“Heading, sir?”
“Out there… thataway.”
In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, these are the final lines of the film. They are meant to represent the care-free attitude that Kirk now has as everything is as it should be. But, oddly enough it makes a good reflection for my reaction when asked about where I want to go. Instead of being care-free, I find myself not having much of an idea of where to go or even where to go when I get there.
But that’s something I’m going to try and alleviate here. I’ll put to digital paper the places I most want to go to and try to highlight what I would out want to do or see while I’m there. The sky is the limit here, since I haven’t done a whole lot of traveling so far.
New York (State of Mind)
New York has to be without a doubt the center of the cultural, financial, and at times, political worlds. Aside from very touristy things (Museums, Statue of Liberty, and Times Square) I would want to make it a point to visit the World Trade Memorial, visit some under the radar restaurants, and take a stroll through Central Park. I’d also want to see a show on Broadway, though I don’t know if it should be one I haven’t seen before or not. But aside from those, I don’t know enough about what all should be seen in New York.
London
I’ve always had a curiosity about life across the pond, and would greatly enjoy visiting where “all the history is”. I know I’d want to see a true Shakespeare play done as it was meant to be. If it was Much Ado About Nothing that would be perfect. But while there I could pop into a pub, see a football game and gain a new appreciation for the sport. On the subject of sports, it’d be the perfect spot to do a round of golf. Clearly some tourist things will have to happen like riding the London Eye, riding the Tube, and a stop by Buckingham Palace and Parliment. And let’s not forget, I’d be ridiculous missing out on true English tea and a castle if they are still standing.
Washington, D.C.
Somehow, I feel there is a lot to do here without needing to look at what is available. Between the Smithsonian, the multitude of memorials, and active buildings like the White House and Congress there’s plenty of American history to observe. As far as what else to do that’s where I get both fuzzy and unclear. I wonder if there would be enough time for anything else or if something else would even catch my interest.
Los Angeles / San Francisco
Both the City of Angels and San Fran are joined together since they are geographically in the same area. I can tell you in both places I would want to visit the beach, but that’s really where the similarities end. But at the same time, that’s also the end of what I positively know I would want to do in either city. I only know that I would want to go.
Italy… but Gary would never want to come home!
Sure, it’s a country and not just a city, but there are truly plenty of places I would want to visit here. Venice, Florence, Rome, the island of Sicily, Tuscany… each region and city has it’s own vibrant history and ideas on what to do with food. Truly, those are the two primary reasons I want to go to Italy. You have Roman ruins, World War memorials, a heaping lot of vineyards, and possibly a breathtaking view from a hike up a mountain. But aside from that? Yeah, I don’t know what else to do there. The only thing I know for certain is that I have no desire to go to Vatican City; I simply don’t believe I would feel welcome there. Gary just told me that I’m getting overruled there… he’s got a thing for the Swiss Guards.
Seattle
But, wait, didn’t I go there once already? That’s right, but I want to go again for a few different reasons. More than any other city on this list I know what to expect since I was there. I believe I would be better prepared to try and catch a game for either the Mariners or Seahawks. Or to bring back some of that infamous fresh food from Pike’s Place. I’d want to see more local restaurants, bars, and coffee houses. I may be a big ol’ fan of Starbucks, but it won’t hurt to branch out, right? But I even have a time in mind that I’d want to go. Usually around August or September there is a conference that happens that becomes open to the public, PAX, or the Penny Arcade Expo. It lasts over the weekend and it attracts game publishers from around the globe to descend and show off what they are working on. Aside from trying out what’s still to come and the general experience of being at a convention of that size, I’d love to network. Try and meet other gamers that do what they can to stream and support each other in growing larger. It sounds wonderful but I haven’t the foggiest idea how much it costs.
There are other places I would like to go, like Egypt, or Boston, but I wanted to limit myself to a few of my top places. I know Gary and I want to try and take a trip sometime next year or possibly this year if we can manage it. But on the other hand we all know how much of a penny-pincher I can be. Still, I’m optimistic that we will manage to cobble the money together. Clearly, no matter where we end up both of us will end up talking about it on our blogs. And I can’t wait to tell you how it goes.
Life And Gaymes 