Tourist Sites in your Hometown
JulieD3964
we should take them to see. Then I got curious about everyone else - we're
always planning new places to go on vacation. I like to check travel books out
of the library but they tend to read the same. I came up with a few questions:
1. Where do you normally take visitors?
2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
guidebook?
3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't checked
out for yourself?
Matt & I live in Virginia about 30 minutes from Washington, D.C.
1. The place to go is the Mall. Normal stops include some of the following:
National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian (Museum of American History, Museum of
Natural History, Air & Space Museum) and the monuments (Lincoln Memorial,
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Capitol).
2. I like to get off the Mall and go over to the National Portrait
Gallery/Museum of American Art. It's part of the Smithsonian but not actually
on the Mall so it's never super crowded. I've also enjoyed taking visitors to
the National Postal Museum and to the Washington National Cathedral (when I
worked there). Another good stop is the Old Post Office Building which has an
open air tower to look out at the skyline. If there's time, a drive past the
various embassies is very interesting. If it's the right time of year, the
Shakespeare Theatre puts on free plays during the Free-For-All at Carter Barron
Amphitheatre. Another cool place to go is to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial
off the George Washington Parkway - I think it's just totally different than
anything else. Washingtonian Magazine this month said the following about it:
"It makes Teddy look like a South American dictator who's having a bad hair
day." You can't miss taking friends and family to Wolf Trap to see a
performance while picnicing on the lawn.
3. Definitely overrated is going up inside the Washington Monument. You can get
a better view from the Old Post Office Museum. The best view in the city is
from the top of the Central Tower at the Cathedral but it's only open to the
public once a year in September when they celebrate the Catehdral's birthday.
It's a lot of climbing but it's the highest spot around and absolutely
beautiful. Having been on the White House tours main times, I think the wait in
line is not worth what you get. It's great if you haven't ever been there but
not my idea of a fun time. Since the majority of visitors we get are Jewish,
the Holocaust Museum is an often requested stop. Personally, once was enough
for me as I didn't feel this museum shed any new light on what happened. It
didn't tell me or show me anything different. I suppose I was looking for some
deeper insight and understanding which I didn't take away from the experience.
4. I still haven't been to the Naval Observatory or to Mount Vernon. I haven't
been to the Corcoran Gallery or the Phillips Collection even though they've
been on my list of must-see's for years. I've only been to Arlington Cemetery
once and that was for a funeral so I actually haven't seen any of the sites of
interest. Haven't been to the FDR monument nor to the Newseum in Rosslyn.
Another place we'd like to go is to see the Potomac at Great Falls.
Julie
Julie...@aol.com
Please remove "nospam" to reply.
Liz
JulieD3964 wrote in message
<19990626150405...@ng-fq1.aol.com>...
>1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Good questions. My parents came in from Australia last month. We took them
to St. Louis and Nashville (both 2/12 hour drive from here). We went to New
Harmony, Indiana. It was built in the 1800's by a bunch of Utopians. Another
great spot at the Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky, is a small resturant
called "Patti's". You have to really book ahead for this place. This family
has made this 1800's settlement, with small shops and the incredible
resturant. They are famous for their 2 inch pork. I don't like pork, but I
tried this and it is incredible
>2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in
a
>guidebook?
Patti's.
>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
The Arch at St. Louis
>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
checked
>out for yourself?
Opryland Hotel.
We live in SW Indiana, less than a mile from the Ohio River (Kentucky).
Liz
---
Gainesmk
Well, I was born and raised in San Diego. Need I go on?? =)
1) I will take visitors where ever they want to go. Everyone has heard of San
Diego and all of the fun things to see and do, so I tend to let them guide me.
The obvious ones - SD Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park, the beach, Tijuana... I
like to take people who have never seen the ocean to the beach; the look of
amazement is worth the driving and sand!
2) If I have the time and the person visiting doesn't mind or really wants to
see the true sights, I take all side roads to wherever we're going. I like
beach spots that have some interest besides broiling in baby oil. We have the
Children's Pool in La Jolla, sort of a man-made cove that's supposed to be for
kids but has been taken over by seals (sea lions?). Beautiful and loud. I'd
much rather go to the Wild Animal Park than the Zoo - less fanfare and more
animals in a natural setting. The Wgasa Bush monorail is not to be missed,
especially during the summer, when you ride at night in the dark (and everyone
gets more excited over the natural mule deer and rabbits that they see
*outside* of the exhibits!). This time of year, I take people to the Del Mar
Fair (county fair but huge and gorgeous), but later in the summer, we might hit
the races in the afternoon. Old Town is fun but I try to avoid the peak hours
and rowdy bars unless that's what the person is looking for (ie, Mark's single
friends). I like to show people the Presidio (Mission) and the homes in
Mission Hills. There's also the Victorian Village, which is not well known but
very pretty. If we go to Mexico, I skip Tijuana and head down to Rosarito
Beach or Puerto Nuevo - much nicer and the food & views are wonderful.
3) Most things in San Diego aren't overrated as much as they are over-crowded.
I love the Zoo and could spend all day there but it's large (more than can be
walked in one day) and very crowded most of the time. With a membership, we
can go for an hour to see one or two exhibits and leave. I personally think
Sea World is over-rated and over-priced but maybe that's because I've been too
often and am over 12.
4) There aren't many places in Sd that I haven't been. Can't think of any in
this category.
Now, we're north of SD in Temecula/Southern Riverside County. We really don't
have many attractions other than the wine country. Oh, but we're getting a
RogersDale so ya'll come and visit when it opens (it's a Western theme concert
arena/rodeo/restaurant/spendy shop thing one mile from our new house - we're
_thrilled_).
kellie
hone...@mindspring.com
>1. Where do you normally take visitors?
We usually take visitors to Branson to Silver Dollar City (unless we or they
have a tight budget and then we take them to the Landers Theatre- a
beautiful old restored theater that has excellent plays for low cost)
>2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in
a guidebook?
We take them out to eat at Nonna's - a genuine italian/mediterranean
restaraunt that is the best and for entertainment we sometimes take visitors
on the Amish Country Tours which is in Seymour MO (a 30 minute drive from
Springfield and for $10 you get a ride in an amish buggy thru "Amish
country" and get to go to the amish stores- a nonamish lady does the tours
and I dont know how the amish feel about tourists... but it is so fun!)
>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
The outlet stores in Branson! There is a Levi outlet there - you can get
jeans about $10 cheaper at the Levi outlet in Lebanon....)
>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
checked out for yourself?
I have never been to see a show in Branson. Well, I saw Tony Orlando once
when I was about 8.....but that doesnt count :-)
Dan Dage
My hometown of Postville, Iowa?
Or the current one, Thomasville, Georgia?
Well...
On 26 Jun 1999 19:04:05 GMT, julie...@aol.comnospam (JulieD3964)
wrote:
>1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Depends where the visitors were from. Most of them were city
slickers, so we could spend a day just hiking and touring around the
farm at Postville. Not alot of tourist attractions, except the
gambling boat in Marquette.
Thomasville was a resort area in the 1890's, and has a pretty rich
history. A trip to the historical museum and a drive around town
usually inspires quite a number of pictures of the large victorian
mansions.
>2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
>guidebook?
There was no highlighted list in the guidebook, for Postville. But
there were some really nice trout streams, and I knew of some good
secret spots for those who liked to fish.
In Thomasville, the mental hospital where I work. Seriously, it's
kind of a neat place for a short driving tour. And Thomasville in
April is unbeatable for the blooming azaleas and flowering dogwoods.
Unless you have allergies. Then you have no business in Georgia in
*any* season of the year!
>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
In Thomasville, this would definitely be the spring Rose Show. It
used to be a big deal, with pageants, parades, dances, rides and
exhibits. Now it's not much of anything. I think the main street
shops, while charming, are overrated unless you have very deep
pockets.
>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't checked
>out for yourself?
Pebble Hill Plantation and the Lampham-Patterson house. Both are
historical museums that reflect life during the turn-of-the-century
resort era that existed here.
Thomasville does occasionally attract the rich and famous, especially
the reclusive types. My wife sold a Nintendo-64 to Jane Fonda, when
she was at Wal-Mart. The plantation culture still exists, and
provides good cover for people who don't want to be bothered by
paprazzi.
Worth the trip? Only if you are on your way somewhere else.
Tallahassee, FL is just down the road.
Same with my hometown of Postville. There's a couple of bars that
have cheap beer and pretty good burgers. Stop at Club 51, and tell
them I sent you. You might get a free beer if you don't get thrown
out!
Regards,
Dan
To reply:
x = technologist
y = com
Karen Simmons
>> 1. Where do you normally take visitors?
The capitol building downtown, the Atlanta Underground, the Atlanta
History Center, a little town just north of here called Helen, the
Buckhead Diner, the Varsity (old drive in w/ chili dogs and orange
shakes), through the Georgia Tech campus, the Fox Theater, Bulloch House
in Roswell (Teddy Roosevelt's mothers home), the antiques district in
midtown/Buckhead.
>> 2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in
>> a guidebook?
The Fox Theater is always in the guidebooks, but it's sort of
underrated, IMO. It's an old theater w/ moorish architecture - looks
like a mosque kind of. It's elaborate just amazing. We also like to go
to the Chattahoochie nature parks along the banks of the river and just
wander. Not fancy, but good for picnics.
>> 3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
The Atlanta Underground. It's supposed to be this big "tourist"
shopping district that's built underground on the "old" streets of
Atlanta. It's kind of neat to go down and see it, but once you've seen
the street underneath the street, the shops aren't anything special and
it's kind of boring.
>> 4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
>> checked out for yourself?
We haven't checked out any of the big museums downtown, although I'm
dying to go to the High Museum. We also haven't spent any appreciable
time on the Emory campus or been to visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential
museum.
Karen
----------------------------
Karen Simmons, Photographer
Atlanta, Georgia
----------------------------
Jan A. Cordes
It depends on what they're interested in. We're smack in the middle of
a very interesting area. We've got San Francisco 45 minutes to the north,
Santa Cruz 30 minutes to the south. Monterey and Carmel are only a couple
of hours away. There's also the Napa Valley which is a little more than
an hour away. And, if we really want to drive a while we're about 5 hours
away from either Lake Tahoe or Yosemite. There are just too many choices
here. Even San Jose, where I live, has lots of interesting sites
(Winchester Mystery House, Japanese Gardens, The Tech).
: 2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
: guidebook?
We don't get a lot of visitors and when we do they're usually pretty
interested in all the famous touristy stuff unless they've been here
before.
: 3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
I don't think I've ever really looked at a guidebook for this area
: 4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
: checked out for yourself?
This is pretty new. I think it only opened in the last 6 months. I
don't know if it made it to the guidebooks yet or not...The San Jose
Tech Museum of Innovation (aka The Tech).
Jan
--
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.........................................................................
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: : patronizes human beings.:
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:......................................:...............................:
JulieD3964
>>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
>checked
>>out for yourself?
>
I'm not sure how much this complex has changed since I was last there (1989)
but it was really something to see back then. There was a gigantic indoor
arbortarium (sp) with these very large trees - water everywhere and a couple of
wonderful restaurants where I was lucky enough to get treated to when I went to
Vanderbilt.
Funny how my most striking memory of the area deals with a nearby Bob Evans
where all of the waiters and waitresses were dressed in gingham shirts,
neckerchiefs, thick white belts with huge belt buckles (engraved with B.E. - I
assume for "Bob Evans"), denim slacks and there was one waiter with a ukelele
who would stop serving and sing "Back in the Saddle Again" every twenty minutes
or so. No one else I know has ever been to this Bob Evans and seen anything so
out of the ordinary. Maybe I just hit them on a special day...
JulieD3964
>>> 1. Where do you normally take visitors?
>
>History Center, a little town just north of here called Helen, the
>Buckhead Diner, the Varsity (old drive in w/ chili dogs and orange
>shakes), through the Georgia Tech campus, the Fox Theater, Bulloch House
>in Roswell (Teddy Roosevelt's mothers home), the antiques district in
>midtown/Buckhead.
I love the Varsity. Where else can you get so much food that's bad for you that
tastes so good and doesn't break the bank?
>>> 3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
>
>The Atlanta Underground. It's supposed to be this big "tourist"
>shopping district that's built underground on the "old" streets of
>Atlanta. It's kind of neat to go down and see it, but once you've seen
>the street underneath the street, the shops aren't anything special and
>it's kind of boring.
Basically just a big hole in the ground, eh?
I recently returned from a short visit to some relatives in Atlanta and we also
went to the Coke Museum (had fun mixing our own combinations of their drinks
but otherwise skippable), CNN Tour (very boring), the Cyclorama (very very
interesting), lunch at the Sun Dial (revolving restaurant at the Westin
Peachtree Plaza) and to a short part of the Laser show at Stone Mountain. Any
thoughts on those?
Liz
JulieD3964 wrote
>I'm not sure how much this complex has changed since I was last there
(1989)
>but it was really something to see back then. There was a gigantic indoor
>arbortarium (sp) with these very large trees - water everywhere and a
couple of
>wonderful restaurants where I was lucky enough to get treated to when I
went to
>Vanderbilt.
The pictures seem to be the same. I really want to go at Christmas time this
year, I heard you can take the boat tour and all the trees have lights in
them.
I love Christmas lights.
Liz
---
Gainesmk
Have you ever been to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in SJ? I went when I was
about 14, and then again when I was 21. I thought it had some very interesting
pieces, and while the pyramid tomb tour was kind of hoky, I thought it was neat
that some of the docents could speak in the ancient languages or read
hierogliphics(?).
I also did the Winchester House when I was 14 (same trip). I thought it was
kind of eerie but interesting.
kellie
Karen Simmons
> I love the Varsity. Where else can you get so much food that's bad for you that
> tastes so good and doesn't break the bank?
Oh yeah. Cholesterol city and I don't even want to think about the
calories, but YUM!
>> The Atlanta Underground.
> Basically just a big hole in the ground, eh?
Yep. That's it. Kevin and I have discussed it time and again and we
think it would be a much more profitable and viable tourist option if it
were to be made into a restaurant/bar area - with jazz and blues bars,
nice restaurants, shows, that kind of thing. More upscale than it is
now. So when we're made King and Queen.... <g>
> I recently returned from a short visit to some relatives in Atlanta and we also
> went to the Coke Museum (had fun mixing our own combinations of their drinks
> but otherwise skippable), CNN Tour (very boring), the Cyclorama (very very
> interesting), lunch at the Sun Dial (revolving restaurant at the Westin
> Peachtree Plaza) and to a short part of the Laser show at Stone Mountain. Any
> thoughts on those?
Good points. I like Stone Mountain more for the hiking trails and the
laser show than the Mountain itself. Although the bas-relief carving is
kinda awe-inspiring the first time you see it. The Cyclorama is
fabulous and I should have put it in my first listing. I've never
toured CNN, but I hear it's pretty boring. I know several people who
work there and they don't get the whole tour thing. Another thing that
I didn't mention is Six Flags - I'm not a roller coaster person, so I
get bored there pretty easily, but when younger relatives come to visit
(Kev's 16 year old cousin or his sister-in-laws nieces and nephews) it's
a great way to pass an entire day... altho not inexpensive. There's
also the Margaret Mitchell house (where she wrote Gone With The Wind),
not a lot there to see, but some interesting history of the house itself
and you can see her apartment and the typewriter she used.
Another thing that we like to do (remember that we're both history buffs
and Kevin is into the Civil War big time) is visit some of the local
battlefield sites. We drive up to Kennesaw Mountain and tour the museum
there, or even make the 2 hour drive to Chickamauga on the
Tennessee/Georgia state line and tour the battlefield and museums
there.
MARKIVAL
CA a month, can't recommend too much. So I'll speak of my hometown: Honolulu,
HI.
>1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Hanauma Bay early in the morning for snorkeling (tour buses come around 10
a.m.); Iolani Palace, Bishop Musuem, Nu'uanu Pali (for a spectacular view of
the northeastern side of the island)
>2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
>guidebook?
Peter really liked downtown Chinatown; one of my favorite places. There's a
cooperative farmer's market, selling everything from hog's snouts to fresh fish
to Chinese bittermelon. They've restored the historic buildings and fixed up
the firetraps. You can buy a heavenly-scented tuberose lei for $5, browse some
art galleries, and eat some pretty good Vietnamese pho.
>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
There's lots of ticky tacky, especially in Waikiki, but there are some people
who LIKE ticky-tacky. I actually have a soft spot for Waikiki, since I spent a
lot of my teenage years there. I'm defensive about my hometown, since even my
husband says, "It's not the REAL Hawai'i.
Okay, the commercial luaus are pretty bad.
Lin
>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
>checked
>out for yourself?
Pearl Harbor. Actually, went there almost 30 years ago, when you had to wait
almost an hour in the hot sun before getting on the boat. Heard the wait is
pretty painless now.
Jan A. Cordes
Not a lot of places like that around town. We had some of our engagement
pictures taken on the grounds of the Rosicrucian.
I also haven't been to Winchester Mystery House in years though we pass
it everytime we go to the big movie complex nearby. They've done a lot
of work on it and I hear they've split the tours up so that you get an
inside tour or an outside tour. I think they were only doing inside
tours back when I went because they were fixing up the gardens and
outside area in anticipation of doing tours there.
I forgot to mention that in my area we also have Paramount's Great
America (in Santa Clara) and the new Six Flags/Marine World in Vallejo.
Marine World has been around for a long time. They used to be in
Redwood City but moved to Vallejo several years ago. They were called
Marine World Africa USA at that time. They started adding new features
and rides in hopes of attracting more people. They were having financial
difficulties. I haven't been there since Six Flags took over. I'm hoping
they still have the animal nursery where I could view the baby tigers
and Tiger Island as well as the Lion/Tiger show. I'm really hoping
the animal focus hasn't been totally taken over by the rides.
Jan
Gainesmk <gain...@aol.comnoqjunk> wrote:
: Jan -
: kellie
--
Jan A. Cordes
:>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
: There's lots of ticky tacky, especially in Waikiki, but there are some
: people who LIKE ticky-tacky. I actually have a soft spot for Waikiki,
: since I spent a lot of my teenage years there. I'm defensive about my
: hometown, since even my husband says, "It's not the REAL Hawai'i.
: Okay, the commercial luaus are pretty bad.
I like Waikiki. We spent some time there are on honeymoon. It was my
second trip. One of the travel agents I talked to described it as just
like San Francisco only cleaner. He's right on the money about the
cleaner part. And yes, it did sort of remind me of San Francisco only
it was much warmer.
We stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and loved every minute of it.
:>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
:>checked out for yourself?
: Pearl Harbor. Actually, went there almost 30 years ago, when you had to wait
: almost an hour in the hot sun before getting on the boat. Heard the wait is
: pretty painless now.
Now they occupy you with a movie right before you catch the boats out to
the memorial If your group is not in line for the next movie (they call
it by group numbers) then you're free to browse the museum area and the
bookstore. They even have alittle area where you can pick up snacks and
drinks. It was relatively painless when we went since we went with Enoa
Tours and got us there early and picked up our tickets. We were group
number 8 for that day. BTW, I highly recommend going to Pearl Harbor
early in the day. The lines get much longer as the day goes on.
Jan
Gainesmk
you like Irvine so far? Mark used to live in Tustin, in an apartment that was
dangerously close to IKEA and a huge Super Crown Bookstore.
We were in Honolulu a year and a half ago and we loved it. We went with a
couple, and the husband had gone to high school there, so he was able to show
us some non-touristy things. We **loved** Hanauma Bay and we lucky enough to
have been there during the non-peak time, so we had some space to ourselves.
We had plate lunches on a local beach, where I was overcome by waves trying to
swim in and ended up dragging myself out by the nails with my (one-piece) suit
down to my belly button. We drove to the Pali lookout and drove on the H-3
(which had just opened) to the other side of the island, and had shaved ice in
a family's front yard stand. We did spend one day on Waikiki Beach and
shopping at that huge mall. We also went to the Polynesian Cultural Center,
which I thought was quite educational but somewhere expensive and over-crowded.
We also saw Glen Madieros and ?? (a comedian) at a local club, which was
hysterical - we didn't know that it was OK to bag on different races/culters in
Hawaii, so it took us a few minutes to lighten up enough to laugh. We learned
about the local (kamahina?) rates, and how to say the name of the state fish.
Although so many people told us to go to Maui or Kauai, we had a lot of fun and
learned a lot about Hawaii, for a lot less money.
kellie
Rose Bingham
> Julie wrote on our recent residence (DC), and since we've only been in Irvine,
> CA a month, can't recommend too much. So I'll speak of my hometown: Honolulu,
> HI.
Oh Lin - you just brought back the best memories. My girlfriend and I
had the best time in HI (we spent 9 months). I loved Hanauma Bay! Did
you ever hike around the point (away from Waikiki - north?) There are
great rocks etc. for climbing around on. I could also recommend the
From Here to Eternity beach on a full moon night...
I also thought the Big Island was very interesting! In particular, that
centuries old fortress (sacred area?) with the huge wall built by
stacking the lava rocks... I just can't remember a lot of it now (like
what it was called for starters) but I remember finding the history
fascinating.
How I would love to get back there someday.
Rose - who can't believe that next week is 8 years since we left HI
Wende A. Feller
We live in Minneapolis, just south of downtown.
> 1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Well, first we sit around wringing our hands and wondering, "where
should we take people"? Minneapolis Art Institute (historic art, three
blocks from where we live), Walker Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden
(modern art, 10 blocks the other way), Chain of Lakes (10-ish blocks
west), Uptown (our nearest "real" shopping area) are the obvious
choices.
> 2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
> guidebook?
Dinkytown, by the University of Minnesota, because of its high
concentration of coffee houses and used book stores. Our friends like
that sort of thing, but it doesn't exactly cause OOT family to gape with
awe.
> 3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
Mall of America! Everyone wants to go to it. We send them by themselves.
> 4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't checked
> out for yourself?
I think the only thing listed in the guidebooks that one of us hasn't
gone to is Nye's Polonaise Room, where they play polka music. This may
be why we're getting bored with the Twin Cities. :)
Wende
JulieD3964
>Another thing that we like to do (remember that we're both history buffs
>and Kevin is into the Civil War big time) is visit some of the local
>battlefield sites. We drive up to Kennesaw Mountain and tour the museum
>there, or even make the 2 hour drive to Chickamauga on the
>Tennessee/Georgia state line and tour the battlefield and museums
>there.
Oh, Kennesaw Mountain! I forgot all about that! I remember hiking up it when I
was a Brownie eons ago....
If I never see another Civil War site, it'll be too soon. I used to date a
Union re-enactor and I was dragged all over the south staying in Holiday Inns
while he was at his camp on what always seemed to be a cold muddy field. They
never had these battles on sunny days! :) The Confederate re-enactors are much
more laid back than the Union ones. The Union guys drill constantly and spend
every non-battle weekend drilling as well. I understand that's because there
aren't as many of them and they are trying to look "trained."
JulieD3964
>Oh Lin - you just brought back the best memories. My girlfriend and I
>had the best time in HI (we spent 9 months). I loved Hanauma Bay! Did
>you ever hike around the point (away from Waikiki - north?) There are
>great rocks etc. for climbing around on. I could also recommend the
>From Here to Eternity beach on a full moon night...
We loved Hawaii as well when we were out there for our honeymoon last year. We
only spent a couple of days on Oahu seeing the normal tourist sites (Pearl
Harbor, Punchbowl, Nu'uanu Pali and hiking Diamond Head). We drove around to
Hanauma Bay but unfortunately, despite it being midweek, it was so crowded that
everyone was being turned away. We spent the rest of our time on Kauai and just
loved it. We mostly drove around and checked out Waimea Canyon, Spouting Horn
and Princeville as well as spending lots of time just relaxing at the Hyatt.
We had so much fun that we're going back this year! We plan to spend the first
half of our vacation on Maui and the second half back on Kauai where we really
want to check out the Na Pali coast. Unfortunately, last year, we were supposed
to take a Zodiac tour but there were licensing problems that we weren't
informed about until we were on the island. We scrambled to get another
reservation and the second company's boat broke down. The concierge at the
hotel scrambled for us after that but we had a patch of bad weather so we were
cancelled again. We really (lots of emphasis) want to get over there this trip!
jpetr...@my-deja.com
julie...@aol.comnospam (JulieD3964) wrote:
I don't think I've checked out the guidebooks for this area, but where
I would take visitors to depends on their interests.
Last fall, my older sister planned to visit. It didn't pan out, but
here's where I would have taken her:
The Textile Museum in Lowell, MA. My sister is into wool spinning and
dyeing, and this was one of her requests.
Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA. It's where Louisa May Alcott's father
started a utopian commune that didn't last very long. It's also only six
minutes from where I work.
http://www.ultranet.com/~frutland/
Other literature themed stops, like Concord MA (including Walden Pond,
the Alcott house, and just strolling along the main streets and window
shopping).
http://www.concordnet.org/index.html
Apple picking, in the fall. She doesn't get that in Maryland, and then
we could spend some time making apple pies and other stuff.
In the winter, I'd be sure to take her contradancing.
http://www.neffa.org/~neffa/invite.shtml
Other neat places include the 140 acre botanical gardens in Boylston, MA
(less than 10 minutes from home), the Higgins Armory Museum in
Worcester, which contains the largest private collection of midieval
armor to survive the great depression, and the Ward Homestead right here
in Shrewsbury, home to one of the leaders in the Revolutionary War. On a
clear warm day, driving / hiking to the top of Mount Wachussett is
pretty neat. Sometimes you can see Boston from there, 60+ miles away.
I've sometimes wanted to see the Plumbing Museum in Worcester just to
see the gold gilded toilet, but I haven't gotten around to it.
It's kind of fun to work in a Spag's shopping trip. Spag's is a
one-of-a-kind discount store founded by Anthony "Spag" Borgatti, who
died only recently. Where else can you get kitchen clocks, plumbing
supplies, motor oil, books, potting soil, eggs, and flat Armenian bread
in the same store? All for at least pretty good prices?
http://www.spags.com/html/home.htm
All these things I mention are within a half hour drive from home. If we
were willing to drive a little more and deal with traffic, we could go
in to Boston, where the Computer Museum, Children's Museum, and Museum
of Science are always neat.
In the other direction is Old Sturbridge Villiage, which I guess would
take the vote for being over-rated. It's a pretty cool place (all the
buildings were around in the 1840's and the costumed staff presents life
as it was then), but I think it costs too much.
Jeanne Petrangelo
--
!Notice! I don't read this email address due to
spam. To reply directly to me, take out the
spaces: jpetrang @ harris . com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
geri....@abc.com
in one of the hottest tourist destinations in the universe, I have a
very hard time showing out-of-towners around. I think this is mostly
because I hate stereotypical "New Yorkish" things and tourist spots. The
really good things about NY come with being part of a neighborhood here.
I think NYC is a great place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit here
:-)
> 1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Depends on who it is. But we almost always go to a musuem -- they're
all good -- the Museum of Natural History, the Met, the Guggenheim, the
MoMA, the Whitney (for funkier friends;) I like to have picnics in
Central Park and eat in Chinatown; FAO Schwartz (so many toys, including
lots of low-tech classics!) I love the Gramercy Park area, and there are
several really cute restaurants near there; we often go to Chelsea
Piers, which is a giant sports/recreation complex built on an old pier
on the Hudson River. They have ice skating, roller blading, a really
nice bowling alley, restaurants, a spa...we also sometimes go on the
Circle Line, which is the boat ride that goes all the way around the
island of Manhattan.
> 2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted
list in a
> guidebook?
Almost anyplace I choose is not high on the guidebook list. But I really
like the Brooklyn Bridge (you can walk across it from Manhattan to
Brooklyn; especially nice at sunset;) Riverside Park; the Greenmarket at
Union Square (a huge farmers' market held three times a week;) the Film
Forum, an art-house-type movie theatre; street fairs -- there are tons
of them all over the city on summer weekends where people sell all kinds
of cool tchatchkes...stupid but fun; thrift/antique stores in the East
Village; Tourneau Corner, which is a giant watch store -- about three
stories of watches from $30 to $200,000 and they let you try them on...
> 3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
Times Square (especially since they cleaned it up and Disney-fied it;)
the Empire State Building; shopping (high sales tax; you're better off
at home unless there's something here you really can't get where you're
from;) eating at any tourist-oriented spot in Little Italy; the theme
restaurants on 57th Street (Planet Hollywood, the Hard Rock Cafe, etc;)
almost any commercially popular Broadway show; the "Today" show window
and "Regis and Kathie Lee" (I work across the street from the "Regis"
studio...people line up to get in there at 6am. Huh!?) the South Street
Seaport; Tiffany; Tavern on the Green (the restaurant in Central Park;)
the Plaza Hotel as a "luxury" hotel (it's not so great;) carriage rides
in Central Park; I could go on...
> 4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
checked
> out for yourself?
The Empire State Building; the Statue of Liberty; the Intrepid Museum;
umm...I'm sure there's tons of other stuff that I can't think of.
Jean Peters
> We've got family coming in to visit us next month and I got to thinking
of what
> we should take them to see. Then I got curious about everyone else -
we're
> always planning new places to go on vacation. I like to check travel
books out
> of the library but they tend to read the same. I came up with a few
questions:
>
in a
> guidebook?
checked
> out for yourself?
>
If we're literally talking about my hometown, I show them the road out and
tell them to keep going. If we're talking about where I live, Dublin city,
then I'm spoiled for choice of where to bring visitors. We're within
walking distance of most of the major tourist attractions in the city.
Not on the highlighted list? - probably some of the pubs that real Irish
people go to, ie *not* the ones in Temple Bar that are full of English stag
and hen parties. The restaurants in Temple Bar are usually worth going to
though as are the craft shops. Our favourite pub is just outside the
trendy area and has a microbrewery in the basement.
Overrated? - the shopping, particularly the tourist oriented shops, unless
you really *want* to pay over the odds for an Aran jumper that no
self-respecting Irish person would be seen dead in :-).
For anyone who's planning a trip to Ireland, I would recommend buying a
guidebook and then finding an Irish person to go through it with you, so
they can advise you properly. Having a local on your side is *always* a
good thing.
Jean
--
"There are lies, damned lies and statistics" - Mark Twain.
Rose Bingham
> the Plaza Hotel as a "luxury" hotel (it's not so great;)
My boss and her partner just stayed there for a 40th b'day celebration.
The 2 of them had brunch at the hotel with a friend and each had 2
mimosas. The total bill? Over $300. Burgers and drinks on room
service - ~$70.
I'm sorry - but there's never been a burger worth $35 IMO. I just can't
get over this!
Rose
Karen Simmons
> If I never see another Civil War site, it'll be too soon. I used to date a
> Union re-enactor and I was dragged all over the south staying in Holiday Inns
> while he was at his camp on what always seemed to be a cold muddy field. They
> never had these battles on sunny days! :) The Confederate re-enactors are much
> more laid back than the Union ones. The Union guys drill constantly and spend
> every non-battle weekend drilling as well. I understand that's because there
> aren't as many of them and they are trying to look "trained."
LOL. Well, it depends where you are when you're reenacting! When I
first met Kevin it was in Oregon where there are millions of Union
troops and zero Confederate. Since we've moved to the south, it's the
other way around, of course.
Still, I love it. I like to go and take photos and wander. I don't
stay the whole weekend or week or whatever tho. I usually let Kevin go
with his buddies and I just drive to where ever for an afternoon.
Karen
--
geri....@abc.com
Even for NY, that's pricey. Have you ever been to the Plaza? It's
tacky! And the $35 burger ain't that good.
If you're ever looking for an expensive-but-almost-worth-it hotel here,
go to the Pierre. It'll cost you Plaza rates, but there's no comparison
-- fabulous service, beautiful rooms (the best sheets I've ever slept
on,) just wonderful. DH surprised me by taking me there for a weekend a
few years ago...it really felt like we went "away."
geri....@abc.com
"Jean Peters" <jeanp...@ireland.com> wrote:
>
> For anyone who's planning a trip to Ireland, I would recommend buying
a
> guidebook and then finding an Irish person to go through it with you,
so
> they can advise you properly. Having a local on your side is *always*
a
> good thing.
Actually, I think this is great advice no matter where you go. I try to
do this whenever we travel, but I must admit, the Irish were absolutely
the most helpful and friendly "locals" I've ever met! We got great
advice from everyone we met there.
Whenever I see groups of tourists in New York, I desperately want to
grab their guidebooks and start crossing out the tourist traps. I've
gone so far as to persuade people to follow me to a non-crowded,
non-touristy restaurant instead of standing in line for an hour to get
a seat in a horrible tourist spot. They thought I was a bit wacky at
first, but thanked me later :-)
HollyLewis
San Francisco and Napa/Sonoma, farther from Santa Cruz and Carmel/Monterey.
>1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Depends on the visitors, really. Age, interests, how familiar they are with
the area. But if we're talking about people who haven't been to the Bay Area
before, the Golden Gate is your basic must.
The Cal campus, Tilden Park, the Oakland Museum of California, the Paramount
Theater are all East Bay places that live up to their guide-book billing. In
San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, North Beach cafes, and City Hall. And pretty
much any Bay cruise.
>2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
>guidebook?
Again, it depends on the visitor and on how much time they're here. Our usual
mode is to just hang out in our neighborhood, which has tons of cute shops and
great restaurants. Or we might go bowling or something funky like that, or go
to one of the local art-film movie theaters.
>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
The big tourist trap in the area is Fisherman's Wharf in SF, of course. But
even that can be fun if you do it with the right attitude -- my bachelorette
party took place on Pier 39, the Wharf, and Ghirardelli Square and we had a
blast.
>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't
>checked
>out for yourself?
The Berkeley Rose Garden. Just never been there for some reason. :-)
Holly
MARKIVAL
>you ever hike around the point (away from Waikiki - north?) There are
>great rocks etc. for climbing around on.
sight!) Never have gone that far.>I also thought the Big Island was very
interesting! In particular, that
>centuries old fortress (sacred area?) with the huge wall built by
>stacking the lava rocks... I just can't remember a lot of it now (like
>what it was called for starters) but I remember finding the history
>fascinating.
It's the Place of Refuge (Can't remember the long Hawaiian name). We went
there on our honeymoon, and really found it fascinating. I liked the Big
Island a lot, because there are so many different environments.
Glad all the posters had a good time! Go back often, Hawai'i needs the
dollars!
Lin
MARKIVAL
>you like Irvine so far?
Irvine is like the Master master-planned community. We're about a mile from
Trader Joe's and right across from 99 Ranch Market, though, so life is livable
;-).
>We also saw Glen Madieros and ?? (a comedian) at a local club, which was
>hysterical - we didn't know that it was OK to bag on different races/culters
>in
>Hawaii, so it took us a few minutes to lighten up enough to laugh.
Was it Frank DeLima? He's an Island institution; got his start right around my
high school years (Decades ago!) and does his best to make fun of EVERYBODY.
He was Jesuit-trained and also worked in Japanese language radio.
Lin
wanting some teri-beef and crack seed right around now.
Rose
> Past the Toilet Bowl? (don't laugh, readers, it's a real spot, and quite a
> sight!) Never have gone that far.
YES!! That's it. When I was posting it I knew there was a strange name for
that formation there but just couldn't remember it.
> It's the Place of Refuge (Can't remember the long Hawaiian name). We went
> there on our honeymoon, and really found it fascinating.
What astounds me is that they built this wall by hand with just lava rocks
stacked together. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it's about 6+ feet high and
~10 ft deep and goes all the way around the Place of Refuge which I wouldn't
want to even guess at the length of it's perimeter but... suffice to say it is
*not* small.
Rose
Vicky Larmour
julie...@aol.comnospam (JulieD3964) wrote:
I wasn't going to get in on this thread, because I thought none of you would
know what I was talking about, but what the heck, I'm bored at work with far
too many things to do and no inclination to do any of them :-)
I live in Cambridge, UK.
>1. Where do you normally take visitors?
Round the University colleges is the obvious one. Most of them charge for
entry but members of the University (ie me) can get in free and bring up to
3 guests. Some of them have really beautiful gardens and they almost all
have gorgeous architecture.
The Fitzwilliam museum is nice, but only if you've a whole day to spare.
>2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
>guidebook?
Punting up to Grantchester. For those that don't know, punts are flat
bottomed boats propelled and steered by someone standing up wielding a long
pole. They're more or less restricted to Oxford and Cambridge; in Oxford,
the punter stands on the front and in Cambridge, on the back (just to be
different and inspire more rivalry) :-)
All the guidebooks talk about getting a chauffeured punt trip, but they only
go up and down the most crowded sections of the river around the colleges.
You can hire a punt yourself and punt it about 5 miles up the river to
Grantchester (a small village), and then have a picnic in the meadows there
before punting back again. The scenery and countryside along the way are
lovely.
>3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
The chauffeur punt tours (see above).
>4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't checked
>out for yourself?
Cambridge is pretty small - I think we've done all the touristy stuff
really.
The one thing about living in Cambridge that gets really annoying is
tourists who evidently haven't read the guide book *at all* and think that
the University is a distinct campus in a demarcated area - it isn't, the
colleges (where the students live) and departments (where the lectures take
place) are scattered throughout the city. So in the Summer, you get stopped
by hundreds of people asking "Excuse me, where's the University?" "You're
in the middle of it...!" Either that, or they think that King's College
Chapel, probably the most well-known building in Cambridge, *is* the
University, and don't appear to wonder how you could fit accommodation and
lecture space for 10,000 students inside it :-)
There are some nice pictures of Cambridge at:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/tourism/ - follow the "Cambridge University"
link to see a list of the colleges - Clare (2nd on the list) is where we
studied and got married :-)
Vicky
--
vicky.larmour[at]camcon.co.uk All opinions mine.
Piglet was still a little anxious about Tigger, who was a
Very Bouncy Animal, with a way of saying How-do-you-do,
which always left your ears full of sand.
c...@my-deja.com
vicky....@camcon.co.nospam.uk (Vicky Larmour) wrote:
> I wasn't going to get in on this thread, because I thought none of you would
> know what I was talking about,
Well....some of us do!
but what the heck, I'm bored at work with far
> too many things to do and no inclination to do any of them :-)
>
> I live in Cambridge, UK.
>
> >1. Where do you normally take visitors?
>
> Round the University colleges is the obvious one. Most of them charge for
> entry but members of the University (ie me) can get in free and bring up to
> 3 guests. Some of them have really beautiful gardens and they almost all
> have gorgeous architecture.
I second that! All the Cambridge buildings have especially gorgeous
architecture and beautiful gardens. If there were any unattractive ones,
I didn't see them. Oxford does as well, but it also has some gawd-awful
ugly colleges (Keeble) and buildings (Zoology). DF was in one of the
most beautiful, IMO :).
(it also helped that I was there on a warm summer's day)
> >2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
> >guidebook?
>
> Punting up to Grantchester. For those that don't know, punts are flat
> bottomed boats propelled and steered by someone standing up wielding a long
> pole. They're more or less restricted to Oxford and Cambridge; in Oxford,
> the punter stands on the front and in Cambridge, on the back (just to be
> different and inspire more rivalry) :-)
Oh course! We punted in Cambridge, but not very far. Don't recall seeing
many people on the river. DF is "Master punter" (in college he and his
friends had their own punt) and we also punted more than once north
along the river in Oxford. I, was quite content to let him do all the
work. Of couse, one must also have strawberries, cream and champagne for
a *proper* punting outing.
>
> The one thing about living in Cambridge that gets really annoying is
> tourists who evidently haven't read the guide book *at all* and think that
> the University is a distinct campus in a demarcated area - it isn't, the
> colleges (where the students live) and departments (where the lectures take
> place) are scattered throughout the city. So in the Summer, you get stopped
> by hundreds of people asking "Excuse me, where's the University?" "You're
> in the middle of it...!"
hehe - heard that all the time in Oxford as well. I probably would have
asked the same thing though, had I not been at Yale previously, which is
arranged similarly (collection of colleges with separate buildings for
lectures...fewer chapels though!). Rather confusing to us Americans
where the vast majority of universities are on a defined "campus."
> Either that, or they think that King's College
> Chapel, probably the most well-known building in Cambridge, *is* the
> University, and don't appear to wonder how you could fit accommodation and
> lecture space for 10,000 students inside it :-)
>
I couldn't quite figure out why King's is called a "chapel" as it's the
size of some Cathedrals! Not unlike Christchurch in Oxford. A chapel?!
Magdalen's at least is in the realm of "chapel-sized."
Sigh....wishing one of those two places was going to become our
home....Maybe eventually :)
--
Cherise
S.Gold
National Warplane Museum, Corning Glass Museum, the lame mall, and
wineries. The wineries are good to just drive to because it gets you
out of town and up on the Finger Lakes. In Albany, I do the malls,
drive around and point out historic buildings...I really haven't had to
show anyone the big tour, but if I did it'd probably be Schuyler
Mansion, Fort Crailo, the State Capitol building, or possibly a road
trip to Saratoga Springs. That's always fun.
Sarah -- (The State Museum is overrated, except for the occasional
traveling art exhibit.)
Howboutmer
>Whenever I see groups of tourists in New York, I desperately want to
>grab their guidebooks and start crossing out the tourist traps. I've
>gone so far as to persuade people to follow me to a non-crowded,
>non-touristy restaurant instead of standing in line for an hour to get
>a seat in a horrible tourist spot. They thought I was a bit wacky at
>first, but thanked me later :-)
>
Village. She told us a few places to go, and in one of the restaurants they
said, "You must know someone in the neighborhood, otherwise why would you be
*here*?" Guess we were "off the beaten path."
JulieD3964
>I wasn't going to get in on this thread, because I thought none of you would
>
>I live in Cambridge, UK.
Well, I've always wanted to visit Cambridge and I found your post very
informative!
Julie
Julie...@aol.com
CatMom0823
LOL - I can't tell you how many times we went there for school trips. zzzz...
All I remember is the delicious molasses cookies they had! :-) Dianne
Vicky Larmour
Good! Drop me a line if you're ever making plans... :-)
Kelli Hughes
in Austin, Texas:
1. Go see the capitol building. It is based on the national capitol, and I
believe it it the tallest
state captiol building as well. It was just renovated a couple years ago too!
2. Go visit the University of Texas Campus. The Tower is beautiful and the campus
is as well. The various fountains are nice to sit by and feed the squirrels. The
most famous is the LBJ fountain, which is located by the LBJ library up on the
hill. That is the most beautiful part of campus!
3. Go to Barton Springs and Hamilton Pool. These are great places to cool off on
a hot summer's day. The coldest water you have ever gone swimming in!! It is
really a nice area too.
4. Go to 6th Street. This is our version of Bourbon Street. You haven't been to
Austin is you haven't been to 6th Street.
5. Go to Zilker Park. Go canoeing on the river, play frisbee, or just have a
picnic. You can even see an outdoor play on the hillside. We will go see
fireworks this weekend!!
6. Eat at Shady Grove. This is one of my favorite restaurants located near Barton
Springs and Zilker Park. Outdoor casual dining makes it unique. There are many
local restaurants here in Austin, but Shady Grove is one of the best. You should
have the cheese fries. For the vegetarians out there, there is the hippie burger.
Lots of great stuff for the rest of you too!! Some other good restaurants include
Lone Star Cafe, Chuy's, Serrano's at Symphony Square (outdoor dining too), Z Tejas,
County Line on the Lake (BBQ), Shoreline Grill (on Town Lake), just to name a few!
7. Watch the millions of bats take off at dusk from under the Congress Street
Bridge. This is really a spectacular site to see. Only certain times of the year
are best. You can see bats flying around the capitol building as well as the UT
stadium at night as well!!
8. Go to a UT football game in almost the largest college stadium in the world.
It is still being finished as we speak, so it will be even bigger. It is really a
site to see!! It is most amazing when the games are sold out!!
9. Go down to New Braunfels and go tubing down the Guadalupe River. On your way
back, stop by the outlet mall in San Marcos, just 30 minutes away from Austin.
10. Go hiking or camping at the various parks surrounding Austin, especially those
in the hill country. It is the most beautifu country in Texas. I told my husband
I want to retire there. Our favorite state parks include Pedernales, Lost Maples,
and I've heard McKinney Falls is nice as well.
Well, that's all I can think of right now. There really is a lot to do in this
town. Everyone is wanting to move here, though. All the college students (yes, we
have the largest college too) want to stay!! Come visit if you ever get a chance.
I will have to go get the guidebook on Austin and see what I haven't seen in
there. I'm sure many of the things I mentioned are not in it. There are a lot of
museums that I'm sure are in there, but I probably haven't been to them.
Kelli
JulieD3964 wrote:
> We've got family coming in to visit us next month and I got to thinking of what
> we should take them to see. Then I got curious about everyone else - we're
> always planning new places to go on vacation. I like to check travel books out
> of the library but they tend to read the same. I came up with a few questions:
>
> 1. Where do you normally take visitors?
> 2. Where do you like to take visitors that's not on the highlighted list in a
> guidebook?
> 3. What do you think is highly overrated in the guidebooks?
> 4. What's listed in the guidebook as a must-see that you still haven't checked
> out for yourself?
>
> Matt & I live in Virginia about 30 minutes from Washington, D.C.
>
> 1. The place to go is the Mall. Normal stops include some of the following:
> National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian (Museum of American History, Museum of
> Natural History, Air & Space Museum) and the monuments (Lincoln Memorial,
> Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Capitol).
>
> 2. I like to get off the Mall and go over to the National Portrait
> Gallery/Museum of American Art. It's part of the Smithsonian but not actually
> on the Mall so it's never super crowded. I've also enjoyed taking visitors to
> the National Postal Museum and to the Washington National Cathedral (when I
> worked there). Another good stop is the Old Post Office Building which has an
> open air tower to look out at the skyline. If there's time, a drive past the
> various embassies is very interesting. If it's the right time of year, the
> Shakespeare Theatre puts on free plays during the Free-For-All at Carter Barron
> Amphitheatre. Another cool place to go is to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial
> off the George Washington Parkway - I think it's just totally different than
> anything else. Washingtonian Magazine this month said the following about it:
> "It makes Teddy look like a South American dictator who's having a bad hair
> day." You can't miss taking friends and family to Wolf Trap to see a
> performance while picnicing on the lawn.
>
> 3. Definitely overrated is going up inside the Washington Monument. You can get
> a better view from the Old Post Office Museum. The best view in the city is
> from the top of the Central Tower at the Cathedral but it's only open to the
> public once a year in September when they celebrate the Catehdral's birthday.
> It's a lot of climbing but it's the highest spot around and absolutely
> beautiful. Having been on the White House tours main times, I think the wait in
> line is not worth what you get. It's great if you haven't ever been there but
> not my idea of a fun time. Since the majority of visitors we get are Jewish,
> the Holocaust Museum is an often requested stop. Personally, once was enough
> for me as I didn't feel this museum shed any new light on what happened. It
> didn't tell me or show me anything different. I suppose I was looking for some
> deeper insight and understanding which I didn't take away from the experience.
>
> 4. I still haven't been to the Naval Observatory or to Mount Vernon. I haven't
> been to the Corcoran Gallery or the Phillips Collection even though they've
> been on my list of must-see's for years. I've only been to Arlington Cemetery
> once and that was for a funeral so I actually haven't seen any of the sites of
> interest. Haven't been to the FDR monument nor to the Newseum in Rosslyn.
> Another place we'd like to go is to see the Potomac at Great Falls.
ge...@feeding.frenzy.com
: O.K., I haven't read the guidebooks on Austin, but here are MY top 10 things to do
: in Austin, Texas:
: 1. Go see the capitol building. It is based on the national capitol, and I
: believe it it the tallest
: state captiol building as well. It was just renovated a couple years ago too!
: 2. Go visit the University of Texas Campus. The Tower is beautiful and the campus
: is as well. The various fountains are nice to sit by and feed the squirrels. The
: most famous is the LBJ fountain, which is located by the LBJ library up on the
: hill. That is the most beautiful part of campus!
watch out for that tower they'll shoot you =) actually do you know when it's
supposed to reopen?
amy
: 3. Go to Barton Springs and Hamilton Pool. These are great places to cool off on
: Kelli
: JulieD3964 wrote:
--
--
Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people each
year who are trying to find it.
Gainesmk
I've only been to Austin twice, both for about a day. On the first trip, we
did go to see the state capitol, which I thought was quite pretty. On the
second trip, I was visiting a friend in San Antonio, and we did the trip to New
Braunfels (to shop, though, not to tube - it was early May). What a beautiful
river! We ate at a Mexican restaurant that overlooks the river, and watched
the tubers go by. I really enjoyed the little touristy antique shops. I tired
to see the bats on my way back to Austin but it was the wrong time.
Mark & I both found Austin to be really similar to San Diego. We almost
considered moving there before we bought our house. We did have a hard time
getting around, though - the streets were kind of confusing and we ended up
driving in circles looking for a BBQ place. We ended up going to one - don't
remember the name but it was chateau-shaped (like an old IHOP or
Wienerschnitzel). The next time, I went alone and my hotel was right down the
street from this same BBQ! I was so pleased because then I really knew how to
get to the freeway!
Oh, and you guys have MacFrugal's, which we don't have (we have PicNSav, which
is not nearly as good). I spent 3 hours in the MacFrugals in Austin, and spent
way too much money - but I'd found such great things!
Anyway, we really enjoyed Austin.
kellie
S.Gold
you have all these snow parka bundled kids pile into a colonial home
saying, "It's got a fireplace! Awesome!"
Sarah --
Karen Simmons
>
> O.K., I haven't read the guidebooks on Austin, but here are MY top 10 things to do
> in Austin, Texas:
Oh, oh, oh - I get to contribute to this one, too, since I went to high
school and college in Austin.
> 1. Go see the capitol building. It is based on the national
> capitol, and I believe it it the tallest state captiol building
> as well.
Also point out that all the rock in the big state seal in the floor
rotunda is native Texas rock and that the pink granite exterior was
quarried from Marble Falls.
> 2. Go visit the University of Texas Campus. The Tower is beautiful and the campus
> is as well. The various fountains are nice to sit by and feed the squirrels.
Yep. I liked to walk people down Guadalupe to the Cadeau and for a quick
coffee at Quackenbush's. Don't forget the Wild Mustangs - the statue
over on the other side of the street from LBJ fountain.
> 6. Eat at Shady Grove.
Kirby Lane Cafe is my favorite - open all night and the Kirby Chicken is
to die for.
Also, I used to love to take people to - oh damn, now I can't remember
the name of it - Anthonys? The blues bar on Guadalupe.
Amy's Ice Cream. Yum.
Watch the sunset from the top of Mt. Bonnell (the highest spot in Austin
- looks out over the Colorado River/Town Lake)
Walk along Town Lake on the north side, especially in the spring when
the wisteria is blooming, and visit Town Lake on the south side where
the Stevie Ray Vaughn pavilion and park are (also where AquaFest is held
in the spring, which is a blast).
Also in the spring drive out 290 or FM 2222 or Hwy 71 and see the
bluebonnets and indian paintbrush in bloom as far as the eye can see.
The LBJ library and museum is really interesting - although I never
thought it would be when I lived there. I visited it with my MIL on a
trip back two years ago and wondered why I'd never been there before.
The Texas State cemetary over on the east side (a daytime trip for sure)
is also interesting if you're into that kind of thing. Sam Houston,
Stephen F. Austin, and other famous "Texas" people are buried there. In
fact I think Sam Houstons tomb has a marble carving by Elisabet Ney (a
well known Austin sculptor).
Oh, I'm getting homesick!!!!
Kelli Hughes
> : 2. Go visit the University of Texas Campus. The Tower is beautiful and the campus
> : is as well. The various fountains are nice to sit by and feed the squirrels. The
> : most famous is the LBJ fountain, which is located by the LBJ library up on the
> : hill. That is the most beautiful part of campus!
>
> watch out for that tower they'll shoot you =) actually do you know when it's
> supposed to reopen?
>
Actually, I'm not sure. I think it might be open now, but I'm not for sure on that. I
haven't been there in over a year. My dad was actually attending UT when that happened.
Scary!!
Kelli
Kelli Hughes
Gainesmk wrote:
> Kelli -
>
> I've only been to Austin twice, both for about a day. On the first trip, we
> did go to see the state capitol, which I thought was quite pretty. On the
> second trip, I was visiting a friend in San Antonio, and we did the trip to New
> Braunfels (to shop, though, not to tube - it was early May). What a beautiful
> river! We ate at a Mexican restaurant that overlooks the river, and watched
> the tubers go by. I really enjoyed the little touristy antique shops. I tired
> to see the bats on my way back to Austin but it was the wrong time.
You have to go tubing sometime. Did you go to the riverwalk in San Antonio? It is
really nice too, and the restaurants are great!!
> Mark & I both found Austin to be really similar to San Diego. We almost
> considered moving there before we bought our house. We did have a hard time
> getting around, though - the streets were kind of confusing and we ended up
> driving in circles looking for a BBQ place. We ended up going to one - don't
> remember the name but it was chateau-shaped (like an old IHOP or
> Wienerschnitzel). The next time, I went alone and my hotel was right down the
> street from this same BBQ! I was so pleased because then I really knew how to
> get to the freeway!
>
I've heard San Diego is nice. I've never been there. I just got back from a trip
to nothern Calfiornia. It was my first trip to California. It was very nice. It
is much less humid in San Diego than it is in Austin, I hear.Well, you do have to
know where you are going, but it really isn't hard at all once you've lived here a
while. It gets confusing when you have construction, which is ALL THE TIME!!
Things will get better when some of the freeways and intersections have been
redone, but that will be at least 5 years!!
> Oh, and you guys have MacFrugal's, which we don't have (we have PicNSav, which
> is not nearly as good). I spent 3 hours in the MacFrugals in Austin, and spent
> way too much money - but I'd found such great things!
>
Do we have MacFrugal's? We don't shop there. I think I have been to one (not in
Austin), and I personally hated it. It was so cluttered and cheaper than
Wal-Mart. My husband won't shop at Wal-Mart for anything. We get everything at
HEB, which is THE grocery store to shop at here. If they don't have it, we go to
Target. That's just our preference.
> Anyway, we really enjoyed Austin.
I'm glad. We really love it, even though it is being invaded by everyone!! (We
now have Dell, IBM, Motorola, Compaq, and Samsung employees everywhere!!)
Kelli
Kelli Hughes
> Oh, oh, oh - I get to contribute to this one, too, since I went to high
> school and college in Austin.
>
Where did you go to high school? I assume you went to UT as well.
> > 1. Go see the capitol building. It is based on the national
> > capitol, and I believe it it the tallest state captiol building
> > as well.
>
> Also point out that all the rock in the big state seal in the floor
> rotunda is native Texas rock and that the pink granite exterior was
> quarried from Marble Falls.
>
Yep, I left that part out.
> > 2. Go visit the University of Texas Campus. The Tower is beautiful and the campus
> > is as well. The various fountains are nice to sit by and feed the squirrels.
>
> Yep. I liked to walk people down Guadalupe to the Cadeau and for a quick
> coffee at Quackenbush's. Don't forget the Wild Mustangs - the statue
> over on the other side of the street from LBJ fountain.
>
Oh, I forgot about that. Yes, Quackenbush's is great!! Cheesecake!!
> > 6. Eat at Shady Grove.
>
> Kirby Lane Cafe is my favorite - open all night and the Kirby Chicken is
> to die for.
>
I love Kirby Lane too. There are so many restaurants, I knew I left some out!!
> Also, I used to love to take people to - oh damn, now I can't remember
> the name of it - Anthonys? The blues bar on Guadalupe.
>
> Amy's Ice Cream. Yum.
>
Yes, it is good, but as many people that I know love Amy's, I keep going back to Baskin
Robbins. It is closer to our house, anyway.
> Watch the sunset from the top of Mt. Bonnell (the highest spot in Austin
> - looks out over the Colorado River/Town Lake)
>
I forgot that one!! That is what my husband and I did on our first date (like many other
people)
> Walk along Town Lake on the north side, especially in the spring when
> the wisteria is blooming, and visit Town Lake on the south side where
> the Stevie Ray Vaughn pavilion and park are (also where AquaFest is held
> in the spring, which is a blast).
>
Town Lake is soooo nice. I love it too!! Our rehearsal dinner was at Shoreline Grill on
Town Lake, and now we go back for our anniversaries. It is right where the Caongress
Street bridge comes across, so we can watch the bats fly sometimes.
> Also in the spring drive out 290 or FM 2222 or Hwy 71 and see the
> bluebonnets and indian paintbrush in bloom as far as the eye can see.
>
FM 2222 is really neat!! It is winding and beautiful. That is how you get to County
Line -- the best BBQ!! Our church is out that road too (actually on 620 on Lake Travis)
> Oh, I'm getting homesick!!!!
>
I know what you mean. My dad lives in Atlanta. I just got back from visiting him. It
was my first trip to Atlanta. I prefer Austin. The traffic looks so good compared to
Atlanta!!
Kelli
Karen Simmons
> Where did you go to high school? I assume you went to UT as well.
I went to high school at Westwood - it's up in the Round Rock district.
It was very new and much smaller when I went there. A couple of years
ago I drove by w/ my MIL and it has been expanded and was HUGE. I
almost didn't recognize it.
Then UT, of course, for 6 years. If I hadn't quit once and changed my
major once, I might have made it through in less time. But heck, it was
fun.
> I know what you mean. My dad lives in Atlanta. I just got back from visiting him. It
> was my first trip to Atlanta. I prefer Austin. The traffic looks so good compared to
> Atlanta!!
LOL. Any place's traffic looks good compared to Atlanta!!!
One of the reasons I like Atlanta (and that I loved Portland) is that
the atmosphere of the towns is very much the same. It's very friendly
and "small town" within a bigger city.
Kelli Hughes
Karen Simmons wrote:
> I went to high school at Westwood - it's up in the Round Rock district.
> It was very new and much smaller when I went there. A couple of years
> ago I drove by w/ my MIL and it has been expanded and was HUGE. I
> almost didn't recognize it.
>
I know where Westwood is. I live in the RR school district. We live in Wells Branch. I
hope to send our kids someday to RR schools because I think they are better than AISD (I work
in AISD, so I know). Yes, all of the schools are expanding. Many are adding Perfoming Arts
Centers, etc... There is also another high school in RR now. McNeil, I believe has been
built since Westwood. I can't remember which one was first. They are opening another one
either this year or next too!! Round Rock is REALLY growing!! My mom just moved to RR. She
works in Leander.
> Then UT, of course, for 6 years. If I hadn't quit once and changed my
> major once, I might have made it through in less time. But heck, it was
> fun.
>
Well, I was there for 5 years, so 6 isn't much more. There is almost no way to finish in 4
these days. I took 19 and 20 hours, and it still took me 5, but that is because of my degree
plan with teacher certification it takes 5 years. It is possible to do it in 4, but you
really have to have no life and kill yourself. I decided to relax some by having 11 and 12
hours my last year and keep being a student a little longer. That was really nice!!
> LOL. Any place's traffic looks good compared to Atlanta!!!
>
> One of the reasons I like Atlanta (and that I loved Portland) is that
> the atmosphere of the towns is very much the same. It's very friendly
> and "small town" within a bigger city.
>
I can see what you mean by that. It does seem smaller compared to most big cities. I lived
in Houston most of my life, and that is a BIG city!!
Kelli