Category archives for I Heart My City
Avid traveler Clayton Abbey hails from Albuquerque and has lived around the U.S. (including a nine-year stint in NYC) and in southern Mexico. But this husband and father knows where his loyalties lie: “New Mexico is my true love.” Check out a few of his favorite things about Albuquerque, then add your own two cents.
As vice chair of the Cambridge Historical Commission, Bruce Irving sees his city as both a hotbed of innovation and a repository of three centuries of history. But after Marathon Monday, everything was put in a new light. Why does Bruce love his city? Because it will always rise again.
Born-and-bred Mumbaikar Jasmine Desai is a technology journalist — and, like the subject she covers, her city is constantly changing. Here are a few of her favorite things about the sprawling cityscape she calls home.
Spring is upon us (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), and we’re embracing it with open arms by highlighting seasonal must-dos from our amazing I Heart My City community.
Karina Vabson is a Tallinn, Estonia native with a thirst for world exploration. So, after living in Spain, Iceland, and Denmark, her home city’s history and architecture called her back to where her journey began. Check out a few of Karina’s favorite things about Tallinn, then add your own two cents.
I Heart My City: Matt’s Newcastle (Australia)
Posted by I Heart My City on March 6, 2013 
Matt Endacott was born in Newcastle, Australia exactly one year after a massive trembler triggered the city’s decline. After nearly two decades of post-earthquake stagnation, the city is now bristling with possibility. Here are a few of his favorite things about his hometown.
Lizz Riggs hails from the Southern United States, but there’s no city that stands out to her more than Chicago: “I love the comfort of the food, all of the beautiful and scenic places to run, the welcoming ambiance you can feel in your bones when you step off the plane, and, of course, some of my favorite breweries in America.” Check out her recommendations for the best things to do and see in the Windy City, then add your own.
Martijn Hordijk has lived in Rotterdam for more than three years. In addition to working a job that regularly takes him to Aberdeen, Antwerp, and Paris, he shares insider insight about his home base as a blogger for Spotted by Locals. Here are a few of Martijn’s favorite things about the port city that’s been called “the Gateway to Europe.”
I Heart My City: Kids Edition
Posted by I Heart My City on February 13, 2013 
It’s time for another special edition of I Heart My City! This time we’re serving up recommendations for the best educational experiences for kids (and kids at heart) in 15 cities around the world from the people who know them best: our ever-inspirational I Heart My City community. They also happen to be fun.
I Heart My City: Sofia’s Gothenburg
Posted by I Heart My City on February 6, 2013 
Sofia von Porat is a full-time traveler who shares tips, videos, guides, and inspiration from her adventures abroad on her blog, AsWeTravel.com. Though she’s been all around the globe, something about her hometown keeps calling her back. Here are a few of her favorite things about Gothenburg, Sweden.
I Heart My City: Alana’s Chiang Mai
Posted by I Heart My City on January 30, 2013 
Alana Morgan quit her 9-to-5 job in Seattle and moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand to travel and experience the world. Two years later, she’s still living abroad and planning her next move. Here are a few of her favorite things about Bangkok’s “little, nicer, cleaner, smaller, calmer, prettier sister” city.
I Heart My City: Eric’s Budapest
Posted by I Heart My City on January 23, 2013 
Eric Halsey recently moved from Budapest to Sofia, Bulgaria to round out his degree in Balkan history, but already has made plans to return. He says Budapest is “not a city for a weekend, it’s a city or a lifetime.” Check out a few of Eric’s favorite things about Hungary’s capital city, and see if you agree.
I Heart My City: Laura’s Detroit
Posted by I Heart My City on January 16, 2013 
Freelance writer and editor Laura Bastian has spent time all over the world — from Hong Kong to Boston — but here are a few of her favorite things about her hometown, Motor City, USA.
When Emily Rasch fell in love with a German exchange student in the U.S., she knew she couldn’t give him up. So, after two years of dating an ocean apart, they decided to move to Munich. That was six years ago. Here are a few of Emily’s favorite things about the city that’s become her second love.
I Heart My City: Persephone’s Gouda
Posted by I Heart My City on December 26, 2012 
Longtime expat Persephone Abbott was drawn to Gouda because of its beauty and its location in the Green Heart of Holland. Check out her favorite things about the city made famous by cheese!
I Heart My City: Megan + Natalie’s Seoul
Posted by I Heart My City on December 19, 2012 
After graduating from university in England, life-long pals and country bumpkins Megan Odell and Natalie Fairbrother had only one thing in mind: travel. When a teaching opportunity arose, they kicked off their Wellington boots and headed out to explore the treasures hidden among the high rise buildings of South Korea’s capital city. Check out their recommendations for the best things to see and do in Seoul, then add your own.
Marko Orel has studied abroad in Poland, Italy, and the Czech Republic, but his heart will always belong to Slovenia and its small-but-beautiful capital city, Ljubljana. Check out his guide to making the most of his hometown, then add your two cents.
Freelance writer Shelly Lachish has lived all around the world, but currently resides in Oxford, England, where she moonlights as an academic. Check out Shelly’s favorite things about her current home base, then add your own!
I Heart My City: Ewelina’s Krakow
Posted by I Heart My City on November 21, 2012 
For Ewelina Tłuczek, a writer for Spotted By Locals, Krakow is the perfect fit: not too big, not too small — a place where “you can do everything you want.” Check out Ewelina’s insider tips, then add your own recommendations for the city she hearts.
What’s even better than being able to travel to every city in the world? Hearing about them from the people who know them (and love them) best.
That’s why we want to hear why YOU heart your city. It’s easy to share the love: Just fill out our new-and-improved I Heart My City questionnaire and send it to IntelligentTravel@ngs.org.
When star blogger and licensed New York City tour guide Annie Fitzsimmons started to fill out this questionnaire, she was reminded of a saying from her alma mater, Texas A&M University: “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” That’s how she feels about her hometown of choice, which she says she loves more than ever after seeing how the city pulled together in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Check out this urban insider’s guide to NYC, then add your own two cents about the City That Will Never Sleep, no matter what.
I Heart My Spooky City
Posted by I Heart My City on October 31, 2012 
Since Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, we thought it was a good time to do a special edition of I Heart My City. To flout superstition, here are 13 of the spookiest spots on Earth, suggested by the locals who know them best.
I Heart My City: Rachel’s Dublin
Posted by I Heart My City on October 24, 2012 
New Zealander Rachel Farndon sold everything she owned, bought a one-way ticket to Ireland, and has been seeing the sights for a year now with no plans to leave. Take a look at Dublin through the eyes of a woman who says she “can’t possibly praise it higher without looking ridiculous!”
I Heart My City: Ellen’s Antalya
Posted by I Heart My City on October 17, 2012 
When Ellen Rabiner found herself at a crossroads in her career because of the economy, she decided to forget what she’d like to do for a living and focus on what she wanted to do in life. She’d always dreamed of living abroad, and when she saw a photo of Antalya it seemed like the perfect fit. Find out what this ex-New Yorker loves about her new home in the capital of the Turkish Riviera — and why you should visit.
