I didn't really get one last year with this project that I've been working on, so my wife and I have promised each other we'll take one this spring or summer. We had been planning to go to Europe, and we had it pretty well planned out, but my wife has cold feet now. Too much uncertainty and too much anit-American sentiment. I'm kind of glad myself....I'd rather not try to enjoy a vacation while wondering who is out to kill me. Anyway, we're thinking of three possible trips. 1) A week in Hawaii, and a week on the California coast. We're flying out of Houston, and Cali is the half-way spot pretty much. We're thinking we'll go through LA, and drive up the coast to San Fran and the wine country. If we can get our flight through San Fran, we'll blow off LA altogether (I'll be fine if I never see LA again) 2) Fly to DC, rent a car, see the sites, drive up the coast through New England and up into Quebec city, Quebec. I have family there, and I know the area fairly well. Quebec city is really nice, and then there's Boston, the Maine Coast, crabs in Maryland, Pizza in NYC, scallops in New Bedford, cliff walks in Rhode Island..... 3) Fly to Calgary, and rent a car, and check out the Canadian Rockies. We've been to Banff and Lake Louise, but we haven't been to Calgary and Jasper, and points north in the Canadian Rockies. Someone described the Canadian Rockies as "100 Switzerlands in one place." I've never been to Switzerland, so I wouldn't know. I just know that the little I've seen is about the prettiest place I've ever been (next to the Grand Tetons and Glacier Nat'l parks). We might even drive up as far as Juneau and eat lots salmon and do some fly fishing. This is the trip that is most intriguing to me, but it's also the one I know the least about. Anyway, throw me a bone, here. What do you guys suggest? Obviously, we want to keep things somewhat domestic. We'd like a mix of city/countryside (though I'll be leaning towards more countryside). What are some things we should do if we pick one of these trips. Any other trip (given our constraints) that we should consider? thanks.
You suck. That's what I think. All those trips sound wonderful. I was planning on a New Zealand trip this summer...
Its funny that people think that NYC has great pizza. The pizza there is very average. Compared to what you are used to in Houston though, its probably decent. If you go to NYC, I'll give you a couple of great italian restaurants to go to that are reasonably priced (reasonable for NYC anyway)....trust me...Ray's pizza ain't all its cracked up to be.
Unless it's a tortilla or cornbread, anything to do with bread sucks down here (relative to what I've had up there). The pizza I've had in NYC has been great; the bagels awesome. Pizza was just the first thing I thought of though....actually, if we drove right by NYC, I wouldn't get my feelings hurt.
i'd go with cali/hawaii. it sounds like youve got the time. why not make it happen? staw away from the Northeast if you want some relaxation. nyc has the best pizza in the world, don't listen to NJRocket
I just went on a cruise with my wike and kids........Cozumel......very relaxing........didnt get sick either
We've casually bantered back and forth on the whole cruise thing. I'm not sure if either of us is completely sold on the idea. We both love the water, but we also like quite a bit of freedom. We'd probably both love it....but it's just not what we're looking for right now. I'm not so sure we couldn't relax in the northeast. Actually, there would be less relaxing in Canada...especially if we drove to Alaska. That's a LOT of flyfishing. Hawaii does seem the most relaxing, and we've been wanting a beach vacation, but I just hate the idea of leaving the Houston heat......to go on a long beach vacation. I'd rather do that when it's winter here. The problem is that we can't leave right now. Neither of us could scrounge any time away from the office until at least May.
Fly out to Portland, rent a car and drive to the coast. Book a different bed and breakfast every night as you drive along the coast, but make sure you stay here one night and play golf the next day: http://www.salishan.com/ The most beautiful golf course I've ever been on. It puts Pebble Beach to shame. The front nine jumps into the mountains and the forest, almost every tee box is either hitting up a mountain or off a cliff, then the second nine cuts under 101 and goes along the rocky beach. Its incredible. I can't stress how much you need to play this course...actually...everybody that plays golf should play this course one time in their lives. That part of the country is gorgeous by the way...good seafood, good shopping, good everything....heck of a trip. *I guess if you don't like golf, doesn't make much sense to play there, but you'd enjoy the trip up there anyways.
Well.....we don't play golf, but we have been talking about taking it up. My wife wants to go play with the "boys" in the office when they take clients out. I've played before, and most of my friends play, but I still keep score by how many balls I lose. That being said, you are talking right up my alley. We've never been to Portland, and we've been wanting to go. In fact, with today's low interest rates, I check out this website ALL the time to look at new listings (I'd like to buy some land for the future) http://www.sixesriverlandcompany.com I'm actually going to pose your suggestion to my wife. We've talked before about going to San Fran and going up the 101 all the way to Seattle, so I'll probably alter your suggestion a bit, but thanks for the good one.
I would go with the trip to the Northeast. A lot to see in DC, especially the Smithsonian (http://www.si.edu/). Maine is beautiful. If you plan this for June be sure to be in New York on the 10th-12th or Boston by the 13th-15th. The Astros are playing at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park on those dates.
Okay....wife and I have talked....we're trying to narrow things down. Hawaii and the East coast are out. It's all about the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian Rockies now. Any advice? I'd still like to hear from Grizzled.
I’m here!! I just spotted this post, but I’ll have to get back it later. Must … do … work … must … I do have some ideas for you though.
Pole, if you go to British Columbia (or Spokane, Washington... a good place to fly in and rent a car) and are there around the first weekend of August (weekend of the Canadian Labor Day), consider going to the village of Kaslo for the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Summer Music Festival. It was started by an old friend of mine, a Texan who's now a Canadian as well, who went to the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival once on a trip here and thought... "Hey, this would be cool to do at home!". Kaslo is north of the small college town of Nelson (a very cool place in it's own right). It's on a peninsula at a small bay of Kootenay Lake. The scenery is like a cross between the Swiss Alps and the Norwegian fiords and utterly spectacular. At the end of the bay is a beach (it's the village park) and they have a floating stage. There is a houseboat behind it for the musicians to hang out in before (and after?) their sets. A sloping hill rises up from the beach and provides a great place to bring a blanket or folding chair to listen to the music. The "Etc." part is because, besides great jazz, they have blues, all different kinds of "world music" (like reggae)... it's an eclectic mix. Sorry for carrying on, because you can check it out at their website... www.kaslojazzfest.com. In the vicinity are natural hot-springs (a pool with a cave you can go into- in the water!) and mountains you can drive or hike to the top of, several parks. Take your pick! Many of the people who live there are straight out of the late '60's and don't forget to find out where the party is when the music stops. I haven't been able to go in a few years, but my buddy says it's a great success now and he doesn't have to do so much of it himself because of all the volunteers. Ever hear of it, Grizzled? Can anyone tell I had a good time??
OMG! My wife and I stayed at a Bed and breakfast close to there when we were driving from Vancouver to Lake Louise. It was run be a German couple of all things, and we had the best fresh baked bread and cheese for breakfast. Unfortunately, it was just for one night, and we got there late...and left early. I never really got a chance to see much of the lake from the road. I like Jazz.....but I LOVE blues. I'd love to go there, but I'm not sure if my wife can wait that long.
