Where Have I Been? Where Should I Go?

I've heard that today is the peak travel day for the holiday weekend.  (I'm assuming most people are off on Friday...just FYI, I'll be working.)  Specifically, between 1:30 and 4 is supposed to be the worst time to be on the road. (Which is when I'll be leaving work...but not heading anywhere other than home.)

Summer is the perfect time to travel; at least weather wise.  The downside is EVERYONE seems to be doing it.  (Again, NOT me.)  This and the recent FB quiz about how many states have you been to got me thinking about where I've been and where I want to go.

So where in my 50+ years of life have I been?  I've been out of the country twice:  once to Canada when I was in high school (and I want to go again...the Bay of Fundy is on my bucket list...but I need a passport!) and once to England when I was in my 20s.  Where have I been in the USA?  When I think about it there are many places I haven't been, but I have been to:
  1. New Jersey:  Obviously; I live here and I've been from the top to the bottom as well as the east to the west, but I HAVEN'T visited every county in the state.  
  2. New York:  I live close enough to the city, but I don't go that often.  However, I've also visited the larger part of the state such as Albany and the Finger Lakes region.
  3. Pennsylvania:  I went to college in Allentown.  My in-laws live in Bucks County.  We frequently visit the Poconos (stay tuned for another vacation report from Skytop later this summer). I have also been to the City of Brotherly Love.  I haven't ventured as far west as Pittsburgh though...
  4. Massachusetts:  When I was really young (pre-elementary school) we went to Cape Cod every summer.  I've been back with my husband several times.  (Love the Drive In at Wellfleet).  I've toured Cambridge and Boston.  I don't think you can go wrong with Massachusetts.
  5. New Hampshire:  Spent a lot of time there when I was in my 20s.  One of my dear friends got married there.  My husband and I have been to the top of Mount Washington.  (I drove...I would NEVER do that again!)
  6. Connecticut:  Have visited many times, but my favorite memories are of New Year's Eve at a radio station in Danbury with friends and a family trip to Mystic.
  7. Delaware:  Simply driving through does not count, but visiting the University does.
  8. Maryland:  Besides a family trip when I was in elementary school (which included a side trip to Washington, DC), I went to the beach there when I was in high school and have visited good friends in the Baltimore area.
  9. Virginia:  Another high school trip.  Am thinking I am overdue for a return visit...anyone have any thoughts on Colonial Williamsburg?
  10. Florida:  It's not just Disneyworld!  Although the majority of my trips have been to the Orlando area where several of my friends work and reside, I've also been to the gulf coast.  Key West is on my bucket list.
  11. Illinois:  Mostly to the windy city, but I've also been to McDonald's Hamburger University!
  12. Nevada:  Vegas baby!  I've also been on the outskirts of the city and seen Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.
  13. California:  My first trip was the best!  I was under 5 and flew First Class!  Woo hoo!  My memories may be dim, but we did see Anaheim, Santa Barbara and San Francisco.  More "recently" (meaning when I was in my 20s) I visited Los Angeles.
  14. Washington:  I have toured Seattle, but never went to the Space Needle.  It wasn't rainy.
Sadly, that's it.  I purposely DID NOT include the Carolinas, Georgia or Rhode Island.  I have been THROUGH all of them, but that doesn't count as actually BEING there.  (I'm NOT counting that hour at South of the Border!).  A layover at the airport in Dallas Fort Worth DEFINITELY DOESN'T count either.

So there are a heck of a lot of states that I haven't been to.  I'd like to visit our last two states: Alaska and Hawaii.  I feel like I SHOULD see the Green Mountains of Vermont and the coast of Maine. (You can see part of the Bay of Fundy there too!)  I've heard wonderful things about the mountains of West Virginia (and I certainly wouldn't balk at seeing/staying at the Greenbriar).  I've never visited my Grandfather's home state of Ohio.  Can I call myself a music fan if I HAVEN'T been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Shouldn't I visit Nashville, TN and New Orleans, LA for their music and unique culture?  Other than a visit to the Grand Canyon, I haven't seen any of the beauty of the southwest states...and I'd like to!


I realize that there is so much I want to see; so much that I should see (make your suggestions here).  There are only so many summers... (and not a heck of a lot of cash).  I hope to visit at least some of those places I've mentioned before I'm too old to enjoy them.  (Are you ever too old to enjoy?)  I've always extolled the beauty of our country and yet there is so much of it that I have yet to see...





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