<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Travel blogger Lee Abbamonte grew up in NYC but now lives in Los Angeles.Momo Takahashi/Business Insider</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Lee Abbamonte has visited every US state, every country in the world, and the North and South Poles.</li><li>Abbamonte, a 45-year-old travel blogger, grew up in NYC but now lives in Los Angeles.</li></ul><p>When you've done as much travel as <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-wall-streeter-visited-every-state-would-not-live-there-2024-4">Lee Abbamonte</a> has, you know a thing or two about the places worth visiting within the US.</p><p><a target="_blank" class href="https://www.instagram.com/leeabbamonte/?hl=en">Abbamonte</a>, 45, is a travel blogger who has <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-states-ranked-by-travel-blogger-visited-each-multiple-times-2024-3">visited every US state</a>, every country in the world, and the North and South Poles.</p><p>He told Business Insider that he caught the travel bug at age 20, when he left the US for the first time to study abroad in London. After graduation, Abbamonte spent time working on Wall Street <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/september-11-21st-anniversary-9-incredible-survivor-stories-2021-9">until 9/11</a> changed the trajectory of his life. The deadly tragedy was "eye-opening," he said, and spurred him on to dedicate his life to travel.</p><p>Abbamonte has traveled far and wide in the decades since, sampling new cuisines, exploring <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/underrated-european-countries-for-summer-travel-better-than-tourist-favorites-2024-5">underrated countries</a>, and immersing himself in different cultures. But he also believes his home country, the US, has a lot to offer — and he's not alone.</p><p>According to a May report published by <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/now-boarding-faces-places-and-trends-shaping-tourism-in-2024">McKinsey & Company</a>, a management consulting firm, nearly 70% of trips that start in the US are domestic. What's more, the firm reports that $1 trillion is spent on trips within the US on a yearly basis, making it the largest domestic travel market in the world.</p><p>But when it comes to US cities, Abbamonte has preferences. He's got a soft spot for places that are rich in history, have plenty of outdoor activities, and reflect the latest food and culture trends.</p><p>Here, he picked three US cities he can't get enough of and three that he prefers not to revisit.</p>