The Travel Thread

[DMcGrew]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

[eddysnake]

navy pier and childrens museum - day 1
millennium park and willis tower - day 2
magnificent mile shopping and boat tour - day 3

think that will do for now, will fill in gaps later. thanks

You might want to plan for some other stuff. I was in Chicago a few months ago and we could have done all of those things in 1 day. I didn't like the Navy Pier at all. Was probably the most boring part of the trip.. but I don't have kids either. Willis Tower and Hancock Tower were both awesome. I recommend going to both. The aquarium is pretty cool too. We did an architecture boat tour which was really nice. The only deep dish pizza we had was Giordanos and it was awesome. They also have some double-decker bus tours that are great.. they have like 12 stops all over the city. You can get on and off the buses as you please. Was great for getting around the city. Not sure if the Cubs will be in town or not but go see a game at Wrigley too.

We'll have 3 kids (1,3,5) so these are all planned for morning and afternoon which I feel will be plenty to fill the day. Might check out the zoo/aquarium as well. I remember going to the museum of science and industry when I was younger which was really cool, but kids may be too young for that now. I believe cubs will be away. It would be cool if things work out and Pens are playing Chicago that week, keeping evenings open right now.

[eddysnake]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

put Charleston on the city list. Incredible place. I'd also recommend Jackson Hole, but thats more low key.

[Idoit40fans]

I'm of the belief that the best scenery can be found at pools in Vegas.

[Letang Is The Truth]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

city 1 - montreal

city 2 - san fran

city 3 - vieques, puerto rico

[Nuge]

Family making a trip to Chicago in a couple weeks, staying 2 blocks west of Navy Pier. We are taking the train in so we will have no car, planning on walking mostly everywhere. We are staying 3 nights and have planned out

a day for Navy Pier and Childrens museum
a day for millennium park and maybe willis tower
and a day for magnificent mile shopping and ?

kids want to dedicate a day for pizza (breakfast, lunch and dinner) - anyone have suggestions for that part of the city?

we looked at the city pass, but ultimately the kids wanted to do the above so we were going to skip it this time. Still looking for something to fill in a day as well, any help?

I would also reccomend a boat tour along the river.

do you know who you went through for this?

heres a list I found of tours

http://www.navypier.com/things2do/boats.html#Shoreline

http://www.wendellaboats.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These leave right underneath the Wrigley Building downtown. They have a bunch of different options. The one I went on went down the river, turned around and then went out on the lake.

[Letang Is The Truth]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

city 1 - montreal / san fran

city 2 - new orleans / nyc

city 3 - vieques, puerto rico

[eddysnake]

Family making a trip to Chicago in a couple weeks, staying 2 blocks west of Navy Pier. We are taking the train in so we will have no car, planning on walking mostly everywhere. We are staying 3 nights and have planned out

a day for Navy Pier and Childrens museum
a day for millennium park and maybe willis tower
and a day for magnificent mile shopping and ?

kids want to dedicate a day for pizza (breakfast, lunch and dinner) - anyone have suggestions for that part of the city?

we looked at the city pass, but ultimately the kids wanted to do the above so we were going to skip it this time. Still looking for something to fill in a day as well, any help?

I would also reccomend a boat tour along the river.

do you know who you went through for this?

heres a list I found of tours

http://www.navypier.com/things2do/boats.html#Shoreline

http://www.wendellaboats.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These leave right underneath the Wrigley Building downtown. They have a bunch of different options. The one I went on went down the river, turned around and then went out on the lake.

that looks great, thanks, did you guys buy tickets ahead of time or at the site?

[CERV96]

Heading to Chicago next week. Big pizza guy here. Is Geno's east the bast? This is what I have been told.

[Idoit40fans]

Geno won't be in Chicago for a few more weeks. You're out of luck.

[CERV96]

[eddysnake]

Heading to Chicago next week. Big pizza guy here. Is Geno's east the bast? This is what I have been told.

please provide a detailed report, I'll need it for the following week

[Nuge]

Family making a trip to Chicago in a couple weeks, staying 2 blocks west of Navy Pier. We are taking the train in so we will have no car, planning on walking mostly everywhere. We are staying 3 nights and have planned out

a day for Navy Pier and Childrens museum
a day for millennium park and maybe willis tower
and a day for magnificent mile shopping and ?

kids want to dedicate a day for pizza (breakfast, lunch and dinner) - anyone have suggestions for that part of the city?

we looked at the city pass, but ultimately the kids wanted to do the above so we were going to skip it this time. Still looking for something to fill in a day as well, any help?

I would also reccomend a boat tour along the river.

do you know who you went through for this?

heres a list I found of tours

http://www.navypier.com/things2do/boats.html#Shoreline

http://www.wendellaboats.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These leave right underneath the Wrigley Building downtown. They have a bunch of different options. The one I went on went down the river, turned around and then went out on the lake.

that looks great, thanks, did you guys buy tickets ahead of time or at the site?

We bought them a few hours beforehand. They have a few kiosks at street level advertising the different tours.

[CERV96]

Heading to Chicago next week. Big pizza guy here. Is Geno's east the bast? This is what I have been told.

please provide a detailed report, I'll need it for the following week

Will do

[MWB]

navy pier and childrens museum - day 1
millennium park and willis tower - day 2
magnificent mile shopping and boat tour - day 3

think that will do for now, will fill in gaps later. thanks

You might want to plan for some other stuff. I was in Chicago a few months ago and we could have done all of those things in 1 day. I didn't like the Navy Pier at all. Was probably the most boring part of the trip.. but I don't have kids either. Willis Tower and Hancock Tower were both awesome. I recommend going to both. The aquarium is pretty cool too. We did an architecture boat tour which was really nice. The only deep dish pizza we had was Giordanos and it was awesome. They also have some double-decker bus tours that are great.. they have like 12 stops all over the city. You can get on and off the buses as you please. Was great for getting around the city. Not sure if the Cubs will be in town or not but go see a game at Wrigley too.

We'll have 3 kids (1,3,5) so these are all planned for morning and afternoon which I feel will be plenty to fill the day. Might check out the zoo/aquarium as well. I remember going to the museum of science and industry when I was younger which was really cool, but kids may be too young for that now. I believe cubs will be away. It would be cool if things work out and Pens are playing Chicago that week, keeping evenings open right now.

The aquarium is cool. You could do a tour of Wrigley if they are out of town, which is neat, but may not work well with your kids' ages.

[MWB]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

put Charleston on the city list. Incredible place. I'd also recommend Jackson Hole, but thats more low key.

I agree with charleston. Would also recommend Savannah. Very similar. Great food and some cool history and architecture. Boston is a cool city with lots to do and great restaurants.

For #3, I would suggest Grand Cayman. Awesome beach, relaxed island, some good to great restaurants, and plenty to do.

[ExPatriatePen]

Charleston SC

Not Charleston WV

[MWB]

Charleston SC

Not Charleston WV

Goes without saying.

[tifosi77]

When I went last year we went to Lou Malnati's and Giordano's. I think they both have multiple locations but I know there is a Giordano's right next to the Willis Tower.

I like Lou Malnati's better if that matters.

My first (and so far only) trip to Chicago included a stop at Giordano's. I was already not on the deep dish train (call it 'cake' or 'pie' if you must, but it is NOT pizza), but these guys really dropped the ball. Took two hours and 45 minutes from the time we gave our names to when our 'pizza' was delivered to our table, and it was cold in the middle.

I would, however, recommend the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History. If for no other reason you can see the Seurat from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" at the AIC and then check out the actual (taxidermifiied) lions from "The Ghost And The Darkness".

And eat at The Purple Pig. Seriously good stuff.

[tifosi77]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

City #1: New Orleans. Best food city in these Estados Unidos. The scenery isn't hugely awesome, but the architecture in the Quarter is outstanding. And you can take an airboat adventure cruise or something.

City #2: Go back to New Orleans. Or NYC. Your pick.

Island: Grand Cayman is pretty sweet, but other isles in the Caribbean might offer a better bang/buck ratio. Think PR, St. Kitts or even Jamaica (if you don't plan on leaving the resort area and experience the local culture). If Maui is off the list, know that you can do Hawai'i for cheaper if you go to one of the other islands. My wife has been to Kauai and loved it, and I have several friends who swear by the Big Island. (I'm a Maui snob, sue me.)

[MWB]

We went to either Giordano's or Gino's, I forget which one. There was a long line at both. It was ok, but I'm definitely not a deep dish fan. Seems more of a novelty than anything else.

[yubb]

I'm going to freaking Norway at the end of May. Unreal. I'm still hoping to play some hockey while I'm there, but that's not looking too likely at this point.

Check out some stave churches while you are there...I'm jealous. Northern Norway fascinates me.

Bergen, Flam and Stavanger. I recommend going to Norway and getting awesome weather like we did. It was warm (75 degrees some days) and very sunny (rained on two or three of the days out of 7, but only for part of those days). The rain made our first boat trip through the fjords awesome with great fog at the peaks.

Climbed to one of the waterfalls in Flam and down to where the mist is blowing off the falls so hard you can barely open your eyes.

The fjords were, of course, amazing.

We also climbed to Preikestolen in Stavanger. This is a rock 2000ft. high that drops straight down into the fjord. I'm afraid of heights; it was amazing.

Despite what my research had indicated, Norway had fantastic beers. In Bergen, at the Penguin (called something else in Norwegian, but that's what it translates to) they carried Norge brewery beers. Their IPA was very good. In Flam, at one restaurant they carried Aegir brewery beers, which are also brewed in Flam. Their IPA was very good. I payed $40 USD for a .5 litre barleywine and it was also very good. Then I purchased their DIPA. Fantastic. However, outside of that I had to drink Carlsberg or Ringness brews which were typically just pilsners and not very yumm.

Everything in Norway is crazy expensive, though. The exchange is about 6 Kroner to 1 Dollar. A $4 beer here costs $12 (72 NOK) there. I attribute this mostly to the universal healthcare (the money has to come from somewhere; if you want to argue it, go to the Political crap thread). Workers are typically taxed well over 30-40%. Minimum wage is around $20, but much of that goes to taxes. However, you're not supposed to tip 20% like in the US. A 5-10% tip is more than adequate. I tried to tip a guy 100 Kroner one time and he goes "Too much, man." I think many people in the US would've taken the money without saying anything. The cultures, suffice to say, are different.

Drinking and driving is 100% illegal. If you have a single drink, a single drop of alcohol, and get pulled over you face heavy fines.

And lastly, Converse All-Stars are huge. Everyone has them. I feel like here, only a few of us trying to hold onto our past have them. Or at least it feels that way.

My old lady and I atop Preikestolen in Stavanger

Spoiler:

Too freakin' scary

Spoiler:

[Hockeynut!]

Sounds awesome - love the pics too!

[pfim]

Next year my wife and I want to plan 3 vacations. We want to go to 2 cities and 1 beach destination. Please help..

1. City #1 - Anything but San Diego, Chicago, and LA. We've been to those 3 cities recently. Please choose anywhere in the USA or Canada. I like taking pictures and eating ridiculous food.. so anywhere with great food and scenery would be nice. Would like to visit each city for 4 days.

2. City #2 - Same requirements as above.

3. Beach destination. I'm thinking somewhere in the Caribbean. Already been to Hawaii (Maui) and that's going to be too expensive for this coming year. What islands do you guys suggest? Like I said.. I want great scenery and great food. Do you recommend a cruise or just staying on one island for the whole trip? This vacation would be about 6-7 days long.

city 1 - montreal

city 2 - san fran

city 3 - vieques, puerto rico

I enjoyed Quebec City far more than Montreal. Though I'm not sure 4 days in Quebec City is needed, perhaps do both? The Old City in Quebec is fantastic.

Also, great food and scenery=Portland, ME.

[llipgh2]

We went to either Giordano's or Gino's, I forget which one. There was a long line at both. It was ok, but I'm definitely not a deep dish fan. Seems more of a novelty than anything else.

I went to Giordano's. Hated it. Deep dish is vastly overrated.