Even then, there are probably others that like this “classic” more than I do.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the history of places like Rome, the architecture, the uniqueness of places like Venice, etc.  But for some reason it just doesn’t GRAB me like other places – and I don’t feel any need to return/see any places I haven’t already seen.

#4 CHINA – Gasps from the studio audience!  J  But, again, we’re talking about places to VISIT.  While I could see myself living in Hong Kong, that’s about it, and I’ll spare everyone my rants about the mainlanders, but in terms of sheer “travel entertainment” it’s hard to beat China – and for similar reasons to the States: size and diversity.  Sure, put your pollution masks on to visit Beijing and the Forbidden City and other cool things there, but also with Xian/the Terra Cotta soldiers, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, Shenzen, those mountains I just forgot the name of they used as inspiration for Avatar, and more.  Also, the food, history, architecture are among the very best.  Plus, TWO Disney parks now! J  Finally, if you really do consider Tibet part of China, well then BONUS!  Honestly, I would put China above Italy if the people just weren’t so hateful and uncouth.

#5 GERMANY – While I’ve enjoyed my trips to Germany, I’m a bit on the fence over putting them here, but, again, after last week’s Christmas Market experience, they deserve to be on the list just for that!  J  But seriously, I haven’t even been to Berlin or Hamburg or some other “biggies” but still love visiting Germany for the history, architecture, food, etc.  Oddly enough, I’ve only spent 3 nights in Germany, but I’ve been to the country on 4 separate occasions and seen Frankfurt (twice), Cologne, Regensburg, Passau, Warnemunde, and Rostok.  Germany is clean, orderly, diverse, and CHRISTMAS!!  J

SPECIAL NOTE: I would put THAILAND in the top five and almost did even though I’ve only been there once.  But it was for 30 days, and I did visit three different places: Bangkok, Phuket, and Koh Samui.  Bangkok is one of the most amazing cities in terms of modern stuff/convenience with gobs of ancient history.  And Phuket and Koh Samui are totally different island experiences that would make a good combo trip.  And the FOOD!  And so CHEAP!  Honestly, Thailand would probably be #2 or #3 on my list.

Eligible countries that just missed the cut: Greece, Mexico, Canada

Countries that would probably make the list if/when I’m able to visit again/see more cities: Ireland, Spain, England – and maybe Turkey, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, South Africa

Now for favorite cities.  Let’s get to it:

#1 SAN FRANCISCO – With the Bridge, the architecture, the food, the culture, the hills, the Redwoods, the ocean, the Bay, the diversity, the history, the pyramid, Golden Gate Park, the weather, the sports, the Progressive/advanced attitude, and more, “The City” is a rock star among rock stars.  It beats NYC because of the weather/striking natural surroundings, and it beats L.A. just because.  J

#2 PARIS – Paris rocks for many of the same reasons as SF: the culture, the history, the architecture, the food, etc., and then replace the Bridge and the Pyramid with the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.  Paris even is a bit above SF in some areas (history coz it’s longer, and culture), but SF gets the nod because of the weather.  Sure, Paris is great in the Spring, but SF is awesome nearly year round (even with that over-used cliché about cold SF summers).

#3 (TIE) NEW YORK CITY/LOS ANGELES – I went back and forth on these two and finally decided to “cheat” with a tie.  I mean New York has Broadway, but L.A. has Hollywood—and MUCH better weather.  They both rock on architecture (edge NYC), food, culture (edge NYC), and diversity.  NYC has Central Park, but L.A. has Universal Studios (and, kinda, Disneyland).  NYC has a much more fascinating history, but L.A.’s got the beach and the desert nearby.  And did I mention the weather?  J

#5 AMSTERDAM – After the top 4, it got difficult to rank/choose.  But having recently visited Amsterdam (three times now), and seeing something different (the huge/amazing flower garden), Amsterdam gets the nod here.  Plus, there’s the cool/uniqueness of the canals. They also have an amazing history, great architecture, culture, etc.  And yes, the fact that marijuana is legal makes it even better.  As Seth Rogen said, “Pot just makes everything better!”  J

#6 LAS VEGAS – I know people are gonna hate on this, but every single time I’ve been to Vegas (and I’ve been at least a half dozen times by now), I’ve had a blast.  It’s a City as Amusement Park.  And it’s just SO. MUCH.  The lights! The architecture!  The shows!  The food!  And it’s definitely not your grandpa’s Vegas any more.  Seriously, if you haven’t been – or haven’t been in the past 15 years or so – GO.  Just like the movie.

#7 HONG KONG – Like Paris, I figured I’d be “disappointed” once I finally made it to this city that everyone raves over.  But it’s got all the biggies: food, culture, history, and architecture, plus stunning natural surroundings.  And of course: Hong Kong Disneyland!  J

#8 BANGKOK – You could consider this a cheat, but technically I have been here twice.  Spent two weeks, then left my rented room behind to spend a week in Phuket & Koh Samui before coming back for one more week here.  As mentioned above, one of the best cities in the world for pairing an authentic/”exotic” local experience with all the amenities of the modern world (their malls alone!).  Any place where you can get Krispy Kremes and see a first run movie in a modern establishment, followed up by a visit to a gorgeous historical temple and some top notch dirt cheap street food, gets my vote!  And did I mention how CHEAP it is?  Seriously, this city should be higher – and if I go again, it probably WILL move up.

#9 WASHINGTON DC – My favorite thing about DC is that everyone I know who has visited says – like me – that they were surprised at how clean it is.  J  But the history’s not bad, too – as well as the architecture, the food, etc.  AND you can’t go wrong with the plethora of free museums.  And museums of every kind.  If I can’t get back to SF when I’m done working abroad, DC is my co-backup choice with L.A.  Bonus: Cherry Blossom season!

#10 HONOLULU – Duh, it’s in Hawai’i

Eligible cities that just missed the cut: Vienna, Portland, Shanghai

Cities that might make the list with a second visit: Copenhagen, Barcelona, Istanbul, Stockholm, Vancouver, Bruges, London, Venice, Singapore, Cape Town