I have one day to spend in your city. What must I see and do?

In My Humble Opinion
41

Huntsville, Alabama… Oh, forget it. Anybody who would come here would already know that the US Space and Rocket Center is the only interesting thing to see here. When I talk to people in nearby states and mention Huntsville, they’d either say (a) never been there, or (b) been there once on a school trip to see the Space & Rocket Center.

Hey, I’ve been to both now. I have to say Ashland, OR seemed like far more appropriate a place for a Shakespeare theatre than Montgomery, AL. The Alabama Shakespear Festival is really good too, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance I saw, but the futile attempt to create an English garden/landscape around it is a bit depressing.

42

There’s lots of fun stuff to do here, if you define Ottawa as “The National Capital Region”.

A good place to start searching would be this site.

We have great museums (OK, semi - great). It’s an easily walkable city, good transportation infrastructure, nice hotels, excellent parks.

As to what I’d recomend, let’s go with the National Museum of Science and Technology or the Museum of Civilization.

Also, you must see the **Cats on Parliament Hill ** (where else in the world do feral cats live near the seat of power? Of course the ducks in DC looked cool on TV too.

One other thing, get a hotel downtown, near or at the Crowne Plaza, wake up early, and go for a walk. You might just get lucky, and see one of the Peregrine Falcons dive bomb a pigeon!

43

Fort Myers FL,

The obvious thing is the beach. But you have to leave town to do that. You can check out Sanibel Island or Captiva. You might like some of the other barrier islands as well. In town itself, there’s the Edison/Ford Winter Estate. Not big and you see all there is in the hour tour. A little walk away is the Fort Myers Historical Museum. Not too much bigger than a single family home but still has some interesting stuff.

If it’s winter you can head out to Manatee Park to see the Manatees lounge around. If it’s spring you can catch the Twins or Red Sox in training.

And that’s it.

44

We were down there a few weeks ago, and I was amazed at the traffic to get out on Fort Meyers Beach (it is narrow, granted, so hard to turn I suppose). Sanibel and Captiva I was amazed the toll. It was late, so we turned around and drove down to Ft Meyer’s Beach instead. I’m sure the other two are much prettier, but not worth the bucks just to watch the sunset. For the most part we don’t have tolls to our beaches, and the ones that do are fifty cents. There are a couple that you have to take a ferry to get to or are state parks, and those are a bit more, IIRC.

45

I never go to the beach anymore and now you know why.

Don’t get me started on the Sanibel toll. The Sanibellans brought that down on themselves and refuse to admit their mistake.

46

Newport, Oregon. Our biggest attraction is the Pacific Ocean, which is also available in other locations. Still, our beaches are beautiful, huge, uncrowded, and free.

Our other attraction is two lighthouses. The one at Yaquina Head is beautiful and is still used as a navigational beacon, but the one on Yaquina Bay is not very scenic and was never of any particular use. It’s, like, shorter than the surrounding trees. It was abandoned in the 1870s, and was only renovated thanks to lighthouse fanatics. At either of these sites you can buy expensive kitschy lighthouse souvenirs.
Other things to do:
*Go on a whale watching boat, especially in spring or autumn when the gray whales are migrating.
*Go on a charter fishing boat, if you like to fish.
*Go hiking or biking on any of the numerous trails in the coast range.
*Go kayaking on the river.
*Walk around the docks, looking at the commercial fishing fleet. You will see sea lions, harbor seals, and more seagulls than you can shake a stick at.
As for night life, well, the opportunities are endless. Rent a movie! Get a pizza! Go to a bar! That sort of thing. There is a performing arts center that puts on plays and things; I’ve heard it’s pretty good for a small town, but I’ve never been.

47

I present to all of you the amazing, exciting, sexy! Bakersfield, California! Now please, don’t all volunteer to come here at once- there’s enough smog for everyone! Heck, we’re the second smoggiest city in North America!

Having to chew the air so you can breath it and not seeing the mountains that are 15 miles away doesn’t do it for ya? You’re in luck! Bakersfield (or to locals, pronounced: Baah-kers-feld) has a lively and exciting night life. I give you: Buck Owens Crystal Palace- the #1 country night club in America*. Get drunk and go cow tipping- just like the locals!

Ok, I kid (somewhat). Bakersfield actually has some interesting things to see right outside the city- mostly geologic/nature type stuff. Beautiful stuff if that is your thing. We do have a really cool museum called Pioneer Village where all the original homes/stores/etc from the town were moved and preserved. Really neat to see. And, apparently (I saw this on TV) we have a really great antiquing market. I don’t antique, but if you do- come visit!

We also have lots of grapes…lots. And this sign, which the city argued over for 5 years.

*It was presented on TV a while ago, hell if I remember.

48

Ann Arbor, MI

I suppose you must go to Zingerman’s, which I’ve always considered a bit overrated as far as delis go, but which people make quite a fuss over.

You should probably browse some bookshops, as you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one. Borders was founded here but Ann Arbor loves its little eclectic bookstores, too. And stroll around downtown, we’ve got a healthy downtown and that’s something to celebrate.

Check out the U-M campus; some of it is pretty, some not, but it’s a landmark worth seeing. Dominates the way the wind blows in town, so to speak, and it’s a fairly prominent place nationally. The landscaping is nice, some of the academic buildings are gorgeous, and it has some outstanding museums. Don’t miss The Big House, Michigan stadium. A nice walk in the arboretum would be lovely in any season.

If you like antiques and other used, funky stuff, The Treasure Mart is a must-see. It’s a big warhouse located in a residential neighborhood, stuffed chock-a-block with items big and small sold on consignment.

There are plenty of nightlife options, but you might consider taking in a movie at the gorgeous restored Michigan Theater. They’ve still got the organ from the silent movie days, and an organist comes in and plays before each feature. They run a lot of documentary, independent, and foreign films.

49

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Since no one has done it yet, I’ll list a few things for Cincinnati. It’s not my city, but it’s nearby and I’m a frequent visitor.

*Go to Fountain Square and get a picture of yourself (or -selves) in front of the Tyler Davidson Fountain. My observation is that it’s the official backdrop for “we were here” photos.

*See one of the museums at Union Terminal, or if you don’t want to do that, at least go inside and check out the main rotunda area (or whatever it is called–kind of a big half dome). The parking lot is expensive; park for free on the side street next to it.

*Walk across Cincinnati’s landmark bridge, the Roebling Suspension Bridge. From the bridge on the Ohio side, walk east along the river to around the “Purple People Bridge,” where the riverfront is much nicer, with a couple parks.

*There are more museums, of course. If you go to the art museum, have a look around Eden Park in which it sits and Mt. Adams, an adjacent fashionable neighborhood.

*You can go to the top (the roof, I believe) of the tallest building, Carew Tower, for something like $2.

*See the views from some of the hills surrounding the downtown area. (This is one of my favorite things to do, as I especially enjoy urban “scenic views.”) Devou Park in Covington (KY) is provides the classic view. Also in Kentucky you can find nice views from hills in Newport and Bellevue. In Cincinnati, there are interesting overlooks at Mt. Echo Park, Eden Park, Cincinnati Christian University, some spots in Mt. Adams, and probably places north of downtown that I haven’t personally seen yet.

*See a Reds game if you like baseball. The cheap seats are only $5, I think.

*You absolutely MUST try the chili if you haven’t before. Skyline Chili is ubiquitous and is the place to go for the everyday experience. (4th and Sycamore if you’re downtown, but you’re out of luck at that one on a Sunday.) However, there are many independent places. I hear good things about Camp Washington Chili.

*On your way to or from the things in my OP (Dayton), be sure to see the Giant Jesus along the highway!

50

Chicago: drive/take the bus out to the Adler Planetarium and see the great view of the downtown skyline. (After that, the biggies are well-known: Field Museum, Art Institute, Museum of Science and Industry, Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, etc.)

51

A day isn’t much time to see a lot of Victoria, and impossible to take in any of Vancouver Island; however:

Butchart Gardens is a given–a tourist attraction for 101 years.

The Royal British Columbia Museum is one of the top museums in North America.

Craigdarroch Castle is a magnificent 19th-Century monument to excess.

The Victoria Creams at Roger’s Chocolates have been causing cavities for over 120 years.

A brisk round of golf at the Victoria Golf Club is always nice.

Or just walk along Dallas Road, and enjoy the sunset over the Olympic Mountains.

After dark, hit Chinatown for a late dim sum dinner.

52

Detroit - check out the tunnel that takes you to Windsor, Ontario. :smiley: