Depending on what you intend to write, a location can be a wellspring of ideas, both for atmosphere and for the characters that may inhabit your work. Some writers enjoy sitting in cafes or outdoor areas of restaurants, where they can watch people of all types walk by. Others prefer the desolate tranquility of a forest grove or an uninhabited beach. Still others find that a particular place, be it a famous location or one that has sentimental meaning to the writer, acts as a great starting point.
There's a saying that all the stories in the world have already been told, and it's just a matter of how to tell them. Plenty of writers can cite the works of their favorite poets and authors as the steppingstones towards their own writings. You may wish to emulate your own preferred writer in terms of style, or expand from the genre for which he or she writes. For instance, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series works well to help you write about magic and wizards, deal with a cast of hundreds or navigate writing from multiple points of view.
What better place to look for inspiration than in things that captivate the soul and bring tears to many eyes? Put on some of your favorite music, or break habit and listen to songs from a genre far removed from your normal tastes. You can also take a trip to an art gallery or a local museum and draw from the emotions trapped in the paintings and sculptures that you see.
Your friends and family, or even people you happen to know with unusual personalities or histories, make for great literary material. Their personal accounts could form the foundation of a stirring biography or a work of inspired fiction. A host of stories can be woven from a single quirk or collection of them. Interviewing people is one of the primary tools in a writer's arsenal.