Spring on the Gulf Coast is a time that is hard to beat. When I say Gulf Coast, I mean the area that extends from the “ArkLaTex” to the Florida Panhandle. It is a grand time of the year although it always leaves me with a case of “itchy feet.”
My feet, figuratively speaking, have developed that old get-up-and-go-somewhere feeling even more this year since, literally speaking, my feet have held me back from doing much of anything.
At last report, my podiatrist said I should go through about two more weeks of taking it easy on my tootsies, or should I say tootsie. My hammertoe surgery was performed about three weeks ago and yesterday was the first time I could even remove my foot from bandaging and take a shower. It, the shower, was “mahhvelous,” as Billy Crystal would say while performing as Fernando Lamas on “Saturday Night Live.” The toe doesn’t look very well, but that is only because stitches were only removed from both top and bottom of the toe.
I have been pretty much cooped up recently, that is hopefully ending in another week. One might observe that by reading my previous blather. My Union’s steward training at the end of July is in Albuquerque. It will be nice to get out and get away, despite that our training tends to get rather lengthy. And after reading about the Albuquerque police and its brutal ways, I might just stay to myself in my hotel room after training.
All this said, I have some places I have wanted to visit for R & R but couldn’t for one reason or the other, mostly a lack of funds. With that in mind I began thinking of the various places I have been after listening to sports talk radio hosts who were making a listicle of their favorite “Sports Towns.” With that in mind I shall make my own listicles of favorite places I have been to help prod my sad and itchy feet into happy and (non-itchy?) feet. Some of these places I visited 35-to- 40 years ago so for sure they will have undergone change. But as with gifts, it — supposedly — is the thought that counts.
TOP FIVE FOREIGN CITIES
1. Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
2. Perth, Western Australia
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Taipei, Taiwan
5. Devonport, Tasmania, Australia
TOP FIVE MAJOR UNITED STATES CITIES (More than 1 million people)
1. San Antonio, Texas
2. San Diego, California
3. Los Angeles, California
4. Dallas, Texas
5. Houston, Texas
TOP FIVE LARGE U.S. CITIES (From 500,000 to 1,000,000 people)
1. Denver, Colorado
2. Austin, Texas
3. Washington, D.C.
4. El Paso, Texas
5. Fort Worth, Texas
TOP FIVE MEDIUM-LARGE U.S. CITIES (100,000 to 500,000 people)
1. New Orleans, La.
2. Gulfport- Biloxi, Miss.
3. St. Louis, Mo.
4. Little Rock, Ark.
5. Las Cruces, N.M.
THE REST OF THE BEST (Less than 100,000 people, for various reasons. U.S. and Territories.)
1. Nacogdoches, Texas
2. San Marcos, Texas
3. Hattiesburg, Miss.
4. Santa Barbara, Calif.
5. Estes Park, Colo.
6. Ruidoso N.M.
7. Lake Charles, La.
8. Mobile, Ala.
9. Stockbridge, Mass.
10. Albany, N.Y.
11. Milwaukee, Wisc.
12. Big Sur, Calif.
13. Agana, Guam
14. Surfside, Texas
15. Sabine Pass, Texas
16. Newton, Texas
17. Maydelle, Texas
18. Llano, Texas
19. Wimberley, Texas
20. Lajitas, Texas
*Just as larger cities are ranked more as sentimental favorites, places that I just like, and cool spots on the map, the 20 listed above are not ranked and are merely listed and enumerated.
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