✔ #1: Visit all 50 U.S. States
defined by me as eating or doing a state-specific activity in the state. Have not slept in Mississippi, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, North Carolina, or West Virginia, but I have definitely been there
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Օ #2: Visit all 7 Continents (3 of 7)
never been to Asia, Africa, Oceania, or Antarctica
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Օ #3: Visit the 10 biggest cities in the U.S. (11 of 12)
a moving target, haven't been to Houston yet, but I have been to Austin and San Jose, which were each #10 when I booked the trip
✔ NYC
✔ LA
✔ Chicago
Օ Houston
✔ Phoenix
✔ Philadelphia
✔ San Antonio
✔ San Diego
✔ Dallas
✔ Jacksonville
✔ Austin
✔ San Jose
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✔ #4: Drive on the left-hand side of the road (legally)
I've done this on a couple trips now |
✔ #5: Road Trip across America
defined by me as driving from at least the Mississippi to the West Coast, since I live in the East. Did PA to Santa Cruz, CA in 2021
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Օ #6: Hike into the Grand Canyon
been there twice, no hikes down |
✔ #7: Tour a castle
8 so far: 2 in England, 3 in Wales, 1 in Germany, 1 in France, 1 in Switzerland |
✔ #8: Go to Disney world
several times |
✔ #9: Go to Niagara Falls
twice now? |
✔ #10: Gamble in Las Vegas
uneventful. |
| Օ #11: Kiss the Blarney Stone (Ireland) |
✔ #12: Eat in the Space Needle (Seattle)
meh |
✔ #13: See the Northern Lights
technically. |
| Օ #14: See the Amazon Rainforest |
| Օ #15: Visit the Galapagos Islands |
Օ #16: Visit all of the National Parks (26 of 63)
Favorites thus far (more here):
1.Yellowstone
2.Arches
3.Grand Canyon
4.Yosemite
5.Rocky Mountain
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| Օ #17: Take a long scenic train ride |
| Օ #18: Drive Route 66 from end to end |
Օ #19: Visit a “top 25” list of places in Pennsylvania (18 “+1” of 25)
A few of the unchecked ones I have been to, but it's been > 25 years... and I have a backup list of 42 more
See more here
| Օ #20: Visit an old-world hometown of an ancestor |
| Օ #21: Live in a city of 1 million + for at least 6 months |
| Օ #22: See the pyramids of Giza (Egypt) |
| Օ #23: See Mayan ruins (Mexico) |
| Օ #24: See Easter Island (Chile) |
Օ #25: Visit a “Top 10” of premier art museums (9 of 10)
✔ The Louvre (Paris, France)
✔ The Vatican (Vatican City)
✔ The Met (NYC)
✔ Reina Sofia (Madrid, Spain)
✔ Orsay (Paris, France)
✔ Uffizi (Florence, Italy)
✔ National Gallery (DC)
✔ Tate Modern (London, UK)
✔ Prado (Madrid, Spain)
Օ British Museum (London, UK)
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✔ #26: Visit the Sistine Chapel (Vatican)
been there, done that |
| Օ #27: Visit the Taj Mahal (India) |
| Օ #28: Visit the Great Wall of China |
| Օ #29: Stroll an authentic Japanese Garden (in Japan) |
| Օ #30: Visit Angkor Wat |
✔ #31: Visit a concentration camp (Germany)
Dachau was grim. |
Օ #32: Visit 10 of the most important historic war sites (5 of 10)
Օ East Sussex - Battle of Hastings (English Civil War)
Օ Waterloo, Belgium (Napoleonic Wars)
✔ Saratoga, New York (Revolutionary War)
✔ The Alamo (Texas Revolution)
✔ Gettysburg (American Civil War)
✔ Antietam (American Civil War)
Օ Verdun (World War I)
✔ Pearl Harbor (World War II)
Օ Beaches of Normandy (World War II)
Օ Hiroshima or Nagasaki (World War II) |
| ✔ #33: Watch a meteor shower |
| Օ #34: Read three holy books cover-to-cover (0 of 3) |
Օ #35: Read Burt’s top 100 books (57 of 100)
See more information here |
✔ #36: Watch IMDB’s Top 100 movies as of 2008 or so
See more information here |
Օ #36a: …and AFI’s Top 100 from 1998 and 2008 (19 of 77)
See more information here |
✔ #37: Go to Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany)
A fine place to grab a few dozen liters of lager |
✔ #38: Kentucky bourbon-tasting tour - 5 distilleries in one trip
I have been at least inside - double-checked if I toured:
✔✔ Buffalo Trace
✔✔ Old Forester
✔ Angels Envy
✔✔ Woodford Reserve
✔ Four Roses
✔ Bulleit
✔✔ Peerless
✔ Castle and Key
✔ New Riff
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| Օ #39: New Year’s Eve in NYC |
| Օ #40: Mardi Gras in New Orleans |
| Օ #41: Go to an opera |
✔ #42: Go to a symphony
Cleveland Orchestra |
✔ #43: See a show in Carnegie Hall
NY Pops |
✔ #44: Go to a ballet
The Nutcracker |
✔ #45: Watch a show on Broadway
Frozen |
✔ #46: Go to a rodeo
Cody Nite Rodeo |
✔ #47: See a whale in the wild
Alaska cruise |
| Օ #48: Go to a shuttle launch |
✔ #49: Have fish and chips with ale in a London Pub
A few times now |
| Օ #50: Have a Trappist beer in an abbey |
| Օ #51: Have a Guinness in an Irish Pub (in Ireland) |
Օ #52: Review a “who’s who” of olde London Pubs (5 of 27)
My original 17:
And another 10 which have been added since:
Օ The Star Tavern
Օ The Nag's Head
Օ The Dog and Duck
Օ The Cross Keys
Օ Citie of Yorke
Օ The Lamb
Օ The Crown Tavern
Օ The Black Friar
Օ The Flask
Օ Trafalgar Tavern
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✔ #53: Have Paella in Spain
Three days in a row in Barcelona |
✔ #54: Wine tasting in Tuscany
Nothing official, but wine on the balcony in Florence counts |
| Օ #55: Have Ramen and Sushi (two meals) in Kyoto |
✔ #56: Go to a bullfight
Two very different ones in Madrid and Costa Rica |
| Օ #57: Watch a cricket match live |
✔ #58: Go to a NASCAR Race
Watkins Glen |
✔ #59: Watch Shaq play
As a Cleveland Cavalier |
| Օ #60: Go to the Olympics |
✔ #61: Watch a horse race live
Kentucky Derby |
Օ #62: Go to each of the major college bowl games (2 of 6)
✔ Cotton Bowl
✔ Rose Bowl
Օ Sugar Bowl
Օ Fiesta Bowl
Օ Peach Bowl
Օ Orange Bowl
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| Օ #63: Go to a World Series game |
| Օ #64: Go to an NBA Finals game |
✔ #65: Go to an NHL Stanley Cup game
Penguins/Sharks, 2016 |
✔ #66: Go to Steelers training camp
Ben Roethlisberger signed a few things for me |
| Օ #67: Go to the Super Bowl |
| Օ #68: Go to a big soccer match |
| Օ #69: Get season tickets to something |
| Օ #70: Go to the NCAA March Madness Tourney |
Օ #71: Visit the stadium of every NFL team for a game (18 of 31)
Details here
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Օ #72: Visit all MLB ballparks for a game (27 of 30)
Details here
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Օ #73: Visit all NBA arenas for a game (10 of 29)
Details here
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Օ #74: Visit all NHL arenas for a game (10 of 31)
Details here
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| Օ #75: Climb a mountain over 10,000 feet |
| Օ #76: Bike a 100km trip |
✔ #77: run a competition 5K
Back in college |
| Օ #78: run a competition 10K |
| Օ #79: learn to snowboard, or ski |
| Օ #80: Go water skiing |
| Օ #81: Hike the Appalachian Trail, top to bottom |
| Օ #82: Scuba dive |
| Օ #83: Ride a mechanical bull |
| Օ #84: Do 100 consecutive pushups |
| Օ #85: Go white-water rafting |
| Օ #86: Get a fourth degree |
| ✔ #87: --not for public consumption-- |
| ✔ #88: --not for public consumption-- |
✔ #89: ‘Gamble’ money in the stock market
I used to trade more, now it's SPY all the way |
| Օ #90: Make money off of a hobby | |
| ✔ #91: --not for public consumption-- |
✔ #92: Fly somewhere first-class
Several times now, including lie-flat seats to Europe |
| Օ #93: Live abroad for six months in a calendar year |
✔ #94: Eat at a Michelin 3-star restaurant
Le Bernardin in NYC |
✔ #95: Drink Kopi Luwak
Bought a few pounds in 2023 |
✔ #96: Drink birth-year wine
1985 Graham's Port is fantastic |
✔ #97: Drink Dom Perignon
It's good |
✔ #98: Eat caviar
Bunches of times, but still don't feel like I've done the whole thing |
✔ #99: Eat escargot
I like these, but it's mostly because of butter, garlic, and parsley |
| Օ #100: Eat wagyu beef |
| Օ #101: Own a luxury car |
| Օ #102: Own a car with a manual transmission |
| Օ #103: Own a vacation home |
✔ #104: Ride in a helicopter
Our wedding transportation |
| Օ #105: Go deep-sea fishing |
| Օ #106: Go to a live taping of a TV show |
| Օ #107: Go spelunking |
| Օ #108: Hot air balloon ride |
| Օ #109: Ride a horse |
| Օ #110: Get a tattoo |
| Օ #111: Go to a psychic/palm reader/tarot card reader |
| Օ #112: Brew my own beer |
| Օ #113: Try all 431 cocktails in the Williams-Sonoma Bar Guide (293 of 431) |
✔ #114: Eat vegetarian for 28 days straight
Easier than one would think, though I did make a small slip-up with some soup broth |
| Օ #115: Buy local-ONLY for a month |
| Օ #116: Make a perfect rack of ribs |
| Օ #117: Make my own cheese |
| Օ #118: Eat an insect (intentionally) |
| Օ #119: Spend a day porch-drinking |
| Օ #120: --not for public consumption-- |
| Օ #121: Write a letter explaining why someone’s product sucks |
✔ #122: Write a letter explaining why someone’s product is awesome
I will spare the details |
| Օ #123: Write something meaningful |
✔ #124: Donate not-insignificant time/money to a charity
I will spare the details |
| Օ #125: Give a Christmas gift to someone I don’t know |
| Օ #126: Secretly give an anonymous Christmas gift to someone I know |
| Օ #127: Do some big volunteer work |
| Օ #128 Pay for 25 other people’s meals at restaurants (0 of 25) |
✔ #129: Build my own PC
Right as desktops were going out of style. Then I fried it. |
✔ #130: Do something big on the side, for fun
My genealogy website |
| Օ #131: See a planet through a nice telescope |
| Օ #132: Learn to play a musical instrument well |
| Օ #133: Learn to speak a foreign language fluently |
✔ #134: Make physical art. As a grown-up.
I'm not entirely embarrassed by it |
| Օ #135: Play a game of chess without help |
✔ #136: Marry someone I love
I will spare the details |
✔ #137: Have children
The plural was not intentional |
✔ #138: Watch a sunrise with someone I love
I will spare the details |
Օ #139: Watch a sunset with someone I love
Not with intention |
✔ #140: Own a house
Two now, if you don't count the whole mortgage technicality |
