The World at Large

I spent a portion of Wednesday night at my five-year high school reunion, where I spoke to several old friends about some of the new places in which they've established themselves.

Listening to people talk about various cities got me thinking about the places in America to which I most want to travel. Yes, I still entertain the lofty goal of traveling to every state in America, which I will chip away at slowly, perhaps by knocking one off the list every year.

In the meantime, I compiled a list of the top five cities I'd like to visit:

1. Austin, Texas
When I was growing up, Houston was the city in Texas that I most wanted to see. However, in the past five years, that has shifted. Austin is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and is home to wonders such as Whole Foods Market headquarters and Austin City Limits. Moreover, the city's demographic is fairly young, and it has a thriving music scene that I continue to fawn over from a distance. If it weren't for the rapidly declining state of education in the state, I think I'd want to spend the rest of my days in Austin. I'll settle for a visit or two, though, if I must. 

This morning, The New York Times published a piece online that discusses some of the various places to visit during "36 Hours in Austin." 

2. Durham, North Carolina (though I will settle for Charlotte).

I have recently developed an inexplicable fascination with North Carolina. When I was younger, I traveled there somewhat frequently, and I have always liked what I had seen—a lot of the state is lush and green, and thus aesthetically attractive. I want the opportunity to return and explore at my leisure, and Durham is the city I currently find most compelling. It's a college town (home to Duke University), and so like the previous city on this list, boasts a more youthful collection of people. Durham also seems to possess the fun and vibrant tone of a city, without actually falling into that category. That's often a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.

Plus, as an added bonus, it's home to a classic baseball movie.

3. Denver, Colorado.

The Rocky Mountains are nearby, so there's the ability to do some hiking when in town. The city also proclaims 300 days of sunshine (even with all that winter weather), which sounds beyond marvelous to me. Denver also has an excellent park system—this is fitting, given that so many of the city's residents are active and outdoorsy. I also like that the city's downtown is walkable; it'd make traveling around there a lot more leisurely, I think.

4. Kansas City, Missouri.

Sure, their only recent claim to fame might be Zack Greinke. But in the early 1900's, the city was important in the development of jazz music. The city also boasts Kansas City barbeque, and as a food lover, I am certainly interested in exploring their barbeque chicken.

5. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe, like Austin, has a very prevalent art scene that I am eager to discover. Plus, I love the Native American influence on the Southwest, and am interested to see the impact it has on the city, from the art to the architecture.

* Honorary mentions go to Minneapolis, Minnesota and Savannah, Georgia. 

Literature and the media expose me to new locations within America on a daily basis, so it's possible that this list will change, though I doubt by much. Perhaps I'll revisit this again in a year and see. Hopefully by then I'll have knocked at least another state off the list, if not one of the places above. 

Train Rolling Down the Line

People from my hometown might be surprised to read that on most days, I do not hate the New Jersey Transit. This might be an unpopular sentiment; I've listened to rant after rant about the service, rising ticket prices, and delays. I've participated in a few, as well.

Perhaps I'm having one of those glass half-full days. 

All complaints aside, the Transit makes travel extremely easy, particularly to New York (and even Philadelphia, if you're okay with the quick transfer). Sure, the train rides seem to get longer with every passing day, but I will take length over no ride at all. 

Plus, the Transit even provides busses that have routes throughout the area and make several local stops. I have never taken any of these busses, but I frequently see them on the road. It's nice to know the option exists. 

The Transit also provides shuttle services to the train station, for those who are either unable to get a ride or who don't have a parking pass (since the waiting lists are so long). Again, I have never utilized this service, and I don't think that I ever will, but I have to appreciate that such amenities are provided by the transportation system. 

I suppose I am just feeling particularly fortunate today. The train station is located in my town, merely a seven minute drive from home, making it particularly easy to make the train, even when I am running late. They've upgraded the ticket booths, so running credit cards no longer takes as long, and there is a comfort I find at the station, even on days when I am a more disgruntled traveler. 

Thank you, NJ Transit, for enabling me to travel with ease - most of the time.