#84: Nashville's Music Scene (Page 712; Listed as The Grand Ole Opry in the 2nd Ed pg 875)

August 6, 2010: I love Country Music! So, Nashville is like heaven for me! First, a stop at the Ryman Auditorium (home of the Grand Ole' Opry)....

Then a walk up and down Lower Broadway (just across from Ryman). Tootsie's Orchid Lounge is one of many bars lined up and down this street. Almost all of them have bands playing live music, mostly cover songs of popular country artists. It was fabulous!

And top it off with a meal at Loveless Cafe!

Verdict: If you're not a country-music lover like me, you may want to pass on Nashville (although music aside, Nashville is a very nice, clean and friendly place!), but for me, this was an absolute must-do! We had a fabulous time! I also went to the Grand Ole' Opry in 2000 (where I saw Martina McBride, Vince Gill and several others).

#83: Memphis's Rib Joints (Page 712, 2nd Ed pg 873)

August 7, 2010: 1000 Places To See Before You Die recommended Rendezvous Room as one of the best "rib joints." In addition, I found it to be one of the top rated places on Trip Advisor. To seal the deal, I emailed one of my friends that relocated to Memphis and that was the one restaurant he recommended we go to. Sold! So here we are, anxious to test out all the hype for ourselves!

Yup, I would have to agree! Fabulous food with a scrumptious bar-b-que sauce. I ordered a 1/2 rack of ribs and ate every bite!

Verdict: There are very few restaurants that I really think you have to experience before you die. This would fall in that category. You can definitely die without experiencing the Rendezvous Room. However, if you find yourself in Memphis.... you'd be crazy not to eat here!

#82: Graceland and the Elvis Trail (Page 711, 2nd Ed pg 872)

August 8, 2010: Each year, my husband takes a "mancation" while I stay home and watch the kids and I take a "womancation" while he stays home. This year, my womancation was to Tennessee with my friend, Mindy. We concentrated our visit to the cities of Nashville and Memphis. And obviously, no visit to Memphis is complete without visiting Graceland!

The front of the mansion

The back yard

He is buried in the back yard along with his parents, grandmother and twin brother (did you know he had a twin? I can't remember now if his twin was a still born or lived a day or two, but anyway, he died as an infant either in utero or very shortly thereafter and is buried here).

The famous pink cadillac...

And, if you're going to see Graceland, what better place to stay than the Heartbreak Hotel?

In addition to Graceland, you can visit the famous Sun Studio, where Elvis cut his first record.

This is where it all began...

Beale street

Verdict: I'm not a huge Elvis fan. So, why go to Memphis, you ask? Well, I don't quite recall how we decided on that, but I'm glad we did because we had a blast! I have to say that I have a renewed appreciation for Elvis after this trip. I thought of Elvis as a drug-abusing womanizing party animal prior to this trip. But after taking the Platinum Tour (cost $34), I came to see him as a charitable, giving, talented, family-oriented man. I still don't think I would consider this a "must" before you die (and the Heartbreak Hotel is totally overrated, by the way, although still glad we stayed there just for the novelty of it!), but if you love Elvis, there is no better way to spend your day. And even if you don't, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised, as I was.

#81: The Heart of Charleston (Page 706, 2nd Ed pg 867)

May 18, 2007: After spending a week in Hilton Head, we spent a couple days in Charleston on our drive back up to Maryland. What a charming city!
Enjoying the fountain in the center of town.

Charleston is "America's most intact colonial city" according to 1000 Places to See Before You Die. It was founded in 1670 and quickly became one of the ric hest cities in America. There are gorgeous colonial mansions throughout the city. Further, Charleston is known for Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. The country's oldest museum (founded in 1773) is also located in Charleston, named aptly, Charleston Museum.

Verdict: We loved it. Definitely a place worth visiting.

#80: Beaufort and the Low Country (Page 705, 2nd Ed pg 866)

May 2007: Dave, Lacey (when she was just 3 1/2 months old) and I took our first family vacation together to South Carolina. This was my first time to South Carolina. We spent the first part of our trip in Hilton Head (pictured here).
We also took a day and drove to Beaufort, known as the "gateway to the Sea Islands." It's a charming town and several movies (including The Big Chill, Prince of Tides and Forrest Gump) have all been filmed here. Many of the celebrities from these movies stayed here, the Rhett House Inn.

Relaxing in Beaufort

Hilton Head

Verdict: I had low expectations for this trip because 1) we had a baby with us and 2) it just seemed "simple." It was within driving distance of our house and so it just didn't feel very exotic or exciting. However, we absolutely LOVED it! What a great place to visit. Charming, relaxing and delightful!

#79: Cliff Walk (Page 704, 2nd Ed pg 865)

December, 2008: My husband surprised me with a weekend in Newport, Rhode Island. I "lost" my birthday (June 17th) since I was in the hospital giving birth to our second child (seen here in the Bjorn), so Dave gave me a weekend away as a belated birthday gift on my half-birthday.
The Cliff Walk, along with seeing all the mansions decorated for the holidays, was one of the highlights of the weekend!

The Cliff Walk is a national historic trail that runs about 3 1/2 miles along a rocky, beautifully scenic coastline. Breaking waves are on one side of you and gorgeous, massive, European-style mansions are on the other side.

Verdict: Absolutely worth your time to see and experience. We loved Newport and we loved the Cliff Walk. And, as an added bonus.... it's free!

#78: Independence National Historical Park (Page 702, 2nd Ed pg 861)

Update: June 16, 2011. It has been 3 1/2 years since I last visited Philadelphia and about 3 1/2 decades since my parents had, so we decided to head to Phili for a day trip during their visit out here last week and there were a few things I learned. First of all, I would definitely visit Congress Hall. This was a building Dave and I saw from the outside during our 2007 visit, but never bothered to go inside for the tour. It's about a 20-30 minute free tour that doesn't require tickets. It was very interesting and I found it very cool to be sitting in the building where the original Congress and Senate for the United States met for the first 10 years of our country's existance.
Something else we only saw from the outside during our 2007 visit was the Betsy Ross Home. This time, we paid the $4 admission (for adults; only $3 for Seniors age 55 and over) and did the self-guided tour. Worth the $4, in my opinion, especially if Betsy Ross happens to be home making one of her flags!
And another thing we missed the first time around was the Philisophical Society, housed right next to Independence Hall. There is a requested $1 donation. At first, it seemed a little boring when I walked in, but then this document was pointed out to me. The document in and of itself is not important. It is just a letter describing an intended journey of a researcher, which never actually occurred. However, several prominent men signed this document along with the amount of money they pledged to help fund the trip. Four of those men were George Washington, Jon Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. It is the only document in the world that exists with the signatures of the first four Presidents of the United States. And the original document is in the Philisophical Society Building. Pretty cool.

Another Tip: In 2007, we just walked right into the Visitors Center, got our free ticket for Independence Hall and went on our way. I checked out a current Fodor's Guide from the library right before this trip. It haphazardly mentioned that the free Independence Hall tickets were available at the Visitors Center as well as by calling a toll free number or going online. They did not suggest getting the tickets in advance or make any mention of tickets "selling out." So, I didn't worry about it. Big mistake. We got to Phili by 11:30 and all the tickets had already been distributed for the day. The woman told me they were all distributed by 10:30 that day and that is fairly common. So....... my advice to you is this: Get your tickets in advance! They can be reserved up to a year in advance.

October 2007: Dave, Lacey and I traveled to Philadelphia and saw all the sights. Here I am with Lacey in the Bjorn in front of Independence Hall, the place where the Declaration of Independence was voted on and signed on July 4, 1776. This is also the place where the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1778. You do need to get tickets to tour this building, but tickets are free of charge.
The Betsy Ross House

Benjaman Franklin's burial site

George Washington Monument

Verdict: If you're American, this is an absolute must. Just to be in the same places where all these great men, our founding fathers, lived, conversed and laid the foundation for this great nation is an amazing experience.

#77: Philly Food (Page 701, 2nd Ed pg 863)

October 2007: I had a conferance in Philadelphia, so I brought my husband and my 8-month old daughter along for the ride. And as long as we were there.... we decided to check out the food! Here we are with our cheesesteak.
Two of "Philly's best" mentioned in 1000 Places To See Before You Die are Pat's Steaks...

and "Pat's archival" located across the street, Geno's.

Verdict: I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. Now, admittedly, "Philly Food" is much more than just the cheesesteak, so maybe that's something you feel you need to experience before you die. But I, for one, am not much of a "foodie" and the cheesesteak was fine, but not something I needed to do before I die!

#76: Crater Lake National Park (Page 696, 2nd Ed pg 856)

September, 2010: Here I am 7 1/2 months pregnant with Baby #3 and holding my Baby #1 :) I took my Lacey out to Medford, OR to visit my Grandma and Medford just happens to be about a 2 hour drive from Crater Lake. It was rather cold and drizzly on the day we were there, but the Lake was spectacular!

The lake is an amazing blue color. It is 5 miles wide and surrounded by cliffs that are almost 2000 feet high. Spectacular! It rests on the remnants of a volcano, Mount Mazama. Mount Mazama erupte and collapsed into itself ~7,700 years ago. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the USA and the 7th deepest in the world.

Crater Lake became a national park on May 22, 1902. There are 3 restaurants (we ate at one attached to a gift shop). The cost is only $10/car and that is good for an entire week.

Verdict: I loved Crater Lake. If I ever get the chance to visit Crater Lake again (and I hope I do!), I would love to stay for a couple days, hike, etc. But I was with my 90 year old Grandma and 3-year old daughter, so our activities were somewhat limited. But it was absolutely spectacular and I highly recommend this. In fact, I dub it "one of the 7 wonders of the USA."

#75: Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Page 694, 2nd Ed pg 854)

As you can see, I had to swipe this picture from the internet because I can't find my own! I have all the pictures from this trip, except the ones from Ashland. Go figure! Anyway, my Grandmother lives in Medford, which is not too far from Ashland, so in June of 2009, my sister and I went to Ashland as it was on our way from San Francisco to Medford where we were going to visit our Grandma. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a Tony-Award winning Festival and has been running since 1935. We walked all around the town and especially enjoyed the gift shop, which has everything you could ever want that is Shakespeare-esque.

Verdict: I'm not a die-hard Shakespeare lover. If you're not like me, then you could skip this one (although, I must admit, the town is quite charming, so if you're driving through, like I was, then stop and have a meal or stay the night). But... if you are a Shakespeare lover, then this is not to be missed!

#74: Museum Mile (Page 686)

Sept. 3, 2010: Dave and I went to NYC to see the US Open, but we went a day early because I really wanted to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met"). Here is Dave in front of the beautiful building.

A View from the top floor

One of my favorite Renoir paintings

The roof (this bamboo structure was a pice of artwork on display on the roof -- you could even get tickets to climb up this piece of art!)

Beautiful view of Central Park and the City from the roof of The Met.

Breakdown: Price: Technically, it's free. (Gasp! Something free in New York??) However, they do suggest a $20 donation per person. But whatever you can afford (even if it's nothing), they let you in! There are 12 exhibits on the first floor as well as a cafeteria. There are 14 exhibits (everything from Japanese Art to Musical Instruments to Islamic Art and European Paintings) on the second floor. And then.... there is the Roof Garden. The Roof Garden was so cool. There is a bar and a gorgeous view! However, it's only open May - October.

Verdict: I do appreciate art, but, as I've said before, I'm not a die hard museum lover. So, I think I probably could have died happy without having gone to The Met. Having said that, I'm still glad I went and it was a very impressive museum with an amazing collection.

#73: Historic Downtown New York (Page 684)

July 2003: The view of Historic Downtown from the top floor of the American Express building...

which also happens to look over Ground Zero. This is what it looked like one year and 10 months after the attack. Fortunately, I did see the WTC buildings prior to the attack. I went to NYC during the summer of 1992 or 1993 (I can't remember now) and have a picture of myself (in a Disney T-shirt tucked into white shorts, which is why I'm not posting the picture!) with the WTC buildings in the background. We climbed the Statue of Liberty on that trip as well.

Verdict: Everybody has to see Downtown New York at least once - because you have to see the Statue of Liberty! (Ferry service is available from Battery Park to the Statue and Ellis Island). But, for me, it's kind of a "been there, done that" place. I frequently go to NYC, but now that I've seen the WTC (before and after), the Statue of Liberty, etc., it's not a place I want to go back to again and again, but Times Square, Central Park, etc. are places I could do over and over again. So, do it once, but then if you go back to NYC, you can skip this and spend your time on the millions 0f other things to do in the vicinity!

#72: New York City (Page 677, 2nd Ed pg 841)

July 2005: Rockefeller Center

No trip to NYC is complete without a Broadway Show! We saw Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate.

Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.... yum!

May 2008: Dinner at Club 21

The Plaza

I happen to be married to a man whose favorite (American) city is NYC. And, we happen to live just 4 hours away from NYC. Thus, in the 5 plus years we have been married, we have been to NYC probably a dozen times. And we have loved every single time! There is so much to do, see, experience, etc. We love, love, love NYC!

Verdict: Absolutely! You MUST experience NYC in your life!