Like it or not, you are going to die someday. Wait, don’t panic! And stop googling “cryogenic freezing.” You’re not Walt Disney, and what are the chances that it’s actually going to work and you’ll suddenly just wake up one hundred years after your demise?
However, with continuing advancements in medical science and technology, there is a great chance that you’ll live longer than those belonging to previous generations of humanity did, and you may also remain healthy and active well into your golden years.
Unfortunately, at one point or another we all must come to terms with our inevitable mortality. We’re only on this planet for a number of years, and in this fleeting time we’ve really got to make it count!
If you haven’t seen the eponymous movie, you are probably still familiar with the idea of a “bucket list.” It is a final directory of the places you simply must see and the things you must experience in order to feel that your life is complete and fulfilled. While you’ve probably already given some thought to your own personal farewell tour, I present to you my (very subjective) list of ten places that every human being should endeavor to visit before they expire.
Here they are, in no particular order. Let the debate begin.
1. New York City
The definition of a modern, cosmopolitan city and setting of countless stories and events that make up our popular cultural imagination, New York City is the pinnacle of all that is urban in the Western world. It is a forest of skyscrapers, endless life, activity, and opportunity from Broadway and Times Square to Central Park and the Empire State Building. You have to be a tourist in the Big Apple at least once in your life. If you can’t make it here, you really shouldn’t make it anywhere.
2. The Canadian Rockies
If you go straight by the numbers, there are more impressive mountain ranges on Earth. The Andes cover more ground, and the Himalayas are higher than their North American cousins. All provide a humbling experience that makes you take notice of your insignificance on this planet, but few ranges can legitimately go face to face in a beauty contest against the Canadian Rockies. Visit Alberta’s beautiful Banff National Park for picture-postcard peaks or Jasper National Park for a less touristy, more laid-back mountain experience.
