Oh The Places I’d Go!

I started day dreaming today about the places that I’d like to go and see. There are a bunch of them. Some go together, some stand alone. But they all have appeal.

Step one for almost all of these destinations is my passport. Which is on my real life list of things to do. Not just a day dream list.

1) Paris.

I am lucky enough to have been to Paris once on a class trip. I was 16 and we hit Paris, Nice, Florence and Rome in a 10 day trip. It was gorgeous, I loved it. But looking back it was too much in too short a time.

I love the idea of going back. I want to sip coffee and smoke cigarettes in the morning on outdoor patios while people walk by. I want to drink wine and eat cheese and baguettes for lunch and dinner. I’d love to revisit the cathedrals and see the art. I want to sit on a bridge and write (because I can’t paint) and share the beauty.

When I was 16 I didn’t appreciate everything that I was seeing. I know that now. That’s just the way it is. But now, as an adult, I long for another chance.

2) New York, Boston, St. Louis, Chicago.

I would love to take a baseball game road trip. I love baseball, that’s no secret. And I would love to watch baseball games in some of the best parks and cities in the world.

New York remains on the list even though the Yankees now play in New Yankee Stadium. It may not have the history and the ghosts that the old buildings had, but it is still the home of the winningest team in Major League Baseball history. I’d love to sit in the right field bleachers and cheer against the home team!

Boston is on the list for no reason other than Fenway Park. That ballpark has history. The grand opening was pushed off of page 1 in the news papers because the Titanic went down. It has the legendary Green Monster in left field and Pesky Pole in the right field corner. And the fans are passionate and fun loving and sing Sweet Caroline every game during the 7th inning stretch.

St. Louis is a baseball city. Pure and simple. They pack the park for day games and night games. Any day of the week. They have the best player on the planet, Albert Pujols, playing first base. And they have supported big league baseball since the late 1800’s. I long to be part of that kind of environment for the love of baseball. Not media coverage or ball park history or anything else.

However, digging into some St. Louis bbq would be amazing since I’d be there already.

Chicago is the 4th and final city on my wish list. I want to go and see the Cubs. I want to be a bleacher bum. I want to see an afternoon baseball game in the last park to host a night game. I want to be there and cheer on a team that hasn’t won a championship in over 100 years.

I also want to go to Chicago with Caitlin as my tour guide. Her dad grew up there and she used to go and visit her grandma when she was little. I would love to take her back to see the city and everything that it has to offer. And if she wants to see a Cubs game with me, awesome.

3) Vancouver.

Vancouver is the first of 2 Canadian cities on my list. I’ve never been to western Canada. I think that’s something I would like to remedy. I want to see in person the sights I was shown on TV during the 2010 Winter Olympics. I want to soak in the multicultural environment that I’ve always heard about. Vancouver just seems like the kind of place that’s worth visiting in this great country I call home.

4) Montreal.

Montreal makes the list for a lot of reasons. The first is that it’s easier to get to than Paris. Second, Caitlin and I have already talked about it. Third, there is always so much going on in that city. Fourth, the Montreal Canadiens.

I would love to take Caitlin to Montreal and shop and eat and drink and be merry. We could walk through the city and use what little french we know to take in everything that the city has to offer. I know that she would love it. So would I.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see the Habs play at the Bell Centre. I love the bleu, blanc et rouge. This year’s play-off run has been amazing.

I was in the Bell Centre on a class trip in grade 8. We didn’t see a game, but we got the grand tour. I saw the banners hanging in the rafters. I saw the press room. I saw the Hockey Night in Canada set for Coach’s Corner. And I was in the dressing room. I was in awe. It was amazing. The pictures of our Hall of Famers above the lockers. The ghosts of Canadiens past filling the room. I long to be part of the crowd during a game. Cheering on Les Glorieux and singing (Ole… Ole, Ole, Ole) my lungs out.

So there it is. The top 4 trips on my vacation dream list.

I’ll send you a postcard.

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Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.