25 top must-see cities in the world

Trip Advisor had a contest in which its readers selected the places they considered most desirable to visit.

Of the top 25, I've been to 18. Guess I'm doing OK for a coal miner's son from Monongah, West Virginia.

No. 1 Istanbul, Turkey. Been there.

No. 2, Rome. Been there.

No. 3, London. Been there.

No. 4, Beijing, China. Been there.

No. 5, Prague, Czech Republic. Not yet, but it's on the Blue Danube river cruises Paula and I are checking out.

No. 6, Marrakech, Morocco. Been there. And dodged a donkey in the narrow market place, too!

No. 7, Paris. Been there a couple of times, including for a week with Paula on our 8th anniversary.

No. 8, Hanoi, Vietnam. Not yet.

No. 9, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Been there, to see the humongous Angkor Wat ruins.

No. 10, Shanghai, China. Been there. Think Las Vegas with much taller buildings & 20-story-high commercials outside on building walls. 

Impressive sight at night while drifting down the river.

No. 11, Berlin, Germany. Not yet, although we did drink German beer in Germany along the Baltic coastline.

No. 12, New York City. Been there many times. Paula's son, Patrick, lives in Brooklyn and is an NYC jazz musician.

No. 13, Florence, Italy. Been there. In my top 10 cities of the world, particularly on the streets at night with all the performers.

No. 14, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Not yet. But it might happen soon, depending on which Amazon River cruise we choose.

No. 15, Barcelona, Spain. Been there a few times. Like Florence, one of my top-10 cities of the world.

No. 16, St. Petersburg, Russia. Been there, as sure as vodka and Russian weddings go together, and at the photo-taking near historic sites it did while we were there.

No. 17, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

No. 18, Chicago. Been there. The first time was between my freshman year at Fairmont State and my sophomore year at WVU, as part of my Chicago to Philadelphia to West Virginia hitchhiking tour. Sure can't do that today and arrive alive.

No. 19, Cape Town Central, South Africa. Not yet. But it's a possibility if Africa ever settles down to where Paula can take me back to the Serengeti she visited years ago.

No. 20, Bangkok. Been there. Thailand is the No. 1 country I've visited, in my mind. Beautiful people, beautiful attitudes, marvelous temples.

No. 21, Budapest, Hungary. Not yet. But it's on the Danube River cruises we're considering.

No. 22, Sydney, Australia. Been there, although I preferred New Zealand over Australia because the mountains reminded me of West Virginia.

No. 23, Lisbon, Portugal. Been there. Explored Vasco da Gama territory.

No. 24, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Been there. See comments under No. 20.

No. 25, San Francisco. Where did you go, Joe DiMaggio? And left your restaurant behind.

Not on the Trip Advisor list, but on mine: New Orleans, Key West and Montreal. Three cities with fascinating personalities.

And, of course, Mountaineer Field. Electric happens there. And you get to share the sizzle with family and friends.

What about you? What’s been your favorite city to visit? And why? Email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com with the details and jpeg photos showing you, maybe with family, at your travel destinations.