As we were walking (shuffling) down the street in Times Square of New York City, I wondered how many people were there with us? There’s no way to know for sure, but I have proof that it is the most visited place in the world. I found this article on the World's Most-Visited Tourist Attractions and sure enough, Times Square is in the numero uno spot! I have been to Times Square two different times, once in 2004 and our trip last week in June of 2012. I was there on almost the exact same dates both times and I was amazed at how many more people were there this time around.
No. 1 Times Square, New York City – I was able to snap this picture of the famous cowboy when the crowds miraculously parted for a moment. Where else can you see cowboys in their underwear, fake Elmos, spray paint art, and hot Rolex watches all in the same glance? Times Square is a one-of-a-kind place!
No. 2 Central Park, New York City – Next up on the list is another place we visited on our trip, Central Park. We went on a carriage ride through the park which is a very touristy thing to do, but hey – we were tourists! It was a fun way to see the park.
No. 3 Union Station,Washington, D.C. – This was part of my “bucket list”, we took an Amtrak train from Union Station in DC to Penn Station in NYC. I’ve always dreamed of taking a cross-country train trip but my hubby has not been fond of the idea. He did enjoy our 3 hour trip between DC & NYC though so I’m making progress! This is one busy station and it was interesting to see all the different travelers. Our bags were sniff-inspected by a big police dog. I felt really bad for the poor dog because I’m sure our suitcases didn’t smell too good by that point in the trip.
No. 4 Las Vegas Strip – You might remember that we went to Las Vegas a few months ago. I’ve probably been to Vegas five or six different times in my life. There are some fun things to do there, but it sure has gotten more raunchy over the last few years. We aren’t anxious to go back anytime soon.
I’ve never been to the next 3 destinations on the list:
No. 5 Niagara Falls, New York and Ontario
No. 6 Grand Central Terminal, New York City
No. 7 Faneuil Hall Marketplace,Boston
No. 8 Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Orlando – I’m not surprised that this is in the top ten list, I think I would have guessed that it would be ranked higher. We have visited Disney World one time, back in 2008. Such a fun place to visit, but as far as the Disney portion goes, we prefer Disneyland over The Magic Kingdom.
No. 9 Disneyland Park,Anaheim, CA – We are Disneyland people for sure! Well, at least the kids and I are big fans. My hubby has been so many times in his life because of traveling with his parents on a regular business trip to Anaheim. We’ve been a lot of times also, but I enjoy it even more now that my kids are bigger. It’s fun to hang out with them there and we love to learn more about the history behind the rides and the secrets of the park. We also love to collect pins.
I haven’t been to either of these:
No. 10 Grand Bazaar,Istanbul
No. 11 Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo
No. 12 PIER 39, San Francisco – I’ve been to Pier 39 three different times in my life and I’d gladly go back. I love San Francisco!
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No. 13 Notre Dame Cathedral,Paris – I got to see Notre Dame on my study abroad trip in 1989, but it was being cleaned so a lot of it was covered in scaffolding.
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No. 14 Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. I was only 2 years old when I went there so I’m not sure I should really count this. I’ve been to San Francisco a few times though, so I guess that will do. Here I am with my parents at Golden Gate Park in 1971.
Never been to
No. 15 Forbidden City,Beijing
No. 16 Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL – Epcot was our very favorite thing about going to Disneyworld. We loved learning about all the different countries and trying new foods. I hope we can go back someday!
I haven’t been to
No. 17 Disneyland Park, Marne-la-Vallée, France
No. 18 Sacré Coeur Basilica,Paris
No. 19 Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront, Hong Kong
No. 20 Victoria Peak,Hong Kong
No. 21 Pike Place Market,Seattle – I just LOVED Pike Place! Wish I could go back right now!
Never been to
No. 21 The Zócalo,Mexico City
No. 23 Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL – We made the mistake of riding the river rapids ride at the beginning of the day so we were completely soaked. I’m not just talking a little bit wet, I’m talking you could wring out your clothes and fill a bucket. I wish we wouldn’t have done that because it kind of made the day miserable. That said, if I ever go back to Disneyworld, I’m totally going to stay in the Animal Kingdom Lodge because that place is amazing! We wished we would have stayed there.
No. 24 Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL – We have some fond memories of Hollywood Studios. It was nice that it wasn’t as crowded as the other parks and we especially enjoyed seeing Fantasmic!
I haven’t been to
No. 25 Great Smoky Mountains National Park
No. 26 Great Wall of China, China
No. 27 South Street Seaport, New York City
No. 28 Navy Pier,Chicago
No. 29 Musée du Louvre, Paris – I feel like I didn’t even make a dent when I went there. How can you ever see everything in that place? I’d love to take my kids there someday.
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Never been to
No. 30 National Air and Space Museum(Smithsonian),Washington, D.C. (but we did walk by it)
No. 31 Universal Studios Japan,Osaka, Japan
No. 32 Sydney Opera House,Sydney
No. 33 Everland, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea
No. 34 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History,Washington, D.C. – I would love to go back when it wasn’t filled with thousands of girl scouts. What a cool place!
No. 35 Eiffel Tower, Paris – been there! I was there in 1989, which happened to be the 100 year anniversary of the tower.
No. 36 Lincoln Memorial,Washington, D.C. – so incredible to see this in person. I really felt a powerful respect for President Lincoln while I was standing in this memorial.
I haven’t been to
No. 37 Bourbon Street,New Orleans
No. 38 Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando
No. 39 Palace of Versailles, Versailles,France – It was closed the day I went there, but I did walk around the grounds.
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No. 40 British Museum,London – I visited while I was on my study abroad program in college.
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Never been to
No. 41 Lotte World, Seoul
No. 42 Grauman’s Chinese Theatre/Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood
No. 43 French Market,New Orleans
No. 44 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City – I went with my hubby back in 2004. I wish we would have had time to take our kids there on our recent trip.
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I haven’t been to
No. 45 Hong Kong Disneyland
No. 46 The Colosseum,Rome – another thing that’s just amazing to see in real life!
Never been to
No. 47 Ocean Park, Hong Kong
No. 47 SeaWorld, Orlando
No. 49 Tate Modern,London
No. 50 Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, CA – I visited this spot as a kid, don’t remember a ton about it.
I think it’s pretty amazing that I’ve been to 23 of the 50 most popular tourist destinations in the world. Not bad for a Utah girl (who doesn’t even like to fly)! I know there are some destinations that I will never see, but I’m very happy that I’ve had the chance to see so many amazing places. How many have you been to? Are any of them on your travel dreams list?
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