What Do I Want to See?

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As I settled into my tiny seat on the plane from Los Angeles to Paris I thought about what I would be most happy to see this trip to Paris.  The answer?  The Cathedral  - Notre Dame of Paris. (http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/ No matter how often I go, what I’m doing, how crazy the schedule, even a brief visit to Notre Dame is essential.  It brightens my spirits, surprises me with its beauty, and brings moments of calm in a hectic world.

Then I asked myself: are there places in other cities that seem equally important?   A special place that is key to a satisfactory visit?  It turns out I have a list – a surprise to me.  In New York it’s the Met and at least a few minutes with the Temple of Dendur.  http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/547802.

Chicago?  Garrett’s popcorn shop on Michigan Avenue.   Moscow?  Dorgomilovsky Market.  London?  Westminster Abbey. 

It was harder to answer what is the special vision that makes Los Angeles home. Not the Hollywood sign.  Not the La Brea Tar Pits or even the beach in Santa Monica.  Coming home for me is the first glimpse of Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Just blocks from where I live, I walk or drive by it almost daily and never tire of seeing it.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall)

Now I wonder what will the discovery in the next city I visit.  And I'd ask you to share -  what are the special images you have on your list?