I have been super fortunate to have lived in several states. Some states I have loved and some states I hated. As I look back at all the places I have lived, I can see how each state changed me. I always tell people that we can learn from everything both good and bad. There are some states that I will have trouble going back to visit or will never go back.
Iowa
There are so many things that I love or could be my favorite, but if I have to tell someone ONE place to visit or must see in Iowa. It’s the Iowa State Fair. It’s 2 weeks long with tons of concerts, food to eat, things to see. ISF has deep-fried everything. One year they had deep-fried butter.
Des Moines is one of my favorite places in Iowa. During the summer, you have to go to an Iowa Cubs game. (Triple A Chicago Cubs) I haven’t been but everyone talks about the farmers market downtown. West Des Moines has tons of great shopping.
Arkansas
Arkansas is one of the states that is really hard for me to go back to for a variety of different reasons. One of my favorite places is Hot Springs. We used to go there all the time growing up. Downtown was always my favorite. If I ever go back to Arkansas, I want to go to Hot Springs and stay at The Arlington Hotel. As a kid, I always thought hotel was so fancy.
Kansas
I didn’t live in Kansas for very long, but there is a lot more there than I thought. I didn’t explore as much as I wanted, but I also didn’t have the means to do much besides work. My favorite thing is in Topeka, and it’s Ward-Meade Park. During the spring, there are tulips everywhere. (Which is my favorite flower.) The fall is pretty with all the trees changing colors. It has a old school soda shop, barber shop, and church.
If you are looking for more to do in Kansas, I would recommend Atlas Obscura because it has 122 things to do in Kansas.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma was so much fun. My favorite place and my #1 recommendation to anyone when they go to Oklahoma City is Pops 66. It’s north of OKC, and well worth the drive. Pops 66 serves breakfast and the portion sizes are HUGE like 2 people could easily share. There is also so many types of pops there. They have every kind of drink you can think of and then some. But that’s not the coolest part of going. There is a 66 foot pop bottle outside that has LED lights after the sun sets.
Arizona
The most obvious answer would be the Grand Canyon. It is super pretty and I can’t wait to go back, hike, and stay a few nights. Camelback Mountain is gorgeous. But the best thing about Arizona is Spring Training. I am a huge baseball fan, and every stadium is different which is another reason why I love going to baseball games. It’s also just a fun time because you get to see all the star players and up in coming players.
One of my favorite Spring Training stories is when I lived in Arizona, I worked for the Phoenix Coyotes. We got to go to one of the games it was a Reds game. I don’t remember who they were playing, but the Reds had Didi Gregorius. If you don’t know the dude is hecka fast. A couple of us were talking, and I mentioned that Didi could break some record. Well mean girl who worked at the Yotes (who did not like me), asked how do you know? And dead straight in her eyes, I said because I know & like baseball. She looked it up and she was like you’re right. I could sit and watch baseball all day.
One thing I didn’t know about baseball until I lived in Arizona was the Arizona Fall League. It where each MLB team send their top 1-3 prospects. There are 6 teams with 5-6 MLB teams per 1 AFL. They all play each other at night. Mid season is an “All Star Break”, and end of the season is Championship game. The year before I got there Mike Trout was there. My year was Didi Gregorius, Billy Hamilton, Anthony Rendon, Kolten Wong, Nick Ahmed, Khris Davis, Christian Yelich, Joe Panik, Javier Baez, Nick Castellanos and Joc Pederson.
West Virginia
This is going to the shortest because I am not a fan of WV, and any time I was working I was traveling. I was in Charleston and the #1 place is Adelpha. The wings are AMAZING!! Everyone says WV is a really pretty state, and I’m sure it’s wonderful. I wasn’t in the best headspace, but also people didn’t make it any better either.
Washington
The Space Needle is super cool to see especially if you go on a nice day. You can see everything and it’s just amazing. Pike Place is something you have to experience but I feel like that’s already on peoples to do list. Starbucks first shop if you are into coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker but it was cool to see. The line was so long. There is also a Starbucks Reseve that I have heard really good things about.
But none of those are my favorite thing in Washington. It’s on a little island north of Seattle called Whidbey Island. The bridge that connects you back to the mainland of Washington is Deception Pass. It is so gorgeous. There are trails that take you down to the water, and trails to see amazing views. They have boat tours as well.
California
There are so many things that could be my favorite. California is one of the best places that I have lived where I met the most amazing people. My favorite memory in California is I think February or March 2020, and a bunch of us did a brewery hop around Lodi and Stockton. I think we were to 7 or 8 breweries that day. Then the next day the governor forced all resturants and breweries to close down.
There are so many things that could be my favorite. Dodger Stadium is PHENOMENAL. Santa Cruz is so pretty. Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco. I honestly don’t think I could pick just one thing. I think it also depends on where you are going. I explored a lot of the central California, so that’s where a lot of my favorites would be.
llinois
Illinois is my current home. I have only been here a short time. Even though I lived in Iowa for most of my life, I never really went to IL. Museum of Ice Cream in Chicago is amazing. It’s located downtown Chicago. I would recommend staying at the InterContinental because they have valet and it’s within walking distance.
Casey, IL is probably the place I recommend most because there are so many big things. It’s just crazy to see them as World’s Largest. They have the World’s Largest Rocking Chair which just blows my mind. When you see it doesn’t seem real. The mailbox is super cool too.
I have loved all the trails I have hiked here so far. They are all near amazing citites to check out. I don’t know if I really have a favorite place yet because I have done a lot of traveling outside the state while living here. This summer I am making a better effort to travel around Illinois.
