52 Places to Go in 2015

I enjoyed reading this week’s special travel section in the New York Times: 52 Places to go in 2015. "Untrammeled oases beckon, once-avoided destinations become must-sees and familiar cities offer new reasons to visit.” Despite the author’s predilection for hyphenated words, I scanned the list and read the descriptions of places that interested me because they were among my favorites or had just come up in conversation or would have made my never-to-go there list.

As in previous years, the list was compiled by soliciting travel writers’ opinions and then debated and narrowed down by the Times staff. One of the main criteria is a change or event particular to the upcoming year which makes the destination more interesting. So Milan topped the list as host for the 2015 World Expo, followed by Cuba, for obvious reasons. The same logic applied for Tulsa (Yes, Tulsa, OK) because of the opening of several new art museums in the downtown Art Deco district including an Experience Route 66 interpretive center. I'm pretty sure we won't be traveling to Oklahoma to see a new art museum, but it does raise the question of museums in your own backyard. When was the last time we visited MOMA?  I’m assuming Schenectady, my old hometown, didn’t make the list because its year will be 2016 with the opening of the Rivers Casino and the continued improvement to the downtown area.

Gary, who had begun formulating his own Rust Belt driving tour including Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit, was pleased to see Cleveland on the list (# 21) because of the LeBron James effect and some new restaurants. See it before the 2016 Republican Convention descends. I’ve already been to Cleveland, with the highlight the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a pizza place that a homeless man swore was the best pizza in the US. Antarctica, another of Gary’s favorite new places, did not make the list, presumably because shrinking glaciers are not that much of a change since last year.

On the National Park front, Yellowstone made the list because of $70 million redesign of the Canyons Lodge and Cabins and new sustainably built lodges along the river as well as new paths linking the village to the North Rim Drive. The bigger the pricetag, it seems, the more likely to make the list.

Two US ski resorts were included: Taos, NM, renovated with new owner’s hedgefund money, yet still retaining its alpine charm and Steamboat Springs, CO at 100 years old—the oldest continually operating ski resort.

Close to home, we have the gentrifying Catskills (Williamsburg in the mountains); Philadelphia (riverfront and bike share), and Lower Manhattan (9-11 Museum), which I could see making the K list.

European spots are always interesting. Old standbys of Rome and Paris cozied up next to surprising choices such as industrial Manchester, England, and out of the way spots in Portugal and Spain. Greenland is in; Iceland not so much.

Then my favorite category-international destinations to impress your well traveled friends:

Medellin, Columbia -- Not just a drug capital anymore.

Elqui Valley, Chile --Stargazing now before the inevitable light pollution intrudes.

Faroe Islands -- Admit it. You don’t know where they are, do you? A quick plane ride from Copenhagen for foodies only—fresh fish and local cheese.

Baku, Azerbaijan -- oil rich historic Caspian Sea city with modern architecture and luxury hotels including a Trump International Hotel. I believe my brother visited there on business 25 years ago in dicier times.

Kas, Turkey -- #52 on the list as an alternative to the still expensive Greek islands.

We had brunch today with my trendsetting son and his girlfriend who just returned from Durban, South Africa (#7) and Zimbabwe (#14), already getting a jump on the 2015 list.

So many places, so little time. I don’t think anyone other than travel writers will have 52 destinations this year, but looking forward to some interesting trips!