I picked all but the flyover choice.
Last year I was in Nicaragua for a minute or so. Our boat had crossed the border with Costa Rica. Before I knew that our boat would actually cross the border, I reached over and touched a plant on the Nicaragua side of the fence along the riverbank, so that counts as well.
I’ve driven through Denver, but I wouldn’t say I’ve ‘been’ to Denver. Even if we stopped for food or a bathroom we still wouldn’t have ‘been’ there. To me you have to spend enough time in a city to get a vague idea of its history and culture. I spent a couple days in New Orleans once and felt like I’d been there.
Because of that standard, I haven’t ‘been’ to a whole lot of places. Maybe a few dozen. I’ve driven through and flown over a lot more though.
I chose #2, but excluded airplanes.
Varies by feature. For a country, I have to have been legally admitted through immigration and free to move about, not just landing in a plane or in the transit lounge. Even this can have a gray area. I was on a boat in Iraqi waters, where my papers were inspected by an Iraqi officer who boarded, so I count Iraq. But not Albania, where officials did not board the boat in Albanian waters.
I have a list of islands I was on, they have to be islands that could not at the time be accessed by dry-land transport, such as bridges, and I have to have feet on the ground, not just on a boat that docks there.
US counties, just in a land vehicle with wheels on the ground (or feet). I’ve been in all of them.
The most difficult problem is countries that change identity. I’ve been in all the former Yugoslav Republics, but none of them after they became separate countries. I count them because I was properly afoot within their territory, even though there was no separate sovereignty at the time.
I have a sub-list of states/countries in which I’ve been inside someone’s private home. Not counted are business entry, such as where there is a shop or cafe or hotel reception inside the private home of the management. Also not counted are the private homes of transient expats.
I use the ‘stayed overnight’ rule. So I’ve never ‘been’ to California, though I have changed planes there a few times.
Feet on the ground, but not counting airports or driving through without stopping. Long enough to walk around a bit, breathe the air, talk to a few people, maybe eat something.
You have to do something there, outside of the airport/train station/etc. I drove through West Virginia but didn’t do anything there, I don’t consider myself having been there. On the other hand, I stayed in Virginia while visiting DC, so I do consider that I’ve been there. If I had a stopover in Virginia on the way to DC, I wouldn’t consider myself to have visited Virginia.
4/5 for me. To say I’ve ‘been’ somewhere indicates I’ve spent enough time there that I could have an opinion of the place or give someone else a recommendation of something to do there.
For 2 and 3, I would say I have ‘passed through’ that place.
I voted ‘did something’. For example, I last was in Paris in 1976 but since then have changed trains between gare du Nord/gare de l’Est and gare de Lyon 8 times (IIRRC). Also I have never been to Barcelona, just changed from train to ferry there.
Likewise. But I might then explain how little I actually did while I was there, if someone later asks me and if that’s really all there was to it. Ideally I’ll have some time to walk around, take in the sights, talk to the local yokels, enjoy a meal, etc.
What was that saying about how no-one knows if you are a dog on the internet? 
Since the poll is multiple-choice, I voted for all that apply, which by my definition is generally 4-7. I’d be surprised if anyone thought 6 and 7 didn’t count. I thought it made sense to vote that way because option 4 does not include option 5 and vice versa, but both count as being somewhere in my view. My thoughts are pretty much based on the fact that I have flown from London to New Zealand via LAX. Although we had to be processed by US Immigration, the layover was only 2 hours so we never left the airport. I don’t count that as visiting LA. But really, it’s however you want to define it - I agree with kunilou.
I did something; visited a museum, zoo, or park, etc.; went to a concert, play, etc. in one day.
#1 is a joke and #2-4 don’t count.
How does staying the night not count?
I’m torn on being on a train. I took a train through Poland, with a stop in Warsaw where I exchanged money, got food and got back on the train. Not sure if I really count Poland or not.
I do however count Belgium and Lichtenstein. In Belgium, I rode my motorcycle through it, mostly on back roads. In Lichtenstein I rode a bit and had lunch there.
Spending one night in a hotel room doesn’t count because they’re all pretty much the same everywhere and all you’re going to do there is basically sleep and watch tv. It could be anywhere.
My definition of having been somewhere implies some sort of activity and preferably a unique one even if it’s only walking down a particular street.
I voted #2 but I don’t agree with everything in it. If I drive through many miles of a state without even getting out of the car, I’ve been to that state. If I drive through a city without stopping, I’ve been through there but I haven’t been there. If I have a layover in Detroit, I haven’t been to Detroit or Michigan. I’ve been to the Detroit airport.
I did something other that I count as having been there…
I consider it when I stay overnight and see some of the sights. Last week, for instance, I took a train that passed through Cleveland and Toledo, but would not consider having visited there (though, technically, I was asleep at some point within the city limits).
There are five states I’ve passed through without stopping; others I’ve been to I did have a hotel stay overnight. The outlier is Delaware: I stayed in a hotel there, but only to sleep and drive on to DC in the morning.
I picked #5, mostly because I’ve been through multiple cities and been on the ground in some fashion, but not really “to” the city. I don’t count passing through on a train or having a stopover in an airport as counting either.
I mean, I got gasoline and took a leak in Newark one time going between the airport and West Point, but I wouldn’t say I’ve been to Newark. Same for Amarillo, Oklahoma City and Wichita.
Similarly, I’ve ridden the high speed train from Rome to Milan, and stopped in Bologna along the way, but didn’t even get up. Same for driving through Birmingham on the way between northern Wales (near Chester) and Stratford on Avon.
Everything but flying over got a vote from me. I consider myself to have been to Germany, albeit only for a layover at the airport, but not to Scotland, which I flew over on the way to Germany.
And, as you see, if all I did was change planes in the place, I’ll annotate it thusly. Therefore, I have been to Minneapolis (to change planes) on my way to going to Phoenix.
I voted #5, although I’ve been to more than a few places where #3, putting my feet on the ground for a restroom, cigarettes, food, whatever, is pretty much the only thing there is to do.
I will say that layovers between flights, trains or buses that are long enough to let you out to to see the sights count in my book, so long as you actually go out and see the sights.
I’ve been to Vienna because the duration between our train from Prague and our train to Budapest was something like 6 hours, so we went and explored the city center in the meantime.
I wouldn’t count Los Angeles as somewhere I’ve been- I had an hour layover once, but didn’t get out of the plane.