Travel plans

[icepixie]

I've been working on a list of all the places I want to visit before I die. Here's the list. You will soon see a theme, and I'll give you three guesses as to what it is. The first two don't count.

North America

New Mexico
- Santa Fe, epecially at Christmastime to see the luminarias/farolitos
- Albuquerque, particularly for the Balloon Fiesta in October. (What would be awesome if I had the cash and time would be to start out here in Oct., travel the West for a couple months, and end up in Santa Fe for the holidays.)
- Roswell, for obvious reasons.

California
- San Francisco
- Yosemite National Park and a Redwood Park
- Salinas and Monterrey, aka Steinbeck country. If it's half as beautiful as his books make it out to be, it must be gorgeous.
- A drive along the coast (mostly through the area known as Big Sur), starting at Carmel and ending at Santa Barbara

Portland, OR (including Powell's!)

Roslyn, WA (filming location for Northern Exposure)

Yellowstone National Park

Take a train along both the Coast Starlight (Seattle to L.A.) and California Zephyr routes.

Washington, D.C., for the Smithsonian museums (mmmmMuseums, I would be in heaven), the Mall/Lincoln Memorial/other touristy government buildings, FBI building for X-Files geeking

Virginia
- Colonial Williamsburg for historical geeking
- Shenandoah National Park

Savannah, GA, for Old South architecture

St. Augustine, FL, for Spanish-flavored historical geeking

Boston, MA, for yet more historical goodness and also for parks/riverfront prettiness. Probably can throw in Philadelphia, PA, for similar history geek reasons.

Quebec City for more history/architecture (I'm sure you see a theme by now) and also the Winter Carnival

Cape Breton, particularly for the Celtic Colours Festival in October. Also, the landscape would probably be at its prettiest right about then.


Europe

Austria
- Salzburg for the music festival in August and mountain gamboling (last time I was there, it was over Easter, which was pretty awesome, but mountain picknicking was ruled out by rain on the second day)
- Vienna

Italy's Lake Como in the Alps (OMGBEAUTIFUL)

Galicia in Spain

A pipe dream is to take the current incarnation of the Orient Express from beginning to end, wherever those are nowadays.


South America

Buenos Aires--birthplace of Tango!


Hmmm. Obviously I need to become fabulously wealthy in short order if I want to be able to do all that. Anyone got any surefire stock tips?

Comments

[alorarose.livejournal.com]

Quebec City was BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE walled cities. Lots of hill walking but gorgeous views. I should upload my pictures from that trip...

[magsyb.livejournal.com]

If you go out West to California, I definately recommend that you take I-1 All the way from San Fran down to Big Sur. A few tips. No matter how warm San Fran is, it is ALWAYS windy, so bring a jacket. Same with Montery/Salinas area. I lived in Monterey for quite some time, and it's usually nice to have someone familiar with the area to show you around, because all the one way streets and tourist areas. Also, look out for which areas in Salinas you visit due to gang activity.

Carmel is beautiful, but expensive. So, if you want to stop someplace to stay or eat, look more on the outskirts, there are some hidden treasures.

The best time to visit Monterey in my opinion is during the Monarch festival. When the butterflies all swarm, especially around Lover's Point, it's like something out of a fairy tale.

As far as St. Augustine... I could go on forever about... I live near there, and there is just so much... ghost hunts, carriage rides, St. George street, The Columbia House for food, the Fudge factory, the Fort... The reinactments, the Light show... sooo much... *sigh*

And.. I officially think this is the longest reply I have ever had... so... yeah...



Oh, in Monterey, if you can find a small dingy looking place called Campaigno's... GO!! They make the best sandwiches and the most delicious cakes you could think of... *drools*

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

A lot of these are on my before-I-die list, too--except of course the ones I've already been to. Savannah in particular is such a gorgeous city, one of my favorites I've ever visited and probably my favorite in the South. My biased love for DC and now San Francisco are on the record. :) And the Shenandoah Valley is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, I firmly believe.

[rowdycamels.livejournal.com]

Italy's Lake Como in the Alps (OMGBEAUTIFUL)

:::HEAD ASPLODE:::

:::(FROM BEAUTIFUL):::

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Let me know when you're going to Cape Breton, I can hide in your trunk. Or, y'know, help with the driving. :)

[icepixie]

Pictures! Yes!

[icepixie]

Also, look out for which areas in Salinas you visit due to gang activity.

Wow. Thanks for that; I had no idea there was gang activity there. If I ever get there, it'll probably be mostly to visit Steinbeck's house, though.

Carmel is beautiful, but expensive. So, if you want to stop someplace to stay or eat, look more on the outskirts, there are some hidden treasures.

Yeah, I got that impression. I admit, I'm mostly intrigued by the fact that they have no street addresses. That's pretty cool.

The best time to visit Monterey in my opinion is during the Monarch festival. When the butterflies all swarm, especially around Lover's Point, it's like something out of a fairy tale.

Ooooooooooooooh.

I live in TN, so St. Augustine is not entirely out of the question for a weekend roadtrip, especially when I move from Nashville to Knoxville in two months. I would love to see it.

[icepixie]

Savannah in particular is such a gorgeous city, one of my favorites I've ever visited and probably my favorite in the South.

Yes. I drool at pictures I see of it.

And the Shenandoah Valley is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, I firmly believe.

My family vacationed in the Smokies a few years ago, and that was amazing; Shenandoah sounds similar, but possibly even prettier. Somewhere I want to go, anyway.

[icepixie]

I KNOW.

Come on a European vacation with me when I get enough money and enough time off school to do it!

[icepixie]

Perhaps after grad school is over...

[rowdycamels.livejournal.com]

YES.

When I am rich and have vacation time, which will be in several several years!

[icepixie]

When I am rich and have vacation time, which will be in several several years!

Well, me too...shall we make a date for 2015?

[pezprez.livejournal.com]

New Mexico
- Santa Fe, epecially at Christmastime to see the luminarias/farolitos
- Albuquerque, particularly for the Balloon Fiesta in October.

Ooo ooo! can I come too? I was born in Taos, which is north of Santa Fe, but I've never been back to visit Santa Fe or Albuquerque.

Also, I'd like to see Carlsbad Caverns (again... I was 1 year old last time I was there).

Maybe we can visit Zilla on the way too.

[rowdycamels.livejournal.com]

I'll pencil you in!

[icepixie]

Yes, come with me! And then we can pick up Zilla and head over to Italy with Nator. We've tentatively planned that for 2015, when we have money. ;)

[pezprez.livejournal.com]

Sweet, let's do it!

[nickless.livejournal.com]

I'd love to go to the balloon festival, too, but getting more than a day or two off in October is impossible. It's on my "when I retire" (or win the lottery) list.

LOVED Roswell. They have embraced the kitsch.

Went to Powell's with Natalie and Shaye but did not spend nearly enough time there. Of course, "enough" would be something like "three days."

Yellowstone is nifty, but I would also suggest going to Grand Teton, directly to the south. Yellowstone has the funky stuff, but Teton is absolutely gorgeous. It's also smaller so if you want to go back to something, it doesn't take three hours to drive to that part of the park, and since it's not as famous as Yellowstone, it's MUCH less crowded. We spent two weeks out there this summer. I need to post pics.

[icepixie]

I'd love to go to the balloon festival, too, but getting more than a day or two off in October is impossible.

Bwahaha. My dad's entire family (not to mention my dad) is made up of teachers, so I feel your pain. I think my uncle specifically said once that when he retired, he was going to take a big-ass trip in fall, and then another one in spring.

I kind of feel like one might have to move to Portland to really have enough time at Powell's. (And after the Amazing Used Book Emporium in Knoxville, which seemed to know exactly my tastes every time I went in there, I'm not even sure Powell's could measure up. I realize this is blasphemy, but it happened at the Strand in NYC!)

One of my RL friends went to the Tetons this summer and showed me pictures when I went to see her in NYC. SO JEALOUS. And yes, you need to post pictures!