Announcing a new trip to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of The USA 50/50 Challenge!
The ten year anniversary gift is tin or aluminium, so I’m putting a foil feather in Travel Hat and preparing to celebrate this milestone by revisiting some of my top ten cities and towns, adding in some I missed along the way.
While I visited some 600 cities and towns during the Challenge, I’ve decided to revisit some that I called out as my ‘top ten want to revisit cities.’
As with all my Challenges, this one has a hook, too: visiting 10 States in 5 Weeks!
Starting in late August, I’ll visit:
Boston, Massachusetts
Freeport, Maine (Top Ten States)
Westport, Connecticut
Lower Manhattan, New York
Orange County, California (Top Ten States)
Seattle (Top Ten Cities) & Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands (Top Ten Towns), Washington
Sheboygan & Door County, Wisconsin
Atlanta, Georgia (New)
Laurel, Mississippi (New)
New Orleans, Louisiana (Top Ten Cities)
Seattle, Washington
This metropolis in the Pacific Northwest is at once bustling and mellow, which is no mean feat. A young city that appreciates nature.
Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington
This laid-back town takes tourists in its stride and then watches them leave on ferries, knowing they’ll be back.
Sheboygan & Door County, Wisconsin
I really loved Sheboygan, a lovely coastal town with European heritage, and have dreamed of returning for ten years!
Door County is the secret destinations beloved of those in the know in Wisconsin and Illinois. It’s a little piece of paradise on the Lake Michigan.
New: Atlanta, Georgia
I was scheduled to visit here in February 2020, but we all know what happened then! So, it had to be on my list for this trip to visit somewhere I missed during The USA 50/50 Challenge in 2013.
New: Laurel, Mississippi
Having watched the transformation of this small town on HGTV’s Home Town during the pandemic, it had to be on my list of next places to visit, especially as I can take Amtrak’s Crescent Line and stopover between Atlanta and New Orleans.
New Orleans, Lousiana
The most European city in the United States. It’s like visiting Paris without needing a passport. Here they’ll feed you, entertain you and get you dancing with hardly any effort on their part.
Freeport, Maine
Freeport caught my heart on The USA 50/50 Challenge and a pilgrimage to LL Bean’s flagship store is always a great idea!
I’ve been back too many times to count…
Boston, Massachusetts
Can’t get enough of this city, it’s like a second home to me. So much to see and do, it’s ever changing and ever the same!
Lower Manhattan, New York
It’s the best part of Manhattan, as far as I’m concerned. It’s where New York started its life and it still has the charm of its origins, with winding streets and historic buildings.
Santa Ana, California
California is one of my top ten states and Orange County is the heart of Southern California. Inside this heart lies Santa Ana, one of the oldest cities in the state, with a Spanish mission established in 1776.
It’s the best central location to explore all that SoCal has to offer, away from the craziness of LA.