There is something almost inexplicable that happens when you step foot in one of your favorite cities. You feel different. You almost act different. You feel how you’re probably supposed to feel all the time when you aren’t stuck in a tunnel of the day-to-day routine.

It’s like setting the refresh button on life. Your senses are stronger and everything looks HD.

At least for me.

It’s hard to figure out why this happens for some people in some places, and not in others. Everyone has different favorite cities for different reasons. Here are mine:

Madrid

If you’ve been reading along, this one couldn’t of been more predictable.

While a lot of people skip visiting completely, or even sometimes despise this capital entirely, I love it. I specifically love it for its livability, not necessarily for being tourist friendly.

It took me a while to discover what made Madrid special.  It took me a while to find the groove. But as with a romantic relationship that first grew from friendship, I found that one day I was head over heels and didn’t even know it.

It was the long days chatting with friends over cheap wine in the sun. It was the crowded bars and small bites to eat. It was the dirty floors to signify the quality of food.  It was the late dinners and late nights. It was the walks home at dawn feeling completely smitten, not with a specific person, but with life itself.

There are some places that just feel like home, Madrid will always be one of them.

Bangkok

Another city prone to hate, I myself, love Bangkok.

To me, arriving in Bangkok symbolizes an official touchdown in Asia with the entire region at your fingertips. From Bangkok, there are just so many places to be discovered, of course starting with the city itself.

Although touristy, I love having street pad thai (with a sprinkling of sugar, really) and shopping for cheap tanks on Khaosan Road.  I also love leaving Khaosan Road for the classier Siolim district.

I love the plastic tables and chairs sat outside bars but I also love the rooftop pools and fancy hotels which you can snag at a deal.  I love racing through the busy streets in tuk-tuks to hang out in the gay district. I love walking through Soi Cowboy and being utterly confused.

I love the beautiful, weird mixed-up mess it is. I also love room service in the form of mango sticky rice.

New York

Ah, a place I would live if money didn’t exist. I recently stopped in New York on the way to and from Jordan and it reminded me of all the reasons I love it.

About 5 years ago was my last visit. I had waited way too long.

Everyone knows New York is a great city, but why I specifically love it, I don’t know. It’s just one of those places that gives me that vibe.

While I’m there it’s like I’m starring in my own movie and the soundtrack is constantly playing.

There’s also the obvious reasons too. There’s always something going on. There’s a zest for life that people seem to exude, especially when the sun comes out…and goes down. There’s also every type of food from around the world to eat within proximity.

It’s so Americanm but so foreign at the same time. Maybe that really is the best part.

Granada

Free food with cheap drinks? Culture in Granada is based on this, and that’s enough to keep me happy. Add in the incredibly scenic location and hillside neighborhoods and you can’t go to Granada and not feel the magic.

There is also something so romantic about this city. I can fantasize for hours about what it would be like to spend a few months in a little white-washed house within the Albayzin with a cozy fireplace and nice desk to write at.

A girl can dream!

Rome

I spent an entire five blissful days exploring Rome slowly last year, the way it should be explored. Instead of rushing from monument to monument, I got lost within narrow cobblestone alleys. I hunted down the city’s best gelato shops. I bought fresh cheese and produce from local markets and had extended lunches on the AirBnb terrace.

It was Rome the way Rome wants to be. Then the history of the city is the butter-cream icing on the cake. Any history nerd can’t avoid being hypnotized by the city’s significance.

It’s romanticism that only few other cities around the world hold.

Being in Rome is like living a few-day Italian fairy tale.

Buenos Aires

When I get burnt out on travel, I try and imagine how I felt in 2007 during my first big solo trip abroad. I chose to study abroad my first semester of my sophmore year in college with (very) lackluster Spanish and no clue what I was getting myself into (common trend here).

Still, regardless of being unprepared to move abroad and study in Spanish, nothing phased me. I was high on travel. I was high on the adventure.

To this day, Buenos Aires remains to be a special place for me. It’s the place that made me feel empowered. It made me feel like I could go and do anything. It made me independent. I made me look past some of the hard times and hold onto the good.

Maybe in this case it wasn’t the city itself. Maybe Buenos Aires could of been anywhere. But to me, I’ll never forget late night taxi cabs starring out the window at the illuminated European-style buildings. I’ll never forget long dinners over bottles of wine with friends.

I’ll never forget that feeling of being high on adventure and being somewhere new.

I’ll never forget how Buenos Aires is the reason why I’m still traveling today, chasing the tailwinds of a first love.

What are your favorite cities?

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