The Top 10 States That I Have Been To
I have been to 43 out of the 50 states in the US, and I always
wanted to sit down and figure out my list of the top 10 that i’ve been
to so far. So I finally did that, and here it is. I didn’t count my home
state of Connecticut because i’ve lived here my whole life, so I cant
really count that as a state i’ve traveled to, and once I have gone to
all 50 states, I am sure that this list will look a little different and
include at least 4 or 5 new states being replaced by some of the ones
on here, but for now, here is the best of what my eyes have seen in this
country and why:
10.) New Jersey:
Ah….New Jersey…the “Garden” state…AKA the BIGGEST misnomer in this country…comparing New Jersey to anything as beautiful and non-polluted as a garden would be quite similar to calling Seattle “The Sunshine City” or labeling Florida “The Snowshoe State”. I have had a viscous grudge with New Jersey for pretty much my entire life, and literally have nearly vomited and cried at the same time every time i pass through that part of state right on the other side of the river from Manhattan. I always thought to myself that this must be the worst place in t he entire country…that nothing could possibly look worse than this, and that I never want to come back here again. However, what I failed to realize all those years is that New Jersey does have other parts of the state that look like a completely different country compared to the Newark area. There are parts that people from better states actually come to to vacation at, and recently, I had gone to these places for the first time, and it completely changed my mind about the “armpit” of America. Once you are out of the mess of the Newark area and start to head south, you notice a drastic change almost immediately. Get off the NJ turnpike and the Garden State Parkway because you’ll never see the hidden gems this state has to offer while driving on the highway. As you head further down the coast, you go through many cute towns, but the main reason why NJ has slipped into my top 10 is because of its boardwalks. I have never had as much fun of a time somewhere and have felt like a kid again as much as when I vacationed in the south Jersey shore the past two summers. Seaside Heights, Wildwood, and Ocean City are now 3 of my favorite places in the entire country, and they all happen to be about within an hour of one another. Cape May, down at the southern tip of the shore, is a perfect example of how some things simply just get better with age. The entire town is a National Historic District, and showcases almost 600 preserved Victorian buildings, which line nearly every street, with rocking chairs ready for tired tourists to relax on their front porches. I will gladly fist pump my way up and down these boardwalks anytime, and every single night I’m sitting at home with nothing to do, I secretly wish I was still on the Jersey shore in the midst of all the hype. Although I have seen some beautiful beaches, great people watching hot-spots, and historic towns, I have still yet to see one thing anywhere in the “garden” state….a garden.
9.) Pennsylvania:
The keystone state overall is what i like to call “shitty cute”. Most of the towns in Pennsylvania are nothing special, just simple small towns with a main street and some antique stores and coffee shops and things of that nature, but that is exactly why I like this state, because in other states that I don’t like as much, such as it’s neighbor Ohio, these same type of towns can be found but they are a lot more run down and much more unappealing. Somehow, Pennsylvania manages to make it’s “shitty”….”cute”, and I definitely appreciate it. These types of towns that I love can be found all over the state, but in addition to that, PA has an impressive college town in State College (where Penn State University is) and beautiful scenery and hills throughout its entire state. PA fails to reach higher on my list for a few reasons: 1.) it’s a very long, boring drive to drive through from east to west and it never seems to end. 2.) its big cities (Philly and Pittsburgh) are decent but nothing special and 3.) most of the state smells like cow shit from all the farms. However, I enjoy many things about this state, from its funny town names (such as Intercourse, Blue Ball, Bird-in-Hand, and Virginville), to seeing Amish people drive their horse n buggies right along side cars on the road. My favorite beer’s brewery, Yuengling, also happens to be here, and it is the oldest brewery in the country. One of my favorite bars, The Darkhorse, is in Philly, and even though Philly has a lot of sketchy, terrible sections, it does have some pretty fantastic places to eat and drink. So overall, PA deserves a spot on my top 10 because it is what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not, and I respect it for that.
8.) Massachusetts:
MA definitely deserves a spot on my top 10 for the simple reason that is one of the only places in the country where you can walk down a major city and still feel like you’re 400 years in the past. Boston is one of the most unique and amazing cities in the country for this reason alone, because somehow one of the biggest cities in the northeast doesn’t even really feel like a city at all, but more of a mix of a huge college town and a lot of beautiful, colonial buildings on cobblestone streets. While a city like New York City just destroys the old to keep building new bigger and better things, Boston cherishes its past and does whatever it can to keep it in tact. This can be seen all over the city, from Fenway Park to the North End to Beacon Street. Massachusetts is more than just Boston though, and the other parts of the state have much to offer. Western MA is very woodsy and scenic and a drive along the Mohawk Trail is one of the prettiest drives you can take in all of New England. Cape Cod has perhaps some of the most breathtaking coastline on the Atlantic and many small, cute coastal towns to accompany it. Massachusetts makes me proud to be from the northeast, and everything that New York City lacks in, Boston showcases proudly, which is why MA is number 8 on my list and New York never even had a chance of being close.
7.) Michigan:
This is another state, much like New Jersey, that I shit on and made fun of constantly until I actually checked out the nice areas instead of just the bad ones. The “mitten” is very unique in many ways, especially for its geographic location. Nothing compares to it anywhere in the midwest; in an area of the country that is mostly just farms, Michigan manages to have more coastline that probably California even does, since it borders 4 of the 5 great lakes. Fittingly called “the great lake state”, some of the most beautiful beaches I have been to are found along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and best of all, they don’t smell half as bad as the ocean does, but are still just as pretty! Michigan is broken into two different parts, and the upper peninsula (known as the UP) is a whole different world than the southern part. The UP is one of the most rustic and naturally beautiful places I’ve been to, and reminds me more of a place I would find in Alaska or Canada or really north upstate New York than anywhere in the midwest. In addition to all the natural beauty, Michigan also has many very cute towns, such as Holland and Saugatuck, and one of my favorite college towns in the country, Ann Arbor, which is just a very impressive and fun place overall, perfect for anyone in their 20s. Sure, Michigan has gotten a bad rep in the news, and Detroit is…well, Detroit, and is probably the worst, most run down city in the country, but I am willing to overlook that major eyesore to take in the entire picture, and Michigan, when I ignore the fact that the motor city is in your state, I realize that your state is not so bad after all, and especially for being in the midwest, you have the most beautiful scenery by far in that area of the country. The people of Michigan are tough and are hard workers, times are rough there but if anyone can bounce back, I know Michigan can and will, and I wish them all the best.
6.) North Carolina:
North Carolina is pretty much a western state that somehow got misplaced and put on the east coast. No state on the eastern half of the country should have mountains as beautiful as NC, yet somehow western North Carolina does an amazing job at pretending it is part of the Rocky Mountains and borders Montana and Wyoming and Colorado, because it parallels the beauty of those types of states. The Blue Ridge Parkway is by far one of the most scenic drive in all of America, and goes through some of the most picturesque parts of the state, then drops you off right into the neat little mountain town of Asheville. Even more impressive though, is that NC is a very diverse state. Not only does it have these beautiful mountains and woods, it also has pretty much every other type of landscape you can imagine except for a desert. NC has tons of beautiful coastline, and also a area known as the triangle, which includes Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, which is an area full of fun college towns, nightlife, and things to do. There are also many other unique towns such as Southern Pines, Wilmington, and Greensboro, all worth checking out. Not too many states have mountains and scenery this impressive but also are on a coast, it’s not even too far fetched to say that in some ways, North Carolina can be compared to a California of the East coast, so this special reason is why North Carolina will always hold a special place in my heart, and is the true gem of the Atlantic.
5.) Arizona:
Dry…Hot…Silence…Serenity…Unworldly…Perfection. What I have experienced in my travels in the deserts and mountains of Arizona are beyond words, ergo, whatever is written in this blog will do my experiences no justice, because even a published poet and writer such as myself cannot describe the beautiful mix of tranquility and madness, the perfect blend of calm and chaos, the equilibrium of ugly and utopia, that I encountered in this state. In a nutshell, one must experience what I have for themselves in order to fully appreciate it, but I can only hope that these words will offer enough evidence to prove to you that some of the most amazing natural places in the entire world can be found right in the grand canyon state. With one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, petrified forest national park is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. This place is called “the painted desert” for a reason; the hills look like someone took a paintbrush and went over them with various shades of reds, oranges, blues, and grays. I said to myself that this was the most beautiful place I have ever been to, and that was true until I drove a little up north to the Grand Canyon. When I walked to the cliff’s edge and saw the canyon spread out before my eyes for the first time, my jaw literally drop and I shook my head in disbelief as a tear of joy fell from my eye, because nothing this beautiful should even exist on this planet, it’s simply just not fair. Honestly, the Grand Canyon is probably just as big as or maybe even bigger than my entire home state of Connecticut, and it by far was one of the most beautiful places my eyes have ever laid upon. I was amazed at how drastically different the climate, scenery, and landscape alters in Arizona by just driving a little over an hour up north. In southern and central Arizona, there are many cactuses and sand covered mountains, yet up north, in Flagstaff and above, I felt like I was right back at home in New England or upstate New York, because of all the pine trees, greenery, snow covered mountains (yes, in June), and quaint little mountain towns. The beauty and diversity of Arizona impressed me a lot and I can definitely see why many people come here to live after they retire. My only complaint about Arizona was that while I was in Phoenix, it seemed to me that most of the people there were really rude and mean, and they honestly reminded me a lot like new yorkers, so that was a big turn off for me, and the city of Phoenix wasn’t anything special anyways, so that thorn in the state’s side is the reason why it lands at number 5 in my spot, because honestly it would probably be in the top 3 if it wasn’t for my bad experiences in the state’s capitol. But putting that aside and looking at the state as a whole, it’s natural beauty and uniqueness are unparalleled to anywhere else in this country. Out here, I was able to clear my head, but it was only filled with more questions about the origins of the planet, because I do not think that things this beautiful were made by accident over time; I think that some sort of a God out there must be an amazing artist, and He used the southwest, especially Arizona, as His canvas.
4.) Utah:
Utah is much like Arizona, which makes sense since they border each other both on the map as well as on my list of my ten favorite states i’ve been to. What makes Utah a tad more appealing to me over Arizona though, is that it’s even more diverse and has even more of a “wow” factor to it. Coming to Utah for the first time, you quickly notice that they have the most beautiful of all the state welcome signs, with an awesome license plate to match it, a stunning picture of the Delicate Arch, which happens to be the reason why I went to go visit Utah in the first place. Utah may not be a destination for many, but it was for me, because I have always wanted to visit Arches National Park, perhaps more than any other place in this country. On the drive into Moab, as well as around Arches National Park, the scenery looks more like something you’d find on Mars than on our own planet, with all of the red rocks, mountains, and sand surrounding the area. The 1.5 mile hike to the delicate arch was well worth it in the 90 degree heat, after nearly passing out and thinking you’re not going to make it, all of a sudden as soon as you turn a corner it is right there in full display right in front of you in all of its glory. It is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on this planet, even more-so that the grand canyon. The word “delicate” is appropriate for it because it’s a miracle how this thing is even standing, and I don’t want to admit it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing crumbled to the ground during my lifetime. Utah is a state I have only been to for a few days out of my entire life, and I have only been to one corner of it, so there is still 75 percent of the state I have yet to explore, yet Utah is number 4 on my list, shouldn’t that tell you something? This state is amazing, unique, epic, and not like anywhere else on this planet.
3.) Maine:
Maine deserves a spot on my top 3 because of how rugged and badass the state is, while still managing to be “cute” at the same time. I have no idea how something can be both intimidating yet adorable, but Maine manages to do it. I like to call Maine the Alaska of the east coast, and I believe that to be a pretty accurate assessment. Maine makes me proud to be a New Englander, and this is definitely a state I will live in for awhile at some point later in life. The whole coastline of the state along the shore is filled with cute little towns and fishing villages, the type of places you see on postcards. There’s a reason why Maine is called “Vacationland.” It possesses a unique natural setting, which is comprised of a spectacular coast and a woodsy, mountainous interior, and is by far one of the most diverse states in this country. Southern Maine, has beaches, resort communities, and cosmopolitan cities, which is poles apart from the northern part, where forests and farms are plentiful. All within one day, one can hike the White Mountains, then have dinner in Portland, which is known as the “most-livable city.” and the “foodiest small town in America”. One can also shop in the nationally known outlets of Freeport and then go for a whale watch right afterwards, or visit a fine art museum in Rockland right after watching painters create masterpieces on a rugged mountain. Maine has the largest bear population in the lower 48 states, yet also has an inn that was called one of the best in the world. The state is home to some of the best skiing in the East, the finest sailing waters this side of the Mediterranean, world-renowned parks, two of America’s best art museums, internationally known shopping areas, award-winning restaurants, dozens of National Historic Landmarks, extraordinary beaches, exceptional kayaking, antique stores, nationally ranked golf courses, moose safaris and whale watching trips, and the best National Park in the eastern half of the country, Acaida National Park, in Bar Harbor, which is a cute little town right on an island with amazing scenery surrounding it. To sum things up, this state has it all, which makes it impossible not to like it, because it has something for everyone, and makes me proud to be from the north east.
2.) Colorado:
Colorful Colorado possesses a stunning, unique, and diverse natural landscape and some of the most impressive scenic beauty in the country, including the highest sand dunes in North America, to 54 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet. All in one day’s drive, one can pass through emerald green forests, fields of vibrant wildflowers, picturesque mountain lakes, abundant grasslands and rich red rock formations. There are four national parks, five national monuments and 42 state parks, and also 25 scenic and historic byways, including going through ghost towns, ancient ruins, alpine tundra, and mountain passages. Whether you’re looking for big cities or small mountain towns, Colorado offers many unique experiences. Boulder is one of my favorite college towns in the country and definitely a place I can picture settling down someday, Denver is a solid big city with lots of entertaining things to do, Estes Park is a cute mountain town at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park, and Aspen and Breckenridge are beautiful little skiing towns. Also a side note, the first ever Quiznos is located in Denver, and that happens to be one of my favorite places to eat, so bonus points for Colorado giving birth to such an amazing sandwich shop. This state almost has it all and is 99 percent perfect, the only reason why it is not number 1 on my list is because it is not near an ocean, so the top spot on my list goes to a state that has an incredible amount of some of the most beautiful coastline in the country.
1.) California:
What makes a place good enough to be labeled “perfect”; is it the scenery, the people, the cities, the nightlife, the location, all of the above? Well, there is no such thing as “perfect”, but the closest thing to it that I have ever seen is California. I have been “California Dreaming” since I was a kid, and finally at 22 years old, my dreams became true. San Francisco is by far the most beautiful and amazing city I have ever been to and I would definitely love living there someday, no place has ever felt like home to me as much as the Bay Area has. California has 3 of the best and most impressive cities in the country, along with many national parks, close to 1,000 miles of beautiful coastline, impressive mountains, and much more. In fact, California is the only place I have been to where the landscape drastically changes so often. California has the ocean and beaches, it has the desert, it has snow covered mountains, forests, it has big cities, small rustic towns, pretty much any type of environment you can think of can be found here, so with everything imaginable within the golden state’s borders, why ever leave? A very interesting thing happened to me while I was coming into California from Nevada; the state sign was missing so there was no official “Welcome to California” sign when I arrived! Obviously, this made me upset at first because my goal is to get my picture next to all 50 state signs, but California would have to wait till the day I actually left the state. But then I thought of the symbolism behind this; I will be seeing “welcome to California” the moment I am actually leaving the state, which to me shows that even though I am leaving for now, I am truly welcome back there whenever I wish, and that I never have to really say “goodbye” to the Golden State, just like how the line in the famous Eagles “Hotel California” song goes…”you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave” and I would be just fine with that. The beaches, the mountains, the forest, the hills, the big cities, the little towns, the food, the climate, the location…all these things make California amazing…but especially the people, their personalities and laid back attitudes, is what truly makes this state as close to perfect as one will ever find. I’ve been an East coast resident my entire life, and even though I have only been to California for a total of 15 days or so, the Atlantic has nothing on the Pacific; the west coast is where it’s truly at, and California makes it hard to come back home and have it truly feel like home here anymore. California, I will be back soon, but until then, I’ll miss you and you’ll be in my dreams until I can make you become a reality again.
1California
2Colorado
3Maine
4Utah
5Arizona
6North Carolina
7 Michigan
8 Massachusetts
9 Pennsylvania
10 New Jersey
honorable mentions: texas, georgia, indiana, florida, south dakota
thanks for reading everyone, feel free to comment on your favorite states and why too!
10.) New Jersey:
Ah….New Jersey…the “Garden” state…AKA the BIGGEST misnomer in this country…comparing New Jersey to anything as beautiful and non-polluted as a garden would be quite similar to calling Seattle “The Sunshine City” or labeling Florida “The Snowshoe State”. I have had a viscous grudge with New Jersey for pretty much my entire life, and literally have nearly vomited and cried at the same time every time i pass through that part of state right on the other side of the river from Manhattan. I always thought to myself that this must be the worst place in t he entire country…that nothing could possibly look worse than this, and that I never want to come back here again. However, what I failed to realize all those years is that New Jersey does have other parts of the state that look like a completely different country compared to the Newark area. There are parts that people from better states actually come to to vacation at, and recently, I had gone to these places for the first time, and it completely changed my mind about the “armpit” of America. Once you are out of the mess of the Newark area and start to head south, you notice a drastic change almost immediately. Get off the NJ turnpike and the Garden State Parkway because you’ll never see the hidden gems this state has to offer while driving on the highway. As you head further down the coast, you go through many cute towns, but the main reason why NJ has slipped into my top 10 is because of its boardwalks. I have never had as much fun of a time somewhere and have felt like a kid again as much as when I vacationed in the south Jersey shore the past two summers. Seaside Heights, Wildwood, and Ocean City are now 3 of my favorite places in the entire country, and they all happen to be about within an hour of one another. Cape May, down at the southern tip of the shore, is a perfect example of how some things simply just get better with age. The entire town is a National Historic District, and showcases almost 600 preserved Victorian buildings, which line nearly every street, with rocking chairs ready for tired tourists to relax on their front porches. I will gladly fist pump my way up and down these boardwalks anytime, and every single night I’m sitting at home with nothing to do, I secretly wish I was still on the Jersey shore in the midst of all the hype. Although I have seen some beautiful beaches, great people watching hot-spots, and historic towns, I have still yet to see one thing anywhere in the “garden” state….a garden.
9.) Pennsylvania:
The keystone state overall is what i like to call “shitty cute”. Most of the towns in Pennsylvania are nothing special, just simple small towns with a main street and some antique stores and coffee shops and things of that nature, but that is exactly why I like this state, because in other states that I don’t like as much, such as it’s neighbor Ohio, these same type of towns can be found but they are a lot more run down and much more unappealing. Somehow, Pennsylvania manages to make it’s “shitty”….”cute”, and I definitely appreciate it. These types of towns that I love can be found all over the state, but in addition to that, PA has an impressive college town in State College (where Penn State University is) and beautiful scenery and hills throughout its entire state. PA fails to reach higher on my list for a few reasons: 1.) it’s a very long, boring drive to drive through from east to west and it never seems to end. 2.) its big cities (Philly and Pittsburgh) are decent but nothing special and 3.) most of the state smells like cow shit from all the farms. However, I enjoy many things about this state, from its funny town names (such as Intercourse, Blue Ball, Bird-in-Hand, and Virginville), to seeing Amish people drive their horse n buggies right along side cars on the road. My favorite beer’s brewery, Yuengling, also happens to be here, and it is the oldest brewery in the country. One of my favorite bars, The Darkhorse, is in Philly, and even though Philly has a lot of sketchy, terrible sections, it does have some pretty fantastic places to eat and drink. So overall, PA deserves a spot on my top 10 because it is what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not, and I respect it for that.
8.) Massachusetts:
MA definitely deserves a spot on my top 10 for the simple reason that is one of the only places in the country where you can walk down a major city and still feel like you’re 400 years in the past. Boston is one of the most unique and amazing cities in the country for this reason alone, because somehow one of the biggest cities in the northeast doesn’t even really feel like a city at all, but more of a mix of a huge college town and a lot of beautiful, colonial buildings on cobblestone streets. While a city like New York City just destroys the old to keep building new bigger and better things, Boston cherishes its past and does whatever it can to keep it in tact. This can be seen all over the city, from Fenway Park to the North End to Beacon Street. Massachusetts is more than just Boston though, and the other parts of the state have much to offer. Western MA is very woodsy and scenic and a drive along the Mohawk Trail is one of the prettiest drives you can take in all of New England. Cape Cod has perhaps some of the most breathtaking coastline on the Atlantic and many small, cute coastal towns to accompany it. Massachusetts makes me proud to be from the northeast, and everything that New York City lacks in, Boston showcases proudly, which is why MA is number 8 on my list and New York never even had a chance of being close.
7.) Michigan:
This is another state, much like New Jersey, that I shit on and made fun of constantly until I actually checked out the nice areas instead of just the bad ones. The “mitten” is very unique in many ways, especially for its geographic location. Nothing compares to it anywhere in the midwest; in an area of the country that is mostly just farms, Michigan manages to have more coastline that probably California even does, since it borders 4 of the 5 great lakes. Fittingly called “the great lake state”, some of the most beautiful beaches I have been to are found along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and best of all, they don’t smell half as bad as the ocean does, but are still just as pretty! Michigan is broken into two different parts, and the upper peninsula (known as the UP) is a whole different world than the southern part. The UP is one of the most rustic and naturally beautiful places I’ve been to, and reminds me more of a place I would find in Alaska or Canada or really north upstate New York than anywhere in the midwest. In addition to all the natural beauty, Michigan also has many very cute towns, such as Holland and Saugatuck, and one of my favorite college towns in the country, Ann Arbor, which is just a very impressive and fun place overall, perfect for anyone in their 20s. Sure, Michigan has gotten a bad rep in the news, and Detroit is…well, Detroit, and is probably the worst, most run down city in the country, but I am willing to overlook that major eyesore to take in the entire picture, and Michigan, when I ignore the fact that the motor city is in your state, I realize that your state is not so bad after all, and especially for being in the midwest, you have the most beautiful scenery by far in that area of the country. The people of Michigan are tough and are hard workers, times are rough there but if anyone can bounce back, I know Michigan can and will, and I wish them all the best.
6.) North Carolina:
North Carolina is pretty much a western state that somehow got misplaced and put on the east coast. No state on the eastern half of the country should have mountains as beautiful as NC, yet somehow western North Carolina does an amazing job at pretending it is part of the Rocky Mountains and borders Montana and Wyoming and Colorado, because it parallels the beauty of those types of states. The Blue Ridge Parkway is by far one of the most scenic drive in all of America, and goes through some of the most picturesque parts of the state, then drops you off right into the neat little mountain town of Asheville. Even more impressive though, is that NC is a very diverse state. Not only does it have these beautiful mountains and woods, it also has pretty much every other type of landscape you can imagine except for a desert. NC has tons of beautiful coastline, and also a area known as the triangle, which includes Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, which is an area full of fun college towns, nightlife, and things to do. There are also many other unique towns such as Southern Pines, Wilmington, and Greensboro, all worth checking out. Not too many states have mountains and scenery this impressive but also are on a coast, it’s not even too far fetched to say that in some ways, North Carolina can be compared to a California of the East coast, so this special reason is why North Carolina will always hold a special place in my heart, and is the true gem of the Atlantic.
5.) Arizona:
Dry…Hot…Silence…Serenity…Unworldly…Perfection. What I have experienced in my travels in the deserts and mountains of Arizona are beyond words, ergo, whatever is written in this blog will do my experiences no justice, because even a published poet and writer such as myself cannot describe the beautiful mix of tranquility and madness, the perfect blend of calm and chaos, the equilibrium of ugly and utopia, that I encountered in this state. In a nutshell, one must experience what I have for themselves in order to fully appreciate it, but I can only hope that these words will offer enough evidence to prove to you that some of the most amazing natural places in the entire world can be found right in the grand canyon state. With one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, petrified forest national park is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. This place is called “the painted desert” for a reason; the hills look like someone took a paintbrush and went over them with various shades of reds, oranges, blues, and grays. I said to myself that this was the most beautiful place I have ever been to, and that was true until I drove a little up north to the Grand Canyon. When I walked to the cliff’s edge and saw the canyon spread out before my eyes for the first time, my jaw literally drop and I shook my head in disbelief as a tear of joy fell from my eye, because nothing this beautiful should even exist on this planet, it’s simply just not fair. Honestly, the Grand Canyon is probably just as big as or maybe even bigger than my entire home state of Connecticut, and it by far was one of the most beautiful places my eyes have ever laid upon. I was amazed at how drastically different the climate, scenery, and landscape alters in Arizona by just driving a little over an hour up north. In southern and central Arizona, there are many cactuses and sand covered mountains, yet up north, in Flagstaff and above, I felt like I was right back at home in New England or upstate New York, because of all the pine trees, greenery, snow covered mountains (yes, in June), and quaint little mountain towns. The beauty and diversity of Arizona impressed me a lot and I can definitely see why many people come here to live after they retire. My only complaint about Arizona was that while I was in Phoenix, it seemed to me that most of the people there were really rude and mean, and they honestly reminded me a lot like new yorkers, so that was a big turn off for me, and the city of Phoenix wasn’t anything special anyways, so that thorn in the state’s side is the reason why it lands at number 5 in my spot, because honestly it would probably be in the top 3 if it wasn’t for my bad experiences in the state’s capitol. But putting that aside and looking at the state as a whole, it’s natural beauty and uniqueness are unparalleled to anywhere else in this country. Out here, I was able to clear my head, but it was only filled with more questions about the origins of the planet, because I do not think that things this beautiful were made by accident over time; I think that some sort of a God out there must be an amazing artist, and He used the southwest, especially Arizona, as His canvas.
4.) Utah:
Utah is much like Arizona, which makes sense since they border each other both on the map as well as on my list of my ten favorite states i’ve been to. What makes Utah a tad more appealing to me over Arizona though, is that it’s even more diverse and has even more of a “wow” factor to it. Coming to Utah for the first time, you quickly notice that they have the most beautiful of all the state welcome signs, with an awesome license plate to match it, a stunning picture of the Delicate Arch, which happens to be the reason why I went to go visit Utah in the first place. Utah may not be a destination for many, but it was for me, because I have always wanted to visit Arches National Park, perhaps more than any other place in this country. On the drive into Moab, as well as around Arches National Park, the scenery looks more like something you’d find on Mars than on our own planet, with all of the red rocks, mountains, and sand surrounding the area. The 1.5 mile hike to the delicate arch was well worth it in the 90 degree heat, after nearly passing out and thinking you’re not going to make it, all of a sudden as soon as you turn a corner it is right there in full display right in front of you in all of its glory. It is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on this planet, even more-so that the grand canyon. The word “delicate” is appropriate for it because it’s a miracle how this thing is even standing, and I don’t want to admit it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing crumbled to the ground during my lifetime. Utah is a state I have only been to for a few days out of my entire life, and I have only been to one corner of it, so there is still 75 percent of the state I have yet to explore, yet Utah is number 4 on my list, shouldn’t that tell you something? This state is amazing, unique, epic, and not like anywhere else on this planet.
3.) Maine:
Maine deserves a spot on my top 3 because of how rugged and badass the state is, while still managing to be “cute” at the same time. I have no idea how something can be both intimidating yet adorable, but Maine manages to do it. I like to call Maine the Alaska of the east coast, and I believe that to be a pretty accurate assessment. Maine makes me proud to be a New Englander, and this is definitely a state I will live in for awhile at some point later in life. The whole coastline of the state along the shore is filled with cute little towns and fishing villages, the type of places you see on postcards. There’s a reason why Maine is called “Vacationland.” It possesses a unique natural setting, which is comprised of a spectacular coast and a woodsy, mountainous interior, and is by far one of the most diverse states in this country. Southern Maine, has beaches, resort communities, and cosmopolitan cities, which is poles apart from the northern part, where forests and farms are plentiful. All within one day, one can hike the White Mountains, then have dinner in Portland, which is known as the “most-livable city.” and the “foodiest small town in America”. One can also shop in the nationally known outlets of Freeport and then go for a whale watch right afterwards, or visit a fine art museum in Rockland right after watching painters create masterpieces on a rugged mountain. Maine has the largest bear population in the lower 48 states, yet also has an inn that was called one of the best in the world. The state is home to some of the best skiing in the East, the finest sailing waters this side of the Mediterranean, world-renowned parks, two of America’s best art museums, internationally known shopping areas, award-winning restaurants, dozens of National Historic Landmarks, extraordinary beaches, exceptional kayaking, antique stores, nationally ranked golf courses, moose safaris and whale watching trips, and the best National Park in the eastern half of the country, Acaida National Park, in Bar Harbor, which is a cute little town right on an island with amazing scenery surrounding it. To sum things up, this state has it all, which makes it impossible not to like it, because it has something for everyone, and makes me proud to be from the north east.
2.) Colorado:
Colorful Colorado possesses a stunning, unique, and diverse natural landscape and some of the most impressive scenic beauty in the country, including the highest sand dunes in North America, to 54 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet. All in one day’s drive, one can pass through emerald green forests, fields of vibrant wildflowers, picturesque mountain lakes, abundant grasslands and rich red rock formations. There are four national parks, five national monuments and 42 state parks, and also 25 scenic and historic byways, including going through ghost towns, ancient ruins, alpine tundra, and mountain passages. Whether you’re looking for big cities or small mountain towns, Colorado offers many unique experiences. Boulder is one of my favorite college towns in the country and definitely a place I can picture settling down someday, Denver is a solid big city with lots of entertaining things to do, Estes Park is a cute mountain town at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park, and Aspen and Breckenridge are beautiful little skiing towns. Also a side note, the first ever Quiznos is located in Denver, and that happens to be one of my favorite places to eat, so bonus points for Colorado giving birth to such an amazing sandwich shop. This state almost has it all and is 99 percent perfect, the only reason why it is not number 1 on my list is because it is not near an ocean, so the top spot on my list goes to a state that has an incredible amount of some of the most beautiful coastline in the country.
1.) California:
What makes a place good enough to be labeled “perfect”; is it the scenery, the people, the cities, the nightlife, the location, all of the above? Well, there is no such thing as “perfect”, but the closest thing to it that I have ever seen is California. I have been “California Dreaming” since I was a kid, and finally at 22 years old, my dreams became true. San Francisco is by far the most beautiful and amazing city I have ever been to and I would definitely love living there someday, no place has ever felt like home to me as much as the Bay Area has. California has 3 of the best and most impressive cities in the country, along with many national parks, close to 1,000 miles of beautiful coastline, impressive mountains, and much more. In fact, California is the only place I have been to where the landscape drastically changes so often. California has the ocean and beaches, it has the desert, it has snow covered mountains, forests, it has big cities, small rustic towns, pretty much any type of environment you can think of can be found here, so with everything imaginable within the golden state’s borders, why ever leave? A very interesting thing happened to me while I was coming into California from Nevada; the state sign was missing so there was no official “Welcome to California” sign when I arrived! Obviously, this made me upset at first because my goal is to get my picture next to all 50 state signs, but California would have to wait till the day I actually left the state. But then I thought of the symbolism behind this; I will be seeing “welcome to California” the moment I am actually leaving the state, which to me shows that even though I am leaving for now, I am truly welcome back there whenever I wish, and that I never have to really say “goodbye” to the Golden State, just like how the line in the famous Eagles “Hotel California” song goes…”you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave” and I would be just fine with that. The beaches, the mountains, the forest, the hills, the big cities, the little towns, the food, the climate, the location…all these things make California amazing…but especially the people, their personalities and laid back attitudes, is what truly makes this state as close to perfect as one will ever find. I’ve been an East coast resident my entire life, and even though I have only been to California for a total of 15 days or so, the Atlantic has nothing on the Pacific; the west coast is where it’s truly at, and California makes it hard to come back home and have it truly feel like home here anymore. California, I will be back soon, but until then, I’ll miss you and you’ll be in my dreams until I can make you become a reality again.
1California
2Colorado
3Maine
4Utah
5Arizona
6North Carolina
7 Michigan
8 Massachusetts
9 Pennsylvania
10 New Jersey
honorable mentions: texas, georgia, indiana, florida, south dakota
thanks for reading everyone, feel free to comment on your favorite states and why too!
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