Travel Destination Part 4

Posted on February 13, 2018

Description:

So we're two or three votes away from sending me off on this vacation, fact-finding mission, spirit-quest, or whatever this trip might turn into. I still feel like it's too early to start researching the cities, or getting excited about what I could find in each one. The question I've been asking myself recently is, "How do I maintain an open mind while also very much wanting something significant to happen?" F Scott Fitzgerald said the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. 

Going into this vote, what i'm hoping to obtain from all of you -- beyond the yes or no vote -- are your travel philosophies or routines or guiding principles that help you maximize your time and connection in any given place. That will help me immeasurably once I'm in situ, and will yield more satisfying reports from me when I check in with all of you.   

Five cities remain and I’ve split them randomly…

Vote yes for:
New Orleans, Atlanta, Kansas City

Vote no for: Nashville, St. Louis.


Yes - 1032.0

UserShares
davehayden ☕️💯 280.0
Marcus 💯☕️ 225.0
weston ☕️ 80.0
abodens3 68.0
Claire L. Evans 61.0
Oskar 💼☕️ 60.0
curtiszimmerman 54.0
Ryan Thompson 50.0
awmahan 💼☕️ 47.0
stan 30.0
mberezin ☕️ 16.0
joshuaberger 11.0
benjack05 9.0
freddy ☕️ 6.0
justdorkin 4.0
young9599 4.0
tote 4.0
egli 4.0
gavin 3.0
suesy_x 3.0
sloanal ☕ 3.0
jetsunami 2.0
Danjayson 2.0
dbastedo 1.0
LeviMoore 1.0
CravenAcquisitionsLLC 1.0
bgodin 1.0
everyplace 1.0
Miles McCaulou 1.0
cdrobison 0.0

No - 1940.0

UserShares
aaronpk 💯☕️ 708.0
krickeyb 💯 365.0
Jona Bechtolt ☕️💯 244.0
beau 💯 185.0
Pat Castaldo 💯☕️ 118.0
Robby Russell ☕💯 106.0
GeneM ☕️ 60.0
Anjou Wu 46.0
vc_kmikeym 38.0
awnelson17 ☕️🌮🕴 10.0
gwguffey 8.0
professir 8.0
Richard S. Jensen 6.0
Jos 🎖☕️ 6.0
flebbebe 6.0
imcclintic 5.0
reuben 5.0
cdt5058 4.0
T.R. Alviani 3.0
Besst 2.0
A J Cole 2.0
bcave 1.0
kywass 1.0
Josh Kilpatrick 1.0
foxmambo 1.0
landofcalm 1.0

Past Discussion

davehayden ☕️💯 (280.0 shares, voted yes)
New Orleans is the obvious choice, so.. I have to root for Nashville?
Robby Russell ☕💯 (106.0 shares, voted no)
Whisky touring in TN!
Pat Castaldo 💯☕️ (118.0 shares, voted no)
The Castaldos are going to Nashville for the 4th of July. So I'm gonna try and swing you there.
tote (4.0 shares, voted yes)
But what about Kansas City?!
Mike Merrill
Joining the Castaldo Family Vacation™ is a very funny idea...
flebbebe (6.0 shares, voted no)
I travel to explore and have an adventure. And by explore, I mean to search for things I didn't know were there. I less like "experiences" - things like visiting a museum or eating a fine meal (though I do quite like those) - and I prefer entering a truly unknown sphere. I like engaging in something whose end I don't know beforehand.
krickeyb 💯 (365.0 shares, voted no)
Last year I went on a road trip, Memphis -> Nashville -> Louisville -> St. Louis -> Memphis. For whatever reason I chose to spend only 2 days in St. Louis vs 3-4 in each of the other cities. Of the four cities, St. Louis was my biggest regret for not having more time. Beautiful city, lots to do, great people. I vote no.
curtiszimmerman (54.0 shares, voted yes)
I travel by holing up in a local bar as far from tourist areas as I can get and still be in the same city. Then I hook up with a local chick, and there you go: A place to stay and a local guide. It's the best way to travel and get to know a place.
A J Cole (2.0 shares, voted no)
I like the idea of sending you to Appalachia, and the region also offers you a chance to get down with something we know you love - whiskey! I still think you should really push yourself into a rural experience. I don't see any transcendental experiences coming your way in a city unless you employ curtiszimmerman tactics, and then you still run the risk of VD.
awnelson17 ☕️🌮🕴 (10.0 shares, voted no)
Nashville is the clear winner. Can't go wrong with the music scene there or NOLA, but Nashville gets my vote.
curtiszimmerman (54.0 shares, voted yes)
Nashville is pretty cool, but New Orleans is one of the last places in the country with a real huge upper bound on partying potential. Like Waikiki before they busted the Kealohas. People sort of expect you to turn it up to 11 in New Orleans. Nashville is a fun city with some great bars, but in my experience it's so much easier to get kicked out of bars there than you'd expect for a place swarming with drunk redneck tourists. If it weren't for New Orleans I'd have voted "no" because Nashville is pretty fun.
Besst (2.0 shares, voted no)
My tip for getting the most out of this would be to stay somewhere other than your typical hotel. Stay in a local bed & breakfast or a hostel so you open yourself up to more interaction with other people who may be traveling alone. I used to work as a travel guide and between trips when I was alone, I would stay in hostels to meet people. I always found someone to do something with or at least got a good suggestion on what to do that day.
Richard S. Jensen (6.0 shares, voted no)
I like the freeways in Nashville. Got my vote.