Jasper and Banff National Parks in Alberta, Canada - world class attractions within 4 hours drive from Edmonton. The picture below is from Morraine Lake, which used to be featured on the old Canadian $20 bill. We also have prairie, boreal forest, and the foothills to the Rockies nearby!

Grounds for Sculpture - Hamilton, NJ - so beautiful (and pretty magical) that my wife and I got married there. No single photo can do it justice but I recommend it to anyone nearby. A late spring afternoon walking around the grounds is an afternoon well spent.

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC

The Chicago Lakefront Bike Path is awesome. 18 miles, goes right past the skyline, parks, many of the best museums. (It's walker/runner friendly, too.)

I'm an Oregon native so I'm going with this: Crater Lake National Park

The Yorkshire Wolds. Quiet, unassuming and mostly unspoilt by tourism. Then once in a while you walk straight into a David Hockney painting.

Incredibly hard to pick one. We have like thirty castle ruins in the region and one of the biggest forests in Germany. It's lovely.

I live in Southwest VA and just outside of Blacksburg is the Wilson Creek Bridge.

Gros Morne National Park, no contest.

that whole damn movie is perfect

Technically it doesn't even have to be io9 related. Unlike most of the 'best _____' articles posted on io9 this one is wide open, it doesn't have any restrictions at all.

That's a good point about single-issue elected officials. Kind of reflects badly on our style of house democracy given that even the most well-read politician is necessarily going to be voting on some issues they know fuck all about.

It's certainly alternate history. Does that count?

It's a perfect intro to Leone too, with a wide open vista immediately followed by the close up of an ugly, desperate man.

Yes & I see you Once upon a time in the west!

Opening scene rather than just opening shot...

I always keep these words of Londo Mollari to Vir close at heart because they are so applicable and can be read in so many ways: "Vir, intelligence has nothing to do with politics!"

I think there are two distinct issues here. Scientists being involved with politics and scientists being involved with policy. They tend to get conflated a lot, and certainly have some overlap, but I think the difference warrants a discussion. Getting involved with policy, I think everyone would argue is a good…

I disagree. I think everyone should speak up about the issues that are important to them.

And what the heck is wrong with talking about the human and social impacts of the phenomena you know best?