For those of you who know me or follow my blog, you know that I live in Houston, the fourth largest city in the USA and home to over 2 million people just in the city limits. I am without a doubt a big city girl, preferring large cities for both home and travel. Thanks to my husband for commenting on my lack of blog posts lately, I've decided to dedicate this next post to my love of these massive metropolises by sharing with you my top 4.
Rural regions and sleepy towns certainly have their own appeal, but I am never able to spend more than a few days without getting bored. A day on the beach or hiking nature trails is great, but 5 days with nothing but beach or pretty scenery? That is a bit much for me. I'd rather have a plethora of activities to keep me entertained. These 4 cities are some of my favorites to visit for long periods of time:
- Barcelona: I have already spent an entire blog post telling you just why you should spend a while in Barcelona. The museums, architecture, and restaurants themselves are enough to keep a traveler mesmerized for weeks at a time. With the bonus of a beautiful Mediterranean beach to relax at after a full day of site-seeing, this city is my very favorite travel destination.
- New York City: I did not make it to this incredibly exciting city until my last year of college, having already explored many parts of Europe during my study abroad experience. I don't doubt I would have been really overwhelmed by the massive amount of people and buildings in such a small area had I not already explored cities like London and Rome. Nevertheless, New York has been one of my favorite US destinations. My husband and I never run out out of reasons to visit; we have probably been once a year for the past 4 years, even though we still have so many other places to see. NYC is a great place to go back to, because even if you run out of the traditional touristy hot-spots, the city has an abundance of neighborhoods and activities to discover. The restaurant scene itself is super dynamic, with each visit bringing many new delicious findings. Not only are the revivals an exciting look back in time, but new Broadway shows are always surprising me with different ideas and musical styles. Also, it is impossible to go to New York without stumbling on some type of neighborhood street festival or parade. For example, last year we went for my birthday, which happens to fall on Bastille Day (France's national independence day), and while walking around Brooklyn we happened upon a street fest and bocce ball tournament, complete with French wines and spirits. Each time visiting this magical city showcases something new, so I keep coming back for more!
- Florence: OK, so Florence is much smaller than the other cities on this list, but being the capital of the Italian region Tuscany, it is still very much a large city in my mind. I loved loved loved Tuscany. The beautiful rolling hills, fantastic vineyards, and small dusty towns will always have wonderful memories for me, and staying in Florence was truly a great experience. Florence itself has so many incredible sites, from the giant Duomo to magnificent artwork and incredible shopping. But Florence also makes a great base for exploring the beautiful region around it. Siena is lovely to visit and photograph, but Florence is where all the action happens!
- London: This was my first stop upon flying to England for my semester studying abroad. I am not going to lie, London was very overwhelming at first. However, being a travel newbie, that is not too unexpected. London is a fast-paced, compact city with so much to do and see in every direction. Within a couple of days, London completely stole my heart! London is a wonderful mix of history and modern life. Obviously, I am a museum freak, and London has some of the best museums I've visited in the world. Also, sites such as Big Ben and the Tower Bridge on the Thames made my heart race. Seeing such iconic places in person never gets tiring! I love London so much, that even though I have been there several times, I am going back this fall! With flight prices so cheap from Ireland to England, I could not resist tacking a few days to my vacation to visit this lovely city.
Hopefully I didn't offend any small town enthusiasts out there with my love letter to big cities, but these 4 destinations have been my very favorite vacation spots. I cannot wait to explore even more of the world's great cities in the future! Having only been to 2 continents so far, I sure have a lot more of the world to see.
