I apologize for missing last week’s Saturday Night post. It completely slipped my mind that I had volunteered to do the Saturday evening posts. I was even going to go into the back room and ask who was supposed to post.

Turned out it was me.

Tonight’s post category comes from my travels. I have been lucky to have traveled extensively (although nowhere near as much as Dok) and there are some cities that stand out as being particularly interesting and fun to travel to. Thank you to all that have provided suggestions on previous posts and I will be incorporating those into future posts.

As I mentioned in the first post, the plan is for this to be an ongoing off-season series on Saturday nights in which I present to you my five favourite somethings and then you comment and tell me:

• How I’m wrong
• Your Top Five
• Suggestions for the next top five list

Without further ado, I present to you my Top Five Cities To Visit!

1 – Cancún

Not only is the setting gorgeous. Not only are there tons of options of where to stay. Not only is there awesome nightlife. You get all of this in our continent within a 6 hour flight of most places we live in.

The water is warm, the food is delicious, and your dollar (Canadian or otherwise) goes a long way. Even further if you choose an All-Inclusive hotel. Plus, most people speak English so you don’t need to learn Spanish.

Pros:

Gorgeous location on the Caribbean with multiple North American influences.

Great beaches and nightlife.

Very good value for money.

Cons:

The cultural stuff is far away and must be sought.

It is popular and you can get idiots on vacation with you.

2 – London

Until the whole Brexit thing, London was the gateway to Europe. The cheapest flights across the Atlantic have always been to London, no matter where in North America you are coming from.

There is a shitload of history there and lots of things to see. Over the course of the last twenty years, London has become really cosmopolitan and the things to see, do, and eat have greatly expanded and improved.

Also, they all speak English even though you may not quite understand it.

Pros:

Easy and cheap to get there.

Many things to see and an easy entry into Europe to explore further.

Cons:

The weather sucks.

It’s an expensive city.

3 – Vancouver

I went to BeerGuyRob’s home town back in 2015 when the Women’s World Cup was on and I caught some games at BC Place. I also managed to grab a drink with friend-of-DFO Trevor Risk (who has written episodes of Letterkenny) at a speakeasy near Chinatown.

I loved everything about this city.

We stayed at an Airbnb on False Creek, so we took the Aquabus many places, including to the games. We rode bikes in Stanley Park and walked through downtown Vancouver to eat and shop.

Vancouver is a wonderful place to visit with an amazing view, tons of activities to do, and very friendly people.

Pros:

Easy to get to and around due to excellent public transport

They speak English!

Very friendly people and lots of cool things to do

Cons:

Hotels are expensive.

4 – Paris

Have you ever been to Paris? If you have, you understand why it is on this list. This city has been the model for many cities throughout the world including México City, where I was born.

The experience is unlike any other. Paris is France. It is the center of the French world. If you want to understand the French and the French influence on the world, you need to go to this city.

It is not the easiest city to visit. It requires you to do your part to understand the locals both in language and custom. If you do, however, it will provide you a wonderful and rewarding experience.

Pros:

Unique place unlike anywhere else in the world

Many things to focus on and see.

The food is amazing

Cons:

You need to make an effort to get the benefits of this place

You get the best of France here and also the worst

5 – Tokyo

Speaking of difficult places to visit, I’d have to take Tokyo as one of the toughest. The movie “Lost in Translation” did a great job of describing what it is like for an outsider.

However, as long as you understand that you will never understand Tokyo, you will have a wonderful time. It is a place that demands you to accept it for what it is and respect it.

You won’t understand anyone. They probably won’t understand you. With some effort and goodwill, however, you will discover a world you never knew existed and you will love it.

Pros:

Once you’ve been there once, you will never forget it.

You will experience things you won’t find anywhere else

Cons:

You need patience and an open mind

It won’t be easy

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What say you in the comments?