What Are Your Top 5 U.S. Cities/Towns/Spots?

[burns_312 353]

Bismarck, ND
Pierre, SD
Hays, KS
Bull Shoals, AR
Louisville, KY

I like shooting geese, catching walleye and drinking whiskey. Pretty simple guy. And KS is home.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lemonlime 5503]

In no particular order:

Chicago

NYC

Burlington, VT

Boulder, CO

Not sure on the fifth.  Maybe Moab, UT or San Francisco.  But loved visiting both places, and wouldn't want to live in either one.

[thrillhammer 684]

santa fe

new orleans

phoenix/scottsdale

kanab, utah

[South Austin 52521]

11 hours ago, burns_312 said:

Hays, KS

My former sister-in-law lives in Norton, Kansas, which is one of the worst shitholes I've ever visited.  Driving through Hays, it didn't seem all that much better.  Yours is one fucked up list.

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

11 hours ago, burns_312 said:

Bismarck, ND
Pierre, SD
Hays, KS
Bull Shoals, AR
Louisville, KY

I like shooting geese, catching walleye and drinking whiskey. Pretty simple guy. And KS is home.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I respect the hell out of this list.

Dude knows what he likes, fuck conventional knowledge and popular opinion.

[burns_312 353]

My former sister-in-law lives in Norton, Kansas, which is one of the worst shitholes I've ever visited.  Driving through Hays, it didn't seem all that much better.  Yours is one fucked up list.

That’s fine, there’s probably not enough money in the world for me to visit any place on your list. Different strokes for different folks. Big part of what’s wrong with the world today is the last sentence of your post.

[Horn Draoi 255]

Hanalei Bay on Kaua’i-on my short list for the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen

Taos-edgy and artsy; the confluence point of 3 cultures that have never liked each other much-call it creative tension

NOLA-the food! The drink!  The music!

Key West-mostly the fishing, then the food and the people watching

Fort Worth-the museums, the friendly West Texas bustle

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

16 hours ago, Chopper said:

I eyed that area too. It's gorgeous and accessible. But then I read the Oregonian's articles about how genuinely fucked and woefully unprepared the entire state of Oregon is for a shift in the Cascadia fault. Hell, OR doesn't even have good monitoring of their active volcanoes. At least CA has building codes that have helped them prepare. Oregon hasn't done squat.

 

 

"The Big One" will not hit California. It will hit Washington, Oregon, or maybe BC.

 

Edit: which sucks because somewhere in BC would be in my top 5.

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by High Plains Drifter

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

 

my top 5, but in no particular order.

 

Somewhere in Northern NM (not in Taos, but somewhere in that area- skilling, hiking, climbing)

BC

Davis Mountains, up near where the observatory is

NOLA

Small Beach town with surf, not sure which one or where.

Edited February 22, 2022 by High Plains Drifter

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

7 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

my top 5, but in no particular order.

 

Somewhere in Northern NM (not in Taos, but somewhere in that area- skilling, hiking, climbing)

BC

Davis Mountains, up near where the observatory is

NOLA

Beach town, not sure which one.

Maybe circle back when you’re ready.

[Telegraph_it 3358]

1. Jackson Hole, WY

2. 30A, FL

 

3. Chicago

4. Boston

5. Seattle

[GreenspointTexas 9661]

15 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Just wanted to try that to see how ridiculous it would be. 
 

In all seriousness, why?

There are many reasons Texas is the “stickiest” state in the US. People that are born in this state stay in this state moreso than anywhere else

[Your Mom 4806]

16 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

There are many reasons Texas is the “stickiest” state in the US. People that are born in this state stay in this state moreso than anywhere else

I don't think that's necessarily because it's such a great place.  People get attached to their roots.  People move for jobs or because the in-laws are somewhere else, or whatever.  I live here because my family is here.  I ventured out of Texas when I was a young man but came back when it was time to start a family and being near parents and siblings became important again.  I'll probably leave again when my kids begin their adult lives.  There's a dozen other states I'd rather live in if family wasn't a factor.   

Edited February 22, 2022 by Your Mom

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

54 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

There are many reasons Texas is the “stickiest” state in the US. People that are born in this state stay in this state moreso than anywhere else

Ok, so why would you live in a shithole town in Texas over anywhere else in the US?

[RDCanecutter 26454]

17 hours ago, After irth said:

What the...?

Used to think the same thing about Laredo-- it was useful as a decompression tank entering/leaving Mexico, but nothing more.

But when I was in my Resale of Hand-Made Puebla Blouses Empire phase, I used it for a base and really got to like it. I'd stay in an old hotel close to the river, hang out in a little punk rock club not far from the park where the Republica del Rio Grande museum is, cross the bridge to get widgets I could double my money on, and just generally enjoyed the vibe. The downtown shopping is like having a time machine to pre-mall America. As a white guy who spoke Spanish, people sometimes assumed I was just another dude from Monterrey.

Took a long walk past all those old mansions crumbling away between downtown and the old train station, I could live there, fix one up, and have a courtyard full of monkeys and shetland ponies and just generally be On The Mexican, Radio.

[Chopper 17238]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Took a long walk past all those old mansions crumbling away between downtown and the old train station, I could live there, fix one up, and have a courtyard full of monkeys and shetland ponies and just generally be On The Mexican, Radio.

Is this your way of saying you want to run a brothel in Tijuana?

[Helobious 9462]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Used to think the same thing about Laredo-- it was useful as a decompression tank entering/leaving Mexico, but nothing more.

But when I was in my Resale of Hand-Made Puebla Blouses Empire phase, I used it for a base and really got to like it. I'd stay in an old hotel close to the river, hang out in a little punk rock club not far from the park where the Republica del Rio Grande museum is, cross the bridge to get widgets I could double my money on, and just generally enjoyed the vibe. The downtown shopping is like having a time machine to pre-mall America. As a white guy who spoke Spanish, people sometimes assumed I was just another dude from Monterrey.

Took a long walk past all those old mansions crumbling away between downtown and the old train station, I could live there, fix one up, and have a courtyard full of monkeys and shetland ponies and just generally be On The Mexican, Radio.

I haven’t been downtown in a while. But all that development east & north has made most of Laredo genericville, USA. 

[RDCanecutter 26454]

16 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Is this your way of saying you want to run a brothel in Tijuana?

Run? Hell no.

Rent to? I'm listening.

[RDCanecutter 26454]

3 minutes ago, Helobious said:

I haven’t been downtown in a while. But all that development east & north has made most of Laredo genericville, USA. 

I don't know the east side at all. Is that where the mall is? Went there once. Agree, generic, except I saw one woman and child sitting in the concourse on the floor backs against a wall in possible chicle-selling mode.

I stayed once in a hotel on the north side that was nice in a very oasis-sort of way, like being down around Saltillo. Thought I was going to get jumped in the Harley store by some old bikers when I mistook one of their old ladies for the clerk. The clerk turned out to be way more bikerish-looking than the actual old ladies. Anyway I had been tasked to buy a Harley "Laredo" shirt for a family member who collected Harley crap. After I saw the price, I went home and bought Harley stock. Seriously. It doesn't matter if they never sell another bike, those $65 stringy tshirts will keep them in the green.

But basically, I go smack-dab downtown, park it, and go everywhere on foot.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Ok, so why would you live in a shithole town in Texas over anywhere else in the US?

Family.

Cost of living.

Climate.( all 4 seasons in the panhandle.)

What's funny is my son and DIL are moving to Jersey to start their  young family.  Their house is 2.5 miles from her folks' place.  Family matters as much as anything else for many.  Son started venting to me about cost of living and I told him to zip it.  If he was concerned about the price, NJ never would have been in the equation.

We all make tradeoffs.

To your question and Greenspoint's post, would love to see some stats behind the 'stickiness' of states.

Edited February 22, 2022 by slorch

[RDCanecutter 26454]

2 minutes ago, slorch said:

To your question and Greenspoint's post, would love to see some stats behind the 'stickiness' of states.

Adjusted for distance moved, too. EG: Moving from NJ to eastern PA is less trouble than crossing DFW, and might as well be one state.

[ztejas 43487]

3 hours ago, Your Mom said:

I don't think that's necessarily because it's such a great place.  People get attached to their roots.  People move for jobs or because the in-laws are somewhere else, or whatever.  I live here because my family is here.  I ventured out of Texas when I was a young man but came back when it was time to start a family and being near parents and siblings became important again.  I'll probably leave again when my kids begin their adult lives.  There's a dozen other states I'd rather live in if family wasn't a factor.   

Nothing you said doesn't apply to any other state though. 

[HookEm 2467]

1. Cowles, NM  (But really up in the Sangre de Christo Mountains)
2. One of the towns in Napa 
3. One of the small towns in central Texas (e.g. Llano or Mason)
4. Somewhere on the pacific coast (e.g. Monterrey, Big Sur, Canon Beach)
5. New York City

I'm from Muleshoe.  This list makes me laugh:

Quote

Lubbock, Bakersfield CA, Vidor, Muleshoe, Clute

While I've lived in the Austin area since graduating UT 25 years ago, I certainly have an appreciation for the panhandle.  I vastly prefer it to many parts of East Texas.  Give me the cool nights, clear skies and open views over humidity and mosquitos.  I also like being able to be in the mountains in 3 hours. 

In high school we used to camp at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge and the night skies were amazing. 

My family has a bunch of CRP land a few miles from there.  I think it is beautiful to be in the middle of the land and see 20 miles of grassland in every direction.  The sunsets are great and thunderstorms can be seen from 40 miles away.  The area also has big mule deer and antelope. 

It makes me lol that people think Marfa is great.  Marfa is basically Muleshoe with artists.  And I don't mean that as a compliment.

[Hate 20116]

3 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

 

"The Big One" will not hit California. It will hit Washington, Oregon, or maybe BC.

Edit: which sucks because somewhere in BC would be in my top 5.

Yeah, that Cascadia Fault is going to mess things up when the megathrust (yeah, I know...you mega thrusted South Austin's mom) finally does occur.

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

59 minutes ago, slorch said:

(all 4 seasons in the panhandle.)

 

lets see:

1) windy,

2) really windy,

3) super windy, and

4) my god fuck this fucking wind

 

[Your Mom 4806]

13 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Nothing you said doesn't apply to any other state though. 

It applies to other states for sure, but not to the places I’d consider great. To me great places are great on their own merits, not just for family reasons. 

I took his post about the “stickiness” of Texas to mean he thought of that as an indicator of how great it must be. I’m  providing a counterpoint that lots of us are in Texas despite it not being where we’d like to live rather than because there’s something great about it.    Me living here doesn’t mean I think it’s all that great in general (although I did list Terlingua for a little bit of Texan homerism).  

[ztejas 43487]

3 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

To me great places are great on their own merits, not just for family reasons. 

Like Austin - the hottest city in the country right now? 🙂

4 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

I took his post about the “stickiness” of Texas to mean he thought of that as an indicator of how great it must be. I’m  providing a counterpoint that lots of us are in Texas despite it not being where we’d like to live rather than because there’s something great about it.    

Again - that applies to other states, too. Granted he could just be pulling the data out of his ass that Texas is stickier than everywhere else. 

I think a good point brought up by someone else is Texas is huge. You can live in each of the 4 major cities for 5 years each and burn 20 years and probably not get bored with Texas. 

[Your Mom 4806]

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

You can live in each of the 4 major cities for 5 years each and burn 20 years and probably not get bored with Texas.

I could.
But I think we’re both arguing two different points and I’m not sure we even really disagree with each other other than I really don’t like living in Texas anymore and you do.  if I lived in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, etc. I think I would enjoy living there whether or not my family was around. I can’t say the same for Texas anymore.
Doesn’t mean I don’t love Texas or that I’m not a proud Texan and proud of our history and heritage. I’ve just had enough of it. Moving to any of the other cities in Texas would not change that.

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

39 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Nothing you said doesn't apply to any other state though. 

Texas Exceptionalism is the answer y'all are looking for.

There aren't many (any) other states where there's a constant discussion and cultural ethic about how that state is the greatest place on earth.  Minnesota is the closest I've seen, but they have a ways to go to catch Texas.

Simply put, all Texans hear from a very young age that Texas is better than anywhere else.  That happens much less frequently in the rest of the country.

[Hate 20116]

Because Texas is better than the rest of the country.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

Texas is becoming a lot like France.  France would be a nice place if it wasn't full of French people.

[ztejas 43487]

4 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Texas Exceptionalism is the answer y'all are looking for.

There aren't many (any) other states where there's a constant discussion and cultural ethic about how that state is the greatest place on earth.  Minnesota is the closest I've seen, but they have a ways to go to catch Texas.

Simply put, all Texans hear from a very young age that Texas is better than anywhere else.  That happens much less frequently in the rest of the country.

Part of the answer for sure.

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

I mean, it was pretty obvious what the poster listing "anywhere in Texas" was saying, and I'm legitimately surprised there aren't 50 posts with a similar tone in this thread.

The rest of the country gets a heavy dose of American exceptionalism, but it's rare to be as state-centric as it is in Texas.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Al_4_ISU

[BonzoMontreaux 1061]

New York

Chicago

Seattle

Estes Park

Key West

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

1 hour ago, slorch said:

Family.

Cost of living.

Climate.( all 4 seasons in the panhandle.)

What's funny is my son and DIL are moving to Jersey to start their  young family.  Their house is 2.5 miles from her folks' place.  Family matters as much as anything else for many.  Son started venting to me about cost of living and I told him to zip it.  If he was concerned about the price, NJ never would have been in the equation.

We all make tradeoffs.

To your question and Greenspoint's post, would love to see some stats behind the 'stickiness' of states.

His family is in one place. He’s saying living in shitholes hundreds of miles away would be better than living anywhere else in the US

There’s cheap places throughout the US. They’re cheap because most folks don’t want to be there. I don’t think that jives with the “best places” intent of the thread, but who knows.

And the dude lives in Houston, clearly climate isn’t important to him.

So I still don’t know why any shithole town in Texas is better than anywhere else in the US to him.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

22 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I mean, it was pretty obvious what the poster listing "anywhere in Texas" was saying, and I'm legitimately surprised there aren't 50 posts with a similar tone in this thread.

The rest of the country gets a heavy dose of American exceptionalism, but it's rare to be as state-centric as it is in Texas.

Dude in random shithole Texas: “Why did you choose to live in this shithole instead of (insert awesome place here)?”

Greenspointe: ”Because Texas is GOD’S COUNTRY!”

Random dude: “But bro, this place fucking sucks.”

[billfromlaketravis 11519]

I haven't traveled nearly as much or nearly as regularly as many in this thread. I did have a couple humble observations: 

- Denver is overrated for what it is. Housing/cost of living are skyrocketing. I know many people there with excellent jobs that have an hour commute each way. The mountains are "close" like The Woodlands is close to Galveston. You're looking at least 90 minutes in the car to Breckenridge in very heavy weekend traffic. Food is pretty average compared to the big cities in Texas. The city is walkable and has a cool vibe, but nobody can afford to live downtown. The weather is pretty mild for the Rockies. The classic good place to visit, bad place to live city. 

- I really like the views in Laguna Beach, but those people live on a different planet. Probably the least knowledgeable sports fans in the country.  I bet 1 in 4 know the Rams just won the Super Bowl. Both very cool beach towns, but I like Carmel a little better. 

- New York City. I love the food and the city. They could keep the streets cleaner. Always a lot of garbage piled up and in desperate need of a street sweeper. Yes even in the nice parts of town. Airports suck. I like flying in elsewhere, and taking the train in. 

- Chicago. People are going to bitch about the violent crime, but 99% of Surly isn't venturing out to the gang infested parts of the city. A Cubs game is something every sports fan should experience. Streets were immaculate when I visited some springs ago. 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by billfromlaketravis

[billfromlaketravis 11519]

Outside of Jackson Hole, I'd say Wyoming is pretty underrated. I think the lack of a big airport/busy interstate has stunted its growth. The locals are probably pretty content with this. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by billfromlaketravis

[Chewbacca 7780]

1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Texas Exceptionalism is the answer y'all are looking for.

There aren't many (any) other states where there's a constant discussion and cultural ethic about how that state is the greatest place on earth.  Minnesota is the closest I've seen, but they have a ways to go to catch Texas.

Simply put, all Texans hear from a very young age that Texas is better than anywhere else.  That happens much less frequently in the rest of the country.

Was one of the first things I heard from my classmates when I first went to Trinity.  It's a strange phenomenon, for sure.

[Chewbacca 7780]

45 minutes ago, BonzoMontreaux said:

New York

Chicago

Seattle

Estes Park

Key West

I do not get the Estes Park love, but I'm glad you guys can fill it up and stay away from the better mountain towns.

[Chewbacca 7780]

4 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Outside of Jackson Hole, I'd say Wyoming is pretty underrated. I think the lack of a big airport has stunted its growth. The locals are probably pretty content with this. 

Have you driven to Jackson from Denver?  90% of Wyoming is a desolate wasteland.  And the wind.  Dear Lord, the wind.

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

11 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I haven't traveled nearly as much or nearly as regularly as many in this thread. I did have a couple humble observations: 

- Denver is overrated for what it is. Housing/cost of living are skyrocketing. I know many people there with excellent jobs that have an hour commute each way. The mountains are "close" like The Woodlands is close to Galveston. You're looking at least 90 minutes in the car to Breckenridge in very heavy weekend traffic. Food is pretty average compared to the big cities in Texas. The city is walkable and has a cool vibe, but nobody can afford to live downtown. The weather is pretty mild for the Rockies. The classic good place to visit, bad place to live city. 

- I really like the views in Laguna Beach, but those people live on a different planet. Probably the least knowledgeable sports fans in the country.  I bet 1 in 4 know the Rams just won the Super Bowl. Both very cool beach towns, but I like Carmel a little better. 

- New York City. I love the food and the city. They could keep the streets cleaner. Always a lot of garbage piled up and in desperate need of a street sweeper. Yes even in the nice parts of town. Airports suck. I like flying in elsewhere, and taking the train in. 

- Chicago. People are going to bitch about the violent crime, but 99% of Surly isn't venturing out to the gang infested parts of the city. A Cubs game is something every sports fan should experience. Streets were immaculate when I visited some springs ago. 

 

Colorado has a lot of amazing places, but Denver itself isn't really anything special.  I think it just gets the nod as the gateway to what IS great about Colorado.  Fort Collins is a lot more fun, IMO than Denver proper.

[ztejas 43487]

14 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

- Denver is overrated for what it is. Housing/cost of living are skyrocketing. I know many people there with excellent jobs that have an hour commute each way. The mountains are "close" like The Woodlands is close to Galveston. You're looking at least 90 minutes in the car to Breckenridge in very heavy weekend traffic. Food is pretty average compared to the big cities in Texas. The city is walkable and has a cool vibe, but nobody can afford to live downtown. The weather is pretty mild for the Rockies. The classic good place to visit, bad place to live city. 

Never understood the Denver hype. It's cold as shit in the winter and pretty one note culturally. 

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

7 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Outside of Jackson Hole, I'd say Wyoming is pretty underrated. I think the lack of a big airport has stunted its growth. The locals are probably pretty content with this. 

Cody is a great spot.

[ztejas 43487]

56 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I mean, it was pretty obvious what the poster listing "anywhere in Texas" was saying, and I'm legitimately surprised there aren't 50 posts with a similar tone in this thread.

The rest of the country gets a heavy dose of American exceptionalism, but it's rare to be as state-centric as it is in Texas.

Have you ever lived in Texas?

[Chewbacca 7780]

16 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I haven't traveled nearly as much or nearly as regularly as many in this thread. I did have a couple humble observations: 

- Denver is overrated for what it is. Housing/cost of living are skyrocketing. I know many people there with excellent jobs that have an hour commute each way. The mountains are "close" like The Woodlands is close to Galveston. You're looking at least 90 minutes in the car to Breckenridge in very heavy weekend traffic. Food is pretty average compared to the big cities in Texas. The city is walkable and has a cool vibe, but nobody can afford to live downtown. The weather is pretty mild for the Rockies. The classic good place to visit, bad place to live city. 

- I really like the views in Laguna Beach, but those people live on a different planet. Probably the least knowledgeable sports fans in the country.  I bet 1 in 4 know the Rams just won the Super Bowl. Both very cool beach towns, but I like Carmel a little better. 

- New York City. I love the food and the city. They could keep the streets cleaner. Always a lot of garbage piled up and in desperate need of a street sweeper. Yes even in the nice parts of town. Airports suck. I like flying in elsewhere, and taking the train in. 

- Chicago. People are going to bitch about the violent crime, but 99% of Surly isn't venturing out to the gang infested parts of the city. A Cubs game is something every sports fan should experience. Streets were immaculate when I visited some springs ago. 

 

You mention the COL in Denver is high and then mention Laguna, NYC and Chicago?  Denver's not affordable, but it's nowhere near any of those 3.  

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

5 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Was one of the first things I heard from my classmates when I first went to Trinity.  It's a strange phenomenon, for sure.

I found out wildly obnoxious the first few times I visited, but have grown to find it kind of endearing.  I think everyone should strive for objectivity, but people who openly dislike where they live are the biggest fucking downers on the planet.

[Chewbacca 7780]

1 minute ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Colorado has a lot of amazing places, but Denver itself isn't really anything special.  I think it just gets the nod as the gateway to what IS great about Colorado.  Fort Collins is a lot more fun, IMO than Denver proper.

Denver's where all the jobs are.  Prior to COVID and everyone working remote, if you want proximity to the mountains and you want a good career, Denver was pretty much it.  Ft. Collins has come a long way in the past 10 years or so.

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Have you ever lived in Texas?

Nope.  But of all the non-neighboring places to Iowa that I've visited, I've probably only been to Colorado more.  I've visited Texas 20ish times, and a wide (although FAR from comprehensive) range of locales.  

Edited February 22, 2022 by Al_4_ISU

[Al_4_ISU 12469]

Just now, Chewbacca said:

Denver's where all the jobs are.  Prior to COVID and everyone working remote, if you want proximity to the mountains and you want a good career, Denver was pretty much it.  Ft. Collins has come a long way in the past 10 years or so.

Yeah, I get why people live there.  But as a frequent visitor to Colorado, it's never been anywhere close to my favorite spot in that state.  If Denver wasn't at the foot of the Rockies, it wouldn't stand out anywhere near as much as it does.

That's what's magical about a place like New Orleans to me.  There is really no surrounding aesthetic beauty or great recreational opportunity.  It's a freaking swamp that doesn't have much beach access at all.  The city itself is that compelling and vibrant that it stands completely on it's own.