quote:

From Amy:
Nice! So, my husband tells me we have to go back to Milan together. He says it's a great city (with the possible exception that it's harder for him to call me than it is in India)...anyone else care to share their opinion on great international cities?

My personal favorite...mmmm, that's difficult. I'd be torn between Sydney or Melbourne and a small town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica (Puerta Viejo) .

Chicago.

There are so many, ones I have been to that stand out include: Glasgow, Edinburgh, New York, Chicago (of course), Bristol (England), Bath, Liverpool, Dublin, Rome, Palma, Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Aberdeen, London, Chester, San Francisco, Toronto, Paris

Then there are the "I must visits": Buenos Aires, Prague, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, Penom Penh, Delhi, Tehran, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, São Paolo, Shanghai, Calcutta, Lima, Casablanca, Beijing, Singapore, Washington D.C., Cape Town, Santiago, Valpariaso, etc. etc.

I agree with jombl...Chicago...I bet you could meet someone from any one of those cities or eat the cuisine of that culture right here at home.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: my2cents,

Thank you M2C, my choice of Chicago was because I find it the most livable, friendly city in the world.
There are just so many ways to view the question that it is not possible to really answer (no surprise there).
London is probably the greatest city (not financially) in the world right now, NYC may have slippped from its spot.

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TEHRAN

Odds of me visiting this city in my lifetime: 0%

Athens remains a favorite in our family. The history, the food, and the people made for such an interesting trip. Best part was, once you have seen the sights of Athens, there are several beautiful islands to visit nearby for more of a beach vacation.

My husband talks about making a trip to Rio de Janiero. But I wonder if his interest is due in part to all the semi-nude (and nude) sunbathers.
Seriously, has anyone been there? If so, what did you think?

Hey...what's up with the posts here being all out of order???

All great suggestions...I'm creating my next big vacation in my head. Will it be Athens? I'd really like to go to Bangkok! I like London and Bath - I could totally live in London. I still haven't been to Paris. That's one I would really like to visit - though I might wait until the rioting passes. Rome was very cool - all the historic sites - but it wasn't one of my favorites. My husband says Milan is much hipper, cleaner, and friendlier. Costa Rica is definitely one of my all time favorite countries - La Fortuna was another great "city" there. Cairo was really interesting too.

I love traveling and there are so many great places to see still! Anyone have an off-the-beaten-track places?

Depending on if you have been on the right cruise these may not be that off the beaten.

Bridgetown, Barbados. A thriving business town but the beggars and street vendors can get ugly.

Fort De France, Martinique. Nothing says "welcome to my country" like people openly smoking pot in a public park next to Fort Saint Francis. Amazing little town though. Narrow sloping streets and nude beaches.

St John's, Antigua. Small touristy market town. If you are a fan of Star Wars or numerous sci-fi/fantasy films, a must see is Nick Maley's studio. Nick is pretty impressive artist, he is mainly known as the visual creator of Yoda. He has also created the visual looks behind many other films as well.

Freeport, Bahamas. A thriving smaller business town. Can be hard to get to but is well worth the trip. Not as touristy as Nassau. Bishops Bonefish Lodge http://www.gbweekly.com/bishopsbonefish was an amazing little resort way out away from everything. We rented a dune buggy and drove almost to the east end of the island (1 hour from the business center) and had a great lunch.

These are not great or detailed reviews, and these cities are pretty small in comparison to the other mentioned. I have yet to get to Europe, Canada or even Mexico, so I don't claim to be very well travelled.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

I have no idea if it is nice, I just like saying the name!

Quebec City....is nice.

City itself is nice. The people, not so much. Snotty, frog wannabes.

I had forgotten about this thread! You know, in 2005 I wanted to go to Paris but I've been now!

Other cities on the big family trip this summer that I HIGHLY recommend:
Pula, Croatia.
Bratislava, Slovakia.
Bled, Slovenia.
Chamonix, France.
and of course Paris (just watch out for the doggie doo...)

Pula is a smaller city but very quaint and juts out on the Adriatic. Nice little cafes and just a very historic feel.

In Bratislava, the old town square area is really great. Winding little streets with cafes and shopping. The Russian tower provides a great view of the city and surrounds.

Bled is a picturesque town. Quaint, sweet, quiet but just beautiful. Rent a swan boat and row to the church in the middle of Lake Bled.

Chamonix is a well-known skiing town but the summertime there is wonderful too. The town is small (typical ski town) but the countryside is AMAZING! Lots of great hiking and a cool glacier too.

Paris...what can I say? There is so much to explore. Loved it!

Mother of 3, I did not spend time in Rio when we lived in Brazil. We lived in a suburb of Salvador, Bahia, about 750 miles north of Rio (and where people from Rio vacationed.)
We lived 2 blocks from the ocean. (I'm getting homesick.It's summer there. We'd be on the beach now.)
Men and women have equal opportunity to gape at the locals. The men's swimwear was as sparse as the women's. And the men were built as well, too.
Not to mention the food, drinks, music, art, and anything else you can imagine.
It's worth a trip!