My Top 11. Characteristics of an Awesome City

We're back from our vacation! 

It was wonderful.  Just what we needed...relaxing, exciting...and far, far away from work and school and the daily grind.

Knox did great, too...apart from the first night, when he didn't want to sleep at all, and a few rough nap times throughout the week. We were proud of him.  He is quite the explorer. :)

We loved San Diego.

All week we were talking about how much we loved the city and why.

Just for fun we compared the different cities we've lived in and visited and tried to pull out the top things we have liked and not liked about each of them.  Sometimes it's hard to put a finger on why you like a place.  Sometimes it's just an overall feeling...a place feels good or it doesn't.  But we tried to put it into words.

What resulted is my list of 11 things that I like to see in a city (a U.S. city; international cities are in a completely different ballgame).

This week I'm going to take you through my list, and along the way I'll share some of the amazing photos Josh took of our trip.

My Top 11.

Characteristics of an Awesome City

#11: A Good Zoo

We are not museum people.  We are not theater people. We are not guided tour people.  I am scared to death of roller coasters.  And we could care less about "nightlife."

But we do love a good zoo.

For a city to be truly awesome, I have decided, it has to have a good zoo.

 

My new favorite animal! (Besides the Panda, below...he'll always be my first favorite.)  This is a Szechuan Takin.  Apparently my love for China doesn't stop at Nanchang.

He really just wanted to cuddle.

Yeah we could have reached out and touched this guy...if it weren't for the glass panel between him and us, which we didn't see at first.  For a minute we really thought there was a lion on the loose. :)

When he wasn't dozing, Knox loved seeing the animals.  He even got his first souvenir ever...a San Diego Zoo panda bear sippy cup.  It is very cool.

On a scale of 1 to 10, San Diego gets a 10 for it's zoo.  It has pretty much the same animals as many other zoos we have visited, but the exhibits are absolutely beautiful.  As you walk through the zoo you feel like you're really walking through a jungle or something.  And (with the exception of the pink flamingos and one wild boar exhibit) it even smells good!


#10: Bustle.

I grew up in the woods of Vermont.  I know what serenity is.  And I love it.  I love absolute silence.  I love nature.  I love to be alone.

But not when I am in the middle of a city.

When I want peace and quiet I go to the country.  When I am in a city I want bustle.  I want to hear horns honking.  I want the thrill and challenge of forging a path through a crowded sidewalk.  I want to walk fast with all the people going somewhere in a very big rush.

A good city is filled with energy and excitement.  Movement.  Noise.  I guess it gives me an adrenaline rush.

Sluggish, slow-moving, dull, lifeless cities just give me a headache.

On a scale of 1 to 10 San Diego gets a 6 for bustle.  There wasn't a ton of bustle, but at the right time of day I could find just enough.

This is Joanne.  She and her husband Rick are special family friends and came down from L.A. one evening to visit us and meet the baby.  It was so fun to see them!!

Check in tomorrow for #9 & #8.