Sarah Mäkelä | New York Times Bestselling Author

1. Orlando, Florida. It’s the land of make believe and fun. What more can I say? It has great amusement parks, and the general atmosphere of the city is just wonderful. It has attractions for people of all ages. Fun things for kids and adults. Nightlife there is great, too. I used to live there a few years back, and a part of me still feels drawn to go back!2. St. Louis, Missouri. I remember going as a child visiting my grandmother there. There are several fun things to see like a magic house, a large carousel museum (with a carousel that I used to love riding on), the Arch… WOW, the great museums there, too. Of course as a kid I used to be like, oh old stuff… can we go somewhere else? But I can look back and remember it for the greatness it was. I’d love to go back here as well.3. Tennessee. Okay, maybe I’m biased since I’m from TN, but it has a lot of great things to see and do. My favorite parts are Central TN and Eastern TN where the Smoky Mts are. I *LOVE* the Smoky Mountains. Plus the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge areas are totally fun, too! I was raised in Central TN, so I, of course, enjoy the Parthenon (a replica of the one in made in Greece, which is AMAZING. Run, don’t walk to get there if you can.) It has a lot of other great things, like the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. I could say a lot more about it, too.4. Romania. What can I say? It was the first international country I’d ever gone to, besides from Canada and Amsterdam’s airport. The culture is so incredibly fascinating. I *SO* want to go back here, listening Mr. Fiance? I had a crowded schedule when going since I went with a group from my university, so I couldn’t go exploring everything that I wanted. I went to Bucharest and Braila while there, which aren’t very close together, so I also was able to experience a four hour bus trip both ways, which in itself was fabulous. The landscape was wow, too. And now I’m rambling, but when I go back, I want to explore Bucharest some more and go to explore Transylvania and Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) and all of the Medieval towns, etc.5. Helsinki, Finland. And well all of the parts of Finland that I’ve seen so far. It’s all lush and foresty. Lots of lakes, too. And I mean A LOT. I was all smug thinking that my glorious land of lakes, Florida, could stand up to the amount of lakes here… Not a chance. They have more than 60,000 lakes in Finland. Plus a lot of smaller lakes and then rivers, etc. Back to Helsinki. It’s a wonderful city. It has a great feeling to it. Plus, the architecture is gorgeous. I love old cities that have that kind of feel to them.6. Amsterdam. Okay, so I spent one of the layovers sitting in the Amsterdam airport for eight hours, but hey, on the way back through we got to actually see the big city. The architecture was once again AMAZING. It went along great with the weather at the moment, which was on the dreary side, but! I’d love to go back and explore this city (and The Netherlands) more.7. Key West, Florida. Okay, what can I say? It’s an awesome place. The history is a blast. There are cats and chickens all roaming the streets, and neither minds the other much. They have Key Lime Pie on a stick and chocolate covered Key Lime Pie on a stick. Both are AMAZING! And I know you can get them at the stores, but still… Also, there are great restaurants like Sloppy Joe’s. I’m planning on my next Key West run to be soon, especially
since the fiance hasn’t been there.8. Savannah, Georgia. Hmm, mentioning Key West makes me somehow think of Savannah. I thoroughly enjoy going to Savannah as well. It was another place that my grandmother used to live and we’d go and visit her there. Yes, same grandmother. She enjoyed moving around, and well, I enjoyed going to new places, so it worked out well. This city again has wonderful history. I’m still trying to convince anyone to go on a ghost tour with me, but as of yet no one has been nice enough to agree. lol The Pirate’s House is a great place to eat while there. River Street is another must see. Of course there are a lot there, but…9. San Francisco, California. Well, so how were you guessing I’d mention it? It’s a great place to do sightseeing. I saw Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and even rode on a trolley car! I’m going to be going back next year since the Romance Writer’s of America conference will be there, and I’m going to make darn sure I’m there since of course this summer has been spent with the fiance. Unfortunately, my brain can’t think of too much else to say about this one.10. New Orleans, Louisiana (Pre-Katrina). It’s sad that a place with such vibrant history and feel was damaged so badly. I had the chance to go prior to Katrina, and the city was enthralling, especially well, since I’m a horror/romantic paranormal/urban fantasy writer. I’m glad that I at least got to see it before it was devastated and hope it rebuilds quickly.11. Colorado. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to have driven through this state. It is beautiful! The mountains with their snow caps even during summer is just mindblowing. I’m glad that I stayed awake for most of this drive.12. Yellowstone National Park. This was a great adventure. I loved seeing the almost untouched nature. Plus how amazing is it to be driving along and then a huge animal like a moose starts walking across the road in front of you and then stops and lingers. It’s also interesting to see the other people getting out of their for better pictures. I wonder if they really value their lives since wild animals can attack, ya know? Plus, Old Faithful was quite fun to watch as well.13. New Mexico. It has some great culture and history as well. Plus there are some great museums, parks, monuments, etc. I’ve been there a few times. I’m not too fond of hot temperatures (pfft, I know I live in Florida, but Florida is different), but some of the exciting attractions like the Gila Cliff Dwellings, and then there’s Santa Fe and Albuquerque to see.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Vicki Lane
2. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)