Cool, local anniversary getaway ideas...

[SubbaBub]

We are going to Dublin for ours. The Aer Lingus flights from BDL are shorter than the non-stops to Las Vegas. About the same price too.

It's a great city for a long weekend getaway.

 

[boog204]

I’m planning something similar for the lady as well, and I was curious...

Why no Newport? I’ve never been.

Absolutely nothing against Newport and it was actually one of my first thoughts. We just have been there before; I used to gig there a lot so it's not overly "new" in that regard. That plus the absolutely insane price of lodging there at something of decent accommodations threw it out. I know we could stay in an adjacent town, but that would kill the vibe a bit with us having to drive/uber back.

 

[Northbound]

Track is not open until the end of July.

It opens July 2o.

Come on people.

So yes you are technically correct - the guy said July. PERhals he gave specific dates. I don’t recall. Saratoga meet is no longer just August and they’ve petition for it to be longer essentially all of July.

 

[Excalibur]

Absolutely nothing against Newport and it was actually one of my first thoughts. We just have been there before; I used to gig there a lot so it's not overly "new" in that regard. That plus the absolutely insane price of lodging there at something of decent accommodations through it out. I know we could stay in an adjacent town, but that would kill the vibe a bit with us having to drive/uber back.

Check these out for a group of Newport B&Bs. A lot of people stayed here for our wedding, and we've done a couple of weekends there since. Pretty reasonable in comparison to what else is out there.

Inns of Newport

 

[Waquoit]

Track is not open until the end of July.

Mid-July. The track is open for half the weekends in the month.

 

[Husky25]

Mid-July. The track is open for half the weekends in the month.

July 20.

 

[ctchamps]

I’m planning something similar for the lady as well, and I was curious...

Why no Newport? I’ve never been.

boog204 did not want Newport because he he had gone there a lot. Newport was one of my favorite places to go to when living in Ct. Lots of restaurants, views and history.

 

[Waquoit]

July 20.

Correct. In the middle-third of the month.

 

[auror]

For those who have been to Portland, is it worth staying downtown? The price is significantly different than the airport rates. And is there anything that's a must-do for a first visit?

If you're willing to Uber, not a big deal. I've stayed in hotels downtown, outside the city, a B&B in the West End, and an AirBnB in South Portland.

The Chadwick B&B was decent and a reasonable long walk from the city. Perfect for walking off a few drinks.

 

[Husky25]

Correct. In the middle-third of the month.

While technically you are correct, my simple 41 year old mind takes the anything-in-the-20's-is-late-month shortcut. It's like the Millennium. Technically it didn't start until 2001, but where's the mystique in that?

 

[whaler11]

Anyone know when the meet starts at the Spa?

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

I’m planning something similar for the lady as well, and I was curious...

Why no Newport? I’ve never been.

it's a great place, the traffic though will stress you out.

 

[boog204]

Lots of good suggestions here, but not for July that fit your other criteria. Driving to/from Portland, ME on a summer weekend is a PITA, and Burlington, VT is too far per your specs.

I know you said you do NYC a lot and are hoping for something different this time, and I hear that because we are often in the same boat. But when we were in your shoes looking to do our first overnight sans kids for our anniversary many years ago, that's what we chose because I knew we were only getting one night away and I wanted to make the best use of our time. For me, that means not a lot of time in the car, and especially not in traffic. NYC is great in the summer imo, and very often a very good value. And I love the train because it's generally worry-free and you can start your vacation the moment you step on it.

Because we were limited to one night, we lived it up and spent almost as much as we would have if we were going much farther away. Being pampered, even if only for a night, was wonderful--especially at that time. Got a nice room at the Mercer Hotel in Soho, went out for a great dinner and saw a Broadway show. Got hammered in the neighborhood and spent a fair amount of time just enjoying the room, which was pretty sweet (including an incredibly comfortable bed and one of the nicest bathrooms I've ever seen). Had a great breakfast the next morning and then got on the train to head back to reality, very refreshed after "only" one night away.

Well said and I think this is what we'll end up doing based on ease, proximity, and well, its NYC.

 

[RowdyFan]

My wife and I will be celebrating five years of marital survival in July and would like to do our first getaway sans child. We've done lots of stuff away from the New England area but not much within it. So I'm looking for any suggestions for somewhat local places (2-3 hours tops from Hartford) that will not break the bank as well. Because, you know, three-year-old. Looking for cool vibe, restaurants, bars, etc. but not Newport/Cape. Thanks for any suggestions![/Q

Come to Mystic! Stay right downtown at the Whalers Inn or up by 95. The bigger hotels have shuttles to the casinos. Or you can Uber. RI Beaches are 20 minutes away and we have tons of excellent restaurants right downtown.

 

[GetTheFacts]

Portland's three hours from Hartford and is a fantastic weekend destination. The food and drink options there are excellent and not at all overpriced. Go Mass Pike->290->495->95 and you go nowhere near Boston traffic.

@huskypantz Yes, it is absolutely worth it to stay downtown or at least near it. You don't have to stay in Old Port, that's the most expensive and centrally located, but there's nothing near the airport/mall worth seeing. You'd be driving/taking cabs lengthy distances to get anywhere that's worth your time. It's worth it to find a place to stay on the peninsula of the city.

Must-see depends on what you'd like. Food - Central Provisions, Eventide Oyster, Duckfat, Holy Donut. Drink - Shipyard Brewery or any pub for beer. Vena's Fizz House, The Jewel Box if you're a cocktail enthusiast. The shops in and around Commercial and Fore Street in Old Port are really good.

Was just in Portland last weekend with the GF. Stayed at the Westin Hotel in downtown. Everything is within walking distance from there. Eventide Oyster offers an amazing lobster roll as well as other delicious seafood options. Plenty of cool bars and breweries to check out as well.

I currently live in Mystic and can vouch for that as well! Great restaurant selection as well as cool ocean-front vibe. Plenty of small little shops to check out downtown or in the village.

 

[boog204]

Love Mystic... But it's nothing "new" for us. I grew up in Old Lyme and my wife and have many a "date-day" in Mystic after dropping my daughter off at my mom's (in Old Lyme.) I know I could certainly do much, much worse than Mystic; but it just wouldn't feel like much of a getaway.

 

[Rewster]

Ogunquit ME Resorts - Cliff House - Maine Luxury Hotel
The Central Restaurant & Bar - Upscale, Casual American Cuisine- York, Kittery, Ogunquit, Maine & Portsmouth, NH

Maine is a great idea.
We have been several times.Take a look at the Cliff House in Ogunquit area.
They just renovated the older section it is beautiful. We went up for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Beautiful coastline drives, Portsmouth , Portland, Kittery Outlets, Kennebunkport all within reasonable driving distance.

Consider The Central for a restaurant. It’s in York.
Don’t be fooled because it is a small strip mall. The food is incredible.

Good luck

 

[8893]

Well said and I think this is what we'll end up doing based on ease, proximity, and well, its NYC.

It was around 15 years ago that we did it, and it was so memorable that I still have a pretty vivid image of a lot of it. We did so many things we don't normally do that it really felt like a vacation even though it was barely more than 24 hours. It was almost like we pretended to be other people; we were wayyyy out of our league among the moneyed people we saw at The Mercer.

 

[husky8273]

Well said and I think this is what we'll end up doing based on ease, proximity, and well, its NYC.

River Cafe is anniversary worthy, The River Café Restaurant - Brooklyn, New York - Established 1977

 

[XLCenterFan]

Try Providence. My wife went to school there, and we get a room there once a year and do a show/dinner/bars. Plenty of nice hotels and restaurants. If it's summer, hit up Narragansett for the night or on the way home from Providence. I've also seen people mention Burlington, VT-awesome city- as long as it's not 0 degrees. I usually avoid NYC.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Try Providence. My wife went to school there, and we get a room there once a year and do a show/dinner/bars. Plenty of nice hotels and restaurants. If it's summer, hit up Narragansett for the night or on the way home from Providence. I've also seen people mention Burlington, VT-awesome city- as long as it's not 0 degrees. I usually avoid NYC.

Didn't think of Providence, as it's 20 minutes from my house. If @boog204 hasn't been there for the WaterFire, that would be nice to do while staying downtown. Honestly, I've done the regular Gondola ride twice as well. You can bring Champagne and drink it during the ride, and the guys sing in Italian. Nice little romantic thing to do. Good restaurants and some decent bars. There is also a newly re-opened concert venue, The Strand. Old Crow Medicine Show is playing July 20.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Good call on WaterFire Hawk...totally forgot about that. Also check out the Providence Performing Arts Center and Lupo's for shows-my wife and I have been to both. I love summer nights in Providence. Dinner and drinks on Federal Hill, maybe the cigar bar at the Omni Hotel late night, and waking up and rolling to Narragansett for the day. Maybe Misquamicut or Watch Hill, depending on how rowdy or chill we want to be for our beach day. And since we live in the Hartford area, we go right by Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun on the way home from the beach, sometimes stopping for some poker for me and slots for her. I love New England.

 

[superjohn]

Lots of good suggestions here, but not for July that fit your other criteria. Driving to/from Portland, ME on a summer weekend is a PITA, and Burlington, VT is too far per your specs.

I know you said you do NYC a lot and are hoping for something different this time, and I hear that because we are often in the same boat. But when we were in your shoes looking to do our first overnight sans kids for our anniversary many years ago, that's what we chose because I knew we were only getting one night away and I wanted to make the best use of our time. For me, that means not a lot of time in the car, and especially not in traffic. NYC is great in the summer imo, and very often a very good value. And I love the train because it's generally worry-free and you can start your vacation the moment you step on it.

Because we were limited to one night, we lived it up and spent almost as much as we would have if we were going much farther away. Being pampered, even if only for a night, was wonderful--especially at that time. Got a nice room at the Mercer Hotel in Soho, went out for a great dinner and saw a Broadway show. Got hammered in the neighborhood and spent a fair amount of time just enjoying the room, which was pretty sweet (including an incredibly comfortable bed and one of the nicest bathrooms I've ever seen). Had a great breakfast the next morning and then got on the train to head back to reality, very refreshed after "only" one night away.

Good suggestions but NYC is hot/sticky and smells like urine and hot garbage in the summer.

 

[8893]

Good suggestions but NYC is hot/sticky and smells like urine and hot garbage in the summer.

New Orleans is like that all the time and it never stops me from having a great time there.

Seriously though, we go to NYC a lot in the summer and I don't find this to be accurate (at least not the smell part); it must depend on where you are. As for hot and sticky, if it's that way there, its that way here. You just have to dress for it. I have very fond memories of running some 20 blocks with my daughter on a sweltering mid-July late afternoon to make an earlier train home, and then changing my shirt once we were on the train because I was soaking wet.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Although I have always loved NYC, I think its dumpy too. Then again, I love a good dive bar so it makes sense. Piles of black garbage bags outside of every building, and it's the only city in the country where I've seen someone (not the same person) spit, pee, puke, or take a dump right on the sidewalk. That being said, the last few times I went to NYC were a BLAST! Stayed at the Millenium Hilton across from the Freedom Tower the first time, and did the MOMA/dinner/barhopping-in-The-Village thing with wife and friends. The second time, and more recently, stayed at the Hilton Brooklyn Downtown and went to Bruins/Islanders game with a crew at the Barclay Center.