"Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread

[mitlen]

Gonna get lucky...full fall color is projected for Green Bay while we are there next week.  Highs in the low 50's, and lows around 40. 

Rain for Game Day (night) though...

What color's that?    White.

[HalfSmokes]

What color's that?    White.

It's beautiful before it turn exhaust grey

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

and yellow

It's beautiful before it turn exhaust grey

[mitlen]

and yellow

Don't eat the yellow snow.

[tomterp]

corolla was awesome when we went there last summer.  I imagine once the new bridge opens it will be much more crowded.

Only if additional housing is constructed.   

[OldChelsea]

Wonder how many people will be taking off for points outside this area during the inauguration, with over 1m people expected and lots of protests.

I'm one such person - off to Barcelona for a week during that period.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Wonder how many people will be taking off for points outside this area during the inauguration, with over 1m people expected and lots of protests.

I'm one such person - off to Barcelona for a week during that period.

Well, with MLK day on Monday and the Inauguration of Friday, it only means burning 2 or 3 days of leave for a week and a weekend off.  I'm thinking about it.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Good call on Barcelona.  I see that FCB plays at home on the 14th if you'll be there then. 

Wonder how many people will be taking off for points outside this area during the inauguration, with over 1m people expected and lots of protests.

I'm one such person - off to Barcelona for a week during that period.

[Mathguy]

It's hit or miss if one tries the OBX that time of year.  It's 75 degrees today.  But it can be 40 with LOTS of wind as well.

Wonder how many people will be taking off for points outside this area during the inauguration, with over 1m people expected and lots of protests.

I'm one such person - off to Barcelona for a week during that period.

[imref]

Anyone ever plan a trip to Italy?  The wife wants to go at some point either next year or the year after and I've no idea where to begin.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

You can easily spend a week in Rome (I would rent an apartment) and take an easy side trip to Florence by train.  There's just too much to see to fit more than a couple of cities unless you have months of vacay.  Re: train, there's a good reason why credit card companies won't cover insurance for rental cars in Italy. 

Anyone ever plan a trip to Italy?  The wife wants to go at some point either next year or the year after and I've no idea where to begin.

[skippy1999]

I actually took one of those bus tours in 2010 which has its pros and cons.  Pro was we saw SO much:  Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Sienna (in Tuscany), Asisi, Gandolfo, several other smaller places that I can't think of right now that were just gorgeous so we got a lot of bang for our buck.  The drawback was that you had very limited time in each area and Ali's right, you could spend the whole vacation in Rome and be entertained every second.  I really wanted to see as much as I could of the entire country so that's why we opted for the bus trip but if you know there are just a couple of areas you want to see doing it yourself so you could spend as much time as you wanted at each place would probably be best.  I will say it was easily my favorite place I ever visited, I had wanted to go my whole life and I was not disappointed. 

[imref]

You can easily spend a week in Rome (I would rent an apartment) and take an easy side trip to Florence by train.  There's just too much to see to fit more than a couple of cities unless you have months of vacay.  Re: train, there's a good reason why credit card companies won't cover insurance for rental cars in Italy. 

I have to spend at least part of it in Milan to see family.  I'm figuring on two weeks in the July timeframe as I've heard most of Italy is shut down in August.  The wife wants to see the entire country in that span of time, I'm trying to rope her back in.  Meanwhile the kids want to go to London, Paris, and Munich.   I'm figuring I probably need to find a decent travel agent.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

The central train station in Milan is one of the coolest buildings I've ever laid eyes on.  Mussolini at least got one thing right. 

I have to spend at least part of it in Milan to see family.  I'm figuring on two weeks in the July timeframe as I've heard most of Italy is shut down in August.  The wife wants to see the entire country in that span of time, I'm trying to rope her back in.  Meanwhile the kids want to go to London, Paris, and Munich.   I'm figuring I probably need to find a decent travel agent.

[DCFan]

I actually took one of those bus tours in 2010 which has its pros and cons.  Pro was we saw SO much:  Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Sienna (in Tuscany), Asisi, Gandolfo, several other smaller places that I can't think of right now that were just gorgeous so we got a lot of bang for our buck.  The drawback was that you had very limited time in each area

My new bride and I honeymooned in Rome, late October 1984.  When we found out that the tour bus (Gray Line) stopped right at our hotel we were on it every morning.  Downsides were minimal time spent at each locale along with the 7am pickup.  But I had no desire to try and conquer their roads in a rental.  It was much nicer sitting in a nice motor coach with a knowledgeable tourguide.

[GburgNatsFan]

And that was 30 years ago. Can only have gotten worse at their little cars have gotten more powerful, brake better, and handle better.

The horns are probably louder too.

My new bride and I honeymooned in Rome, late October 1984.  When we found out that the tour bus (Gray Line) stopped right at our hotel we were on it every morning.  Downsides were minimal time spent at each locale along with the 7am pickup.  But I had no desire to try and conquer their roads in a rental.  It was much nicer sitting in a nice motor coach with a knowledgeable tourguide.

[mitlen]

And that was 30 years ago. Can only have gotten worse at their little cars have gotten more powerful, brake better, and handle better.

The horns are probably louder too.

Probably still have to be in the shop every other day as well.

[OldChelsea]

Good call on Barcelona.  I see that FCB plays at home on the 14th if you'll be there then. 

Just going to miss it unfortunately (leaving 16th January, back 23rd - this to maximise the availability of the two federal holidays in that period while sticking to a one-week itinerary) - hadn't thought of it but should've since Camp Nou is just three miles from where I'm staying.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

eh, you'll just have to watch them play Eibar on tv while knocking back Estrella and tapas in a bar.  Turrible. 

Just going to miss it unfortunately (leaving 16th January, back 23rd - this to maximise the availability of the two federal holidays in that period while sticking to a one-week itinerary) - hadn't thought of it but should've since Camp Nou is just three miles from where I'm staying.

[varoadking]

eh, you'll just have to watch them play Eibar on tv while knocking back Estrella and tapas in a bar.  Turrible.

Ali...did you used to live in Vancouver?  Vancouver and Alaska is now our official 2018 destination of choice.  What time of year makes sense...I've heard that the Alaska mosquitoes need tower landing clearances in the summer...

What would you suggest we see?

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Ha ha, it's very true about the mosquitoes, but that's more of an inland problem; the offshore breeze along the coast mitigates them for the most part.  Vancouver is great in the summer...pretty much blue skies and long days.  The nice weather often lasts into September, but October through May (and often into June) is pretty grey & wet.  The CDN$ is at 74 cents at the moment (it was parity the last time I was there a few years back), so that's a bonus. 

Vancouver: Stanley Park is the most amazing urban park on earth, with the *possible* exception of Table Mountain in Capetown.  How long are you planning on being there?

The ferry up the coast is a lot of fun...as far as I know, BC Ferries runs daily during the summer from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert, where you can connect to an Alaska ferry.  My old man was born in Prince Rupert, so I spent a lot of time there as a kid...pretty amazing paddling a canoe around at dusk at 11 at night.   

A certain board member still lives in Van, so maybe he'll chime in on things to see (I left in the 90s and have only been back a few times since then). 

Ali...did you used to live in Vancouver?  Vancouver and Alaska is now our official 2018 destination of choice.  What time of year makes sense...I've heard that the Alaska mosquitoes need tower landing clearances in the summer...

What would you suggest we see?

[varoadking]

Ha ha, it's very true about the mosquitoes, but that's more of an inland problem; the offshore breeze along the coast mitigates them for the most part.  Vancouver is great in the summer...pretty much blue skies and long days.  The nice weather often lasts into September, but October through May (and often into June) is pretty grey & wet.  The CDN$ is at 74 cents at the moment (it was parity the last time I was there a few years back), so that's a bonus. 

Vancouver: Stanley Park is the most amazing urban park on earth, with the *possible* exception of Table Mountain in Capetown.  How long are you planning on being there?

The ferry up the coast is a lot of fun...as far as I know, BC Ferries runs daily during the summer from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert, where you can connect to an Alaska ferry.  My old man was born in Prince Rupert, so I spent a lot of time there as a kid...pretty amazing paddling a canoe around at dusk at 11 at night.   

A certain board member still lives in Van, so maybe he'll chime in on things to see (I left in the 90s and have only been back a few times since then).

No idea how long we will be there.  Likely want to take a 7 or 8 day train excursion thru the mountains from and back to Vancouver and then target specific places.  This helps a lot...thanks...

[mitlen]

My old man was born in Prince Rupert, so I spent a lot of time there as a kid...

My old man was in Prince Rupert in '42/43 on his way to the S. Pacific.   

Even gray, Vancouver is a beautiful city.    My family was there at Christmas 1997 (IIRC).    Some of my out (in)-laws lived in Port Coquitlam (?) and we went all over the area.    There was a restaurant nestled in the "rain forest" with huge ferns outside the windows.      Wish I could remember the name of the joint.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I don't know how passenger rail is these days, but Calgary to Vancouver by train is one of those seriously life-affirming experiences.  I'll be in those parts during inauguration week (not on train, but driving through the Selkirks from Calgary). 

No idea how long we will be there.  Likely want to take a 7 or 8 day train excursion thru the mountains from and back to Vancouver and then target specific places.  This helps a lot...thanks...

[varoadking]

I don't know how passenger rail is these days, but Calgary to Vancouver by train is one of those seriously life-affirming experiences.  I'll be in those parts during inauguration week (not on train, but driving through the Selkirks from Calgary).

Awesome....It seems like that on paper, but great to have real life testimony   

So what time(s) of year would be best for this train excusion?