If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Having both been born and lived most of my life in the midwestern United States, my experience with other locales has naturally been while on vacation. As you can imagine, being on vacation in a beautiful place doesn’t mean you know what that place would be like day in and day out if you lived there.

My thought here is that I’d recall some of my favorite vacation spots, along with bucket list locations, and then present my final choice at the end of today’s post. Be sure to share your favorite place you’d choose to live in the comments too!

WASHINGTON, DC

As a tourist, I very much enjoyed visiting our capital. The mall, the museums, the restaurants and the government institutions.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

We visited Disney World (of course) and Daytona Beach and enjoyed carving our initials into the wall of a restaurant in Orlanda called “Daryl’s”, which I don’t believe exists today.

SORRENTO, ITALY

Our villa overlooked the Bay of Naples, with a prime view of Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii and the Isle of Capri nearby. It was a spectacular to visit and the views were simply breathtaking.

KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA

I recall driving into Keystone and seeing Mt. Rushmore off in the distance. I remember the driveway into the hotel’s parking lot seemed nearly vertical and the room was just okay. We dined at a place on the main street that was blood red everywhere (almost like Molly Brown’s Denver mansion in the film “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”).

PARIS, FRANCE

My memories take me back to leaving the subway up the street and turning around just as the Eiffel Tower was flickering with lights from the ground to the top. It was an amazing first look at the city of lights. I also recall our super tiny hotel room. If you climbed over the bed and stretched your neck out to the left as far as you could, you could see the Eiffel Tower off in the distance.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

My family and I were staying at the Sheraton in downtown Boston when the Twin Towers in New York City were hit with airplanes during the 9/11 attacks – planes that came from the airport we’d been at just the day before. I remember being frisked to return to our hotel. I remember panic in the streets and then dead silence in the streets. I remember bomb squad trucks and snipers on the roofs of tall buildings. I remember driving to Maine as the stress and anxiety melted away. I remember the huge American flags lashed to groups of evergreen trees along the interstate. I remember the feeling of our all of us just being Americans with no political divide…for a few days.

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ESTES PARK, COLORADO

Estes Park was so much fun to visit. Hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park and staying at the Stanley Hotel just made our visit an exceptional experience. The oxygen deprivation took a bit to get used to, but eventually I wasn’t gasping! The pizza joint downtown is great as well.

LONDON, ENGLAND

Truly amazing city. The museums, the historical landmarks, the Crown Jewels. “Hey, look kids! Big Ben, Parliament!” We had a blast in London and would go back in a heartbeat.

DES MOINES, IOWA

There’s no place like home. Many people consider it flyover country, but there’s much to be said of Iowa. The festivals, the food, the history and the people are more than you’d expect. So much so, that my novel “Relentless” takes place in part in Des Moines.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

What person doesn’t love the excitement of the Windy City? Michigan Avenue, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Field Museum, The Shedd Aquarium? Not to mention (again) – the food!

CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE

A number of years ago, I was assigned a new client in Maine for work (I work in employee benefits), and when the implementation was live, I also travelled to the area to attend benefit fairs held by the client to introduce the new benefits to their employees. My rental car went to a number of locations throughout Maine in the span of a few days that fall, and the scenery was simply magical. Driving past lakes with trees in full color as leaves shuffled behind in my vehicle’s wake. Later, my family returned and spent some time in Ogunquit as well, with Marginal Way being one of my favorite hikes in my lifetime.

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If I could live anywhere in the world? I’d prefer the reasonable (if you can call it that) cost of living in the Midwest…I’m happy living right where I am. It’s safe, it’s clean, it’s fun, it’s family oriented, it’s got a ton of options.

Some places (London, Paris, Orlando) are amazing destinations, but I don’t get excited for the hustle and bustle that come with living in those cities. I much prefer to be able to get to anywhere in my hometown within minutes as opposed to hours. With airlines, I can be in Las Vegas within a few hours. What more can I ask?

The winner in my book?

DES MOINES, IOWA!

Be sure to leave a comment about my choice and also let me know where your road would lead if it could be anywhere. Have a great weekend!