re: What’s the OT’s favorite vacation town in the continental US

Well there are two totally different categories, imo. There are cities that people go to for vacations and then resort towns or towns that were very popular and kind of organically became resort towns.

Cities people go to for vacations: NYC, Los Angeles, DC, the Bay Area, and Boston . Maybe Chicago. You have New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Miami, the first two which derive almost of their fame and value from tourism. These are much more visited than larger cities like Dallas, Houston, Philly, and Atlanta.

Then there are the smaller cities that have huge tourism industries like Nashville, Charleston, Austin, and Portland (which has likely been hurt by the 2020 protests).

I’ve been to almost of them and based on where you’ve been, I would recommend LA or DC in any season, Chicago in the summer/late spring, and Miami in the fall or winter.

Then you have the resort towns. I have been to fewer of these and the ones to visit are based much more on your preference. Do you like the beach? The mountains? Wine? Different architecture? Spiritual stuff?

I would say that California has a ton to offer there: Napa/Sonoma, Lake Tahoe, towns like Monterrey, Carmel by the Sea, even Solvang, and the nature of Yosemite.

Other places that I haven’t been to but I know are well-liked would include Sedona, Santa Fe, Jackson Hole (especially if you are an advanced skier).

I’ve been to Cape Cod and it’s cool but nothing jaw-dropping, although if you go to Boston, you can extend your trip there. Same with the Hamptons and NYC. Didn’t care for the Hamptons (I guess I didn’t have access to the most upscale parties ).

Also never been to Key West or any of the islands of Hawaii and would like to go one day.