podcast
CNN 5 Good Things
Saturdays are for sunshine — especially for your ears. With another election, ongoing wars and natural disasters, we know the news can be a lot to take in and we’re determined to share the bright side of humanity. Every Saturday, take a breather from the headlines and hear all the uplifting happenings across the world with 5 Good Things from CNN.
America’s Best Towns to Visit
CNN 5 Good Things
Jul 6, 2024
CNN Travel has released its list of America's Best Towns to Visit – and we're spotlighting local legends, unique attractions, and innovative food that make the top five places stand out.
Dasha – a rising country music star – performed at spots all over her hometown of San Luis Obispo, California that's considered a throwback West Coast paradise. No. 4 Portland, Maine is known for its fresh seafood, and no one knows its seafood like Virginia Oliver—the state’s oldest lobster trapper. A unique partnership between the Puyallup Tribe and a Puget Sound seaplane operator offers visitors scenic views of third-ranked Tacoma, Washington. If you don’t want to leave the US, but want to visit Italy, consider a trip to Providence, Rhode Island. Plus, how artists in CNN Travel’s No. 1 city, Richmond, Virginia are transforming their city with thought-provoking murals.
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo (host)
00:00:00
'Hey there, I'm Krista Bo with your weekly dose of feel-good stories and some travel recs, actually. We're doing something a little different this week. We're highlighting what makes America's best towns to visit so special. CNN traveled all over the country and picked ten towns and cities that aren't already at the top of everyone's travel list. We've covered numbers six through ten on the list in last week's episode, so check it out if you haven't already. But now you'll hear some inspiring stories about the people from the places that made the top five, like an up and coming country singer and a 104-year-old lobster trapper. Plus, the food and culture that brings these communities together. From CNN, this is a special episode of 5 Good Things.
Dasha
00:00:46
I'm getting a little territorial because I'm scared SLO is going to blow up. I can't believe more people don't live in San Luis Obispo because it's just the most magical, beautiful place.
Krista Bo (host)
00:00:55
'If you don't know who Dasha is, she's a rising country music singer-songwriter from San Luis Obispo, California, or SLO for short. And that's CNN Travel's No. 5 best town to visit in America. She's been songwriting since she was eight years old. But things really took off for her recently after releasing the hit song "Austin."
"Austin" by Dasha
00:01:16
Did your boots stop working? Did your truck break down? Did you burn through money? Did your ex find out?
Krista Bo (host)
00:01:24
The song absolutely blew up. We're talking more than 10 billion views on TikTok, a CMT award show performance, millions of streams with a special line dance to it and everything.
Dasha
00:01:36
It's wild how much can change in just a couple of months with just one song.
Krista Bo (host)
00:01:40
'And the 24-year-old absolutely loves her hometown.
Dasha
00:01:44
It's the most beautiful place it has, like sand dunes. It has like wine country. It has fields; it has horses. It's like such a cool mix of cultures.
Krista Bo (host)
00:01:55
She told me she's always wanted to be a singer. Her dad got her started by booking her gigs at local wineries, coffee shops and competitions.
Dasha
00:02:03
So SLO was like my first market of playing. I've probably played every venue.
Krista Bo (host)
00:02:07
She said performing in San Luis Obispo consistently at such a young age taught her that if you're going to be in this business, you have to be passionate about music and get your 10,000 hours in.
Dasha
00:02:17
'Doing those shows in SLO where no one would show up and it would be like very low-key just proved how much I loved songwriting. It's magical, even with no one there.
Krista Bo (host)
00:02:27
SLO is also one of the stops on her first headlining tour, starting next month after dropping her album What Happens Now? The show in her hometown sold out in a record 15 minutes.
00:02:45
'Coming in at No. 4 Is Portland, Maine. Portland's claim to fame is its next-level food scene, especially the local fresh seafood. Virginia Oliver, who goes by Ginny, knows all about it. She's a legend in the business. Ginny or, the Lobster Lady, as she's known, is the oldest lobster trapper in Maine. Last month, she celebrated her 104th birthday. When she was 101, Ginny told The Associated Press she had no plans to stop working.
Virginia Oliver
00:03:13
Well, I've always done it, so now I might just keep right on doing it.
Krista Bo (host)
00:03:18
Local author Barbara Walsh said that's still true now.
Barbara Walsh
00:03:21
Her message is, you get old when you stop doing what you love. And you know when people say to Ginny, 'When are you going to retire?' She's like, when I die.
Krista Bo (host)
00:03:31
She wrote a book about Ginny a few years ago. Barbara said her friend is a true Mainer: Ginny works hard and never complains. She started hauling traps with her father at age eight, back when a lobster fetched about $0.28 a pound on the docks. Ginny hasn't been out yet this summer, but Barbara said she wants to.
Barbara Walsh
00:03:49
She keeps saying to me, I want to go out. Ginny is unstoppable. And just my money's on her that she'll get back out there.
Krista Bo (host)
00:03:56
If you try a Maine lobster roll during your travels, Ginny has some advice. She told Barbara there's only one right way to make it.
Barbara Walsh
00:04:03
Gotta toast the bun, toast it in butter, and then you got to be careful, not too much mayonnaise and absolutely nothing else. Not even salt and pepper.
Krista Bo (host)
00:04:15
If you're looking for a unique way to explore city No. 3, how about a seaplane? Tacoma, Washington is just 35 miles south of Seattle and surrounded by some of the best natural views the Pacific Northwest has to offer. And now, thanks to a unique partnership, Tacoma visitors can take it all in from the air.
David Gudgel
00:04:35
You're looking at a view of Mount Rainier towering over the city of Tacoma, and it is just breathtaking.
Krista Bo (host)
00:04:42
David Gudgel is the president of Kenmore Air, the largest seaplane operator in the country, and they teamed up with the Puyallup Tribe to launch scenic seaplane flights out of Tacoma last summer. They're the only tribe in the U.S. to do this kind of thing.
David Gudgel
00:04:55
This is incredibly unique. The tribe really has an amazing vision for growth.
Krista Bo (host)
00:05:01
After taking in the beauty of the Puget Sound from the air, you can enjoy some of the delicious food that comes from it. Kent Kingman owns the Minterbrook Oyster Company. They've been farming oysters in the Puget Sound since 1932. Kent says the oysters there are particularly tasty, and they can be the size of your head!
Kent Kingman
00:05:19
It's the algae. It's what the oysters eat that makes it so awesome.
Krista Bo (host)
00:05:28
No. 2 on the list: a city in New England that has a way to visit Italy without leaving the U.S.
Marcello
00:05:34
You know, the riverwalk, I don't know if it was specifically designed to look Italian, but if you squint, you see Venice in Providence.
Krista Bo (host)
00:05:44
'Rhode Island's capital city, Providence, has long been a hub for Italian-American culture. Take a gondola ride on the Providence River, steered by guides like Marcello, and see the city the way CNN's Derek Van Dam did.
Marcello
00:05:58
Sometimes we're talking the entire time about history and restaurants to try and other attractions, and sometimes I might not do anything more than introduce myself and sing a couple songs. [singing in Italian]
Krista Bo (host)
00:06:22
One of the many amazing restaurants Marcello recommends is Al Forno, known for its grilled pizza.
Johanne Killeen
00:06:29
We do everything that we can with fresh produce, fresh ingredients, trying to bring the magic of Italy to Providence.
Krista Bo (host)
00:06:39
Owner Johanne Killeen and her late husband, George, lived in Italy before coming to Providence. They came up with the idea to cook their pizzas on a charcoal grill back in the 80s. Johanne said it's been one of the most popular items on the menu ever since, and anyone can do it at home.
Johanne Killeen
00:06:53
When you cook with your kids, you can do this in your backyard, you could do this on your camping trips. It's easy.
Krista Bo (host)
00:07:00
The city has been going through a renaissance over the past century, celebrated for not only its great food, but also for its legendary architecture, thriving art community, and abundant parks and gardens.
00:07:18
Up next, the best town to visit in America.
00:07:26
To understand what makes Richmond, Virginia, CNN's No. 1 pick, artist Hamilton Glass recommends looking at its walls. Hamilton is proud to say that his city has become a hub for street art in recent years. He says public art has been transformative for Richmond.
Hamilton Glass
00:07:42
It's not just art for art's sake. It has really changed the energy here.
Krista Bo (host)
00:07:47
In 2020, Hamilton helped found Mending Walls, a nonprofit that connects artists of different backgrounds to spark tough conversations through public art. That first year, 16 new murals were created.
Hamilton Glass
00:07:59
I felt like it was this little microcosm of what society needed to do as a whole at the moment.
Krista Bo (host)
00:08:07
Richmond felt like an important place to have those tough conversations, since it was the former capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and it used to be home to more Confederate statues than any other U.S. city. But after some of those statues were removed, Hamilton said Richmond had an opportunity to figure out its new identity.
Hamilton Glass
00:08:24
I think now that they are gone, and especially we have these, like open pedestals, it's a reminder that it's time to change what we were.
Krista Bo (host)
00:08:33
To check out the Mending Walls murals on your visit to Richmond, go to MendingWallsRVA.com for details on their locations, the artists behind them, and more. And if you want to learn more about these towns and others that made the list, head to cnn.com/best towns. You can also find the link in our show notes.
00:08:55
All right, that's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of One Thing all about the elections in France and what the results will mean for Europe and beyond. 5 Good Things is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Emily Williams and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producer is Faiz Jamil. Greg Peppers is our Supervising Producer. Matt Dempsey is our Production Manager. Dan Dzula is our Technical Director. And Steve Lickteig is the Executive Producer of CNN Audio. We get support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to the CNN Travel team and Katie Hinman. And thank you for listening. Take care. Till next time.