Any Suggestions For Domestic Vacation Destinations?

[Augie]

4 minutes ago, The Warden said:

Been to  Alaska twice on cruises - unbelievable. Most cruise lines only stop in Vancouver to cover the casino clause - You don't have to get off. Go to Anchorage - take the train to Seward - board there. If you have a lot of time - you can go to Denali - but it is just a mountain

 

No idea what the conditions would be at cruise time, but have always wanted to see Vancouver. It would be a bummer to be there and not get a taste, but who knows what the rules might be at that point……or tomorrow. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

9 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

Yellowstone/Grand Tetons is the most beautiful place I've been to in the states so far.

 

San Diego and that whole area of the Cali coast, you get a lot of bang for your buck: beach life, city life, hiking, you name it.

 

Sedona is also wonderful, but I live close by so I've been there so many times.

we need to vacation together— three of my favorite places! 
 

i will say that the next time i go to Sedona, I am thinking of splitting it up and spending more time in Flagstaff. We just spent a quick day over there when we visited the area, and I thought it was a super cool town. 

[Draconator]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

we need to vacation together— three of my favorite places! 
 

i will say that the next time i go to Sedona, I am thinking of splitting it up and spending more time in Flagstaff. We just spent a quick day over there when we visited the area, and I thought it was a super cool town. 

My wife and I want to spend about a week in Flagstaff. We're thinking of it being a retirement destination, but not having spent any real time there, we won't be sure until we do. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

8 minutes ago, Draconator said:

My wife and I want to spend about a week in Flagstaff. We're thinking of it being a retirement destination, but not having spent any real time there, we won't be sure until we do. 

Like I said, we were there for part of a day, so I don’t have a great sample size. Stopped there between Sedona and Grand Canyon. I was just struck by the area— mountainous, wooded, and temperate— and yet close to the dessert.  And the city itself felt very young and hip— sensed the restaurant scene was great (we ate at an awesome place). 
 

one of our friends told my wife and me recently that Flagstaff was basically her favorite city, and a place she would move to if she could. 
 

Definitely seems like it has retirement potential. 

[LeGOATski]

2 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

we need to vacation together— three of my favorite places! 
 

i will say that the next time i go to Sedona, I am thinking of splitting it up and spending more time in Flagstaff. We just spent a quick day over there when we visited the area, and I thought it was a super cool town. 

It's a nice little college town.

[Augie]

2 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

we need to vacation together— three of my favorite places! 
 

i will say that the next time i go to Sedona, I am thinking of splitting it up and spending more time in Flagstaff. We just spent a quick day over there when we visited the area, and I thought it was a super cool town. 

 

Being an “east coast guy”, I’ve been mildly surprised by how many west coast options are here. Well……maybe not. I’m all about new stuff, so I find that kind of exciting. It’s easy for us to drive to Blowing Rock, or Highlands NC. But I know what to expect there. I want to experience new places and new things. 

 

My sisters have a thing for Christmas where they prioritize experiences over things. I absolutely LOVE it! One year my older sister skipped every gift all year (birthdays, anniversary’s, Christmas, etc.) and did a budget trip to Paris in the cheap December window. Probably didn’t PAY for the trip, but it went a long way. The other sister is a traveling maniac! This year they are in Kitty Hawk, NC for Christmas. It changes every year, and they have memories that will last far longer than those sweaters we got that we didn’t like, barely fit and wound up at Goodwill when we needed to make space.  

[BuffaloBill]

On 12/27/2021 at 9:20 PM, Augie said:

It looks like our trip to Italy/Croatia and the Windstar cruise in a few months is not going to happen. AGAIN! We first booked it about three years ago, and this will be the second time it’s been canceled. VERY frustrating! 

 

I don’t want to steer this in any direction by saying where we’ve been previously because I’m open to all options, but generally want to see new places. I just don’t want to have to deal with borders and getting stranded anywhere due to Covid. I will say, we like fairly nice accommodations and are not camping type people. I’m curious about any great cities, parks and/or resorts. Our son’s honeymoon had to go to Plan B as they couldn’t make Italy work either. They had a great time in a location I’ll withhold for now. 

 

Where have you been that you really enjoyed? I’m curious to hear all your thoughts. Thanks in advance. 

 

 

.

 

 

When I first glanced at your topic I thought it said “Any suggestions for domestic violence situations.” 🤪 Are you and the wifey having issues? 🤫

[Augie]

4 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

When I first glanced at your topic I thought it said “Any suggestions for domestic violence situations.” 🤪 Are you and the wifey having issues? 🤫

 

Not at all! She seems quite content shackled in the basement. At least, I can’t hear her screaming any more, but that might be the awesome new sound bar on the TV.   😋

 

We are different in what we enjoy which makes the vacation thing tricky. I like small, quality cruises, she gets motion sickness but can pull it off with meds. That effectively crosses off my intrigue with a cool train ride (mostly in the bar car!) thru the mountains. Seems like once would be enough, but s bucket list item. She hates heat, I hate cold. I’d love to go to Hawaii, but the last time we flew to wine country she couldn’t wait to get off the plane, while half were continuing on to Hawaii. She felt bad for them, while I was jealous. Hawaii is too far for her, but she can fly to NYC to connect to Spain, no problem. 

 

There are certain places we both like to visit, but I’m getting sick of repeat destinations, hence the desire for new ideas. Now that Italy apparently canceled AGAIN I want to find something new and special without crossing borders. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Wayward Pines, Idaho. 🤔

[Augie]

3 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Wayward Pines, Idaho. 🤔

 

Wayward, you say? That just might be right up my alley! 

[mead107]

Vermont 

[BuffaloBill]

14 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Vermont 

 

Northern rednecks with some of the same type of friends visiting from Quebec. It is very pretty there though.

[mead107]

Also love the coast of Maine 

 

[Gugny]

55 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Also love the coast of Maine 

 

 

We were in Hampton Beach over the summer and the plan was to leave there, then head up the coast of Maine.  A bad storm killed those plans, so we're hoping to do that next summer.

[teef]

come to rochester.  you can hang out with me and  yell at my kids.

[BringBackFergy]

https://www.manchesterview.com/attractions
 

https://www.visitmaine.net/maine_blog/top-10-things-to-sea-and-do-in-ogunquit-maine/

 

 

 

[Logic]

Not sure if the U.S. Virgin Islands would work for you, since you said the wife hates heat.

I used to live on the tiny island of St John, and greater beauty you have never seen.

It stays pretty temperate (for the tropics) in the Winter, with an average in the upper 70s and the trade winds blowing.

Since it's a U.S. territory, you don't need a passport to go there. It's just the same as flying into any other U.S. state. Just fly into St Thomas and take the ferry over, and you're in. 

I'd check the state of things there with regard to COVID before buying tickets, but assuming they're not out of control, it's a lovely place for a vacation.

[Irv]

59 minutes ago, Logic said:

Not sure if the U.S. Virgin Islands would work for you, since you said the wife hates heat.

I used to live on the tiny island of St John, and greater beauty you have never seen.

It stays pretty temperate (for the tropics) in the Winter, with an average in the upper 70s and the trade winds blowing.

Since it's a U.S. territory, you don't need a passport to go there. It's just the same as flying into any other U.S. state. Just fly into St Thomas and take the ferry over, and you're in. 

I'd check the state of things there with regard to COVID before buying tickets, but assuming they're not out of control, it's a lovely place for a vacation.

 

I second USVI.  I have been several times and it's beautiful.  St John, St Croix, St Thomas are all spectacular.  Also been to Alaska several times and I feel it is a must for any American to visit.  Don't even need to take a cruise.  Absolutely breathtaking and so much to do.  Finally, if you like music and beer - Nashville is awesome.  

 

 

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, Irv said:

 

I second USVI.  I have been several times and it's beautiful.  St John, St Croix, St Thomas are all spectacular.  Also been to Alaska several times and I feel it is a must for any American to visit.  Don't even need to take a cruise.  Absolutely breathtaking and so much to do.  Finally, if you like music and beer - Nashville is awesome.  

 

 

 

The USVI is VERY appealing to me, and it was in the back of my mind. I might be able to sell that to the wife, too.  

 

I always envisioned combining Alaska with some time in Vancouver, both high on my wish list.

 

Nashville is awesome! We used to have a place there. It is so much more than country music, which people generally don’t understand! I tried to get a college buddy and his wife come visit but he said it wasn’t his cup of tea…….but he had never been there! How could he know? It’s also a college town and a medical hub, among other things. I’d rather live in Nashville than Atlanta, but I’ll hold out for better weather after the wife retires. 

[Augie]

4 hours ago, mead107 said:

Vermont 

 

We went to Stowe (following Boston) on our February honeymoon almost 38 years ago. That might actually be nice to do again! My sister is a partner in a place in Killington so I’ve been there a few times too. 

2 hours ago, Logic said:

Not sure if the U.S. Virgin Islands would work for you, since you said the wife hates heat.

I used to live on the tiny island of St John, and greater beauty you have never seen.

It stays pretty temperate (for the tropics) in the Winter, with an average in the upper 70s and the trade winds blowing.

Since it's a U.S. territory, you don't need a passport to go there. It's just the same as flying into any other U.S. state. Just fly into St Thomas and take the ferry over, and you're in. 

I'd check the state of things there with regard to COVID before buying tickets, but assuming they're not out of control, it's a lovely place for a vacation.

 

I just checked and was surprised to see the USVI has a travel portal with testing restrictions. I’d LOVE to get there, and was surprised they made it a bit more complicated. 

[Logic]

29 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I just checked and was surprised to see the USVI has a travel portal with testing restrictions. I’d LOVE to get there, and was surprised they made it a bit more complicated. 

I was surprised to hear this.

I went and took a peak at their COVID situation on the NPR Covid tracker website. Looks like they're at 137 cases per 100,000, with a several thousand percent increase in positive cases over the past couple weeks. May not sound like much, but for an island whose population is only 4,100 and whose health care system is not spectacular, I suppose it's enough to warrant special protocols.

Anyway...when the world gets a little more "normal" (if that ever happens), put St John at the top of your list. You won't regret it.

[Irv]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

We went to Stowe (following Boston) on our February honeymoon almost 38 years ago. That might actually be nice to do again! My sister is a partner in a place in Killington so I’ve been there a few times too. 

 

I just checked and was surprised to see the USVI has a travel portal with testing restrictions. I’d LOVE to get there, and was surprised they made it a bit more complicated. 

We went last winter.  Very easy process. Very profesional.  

[BrainwashedBillsFan]

Sarasota Florida rocks

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

4 hours ago, Logic said:

I was surprised to hear this.

I went and took a peak at their COVID situation on the NPR Covid tracker website. Looks like they're at 137 cases per 100,000, with a several thousand percent increase in positive cases over the past couple weeks. May not sound like much, but for an island whose population is only 4,100 and whose health care system is not spectacular, I suppose it's enough to warrant special protocols.

Anyway...when the world gets a little more "normal" (if that ever happens), put St John at the top of your list. You won't regret it.

St. John has to be my favorite carribbean island or at least in the top 3. Any time we stop on a cruise in St Thomas, we take the water taxi over there immediately and spend the day hiking and snorkeling all along those beaches. 

[Augie]

6 hours ago, BrainwashedBillsFan said:

Sarasota Florida rocks

 

 

Are you serious, or just punching me in the gut for giggles?  😋

 

I lived there for 18 years before the awful decision to end up in Atlanta. I would pack the car and drive back tonight if I could, but Atlanta offers job$ and Career$ Sarasota does not. 

 

The Sarasota real estate market has to crash again. I saw this in 2004-2005, then came the first quarter of 2006. CRASH!  People would rather have an STD than real estate. I want nobody to get hurt, but I’ll be there in 5 years if they crash again. It has to come back to reality. 

[Augie]

On 12/28/2021 at 3:52 PM, The Warden said:

If you have not been to the Grand Canyon - shame on you 

 

I’m watching Aerial America on the Smithsonian Channel. The Arizona episode is the best you can do to understand the Grand Canyon without actually being there. It still doesn’t do it justice, but if you can’t be there in person, it’s a start! 

 

They also go to places @SinceThe70s, @LeGOATski and I think @Nextmanup mentioned like Sedona. If you get the Smithsonian Channel, look for this. It’s worth it. 

[Another Fan]

About 10 years ago already my dad and I went to Boston for a couple of days.  Despite their sports fans it looked/seemed like a nice city.  Hadn't seen it mentioned here.

 

I mean there's NYC.  But most people think Manhattan not Brooklyn.  It's probably my favorite borough in terms of finding stuff to do.  There's Prospect Park which is huge.  Then you can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

Other cool museums I liked there I've been:

 

NY Transit Museum- it's an old subway station with an exhibit of subways from the 20th century.  I'm a nerd so I dug it

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Brooklyn Museum- huge art collection 

 

 

I like museums so there's that.  I didn't see many mentioned in the thread  

 

[BrainwashedBillsFan]

17 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Are you serious, or just punching me in the gut for giggles?  😋

 

I lived there for 18 years before the awful decision to end up in Atlanta. I would pack the car and drive back tonight if I could, but Atlanta offers job$ and Career$ Sarasota does not. 

 

The Sarasota real estate market has to crash again. I saw this in 2004-2005, then came the first quarter of 2006. CRASH!  People would rather have an STD than real estate. I want nobody to get hurt, but I’ll be there in 5 years if they crash again. It has to come back to reality. 

😂  no I’m serious. I went down there to see my god mother like 15 years ago and it was a blast to say the least. Like you said would love to move there but the market is crazy. Hope you are able to move there again soon. Happy new year. 

[Augie]

4 hours ago, Another Fan said:

About 10 years ago already my dad and I went to Boston for a couple of days.  Despite their sports fans it looked/seemed like a nice city.  Hadn't seen it mentioned here.

 

I mean there's NYC.  But most people think Manhattan not Brooklyn.  It's probably my favorite borough in terms of finding stuff to do.  There's Prospect Park which is huge.  Then you can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

Other cool museums I liked there I've been:

 

NY Transit Museum- it's an old subway station with an exhibit of subways from the 20th century.  I'm a nerd so I dug it

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Brooklyn Museum- huge art collection 

 

 

I like museums so there's that.  I didn't see many mentioned in the thread  

 

 

I really like Boston.  We started our honeymoon there (for some reason I can’t recall 38 years later) and my wife worked for Bank Of Boston for years. Like the town to visit  a LOT. But we’ve also done it a LOT. Sister in Providence and wife has work interests there, so we will be back! 

 

The wife technically works out of NYC now (Manhattan), but has barely been there the last couple years. I bet you can guess why! But you make an excellent point about getting out of Manhattan. My nephew lived in Brooklyn for 10-15 years before recently moving to Newport, RI. He could be a good advisor for us on where to go and what to do. My sister would visit him often and said walking the Brooklyn Bridge is one of her favorite things to do in the city. 

 

I’m not a huge museum guy and have done the highlights there, but I’d love to get to know Central Park better. What a gem! 

 

Good ideas, and will probably extend a trip when the wife starts getting back regularly and the trip is subsidized by the bank. 😋 

[Jrb1979]

Do any of you visit amusement/theme parks ever? 

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Jrb1979 said:

Do any of you visit amusement/theme parks ever? 

 

A family friend took us to Cedar Point in Ohio as a kid. It was better than the only thing I knew at that point, which was Crystal Beach. 

 

We lived a couple hours from Orlando when the kids were young. I didn’t love the parks, the heat on blacktop, waiting 45 minutes for a 2 minute ride or the prices. Having a Fast Pass made it more bearable. I preferred Busch Gardens in Tampa to anything in Orlando, but maybe that’s just me? 

[Jrb1979]

48 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

A family friend took us to Cedar Point in Ohio as a kid. It was better than the only thing I knew at that point, which was Crystal Beach. 

 

We lived a couple hours from Orlando when the kids were young. I didn’t love the parks, the heat on blacktop, waiting 45 minutes for a 2 minute ride or the prices. Having a Fast Pass made it more bearable. I preferred Busch Gardens in Tampa to anything in Orlando, but maybe that’s just me? 

I've almost always took my vacations to different parks across the US. I have no interest in museums, beach resorts or island getaways. Though I was impressed with Put-in Bay. 

[Augie]

6 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

I've almost always took my vacations to different parks across the US. I have no interest in museums, beach resorts or island getaways. Though I was impressed with Put-in Bay. 

 

I’m not really into museums or cathedrals. You could count on one hand the museums or cathedrals I’d willingly spend my time on. Only the best of the best. 

 

We went with a bunch of friends from church to Spain a few years ago. On a side trip to Montserrat (unbelievably beautiful!) the guide was trying to get us all into the cathedral. To my great relief, our priest buddy who organized the trip pulled us aside and said “we’d enjoy the incline more” and took a ride to the top of the mountain. One of the most amazing hours of my life! When we came down I had ten minutes to go thru the cathedral, and that was plenty. 

 

One exception: Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is one of the most amazing sights of my life. Still under construction after a couple hundred years, the stained glass made you think you could touch the light coming thru. I don’t have words to describe it, but it’s the best of the best quality. 

[Einstein]

Key West.

 

I did a cross country trip last year that included the majority of NFL stadiums, so i’ve seen a lot recently.

 

I’d pick Key West over most of the places i’ve been.

[Einstein]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:09 AM, Draconator said:

My wife and I did a 3000 mile, 3 state driving tour this past January. Flew into Reno, stayed in Lake Tahoe, Lone Pine, California (where westerns in the early days of film were made), drove through Death Valley, stayed in Vegas, Sedona and Phoenix, AZ, stayed in a little town called Solvang, CA

 

Are you me?

 

Just kidding, but my Bills hat and I enjoy traveling too. Here are a few of the places i’ve been recently.

 

Texas:

 

 

DC:

 

 

Cleveland:

 

 

Vegas:

 

 

Arizona:

 

 

LA (SoFi was still being built):

 

 

Nashville:

 

 

Tampa:

 

San Diego

(the old stadium is horrendous, no wonder they moved):

 

 

 

Thsre are lots more but posting photos from a mobile device is tedious.

[Draconator]

14 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Are you me?

 

Just kidding, but my Bills hat and I enjoy traveling too. Here are a few of the places i’ve been recently.

 

Texas:

 

 

DC:

 

 

Cleveland:

 

 

Vegas:

 

 

Arizona:

 

 

LA (SoFi was still being built):

 

 

Nashville:

 

 

Tampa:

 

San Diego

(the old stadium is horrendous, no wonder they moved):

 

 

 

Thsre are lots more but posting photos from a mobile device is tedious.

 

Awesome! I'll have to post pics of our trip. 

[Draconator]

after some screen shots and editing, here are trip pics

 

Lake Tahoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along Highway 395 (Eastern Side of the Sierra Mountains)

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by Draconator

[Draconator]

 

 

 

 

Mono Lake and Mono Lake Tufa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mt. Whitney. Tallest peak in the 48 continental states

 

 

 

Badwater Basin. Lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by Draconator

[Draconator]

 

 

Artist Pallet in Death Valley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sedona. 

 

These next couple are from the deck of our AirBnB in Sedona.

 

 

 

 

 

More Sedona

 

 

 

 

 

[Draconator]

 

On our way from Laughlin, NV to Oatman, AZ, we looked on Google Maps for the best way to get there. There were two routes that where the same time to get there, but one was way shorter. So my wife and I said lets take the shorter route. The shorter route was an unmaintained dirt road.

 

 

 

 

 

Solvang, CA. Dutch Capital of US

 

 

 

 

 

We traveled at the height of the pandemic. Solvang shut down Main Street and allowed restaurants to set up outdoor eating areas on the street.

 

 

 

More Solvang