Photochick's post reminded me of 2 more places.

I don't care for Key West but I loved the other Keys. I would definitely be willing to go visit the other keys, although I didn't care for Florida as a whole and probably wouldn't go without it being work related.

I am heavily biased toward California in that I visit it twice a year but if I was going there on vacation, I'd head to Northern California but places south of San Francisco. I love Monterey.

New Mexico is way underrated! It doesn't get the attention it deserves. Santa Fe, Abq, Taos, White Sands... all so wonderful. I was born on Holloman AFB so I'm a little bias though!!! Moved when I was 2 so it's not like I remember living there. Wish I were there longer. But I'll settle for vacations!

I agree with you about Toronto. I forgot about it when doing my post. Nice, but $$$$!

Yay for vacation! I guess it all depends on what you want to do..hike, sightsee, lay on the beach, relax, shop...lol...anyway just a heads up on the Florida thing. I live down here for school right now and its getting ready to start "season" so it gets kind of crazy in the more touristy spots and difficult to get into places.
Let us know what you decide...and most of all have fun!!!!!!

People actually VACATION to Toronto? ****, I pay money to get outta here! haha.

The Rhine valley in Germany is awesome. I would go back in a flash!!

We've had a great time in Quebec City, and also in San Francisco. There was so much to do in each place, and we were in QC in May, when all of the tulips were in bloom and the weather was still cool-ish. Actually, we did both vacations in May, different years.

We've been looking into Oregon or maybe San Diego for our next vacation. All of that is up in the air until my husband finishes school.

I totally forgot about Montreal. I'd like to go back to Quebec again but Montreal was a really nice city to visit. They have a great subway network and we didn't even need to rent a car.

Since nobody's mentioned it yet, I'll suggest Austin, TX, especially if you're into nightlife and music. Lake Travis is really nice and the downtown area near UT has tons of unique shops and places to eat. The 6th street area has a lot of bars that can cater to pretty much any age group or taste in music.

Edited to add: If you're really into music and film, you might want to look into going during SXSW which is usually sometime around spring break. It will be crowded though, so if you choose this option you'll want to book a hotel room early and get tickets to concerts and stuff as early as possible.

I live in San Diego and love it here. It's a great place if you have a family. Sea World, the Zoo, aquariums, museums, parks, beaches, etc...

The other place I would recommend is kinda silly...but what about Disney World? I went for the first time as an adult and DH and I had a blast! We did each park in a day and were completely exhausted at the end but I would go back again in a heartbeat. Definitely not a laid back kind of vacation, but hey different things for different people, right?

I lived in Farmington, NM for six years. I love Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Northern NM is beautiful. One of my favorite places is Chimayo. Interesting little place.

Oh...I miss NM chile.

What do you like to do? My favorite vacations involve lots and lots of outdoor / sports activities.

If budget is tight -- we go to Gatlinburg Tennessee and play in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. If budget is a non issue, I love going to any Club Med where I can play all day long .... different activities every hour on the hour!

There are all kinds of neat places here in the states it just depends on what you are looking for. My husband and I honeymooned on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachussets and it was wonderful. Beautiful islands, some history, laid back lifestyle but lots of money there so they have more upscale things to do if that is what you are into. We also have really enjoyed San Antonio as well as Niagara Falls, although we didn't really explore much of toronto while we were there. We really enjoyed Washington D.C. and seeing all the government buildings, the White House and Watergate Building, etc. We went to Oceanside, California earlier this year but since you are from SoCal that is probably not something you're looking into!