The Best Place I Have Ever Been

***Originally written in December 2016, this blog has been updated and, God willing, will continue to be updated as life takes me to new corners of the world.



Where is the best place you have ever been? The question is constantly asked but I have never had a response that I felt adequately answered the question.

In traveling you quickly realize the enormity of the world. Go to Seaside, Oregon and you will want to visit Cannon Beach, Pacific City and the rest of the Oregon Coast. Travel to Japan and you will want to see all of Asia.

Everywhere I have ever been has something amazing to offer.   But I think I have finally found out what to say when asked the best place I have ever been...

Dominican Republic because of the people...

Researchers have called the Dominican people the happiest on earth. After four trips to the sugar cane infested, baseball crazed Caribbean island, it would be hard to imagine people more full of life and happiness. Despite third world living conditions, every Dominican is smiling seemingly 24-7 and eager to offer a helping hand to family, friends and even gringo visitors. Add in vibrant music blaring on every block and free style dancing all over the streets and you quickly learn to put your worries away.

In the Dominican people are always smiling, especially if baseball is involved.

Nashville because of the music...

Most people learn real quick how much I love music - especially country music. Old stuff, new stuff and everything in between. There's nothing better than walking down Broadway in Nashville and having blocks booming bars and restaurants to choose from to have a beer and listen to another talented artist just trying to make their way to radio stardom. It's a crazy town full of neon dreams and the music is incredibly good!

Every bar and restaurant in Nashville has live music playing from open to close.

Dubai because of the ingenuity...

I'm always inspired by people and things that are progressive and willing to do what others can't even fathom possible. To turn the desert into the most modern city in the world overnight is amazing. Walking the streets with marble sidewalks, the tallest building in the world and every known luxury gave me an incredible appreciation for mankind's ability to think of such innovative architecture and to follow through and complete a major vision.

Dubai literally went from the desert to the world's most innovative city in 20 years.

Rio de Janeiro because of the natural beauty...

This city is a natural gem that has a unique combination of mountains, tropical vegetation and ocean all in one. Rio is literally built in to a mountainside along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. The peaks shoot up high in the air as part of the city's skyline and can be summited for breathtaking panoramic views of the city.  The tropical ocean provides its own beauty with blue water and is bordered with white sandy beaches to cap off this unique combination.

Rio at twilight.

Cuba because of the mystery...

For nearly 60 years the embargo had made this island country an unavailable place to US travelers. Even though it is only 90 miles from Florida, it is one of the countries and cultures least available to Americans.  In the week I spent exploring, the mystery seemingly grew as there is no wifi, news is strictly censored by the communist government and there is very little awareness of anything else going on in the world.

50 year old cars line the streets of Havana.

New York because of the city life...

I could never live in a city but do love visiting.  (***Edit:  Moved to a major city 18 months after originally publishing this blog...) The energy, vibrancy, architecture, people, traffic, food and events in each city are beautiful. Some are universal to all cities and others unique to a particular city.  There is nowhere that has more of any of these traits than New York, New York. In a simple three mile walk in Manhattan you can practically hear every language of the world and eat any food on earth.  It is an incredible mix of humanity smashed in a few square miles.

These lights will inspire you... New York, New York.

Parque Tayrona because of the time and place...

You can read the complete details of the adventure here.  The short version is a long day of travel on planes, vans and buses set up a hike through the jungle to be able to camp on the beach. One of the great parts of traveling is being able to leave your worries behind even if only for a minute and Parque Tayrona in Colombia was a much needed experience. The lizards and monkeys in the jungle, the perfect cove of a beautiful beach and camping with strangers from all over the world combined to make this the perfect ecstasy of a removal from reality.

One of the many beaches of Parque Tayrona.

Sakhalin Island, Russia because it introduced me to the world...

In one of the luckiest things I have ever fallen in to, when I was 16 the state of Washington sent baseball players from the Olympia area to play a few games in on Sakhalin Island in an all expenses paid two week trip.  Thank you tax payers - your money was hard at work 😬. The trip opened my eyes to a new place, new people, new language, new customs and probably most importantly for my 16 year old self, new food! I came back from the trip knowing I wanted to see so much more of the world.

Crapes, caviar and tea were a few of the new foods experienced in Russia.

 A Dodge Spirit because of the family time...

Family vacations were a staple of summers. With two teachers for parents, we would pack up the car and travel for a few weeks each summer. In 1993 mom and dad packed my sister and me in our family's Dodge Spirit sedan and we played dot-to-dot throughout the United States in a trip that lasted an entire month! Starting at home in Olympia we made it as far east as Nashville.  We cruised through places like Milwaukee, Mt. Rushmore, Chicago, South Bend, Phoenix and Reno as we stayed with family, long lost friends, campsites and Motel 6 along the way. The fact that we survived each other packed in that Dodge Spirit for a month remains one of the greatest mysteries of the world! It was quite a trip and chance to see so much of the USA.

Dodge Spirit Sedan.

Mexico City and Tokyo because of the food...

Being a complete foodie, most trips (and days) are judged in large part by the food. This is the only category that there were two winners. The food of Mexico in general is great but Mexico City offers the widest variety that I have found. It's also hard to top the sushi and BBQ in Tokyo. To decide on which place would be best would depend only on the craving that day. Budget may also come in to play as a tasty meal in Mexico City can be found for under $3 while $20 is a typical starting point for a meal in Tokyo.

Street Food in Mexico.

Egypt because of the history...

Walk through New England and it feels like the buildings and monuments whisper stories from the past.  Visit Egypt and the walls of temples, pyramids and sarcophaguses scream stories from a civilization that was thousands of years ahead of the rest of the world in wealth and innovation.  From the Temple of Luxor at night to the Valley of the Kings to the Pyramids of Giza, the country of Egypt will make you feel like you are back in the year 1500 BC.

The Pyramids in Giza

New Orleans because ???...

There is no way to describe this place.  A mash of the American South, European splendor and Caribbean mystique right in the heart of hurricane country and swampland creates a culture so colorful that the craziness of this city is matched only by the craziness of the city's history.  After two separate trips to the city as a visitor, I was able to live in this wonderful place for two years through work and loved every minute of it!

Bourbon Street at Twilight.

Cascadia because it's home...

I have searched, and will continue to search the globe for a place like the region between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.  The combination of vibrant cities, beautiful evergreen backwoods, fishing, ocean, the Puget Sound, skiing, coastal and mountain rivers, secluded islands, and majestic snow capped peaks in a mild climate that has four true seasons is not found anywhere else in the world. Lucky for me, the heart of this region - Southwest Washington - is where I get to call home. (***Edit:  No longer live here)  It's where my family is and warm memories of growing up are everywhere. No matter where I have been or where I may live in the future, there will never be another place in this world that I'll call home.

Home.

The next time someone asks my favorite place, I will finally have an answer that I feel is appropriate.  There is nothing that can shape perspective like experiencing the people and customs of new places, and I have so much of the world left to see.  So hopefully the list grows and evolves as the adventures and years pass by. More importantly, hopefully this answer can inspire someone else to discover their favorite place(s)!