Dana

Where do you live, and what parts of the area do you think you possibly take for granted that others (tourists) love to gravitate to?

X

With NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center in town, Huntsville, Alabama is home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Space Camp, U.S. Space Academy, and Aviation Challenge. They have the full size Space Shuttle replica (initially used for wind tunnel testing) with all the external tanks. There is even a Blackbird sitting out front. Til her death, it was the home to Miss Baker, the little spider monkey used in one of the first rocket launches.

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum can't hold a candle to what we have a mile down the street.

X

Let me be more clear. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center was the home to Miss Baker - not the Blackbird.

ilisa

The Air and Space museum has the actual prototype shuttle used for landing tests, the Enterprise, and a Blackbird. They will be on display when the museum's extension at Dulles airport is complete. Anyway, back to the original question, I live in the DC area (and am a docent at Air and Space). I think I, and many others in the area, tend to get a bit jaded when it comes to all the treasures that DC has. For example, I am up on Capitol Hill all the time for work. As a result, I do not like to go there in my spare time, refuse to watch C-SPAN at home, etc. My husband is a White Hosue passholder and hates going downtown unless necessary (or I force him). Therefore, it is refreshing to see tourists who get so excited at seeing the House and Senate chambers, meeting their congressperson or strolling through the White House.

Lori

I agree with Ilisa that people tend to become jaded where they work or live each day and fail to see all of the treasures that are offered. I work in NYC and often forget the great parts, since I am usually rushing to and from the office to the train. But it is interesting to see the look in tourists eyes when they are in Times Square, or see the Empire State Building or the Met. I have taken out of town friends on 'grand tours' and have had fun myself. For instance, I had never been to the top of the World Trade Center, now I have been twice.

Jeanette

We in Chicagoland tend to take our great food supply for granted, especially our breads, pizza, meat, fish, cheese, vegtables, etc. Just a state in any direction and I am reminded how lucky we are to have such abundance in choices.

Owen O'Neill

I've been living in North Jersey just outside NYC for the last year and quite recently began commuting into Manhattan on a daily basis for work. I spend a great deal of time in the city enjoying the music, food and cultural activities available in NYC and simply haven't been here for long enough to begin taking anything for granted. Living in congested North Jersey has, however, prompted me to reassess my hometown of Syrause NY, from which I relocated. What did I take for granted there? Down to earth, genuinely friendly and polite people, an absence of traffic problems, low housing costs, good drinking water, excellent air quality and easy access to pristine rural areas. I still love it here and career opportunities will keep me here for the foreseeable future but there's nothing like leaving home to increase one's appreciation for its best qualities.

Ileana

MIAMI and the beaches.

One of the destinations many people, especially from Germany come to. I don't go to the beach in Miami but once every couple months. The climate: I hate the humidity and am always complaining. the HEAT year round (except sometimes in Nov and Dec)--i'm always complaining about that too..The PEOPLE...the ones we have getting here from 1980 to the present have just made this place a dump.

oh well...

Rudy

Baltimore can boast of Cal Ripken of the Orioles. We've had season tickets for many years, and are so used to seeing him on the field, off the field, in restaurants, etc., that he is "just one of us." He's a curiosity to visitors, and a must-see at Camden Yards for out of towners. Tourists to the area have been overheard saying things like, "Oh my God, I saw Cal Ripken in the flesh!"

Recently I've begun to think about how we see this baseball legend all the time, how he has become a fixture in our lives, and how we will all feel a collective loss when he no longer plays for the Orioles.

Marlena

Live in: NYC.

What I take for granted: Great museums. Haven't set foot in one in years. I only do that when I'm on vacation in another great city. Go figure.

Carol

We moved to the Charleston, SC area 5 years ago and I'm still in AWE of the many things to do...great restaurants, tourist attractions, wonderful ambiance, polite people, decent beaches, etc., etc...

I guess my post is just to say I still haven't wearied of anything about this place!

Bonnie

I live in Raleigh, NC, and take for granted, the spacious, tree-lined neighborhoods, the friendly people, the close proximity of wonderful beaches, mountains, and the wondrous Southern food!

CMcDaniel

I grew up in the Berkshires and was totally oblivious to it's beauty. Tanglewood--went a couple of times growing up, and of course yearn to go now. Leaves changing meant only two things...that there was yard work to be done now, but also that ski season was right around the corner.

Lived in Savannah for 4 years as an adult, but like Carol in Charleston (above note), appreciated everything we had--breathtaking spring, a gorgeous historic district, friendly people, beaches and a darned nice climate. I was somewhat amazed that there were still letters to the editor regarding the War of Northern Aggression, however.

Now, living in FL I myself resent our current war of northern aggression! gt; Appreciate the water and outdoor lifestyle. Take for granted the perfect winter climate and gripe too much about the summer. Living right on the coast I take the beautiful shore birds for granted...great blue herons, white herons, roseate spoonbills, woodstorks...can walk right past one now with hardly a glance. Not right, I know. That's tomorrow's Tanglewood.

Anabelle

Berkshires? It's STUNNING out there. I also live in Florida and we are always so flat and green. UGH

CMcDaniel

Annabelle, You are so right, and I realize that now. But growing up we vacationed for 3 weeks each year in northern Vermont...so when we got back to the Berkshires, it was "Oooh ugh, so flat". I didn't know "flat"! gt; It's all relative.

Junior year in high school I went to Boca Raton with a friend and her family for spring break. That was my first (!)trip out of New England and honestly, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, aka FL. It was wonderful...palm trees not maples, birches and spruce; beautiful beaches and ocean, not mountains; humid warmth (March...it was still pretty nice), and blooming hibiscus where we'd left patches of snow and brown leafless trees. I wondered if I'd ever get back to utopia even to visit...let alone live! gt;

One of my husband's and my biggest regrets is that we didn't hang onto my parents pretty old colonial house after Mom passed away 4 years ago. Big mistake.

Howard

Hello

I live in DC and one thing I take for gratned is the FREE museums. That means I can go for just a short amount of time - maybe just to see one exhibit, and not feel like I wasted money. When I visit museums in other cities, I am at first taken aback at the prices they charge, but then quickly remember that they are either 1) not subsidized by the Federal govt. or 2) not competing with museums that are subsidized.

Howard

Dr. Spoilsport

Gosh, with America as one giant strip mall connecting each city to another on our concrete riverbeds called highways, I guess I take for granted EVERY city.

Every strip mall has its manditory:
Applebees
McDonalds
Taco Bell
Tanning Salon
Laundromat
$6 Haircut "Salon"
Ben & Jerry's or TCBY
Pizza Hut
7-11 with Gas Station

The list goes on. And repeats every mile till we see the "Now entering..." city sign.

Gosh, then I can talk about the downtown "revivals" of every city with their own local flavor to draw in spenders... er, tourists. Gives me local pride in my town to have a Hard Rock, or a Godiva outlet. Let's tear down that historic building for another Revco.

Kisses and hugs!

Natalie

Definitely the winter weather. I'm in West Palm Bch, FL and it has been absolutely beautiful out the last few wks. No humidity,80 degrees and sunny. I went to the beach today and I couldn't picture it being any better.

Nano

In Maine, a lobster is just a lobster and you can get mighty sick of them.

Auca

I live in Helsinki, Finland. What I take for granted:
fresh air,
a relaxed lifestyle,
unspoilt nature 20 minutes from the city centre,
clean water on the sea beaches and in the many little lakes,
sea kayaking after work in the summer,
skiing to the office in the winter,
fresh fish bought at the port directly from the fishermen,
a good sauna in the evening,
the silence of the forests,
a high-calibre but affordable cultural programme,
safety in the streets even at night