San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco is hills, fog, Mission burritos the size of forearms, and pastel Victorians stacked like dominoes. Karl the Fog has his own Instagram, the cable cars are still mechanically pulled by cables running under the street, and the Pacific shows up at the end of every west-bound avenue. The food is wildly good, the views are theatrical, and yes, you'll get cardio just walking to the corner store.

Evansville

Evansville sits on a horseshoe bend of the Ohio River in the southwestern corner of Indiana, closer to Memphis than to Indianapolis in feel. The Mesker Park Zoo is a sleeper good time. The University of Evansville and University of Southern Indiana keep college energy in town. River history, Cajun and Southern food influences, and a friendly Midwest pace. Cheap and easy.