My top 3 U.S. destinations:
1. New Orleans
2. Nashville
3. Chicago
Honorable mentions: The Grand Canyon, Northwest Washington State, Kansas City, St. Louis, Anchorage, Denver/Colorado Rockies, Arches National Park, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Charleston SC
Dishonorable mentions: New York City (way too crowded/busy/dirty), Florida (tacky strip malls, you’ll find a better beach experience pretty much anywhere else that’s warm)
Still on my bucket list: California (esp. San Diego, San Francisco), Oregon, Hawaii, Idaho, Minneapolis, northern Great Lakes
The United States has a ton of stuff of course, but the only places with the repeat-value that makes me want to say “yes, I’m dropping everything now and leaving as soon as I can” are the cities I put in my Top 3 above.
As you can see I’m pretty biased toward cities, the urban experience and culture. When it comes to natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, I’m more like “eh, I’ve seen that now, check”
And when it comes to the urban travel experience, Europe overall has America beaten, hands down