Friday Five: 5 Easy Summer Vacations

It’s officially summer. At least today was the first day of Summer Fridays at the office which sure made it feel like it! No one was at work today it seemed. While we might have 3 more weeks until the calendar says it’s technically summer, I’m already in the mindset that June is it. Hopefully, Chicago agrees. With the hopes of taking a little time off to enjoy the nice weather, I’ve put together a list of easy summer travel destinations!

When it comes to my top picks, I usually look for places that are easy to get to. While destinations like Palm Springs are great for people that live in LA or Southern California, it’s way too hard to fit that into a weekend. Even a long weekend. You’d definitely need to spend at least 4 or more full days there just to make the traffic worth it! But let’s take the focus off of the West Coast and spread the love evenly around the nation. When I think about where we’ve been that I would definitely visit again, here are my top 5 cities!

1. Los Angeles

As my former home, this one tops the list. When living there, I definitely under appreciated what it had: beaches, hiking trails, amazing restaurants, celebrity spottings, everything. LAX (the airport) is southwest of downtown but if you’re going for a weekend, try to stay somewhere on the west side. Don’t over plan your weekend trying to run all around the city. The traffic will kill you. Visit the Venice Canals, shop on 3rd Street Promenade, and hike through Malibu. If you’re looking for restaurant recommendations, see my 5 favorites here. A visit to LA just might have you considering a move there.

2. Seattle

Another destination that is easily accessible! The airport is a short car ride from the city and you can basically stay anywhere within the city limits. Pike a place based on what sights you want to see. You can’t go wrong! Visit Pike’s Place for people watching and the prettiest fresh flowers, check out some Chihuly art, and see the city from above. It’s a little cooler than most destinations this time of year so enjoy a little break from heat and humidity. For a full travel guide of Seattle, read this post here!

3. Vancouver

For the international traveler, this is one of my favorite quick destinations! Matt and I visited before we moved to Chicago because it’s such an easy flight from anywhere on the west coast. As a city, it was extremely clean and had the vibe of Seattle but a little more metropolitan. We went to Queen Elizabeth Park, visited a brewery on Granville Island, and had some pretty darn good meals recommended on Trip Advisor.

4. New York

Of course NYC makes this list. With all the amazing restaurants and landmarks, there is so much to do you always leave feeling like you could spend another whole week there! My favorite thing to do is to picnic in Central Park and just enjoy the outdoors. Perhaps even do a little boat ride on the lake. I’m crossing my fingers to convince Matt to visit again later this year so stay tuned for a travel guide!

5. Miami

South Beach bringin’ the heat, right? Matt and I did a little quick trip to Miami back in April and left feeling like we needed to plan another trip. Between wandering through Wynwood Walls and dinner right on the water, I could see us spending a little more time there. I know the nightlife is also rather exciting for those looking to party until the break of dawn. How many Will Smith lyrics can I reference in one paragraph? Never too many. Either way, stay tuned for a travel guide early next year!

Do you have a summer destination that you love? What is it? Share some travel inspiration!