50 States List

[image from Travel Blog]


I realized that if my wedding won't take place this year, that means my honeymoon won't take place this year. I know I should be saving money for my wedding and I should be saving money because of this crazy economy, but really, does this mean I'm not traveling anywhere this year? That's just so...depressing.

I went to the Budget Travel web site and read this: "If you really want to save in 2009—and help to revive a sagging domestic economy—travel within the United States." Perhaps it's a year for staying local? It's always been a dream of mine to visit all 50 United States, which made me curious how many states I have actually been to before.

So I made a list. This list does not account for any states that I simply drove through or had an airport layover. I needed to have spent at least one day there. Here it is:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California: Believe it's been six times already, maybe more, including trips to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Visalia, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Gilroy, San Jose, Anaheim, Carmel and other places that I can't remember. I always loved California as a child because my favorite uncle lived there and I always hoped I would live there someday. I almost went to University of Southern California--well not really, I wanted to go to USC but it wasn't realistic. It is nice that it turned out that my fiance is from the state (and went to USC), so my life will always be connected there. People from New York City aren't supposed to like Los Angeles, but I like Los Angeles because I don't expect it to be anything like New York. I am scared of that highway in LA that has 10 lanes of traffic. I didn't do well there. San Francisco is probably more my style but I don't feel as connected to the city as I did when I was young. I would still consider living on the west coast, but I think I might be too "east coast" now. Seriously. I am laid back, but I am not California laid back. I do like avocados.
Colorado: Denver, for business trip. It was May and it snowed. It seemed like two people lived there.
Connecticut: Multiple times to visit my friend Lindsey. We always went shopping in Greenwich and New Haven. And of course, Mystic, for a wedding.
Delaware: (drove through, doesn't count)
District of Columbia: Been here many, many times that I lost count. Some trips with the family every time we had Polish visitors, and then I spent a semester at American University and the summer between junior and senior year of college interning there. It's the place I met Dan, but I will always associate Washington with my ex-boyfriend because he went to college there and he's the reason why I went so often. I used to run before living in DC, but it's the place where I became "a runner." I still have great memories of my runs there. I mean, it's pretty awesome to be like, "I am going to run to the Lincoln Memorial today."
Florida: Orlando, in first grade. We drove there from NJ. It took 2 days. I wrote a book report about it. And judging from the photographs, I carried a Cabbage Patch Kid doll with me the entire time.
Georgia: Atlanta, twice for business trips. Didn't see much of anything, but through work, I met an author named Richard Bausch who made me laugh a lot.
Hawaii: Maui, with my friend Stacy and her parents after high school graduation. She got to pick a friend to come with her and she picked me. Pretty kick ass, right? One my favorite trips.
Idaho
Illinois: Been to Chicago many times during last five years, for fun and not. I have bad work memories of staying at suburban hotels overlooking mall parking lots. But then I have good memories of cupcake crawls and Dan and Jacey's wedding and seeing The Oprah Show twice. Everyone always says New York and Chicago are alike, but every time I walk down Michigan Avenue it seems like nearly everyone is white and American and looks exactly the same. It makes me feel culture shock. I am sure I am just not looking in the right places.
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana: New Orleans, baby! Twice! I do love the city. I have been to many places in America and they can kind of blend together, but New Orleans is extra special and different from the rest. Dan wants to move there very badly but if I feel I am too east coast for California, you bet I am too east coast for the South. They might kill my Yankee self over there.
Maine: (drove through, doesn't count)
Maryland: Never been to Baltimore, but I did spend a semester at American University which is technically in Maryland. So I lived in Maryland for four months. There was a street nearby the university called Quebec Street that had the most charming houses and I used to walk there sometimes and wished that could be my life.
Massachusetts: Boston, my dream city for a long time. I really wanted to go to college there (even more than LA), but the two of us were not meant to be. Now, I don't care to live there anymore but I sometimes wonder what if I did.
Michigan
Minnesota: Went on a two-day, one-night business trip to Minneapolis, which included a trip to Marshall Fields before they all became Macy's. I was impressed by all the underground tunnels between the stores.
Mississippi
Missouri: Kansas City, for a business trip. People seemed bigger there. Nice. But bigger.
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada: The first time I went to Vegas with my parents I was 10 and was bored out of my mind. The second time I went with my job and got to dress up like Liza. It was a blast. And then there was a third trip to Lake Tahoe for Lindsey's wedding.
New Hampshire: Dan and I dreamed of a vacation where we'd stay at a bed and breakfast by a lake. We found it, loved it and plan to go back in the winter so we can snowshoe across the pond when it freezes over.
New Jersey: My first home state! I will always love the New Jersey shore--any beach, no matter how cheesy.
New Mexico
New York: My second home state. Including Syracuse and NYC, been living here for over 10 years now. I will never live upstate ever again. I could live never seeing Niagara Falls again. My mom took me three times as a child.
North Carolina: I went to the High Point Furniture Show for work, which if you are not in the home business, is the place where twice a year, furniture companies come together and announce their new lines. I was checked out. I barely remember anything about it and it was not that long ago.
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania: Went to Philadelphia last fall; Amish Country to see a Cracker concert and record stores; Saylorsburg (in the middle of nowhere--it's a nice nowhere) where my sister lives; close-to-Delaware Water Gap bike rides with my brother and dad. It's a bigger state than you would expect. We used to drive through PA to get to Syracuse and we were always in PA for a very long time.
Rhode Island: (drove through, doesn't count)
South Carolina: Charleston, for business. Worked the whole time, but scouted the city during a peaceful early morning run.
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas: Dallas, for business. Everyone had a fancy car there.
Utah: Bryce Canyon, with parents, 10 years old.
Vermont: This barely counts but Dan and I took a day trip to Quechee Gorge and Woodstock when we did our New Hampshire trip.
Virginia: When I interned in Washington, I technically lived in Roslyn, VA. I went hiking in Shenandoah National Park, which was gorgeous.
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

23 states so far. Not bad, right?

I have some ideas where I want to go, but if you were me, where would you go next?

(Remember: Dan will be more apt to come if the place has 1. record stores 2. Cracker concerts 3. gambling opportunities 4. reasonable excuse to go (like, if he came up with the idea).

Whatever, we can convince Dan later. Give me inspiration.