The Capital City of your Heart

26 posts / 0 new
Last post
The Capital City of your Heart

Well you are probably curious about the title of this thread. I came up with the Capital of (my) Heart recently to describe my favorite city and family tradition day-trip St. Clair, MI.

One of the happiest days I experienced within my grieving period was when myself, my bro and husband ventured to the city.

Growing up our dad took us there and shared stories with us about his childhood home. It became a very special place in my family's hearts.

What place is special to you? It can be your childhood home, a family tradition vacation spot, your current home, etc.

Why is it special to you?

There are a few for me:

1. My childhood hometown, South Windsor, CT, and the home I grew up in. That house is special to me because my grandfather built it. His contracting business actually built most of the older (1950s-1960s) residential properties in South Windsor and the surrounding towns. He had retired by the time I was born in 1972, but the house was custom-built with various nooks and crannies that other neighborhood homes did not enjoy. It's rather amusing that my childhood bedroom is literally five times the size of my current bedroom, not including the little "hallway" and first double closet to get in to the actual space. LOL It was original designed as a shared bedroom for my two much-older brothers. My sister and I shared it until the younger of my two brothers joined the military; after that, she took over his room while I stayed in the big one. There was also an outdoor smoker; my grandfather was an avid deep-sea fisherman and would cook what he caught, particularly eel, in the smoker. There was a cool laundry chute in the kitchen that went directly into an over-sized cabinet in the cellar laundry room. Above the chute was a huge pull-out cutting board, similar in nature to how a desk has a pull-out keyboard tray. The yard, the huge garden space, the split-level back porch nearly the length of the house, the stone and marble fireplace. (sighs) Even though the third owners since we moved out weren't selling at the time, I did make an offer in 2004 to buy the house, explaining why I wanted to purchase it. They, unfortunately, were entirely uninterested in selling. I gave them my contact information in the hopes that, someday, the house will be mine and back in the family where it belongs.

2. Orlando, Florida. I think that town is pretty obvious why it's special: Disney World! We used to go every year, but have since stopped because of my mobility issues, and then my sister had my nephew, who is high-functioning autistic. Disney is incredibly awesome! You can vacation there for two weeks and still not see everything it has to offer. Some of my favorites include Animal Kingdom, Star Wars weekends, Mission: Space, the other virtual rides at Epcot, Hollywood Tower of Terror, Rock 'N' Roller-Coaster and all the restaurants in the World Showcase at Epcot.

3. Even though I've never visited there, I am "obsessed" with Ireland, as well as the UK. The castles, the quaint towns, the beautiful scenic views--countryside and mountains, the culture, the accents, the history ... All of it is simply amazing.

My parents emigrated to Australia from Scotland in the early 1950s, and although my sister and I were born in Australia, I think of Scotland as "home", and have always wanted to visit (but could never afford it). It was hard growing up without extended family around - all of the other kids would come to school on Monday mornings, full of what they had done over the weekend with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. There are five years between my sister and I, so we were never close as children, and, although we get along a lot better as adults, we are still such very different personalities that I doubt we would have crossed paths if we weren't related!

So, yes, Scotland is the home of my heart.

Robyn, there is only one year between my sister and I, yet we were never close after around ages 8 and 9. We went our separate ways with friends, hobbies, after-school activities, and everything else you could possibly think of ... Despite us already being aunts to our brothers' kids, her and I didn't become close again until I made her an aunt. We slacked off again for several years during the 2000s until she had her son in 2007. I suppose what I'm saying is that age differences don't really matter; it's common ground that matters.

If you want to see some breathtaking scenery of Scotland, along with some crazy mountain biking, Google "Danny MacAskill The Ridge," then watch the video. It's over seven minutes long, but well worth the watch!

Thanks, Vidia! I'll check out that video! smiley

You're welcome! smiley

Hmmm .... great question ... I don't think I've got one. We moved fairly regularly from Manitoba where I was born into Ontario ... Toronto area and then to the Ottawa area moving a couple of times in each place so never really got to settle for too long in one place. But .... wherever we went my grandmother followed for a little bit each year and so that would be where my heart is ..... with my grandmother smiley

I would have to say I have a few... One where I grew up and spent special times/memories as a child with my siblings; one where I would go and spend summers with my grandma and grandpa; and another where it is a special place to my husband and myself. smiley

Great question!

The capital city of my heart would be Nashville, Tennessee. I have never lived there but feel it is my hearts home for whatever reason.

@Kaleena, are you a big country music fan!

How sweet, Susan! smiley

What a special memory!

Hard to choose between Oxford, AL (where I grew up and currently live) and Boston (where Mom grew up, I've visited for years and now live with my cousin's there in the summer). They're very different but both have a lot of the people I love most in them.

I don´t know too many cities - Unlikely most of you all, I almost never traveled... But I really, really love my home town (and where I live now), São Paulo, Brazil. It´s a huge city, with dozens of problems - but I really love to be here!

Nope not really, J.Ajabad.

In the past I would've said, in a heart beat, Burlington, Vermont. I passed through it one time, during college, on my way to Montreal with friends. We stopped there & I fell in love with the city - enough that I was determined to move there after graduation (and I did). But, alas, it has changed so much over the years & lost the quaintness & charm that I used to love. Stores I loved have come & gone, and the area (and surrounding towns) has gotten so built up that I don't really care for it anymore. Yes, it still has the cobblestone streets & Church Street is pretty during the holiday, but it holds no attraction for me anymore.

I think a close second for me would be Old Quebec - particularly the Petit Quartier section. I just love the look & feel of it, the shops, the restaurants, etc. It feels like a bit of Old World Europe to me...

Sweet. That's a shame your city has lost it's charm. My daddy's hometown has grown but thankfully it's charm is still there. If I could I'd move to St. Clair!

@Shawna, What are the names of the cities?

I was born in Phoenix AZ and that is where I consider myself to be "from". But I have lived all over, Seattle WA, eastern NC, South Carolina, Okinawa, Kansas, Arkansas... Though I'm not sure I want to live there again, I think Phoenix will always be home to me. But I would love to live overseas again too. I love to travel and I really feel like the best way to experience a place is to live there, not just visit.

@Jennifer, That makes sense because visiting a place only provides a glimpse of that city. Do you have a favorite memory growing up in Pheonix?

Nothing really jumps out at me. I was born there, moved to Seattle when I was 4 then moved back to Phoenix when I was 8 and then moved back east when I was 15. I've been moving every few years, for one reason or another, ever since.

It's funny, a lot of people ask if I get tried of always moving and while I do get tired of the logistical aspect of moving, I love seeing new places so the actual moving part is more like a necessary evil to me rather than something I dread.

What a great question! I've got a couple.

1. Every summer while we were little we'd go to a remote town in the middle of South Dakota where my grandparents lived. It was fun as all of my cousins would do the same. We went there every year for years...I haven't been back since I started having children. Between the mix of work and family life, it's just far enough away where we haven't made it there to visit extended family...I know one day we will make it...it just hasn't happened yet.

2. Before my husband and I got married we took a trip to Savannah, GA...LOVED IT. The history, the houses, the squares, the food...everything. We would move there in a heartbeat if the stars aligned smiley

3. Finally, Stillwater, MN. Any chance we get to get away for a day or enough half day, we go to Stillwater. It's a quaint little town just outside of the cities. It's full of great shops, bars/restaurants, and it's right on the water, so it's also an opportunity to get some pretty landscape photos.

Niceness!

I was born in SoCal (southern California), but I don't really have any memories of it. I grew up in the Kansas City, Missouri, metro area, and I love it to pieces. Kansas City is a really fantastic city that really offers some of the best aspects of both the east coast and the west coast, but with the charm and hospitality of the midwest. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the people who live here, while proud of the city, really don't understand how awesome it is because a lot of them haven't been anywhere else.

When I was a kid, we would vacation in North Carolina's crystal coast, so the beaches in NC really feel homey to me. But, we lived in Havelock, NC, while my husband was in the Marine Corps, and we hated it there. lol

I got to visit San Diego a few times while my husband was out there for training with the USMC, and I REALLY loved that city - almost as much as I love Kansas City. And it is definitely my favourite airport to fly into - the view is just gorgeous!! Sometimes, I really miss being out there, and there's a delightful mexican restaurant in the old town portion of the city that I often crave.

I've always thought it would be nice to visit Seattle, WA, and Hawaii. Both locations seem to resonate pretty well with me from what I have read and seen of them, so it would be interesting to find out what they are actually like. smiley

But, in the end, Kansas City is home.

it's such a pleasure to read all your replies .....and so ...exotic ...for me

I was born in Paris ( FRANCE ) ..my home town , I still love it - It does'nt change too much and every cobles street is still there around notre dame ...
I have been living during 30 years in the south of France ..and there waht can I tell you ....the weather is wonderful all the year long , the landscapes fantastics .. .....what else ?one of my daughter still live here ..
the third of my choices would be BOURNEMOUTH in the south of England ...my other daughter lives here since 23 years

I love Washington DC. I love the historical charm of the city. I have been around some, living in many cities around the world, but DC will always be a special place for me.