Bald eagles flying through a double rainbow - Boundary Waters Wilderness Area
A pride of 13 lions dozing in the sand, 30 feet from the truck we were having breakfast in - Tanzania
A lightning storm over Iowa. About 20 of us stood outside and watched the lightning flash across the sky.
A monkey in my backyard, in Minnesota. It had escaped the local zoo.
My SO blowing bubbles to my 2 year old godson. They both look so incredibly happy.
Oh trust me, I’m not going anywhere near the place. Nothing good ever happens there.
But you have to admit- the misty redwood forests crisscrossed with bridges over huge gorges, the stars and bonfires on the beaches, watching the sun rise over the entire span of the bay from SC to Monterey, the empty boardwalk during a foggy winter, the fire trails at UCSC on a windy full moon night, those yellow flowers that bloom from everything in summer…it’s a beautiful place.
1: Yellowstone Canyon. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, go. Everyone should visit at least once in their lives, and for my money, the canyon is the most beautiful part. It’s admittedly smaller than the Grand Canyon, but far more visually impressive.
2: The Peekskill Meteor. It was an extremely bright meteor, a clear bright green in color, that moved slowly across the sky and was seen by folks all over the eastern US. I’ve since also seen it up close, in a museum, which is cool in its own way.
3: The Aurora Borealis. I’ve seen it about a dozen times, and it’s different each time. The first time I saw it, the whole sky was changing colors, with “windshield wiper” lines of white light sweeping across the sky. The second time, it was green amoebas oozing through the sky. I’ve also seen what looked like faerie castles on the horizon, and curtains of light like you see in photographs, and other effects.
4: Full-sky sunsets. Anyone can see an impressive sunset by looking west, but every few years, I see one looking out my east-facing windows. The whole sky is just dappled with orange and purple.
5: Comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, though I imagine that everyone has seen those. Either one was a once-in-a-lifetime comet, and they came only a year apart.
More later, perhaps.
'splain.
- The Green Flash at Great Sand Dunes National Monument.
- Sunset at Sleeping Bear Dunes.
- Tornadoes at less than a mile away.
- waking up to The World’s Most Adorable Dog who has been patiently waiting, tongue-length away.
- A mountain lion, in the wild.
- 20 waterfalls cascading down otherwise dry cliffsides.
- Sitting, single file, at night, under an arch while rain falls in torrents on both sides of us.
- 400,000 Sand Hill Cranes in the air, at once.
- A Bald Eagle nailing a fish, 40’ from my raft.
- An intact pot and sandal sitting right where someone left them 700 years ago.
Probably sounds provincial, as I"m an American
Grand Canyon
Yosemite and Grand Tetons
Mesa Verde
Glacier National Park
Banff
New York City
London
Octoberfest
Luxembourg City
Lincoln Memorial
I’ve seen live tigers before, obviously, but in places like circuses and zoos where they were at a safe distance. But they look a lot different when they’re in the same room as you. You realize how friggin huge a tiger is.
Er, no, I didn’t mean for you to explain what is noteworthy about a live tiger being in the same fricking room with you. I meant, what were the circumstances under which this event occurred? 
Struggling to come up with my own makes me realize I’m pretty light on worldly experience. But here goes (in no particular order):
-Notre Dame at night from a boat on the Seine
-The towers of the World Trade Center from the plaza below. (Not trying to be sappy–it’s just that they were SO tall; it was dizzying.)
-My first glimpse of New York City after emerging from Grand Central Terminal. It was like stepping into a movie (I’m from California).
-David Letterman bounding on stage 6 weeks after heart bypass surgery. I was in the front row.
-The Palace of Versailles
-The Tower Bridge in London
-A couple of Whose Line is it Anyway tapings. I’ve never laughed so hard for so long.
-Gare du Nord in Paris. I guess it’s really just a typical train station, but, like the New York experience, it was my first moment in France and I felt giddy as I took in this view.
-Mulholland Drive & Coldwater Canyon in L.A. Spent lots of time in college on long, introspective drives on these windy roads with great views.
-The Napa Valley when the sun’s low and everything’s in bloom.
My new born babies.
Seeing my grandson born.
Multnomah Falls, Oregon
The Botanical Gardens in Singapore
Snowfall, my first night in my first house.
The face of my high school sweetheart, 25 years later.
The night sky on Buck Horn Summit. No artificial light for miles = millions of stars
I’m not dead yet, so I’m saving the last three.
This is interesting. I grew up outside Portland, and visited Multnomah Falls countless times. It is, IMHO, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, but seeing it so much made it “normal” to me.
I mentioned a near-by waterfall, Lower Oneata Falls, because one has to hike through chest-deep water down a small canyon to see it, but still, Multnomah is more spectacular and picturesque.
- Sistine Chapel
- Big Sur
- morning vista outside of Santa Fe, NM
- snowstorm at Lake Tahoe, viewed from warm cabin with fireplace
- view of Paris rooftops at sunset from balcony
- Washington, DC, monuments at night
- Rocky Mountains covered in wildflowers
- snorkeling in Maui
- Manhattan at Christmas time
- Yosemite waterfalls
[ol]
[li]Eiffel Tower[/li][li]Westminster Abbey[/li][li]Notre Dame (Paris)[/li][li]2007 NFC Wildcard Game (Romo fumbles the snap - This clip probably best illustrates the energy)[/li][li]Glacier Bay, Alaska[/li][li]Elton John in Concert[/li][li]La Reve by Picasso[/li][li]Yellowstone National Park[/li][/ol]
I’ll just leave it at that. Only 26 so I’ve got time to add.
My son’s birth.
The Wilderness of Zin from Ben Gurion’s grave.
Sunrise from the peak of Jabl Mussa (“Mount Sinai”)
Times Square, NY.
The Hagia Sofia, Istanbul.
Piazza di San Marco, Venice at dusk.
Climbing Masada from the rear, after a very long march, to meet the dawn.
Shenandoah Valley, from the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Trevi Fountain at night.
A lunar eclipse from Ramon Crater.
…and I’m sorry to say:
The fall of Tower 1 from my office on 23rd and Broadway.