College campuses. They almost always make me think that’s what utopia would be like.
Usually campuses are the only places rationally designed to be highly accessible to people. So they can be walked. You can go from place A to place B on foot, usually under shade, either from a canopy, tree sided paths, or human scale adequately proportioned buildings. They also tend to consider and include amenities like parks, snack and drink stands, on the way. And also several cool third places like libraries, auditoriums, study halls, athleticism stadiums and cafeterias. Places where you can exist and occupy without having to consume. Finally, they usually confine cars to parking lots and prohibit their traffic inside the campus, making it a quieter and clean air space.
My point is, college campuses are sometimes literally how humans are the happiest to live.
Add: also consider how sometimes luxury resorts resemble the layouts and characteristics of college campuses. Self contained spaces where you can go everywhere and engage in all activities without having to sit on a car.
yeah that’s really true
I really like airports. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it probably has to do with the complex design and (hopefully) focus on a good traveler experience. Good airports have to have an easy-to-follow layout, but the amount of things to be discovered in an airport is also oftenvast and plentiful. I also just really love the architecture and interior design of my local airport.
Salt marshes - they were everywhere where I grew up and they’re absolutely lovely to explore (as long as you use proper precautions).
This is a weird one, but grocery stores for cultures other than my own.
For one, there’s SO MUCH cool shit and delicious foods I never even knew existed. I think the biggest factor though is it’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to actually traveling. Can’t afford the real thing.
While I also love their restaurants and cultural events, there’s something about being served or attempting to showcase major cultural highlights in some event that kills the authenticity of the experience.
In their grocery stores, I’m surrounded by that same culture, but none of it’s about me: the other shoppers don’t give a fuck about me, the staff only interact at the checkout… and other than that it’s just me and a can of… some kind of sauce? I can’t read it… but some elderly Asian woman just grabbed two of them and the rest of her cart is filled with what will undeniably become an amazing meal… fuck it, I’ll give it shot!
The drinks and junk food too are also usually a safe option to find something both very different from what I’m used to and very tasty.
Definitely spent more than a few bucks on things that weren’t… eh… compatible with my palette, but finding out is part of the experience.
Idk. Weird thing to get excited about, but it’s a good time.
There’s an Asian Market near me (literally called that) and it’s always fun to explore and see what new thing we can find to try! Lots of snacks, lots of ramen, lots of spices!
Anywhere that’s free of light pollution.
I just wanna look at the stars dammitStaying a few nights in Big Bend National park was amazing. I’ve never felt so close to the Milky Way.
Love about everything outdoors around here, but the swamps are special. There’s one right down the street where I kayak. Teeming with life! Bugs are no issue once you get a few feet from shore. The dragonflies do not allow anything alive over the waterline.
If you really drill towards the back, there’s a monster rookery of some kind. Great Ibises I think? Hoping to spy a gator some day. There almost has to be one in there given the size of the area and food supply. Tried looking for eyeballs one night, nada.
Anyway, it’s peaceful. My wife and I have tied our kayaks together and just floated in the night.
Space!
A spaceship is the ultimate symbol of freedom!
I feel like spaceship freedom is the SciFi embodiment of American “freedom of the open road” propaganda.
For me it’s the idea of a self sufficient spaceship so I don’t have to go to anyone for anything. Zero needy!
That I can get behind. I’d love to build a windmill over my house and store extra energy as hydrogen or springs. I don’t have to be cost effective of I’m not participating in the economy.
Yeah, but being stuck to a patch of land means you can’t warp away when the pirates come.
That’s what the excess hydrogen canisters are for.
I love the beach, probably because I grew up here. It’s the division between land and water. In the daytime it’s relaxing and hot. Everyone is nearly naked no matter their shape. Once when I was a teenager we went at night when the phosphorescent algae were in the water and it was so magical, you could wave your hand through the water and a trail of light would follow it.
Love sleeping above a dance club, too, or when a neighbor is having a party. The thumpy muted music coming from below in particular I just find so relaxing and sort of trippy, I love the sleep I get in those conditions.
Empty places where you can see the horizon but there is no evidence of humanity. It makes me feel the vastness of time, or like I’m outside of time in a way. Its hard to describe but I find it peaceful and it makes me appreciate being alive.
Canadian forest.
My ideal way of life would be a stone & log cabin in a secluded area of forest with a small stream or lake in view of the windows. Give me a cozy fireplace crackling as i sit at my PC/in front of TV sipping scotch and looking out into nature. A nice firepit outside to grill steak and enjoy a beer or mulled wine, and some quiet days with a fishing line in the water, dont even care if i catch a single thing for the day.
Sand dunes and beaches of the outer banks in NC/SC US. The sights, sounds, and smells are amazing.
Trees. Love me some dense forests, shaded paths, little bits of creeks, but it’s all down to the trees for me. I am lucky enough to own my home and it won not because the house was perfect but because of the five mature oak trees in the backyard.
I love liminal spaces so much. Not the cg nonsense ones with the weird pools or endless test cell rooms but real ones. Hallways that fell crammed into buildings, like they build the rooms before realizing they need to be accessible. Rooms that have been converted into other rooms but will have the remnants of it’s original use, like a stairway turned closet that still has the stairs as woefully inefficient shelves. Bedrooms that still have piping for the kitchen appliances that used to be there. Legal offices turned into studio apartments.
I love things like this.
Bed. Sleeping is the best.
Maybe bizarre. My happy place is a new brewery taproom.
Visiting some different places. Experiencing what other beer fanatics have set up as their special place. Tasting what they’ve been able to put together. Looking for that “diamond in the rough”. Tasting a beer from a small spot that’s great or even better than some of the best.
I’ve been to several hundred around the U.S. and 7 countries. It’s a fun and tasty hobby.
I second that. I travel a lot for work, sometimes a bit obscure places (as in not touristic destinations), and I always try to find the odd tap room or micro brewery. It’s often hit or miss, but stumbling upon the rare gem every once in a while always feels really good. Bonus points if the head brewer is there and it’s a slow day so they have time to chat beer and brewing. And even in the well known areas, it’s fun to sift through the touristy hipster “more-show-than-anything” places to finally arrive at one which has said vibe. Had a week in Portland, OR, and visited about a dozen or so places, and from the over marketed polished hip joint with mediocre beer to the “here’s a bar and some stools thrown into the brewery hall” with absolutely stunning brews it had everything.
Nice
