Disney World - with my kids
Ok!! I know this is commercial and hokey. But I'll tell you what - standing there watching the electric light parade with your young kids who have been waiting for a whole year to go to Disney World, will bring tears to your eyes. Well, my eyes anyway. It really was magical. And the Disney employees are the most conscientious people in the world. Each and every one is there to make sure you have a wonderful time; and to make sure I get on the scariest place in the ride. Like the guy who insisted I must sit in the back row in the middle, with just a seat belt -- no safety bar for me on the Tower of Terror. Oh yea! They are just peachy. Oops, yet another story.
The Grand Canyon
I grew up in Phoenix and didn't visit the GC until I was 17 and had graduated from HS. Don't tell my kids, but I went with three guys and we ended up having to stay over; but that's another story. Back to the point at hand - the Grand Canyon. There is a reason it is called a Natural Wonder - it is magnificent. Well, at least at the first five or six places you stop to look. After that it really is just a big hole in the ground. But a fabulous one none the less!
Niagra Falls
Wow!! Now there is some place that looks different and incredible from every angle. And to do it right, you gotta try it from down below, on top and across the way. It is amazing. We did the Maid of the Mist boat ride into the spray and the wooden walkway down to the rocks just below, the river where the falls start to, um, fall and some of the stuff on the Canadian side which is across the way. I'm two for seven on Natural Wonders.
Washington D C
We went when I was pregnant and emotional. So we are headed to the "mall" and are on this extremely long, darkish escalator headed from the Metro to the top. It is a beautiful fall day in 1986. We get to the top, I turn around and there, right in front of me, is the Washington Memorial. Now, I am a Yankee Doodle girl all the way and it was phenomenal. Just standing there, sparkling in the sun. We spent hours on the mall - walking because we were to stupid to pay for the little trolley bus. The Lincoln Memorial - OMG; I cried.
La Jolla
San Diego is wonderful; my Gramma lived there when I was little and we visited the Zoo, Anthony's Fish Grotto, Embarcadero, Star of India etc. But I went to La Jolla several years later and it is beautiful. Where I would live if money were no object.
Bar Harbor, ME
We spent four months there in 1986; May - Sept. The entire Mt. Desert Island area is great, but Bar Harbor is especially fun. It's a kick listening to the locals speak; Bah Hahbah has some wonderful restaurants and art galleries. There are road side stands where you can buy lobster right out of the water, they cook it and you get a whole lobster with fries for under $7.00 - well you did in 1986.
The Constitution in Boston
Beautiful ship - wonderful history. The husband had a guy crush on the idea of the Constitution growing up so it was fun to see him visit a dream place.
Knott's Berry Farm
This would be back in the late 50's and 60's before the big roller coasters and such. Mostly I remember the chicken place for great food especially the jam, and the panning for gold area where Mom would buy us a pan of sand and water and we would slosh it around for a while until there were tiny little gold pieces left. Then some nice lady would put your "gold" into a tiny little bottle that you could have forever and ever; or until you were too cool to keep something like that in your special box.
Cholla Bay in Mexico
Deep sea fishing out of Cholla Bay. The sun, the fun, the beer, the margaritas, the fresh fish for dinner. Great times.
Other contenders:
Mt. Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, Telluride, Chicago museums, Lincoln's home in Springfield, IL, The Biltmore in Phoenix, and Kelly's mom's kitchen.
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