Metros in your state/province you've never been to

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by niwell

Was just listening to my copy the other night! Actually bought it on vinyl shortly after it was released - one of my all time faves.

The only metro over 100k in Ontario I haven't been to is Sarnia, interestingly enough. Though I've only really ever driven through Barrie. Going down to 50k I haven't been to North Bay or Cornwall. Thankfully I was able to visit and spend time all the major cities in towns in Northern Ontario (with the exception of North Bay) for work. Sudbury was actually my favourite, though it's far from the prettiest.

Me too!

Reddit's Indieheads did a Top 40 competition and announced the results last week, so I've been trying to listen to all 40 to see if there were any hidden gems I missed: https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/...ns_songs_2021/

My Top 10 are:

1. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
2. Chicago
3. Should Have Known Better
4. Impossible Soul
5. Fourth of July
6. Casimir Pulaski Day
7. The Only Thing
8. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
9. Visions of Gideon
10. No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by tdawg

I’ve lived in NYC for over 20 years and have never been to Buffalo or Rochester. Kind of sad, actually.

This is similar to someone who lives in / is from in Philadelphia, and never has been to Pittsburgh or Erie. It's very common in Pennsylvania.

[hipster duck]

The largest city I've never been to in Ontario is Thunder Bay. To be fair, it's 850 miles from my house - or roughly the same distance from Toronto as Columbia, SC.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

Me too!

Reddit's Indieheads did a Top 40 competition and announced the results last week, so I've been trying to listen to all 40 to see if there were any hidden gems I missed: https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/...ns_songs_2021/

My Top 10 are:

1. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
2. Chicago
3. Should Have Known Better
4. Impossible Soul
5. Fourth of July
6. Casimir Pulaski Day
7. The Only Thing
8. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
9. Visions of Gideon
10. No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross

I’ve been to almost every place name on that album - while I didn’t witness the Highland UFO i’m one person removed from an air force officer who did. it was near scott air force base in metro st. louis. its one of the best plainly documented (by civilians) unexplained aerial phenomenon events of all time. multiple police departments actually tailed the object.

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by TWAK

Oh lord...stuck in Lodi AGAIN!


Stockton has a cool little downtown and they have minor league sports teams (baseball and hockey) to watch.

I spent a few days in Stockton a couple years ago when my wife had some training she had to attend. The downtown area has a lot of potential and it does look as though some progress was made from what I remember of it back in the early 90’s when I stopped on my way to Sacramento.

My few days in Stockton a few years ago, I toured the north part of the city mostly. I guess because I went in with little expectation I was pleasantly surprised. Stockton feels like a much bigger city than it really is, it definitely feels larger in a sense than Fresno even though that city is larger and more spread out and probably have better looking neighborhoods. I think it’s the built environment that makes it feel larger, plus the downtown I believe is bigger than Fresno.

I do you believe Stockton has the potential to be a more interesting city than Fresno. It’s an older looking city but it also has a lot of decay that reminds you sort of like a rust belt or decaying northeastern city. I drove through some areas that was quite scary looking, and this is coming from someone who grew up in the Watts neighborhood of south central Los Angeles near the Jordan Downs projects.

I really liked the area around the Haggin Museum, and I would have liked to visit but it was close on the days I was in town. My son and I did get a chance to visit the park around the museum twice and we really enjoyed that. My wife and I ask enjoyed visiting local shops nearby. Unfortunately we were standing on the south end of town near the airport. It wasn’t run down but there really wasn’t anything in that area today I will head to the north side of town. Driving in the freeway through the city reminded me a lot of again like a rust belt city for north eastern city and had a big city feel to it. The city has a river running through the middle of it right into downtown. I think that’s one of it’s biggest assets, and it also has an inland port. The city has great potential should take advantage of that. There is also an inland port which is kind of weird being that this is a city that’s not on the coast.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

I spent a few days in Stockton a couple years ago when my wife had some training she had to attend. The downtown area has a lot of potential and it does look as though some progress was made from what I remember of it back in the early 90’s when I stopped on my way to Sacramento.

My few days in Stockton a few years ago, I toured the north part of the city mostly. I guess because I went in with little expectation I was pleasantly surprised. Stockton feels like a much bigger city than it really is, it definitely feels larger in a sense than Fresno even though that city is larger and more spread out and probably have better looking neighborhoods. I think it’s the built environment that makes it feel larger, plus the downtown I believe is bigger than Fresno.

I do you believe Stockton has the potential to be a more interesting city than Fresno. It’s an older looking city but it also has a lot of decay that reminds you sort of like a rust belt or decaying northeastern city. I drove through some areas that was quite scary looking, and this is coming from someone who grew up in the Watts neighborhood of south central Los Angeles near the Jordan Downs projects.

I really liked the area around the Haggin Museum, and I would have liked to visit but it was close on the days I was in town. My son and I did get a chance to visit the park around the museum twice and we really enjoyed that. My wife and I ask enjoyed visiting local shops nearby. Unfortunately we were standing on the south end of town near the airport. It wasn’t run down but there really wasn’t anything in that area today I will head to the north side of town. Driving in the freeway through the city reminded me a lot of again like a rust belt city for north eastern city and had a big city feel to it. The city has a river running through the middle of it right into downtown. I think that’s one of it’s biggest assets, and it also has an inland port. The city has great potential should take advantage of that. There is also an inland port which is kind of weird being that this is a city that’s not on the coast.

i’ve never visited Stockton but those inland/central valley California cities that ostensibly have ocean access are interesting. I remember stumbling across the little turning basin in downtown Petaluma once realizing thats tidal there.

[jd3189]

Of all the states I’ve lived in, I have traversed Florida the most. Still, there are places I haven’t visited here, such as Key West, Pensacola, Tallahassee, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, and Fort Myers/ Sarasota.

Damn, I guess I’m only familiar with South Florida and most places on the I-75/Turnpike and I-95 corridors plus Tampa.

For New York State, I have yet to really explore upstate. Southern Long Island and the Boroughs had been my limits and even when I drove to Montreal, I didn’t stop anywhere on the way.

For Georgia, haven’t been to Savannah yet. TN, haven’t been to Nashville.

For California, I have been to most places in SoCal except for Santa Barbara, Coachella, and Malibu. Aside from SF, SJ, and Santa Cruz areas, I haven’t been to any of the cities in NorCal.

[memph]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

Isn't Leamington the most Mexican town in Ontario? That one seems unique. I'd visit Windsor if only for the Detroit skyline views as well.

I think it has to do with the big greenhouse industry there. But is being 5% Mexican really a reason to visit a city? Point Pelee/Pelee Island could be cool to check out one day though, with a stop in Leamington along the way.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

You've never been stuck in Lodi?

I've driven through Stockton numerous times on my way to/from Sacramento. I am sure there are a lot of great people there but there does not seem to be any reason to stop there.

Originally Posted by TWAK

Oh lord...stuck in Lodi AGAIN!

Stockton has a cool little downtown and they have minor league sports teams (baseball and hockey) to watch.

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

I spent a few days in Stockton a couple years ago when my wife had some training she had to attend. The downtown area has a lot of potential and it does look as though some progress was made from what I remember of it back in the early 90’s when I stopped on my way to Sacramento.

My few days in Stockton a few years ago, I toured the north part of the city mostly. I guess because I went in with little expectation I was pleasantly surprised. Stockton feels like a much bigger city than it really is, it definitely feels larger in a sense than Fresno even though that city is larger and more spread out and probably have better looking neighborhoods. I think it’s the built environment that makes it feel larger, plus the downtown I believe is bigger than Fresno.

I do you believe Stockton has the potential to be a more interesting city than Fresno. It’s an older looking city but it also has a lot of decay that reminds you sort of like a rust belt or decaying northeastern city. I drove through some areas that was quite scary looking, and this is coming from someone who grew up in the Watts neighborhood of south central Los Angeles near the Jordan Downs projects.

I really liked the area around the Haggin Museum, and I would have liked to visit but it was close on the days I was in town. My son and I did get a chance to visit the park around the museum twice and we really enjoyed that. My wife and I ask enjoyed visiting local shops nearby. Unfortunately we were standing on the south end of town near the airport. It wasn’t run down but there really wasn’t anything in that area today I will head to the north side of town. Driving in the freeway through the city reminded me a lot of again like a rust belt city for north eastern city and had a big city feel to it. The city has a river running through the middle of it right into downtown. I think that’s one of it’s biggest assets, and it also has an inland port. The city has great potential should take advantage of that. There is also an inland port which is kind of weird being that this is a city that’s not on the coast.

Stockton was once California's third most populous city. It boomed early for the same reason as San Francisco and Sacramento did--it was easily accessible to ocean-going vessels when the gold rush blew up in 1849. In fact, according to wikipedia, by 1870 Stockton was more than 10% Chinese, most of them working in the port and on the railroads. If Stockton feels biggish, it's because it's old and the center city was built in a traditionally urban way.

Today they have cleaned up the waterfront and it's actually really nice, with a new-ish arena and several restored historic mid-rise buildings nearby. The University of the Pacific campus is nice. And proximity means that Stockton residents can commute to their Bay Area jobs by train, via the Amtrak California-San Joaquin and Altamont Commuter Express commuter railroads. Stockton has its problems, but it's also got its pluses. It's worth a quick diversion from the freeway if you've got the time.

Aerial:

source

A few interesting buildings, from wikimedia:

[badrunner]

Some of the CV cities can be pretty nice. Heck, even Bakersfield has its charms. But the CV has the worst weather in the state - hot and humid with awful air quality. Even the high desert cities in SoCal have nicer weather.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Sudbury was way better than I expected it to be. So much so that we went back for a second trip (ok, my wife grew up there, but pretty much everyone that she knows and all her family have moved away).

The un-official capital of Northern ON!
It's actually fairly well serviced and is somehwat busier then you would expect given it's relatively small size..I guess it's because it's Costco is ALL of North Eastern Ontario's Costco.

[Dariusb]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Hehe that song goes through my head whenever I think of "Lodi" too.



Oh mah gah I don't know if you get the same feeling, but I find driving through Stockton a little frustrating; it's not THAT big of a city, but traffic seems to slow down big time going through Stockton, both on the 5 and the 99; people drive so slow through there and of course the traffic speeds up again once you get out of town.

I've heard that a lot of people in Stockton commute to either the Bay Area or Sacramento. Maybe that's the reason.

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by badrunner

Some of the CV cities can be pretty nice. Heck, even Bakersfield has its charms. But the CV has the worst weather in the state - hot and humid with awful air quality. Even the high desert cities in SoCal have nicer weather.

I’m originally from LA, but relocated to Fresno from Chicago and lived there for five years. The summers are bad, but I would take it over Las Vegas, or Phoenix heat any day. July can get nasty, but August is usually when the high temperatures are at least 100 degrees every day, and usually don’t go any higher than 105. Most nights it does cool off enough to turn the a/c off and just open your window.

Winters are more on the chilly side, much colder and a lot of gloomy weather. It does not rain as much is Los Angeles, but because of the fog the ground is always wet and it always has a very damp feeling specially December and January. Sometime in January she didn’t see the sun at all in the daytime looks like it’s night. Although I hear the fog is not as bad as it used to be due to the urban growth. Autumn and spring isn’t bad at all, usually very comfortable.

I had a friend from the east coast that would visit me often. It thoughts about Fresno was, it’s not a bad city. He also said it would be considered quite nice place in another region had it not been in California where it is overshadowed by the coastal cities. I have always made comments in the Boise photos threads that Fresno looks like it’s sister city, just they have a better looking downtown and Fresno could have the same.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Dariusb

I've heard that a lot of people in Stockton commute to either the Bay Area or Sacramento. Maybe that's the reason.

Stockton has two commuter railroads to the Bay Area and one commuter railroad to Sacramento, but yeah--a lot of people long haul commute from Stockton to both areas by car.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by pj3000

This is similar to someone who lives in / is from in Philadelphia, and never has been to Pittsburgh or Erie. It's very common in Pennsylvania.

When I lived in New York; I had only been to NYC once as a kid, Rochester a few times also as a kid and never to Buffalo. I've seen more of NY since I moved away. When I lived in NY, only went to Erie, as a kid, but since visited pretty much all of PA's big and medium sized towns since I've been in TX.

[mville1]

Originally Posted by pj3000

In PA, the most common metro PA residents haven’t been to is very likely Erie, given its location in the NW corner. For me, have never been to Lancaster-York area

Guilty as charged! Never been to Erie. It is on my hit list of places to visit though. One of these summers, I have to take a weekend trip up and check out the city, maybe take in a SeaWolves game and enjoy Presque Isle State Park. I have not visited Johnstown either, but other than those two I have been to all of Pennsylvania's other MSAs.

[LA21st]

For Virginia, never went to Roanoke.
For Illinois, almost all the mid sized cities except Champaign .
For California, anything in Central Valley and Sacramento.

[north 42]

I have never been to Kingston, Brockville, Belleville, Peterborough or Timmins in Ontario.

[Centropolis]

i travel a lot regionally for work and used to travel the midwest a lot. the closest msa i can think of to st. louis that i’ve not really spent any time in is the quad cities. after that probably wichita and/or a small wisconsin MSA like la crosse for a small msa that i don't think i've ever actually been to. i think i have missouri and illinois basically covered. i have a lot of coverage in kansas/nebraska from living in kc and used to take backroads between denver and kc. i’ve always had a fascination with the high plains.

decent coverage in colorado but i dont think ive been to telluride or pagosa springs in the sw quadrant. i’ve only not been in really far northern california like humboldt county. eureka to crescent city over to shasta (ive seen shasta from oregon) - i would have california basically covered if fires in 2019 hadnt shut down work there for me. i traveled a lot on weekends.

[Centropolis]

grand rapids is really the only small city left thats on my radar in the midwest. perhaps the upper peninsula for rural areas. the final frontier of the midwest.

the only other area is the midwestern/appalachian-interface in eastern and southern ohio beyond cincy where I have reason to return in 2021 and pick up where i left off.