"Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread

[1995hoo]

If you want something totally different, look up the Valley of the Gods B&B. It’s near the foot of the Moki Dugway and it’s completely off the grid. Beautiful place to stay and the breakfast was outstanding, though I don’t know whether the same couple still own it. Even nicer was the dark sky. It’s the only building within about a 14-mile radius. We were lucky enough to stay there on the night of a total lunar eclipse and the sky was completely clear. I hadn’t seen stars and the Milky Way like that in a very long time.

[wj73]

I remember seeing that place! IIRC, it was just to the left as you came off Moki Dugway and entered Valley of the Gods. It looked intriguing. Sounds like you had a great stay.

[dracnal]

Just back from a 3 week driving trip to the American Southwest.
*snip*

What a great writeup! Sounds like a wonderful trip!

[imref]

Thanks for sharing WJ.  We did a similar trip a few years ago:
- Colorado Springs (Garden of the Gods)
- Cimarron NM (Philmont Scout Reservation / Historic St. James Hotel)
- Durango / Mesa Verde
- Sedona (with a side trip to Jerome, which sits about 2,500' up and provides spectacular views)

I absolutely loved Sedona and Durango. Mesa Verde was interesting, but the drive up and down was terrifying (as was the drive up to Jerome).

We ended up driving about 1,600 miles. The scenery was spectacular. I wish we had more time in Durango (including time to ride on the railroad that you did), and time to visit Taos (we only drove through) as well as Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, and some of the formations in Navajo Nation. There's just so much to see and do in that region you could spend a few months and not see it all.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

1600 miles is a proper road trip. 

The missus and I drove 1200 km over the past week in Eastern & Western Cape provinces in S Africa, which was enough driving to see a lot but not so much that all one did was sit in the car.   

Primary roads there are excellent, and even gravel & dirt tracks in national parks are driveable in a 2wd if you take it slow (I had a VW Polo sedan).  Aside from perhaps the stretch of the N2 between Somerset West and Capetown through Khayelitsha, nothing too dodgy and even that is 100% fine during the day.  Less stressful driving through there than attending a Phillies game anyways.   

Petrol is expensive but most everything else is cheap AF compared to here.  Food & wine are superb. 

After goofing in Capetown for a few days, we flew via Airlink to Port Elizabeth. I rented a lovely little private hut (air con, fridge, balcony with a braai pit) in Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth for 3 nights from the South African Park Service and then we road tripped back to Capetown along the so-called "Garden Route".  The scenery is beyond spectacular.  And United's nonstop flights between Dulles and Capetown are the icing on the cake...almost 16 hours, but overnight in both directions.  We got enough sleep on the plane to have full work days today.   

[Count Walewski]

South Africa is hosting the G20 this year which has grown into far more than one summit and now contains dozens of meetings between different levels of staff. They're hosting a lot of these at national parks and safari lodges. Looks nice.

[imref]

South Africa is hosting the G20 this year which has grown into far more than one summit and now contains dozens of meetings between different levels of staff. They're hosting a lot of these at national parks and safari lodges. Looks nice.

My son was considering going to SA last year for a study-abroad program but we were advised against it by a few people we knew who had spent recent time in the country. The medical system is terrible and crime has gotten bad. He would have been in Cape Town, which from everything i've read is fine if you take normal city precautions (e.g., don't go out to buy drugs at 2 AM).  He ended up going to Australia instead.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

There are "no go" areas but that's true in Camden NJ and Gary Indiana too. And the private healthcare system is pretty good, and in some places, excellent.  The public system is like the NHS in the UK, anyone who can afford to go elsewhere does.  But as bad as the public system can be (especially in rural areas), there actually exists at least the notional access to affordable rudimentary healthcare, unlike some other places that come to mind 

My son was considering going to SA last year for a study-abroad program but we were advised against it by a few people we knew who had spent recent time in the country. The medical system is terrible and crime has gotten bad. He would have been in Cape Town, which from everything i've read is fine if you take normal city precautions (e.g., don't go out to buy drugs at 2 AM).  He ended up going to Australia instead.

[Count Walewski]

Next week I'm going back to where it all started: St. Petersburg, Florida.

That was the first place I ever took a vacation to. I was in first grade. I lost a hand of poker to a parrot at Sunken Gardens (in my defense, the parrot had been trained to play poker and I had not), I caught my first fish (a catfish that promptly barbed me), and I came home with a pet snake that the motel owner found while cleaning the motel gutters and offered to me when my parents weren't around.

We're going to a wedding on New Years Eve but before that have 5 full days to see stuff. Our second grader will be with us so we're on the lookout for kid-friendly things to do.

[tomterp]

Next week I'm going back to where it all started: St. Petersburg, Florida.

That was the first place I ever took a vacation to. I was in first grade. I lost a hand of poker to a parrot at Sunken Gardens (in my defense, the parrot had been trained to play poker and I had not), I caught my first fish (a catfish that promptly barbed me), and I came home with a pet snake that the motel owner found while cleaning the motel gutters and offered to me when my parents weren't around.

We're going to a wedding on New Years Eve but before that have 5 full days to see stuff. Our second grader will be with us so we're on the lookout for kid-friendly things to do.

Sounds like you came up with some great ideas from your first grade experience Count!   

[imref]

Next week I'm going back to where it all started: St. Petersburg, Florida.

That was the first place I ever took a vacation to. I was in first grade. I lost a hand of poker to a parrot at Sunken Gardens (in my defense, the parrot had been trained to play poker and I had not), I caught my first fish (a catfish that promptly barbed me), and I came home with a pet snake that the motel owner found while cleaning the motel gutters and offered to me when my parents weren't around.

We're going to a wedding on New Years Eve but before that have 5 full days to see stuff. Our second grader will be with us so we're on the lookout for kid-friendly things to do.

https://www.cmaquarium.org/animals/dolphins/winter/  Was home of the dolphin from Winter Tale. Pretty cool place to spend an afternoon. The beach is always an option (I really like pass-a-grille - the Brass Monkey has great crab cakes and an outdoor patio overlooking the beach)

Maybe a hockey game in downtown? 

A day trip to Sanibel to go shelling on the beach might be fun for the kid as well.

If he's into airplanes, this is a pretty impressive collection - https://www.fantasyofflight.com/

[blue911]

Next week I'm going back to where it all started: St. Petersburg, Florida.

That was the first place I ever took a vacation to. I was in first grade. I lost a hand of poker to a parrot at Sunken Gardens (in my defense, the parrot had been trained to play poker and I had not), I caught my first fish (a catfish that promptly barbed me), and I came home with a pet snake that the motel owner found while cleaning the motel gutters and offered to me when my parents weren't around.

We're going to a wedding on New Years Eve but before that have 5 full days to see stuff. Our second grader will be with us so we're on the lookout for kid-friendly things to do.

You would think that being a human would give you a decided advantage. Calvin Trillin used to tell a story about losing a game of tic-tac-toe to a chicken.

[1995hoo]

Normally I wouldn't suggest an art museum for a second-grader, but the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg might be an exception because I know when I was that age, I would have found the optical illusions in his artwork to be really neat. The painting of a woman looking out a window that turns into a portrait of Abraham Lincoln as you move away from it was really something to see. I'm not normally all that interested in art museums even now in my 50s, but that one was an exception.

The Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota was interesting, and they have manatees. The nearby Ringling Estate would be less interesting for a second-grader except, maybe (and I emphasize "maybe") for the circus museum. I don't remember what admission costs, but I doubt it's worth it just to see the circus museum. The mansion is really the most interesting part of that place, but to see it properly you need to do the extra-cost tour that covers all the rooms and goes up to the roof, and I think that would probably be boring for a little kid.

[Count Walewski]

Our family has discussed driving 1.75 hours to Orlando on Saturday to see the Pop Tarts Bowl. It's probably not worth it due to 2*(1.75) hours of driving having a high opportunity cost but it could be fun (I hear they do a lot of Pop Tarts themed stuff that is fun for the crowd, not just the winning team). I've never attended a bowl game before.

[imref]

The after game ceremony is….something.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

The Dali Museum is a great option.  If it can hold my attention it certainly can hold an inquisitive kid's   

[Count Walewski]

We just finished 4 full days in the Tampa Bay area and now we are in Sarasota for a wedding. Won't have a ton of time to do stuff in Sarasota due to wedding obligations but did some stuff on the way down. A few quick observations:

• Big fan of the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Great selection of local fish and aquatic birds/reptiles from the freshwater springs, brackish swamps and estuaries, and saltwater coasts of South Florida.
• The Florida Aquarium has a touch tank where you can pet stingrays and it was sponsored by the Tampa Bay Rays. They provided a row of actual seats from Tropicana Field for parents to sit in while their kids pet the rays. Despite how busy it was, I did not see a single person sit in those seats.
• The Dali museum was kind of lame. It's only one floor and two galleries and costs $$$. The best part actually was the movie theater on the first floor where they run a series of four different 10 minute long videos about Dali, each done in a VERY different style and covering different aspects of his life and work. I got a better art education in the hour or so I spent there than I did in my required art history class in college. Let's see if the Dali museum in Figueres, Spain is any better: I plan to be there this summer.
• It's been 75 degrees every day except today when it is in the mid 50's. Florida is treating it like an emergency. Heat centers are open for seniors and the homeless. Locals are in heavy winter coats. Tourists like me could use a sweater but didn't bring one because why would you bring one to Florida.
• Tampa and St. Pete seem like cities built for locals that tourists happen to visit. Sarasota seems built from the ground up for tourists and snowbirds. Tons of businesses here seem to cater to New Yorkers. You can get NY style bagels, NY style pizza, NY style everything. It's like New Jersey or the LeHigh Valley of Pennsylvania where it's obviously not in NYC because of the mostly suburban streetscape but every business claims some connection to NYC.
• Sarasota Jungle Gardens bills itself as one of only 10 places in the world where you can hand feed a flamingo. I didn't fact check it but I've been to 45 countries and 49 states and this is indeed the first time I have hand fed a flamingo. Inside the flamingo enclosure there are also ibises and peacocks that are NOT owned by the zoo: they are wild animals that show up to take advantage of the free food. And they are far more willing to eat out of the hands of tourists than the flamingos, who are more aloof. Imagine a bunch of tourists sticking their hands out full of feed pellets, the flamingos indifferently hanging out nearby with maybe one coming over to eat every 10 minutes, and tons of peacocks and ibises being like "wtf, I will eat out of your hands RIGHT NOW" - some tourists hold out for a flamingo, others settle for a peacock or ibis.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

huh, I liked the Dali museum.  But I also have a very limited tolerance for collections of objects.  One hour and I'm out...British Museum in November was like "mummies, clocks, see ya"

The Louvre would take me years to even scratch the surface of.

[English Natsie]

For me, the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) takes some beating - but I'm a Culture Vulture...

[imref]

huh, I liked the Dali museum.  But I also have a very limited tolerance for collections of objects.  One hour and I'm out...British Museum in November was like "mummies, clocks, see ya"

The Louvre would take me years to even scratch the surface of.

felt that way about Uffizi and the Vatican museum.

[Slateman]

Rob Gronkowski looks ridiculous

[imref]

Rob Gronkowski looks ridiculous

seemed weird seeing Russell Wilson.

[Count Walewski]

I was very surprised to see Mennonites basically everywhere I went in the Sarasota area. It turns out that there are a ton of Mennonites who live full time in Sarasota: the community there dates to the early 20th century and they have an entire Mennonite neighborhood that was built and developed by Mennonites for Mennonites. They came because they can grow crops all year long in the Florida heat. In addition to that full-time community, Mennonites from Pennsylvania come down in the winter to vacation in Sarasota.

We only drove through the Mennonite area without stopping but it looks like they have similar attractions to Pennsylvania: restaurants that serve hearty Mennonite food, markets where you can buy Mennonite-made goods, farms you can tour, etc.

The other group I saw everywhere I went was Iowa fans. Iowa played (and beat) Vanderbilt in the Reliaquest Bowl held in the Buccaneers stadium and while this was just one of several bowl games going on in Florida during the time I was there, the Iowa fanbase was the only one I saw all over the place wearing their gear.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I was wondering what was up...just got back from a visit with my mum and my favourite St Pete hotel was overrun with old midwesterners in Iowa jerseys rather than the usual sparkles and feather boas.   

I was very surprised to see Mennonites basically everywhere I went in the Sarasota area. It turns out that there are a ton of Mennonites who live full time in Sarasota: the community there dates to the early 20th century and they have an entire Mennonite neighborhood that was built and developed by Mennonites for Mennonites. They came because they can grow crops all year long in the Florida heat. In addition to that full-time community, Mennonites from Pennsylvania come down in the winter to vacation in Sarasota.

We only drove through the Mennonite area without stopping but it looks like they have similar attractions to Pennsylvania: restaurants that serve hearty Mennonite food, markets where you can buy Mennonite-made goods, farms you can tour, etc.

The other group I saw everywhere I went was Iowa fans. Iowa played (and beat) Vanderbilt in the Reliaquest Bowl held in the Buccaneers stadium and while this was just one of several bowl games going on in Florida during the time I was there, the Iowa fanbase was the only one I saw all over the place wearing their gear.

[imref]

Went to the DC vacation and travel show today. Highlight was getting to see Rick Steves speak live. His talk went about 1:45 and focused on European travel (plus promoting his tours and books). I've been watching his show for decades so it was fun to see him live. Afterwards he signed autographs but wouldn't pose for pictures due to time/crowd size. There were probably about 500 people in the theater to see him. Samantha Brown also spoke but we didn't stick around for that one.

They had a huge variety of trip companies, including cruise lines. Some of the ones we found interesting were trip companies selling packages for Antarctica, Africa (several different safaris and other trips), Corolla NC, and Shelby County for the Bourbon trail (that exhibitor had old fashioned sampled made with Evan Williams). The cruise lines (NCL and Celebrity) had discount packages if you booked at the show. Rick Steves' company was offering $100 off a tour.

The face value price of a ticket is $20 but there are plenty of free admission codes online. We spent about 3 hours there in total and enjoyed the experience.  The event runs through Sunday.

Info here: https://travelshows.com/shows/washingtondc/