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.

Pensacola

Pensacola is the Blue Angels' home base (you can watch their practices for free at the National Naval Aviation Museum), with sugar-white sand beaches on the Gulf and a charming historic district that goes back to the Spanish. It's the western-most Florida city, closer to New Orleans than to Miami in feel. Affordable, sunny, and serious about seafood.