Vacation/Travel Thread.

[cabiness42]

I was in Nashville for Memorial Day weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people rocking Blackhawks gear there. I know Nashville has sort of become a popular destination for Chicagoans, but seeing it firsthand was cool. One of the bars I was at even had a huge Blackhawks flag in it. Thought that was kind of shocking considering this bar was about 2 blocks from Bridgestone Arena, where the Preds play.

 

I know I can't go a mile on 65 without seeing Illinois plates on a car, so that seems to be true.

[SoxFan562004]

6/7-6/20 Athens then Santorini followed by some impromptu travels.... so excited!

[Leonard Zelig]

6/7-6/20 Athens then Santorini followed by some impromptu travels.... so excited!

 

I was in Greece a couple of years ago. We went to Kefalonia which is a much less visited island west of the mainland. We had a great time time. The only thing that I regret doing was the tour of Delphi. The bus ride from Athens was long and we didn't feel like it was worth it. The food is awesome. We saw a man perform Plato's Apology in a courtyard of college building with the Parthenon on the hill in the background. Very cool. I gotta go look through my pictures now.

[SoxFan562004]

I was in Greece a couple of years ago. We went to Kefalonia which is a much less visited island west of the mainland. We had a great time time. The only thing that I regret doing was the tour of Delphi. The bus ride from Athens was long and we didn't feel like it was worth it. The food is awesome. We saw a man perform Plato's Apology in a courtyard of college building with the Parthenon on the hill in the background. Very cool. I gotta go look through my pictures now.

Sounds awesome! Yeah, I'm fortunate to be going with two first generation Greek Americans and one second, but all three speak it which will make it easier on me. Don't believe they mentioned Delphi specifically but they definitely said, and we plan, to really see the ruins that are accessible easily around Athens.

 

EDIT: my last part was a mess, meaning they agree with your summary, the ones around Athens are good enough and traveling long distances isn't necessarily worth it.

Edited June 3, 2015 by SoxFan562004

[GoodAsGould]

Does anyone know of inexpensive honeymoon places, getting married in May of next year and want to take her somewhere nice that won't kill us financially after paying for a 20ksh wedding. I was thinking Caribbeans but really in all my past travels I've only gone over seas so don't know much about where to go down there or costs/etc.

[southsider2k5]

Does anyone know of inexpensive honeymoon places, getting married in May of next year and want to take her somewhere nice that won't kill us financially after paying for a 20ksh wedding. I was thinking Caribbeans but really in all my past travels I've only gone over seas so don't know much about where to go down there or costs/etc.

 

Niagara Falls and Las Vegas are thoughts.

[GoodAsGould]

Niagara Falls and Las Vegas are thoughts.

 

She definitely slammed the door on Vegas

[Leonard Zelig]

Sounds awesome! Yeah, I'm fortunate to be going with two first generation Greek Americans and one second, but all three speak it which will make it easier on me. Don't believe they mentioned Delphi specifically but they definitely said, and we plan, to really see the ruins that are accessible easily around Athens.

 

EDIT: my last part was a mess, meaning they agree with your summary, the ones around Athens are good enough and traveling long distances isn't necessarily worth it.

 

That will be helpful, if they can read Greek it may be even better. We rented a car and had a hell of a time navigating the road signs. Once we got to the island nothing was in English. We drove past the apartment we rented several times before we figured it out. Man, I am jealous, I would love to get back there.

[DrunkBomber]

Does anyone know of inexpensive honeymoon places, getting married in May of next year and want to take her somewhere nice that won't kill us financially after paying for a 20ksh wedding. I was thinking Caribbeans but really in all my past travels I've only gone over seas so don't know much about where to go down there or costs/etc.

Not sure if its what youre looking for but Puerto Vallarta can be very inexpensive and has a lot to do.

[SoxFan562004]

That will be helpful, if they can read Greek it may be even better. We rented a car and had a hell of a time navigating the road signs. Once we got to the island nothing was in English. We drove past the apartment we rented several times before we figured it out. Man, I am jealous, I would love to get back there.

Yes, fortunately my friend's wife does!

[LittleHurt05]

About 10 years ago I spent a few days in Mykonos, it was amazing.

[SnB]

My folks won a free trip to Orlando and we're going this week w/ my 20 mo old. Any recommendations/must do's? Anything my toddler would really be interested in?

 

Doing 1 day at magic kingdom and 1 day at universal. The rest will be relaxing at the resort.

 

[Chisoxfn]

My folks won a free trip to Orlando and we're going this week w/ my 20 mo old. Any recommendations/must do's? Anything my toddler would really be interested in?

 

Doing 1 day at magic kingdom and 1 day at universal. The rest will be relaxing at the resort.

I'd recommend the Animal Kingdom. I would think the 20 month old would enjoy animals a lot. I haven't taken my daughter (22 months) to the zoo yet, but she goes bonkers if we stop at a pet store, etc. We took her to the acquarium once and she loved it. Their animal kingdom is pretty cool and lots of animals to see (including like a "Disney" safari). Haven't been to Universal but if it is anything like the universal out in LA, I'd suggest you spend your time at the Disney parks vs. Universal.

[Jenksismyhero]

My folks won a free trip to Orlando and we're going this week w/ my 20 mo old. Any recommendations/must do's? Anything my toddler would really be interested in?

 

Doing 1 day at magic kingdom and 1 day at universal. The rest will be relaxing at the resort.

 

We did Disney last summer with our then-2 year old. He had a blast and it was great. Magic Kingdom has enough kid rides (the carousel, dumbo, little mermaid, peter pan, aladdin's carpets, maybe pirate of the Caribbean, people mover, etc). Make sure you utilize the fastpasses and the disney app for wait times. One issue you'll have is nap time. Luckily for us our son tired out in the middle of the day and took 1-2 hour naps in his stroller while the wifey and I rotated on roller coaster rides. And if your kid loves disney characters, try to get a character dining experience. Reservations are a must. Try to go through your resort desk if you can't get them online. The restaurant in the Beauty and the Beast area was good if you can't get in anywhere else.

 

It's insanely busy and overpriced, but at Downtown Disney there's a dinosaur-themed restaurant that my son loved (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/downtown-disney/t-rex/). There's a "meteor shower" every 15 minutes or so and all the dinos (animatronic, and there are a lot) move around and roar. 20 month might be to young if he/she scares easily though. Reservations are also key or you'll wait forever.

 

Never been to Universal. Seemed to be geared more towards adults than kids.

[Jenksismyhero]

I'd recommend the Animal Kingdom. I would think the 20 month old would enjoy animals a lot. I haven't taken my daughter (22 months) to the zoo yet, but she goes bonkers if we stop at a pet store, etc. We took her to the acquarium once and she loved it. Their animal kingdom is pretty cool and lots of animals to see (including like a "Disney" safari). Haven't been to Universal but if it is anything like the universal out in LA, I'd suggest you spend your time at the Disney parks vs. Universal.

 

Very few rides at Animal Kingdom though. And while the safari is cool, that's really all a 20 month old will be able to do there. They have a Finding Nemo stage show that was good. And there's a dumbo-like dino ride. But that's about it. For the adults though, the roller coaster there is the best Disney offers.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

I've never been there, and I don't have kids, so this could just be out of complete naivety, but the allure of Disney World/Disney Land I've never really gotten.

[Chisoxfn]

I've never been there, and I don't have kids, so this could just be out of complete naivety, but the allure of Disney World/Disney Land I've never really gotten.

When you were a kid, you never wanted to go to Disneyworld? I remember as a kid I always wanted to do double dare or one of those games and get slimed at Universal (where Nicklodeon did its filming). I actually did get to do like the DoubleDare show at Universal in LA (when our family came to down) and was lucky enough to get picked out of the audience (note...this wasn't a TV show...rather an attraction they had at Universal in LA which was "pretend" version of doubledare and some other attractions.

 

My parents were not happy...I got slimed, which I thought was the coolest thing in the world...however, we had to stay at the park for the rest of the day and all they gave me was a t-shirt and a bucket to try and get the slime off. They weren't fans but I never forgot that experience, haha.

[southsider2k5]

I've never been there, and I don't have kids, so this could just be out of complete naivety, but the allure of Disney World/Disney Land I've never really gotten.

 

I'm with you. Growing up we did things like the Mammoth Caves and baseball games. I think the Disney aura has caught on a lot more in the last 15-20 years though as the branding has become omni-present. It wasn't really like that when I was a kid.

[Jenksismyhero]

I think it comes down to going there and seeing what they do versus going to other theme parks. It's like going from a Ferrari to a Ford. Huge drop down in quality. Disney parks could use more thrill rides but for families it's easily the best.

 

It helps that my wife and I, and now our son, grew up loving Disney/Pixar movies. We went there as kids, so it was part nostalgia. Mickey Mouse is my son's favorite thing ever, so for him, meeting Mickey and freaking out was the best thing that ever happened to him. And it was just as amazing/entertaining for us to watch him as it was for him.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Jenksismybitch

[ChiSox_Sonix]

When you were a kid, you never wanted to go to Disneyworld? I remember as a kid I always wanted to do double dare or one of those games and get slimed at Universal (where Nicklodeon did its filming). I actually did get to do like the DoubleDare show at Universal in LA (when our family came to down) and was lucky enough to get picked out of the audience (note...this wasn't a TV show...rather an attraction they had at Universal in LA which was "pretend" version of doubledare and some other attractions.

 

My parents were not happy...I got slimed, which I thought was the coolest thing in the world...however, we had to stay at the park for the rest of the day and all they gave me was a t-shirt and a bucket to try and get the slime off. They weren't fans but I never forgot that experience, haha.

 

Honestly not really. We always took two big vacations a year growing up. One was to the beach (usually Jersey shore) and one was to a historical place, such as Boston, DC, Toronto, Montreal/Quebec City etc..So I've always been more interested in seeing new places and doing new things rather than stationary places.

 

I think it comes down to going there and seeing what they do versus going to other theme parks. It's like going from a Ferrari to a Ford. Huge drop down in quality. Disney parks could use more thrill rides but for families it's easily the best.

 

It helps that my wife and I, and now our son, grew up loving Disney/Pixar movies. We went there as kids, so it was part nostalgia. Mickey Mouse is my son's favorite thing ever, so for him, meeting Mickey and freaking out was the best thing that ever happened to him. And it was just as amazing/entertaining for us to watch him as it was for him.

 

I'm not really a theme park person, so that's probably it. I'm cool with going to the Jersey boardwalk once or twice for a couple hours on a vacation and then I've had my fill.

[Chisoxfn]

Honestly not really. We always took two big vacations a year growing up. One was to the beach (usually Jersey shore) and one was to a historical place, such as Boston, DC, Toronto, Montreal/Quebec City etc..So I've always been more interested in seeing new places and doing new things rather than stationary places.

 

 

 

I'm not really a theme park person, so that's probably it. I'm cool with going to the Jersey boardwalk once or twice for a couple hours on a vacation and then I've had my fill.

I should point out, I never went to Disneyland until I was an adult. My family vacations were to visit family, but I did grow up in OC so Disneyland could be accessed with a pass very easy when I was a kid. Most everyone in the area I knew had some form of a pass because it was so easy to get to (and back then, wasn't near as expensive as it is today).

[southsider2k5]

Honestly not really. We always took two big vacations a year growing up. One was to the beach (usually Jersey shore) and one was to a historical place, such as Boston, DC, Toronto, Montreal/Quebec City etc..So I've always been more interested in seeing new places and doing new things rather than stationary places.

 

 

 

I'm not really a theme park person, so that's probably it. I'm cool with going to the Jersey boardwalk once or twice for a couple hours on a vacation and then I've had my fill.

 

Never do a Gatlinburg trip then. The surrounding areas are amazing and beautiful, but the town itself is tourism hell.

[dasox24]

I went to Disney World for the first time as a 23 year old.

 

After wanting to go my whole childhood (and it just not working out for whatever reason), my college graduation present was a surprise trip to Disney World with my family. It was awesome.

[dasox24]

Never do a Gatlinburg trip then. The surrounding areas are amazing and beautiful, but the town itself is tourism hell.

The more I hear this from people from all over, the more I realize how lucky I was to go to college in East Tennessee. It's perfect for all types of outdoor activities - hiking, camping, white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, etc. I went hiking and camping a good bit, but probably not as much as I should have. I love going back.

[southsider2k5]

The more I hear this from people from all over, the more I realize how lucky I was to go to college in East Tennessee. It's perfect for all types of outdoor activities - hiking, camping, white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, etc. I went hiking and camping a good bit, but probably not as much as I should have. I love going back.

 

I have learned the same thing about having the dunes and Lake Michigan in my back yard. I do more of that stuff now as an adult then I did as a kid. It took me spending time in central Indiana to learn how lucky I was.