2021 Travel Plans!?

[B-Man]

My wife has changed her plans for her annual trip with a female couple that she knows in Denver 

Instead of hiking along Lake Superior 

they are now going to Baja Mexico 

 

Has any of you been there?

is it safe ?

[Just Joshin]

3 hours ago, B-Man said:

My wife has changed her plans for her annual trip with a female couple that she knows in Denver 

Instead of hiking along Lake Superior 

they are now going to Baja Mexico 

 

Has any of you been there?

is it safe ?

I have been to Laredo, Mexico City and Puebla for business.  On any international trip, my company's security division would send out the potential risks for health and safety.  There were always warnings and risks about being in those locations.  We were always warned about going off by ourselves and always had drivers.  VP level had armed security.

 

So I have not been to Baja but I would suspect that the risks are inherent to Mexico in general.  Tough decision.

[GG1]

We're thinking of putting the boy in IMG lacrosse camp this summer, and as part of that we're seeing the sights along the East coast

 

Goal is to drive through to Wilmington NC, and then meander down to Bradenton FL.  We'll drop him off there and head to Pompano to see the Mrs family.  

 

Figure 2-3 weeks should do it. 

 

Any suggestions are welcome.  

[Ann]

St. Petersburg is terrific if you are in Bradenton, @GG1. We stayed at a hotel on the North Yacht Basin (leading into Tampa Bay) a few years ago, and it was only few blocks walk to downtown. There were a lot of restaurants, artsy-fartsy places, and a nice Try Wine tasting lab  (you put the money into the slot and got out anywhere from a tasting to a glass of wine... it was fun and the wines were better than expected).

Take Alligator Alley (I-75) to drive to Pompano from Bradenton. It is creepy and cool at the same time. There are look-outs you can stop in and see the alligators up-close and personal. 🐊 It is a little out of your way to drop down to (Ft Meyers is  💤 💤 💤  (Sanibel Island is pretty), Naples is very nice), but extremely interesting.

Make sure take your wife to Boca when you are in Pompano to do some shopping.

What other cities will you be traveling to? St Augustine is terrific. Nice sleepy little town that explodes during tourist season, but still laid back. There is the fort, lighthouse, lots of beaches, and a cute little downtown area.
 

[GG1]

12 hours ago, Ann said:

St. Petersburg is terrific if you are in Bradenton, @GG1. We stayed at a hotel on the North Yacht Basin (leading into Tampa Bay) a few years ago, and it was only few blocks walk to downtown. There were a lot of restaurants, artsy-fartsy places, and a nice Try Wine tasting lab  (you put the money into the slot and got out anywhere from a tasting to a glass of wine... it was fun and the wines were better than expected).

Take Alligator Alley (I-75) to drive to Pompano from Bradenton. It is creepy and cool at the same time. There are look-outs you can stop in and see the alligators up-close and personal. 🐊 It is a little out of your way to drop down to (Ft Meyers is  💤 💤 💤  (Sanibel Island is pretty), Naples is very nice), but extremely interesting.

Make sure take your wife to Boca when you are in Pompano to do some shopping.

What other cities will you be traveling to? St Augustine is terrific. Nice sleepy little town that explodes during tourist season, but still laid back. There is the fort, lighthouse, lots of beaches, and a cute little downtown area.
 

 

Right now, the tentative stops are - Wilmington, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, Savannah, Jax/St Augustine, Orlando - Bradenton drop off, then East coast.

[Ann]

6 hours ago, GG1 said:

 

Right now, the tentative stops are - Wilmington, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, Savannah, Jax/St Augustine, Orlando - Bradenton drop off, then East coast.

St Augustine is a Ripleys town for kitchy.

The alligator farm is interesting (do not miss feeding time), the lighthouse, and the fort (there is a small outpost that is a few hundred years old on San Marco Avenue, too) are the main other tourist attractions.

St. Augustine Beach is very touristy. It is the island below St Augustine proper (if you get down to Crescent Beach, that is not as packed, watch out for rattlesnakes).

Our condo was on Vilano Beach/South Ponte Vedra Beach and there is nothing "to do" there (restaurants + beach only), which is very nice except for Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Ponte Vedra itself is below Jacksonville Beach and very nice. 

The town is set up on a small grid and is easy to walk around. You pay for street parking (a ticket from the pay machine that you put that slip of paper in the front window of your car), public lot parking (same), or there is a large parking structure at the Historic Downtown Parking Garage.

If you like deep sea fishing, there are plenty of places to choose from.  Just choose how deep you want to go.


 

[Ann]

42 minutes ago, GG1 said:

 

Right now, the tentative stops are - Wilmington, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, Savannah, Jax/St Augustine, Orlando - Bradenton drop off, then East coast.

As far as Jacksonville... while close to St Augustine we did little there except shop. And take photos of the bridges. Oh, and go to the zoo which is terrific!

I am not a big fan of Savannah I will leave it to others to tell you the wonderful things to do there.  The tour we did of Bonaventure Cemetery was very interesting. Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room is a BIG draw. IMO it is not worth the wait in line.

 

[Ann]

44 minutes ago, GG1 said:

 

Right now, the tentative stops are - Wilmington, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, Savannah, Jax/St Augustine, Orlando - Bradenton drop off, then East coast.

@Buffalo Timmy can you help with Orlando?
@Augie don't you know a lot about Hilton Head?

[Koko]

18 hours ago, Ann said:

St. Petersburg is terrific if you are in Bradenton, @GG1. We stayed at a hotel on the North Yacht Basin (leading into Tampa Bay) a few years ago, and it was only few blocks walk to downtown. There were a lot of restaurants, artsy-fartsy places, and a nice Try Wine tasting lab  (you put the money into the slot and got out anywhere from a tasting to a glass of wine... it was fun and the wines were better than expected).

 

My cousin is a detective in the St. Petersburg PD, so if you get in trouble down there, I don't know you.

[Augie]

7 hours ago, Ann said:

@Buffalo Timmy can you help with Orlando?
@Augie don't you know a lot about Hilton Head?

I started vacationing there around 1976, moved there after graduation in 1982, met my wife and had our kids there and moved away in 1993 but still get back maybe every other year. So, it’s a bit like home, but it all changes so much! One day (hopefully WAY down the road), we will be buried in the cemetery in Sea Pines where several family members already reside. 

 

HHI is broken up into a bunch of gated “plantations”/developments. Some are more “touristy” than others which are more residential and first or second (or 3rd) homes only. From Harbor Town (Sea Pines on the south end) there is a boat that takes you to Savannah for day trips. Savannah is MUCH nicer than it used to be. Beautiful historic district with great restaurants  where you can walk around with drinks to go. Like a mini-New Orleans, but without the music - or the smell of vomit and urine, so there’s that!

 

There is also a boat/booze cruise from Harbor Town to catch the Tuesday (?) night fireworks from Shelter Cove (mid-island by PD). That’s always a fun trip to see the island and houses from the water. 

 

I prefer Sea Pines, but there are plenty of good options all over. Palmetto Dunes (PD) and Shipyard are a couple other good options depending upon what you are looking for. HHI as a whole kind of shuts down early, but there are options for late night stuff. There is a little hub of places for after hours fun near the Sea Pines Circle. 

 

Sea Pines has a trolley in the summer that will take you to Harbor Town, The Beach Club, shopping, South Beach Marina (were the Salty Dog Cafe is, you have seen the tee shirts before -I saw one in Spain!) the Plantation Club, etc so you don’t have to worry about driving or parking. Most people in Sea Pines rent bikes because they have great bike trails all over the plantation. There’s a lot more to do than just golf and tennis. It’s also pretty close to Beaufort which is a quaint little town where The Big Chill, The Great Santini and some other movies have been filmed. Charleston is also a couple hours away. It should come as no surprise that it can get HOT in the summer. Hotter than Sarasota for sure. 

 

HHI has a ton of housing options and some great restaurants. We have only stayed in hotel a couple times because it’s so easy and convenient to rent a house or a condo, even efficiency units. We usually just go to the Sea Pines Real Estate site and book online. They have a slick registration and reception center.  They DO book up pretty fast so if that is your preference I’d get on it. Options will actually  be a bit limited at this point, but there WILL be options. A lot of people go back to the same place each year and book early. I’d love a condo in Harbor Town and just rent the hell out of it as the new owner of the Plantation has been pumping gazillions of dollars into amenities for several years and I think values will do well going forward, I just don’t want another property to deal with. 

 

Hope that helps! I got excited just thinking about it! Let me know if you have any specific questions. 

 

[Koko]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

Savannah is MUCH nicer than it used to be. Beautiful historic district with great restaurants  where you can walk around with drinks to go.

 

😍

[Augie]

The wife has a birthday ending in a zero coming up. She wanted a month in the NC mountains which I thought was a bit long, but we booked a house for 3 weeks that takes dogs in Boone, NC not far from Blowing Rock (our preference). 

 

We are scheduling family and friends to come join us over the 3 week period. She said she will work the first week, then take the next 2 weeks off. I’m skeptical, but used to it. 

 

The long term prayer is a place back in Sarasota and a cooler retreat in the mountains. She has VERY close friends nearby and it would be a great way to retire. Plans are just plans, because I’m pretty sure long term we will be at least part time where the son and family end up. All about the family!

 

Oh, and Bills opener following wedding in Chicago the same week. 

[Augie]

The wife starts traveling back to NYC for work next month. It won’t be like it used to be, at least initially. I can’t wait to get back up there for a visit with her. I have some pent up travel needs! 

[GG1]

On 5/24/2021 at 9:57 AM, Ann said:

@Buffalo Timmy can you help with Orlando?
@Augie don't you know a lot about Hilton Head?

 

The child never had any interest in Disney related stuff, so there's never been any pressure to do Disneyworld!

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, GG1 said:

 

The child never had any interest in Disney related stuff, so there's never been any pressure to do Disneyworld!

 

We took our kids to a VERY expensive breakfast with the characters once. The table next to us had a kid who was FREAKED OUT by the giant creatures in the room! Screaming at the top of his lungs, hiding under the table almost pulling the table cloth off dumping all the dishes and meals.

 

Ahhh, good times! 

[Augie]

On 5/23/2021 at 8:22 PM, GG1 said:

We're thinking of putting the boy in IMG lacrosse camp this summer, and as part of that we're seeing the sights along the East coast

 

Goal is to drive through to Wilmington NC, and then meander down to Bradenton FL.  We'll drop him off there and head to Pompano to see the Mrs family.  

 

Figure 2-3 weeks should do it. 

 

Any suggestions are welcome.  

 

If you have time, go see downtown Sarasota and eat at Columbia’s restaurant on St Armands Circle. World class people watching along the sidewalks and the 1905 salad is awesome!  I have more suggestions if you have more time. We lived in Sarasota for 18 years and it is my hope to move back one day, at least for the winters. 

 

From Bradenton I’d suggest getting to St Armands and Sarasota by driving south thru Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key (but do NOT speed!).  Far more scenic than taking US41 or 301. Beaches, mansions and Bay & Gulf views beat light industrial. 

 

 

.

Edited May 25, 2021 by Augie

[Augie]

I like a travel plans thread almost as much food threads!  Who knew?

 

Added Nashville in October to our list. Bills right after my birthday, it was meant to be!

 

My wife reminds me it’s less than a year until our rescheduled trip to Italy occurs. It still seems like a lifetime from now, but it’s something to look forward to.  Chicago, WNY, NC mountains in the summer then Italy in the next 12 months doesn’t suck. Probably sneak in a trip to NYC when the wife starts going back for work. Broadway opening back up. Make up for lost time! 

 

 

[plenzmd1]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:06 PM, Augie said:

I like a travel plans thread almost as much food threads!  Who knew?

 

Added Nashville in October to our list. Bills right after my birthday, it was meant to be!

 

My wife reminds me it’s less than a year until our rescheduled trip to Italy occurs. It still seems like a lifetime from now, but it’s something to look forward to.  Chicago, WNY, NC mountains in the summer then Italy in the next 12 months doesn’t suck. Probably sneak in a trip to NYC when the wife starts going back for work. Broadway opening back up. Make up for lost time! 

 

 

awesome on Nashville...when you getting tickets?

 

BTW, if you travel on East coast , especially from mid sized cities..Breeze has started operations. They fly directs to many places not usually available to the mid sized cities. For instance, we can now fly Richmond to New Orleans, Charlestonn and Tampa direct...and for a decent fare too! 

 

Give em a look..BTW, dude who founded JetBlue is behind this operation

 

https://www.flybreeze.com/home?gclid=CjwKCAjwtdeFBhBAEiwAKOIy56gf5dULYVaQnHzadzk5g_rIxRDj0HXwjR7mrErf8bJ7ph_Ga1JxuBoCu_4QAvD_BwE

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by plenzmd1

[Augie]

9 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

awesome on Nashville...when you getting tickets?

 

BTW, if you travel on East coast , especially from mid sized cities..Breeze has started operations. They fly directs to many places not usually available to the mid sized cities. For instance, we can now fly Richmond to New Orleans, Charlestonn and Tampa direct...and for a decent fare too! 

 

Give em a look..BTW, dude who founded JetBlue is behind this operation

 

https://www.flybreeze.com/home?gclid=CjwKCAjwtdeFBhBAEiwAKOIy56gf5dULYVaQnHzadzk5g_rIxRDj0HXwjR7mrErf8bJ7ph_Ga1JxuBoCu_4QAvD_BwE

 

 

I sent some money to a Nigerian Prince for quality seats. I’m sure it will be fine, Royalty doesn’t need to cheat you. 

 

Sounds cool on the Breeze airline. A bunch of flights out of Tampa, into NOLA and also Charleston, which I like very much. 

[Ann]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:06 PM, Augie said:

I like a travel plans thread almost as much food threads!  Who knew?

 

Added Nashville in October to our list. Bills right after my birthday, it was meant to be!

 

My wife reminds me it’s less than a year until our rescheduled trip to Italy occurs. It still seems like a lifetime from now, but it’s something to look forward to.  Chicago, WNY, NC mountains in the summer then Italy in the next 12 months doesn’t suck. Probably sneak in a trip to NYC when the wife starts going back for work. Broadway opening back up. Make up for lost time! 

 

 

We drove by Nissan stadium today. 
 

No point, just a statement of fact.