The Fourth of July Parade and the free candy tossed from the antique vehicles. In a town that small, the entire population was either in the parade or watching it.
This, especially #1. There are nearly no sidewalks where I live, and where I work.
The ocean. I miss being able to go for walks on the beach or on the rocks. There’s a nice big lake where I am now, but it’s just not the same.
Brooklyn: Pizza and Chinese food. Both of them the vaguely dirty kind that are just amazing.
Also, sidewalks.
San Diego: Black’s Beach.
Between 1972 and 2005 my wife and I spent hundreds* of weekends there, usually with two other couples. It’s the only thing I truly miss about SD.
- Yes, literally hundreds.
Forget her. She would probably just have given you the crabs.
I grew up in Maryland. I miss:
- ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity
- seafood
- having 80% of Civil War battlefields within a two-hour drive of my house
- The Smithsonian Institution
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards
OK, this is odd but pinchingbugs, as we called them in West Michigan. The Lansing area doesn’t have them. I hated them but I haven’t seen one in years.
would have been worth it
I grew up in the Mt. Vernon area of Fairfax County, just south of Alexandria, VA. I live about 45 minutes away in Calvert County, MD.
The neighborhood I grew up in had abundant woods with streams running through them that my friends and I spent hours in after school, on weekends, and during summer vacations. I’m now in a house with abundant woods in back, and a stream running through it. My son loves those woods, and I love hanging out with him there.
The main thing I miss, for my son more than me, is that when I was growing up there, there were a whole bunch of kids near my age, just on my street. In my neighborhood now, there are a fair number of kids of elementary school age, but they’re scattered across the neighborhood, and none of them are within a few houses of us, which is still about as far as my son, who is in first grade, will venture on his own.
Other than that, I’ve got all the good stuff from when I was growing up.
Yeah, I’d miss Black’s Beach if I’d spent any time there in the first place. 
Let’s see: 200 weekends there over 33 years would be 6 weekends per summer…and San Diego doesn’t exactly have short summers.
I don’t think anyone’s gonna find that hard to believe!
What if you were born in a different place than you were raised?
Anyway, I grew up on Lake Huron. I miss the lake. Little lake beaches or river beaches don’t even come close.
I grew up in New England. Things I miss that I can’t find here:
- good seafood
- snow
- those hot dog buns that are split along the top
Wings, with celery and blue cheese dressing at Duff’s. Sold by the “order”, 10, 20, 30 etc.
I’m from central Ohio and live in Los Angeles now.
The couple of things I would say I miss…
- Having my family near by. Mitigated a little by my brother moving to within 2 hours of me.
- The night sky. I used to sneak out at night to lay down on the lawn and watch the stars.
Oh yeah, those buns are the proper vehicle for a lobster roll. Around here they’re making them with pretzel rolls. WTF.
I’m back to where I grew up now, but when I was living in Montana, I missed fireflies and fall foliage.
My parents, hands down. I don’t really missed any thing else from Southern California.
From Appalachian Ohio and live in LA
I miss the space. I grew up on a lot of land. Woods, creeks, so much quiet and space and stillness and beauty.
The incredible cost of living here just makes space a premium, and the sort of greenery I grew up with is just not possible.
I was born and raised in different places and since I have almost no memories of where I was born, I’ll answer the question in terms of Los Alamos New Mexico where I was raised.
Easily accessible wilderness, daily thunderstorms in the summer, and cuisine that makes extensive use of green chile.
I also have a bit of nostalgia for the small town atmosphere when I go back to visit, but if I’m honest with myself I must admit that, long term I actually prefer the anonymity that comes with city life.
Born and raised in New Orleans. Never left.