<p>Chapel Hill, NC
-Bluegrass on the front lawn of the Carolina Inn on a Friday afternoon
-UNC basketball museum near the Dean Dome
-Dinner on the roof at Top of the Hill</p>
<p>Minneapolis
–Mall of America
Close to the Minneapolis airport, public transportation available, adjacent hotels.
Need an entire weekend to see it all.</p>
<p>This is such a great thread. I hope it keeps going.</p>
<p>Can anyone do Albuquerque?</p>
<p>Omaha: Must see–the Doorly Zoo.</p>
<p>NYC: Winter: Butterflies at the Museum of Natural History.</p>
<p>Spring/Summer: Trip to Brooklyn – Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Alternate (if you’re feeling flush) River Cafe with views of NYC skyline and the most flowers I have ever seen.</p>
<p>Union Square – Max Brenner’s.</p>
<p>Loew’s Lincoln Plaza (or Center?) cinemas with graphic, architectural entrances to theaters. You see it in the movies all the time.</p>
<p>Chinatown/Little Italy.</p>
<p>I can’t think of a better hidden gem than Mathmom’s: Cloisters.</p>
<p>Spring: Garden in the 90’s at Riverside Park. (It’s in You’ve Got Mail at the end. It’s magnificent.)</p>
<p>Conservatory Garden at 105st in Central Park. Six acres of landscaped gardens. </p>
<p>Hidden gem: Gondola ride at the Boat House in Central Park.</p>
<p>DC</p>
<p>top spots - Lincoln memorial, capitol building, any one of the major Smithsonian museums depending on your interests . Many others of course.</p>
<p>Hidden gems - The Corcoran museum. The gardens at Dunbarton Oaks. Old town alexandria.</p>
<p>Can we put in requests for bucket list cities we’d like to see represented here? :)</p>
<p>Love this thread!</p>
<p>Toronto:
1-Harbourfront, Toronto Islands, CN Tower
2-Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market, Hockey Hall of Fame
3-Art Gallery of Ontario, Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Royal Ontario Museum
4-Ontario Science Centre, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Toronto Zoo
5-Eaton Centre, Yorkville, Queen St. West (shopping)
6-Sports - MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, PGA tour, Tennis tour, or the ‘hidden gem’ that is Canadian Football!, combine one with a visit to High Park, and a tour of beautiful architecture at the Ontario Legislature Buildings and Univ. of Toronto.</p>
<p>One weekend in Toronto is not enough! And, these six weekends are only the start of what you can see and do! Fantastic theatre, cultural festivals, Indy racing, the Canadian National Exhibition, Jazz Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, the opportunities are endless.</p>
<p>Hidden gem in DC: Folger Library, largest collection of Shakepeare and Renaissance materials in the world outside of Oxford. On Capitol mall. Maintained by Amherst. Has replica of the Globe (or Rose I forget) theater with performances.</p>
<p>Evanston, Illinois</p>
<pre><code> the Merrick Rose Garden near downtown
the Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern
the dinosaur museum in the basement of Dave’s Down to Earth Rock shop
the movies at Cineart downtown
saffron at Spice World
Dave’s Italian Kitchen (different Dave, I think)
</code></pre>
<p>San Diego
- Beaches - Coronado, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla Shores, Torrey Pines State Beach, Carlsbad beach, Oceanside beach, more beaches
— Body surf, boogie board, surf, play on the beach, volleyball, frisbee, walk, jog, just lay there doing nothing
— La Jolla Cove - snorkel
— La Jolla Shores - Kayak - look for leopard sharks (harmless but often numerous here)
— La Jolla Children’s Pool - watch the seals - Harbor cruise/dinner
- Tour the aircraft carrier USS Midway
- Rent a small sailboat and cruise Mission Bay and/or San Diego Bay
- Mission Bay - picnic, walk, jog, sail, ride those things that look kind of like bikes for the water, jet ski, water ski
- See Old Town - eat Mexican food
- San Diego Zoo and the zoo Safari Park (formerly Wild Animal Park)
- Sea World
- Mountain biking in numerous areas
- Rent a cruising bike and ride around beach areas
- See the 200 inch Hale telescope on Palomar mountain
- Drive to Julian, a former gold mining town in the mountains - eat apple pie
- Eat Fish and Chips at Oceanside Harbor
- Eat Mexican food (again) - many restaurants all over
- Gaslamp district downtown for restaurants/bars (but I’ve never actually been to one there!)
- Balboa Park (where the zoo is) - museums including the aerospace museum and others
- Legoland (if you have smaller kids/grandkids)
- Mission Beach amusement park
- Seaport Village - shopping/restaurants on the bayfront
- Birch Aquarium - by UCSD in La Jolla
- Eat more Mexican food (after all - you’re on vacation!)</p>
<p>^^^ That trip to San Diego SO sounds perfect to me!</p>
<p>Bay area
-top colleges and companies in the world
-incredible diversity going from oakland to SF to San jose
-golden gate bridge
-pier
-China town
-sports in both SF and oakland
hidden gem- YOUR IN CALIFORNIA AND THE WEATHER IS PERFECT</p>
<p>^^As soon as you move inland from SF, the weather becomes perfect. Napa and Sonoma - great wine tasting, rivals only Yakima, Wenatchee and Woodinville Wine Country ;)</p>
<p>
As soon as you move 500 miles south of SF the weather becomes perfect. ;)</p>
<p>Page, AZ</p>
<p>– Lake Powell Boat tours
– Antelope Canyon (google it, you will be amazed)</p>
<p>Not much else, but its enough. </p>
<p>No hidden gems in the AZ desert</p>
<p>Albuquerque -</p>
<p>Balloon Festival
Take a Balloon ride over the Rio Grande
Drive Route 66
Head south and go to White Sands (bring plastic sled to sled down the sands)</p>
<p>Not so hidden gem - Sadies</p>
<p>No hidden gems in AZ desert?! I can think of several
I LOVE [Chihuly:</a> The Nature of Glass Exhibit | Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ](<a href=“http://www.dbg.org/events-exhibitions/chihuly]Chihuly:”>http://www.dbg.org/events-exhibitions/chihuly)
the Desert Botanical Garden</p>
<p>A few more things for Los Angeles: The Hollywood Bowl, the city sponsored very low cost tour of Beverly Hills, (when they reopen) Bel Air Hotel for lunch on the patio (pricey, but lovely). Warner Bros. I believe, has an almost individual tour of the lot. Golf carts are used.</p>
<p>musica:</p>
<p>I was trying to think of fabulous restaurants in the Page, AZ area and coming up blank. Although the one at Lake Powell Resort is not bad.</p>
<p>There are many many hidden gems in AZ desert once you get more than 50 miles from Page.</p>