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
That's quite the surprise, as I've had exactly the opposite response.
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).
I love libraries. I used to spend a lot of time in them when I was a kid. I still have my 16 digit library card number from when I was a kid memorized.
Coffee shops and pubs when they are cozy and have that atmosphere of life.
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!
A nice old style pub, preferably with a horseshoe shaped bar. Just something peaceful for me about a nice old style pub.
I’m drawn to places that feel forgotten, where time seems to stand still. The emptiness and absence of people create a rare solitude, and these spaces feel like snapshots of a different era. I love seeing nature gradually reclaim what was once built by humans. It’s a reminder of nature’s persistence, quietly reclaiming what we left behind.
Above all, I enjoy the disconnection. These places exist outside the rush of modern life, free from obligations and deadlines. Stepping into them feels like entering a different reality, one that’s both familiar and alien at the same time
Storm drains under the city. Started exploring them in the 90s and only stopped in recent years. Great for photography and a super fun hobby for someone who fucking hates people and likes being in total solitude lol. There's a bunch of online communities for it where I used share my photos and such. Even created a legend of sorts in Tulsa with a big ass project of painting the coordinates for every tunnel entrance in the city. It's called the drain atlas.
Anyone looking for a fun but semi risky hobby check out draining.
I met a guy named Sam Pate. He was a radio man and was live during the JFK shooting. He said that at that time the drains were big enough for a person to easily slip into. He said the real shooter escaped that way and was on his way back to Chicago before Oswald was arrested.
I explored the hell out of those drains! I grew up in Dallas. They're way more than easy enough for a person to fit through. You could fit a damn car through them. They're actually a pretty famous tunnel in the draining community. Dallas is where I started my draining career lol. I'll have to dig up some photos of that drain and show you some time. If I remember correctly we called it elm Street tunnel. It was caked in deposits as it was so old. Even had stairs in it, was really strange. Surprised I never put that together. We used to smoke weed on the grassy knoll and then explore the tunnels...
This sounds cliche but parks/public playgrounds are lovely. I live near one and spend much of my downtime drawing, writing, or doomscrolling at it. They often aren’t too loud if you don’t live in a big city, and I love hearing kids play in the distance behind me. Occasionally, you might even have a nice conversation with a stranger.
On a frozen ocean or on the shore of a frozen ocean in the middle of February during the coldest night of the year with a cloudless moonless sky.
I got to see this once when I went to see family up on James Bay. I went out with them for a ride on a winter road and at one point we just parked in the dark with a view of the horizon. It was so cold the temperatured dipped to past minus 40! We were in a half ton truck and we parked, stopped, turned off the lights and stood outside for a while. I couldn't believe the amount of stars we saw overhead. Stars twinkled down everywhere down to the horizon in all directions. The Milky Way was an obvious band across the sky (not as dramatic as time lapse image but still obvious to view).
At one point I realized I was so mesmerized by the image that I became almost afraid and self conscious of it all. I literally realized I was standing on the edge of the planet and it made me realize that space was not that far away and if gravity failed for whatever reason, I would just float out into it all. The coldness, the light and stars and the stillness just made it all feel like I was actually in space.
I'll never forget that place. It was amazing.
Airports, train stations, and cafes.
Airports are rather formative to me, as well as train stations for much of the same reason, and both airports and train stations have cafes, or at the very least the ones I've visited typically do. There's nothing quite like the vibe of being at an airport at 7 AM on a sunny morning about to embark on a journey into the wide blue yonder while the scent of coffee pleasantly floods your olfactory system.
Mountains where I can see clouds rolling gently over peaks and trees. No matter how often I see it I'm always filled with an overwhelming sense of peace and awe
Old growth forest, with tall trees and enough space between trees to walk or sit, and the occasional clearing.
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.
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.
I like the crown land camping spots during summer in Alberta more than anywhere in the world. It’s beautiful, there’s remnants of others that left you rock fire pits and their extra firewood, you can shoot guns and be as loud as you want and nobody bothers you. Good trails for jogging, no stress, just nature and blue skies and good friends.
Anywhere with snow and a window. It's quiet, it's peaceful, i can dress all comfy.
Sand dunes and beaches of the outer banks in NC/SC US. The sights, sounds, and smells are amazing.
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.
What aspect of this appeals to you? I'm having a hard time understanding the appeal of it.
I liken it to the feeling of a room you've just reorganized or when the seasonal lighting changes and everything feels familiar but just a little different. These spaces feel like but permanent. It's not uncomfortable, just not common. Spending time in these places helps me think about the way things are arranged.
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.
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.
I like beaches. Especially in the graveyard hours at night where there are few people there and I can feel the nice ocean breeze
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.
My basement.
Coffee shops. I don't know why. I just really enjoy sitting in them and having a coffee, especially if they have nice cushy couches or chairs.
Downtown of a small town in the middle of winter, late at night when nobody's around. Cold enough that the snow squeaks under your feet as you walk, but no wind at all. Just the memory of the smell of sub-zero air makes me think about a destination with warm walls a nice cup of hot tea waiting for me.
A workshop.
All those tools with dedicated reasons for existing. All those improvised tools that are highly specialized. All the scraps and leftovers saved for some unknown day in the future. The whole vibe is opportunity to create.
The woods, at night, near a creek or river that also doesn't have a ton of frogs. IDK why, really. It's just the kind of place I always think of when I think about where I want to be.
Places that are abandoned, even for just a few hours. Old home that was just walked away from years ago. Mall or airport that’s just closed for the night. Chernobyl. They all have a vibe of once having life, but no longer that makes me feel like an archeologist or something.
Being at a concert for the soundcheck, when things are getting set up, that feels so good too, or opening at any business, being there before any customers arrive. That calm before the storm moment has a particular feeling I like.
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
I love an oak forest.
I know, I know, they're fascist. They were planted on orders of the Napoleon administration as they violently captured the region where I live. Their dropped leaves activly inhibit growth of most other plants.
Yet. It feels like walking into a cathedral, visiting an oak forest. What am I saying. I've walked into cathedrals, it didn't feel that way.
I just love them.
One of our family friends owned a property I used to go camping on when I was a kid. There was a heavily wooded area with a creek running through it and there was a wide part of it that had a bend that went around a sandbar that was big enough to camp on. It was so quiet and peaceful there. Probably my favorite spot on the planet. I've found other places like that but they've been in public campgrounds and having tons of people around ruins the vibe.
Abandoned buildings, especially when overgrown with trees and plants. Just goes to show that while we are ridiculously destructive, nature is patient.
Historic preservation sites and/or museums that preserve/recreate settings from the past, because I love technology history and immersive experiences.
Actually that reminds me I also love immersive interactive art exhibits such as those by Meow Wolf, Otherworld, and Inter_.
Also escape rooms and other puzzle/adventure rooms because they're interactive.
Also conventions because I'm a nerd. :]
FusedLocation, it's just easier to work with.
Personally, I'm partial to location, location.
