I thought about visiting Montreal last year, and I'm still open to the idea.
Your annual vacation/holidays
- Thread starter Kilana2
- Start date
You'll be glad you did.
side note: is no one else planning any trips this year? Come on, out with it!
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I've decided to go back to Hawaii after considering Santa Fe and New Orleans. My flight to Oahu departs in about an hour, and I'll be staying there over the next few days. I've booked a "movie tour" at the Koalua Ranch for Wednesday, and I also plan on doing a circle island tour on Thursday. Aloha!
I thought about Hawaii, but decided I'm really not the beach type. The occasional trip to Coney Island in NYC is enough for me. Besides, my vacations are all organized around baseball, and...well, you know. 
Looking forward to my Toronto trip the week of the 19th. Much baseball will be seen, poutine consumed, Tim Hortons coffee drank, the front entrance of the Royal Ontario Museum (which TOTALLY looks like a crashed Borg cube) seen, and Fran's Restaurant breakfasts eaten.
Looking forward to my Toronto trip the week of the 19th. Much baseball will be seen, poutine consumed, Tim Hortons coffee drank, the front entrance of the Royal Ontario Museum (which TOTALLY looks like a crashed Borg cube) seen, and Fran's Restaurant breakfasts eaten.
I’m a big fan of Whitby.
This year we’re doing Wales, we haven’t booked anything yet but we have a good idea of where we’ll stay.
I thought about Hawaii, but decided I'm really not the beach type. The occasional trip to Coney Island in NYC is enough for me. Besides, my vacations are all organized around baseball, and...well, you know.
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To me, beaches are always nice. I just don't like to get in the water.
In fact, my swimming skills are rather limited. 
I don't surf, I don't snorkel, I don't waterski. But Hawaii has so much more to offer too. Do you like the great outdoors or hiking, biking, sightseeing? My interests are mixed. I like the hustle and bustle of the city, and I also enjoy seeing natural landmarks. Oahu meets those criteria. I gotta admit, things can be expensive on the island, but not that much different from the SF Bay Area where I live.
Drove down to the Charleston SC area a few weeks ago. Both my wife and I have family in that area so it's nice to see both but my GOD, driving on I-95 Suuuuuuucks. We avoided it in places but every time we got back on it was just awful. This was my second time driving down there and I said never again unless we fly. eff that.
One highlight was getting off 95 after Wilmington DE and driving down through Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and then taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. That also saved us from having to go through Baltimore and DC. Sure, it added time to the drive but totally worth it.
One highlight was getting off 95 after Wilmington DE and driving down through Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and then taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. That also saved us from having to go through Baltimore and DC. Sure, it added time to the drive but totally worth it.
We’ve now committed to the Caribbean for Christmas every year. We’re both 50, no kids (just cats) and our families have worn us down. We’ve done it 2 years now and just love it. Nothing like getting a massage on the beach on Christmas morning. Also, everyone there is SO happy to be there. No fights or angst.
Really enjoyed my Toronto vacation (I just got back home earlier today). Only gripe was that the roof at SkyDome was damaged so even though the weather was pretty good all week, the roof was closed the whole time. 
anyhoo, Toronto is one of my favorite cities of all time (second only to NYC) and I had a great time there. Probably my favorite thing to do other than baseball, was take cruises around the harbor, see COME FROM AWAY for the third time, and have extremely huge breakfasts at Fran's Restaurant.
I also went up in the CN Tower at night for the first time in my life. I LOVED taking in the night view of Toronto from up there, but it is a huge pain in the ass to actually try and take pictures of said view because the fucking GLARE (from inside the tower) got in my way
.
Oh, and I'm wondering if I'll be a deceased old man before they finally finish work on Toronto's Union Station!
anyhoo, Toronto is one of my favorite cities of all time (second only to NYC) and I had a great time there. Probably my favorite thing to do other than baseball, was take cruises around the harbor, see COME FROM AWAY for the third time, and have extremely huge breakfasts at Fran's Restaurant.
I also went up in the CN Tower at night for the first time in my life. I LOVED taking in the night view of Toronto from up there, but it is a huge pain in the ass to actually try and take pictures of said view because the fucking GLARE (from inside the tower) got in my way
.Oh, and I'm wondering if I'll be a deceased old man before they finally finish work on Toronto's Union Station!
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I also went up in the CN Tower at night for the first time in my life. I LOVED taking in the night view of Toronto from up there, but it is a huge pain in the ass to actually try and take pictures of said view because the fucking GLARE (from inside the tower) got in my way
Have you ever done the EdgeWalk?
I never have, but I think it's something I would be interested in experiencing, if money was no object.
Oh hell no. I'd die of shock if I tried that.
I mean, I get nervous enough just walking across the glass floor on the observation deck. I'm 100% sure the EdgeWalk would actually kill me.
Really enjoyed my Toronto vacation (I just got back home earlier today). Only gripe was that the roof at SkyDome was damaged so even though the weather was pretty good all week, the roof was closed the whole time.
anyhoo, Toronto is one of my favorite cities of all time (second only to NYC) and I had a great time there. Probably my favorite thing to do other than baseball, was take cruises around the harbor, see COME FROM AWAY for the third time, and have extremely huge breakfasts at Fran's Restaurant.
I also went up in the CN Tower at night for the first time in my life. I LOVED taking in the night view of Toronto from up there, but it is a huge pain in the ass to actually try and take pictures of said view because the fucking GLARE (from inside the tower) got in my way
Oh, and I'm wondering if I'll be a deceased old man before they finally finish work on Toronto's Union Station!
I spent 6 days in Toronto in 1999. I was hugely impressed with the city. Very cosmopolitan, clean and friendly with plenty to see and do.
It's even easier now, because there's a train (the Union Pearson Express) which goes directly between the airport and downtown.
I like it when major cities have direct mass transit access to their airports. Taxicabs are fucking expensive, so I try to avoid cities where you have to use them.
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I'm just back from two weeks in Cyprus.
Weather was just warm enough without being too hot for me. Return flight was a bit late though
Weather was just warm enough without being too hot for me. Return flight was a bit late though
I still have a week left from last year. I'd love to go to GB and visit my friends there. And a fortnight on Lundy would be great =). And fish & chips and handmade humbugs in Cardiff (if both of these excellent shops still exist). It's almost a decade since I last was abroad.
I wanted to post an update sooner but didn't get a chance. I had a blast in Oahu earlier this month, where I spent five days to celebrate my birthday. 
This was my second visit to the island. I stayed at a hotel in Waikiki.
This time, I went on a Hollywood Movie Tour at Kualoa Ranch, a private nature reserve where they have filmed dozens of movies and TV shows like Lost, Jurassic World, Kong Skull Island, Jumanji, etc. The views were absolutely breathtaking.
The following day, I went on a circle island group tour (again, my second one), and we toured the hot spots like Hanauma Bay, Dole Plantation, Pipeline Beach.
The tour operators can be hit or miss in these places. I booked online, and there was some confusion on the pick up times, locations, and transportation. I was with a group of mostly middle-aged Australian women, who were rather frustrated with the waiting times and the lack of structure, as well as changing shuttles and drivers. Our driver and guide, Acey, was a jolly old retiree and island native who took us to various parts of the island.
As a lone traveler, I've often had mixed feelings being by myself. On the one hand, I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of doing things my way, going places as I please, without having to wait on any companion. On the other hand, there's always safety in numbers. And maybe because I'm getting older, I sometimes feel out of place amongst the crowd. Everyone seems to be with their partners, friends, and family members. I've traveled with family before, and it was fun. But nowadays I mostly fly solo.
When I was younger, I felt more confident exploring new sites. There was always the possibility that I could meet someone along the way and maybe have a fling, although that never was my priority. As a man in his mid-40s, I no longer have the same level of confidence, since I'm probably set in my ways and have my own social circle back home. I'm not necessarily bemoaning my status as a single person, but having a significant other does have its advantages.
This was my second visit to the island. I stayed at a hotel in Waikiki.This time, I went on a Hollywood Movie Tour at Kualoa Ranch, a private nature reserve where they have filmed dozens of movies and TV shows like Lost, Jurassic World, Kong Skull Island, Jumanji, etc. The views were absolutely breathtaking.
The following day, I went on a circle island group tour (again, my second one), and we toured the hot spots like Hanauma Bay, Dole Plantation, Pipeline Beach.
The tour operators can be hit or miss in these places. I booked online, and there was some confusion on the pick up times, locations, and transportation. I was with a group of mostly middle-aged Australian women, who were rather frustrated with the waiting times and the lack of structure, as well as changing shuttles and drivers. Our driver and guide, Acey, was a jolly old retiree and island native who took us to various parts of the island.
As a lone traveler, I've often had mixed feelings being by myself. On the one hand, I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of doing things my way, going places as I please, without having to wait on any companion. On the other hand, there's always safety in numbers. And maybe because I'm getting older, I sometimes feel out of place amongst the crowd. Everyone seems to be with their partners, friends, and family members. I've traveled with family before, and it was fun. But nowadays I mostly fly solo.
When I was younger, I felt more confident exploring new sites. There was always the possibility that I could meet someone along the way and maybe have a fling, although that never was my priority. As a man in his mid-40s, I no longer have the same level of confidence, since I'm probably set in my ways and have my own social circle back home. I'm not necessarily bemoaning my status as a single person, but having a significant other does have its advantages.
Had a great time in New York City last week...lots of baseball, saw COME FROM AWAY for the fourth time (actually this was the first time I saw the Broadway production, I saw it three times in Toronto)...then I got caught up in that disaster at Newark airport when I was trying to get home. Pretty much every flight that day (Saturday June 15th) was delayed or cancelled. Mine was the latter. So they put me up in a hotel for the night...actually it was supposed to be two nights because the earliest flight they gave me wasn't supposed to leave until THIS MORNING
But Sunday morning I got up and I'm like, why the hell should I sit around all day at this stupid hotel with nothing to do? So I went back to the airport and managed to get booked on a flight out that night, and got put on standby for a 3 PM flight...which I actually got on!
So I got home at a reasonable hour, like 5:30 PM, and ultimately only lost like half a day.
The moral of the story is: If your flight is cancelled and you don't like the new flight they give you, don't settle for it. Go back to the airport. Stand in whatever lines you have to. Be persistent. I mean, don't be a dick or anything like that, just ask a lot of questions. Exercise your rights as a customer.
That said, I am SO glad I don't have to fly for another two months (I go to Boston in August). Flying is such a fucking CHORE these days....
But Sunday morning I got up and I'm like, why the hell should I sit around all day at this stupid hotel with nothing to do? So I went back to the airport and managed to get booked on a flight out that night, and got put on standby for a 3 PM flight...which I actually got on!
So I got home at a reasonable hour, like 5:30 PM, and ultimately only lost like half a day.The moral of the story is: If your flight is cancelled and you don't like the new flight they give you, don't settle for it. Go back to the airport. Stand in whatever lines you have to. Be persistent. I mean, don't be a dick or anything like that, just ask a lot of questions. Exercise your rights as a customer.
That said, I am SO glad I don't have to fly for another two months (I go to Boston in August). Flying is such a fucking CHORE these days....
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