Ten on Tuesday: Places to Go & People to See

I love to travel - to see the world, or at least a little corner of it. It helps inspire me that my friends are now dispersed all about the Eastern coast, outside of Pennsylvania.. even if it breaks my heart a little. Last night, in a moment of brilliancy, my new favorite co-worker, Sharon, suggested a trip to the National Zoo. I meant to take Aiden, but it was the first day of summer playground. Somehow, instead, I ended up still headed to D.C. for a day with my best friend. Somehow, despite our mutually crazy schedules, we had a mutual day off and without any planning, we ended up spending it together.

So, today's Ten on Tuesday is all about the places I love to go and the people I love to see.

1. Washington, D.C. is of course home to one of my favorite people, which makes my love for it even stronger. In addition, it's home of the National Gallery of Art, some of the best bar-b-que I've ever eaten and today, it was home to a lot of fun.

2. Philadelphia is hands down my favorite city on the East Coast, so far. Despite it's dirty streets and busy horn-honking drivers, I adore it. I always dreamed of school in the city and had settled upon Drexel. My pocket had other thoughts. I still owe the city some of my favorite concerts past, trips to remember and friends to visit.

3. New York City is a place that took me far too long to visit. The convincing factor was the fact that one of my favorite friends, Rachel, calls the Big Apple her home. I'm a sucker for any city with bright lights and subway trains, so of course I fell in love on my first visit. I can't wait to go back.


4. Missouri is the furthest thing from a city on this list. On Sunday, I board a plane for the middle of nowhere. For wide rivers, fireworks, cowgirl boots and four-wheeler rides. This not-so-little state is home of many family members, and so it's a classic on my family's list of vacation spots. Thankfully, we aren't driving twenty plus hours in an un-air-conditioned van with a toddler this time.


5. Millersville, PA is on this list for obvious reasons, reasons needless to post here.

6. Hershey, PA is home of a hospital near and dear to me. It's a special hospital with a wing devoted to pediatric cancer patients. A hospital that treats Kasey. Though it's sometimes a hard place to visit, the hospital and the town are important to me.


7. Charles Town, WV is a place forgotten but an old favorite. Today, on the drive to and from the Nation's capital, there were signs leading the way to horse races and memorable family vacations.


8.  Paris can't be matched by any other place on this list. It's filled with incredible food, cobbled streets, and my favorite language. I hope to one day return to the city - hopefully with a marketing internship or maybe, with my other all-things-French-loving friend, Mark.

9. New Orleans received a little competition for bar-b-que today. But blackened chicken in DC can't compare to the Joint. Yesterday, I flipped through facebook photos of our Spring Break trip and laughed over airport floor naps, cute construction boy smiles and british accents. And reminded me how desperately I need to learn to make gluten free pecan pie.

10.  Pittsburgh, PA makes it last on the list because it's never been a favorite of mine. When looking at colleges, I made a few too many drives to this northern area of the state. I hated them all. Though my best friend has called it "home" for the past two years, it's now her permanent home - meaning I've got to make more frequent trips and learn to love this way-too-cold city.