People, Places and Experiences

If you were to google "Average Joe" I would be shocked if my name didn't come up. I was an average student, had average jobs, lived in average neighborhoods and try as I did, never became a better than average athlete. Now this is the spot that a guy with any brains at all mentions that he did marry an extremely "above average" girl. (Average does not like sleeping on the couch)
As a shameless self promotion, all you researchers out there looking for the average response to anything could save millions by just asking me first. By the way, I make lots of mistakes, some huge, some small but they usually end up averaging out.
Now I may be an average Joe but I love to meet exceptional people, visit exceptional places, eat exceptional food and  experience exceptional moments. I hope to share people, places and events with you but I especially hope to hear your stories. I really want to know what America looks like through your eyes.
Tell me about a great American destination you've visited and the food and people that made it worth recommending to others. Be brief but let us smell the food, see the landscape and meet the folks that you think makes America exceptional.