Vacation is OFF this year

[breadnatty08]

Come to DC! We don't bite. Most all museums are free and fantastic. We also have a great zoo that's also free. Food and beer scene is great as well. Hotels are plentiful but can be pricey. Metro can get you just about anywhere. There's also 3 airports in the area so it's easy to get to.
Sorry, I just love this city.

 

[AntimonyER]

I did enjoy DC the one time I have been. Will go again someday when the kids are old enough to appreciate it. Man, I say that alot, haha. Our next vacation is Disney, whenever we can finally afford to do it the way my wife demands. Which is sad, because my parents have a huge house and live 30 minutes away, we could do it on the (relative) cheap tomorrow if we wanted.

 

[Caro332]

sooo...you're not open to going aborad is it?
Europe in general is an old continent and therefore has loads of museums/stuff to do. But yes Europe is quite expensive. However Asia is a lot less. Dubai nowadays is very cheap (at least air fare is) but I heard there is only 1 museum.
Morocco has amazing markets/fares that you can visit if you're up for that and Bangkok is extremely cheap as far as shopping is (Perfect if you're a shoppaholic). I know that air fares where I'm living is quite cheap too but I don't know how expensive it will be from the US

 

[Frisco]

I'd use the opportunity (and the head space you seem to be in ) to go someplace new and unknown to you. I once headed up to Montreal on a lark and had a blast; that city has everything, along with one of the best public transportation systems in the world.

San Francisco (and the Bay Area in general) is the greatest of all to me, but that's just me.

 

[angldvl81]

sooo...you're not open to going aborad is it?
Europe in general is an old continent and therefore has loads of museums/stuff to do. But yes Europe is quite expensive. However Asia is a lot less. Dubai nowadays is very cheap (at least air fare is) but I heard there is only 1 museum.
Morocco has amazing markets/fares that you can visit if you're up for that and Bangkok is extremely cheap as far as shopping is (Perfect if you're a shoppaholic). I know that air fares where I'm living is quite cheap too but I don't know how expensive it will be from the US

my sister went to Dubai on a US Navy sponsored cruise (deployment) and she loved it. she wants to go back if she ever gets the chance. I got offered to go to Finland this summer, but sadly i cant afford it. If I didnt have to stop and drop my daughter off in WV with my parents, i might have been able too, but that airfare adds up quick

 

[A.Nonymous]

Come to DC! We don't bite. Most all museums are free and fantastic. We also have a great zoo that's also free. Food and beer scene is great as well. Hotels are plentiful but can be pricey. Metro can get you just about anywhere. There's also 3 airports in the area so it's easy to get to.
Sorry, I just love this city.

DC also has my crazy family unfortunately. Ain't family great.

sooo...you're not open to going aborad is it?
Europe in general is an old continent and therefore has loads of museums/stuff to do. But yes Europe is quite expensive. However Asia is a lot less. Dubai nowadays is very cheap (at least air fare is) but I heard there is only 1 museum.
Morocco has amazing markets/fares that you can visit if you're up for that and Bangkok is extremely cheap as far as shopping is (Perfect if you're a shoppaholic). I know that air fares where I'm living is quite cheap too but I don't know how expensive it will be from the US

I would love nothing more than to go to Europe, but I don't see myself spending that kind of money (the US dollar is freaking worthless these days but that's another thread) and I can't see myself taking off that kind of time. In the four years I've been at my job I don't think I've ever taken off more than two days in a row. If I go to Europe, I'm going to want to take a week and a half at least.

I'd use the opportunity (and the head space you seem to be in ) to go someplace new and unknown to you. I once headed up to Montreal on a lark and had a blast; that city has everything, along with one of the best public transportation systems in the world.

San Francisco (and the Bay Area in general) is the greatest of all to me, but that's just me.

I have toyed with the idea of just getting the car and driving. It does sound appealing. I was in SF for a weekend last year for a cousin's wedding. Not real keen on doing the same vacation two years in a row.

 

[mikedt]

Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China...the grasslands are great in summer. The mutton is good and you can ride a horse as well.

 

[mplevy]

NYC and Cooperstown were both mentioned. Why not fly to Albany and hit both? I know you have an aversion to flying but it's 3 hours to NYC (mix of driving and train is the best way to go) and less than 2 hours to Cooperstown. There's not enough in Cooperstown to fill a whole vacation and NYC is awesome (even just to see Grand Central, which is where the train takes you).

Plan it right and you could see a baseball game. I've done it a few times, leave early in the morning and get into the city around lunch, do a little sightseeing then hit the ballpark. Depending on the game time, on a train North by midnight (I think the last weekend train North is around 12-1 AM) and home by 3. I was there a few years ago with my Aunt and Uncle (they moved West in 89 but lived in NJ until then), they were the kind of people that were of the "ooh, what's over there" mindset and we just had to go along with it, ended up seeing some things I might not have known about such as the Irish Hunger Memorial.

 

[NYCHitman1]

I would love nothing more than to go to Europe, but I don't see myself spending that kind of money (the US dollar is freaking worthless these days but that's another thread) and I can't see myself taking off that kind of time. In the four years I've been at my job I don't think I've ever taken off more than two days in a row. If I go to Europe, I'm going to want to take a week and a half at least.

You're a serial worker, man. You are way overdue for some rest. Go somewhere, do something, anything - but if I hear that you didn't take the vacation, I may have to drive down to wherever it is that you live and slap the bejesus out of you. lol

 

[Mada]

That's not a bad idea. It's about a 6 hour drive from here. Haven't been there in a few years. I'll have to look into that as a possibility.

That's not bad at all. It's an 8 hour drive when I go and once it took 11 hours because of storms and we had to stop a lot lol

 

[Roze]

Montreal on a lark and had a blast; that city has everything, along with one of the best public transportation systems in the North America.

FIFY The Metro (subway) in Montreal is not to the standard as the ones in Seoul and HK.

 

[Roze]

DC also has my crazy family unfortunately. Ain't family great.

Your family seems to be everywhere in the US

I would love nothing more than to go to Europe, but I don't see myself spending that kind of money (the US dollar is freaking worthless these days but that's another thread) and I can't see myself taking off that kind of time. In the four years I've been at my job I don't think I've ever taken off more than two days in a row. If I go to Europe, I'm going to want to take a week and a half at least.
.

You would want two weeks or more!!! I spent two weeks when I was in Europe a couple of years back. One in London and the other in Paris and I felt that it was not enough.

If you love museums, you need to go to Paris one day to see the Louvre. I believe they said if you really want to see that museum from end to end and top to bottom, it would take you 3 full days. Paris also has over 60 art gallerias and museums!

 

[A.Nonymous]

Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China...the grasslands are great in summer. The mutton is good and you can ride a horse as well.

I'm Chinese and would love to go tour China. But there's time, money and the fact that I don't speak the lingo to factor in.

NYC and Cooperstown were both mentioned. Why not fly to Albany and hit both? I know you have an aversion to flying but it's 3 hours to NYC (mix of driving and train is the best way to go) and less than 2 hours to Cooperstown. There's not enough in Cooperstown to fill a whole vacation and NYC is awesome (even just to see Grand Central, which is where the train takes you).

Plan it right and you could see a baseball game. I've done it a few times, leave early in the morning and get into the city around lunch, do a little sightseeing then hit the ballpark. Depending on the game time, on a train North by midnight (I think the last weekend train North is around 12-1 AM) and home by 3. I was there a few years ago with my Aunt and Uncle (they moved West in 89 but lived in NJ until then), they were the kind of people that were of the "ooh, what's over there" mindset and we just had to go along with it, ended up seeing some things I might not have known about such as the Irish Hunger Memorial.

That sounds like an awesome trip. The $500 plane ticket to get there is what gets me. I actually have fare alerts sent to me. Right now fares are like $450. That is steep IMO. The cheapskate in me screams at spending that much of my vacation budget just to get there and back.

You're a serial worker, man. You are way overdue for some rest. Go somewhere, do something, anything - but if I hear that you didn't take the vacation, I may have to drive down to wherever it is that you live and slap the bejesus out of you. lol

I'm a hardcore workaholic. I always have been. I took one day of vacation last year and if you add up all the vacation time I've taken in the four years I've been here and it probably adds up to 6-7 days. I'm not good at taking time off. Even if I happen to be off, I'm still answering emails, phone calls, etc... Taking vacations is not a skill I'm any good at.

That's not bad at all. It's an 8 hour drive when I go and once it took 11 hours because of storms and we had to stop a lot lol

Yeah, I've been in the area twice in the past 4-5 years. It took me six hours one time and it took me 6 hours to get to a little podunk town in Missouri that wasn't too far away. It's not a bad drive. A lot of the stuff there I can do here in town, but there's still some neat things there.

Your family seems to be everywhere in the US

You would want two weeks or more!!! I spent two weeks when I was in Europe a couple of years back. One in London and the other in Paris and I felt that it was not enough.

If you love museums, you need to go to Paris one day to see the Louvre. I believe they said if you really want to see that museum from end to end and top to bottom, it would take you 3 full days. Paris also has over 60 art gallerias and museums!

I've got family on both coasts and I'm here in the midwest. We're quite spread out.

I haven't been to Europe since I was in college. Went on a school sponsored trip to England/France for a week. Had a great time. My only regret is that I somehow found myself sheltering from the rain in the vestibule of the British Museum, but never went further than that. How could I be that close to the Rosetta Stone and not see it? Argh!

 

[NYCHitman1]

That sounds like an awesome trip. The $500 plane ticket to get there is what gets me. I actually have fare alerts sent to me. Right now fares are like $450. That is steep IMO. The cheapskate in me screams at spending that much of my vacation budget just to get there and back.

I'm a hardcore workaholic. I always have been. I took one day of vacation last year and if you add up all the vacation time I've taken in the four years I've been here and it probably adds up to 6-7 days. I'm not good at taking time off. Even if I happen to be off, I'm still answering emails, phone calls, etc... Taking vacations is not a skill I'm any good at.

Why? Screw that crap. I tell people when I'm out of the office, don't even come looking for me. I don't care what the issue is, it's not my problem. Did something happen that made you such a workaholic? I know that sounds personal, but it's just extremely weird to me that you don't take vacations. Everyone needs time to unwind. Being pent up doing the same thing for too long is exhausting.

 

[Frisco]

The Metro (subway) in Montreal is not to the standard as the ones in Seoul and HK.

I'm surprised, but only because I've never seen either. The Sky Shuttles were running when I was last there, and the ferry terminal building had two pads going. I was only on the streets of the city about two hours altogether, the rest of it was indoors due to horrid humidity and heat.

Too bad about the metro.. it was top of the line years ago, not as good as Moscow's was then (early 80s), but very nice.

 

[ElasticNinja]

I would love nothing more than to go to Europe, but I don't see myself spending that kind of money (the US dollar is freaking worthless these days but that's another thread) and I can't see myself taking off that kind of time. In the four years I've been at my job I don't think I've ever taken off more than two days in a row. If I go to Europe, I'm going to want to take a week and a half at least.

Wow, two days, really? So how do you spend your given leave?
Yeah you'd be right to allocate a bit of time if you're paying a good bit for flights, but taken a two week holiday and going to Europe should certainly be priorities!
Obviously, I'm biased, but Europe must be visited If you like museums and history, obviously London, Paris, Berlin are all there. However staying in one of those places will place you very far from the Med (Although you can get a fast enough train from any of those places to the Med coast).

I just got back from a school trip to Catalonia, and as a nation on the Med and containing Barcelona it has he best of both worlds tbh. You'll get away with only English better than you would in France, too. Great history and museums, also some super architecture and city planning in Bar

 

[A.Nonymous]

Wow, two days, really? So how do you spend your given leave?
Yeah you'd be right to allocate a bit of time if you're paying a good bit for flights, but taken a two week holiday and going to Europe should certainly be priorities!
Obviously, I'm biased, but Europe must be visited If you like museums and history, obviously London, Paris, Berlin are all there. However staying in one of those places will place you very far from the Med (Although you can get a fast enough train from any of those places to the Med coast).

I just got back from a school trip to Catalonia, and as a nation on the Med and containing Barcelona it has he best of both worlds tbh. You'll get away with no English better than you would in France, too. Great history and museums, also some super architecture and city planning in Bar

 

[jwp1223]

Just got off the phone with the parental units. Since the entire family is boycotting my cousin's wedding, my tentative vacation plans for this year are now off.

So I now have the option of either going on vacation to the destination of my choice (which I have never done in my entire adult life and I'm 30) or not going on vacation at all (which I have done many, many times in my adult life). I'm not really sure I have the energy to go on vacation though or whether I really want to spend the money. Usually I only go someplace as part of a family reunion or some family event. I went to Chicago one year because a cousin got married and went to San Francisco and saw the Googleplex last year when another cousin got married. I've been to Vegas a couple of times as my grandparents were on vacation there and wanted the whole family to come. Stuff like that.

Should I go on vacation at all this year or just save my money? (Where it'll likely be spent on another freaking tablet that I don't need.) If so, where should I go? I'm a museums/aquariums/zoos type of guy. I need to actually be doing something. I'm not the type that can kick back on a beach. Also, I'm located in the middle of KS and have a hate/hate relationship with the TSA so I'm reluctant to fly anywhere.

Why is your family boycotting the wedding if you don't mind my asking?

 

[A.Nonymous]

Why is your family boycotting the wedding if you don't mind my asking?

I answered that way back in the thread. Cliff notes - they don't approve of who he's marrying.

 

[batgeek]

all work and no play makes Johnny a very dull boy.

 

[A.Nonymous]

all work and no play makes Johnny a very dull boy.

Yeah, but I can outwork anyone in the office. I've got great multi-tasking skills and I can produce more than anyone else in the office because I do the multitasking and work longer hours than anyone. You want productivity, I'm your guy.

 

[batgeek]

... makes Johnny a very dull boy.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I got an email last evening from Kennedy Space Center. I ended up on their list while trying to score shuttle launch tickets. Anyway, going there for a vacation sounds interesting. I haven't been there since I was a child. But then going to Florida in the middle of July or August just sounds like a horrible idea.

 

[NYCHitman1]

I got an email last evening from Kennedy Space Center. I ended up on their list while trying to score shuttle launch tickets. Anyway, going there for a vacation sounds interesting. I haven't been there since I was a child. But then going to Florida in the middle of July or August just sounds like a horrible idea.

Anything would be better than sitting around slaving away in the midwest lol. You should do it, or something.. anything..

 

[A.Nonymous]

Anything would be better than sitting around slaving away in the midwest lol. You should do it, or something.. anything..

The midwest ain't that bad in July and August. It's the same as Florida only we have like 70-80% humidity and they have 90-100% humidity. Also, they have more alligators per capita.