Where do you live and why would anyone want to visit there - and you?
And then, where would you like to go?
[ December 10, 2004, 07:02 AM: Message edited by: quidscribis ]
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
I live in Israel, a country chock-full of history and culture... you can be interested in just about anything, and you'll find examples of it here. We have all sorts of different terrains, as well... if you like mountains, or desert, or forest-y green landscapes, or the ocean... you name it, we've got it! (I sound like a travel brochure)... Jerusalem, in itself, is a city that's important to the three major monotheistic religions, and is beautiful and fascinating. Seriously, you all want to come visit me here. And it's not scary. I promise. If you come visit me, I solemnly swear to avoid buses, and to make you do the same!
I want to go everywhere. Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
When I get rich, I'm going on a world tour to meet every international Hatracker.
And maybe I just might get "lost" somewhere between Anna and Choobak and never come home. Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I just want to go to another country... Period.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Where do I live?! Good question... Montreal, but only until ~21st of December. Then Lyon. Then I don't know. So it's kind of hard to tell you why you should visit a place when I don't know what place I'm talking about... Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
1) I move too much for this one. I will be moving again in 6 months.
2)I've been to most of the continental U.S. so I would have to go with my hope of getting rich enough some day so I can buy a nice sized boat and travel the world that way.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
I live in Alaska. It's December. Trust me, you don't want to come here right now.
Where do I want to go? Well, just about anywhere, frankly. I want to see more of my own country than I have, and I want to see more of other people's countries than I have. A list of places I wouldn't like to see someday would be shorter.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I live in Sri Lanka, where cars fight with trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, ox-carts, hand-carts, cows, water buffalo, dogs, and goats on the road. It's an island off the south east tip of India, so it's warm year round, except near the mountain in the centre of the island, where it's cooler. Clothing is manufactured here for export, so you can outfit yourself at less than 1/10 the price you'd pay in western countries. Curries are good good good, and there are lots of local sweets that are good, too. It's in the Indian ocean, so warm swimming.
Seriously, why wouldn't everyone want to come here?
Me? I want to go everywhere. Almost. There are a few places I don't want to go, but that's mostly because of current political situations as opposed to never wanting to go there.
Verily, I used to live in Northern Canada. I bet I've lived through as cold as you've got. Can you say -52 or -60 Celsius with windchill? Yikes! Then again, having already experienced it, what's the appeal to experience it again? Sigh. Posted by FriendlyNeighborhoodWitch (Member # 6317) on :
I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which has lots of Native American historical sites to visit and also the Murrah Bombing Memorial (which is closed due to some construction with the reflection pool until Spring 2005 I think). There are also some really cool museums, although they pale in comparison to some of the museums I went to when I visited Paris. People would want to visit Oklahoma City because there are lots of friendly people and generally lots of things to do for those who don't mind searching around a bit.
I would like to visit Riahd, Saudi Arabia. This is where my husbands' parents live, and where my husband lived for two years. The culture is very different, and I have a lot of respect for the Muslim faith. I taught Eastern style belly dance for a number of years, and absolutely adore the costume that I have from there that was made in the Egyptian style. I feel like I've missed out on a portion of my husbands' life and would love to actually say the words, "I remember what that was like", when he talks about life over there, instead of, "I wonder what that would be like".
Posted by esl (Member # 3143) on :
I'm a college student so I live near school. But I'm close enough to home that I go back about once a month. So home: I am from San Francisco. Home's about fifteen miles from there. Everyone would want to visit San Francisco because there's a very cool mini-street to walk through. It's around the crookeded (that's just how I say it for some reason. it's supposed to be crookedest) street's neighborhood. Mini-street is kinda like an alley but there are very nice residences along it. One was for rent when my mom and I discovered the street so we went in, and there's a Golden Gate Bridge view from one of the windows. Nice places to live. There is also Chinatown. the closest place to experience Chinese markets, short of going to China. people pushing and shoving all day, especially on weekends. all the schoolkids walking around before and after class. If you haven't seen poultry hanging behind windows, here's the place. live chickens in cages too..
I want to visit everywhere three!
quidscribis, where do you not want to go because of current events?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Iraq. That seems to be a good place to avoid right now. Bangladesh, but that's more because I'm not sure they've recovered from their flooding yet - 2/3 of the country was under water. Certain parts of Indonesia, where there's still warring and violence and that sort of thing. Certain parts of Panama and Guatemala where the locals treat white people very very badly by kidnapping them and robbing them and killing them and raping them. But not all parts of Panama or Guatemala are like that.
I think that's about it. Oh, and the nasty parts of Los Angeles. What are they called? Compton, if I remember correctly.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I want to go to Chiapas, Mexico.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:Verily, I used to live in Northern Canada. I bet I've lived through as cold as you've got. Can you say -52 or -60 Celsius with windchill? Yikes! Then again, having already experienced it, what's the appeal to experience it again? Sigh.
Exactly. There are a lot of people around here who have never even seen snow. Be honest with them; would you rather live in warm, tropical Sri Lanka, or snowy, icy northern Canada? My point exactly.
Not that Alaska is a bad place otherwise. Actually, we have an astounding natural beauty in the summertime. Summer temperatures are high enough to be pleasantly warm for most people, while rarely ever being "too hot". (Well, it can get too hot for us, because we're more accustomed to low temperatures. But for them folks as never seen snow, I reckon it would be downright comfy.)
The number one reason I would recommend Alaska to outsiders is: nature. We have lots of it. I work in a fairly large building in what could almost be called a financial district in midtown Anchorage, Alaska's largest city (with more than 300,000 people). Even if you went to the very top floor and looked out a window on any side, you'd see more trees than buildings. You'd see plenty of buildings, don't get me wrong. But they are still easily outnumbered by the trees.
Driving around the state, it can often take hours to get to the next town. Along the way, there can be very long stretches of time where, aside from the road itself and the necessities that go with it (road signs, guardrails, etc.), there's scarcely any evidence of human habitation.
So yes, for people who enjoy nature and the outdoors, Alaska is a wonderful place to be.
Just not right now. Right now it's cold.
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
I live in Central California. The only reasons I can think of that anyone would want to visit this area are Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. But if you do come, bring your money. It costs $20 a car to get into Yosemite; I'm not sure how much S/KC costs these days.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
I live in Montgomery Village, MD. 20 miles outside of Washington DC. Election year.
You don't want to come here. Unless you can manage to swallow the urge to shake your fist in anger at the congress in the capitol building when you walk by. And if you do come, we do have all the museums. And the Metro (*coughWALKLEFTSTANDRIGHTcough*), which is something worth seeing in itself.
Personally, I'd like to go to NYC once in my lifetime.
--j_k
[ December 11, 2004, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: James Tiberius Kirk ]
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I live in Disney World. Sooner or later, everyone ends up visiting here. So just drop me a line when you're coming!
My dream, more than visiting other countries, was to spend a significant period of time in ewach of the fifty states. We had to put that on hold when we got the girls. Any year now, we'll start it back up again.
I've never been outside of North America and the Carribean. So yeah, I'd love to visit some other continents, but I just feel like I should see America while we still own part of it.
[ December 11, 2004, 01:50 PM: Message edited by: Icarus ]
Posted by Audeo (Member # 5130) on :
Let's see, I am at school in Northwestern Pennsylvania right now and I spend a significant part of the year here. I came here for two reasons: 1) it was snowing when I visited in April 2)the school is very nice. Other than that I wanted to see another part of the country so it sort of is a place I wanted to visit, though I can't think of anything PA has that is unique, other than Amish folk.
My home, and where I spend the other part of the year is Western Washington (not DC). The only reason not to live there is to leave so that you can appreciate it more. That and there are an increasing number of people building subdivisions that make it less wonderful. From my home though you can have access to old growth forests, the ocean, the mountains, and if you drive a few hours, a 'desert'. And the best of those climates is available. It rarely freezes in winter, and the temperature in summer is warm without being hot. On top of this it is wet, even the air is wet, which is my idea of paradise. Even here in PA I feel like I'm drying up slowly. On top of this, we have the only active volcano in the continuous forty-eight, what's not to love.
As for where I would like to go, I would like to live in the UK. Particularly I think it would be interesting to visit Scotland. I suppose I'd also like to visit Italy, though the ancient inhabitants interest me far more than the modern ones. Other than that it is my goal to drive across the country from Seattle to Pittsburgh before I graduate, traveling through Montana, visiting South Dakota, the black hills, Mt. Rushmore, and I've heard that there are some fascinating caverns there somewhere, and seeing the landscape in between.
I've visited already Germany and France and enjoyed them immensely. I've also been to Disney World, and we're going there this spring on vacation. Disney World is fun, but the weather there is absolutely horrible. We went in August and I thought I was going to die of the humidity and heat, if I didn't catch hypothermia from the air conditioning first. Hopefully it won't be so bad in May.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Verily- My boyfriend's brother is leaving tomorrow to spend a week checking the early warning systems in northern Alaska. After what you've said I feel very very sorry for him.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
My sibs have all lived in either the Yukon or the North West Territories. Have you ever heard of Norman Wells, NWT? Well, neither has anyone else. It's a small town (800people) halfway between Yellowknife and Inuvik, and a 4 hour flight (by the local milk run airplanes) from the nearest doctor. No highways go there except the winter highway, which is only good from about January to April/May, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I went up to visit her one summer and had a great time. It's a whole other world up there and a completely different culture from the rest of Canada. One example: people up there don't look at the prices of anything before they buy. They can't. If they did, they'd never buy the $13 gallon jug of milk. Or the $50 watermelon. Or the $6 toothbrush. Seriously. But man, what an interesting place to visit. I'm glad I went up.
Posted by ginette (Member # 852) on :
I live in the Netherlands, and right now I am not very excited about it. That's probably because we had the wettest summer in 50 years and it seems like I am living in a grey world which is always chilly no matter whether it's summer or winter. But the hardest thing for me is not having any mountains. Not having solid stone under my feet. Clay and sand everywhere.
*sigh So I am looking forward to my holidays in January in the Alpes
O, and if I had the opportunity, I would do what Annie says: Visit every Hatracker on the globe. That would be cool!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Ottawa: Capital City of Canada, bilingual. Tres belle in all seasons but the spring, which is wet and mushy. It has lots of fabulous museums, although the best one is actually in Hull across the river: The Canadian Museum of Civilization. In winter the canal is transformed into a huge never-ending skating rink as part of winterfest which includes ice-scuptures and across the river in Hull, ice slides. In late Spring there is the tulip festival. Canada Day is a huge party also.
Toronto: Largest city in Canada and one of the world's most diverse cities in the world; 41% of the population are immigrants. Much more culture and nightlife than Ottawa and more built up but also, especially the downtown parts, picturesque. The Toronto Film Festival is (obviously) held here. Everything that doesn't happen in Ottawa happens here.
I would like to visit New Zealand, but anywhere is pretty good .
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Annie doesn't want to visit every Hatracker on the globe--just the ones outside of the US.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
I live in York, UK. Being a history student, I wanted to live somewhere which was not only beautiful and had one of the best universities, but also had enough history to keep me happy. I decided that living in London on a student budget was going to be tough, I didn’t want to go west because it rains constantly there, I didn’t want to go to Scotland because it’s very cold and grey and I didn’t want to go to Oxford or Cambridge because the history courses there haven’t been updated since the eighteenth century. So I settled on York.
So, why visit? Well, I’d say there’d be enough to do for about two or so days on vacation. York has existed as a settlement for over two thousand years. Its Viking history is celebrated in the Jorvik Viking Centre which claims to recreate the smells of the Viking city. There’s the Shambles is a little medieval street which looks like a film set and the Merchant Adventurers hall is a very well preserved medieval guild hall. York Minster, is one of the most impressive cathedrals in Europe and took 250 years to build (construction started in 1220) and it was definitely worth the wait. It’s one of those buildings that literally takes your breath away, it’s so gorgeous it doesn’t even look real. There’s also the National Railway Museum, if that‘s your thing, and a bunch of other museums too. Famous dead criminal residents include Guy Fawkes (who was born there) and Dick Turpin (who got hung there), and its still legal to shoot a Scotsman from the city walls, so there’s plenty of target practice to be had.
Being as old as it is, York has a lot of truly grizzly history - massacres, battles, witch trials and plagues, as well as a lot of myths and ghostly legends, so there are about six ghost walks, one of which is run by this strange little man who reminds me very strongly of Dr. Who, as well as the York Dungeon, complete with thumbscrews, evisceration, lots of vampires and some icky waxwork heads on spikes. At least, I think they’re waxworks…
As to where I’d like to visit, Japan and Peru are the places I have to see before I die, but I’d also really like to collect the full set of states since I‘ve got about 25 to go. My first travel ambition after I finish being a student is to live somewhere where they speak another language for long enough to get fluent.
Posted by amira tharani (Member # 182) on :
I live in London, England. Why would you want to come and visit here? Well, you'd have to be out of your mind not to. London has everything: history, culture, nature, diversity, shopping, food, theatre, opera, ballet, the Queen, Downing Street, Westminster... I could go on for ages. Plus you get to see me! I was born and brought up on the outskirts of London, but I'm still finding new things about it that excite and enthral me.
Jatraqueros seem to pass through London all the time, but I've never managed to meet any of them. It's one of my goals to meet a Jatraquero right here in my home town.
My two favourite cities that I've visited are probably Montreal and Cape Town. Montreal because it's so vibrant and cultured, and Cape Town because of the contrasts. I'd love to spend more time in the US - I've been to Canada lots but never the US. I'd also really like to visit India, but I don't think there are any Indian jatraqueros, except quidscribis who's in Sri Lanka (which I'd also love to visit).
Edit to add: Bella Bee, how are you finding York? I thought about putting York down as one of my options when I was applying to uni but I visited the campus and just didn't like it that much. I spent a weekend there and the ducks drove me insane! We didn't get a chance to see much of the city though (we were there on a school trip) - it sounds like a great city.
[ December 12, 2004, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: amira tharani ]
Posted by Crystal (Member # 5437) on :
I'm in Alaska and although the nature is great here I'd love to travel pretty much anywhere. I got to go to Europe a few years ago and really want to go back someday.
quote: Driving around the state, it can often take hours to get to the next town
Very true. I've lived here my whole life, so whenever I go to the lower 48 to visit family my parents always tease me because I'm always amazed at how fast you can get from city to city!
Verily, are you in Northern Alaska? Here in Anchorage I don't think it's even gone below 0 yet this winter. We accually just recently got enough snow to even cover the ground.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
No, I'm in Anchorage. It's true, of course, that this winter has been rather mild by our standards. I would say that if anyone has ever contemplated coming here in the winter, this actually wouldn't be a bad one to try so far. But still, unless people are specifically into winter sports, I would always recommend they make their trips here in the summer. It's so much more pleasant.
(Well, this last summer was actually incredibly hot, but again, that's by our standards. It seems like the majority of Jatraqueros are from warmer climes, though, and could have handled it better than I did. But those same Jatraqueros would probably find it too cold right now, even though we haven't found it that bad. It's all relative to what you're used to.)
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Verily, I could handle it, but yes, I know what you're saying. If you haven't lived through it, you can't even really begin to imagine.
When I lived up in Fort McMurray, Alberta, we had winters below -40. Not all the time, but often enough. And you know what it's like then. Even with a battery blanket and a block heater, cars still won't start.
Ice breakup in the spring usually caused flooding, more often than not.
Winter meant the sun came up at 10 or so and went down by 2 or so.
Edmonton, Alberta, while further south, was still north enough that when I worked graveyards and slept from 8 am until 4pm, I didn't see the sun all winter. Oh, but then, for a while, I worked in the accounting office for some Jewish owners who gave office staff Jewish holidays off and also closed the office on Fridays in time for everyone to be home by sundown. So in winter, I'd leave work at 1:30pm on Fridays. Cool!
Alas and alack! I don't miss it at all. I like Sri Lanka. Mmm. Warm. Mmmm. Sun.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:Annie doesn't want to visit every Hatracker on the globe--just the ones outside of the US.
Eh.... that's fair. Not that I have anything against my dear Hatrack friends. I just have no burning desire to go to Alabama. Posted by Xaposert (Member # 1612) on :
Everytime I look at this thread, I think it's about a Hatrack stock market....
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I was just pointing out what you said.
(Alabama has its attractions, anyway.)
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: Its Viking history is celebrated in the Jorvik Viking Centre which claims to recreate the smells of the Viking city.
The only thing I remember of York is this centre. It obviously made a huge impression .
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