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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Open Thread: Where in the World?

Friday Open Thread: Where in the World?

by | 215 Comments

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Anyone watching the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies? It’s a spectacle. Lady Gaga must’ve designed the country delegation guide lady uniforms.

I’m not sure why everyone was hating on the US team’s uniforms. I think they’re charming.

As always happens when I see the Opening Ceremonies, there’s a country or two I’ve never heard of, which makes me feel like Sarah Palin.

I haven’t traveled as much as I’d like, though I’ve gone farther than most girls from my particular manatee-infested Confederate backwater.

In addition to extensive travel within the US, here’s where I’ve been: Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Where in the world have you been? Where do you want to go?

Reader Interactions

215Comments

  1. 1.

    PsiFighter37

    There’s a great clip of the Russian Police Choir singing ‘Get Lucky’. Maybe the best thing to happen at an Olympic ceremony in recent memory.

  3. 3.

    PsiFighter37

    And I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, a few countries in the Caribbean (thanks to a cruise I took nearly 20 years ago), Brazil, the UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, China, and Japan.

    ETA: is Bermuda its own country? If so, been there too.

  5. 5.

    Ken

    there’s a country or two I’ve never heard of, which makes me feel like Sarah Palin.

    Be more specific. Proud that, as an American, you don’t have to know about all those little countries? Angry when someone questions whether you should know about them, if you aspire to national office? Ultimately not caring because the money will keep coming in no matter what you say or do?

  7. 7.

    Roger Moore

    I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, Germany (West and East, back when there were such things), France, and Singapore. My most interesting travel experience was trying to meet an East German guide at “the Friedrichstrasse Crossing”. They meant the Friedrichstrasse U-bahn station, but we assumed they meant Checkpoint Charlie, so we wound up spending several hours on the street in East Berlin with no competent German speakers trying to figure out what to do next.

  9. 9.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I’ve been a lot of places…New York, London, Paris, Rome, but I missed a lot of places. Barcelona. Berlin. Moscow.

    Also no trips to South America or Africa.

    No desire to go to Baghdad. Too much dust from explosions.

  10. 10.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Roger Moore:

    True story, the guy who came up with the desgination “Checkpoint Charlie” was my Professor of Military Science my Freshman Year.

    There were also Checkpoints Alpha, Bravo, and Delta, but Charlie became the famous one.

  11. 11.

    John Cole

    Germany (both East and West back in the day), Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austria, Greece, France, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, every state east of the Mississippi, Canada, Puerto Rico, North and South Dakota,and Texas.

    Where would I like to go? Australia and New Zealand. Where do I want to spend every year for the rest of my life? West fucking Virginia, the greatest state that everyone loves to hate and mock, but I will take this little plot of the earth over anywhere else. I encourage the mocking, because that means you fucking people will stay the fuck away.

  13. 13.

    lahke

    To a bunch of places, first as an Army brat, and latterly chasing eclipses (up to 8 solar totals now). Most exotic–Mongolia. Up next, Spain, I hope. No eclipse, just want to go there. Next decent eclipse will be in 2017 through the US–my plan is to go to the Kentucky-Tennessee border, since the weather history seems to have the best open sky there.

  14. 14.

    EriktheRed

    Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, England and what was once East Germany, right before reunification.

  17. 17.

    gbear

    Where do you want to go?

    Anywhere but the office. I’m desparate and aiming low right now.

    OT: I’m looking for the name of the BJ commenter who has the blog about cats. I need to go visit the site to get some advice about cat food.

  18. 18.

    Suffern ACE

    Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands, austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Iceland, Mexico, Canada.

    I would like to go to Greece, China, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

  24. 24.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @mdblanche:

    A number of “Olympic Countries” are actually subdivisions of other countries. Bermuda is a good example, as is Puerto Rico.

  28. 28.

    Mnemosyne

    I am embarrassed to admit that the only foreign country I’ve been to is Mexico. I have even been thwarted in all of my various plans to get to Canada.

    On the other hand, I have visited (or at least driven through) at least 20 of the 50 states, so I have that under my belt.

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    Betty Cracker @ Top:

    Where in the world have you been?

    US: NY, PA, NJ, CT, MA, ME, NH, VT, MD, DC, VA, OH, FL, WA & OR w/ layovers in CO and PR

    Outside US: Germany, Austria & Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin (Can I count that as France and the Netherlands?)

  33. 33.

    JGabriel

    Baud:

    I’ve been to the most foreign country of all — Hawaii!

    The evil foreign socialist paradise our president comes from? You TERRORIST!

  34. 34.

    Garbo

    Yeah, when we host the Olympics, we put a big emphasis on slavery in our opening ceremonies, don’t we Matt Lauer, you douchenozzle.

  35. 35.

    elaine benis

    Been to: Canada, England, Amsterdam, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Bosnia, Cayman Islands, US and British Virgin Islands, Bahamas. Traveled extensively/winter in Mexico.

    Want to: Turkey, Spain, New Zealand. African photo safari.

  36. 36.

    J R in WV

    We went to the Turks and Caicos after Mrs J R recovered from her long hospital stay, we went to a native owned little hotel on an island with almost no infrastructure – they called me back after we made the reservation to be sure I was aware that there wasn’t a casino on the island!

    Back in 1991 we were both off work and went on a sailboat cruise in the Virgin Islands with my Dad, just the 3 of us, and 3 crew members from France.

    Last fall we went to Spain and France to visit the caves with prehistoric paintings, a great tour put together by the American Institute of Archaeology. There were 12 of us, an archaeologist and a tour manager. We went to Paris for 2 nights after the tour closed up. Medieval towns, old Gothic churches, fantastic sights, digs where they’re discovering the genetic heritage of humanity.

    We met the guy who discovered Lucy in Africa!

    In the US, we’ve not been to the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa (although Mrs J R went there once), Nebraska, and Montana. And Alaska. We’ve got all the other states. Right now we’re in Tucson Arizona for the annual Gem and Mineral show, the biggest show of its kind in the world, although Munich in the fall comes close.

  38. 38.

    MomSense

    The sad thing is that I have been to many countries and could actually speak the languages. I like to think that I would remember them if I had the opportunity to use them again. Now I watch foreign language movies and try not to look at the subtitles.

  39. 39.

    mdblanche

    @Villago Delenda Est: And apparently some real countries don’t get to be “Olympic Countries.” Why didn’t India get to march under its own flag? Corruption? What did they do that was any different from everybody else in the Olympic movement?

  44. 44.

    Scamp Dog

    The places I want to get to are Iceland and Petra in Jordan (I’m sure Jordan has many other worthy destinations, but Petra is drop-dead gorgeous and mind-boggling).

    I spent a month in the Czech republic (still a part of Czechoslovakia then), and a year in Taipei, Taiwan, studying Mandarin. Also touristy trips to Germany, Austria, Britain, Ireland, and Bulgaria.

  46. 46.

    phein39

    I’ve been to:

    As a member of the Army: Alaska, Panama, Japan, Canada. Not to mention Ft. Leonard Wood, Missourah and Ft. Benning, Georgia.

    As an anthropologist, I’ve been to la frontera Tejas, Mexico, y Guatemala.

    As a professional environmental auditor, I’ve been to: Germany (both pre- and post-unification), the UK, the Netherlands, Turkey, Italy, Alaska, Hawaii, and all 48 states in CONUS except for Vermont for some reason.

    As a son-in-law, I’ve been coerced into spending a lot of time Minnesota and Wisconsin, but I’ve maintained a strict no-lutefisk policy after the original exposure.

    We’ve vacationed in Spain (Barcelona and Mallorca), and I’d do that again in a heartbeat.

    In my dreams, I’m retiring to the Big Island in 2022, with summers in the Midwest and trips to Amsterdam and the rivers of France. We’ll visit the children wherever they are, and I’ll be sipping slivovitz during a late summer afternoon in Ljubljana in July, eating oranges and discussing mushrooms and mycobacteria with distant cousins.

  47. 47.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @mdblanche:

    The IOC is not happy with some of the Indian Olympic Committee’s members who have been accused of corruption, it seems. You’re supposed to be a bit less obvious and not make the IOC look bad.

  48. 48.

    jl

    Let’s see here. I been to all the Californias. Canada. The Baltic Countries. Scandinavia except for Iceland. Germany, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, Taiwan, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Texas.

    Also, extensive travel within the United States.

    England if you count a day layover and a tube trip to some places around Heathrow.

    I have also been to Paradise (which is in the middle or paradise), thank you very much.

    Edit: Uh oh, is this a BC post? Oh well, those states seemed like foreign countries.

  52. 52.

    Wag

    We went to Finland and Estonia last summer. Had a fantastic time in both countries. Highly recommended.

  53. 53.

    RobertDSC-PowerMac G4 Dual 1.25

    Only inside the state of California, the state of my birth. San Francisco to the north, Pine Flat Dam to the east, San Diego to the south, and Thousand Oaks to the west.

    I wish one day to see all 50 states in the US, even the traitor states of the old Confederacy. I have no real desire to go outside that, save some parts of Canada.

  54. 54.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @mdblanche: Officially, something to do with government interference with the election process for the Indian Olympic Association. Unofficially, it seems to be a shot at the IOA members involved in the corruption on display in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

  55. 55.

    MomSense

    @Scamp Dog:

    Go to Iceland!! So beautiful. Petra is on my dream list as well. Not sure why but I’ve always on wanted to go to Morocco and get lost in Fez-el Bali.

  57. 57.

    Betty Cracker

    @JGabriel: Ooooh states! I’ve been to a lot of those:

    FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, WV, PA, DE, MD, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT, NH, ME, RI, IL, IN, OH, KY, TN, AK, AL, MS, LA, MO, OK, TX, KS, NM, NV, AZ, CO, UT, CA.

    I think that’s all.

  58. 58.

    Villago Delenda Est

    OK, full roster of countries I’ve visited or lived in:

    I’ve been to all the US states save North Dakota.

    Visited Canada, El Salvador, Panama. Was stationed for six months in Honduras.

    Stationed three years in (then) West Germany, in Rheinland-Pfalz (Bad Kreuznach) and Hessen (Wiesbaden). Visited England, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy.

    Stationed a year in Korea. Visited Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand on the way back to the US.

    Would like to see Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Moscow, St Petersburg, reunified Berlin, Beijing, India, Istanbul.

  59. 59.

    mdblanche

    @Villago Delenda Est: Spending $51 billion on toilets that don’t even have dividers between them isn’t too obvious? Did the Indian members scream “look at how much I stole and the IOC’s in on it too” from the rooftops?

  61. 61.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    US: CA(of course), OR, WA, AK, HI, NV, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, FL, UT, ID, MT, WY, SD, IA, MO, IL, OK, NC(layover), VA, DC, MD, PA, DE, NJ, NY, CT, MA, NH. eta: RI

    Outside US: Canada, Mexico, UK, Belgium, Germany(West), Austria, France, French Polynesia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea(not really, but really close)

  63. 63.

    Jack Canuck

    Grew up in both the US and Canada, lived as an adult in Canada, Ireland (only one year), and now Australia (8 years and counting). I’ve been in most US states except the ones south of North Carolina and east of Texas, most provinces in Canada, and everywhere except Queensland and the Northern Territory in Oz. I’ve travelled to France, Germany, the UK, Thailand, South Korea, and (very briefly) Fiji.

    I’d love to go to Antarctica, Iceland, Russia (especially the Trans-Siberian Railway), Mongolia, New Zealand. My wife desperately wants to get to Cambodia, and I’d be up for that as well. Other than that, I’d be willing to go almost anywhere if the opportunity presented itself.

  65. 65.

    gbear

    @Elizabelle: @efgoldman:

    Thanks!

    Back OT: I have friends and some family in San Francisco and had been trying to visit them every February (SF feels like a tropical compared to MN in Feb.), but over the last 4 years I’ve had some health issues that eat up all of my vacation time. Haven’t been able to take any vacations in that time. This situation sucks.

  67. 67.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    I have also been to Paradise (which is in the middle or paradise), thank you very much.

    Driven up Mount Rainier?

  69. 69.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @mdblanche: India passed some laws to deal with the corruption that the IOC decided was interfering with the IOA’s election process, giving them an excuse to say “You’re breaking our rules!”

  70. 70.

    Origuy

    @JGabriel:

    Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin (Can I count that as France and the Netherlands?)

    I do, although I’ve actually been to the Netherlands. I went to Moscow last year. Western Canada 4 times. Spain, Sweden, Denmark, England (and Scotland.) Briefly in the Paris airport and in Hamburg changing trains. Walked across the border into Mexico, but didn’t stay long.
    About half the US states.

  73. 73.

    MomSense

    @lamh36:

    I took class with him many years ago. He was incredible but I was heartbroken because my life long dream of dancing with him was shattered when I discovered I was too tall.

  74. 74.

    Garbo

    @Scamp Dog:
    @MomSense

    GO to Jordan. Just went in November. Petra is more than you can imagine. You’ll need two days and be ready to walk, climb, clamber all over the place. Also, don’t miss the desert of Wadi Rum and floating in the Dead Sea. They are VERY tourist friendly and it’s cheap.

  81. 81.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    I have actually stood on North Korean soil…well, sort of. On the DMZ tour that are offered to US forces and family members in Korea, you go inside the building they hold the talks in, and half of the building is in North Korea, so you can walk around inside the building and cross the border.

    On edit: Ah, you’ve been to the JSA too. Aha!

  86. 86.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Villago Delenda Est: That building was in use for a conference the day I went(the North Koreans didn’t show as usual). So I was about 10 yards from the border at one of the watch towers.

  87. 87.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @raven:

    Yeah, if you were in the forces, you wore your class As on the tour, but civilians (DoD types and family members) were welcome as well, Just, you know, behave yourselves. No hackysacks or frisbees.

  88. 88.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @raven: Modern roads and everything until you got to Camp Boniface(one of the guys killed in the tree incident), after that paved roads but really small and not all that well maintained(in the DMZ).

  91. 91.

    Ruckus

    Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Greece, New Zealand, St. Thomas, St Croix, UK, Netherlands. States, NY, NJ, NH, VT, FL, SC, NC, GA, OH, PA, RI, VA, WV, KY, TN, AL, MS, MO, IL, IN, WI, MN, WY, ID, WA, OR, AZ, NM, TX, OK, LA, NV, AK, KS, NE, UT, CO, DE, DC, NJ, CT, MI, MA, HI and CA. Not in that order

  94. 94.

    Stacy

    We lived in Prague for two years. Made it to Spain, Italy, nethlands, UK, Hungary, Slovakia(drove thru on the way to Budapest)), Poland, Germany, France. Wish we made it to many more.

  95. 95.

    jl

    I forgot Russia. I been to Russia. Not sure how I forgot about that. Maybe I am not too interested in the Olympics, or maybe that was around same time I was in the Baltic countries and they were more fun, especially Lithuania and Estonia.

    I remember whenever I went to the Baltic Sea, I was kind of dumbfounded. Where are the waves? What is this, a lake? Being used to the calm and serene Pacific Coast. But, then it was summer when I visited, and maybe its different in the winter.

  96. 96.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @mdblanche: No, more like the blatant stealing happened four years ago, and the IOC really wants those involved to not be involved in the IOA. It’s a little late to be punishing Russia for the Sochi mess, and it’s very easy to speculate on why there won’t be any punishment.

  98. 98.

    cbear

    Well, sheeit, this Florida boy (Daytona Beach) grew up as an Army brat and then continued traveling all my life.

    I’ve lived in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas (twice), Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, California (Newport Beach, LA, Monterey), Oregon, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., New York, and I’ve spent at least a week or two in 44 out of the 50 states.

    Overseas, I’ve either lived or spent a lot of time in Japan, Okinawa, Thailand, Germany, Holland, Bermuda, St Thomas, St Maarten, the Bahamas, St John, St Kitts, Anguilla, Saba, St Barths, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Holland, Switzerland, France and probably a couple of others I can’t remember just now.

    My favorite place in the U.S. is Northern California/Oregon.
    Overseas, it’s Thailand, and in the Caribbean I love St Maarten.
    I really want to see Australia and New Zealand,

  100. 100.

    jl

    @cbear:

    ” My favorite place in the U.S. is Northern California/Oregon. ”

    Paradise is there.

    Edit: Google says there are towns named Paradise in CA, KS and MI. Damn, I guess NorCal is not that special.

    Edit2: and re the pic in the post, why no horseshoes in the Olympics?

  101. 101.

    John Weiss

    Mexico, Canada, France, Belgum, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, England, Ireland and all over the US. The wanderlust has left me – yet another thing! – and the wife and I are pretty well content here in the middle of a fir forest, here in Paradise (far SW Oregon).

  103. 103.

    Tokyokie

    I’ve been to the U.K., Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong (while it was still a colony), the Philippines and Mexico and lived in Switzerland, Norway and Japan. I’ve also visited all the states except the Dakotas and Maine. And the place I most want to visit is Dubrovnik, Croatia.

  104. 104.

    Mike in NC

    We are booked for a Baltic cruise in May. Leaving the UK to see Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, St Petersburg Russia and other assorted sites.

  105. 105.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Heck, California has two different Glendales — one in LA County and one in Humboldt County.

    I confused the heck out of someone in Santa Clara by telling her I was from Glendale when she was thinking of the NorCal one.

    ETA: Also Eureka and Yreka.

  106. 106.

    lamh36

    No mention of this, but Lauer did make it a point to say that one of the torch bearer was allegedly Putin’s “side piece” (as the kids say)

    Russian who tweeted racist Obama pic lights Olympic torch http://tinyurl.com/l35pozc

    Russia chose a lawmaker and former figure skater who tweeted a racially charged photo of President Obama to light the Olympic cauldron on Friday.

    Irina Rodnina made international headlines last September when she sent out a doctored photo of Obama and first lady Michelle Obama appearing to stare at a banana. The photo outraged the Obama administration and prompted U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul to denounce Rodnina’s “outrageous behavior, which only brings shame to her parliament and country.”

    Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/europe/197795-russian-who-tweeted-racist-obama-pic-lights-olympic-torch#ixzz2shUItayO
    Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

  108. 108.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @jl:

    There’s a Paradise, Oregon, located in the Wallowa County, Oregon, and once had a post office.

    Paradise, Washington, is located on the slopes of Mount Rainier, aka Mount Tacoma/Tahoma, aka “The Mountain”.

  111. 111.

    JGabriel

    Scamp Dog:

    The places I want to get to are Iceland and Petra in Jordan …

    Me too. Also: Ireland, Wales, Portugal, France. Italy, Greece, the Marquesas, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Tristan da Cunha … actually I should probably put Tristan into the next category …

    Places I’d like to visit someday but almost certainly never will due to safety concerns or difficulty of access: Tristan da Cunha, the Himalayas, Antarctica, India, China, Samarkand (Uzbekistan), lots of places in Russia or the old Soviet Union (Georgia, Chechnya, Kuril Islands, Svanetia, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Sakhalin Island, Yakutsk, Lake Baikal, the Baltic States, et.al). Indonesia, Xinjiang region of China, and so on.

  112. 112.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne:

    ” Eureka and Yreka ”

    People around my part of California say Yoo-reka and Why-reka, respectively.

    You in SoCal? They don’t speak that kind of lingo down there?

  113. 113.

    MattR

    @jl:

    Google says there are towns named Paradise in CA, KS and MI. Damn, I guess NorCal is not that special.

    I haven’t been to Paradise in Michigan, but I have been to Hell.

  116. 116.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    No, but we do say “Los Fee-liz” and “San Pee-dro.” If you pronounce them “correctly,” you’re from out of town.

  118. 118.

    John O

    Everybody’s hating on the USA unis because they look like bad NASCAR’s. As in, the actual car.

    Give ’em all a bunch of red, white and blue wear, dresses, skirts, pants, jackets, socks, ties, bows, bling, shoes, you name it, and let everyone dress themselves with that. THAT’s America.

  119. 119.

    ? Martin

    I’ve not been to many other countries – UK, Canada, Mexico. Been to every state but HI and AK, though.

    My dad’s burned through a few passports, though. He’s heading of to Australia/New Zealand and assorted pacific islands soon. Last year was in western africa and southeast asia. Year before that southern europe. He got around the atlantic a fair bit on the submarine. He’s been to Russia – sorta. They were the USSR then, and they were in territorial waters, so it counts. Glad he eat a torpedo there.

    My grandmother travelled even more. She was a nurse on Semester at Sea for several years, so she covered over 100 countries. She took her kids all over the world when they were young. As a retired Army officer (nurse, WWII) she could fly for free anywhere on standby on military transports, so she’d pack up the kids, take them to the air base, and go wherever the military was going. Most kids don’t travel with a parachute on their back and sucking down MREs over the Pacific. They all became avid travelers after that. My grandmother once went to Peru for 2 weeks armed with only her purse – and not a particularly large purse either.

    India was her favorite country. She loved everything about the place.

  120. 120.

    Ruckus

    @jl:
    I’m from socal and I pronounce them your way. Learned from my dad who always exaggerated pronunciation of places. LoooSanholeees. That’s LA in case you didn’t get it.

  121. 121.

    cbear

    @raven:

    Phillipsburg and Marigot!

    Haven’t heard those mentioned for a while–I lived on St Maarten for 5 years until Hurricane Luis came along and wiped me out.
    If you traveled from Phillipsburg to Marigot then you passed by Dawn Beach (next to the border and Oyster Pond) where I lived and had my businesses.
    I miss the place.

  123. 123.

    jl

    @Ruckus: I long time ago I heard some tourists say

    “I thought Yo-so-might National Park was close by, but we have to go through this San Joe-keen Valley to get there? Where’s San Joe-keen?”

  125. 125.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh36: Kee-rist, what an asshole.

    Bob Costas interviewed the president earlier in the program. The mister and I were laughing at Obama’s polite but subtly snarky take on Putin.

  127. 127.

    Karen in GA

    Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Netherlands, and two of the best weeks of my life riding a motorcycle in Norway. (And five hours in France and three hours in Denmark, if layovers count.)

    I haven’t travelled nearly as much as I’d like. Commenter needz moar munnee.

  128. 128.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne:

    ” we do say “Los Fee-liz” and “San Pee-dro.” If you pronounce them “correctly,” you’re from out of town. ”

    Yes, that is weird. I guess some linguist has made a study of which place names Californians try to say correctly, and which they don’t.

    I haven’t thought about Los Feel-iz in a long time. Brings back memories. Where is she now, I wonder?

    Edit: never mind. I remember now. Married with children, condo in Canoga Park

  129. 129.

    RobertDSC-PowerMac G5 Dual

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    I know. I just was thinking of heading due west on 101. I used to work in Westlake Village and crossed the county border to get lunch off Westlake Blvd.

    Now that I remember those days, the furthest west I went was on the 23, so Moorpark. But I agree, SF is the farthest west I’ve gone.

  132. 132.

    Ruckus

    @jl:
    Sounds like some of my distant cousins from the midwest. Came out to visit in the early 60s. Had never seen the ocean. I’d already seen a few states and a couple of countries.
    For all our travels there are many who have never traveled at all. Had a fellow who worked for me, had only once traveled farther than 1 mile from his home, that was to Disneyland. Work was about 5-6 miles away. He was 22 at the time. Friend of a friend had never traveled in 60 yrs farther than 16 miles from his home in northern CA.

  133. 133.

    MikeJ

    Never been to AK, HI, SC, WI, MN, ND. I’ve been to the rest of the states., (I think I changed planes in MN once, but never left the airport.)

    England, (does Scotland count as another country or do we wait for the vote?) France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, Canada.

  134. 134.

    lamh36

    @Betty Cracker: He really did Betty.

    Lauer made it a point to say that “allegedly” this one torch bearer was “rumored to be in a “relationship” with Putin…um how was that relevant to the proceedings?

    Now as for the choice of torch lighter, Putin coulda gone with one or the other, he used 2, but it was the woman who lit the flame and yes she was a 3x Gold medalist, so she was really a good choice from Olympic stand point alone, but come on the way they glossed over the “War” parts of “War and Peace” during the historical parts of the ceremony def leads one to believe that Putin knew darn well what else the woman had done.

    But I love the idea that unlike Bush, Obama looks and Putin “brushes the dirt off his shoulders”

  135. 135.

    ruemara

    Born in Jamaica. What I’d like to recall, I don’t and what I can remember, I choose not to. Been to the Bahamas, Canada, Dominica, Sint Maarten/Saint Martin, St. Kitts & Nevis. I also have briefly touched down in that very foreign of countries, Houston Texas.
    I hope to go to Europe and visit all the museums I’ve wanted to go to since forever. I’d like to visit the family castle in Scotland and the coasts of Wales. I studied printmaking, so I’d like to visit Japan, particularly around Hokkaido and I’ve done a lot of ceramics, and would love to visit Korea, since I like their techniques. Australia looks interesting, if deadly, but I’ve wanted to relocate to New Zealand since the second season of Xena.

    If you’d like to go somewhere, don’t put it off! I did that all the time. Before the clock runs out on my job, I’m using my california rail pass and going to places I’d planned to go, when I had “free time” and “money”. Screw that, I’ve worked nonstop to get nowhere, I’m going now!

  136. 136.

    jl

    @Ruckus: I remember in college in Los Angeles, I met people who were somewhat unfamiliar with any valleys in California north of San Fernando. I was trying to explain to one girl where the Central Valley was, and she thought she had it nailed all of a sudden:

    “Oh,more north, you mean near Simi?”

    No. there are some more, further north.

  138. 138.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @lamh36:

    Lauer made it a point to say that “allegedly” this one torch bearer was “rumored to be in a “relationship” with Putin…um how was that relevant to the proceedings?

    Hey, it’s Lauer, who is sorta the Hedda Hopper of the Today Show. What a lightweight.

  139. 139.

    srv

    I haven’t traveled as much as I’d like, though I’ve gone farther than most girls from my particular manatee-infested Confederate backwater.

    Hypothetically speaking, if we let the Confederate States of America go again, what Winter Olympics sports would they beat Ghana in?

    Been everywhere I want to go except HK, Japan and maybe skiing in Chile. All my Euro friends say I should go to Iceland. I’m thinking Iceland is their Princess Cruises or somthing…

    Probably going treking in Switzerland or Austria again this year, and of course a sidetrip to Praha. ed: oh, 4 western provinces of Canada for work this year too.

    I’ve been to 46 states, and we don’t count airports like you liberals do.

  140. 140.

    RobertDSC-PowerMac G5 Dual

    No. there are some more, further north.

    LOL. Coming down off the Grapevine was always a treat. So much land to view.

    We used to go to Fresno a lot as kids as we have family up there. From there, we often went to Pine Flat Dam, still one of the best places I’ve ever been.

  141. 141.

    Cacti

    @lamh36:

    Now as for the choice of torch lighter, Putin coulda gone with one or the other, he used 2, but it was the woman who lit the flame and yes she was a 3x Gold medalist, so she was really a good choice from Olympic stand point alone, but come on the way they glossed over the “War” parts of “War and Peace” during the historical parts of the ceremony def leads one to believe that Putin knew darn well what else the woman had done.

    Obama appoints gay athletes to the White House delegation to make a point against bigotry.

    Vlad responds by…appointing a bigot to light the torch.

    Way to dispel those perceptions about Russia being a backward, knuckle-dragging, human rights cesspool, Vlad!

  142. 142.

    Tom Levenson

    @PsiFighter37: For the record — I posted that very clip here last November.

    Balloon Juice! Where the news happens before it happens!

    Been lots of places. Got the travelling bug early. Me mum was English, which led to travel over there from childhood, and my dad was a historian of China, so I made it to the far side of the rim by the time I was eight. Never got out of the habit.

  143. 143.

    darwinsjoke

    Let me see if I can actually remember all of the places. I’ve been to all of the States except for New England. Outside of the US: Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Curacao, Venezuela, Colombia, Spain, Greece, Malta, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Seychelles, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Guam, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Korea. 20 years in Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club has taken me to 6 of the 7 continents. I don’t think I’ll be hitting the 7th anytime soon though.

  144. 144.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @lamh36:

    Irina Rodnina made international headlines last September when she sent out a doctored photo of Obama and first lady Michelle Obama appearing to stare at a banana.

    She’s sucking up to the teatards.

  146. 146.

    Roger Moore

    @lamh36:
    That sounds like Putin trying to get back at Obama for snubbing the Olympics and appointing gays to the official delegation. He has a plausible excuse for appointing her to light the torch, but the message that he’s angry at Obama comes through loud and clear.

  147. 147.

    jl

    @Villago Delenda Est: Been awhile since I watched enough morning TV, but Lauer is still around? Why? I never liked him. He seems testy and unpleasant, and totally unable to deal with anything that goes the tiniest bit off script.

    Maybe overly-appropriate excessively nervous neurotics like him.

  148. 148.

    Cacti

    Most of Vlad’s posturing makes sense when viewed through lens of Russia is trying to prove it still has a big national wee-wee after losing the Cold War.

  149. 149.

    Soonergrunt

    I’ve been to: Canada (t), Mexico (t), Panama (s), Honduras (d), Unified Germany (s), Czech Republic (t), Ireland (t), France (t, d), Belgium (t), Switzerland (t), Austria (t), Denmark (d), Albania (d), Poland (t), Bosnia and Herzegovina (d), Hungary (t), Greece (t), Israel (d), Kuwait (d), Iraq (d), Afghanistan (d).
    t=tourist, s=stationed with the Army, d=deployed or detached duty with the Army
    I’d like to go to Australia, New Zealand, Tanzania and Kenya, Scotland, and Thailand.

  150. 150.

    JGabriel

    @Origuy:

    Briefly in the Paris airport …

    I think I may have done a 1-2 hour layover in the Paris airport too, on one of my trips to Vienna.

  151. 151.

    jl

    @Roger Moore:

    ” he’s angry at Obama comes through loud and clear. ”

    Both have had to go out of their way recently to say that despite appearances, they get along just fine.

    They must really hate each others guts, personally, then.

    If this is Putin’s little tit for tat, it is disappointing. Gorby and Yeltsin would have been able to do something with more flair, khrushchev would have thrown a really fun tantrum. This is Breshnev level stuff.

  152. 152.

    Yatsuno

    Been to Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Denmark if the Copenhagen airport counts. Been to every state but Mississippi and Alaska.

    Where do I want to go? EVERYWHERE! Can’t go to China or Russia because of Dad’s job (nuke engineer, he knows stuff) but I’d go if I could. Have an old college friend in New Zealand though so that’s up on the list. Plus no reason not to go to Australia while I’m at it.

  153. 153.

    srv

    Hey Betty, this gives me a thought.

    Why not have a Balloon-Juice Cruise? John would absolutely love it, as you well know. Since he won’t get on planes, it would be a great way for him to travel. We would need a speakers list. I’m sure we could get Marcotte cheap. John could keynote via skype from his cabin.

  154. 154.

    reality-based

    I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, England, France, Sweden, Israel (a lot, for work) Jordan (saw Petra – REALLY cool. ) Also, 28 states in the US.

    Where I wanna go – Spain and Vietnam.

    Or, really, anywhere the $%## out of North Dakota. Its been 20 below here for weeks straight.

  155. 155.

    MaryRC

    Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Trinidad, Jamaica, Italy, France, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, England, Wales, Greece, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Australia, Canada, Russia. I’d like to see Spain and Portugal.

  156. 156.

    lamh36

    @jl: speaking of Gorby and Yelstin, Lauer et al did notice the “glossing” over of complete ignoring of the Gorby/Yelstin “wall falling” years during the ceremony

  157. 157.

    Roger Moore

    @jl:
    Putin’s problem is that he’s a populist authoritarian, which means even the dumbest hick needs to be able to see him as the biggest swinging dick in the room. That doesn’t lend itself to subtlety.

  158. 158.

    Mart

    Job and vaca has gotten me to all of the lower 48 states, Mexico and Canada. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Barbados. England, Netherlands, France, every corner of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. My carbon footprint makes me feel as bloated as fat Al Gore, but it has been a blessing. Looks like England and Ireland this summer for work – with wife coming for week of vaca after as usual. Expect would like to try Hawaii and Alaska – would be cool to have been to all 50. Australia and or New Zealand are on the wish list. Almost had a chance for work in Australia but fizzled out at last minute. Not sure about China, I like when people speak English like me. South America can be pretty rough communicating. Europe, not so much.

  159. 159.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Been to at least 40 of the 50 states. Countries? Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Liechtenstein (great lunch there – grilled trout and a local white wine) , Italy, Romania, Poland, and Czechoslovakia (but no the Czech Republic or Slovakia). Vancouver, Amsterdam, and London are the cities that I found most liveable. Paris, of course, is Paris.

  162. 162.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    Let’s see…

    Americas
    Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PE, NS
    USA: WA, ID, MO, CA, ND, TX, IL, MI, NY, PA, DE, MD, DC, FL
    Mexico (only Tijuana)
    Guatemala

    Africa
    Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa

    Europe
    UK (England, Wales & Scotland), France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia

    Where I’d like to go – around the world with a RTW ticket. Some specific thoughts – Cook Islands, Trans Sib in Russia and through Mongolia, N Korea for the surreal nature of the trip, S & SE Asia, Bhutan, Brazil & Argentina. But really I want to be able to mark off all the world’s countries.

    As well, I’ve wanted to to visit what I think are a unique name trio – Kalamazoo (which is the closest to me), Timbuktu and Zanzibar.

  163. 163.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @FlipYrWhig: As I understand it, falling off the gangplank onto concrete is not technically falling overboard since one has not yet officially boarded the vessel, but you may want to check with the squids.

  164. 164.

    srv

    @FlipYrWhig: He could wear a life vest the entire trip. Think of the story. “Famous Blogger washes up on Easter Island 6 months after falling overboard”

  165. 165.

    James E. Powell

    Cause like I been to, y’know, Paris, Peru, y’know, I mean, uh, Iraq, Iran, Eurasia… y’know I speak very, very, um fluent Spanish … ‘Todo ‘stá bien chévere‘ …. you understand that?

  166. 166.

    ? Martin

    @Elizabelle:

    your grandmother rocked

    She did indeed. Could write a book about her.

    I’m always proud to see so many Americans represent other nations. Our bench is so deep that we can help other nations bring home medals.

  167. 167.

    Ruckus

    Many of you have mentioned New Zealand. Go. Go. Go. I did 3 weeks touring both islands on a motorcycle. It was to say the least, fantastic. Walked across a rain forest in about an hour to stand and look at a glacier that I have been to both the base of and the top of in the same day. Don’t know if you can do that anywhere else in the world.

  168. 168.

    Ruckus

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Sounds about right to me. If you aren’t standing on the floating part you aren’t on the boat. Unless it’s in drydock but that’s another story.

  169. 169.

    James E. Powell

    The greatest travel experience of my life was the month I spent in the CCCP – you don’t know how luck you are – in the summer of ’91, just before the whole thing came apart. The bonus was that I came back to the states through Yugoslavia right after the first of those civil wars was getting started.

    Lady Gaga must’ve designed the country delegation guide lady uniforms.

    That’s Snegurochka – Снегурочка – a familiar figure to Russians.

  170. 170.

    Skerry

    47 states, Puerto Rico, England, Scotland, France, (west, at the time) Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, St Lucia.

    Want to see Ireland, Spain and Greece, St Petersburg. Some day.

  171. 171.

    burnspbesq

    Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, India, Hong Kong, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea.

    Try to take in a sporting event whenever possible while traveling. Watched football at Old Trafford (Manchester United), Parc des Princes (Paris St.- Germain), Letzigrund (FC Zurich) and St. Jakob’s Park (FC Basel). Been to all the tennis Grand Slam venues except Wimbledon (Roland Garros was for Davis Cup, not the French Open).

  172. 172.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    @Cacti: 140/197 – would have scored higher but ran out of time – spelling issues blocked a couple for me. Plus the answers covered over countries I hadn’t answered so I forgot they were there…still not a bad test

  173. 173.

    seaboogie

    @John Cole: As the tourism minister (that’s a Canadian thing) for West-by-God-Virginia, you are without equal. Pretty sure that your state’s stalwart, yet tattered coat of arms proudly boasts “Meth, Moonshine and Mining”. Here in NorCal – where FSM really loves us, we finally have the steady drumbeat of a soaking rain that slakes our thirst while we practice yoga with our dogs, and everybody’s chilllin’ with accupuncture needles sprouting from our hides like porcupines.

  175. 175.

    burnspbesq

    Been to all but six US states. Missing South Carolina, Arkansas, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.

  176. 176.

    burnspbesq

    All of my time in Ireland has been spent in conference rooms and clients’ factories in Dublin and Galway. Need to go back and head up to Donegal, from whence the ancestors migrated in the winter of 1847-48.

  179. 179.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Villago Delenda Est: Let me Snopes that for you:

    http://www.snopes.com/quotes/twain.asp

    They say “It’s a great line. It’s a wonderfully crafted quote. And it’s a damn shame that Twain never said it.”

    The closest anyone can find is a somewhat similar exchange he had about Paris. Now that I can believe.

    San Francisco itself is a tiny place, a city of less than a million, stuck out in the water. Tourists come here and say oh my it’s cold and we think “Good. Think that” So they won’t want to move here. The secret is that a few miles in almost any direction (other than due west) and it’s incredibly warm summer weather, 90s, 100s are not rare. And dry as a bone, so it’s the good kind of 90s. But — shhh.

    @John Cole:

    I encourage the mocking, because that means you fucking people will stay the fuck away

    Just saw this after I wrote mine. Cranky minds think alike.

  181. 181.

    Suzanne

    It looks like they are running the Olympic flame across the parking lot.

    Putin’s girlfriend is a cutie. He’s into her because she’s so flexible.

  182. 182.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @jl:

    “Oh,more north, you mean near Simi?”

    In high school we went to the state speech tournament in Fresno. It looked very similar to Simi.

  185. 185.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @burnspbesq:

    Missing South Carolina, Arkansas, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.

    Not really missing much with Arkansas. I can say this because my father’s family is from there, I’ve visited there many times, my sister was born there (and I lived there for a couple of my very early years), and still have relatives there.

  186. 186.

    Mnemosyne

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    A lot of the Pacific Rim looks very similar. A coworker of mine who grew up in Orange County was very disappointed in Australia because it looked just like … Orange County. (She liked New Zealand more.)

    And people I know who’ve gone to South Korea say that the Malibu location where they shot “M*A*S*H” is pretty much a dead ringer for the real thing.

  188. 188.

    Cacti

    @Thor Heyerdahl:

    140/197 – would have scored higher but ran out of time – spelling issues blocked a couple for me. Plus the answers covered over countries I hadn’t answered so I forgot they were there…still not a bad test

    Yeah, they could stand to make the map a little bigger.

    I got 173. Africa was my most difficult continent.

  189. 189.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Mnemosyne:

    And people I know who’ve gone to South Korea say that the Malibu location where they shot “M*A*S*H” is pretty much a dead ringer for the real thing.

    It’s AMAZING how well that substitute scenery resembles the real thing.

  190. 190.

    Steeplejack

    Lived in England (London) and Japan. Have traveled to Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Taiwan and Hong Kong (when it was a British crown colony). Have been to every U.S. state except Idaho, Utah, Wisconsin, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

  191. 191.

    burnspbesq

    @SatanicPanic:

    You ever notice Hollywood gets that wrong sometimes? You’d think they’d know. It’s kind of jarring, hearing people refer to San PAYdro in a movie about LA.

    When I started to understand the geography, about halfway through first year of law school, it cracked me up to watch old episodes of “Dragnet” and “Adam-12” and see all the times those cops were given successive calls to go to places 40 miles apart.

  192. 192.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mnemosyne: I hiked to the *M*A*S*H* set when it was still active when I was a teen with my dad. Traveling in the countryside outside Seoul, it really does look similar.

  195. 195.

    burnspbesq

    @NotMax:

    Cheesburger in Paradise in Lahaina actually makes a pretty good burger. And yes, they have kosher pickles and draft beer.

  196. 196.

    ? Martin

    @jenn:

    Seriously, one of your grandmother’s descendants needs to write a book about her! She sounds absolutely amazing.

    I’ve thought about it.

    She grew up in a very Catholic family, and her parents greatly favored her older sister. She had a very difficult childhood and rebelled by going off and getting an education, becoming a nurse. Her parents kicked her out – she was too independent. She volunteered when the war broke out and went to officer training in Florida, where, because she was pretty, was chosen by the Army to accompany Clark Gable to events that the press would cover. There are several stories involving Gable that she conveniently failed to tell us the end of. Quite a few photos of her with him as well.

    She was assigned to a medical ship which came under fire as she was helping evacuate some troops, and she suffered a pretty bad leg injury that ended her military service. She didn’t walk for nearly a year, but at least her parents took her back. She met a doctor during the war and married him. The doctor was Jewish, the family threatened to disown her if she didn’t have the marriage annulled, as did his family, so that’s what they did, later discovering she was pregnant. Since that couldn’t stand as an unwed woman, she gave her daughter up for adoption – to her sister who was unable to have kids. She married her sisters husband’s brother as soon as he returned form the war (they grew up across the street from each other and knew each other as kids) and his family accepted her in. Though her daughter was being raised by her sister, she wasn’t allowed to visit while they were at the parent’s house. My grandfather suffered from terrible PTSD, so soon after getting pregnant, she had him committed after he tried to kill her. He’d be released periodically (the military didn’t recognize PTSD and the doctors falsified a diagnosis of schizophrenia so they could at least treat him) and come home, she’d get pregnant, he’d try to kill the family again, get recommitted, and repeat. His family blamed her for not being able to care for him (being a nurse) and disowned her as well, so she effectively had no family. They’d take the kids, but she wasn’t welcome and would drop them off and pick them up at the curb. So she raised 5 kids by herself working evening nursing shifts so the neighbors could keep an eye on the kids – my dad was the oldest, so he was raising his siblings as well. When he was 5 she taught him how to stand on a stool at the stove and heat up the bottles for the baby. My grandmothers alcoholism (disowned from two families, mentally ill husband, I’d probably drink as well) was a contributing factor to my dads caretaker responsibilities. But she’d take them on those military vacations when they were really young. I think travel was what gave her hope.

    Around the time I was born she moved here to CA and brought the 4 remaining kids (my dad was in the Navy by then). The reason was because my aunt married a black man, got pregnant, and the family disowned the lot of us. Can’t have any black kids polluting the gene pool or some shit. The marriage didn’t work out, the husband not interested in being a dad, and my aunt gave up the baby for adoption. So, she moved the family across country. My grandfather back home died a few years later. Her first job was for my current employer, 45 years ago. She then went on to the semester at sea until she retired. She did that for 15 years I think. Along the way she got sober and became a reliable AA sponsor. She invited all of the exchanges students to her house for holidays, since they had nowhere to go. So there were always a dozen or more foreign students at her house when I’d visit for Christmas or Thanksgiving or whatever. Many of them invited her to visit them after they returned home, which she often did, and she extended open invitations to them to visit her and years later many would return with spouse and kids and stay with her. I was just one part of a very large extended family.

    It was only a few years ago that I learned about my cousin after aunt tracked her down and reunited with her. She’s my age, and coincidentally went to high school with one of my wife’s ex-boyfriends that we’re still friends with, and through him we actually got to know a lot more about her.

    The stories are routinely small-world unbelievable in coincidences like that. My dad has a bunch of photos from her trip to Peru. A few years ago he’s looking at them with his new girlfriend, who commented that her mom once went to Peru as well. As they’re flipping through the photos, there’s her mom. Turns out the two of them met on the trip, were roommates, and later penpals. My grandmother lived in CA. The other woman in Washington. My dad and his new girlfriend were both in Oregon and managed to meet. How? Who the fuck knows.

    That’s the short version. There’s hundreds of stories along the way. Definitely enough for a book.

  197. 197.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Suzanne: In a completely sexist way, I see his point. From what I have read on BJ about her, she is an evil racist little bitch. So on that I can see her appeal to Putin.

  198. 198.

    Ruckus

    Talk about food in far away places that amaze. Best Chinese food ever was a small family style restaurant, in Rota, Spain. Grew their own veg and raised poultry out back.

  199. 199.

    NotMax

    @Ruckus

    Worst Chinese food I ever encountered was in Aberdeen, Scotland.

    It certainly wasn’t Chinese. And still not sure it even qualified as food.

  200. 200.

    Fort Geek

    I’ve never been out of the US. Until last year, I’d never been out of the South: Florida (farthest south: Key West), Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana (farthest west: New Orleans), Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky (farthest north: Louisville), and both Carolinas (farthest east). Last year I added Texas (Houston, airport) and California (San Francisco) and flew over the entire southern half of the country–so now I’ve been within 30,000 feet of those states.

    I really want to see Japan. New York City. Chicago. Berlin. Paris. Big places like those, and little places where the real/regular folks live, away from the tourists.

  202. 202.

    Ruckus

    @? Martin:
    That is a grand human interest story. So many trials and tribulations. Many families have one, two or a few stories like these, you have a lot of them. You should write them up before they get lost. I know very little about my parents/grandparents backgrounds, not nothing but very little. I’d like to know more but there is no one left to ask or listen to.

  203. 203.

    Ruckus

    @NotMax:
    You want to talk about worst food? I’ve got way too many of those stories. Mostly they revolve around the navy but there are “restaurants” that don’t have to take a back seat to anyone/anyplace in the worst food category. Probably the best named was Master Chief Johnson’s diesel fried chicken. Had that at San Diego naval station. Deep fried in 55 gallon drums of #2. At least it tasted and looked that way.

  204. 204.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Ruckus: I am on the other side of that. My grandfather started to do genealogy research a few years before he died. My dad and the eldest inherited the project. He has every family branch on both his and my mother’s side back for at least 600 years. I, as the eldest of the next generation, dread what I shall be asked to research. FWIW we have people of whom we should be proud, like ministers who actively opposed the Salem Witch Trials, and those of whom we should be embarrassed, like judges who condemned witches during the trials – plus a few condemned witches.

  205. 205.

    NotMax

    @Omnes Omnibus

    Finding a gem in an unlikely place is always a distinct pleasure.

    Made me recall the best shrimp jambalaya ever eaten (and have sampled it in a lot of places) at, of all locales, the restaurant of the Holiday Inn in Emporia, Virginia (on Xmas day, 1974).

  206. 206.

    Yatsuno

    @Ruckus: Best Italian I’ve ever eaten was in a tiny town called Rüdesheim in Germany. It was run by a pair of Italians and the str8 boy I was with and I both agreed it was amazing. That was a bit before I had to support my friend who came over broke in Germany for two weeks.

  207. 207.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Yatsuno:

    Rüdesheim is a great little town…went to a fantastic Weinfest there back in the early 80’s. That entire area is my old stomping grounds from my LT days in Germany.

  208. 208.

    Yankee Buzzard

    Egypt, Israel, Syria, Netherlands, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Trinidad, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, Surinam, Ghana, Togo, Mali, Germany, South Africa, Madagascar.

    And all the Continental States.

  209. 209.

    Ruckus

    @Yatsuno:
    Best Italian food for me was from my great aunt in Santa Barbara. Not sure but it is possible that she was born in Italy, her english was heavily accented. Every thing she made was great but her fried zucchini flower was most amazing.

    BTW how’s the hip?

  210. 210.

    Capt. Seaweed

    Every US state except Alaska.

    Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama.

    Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, India.

    I live in the Andaman Sea area of Southern Thailand for a couple 2-3 months every winter. 18 of the past 25 winters. I’m here now

  211. 211.

    Amir Khalid

    I’ve been to the USA — Minnesota, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, New York (the city, and upstate), and Florida. Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong (once before 1997 and once after), Japan, Taiwan, Sweden, Australia.

    If I ever get to the US again, I’d like to see New Jersey, out of curiosity, as well as the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

    Try to get to Malaysia, if you can. Is nice place, mostly.

  213. 213.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    mexico and canada. Most of the western states, florida, and South Carolina, and DC.

  214. 214.

    Matt McIrvin

    US: 40 states. Of the 48 contiguous states, I’m missing only the northernmost strip from Montana to Wisconsin, the Gulf Coast strip from Louisiana to Alabama, and (I think) Kentucky.

    I only went to Florida for the first time last fall (and that visit was essentially entirely within the boundaries of Walt Disney World).

    Elsewhere, I am not very well-traveled: I’ve visited Canada many times (just Ontario and Quebec), the UK, Germany (shortly after reunification), France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, and Spain. Passed through Austria on a train in the middle of the night, so I don’t think it counts. My wife has been to Russia, Finland and at least some of the Baltics.

  215. 215.

    DaveInOz

    It looks like we should organise a BJ trip to Australia, judging from the number of mentions. I should hold it off for a few weeks though, it’s too hot here in Melbourne at the moment.

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