Offseason Topic: Favorite Vacation?

[64Zcode]

Against many posts here this is going to be tame. And this vacation ain't there no more. I'm going back 40 and more years ago. It's the mid-Cape Cod. Rent a house and have the world disappear. Watch the kids make sand castles. Get fries and whole belly clams for lunch.

Whole. Belly. Clams. Aaaargh, now I'm hungry, really hungry... Either clams from The Cape, or, better yet, Maine. My family roots go back to the Moosehead Lake area.
I think my best vacation wasn't about me, it was when I took my girlfriend's twin boys whitewater rafting in Maine for their 16th b'day.
They weren't really 'outdoorsy' guys per se; but we camped at The Forks and rafted the Kennebec and Penobscot. Then I took them on a float plane ride over Moosehead. I knew the owner of the rafting company from many previous trips so he treated us really well (as he always did over the years) and he told the chef of the base camp restaurant to 'take care of us'. It was a great trip, made a pretty big difference in how we related. It was just us 3 for that trip, but I later ended up taking their Mom and sister back with them for a Dead River trip (no camping on that one, city girl raised in NYC...)
After that rafting trip I taught them to drive my 4 speed '64 Galaxie before I would let them drive their Mom's car for their license test.
All these flashbacks from whole belly clams, I love it, Thanks!

 

[EdSaid]

When I was still teaching and I had some money saved In the 1990's went each summer on a tour of Baseball stadiums!
But the longer I was retired, (2000 on) I couldn't afford the trips, car, gas, food, tickets, air fare to the west, hotels. retail car,
The new ballparks I haven't seen: Milwaukee, San Diego, Miami, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Dallas area, Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta, Citi Field in NYC,!
I haven't gone in several years as the cost is so high and my health has been so poor!

There is something very special about going to a new ballpark in a new city. You sit next to a stranger and by the 4th inning you have a new friend. I can tell you that some of the nicest people I've met at a ballpark are in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, so if you get a chance you can get to both of those on one trip.

It looks like the Oakland A's are about to move to Las Vegas. The potential plan for the A's is to play 2-3 years in the local minor league stadium before a new place is built. I feel the need to go to both stadiums, but my wife is already offering resistance saying we don't need to go to the minor league stadium.

 

[EdSaid]

Against many posts here this is going to be tame. And this vacation ain't there no more. I'm going back 40 and more years ago. It's the mid-Cape Cod. Rent a house and have the world disappear. Watch the kids make sand castles. Get fries and whole belly clams for lunch and cook in most nights (and drink too much safely). Couple three times Martha's Vineyard too. I liked to buy a fine, enormous cigar and smoke it down people watching in Edgartown. I was working at a crazy pace back then so these places were real recharge stations for me.

10 days on horseback in Ireland was a kick, but I'll take my lazy, crazy, hazey days of summer.

Not tame at all. My father worked for American Airlines so I got the travel bug early and continued it my entire life. One thing I have never done is ride a horse. It just never happened. For the record I haven't smoked a cigar in 30 years.

 

[Bigboote]

Kauai with Italy a close second. We last went to Hawaii 2 years ago when they lifted the Covid restrictions.

My wife and I went to Kauai right before the Covid restrictions. We laid over in Oakland both ways. It was perfectly normal on the way out, and it was almost totally empty on the way back. We actually had to find someone to unlock a food cart to get a sandwich.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

There is something very special about going to a new ballpark in a new city. You sit next to a stranger and by the 4th inning you have a new friend. I can tell you that some of the nicest people I've met at a ballpark are in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, so if you get a chance you can get to both of those on one trip.

It looks like the Oakland A's are about to move to Las Vegas. The potential plan for the A's is to play 2-3 years in the local minor league stadium before a new place is built. I feel the need to go to both stadiums, but my wife is already offering resistance saying we don't need to go to the minor league stadium.

Edsaid- - Almost nothing touches coming out of the stairwell to an open air stadium with fresh cut grass!
Each an every ballpark has their own unique features that set them apart!
I was to the last 2 Milwaukee and Minneapolis ballparks and I agree 100% both had some of the nicest fans you could ever meet!
Really I've been lucky to meet great people every where I went!
My health and my wallet will prevent me from any more tours, but I have some really great memories of my past trips!
Thanks for sharing!

 

[CONN78SEJ]

It's offseason at the boneyard and I'm by my pool eating oxtails. It made me reminisce about my favorite vacation in Jamaica.

The food was absolutely amazing
The locals were kind, advised me on places to stay away from and braided my hair
The water was beautiful

I'm a fast pacer, get things done, quick decision, direct type. So the juxataposition of this slow, chill out, wait for your food, "enjoy the vibe" was perfect me. Shifted my mind to remember that self-care is important. Work is part of my life, but not my entire life or a total view of who I am. Just like basketball isn't the entire lives of the women's team. I hope they rest, see their family, eat good food, relax and recharge, I'l be doing that for them if they done. Share your favorite vacation, where'd you go and why was it your fav?

Costa Brava on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, very close to Barcelona. Best food and the best beaches I ever experienced, and I’ve been all over the world, it was 1972 but I will always cherish those 3 weeks I spent there. Our gorgeous hotel was right on the crystal clear water.

 

[OldSchooler]

My wife and I went to Kauai right before the Covid restrictions. We laid over in Oakland both ways. It was perfectly normal on the way out, and it was almost totally empty on the way back. We actually had to find someone to unlock a food cart to get a sandwich.

I've been to Hawaii twice. The first was before I was married (I have a brother in Honolulu), and spent time on Oahu, Maui and the big island. The second time, I took my wife, and we again went to Oahu, Maui (where we drove the Hana Highway) and Big Island, but this time we also went to beautiful Kauai, where we almost got stuck in the midst of a tsunami. A beautiful state, with such variety. Each island is unique.

 

[reelfan]

IRELAND by far. Great people, fabulous scenery, great experience and GOOD food !!!!!!!!

 

[mbr33ct]

My best vacation was to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary. Switzerland and Italy for a week. For our 30th we are planning a two week trip to the Adriatic Coast.

Hope you get a chance to visit my hometown of Vieste, Italy in the Puglia region.

 

[OldSchooler]

Believe it or not my wife wants to do this trip again..

Around 2012 we spent 22 nights visiting mostly national parks. Flew into Kansas City and flew home from Denver. Visited:

Wind Cave NP
Roosevelt NP
Yellowstone NP
Grand Tetons NP
Zion NP
Bryce Canyon NP
Capitol Reef NP
Arches NP
Canyon Lands NP
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Great Sand Dune NP
Mesa Verde NP
Rocky Mountain NP

Saw some other stuff too, Mt Rushmore, Telluride, 4 Corners, Rockies game. When we dropped the mini van off we had driven 5996 miles.

Been to all 50 states, five continents, 53 of the 63 National Parks and all 30+ MLB ballparks

We could probably do a thread on NPs alone. Among those I've visited are Gateway, Acadia, Shenandoah, Everglades, Carlsbad Caverns, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Mt. Ranier, Olympic, Rocky Mountain, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes, plus a bunch of national monuments and national military parks. I'd still like to visit Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier/Waterton Lakes and Denali. One of my most prized possessions is my Golden Age Passport.

 

[Beemer]

My favorite vacation was last year's trip to Florida. Specifically I went to Kennedy Space Center to watch a rocket launch. I've been a space geek all of my life and witnessing a launch was at the top of my bucket list. Finally time, money & the launch schedule came together. I spent 2 days at the KSC Visitor Center & still didn't see everything I wanted to see there. On the second day late afternoon I boarded a bus at KSC with other space geeks & we traveled to the viewing site which was about 2.5-3 miles from the launch pad (this is for safety). Luckily the day was very clear, no haze at all and the rocket launched right on time. It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed in person. I definitely want to do a return trip someday. :rocket:

 

[Shenandoah]

easy: Scotland. My wife and I went for 10 days in 2019, and in that time, we had exactly 2 hours of rain, total. That was on the 1st day after taking the red eye over, and spending the morning at Edinburgh Castle. After the rain stopped, we went back up to the castle for the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo. Spectacular, and the rest of the 10 days were just as epic.

 

[CL82]

A friend of mine very kindly offered me the use of his house in Maui. He didn’t have to offer it twice! Though I didn’t know it at the time, it turned out that his “house” ended up being a fairly substantial plantation with gardens, groves and beautiful grounds. The “house” had, if I recall correctly,14 guestrooms, 11 of which with attached baths.

We drove up the long, curving driveway and parked under the porte cochere where we were greeted by the property’s manager (think Higgins from the old Magnum, PI series) who gave us a tour of the house and introduced us to the cook/housekeeper. After some light refreshments, he showed us the substantial grounds via golf cart. He very emphatically told us whatever we needed just to let him know. That ended up being literally true. When Mrs. 82 joked that the only thing that was missing was a ping pong table (kind of an inside joke, referencing another vacation) one magically appeared on the lanai an hour or so later.

The food was amazing. The cook would meet with us to ask what we were in the mood for that day, typically we would just leave it to her discretion, and we were never disappointed. Mornings, she would go out into the groves and pick fresh fruit that she would cut up in a fruit salad for us. It was amazingly delicious. She would vary the location of the dinners as well sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the veranda, sometimes in park-like gardens, always lit by hurricane lamps and tea lights, with fresh flowers on the table.

Every detail was immaculately managed. Throw even one piece of clothing in the hamper, and it was immediately washed, folded and put away for you seemingly moments later.

On top of all of that, it was in Hawaii, so definitionally it was beautiful. The house was situated on the hillside and had an infinity pool that overlooked the ocean. We almost felt guilty going out to tour beautiful Maui because the estate was just that stunning.

As the vacation ended, I joked with my wife that it was going to be hard to go back to the real world. I think that is probably our most memorable vacation, but there were others that were memorable more because of the people than the location.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Against many posts here this is going to be tame. And this vacation ain't there no more. I'm going back 40 and more years ago. It's the mid-Cape Cod. Rent a house and have the world disappear. Watch the kids make sand castles. Get fries and whole belly clams for lunch and cook in most nights (and drink too much safely). Couple three times Martha's Vineyard too. I liked to buy a fine, enormous cigar and smoke it down people watching in Edgartown. I was working at a crazy pace back then so these places were real recharge stations for me.

10 days on horseback in Ireland was a kick, but I'll take my lazy, crazy, hazey days of summer.

We haved mini vacationed on the Cape for the last 20 or more years. We go in early October when the crowds have thinned. Our favorite pastime there is sitting on the beach in the evening with a good sub and a bottle of wine.

 

[mbr33ct]

A friend of mine very kindly offered me the use of his house in Maui. He didn’t have to offer it twice! It turned out that his “house” ended up being a fairly substantial plantation with gardens, groves and beautiful grounds. The “house” had, if I recall correctly,14 guestrooms, 11 of which with attached baths.

We drove up the long, curving driveway and parked under the porte cochere where we were greeted by the property’s manager (think Higgins from the old Magnum, PI series) who gave us a tour of the house and introduced us to the cook/housekeeper. After some light refreshments, he showed us the substantial grounds via golf cart. He very emphatically told us whatever we needed just to let him know. That ended up being literally true. When Mrs. 82 joked that the only thing that was missing was a ping pong table (kind of an inside joke, referencing another vacation) one magically appeared on the lanai an hour or so later.

The food was amazing. The cook would meet with us to ask what we were in the mood for that day, typically we would just leave it to her discretion, and we were never disappointed. Mornings, she would go out into the groves and pick fresh fruit that she would cut up in a fruit salad for us. It was amazingly delicious. She would vary the location of the dinners as well sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the veranda, sometimes in park-like gardens, always lit by hurricane lamps and tea, lights with fresh flowers on the table.

Every detail was immaculately managed. Throw even one piece of clothing in the hamper, and it was immediately washed, folded and put away for you seemingly moments later.

On top of all of that, it was in Hawaii, so definitionally it was beautiful. The house was situated on the hillside and had an infinity pool that overlooked the ocean. We almost felt guilty going out to tour beautiful Maui because the estate was just that stunning.

As the vacation ended, I joked with my wife that it was going to be hard to go back to the real world. I think that is probably our most memorable vacation, but there were others that were a memorable more because of the people than the location.

Yeah, why would you guys want to go/come back to the real world after this but I'm intrigued of this ping pong table "inside joke" you and Mrs 82 have, referring to another vacation....is this something like what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?

 

[CL82]

Yeah, why would you guys want to go/come back to the real world after this but I'm intrigued of this ping pong table "inside joke" you and Mrs 82 have, referring to another vacation....is this something like what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?

Ha ha, no. We were in the Caribbean at a resort, and met a few other couples that we liked and spent the bulk of our time with. One couple in particular we really clicked with, Larry and Karen. (As I think about it, this could be the runner-up, for “most memorable vacation” as I could fill a thread with Larry and Karen’s stories alone (none of which are of the “Las Vegas” variety either.)

We were just finishing up breakfast, and Larry asked me if I wanted to play ping-pong, which was set up nearby. The night before he and I had played a few games are, which I had won. Larry was a big, athletic guy who was very competitive. Apparently the losses from the night before had stung a little bit so he wanted a rematch. I was just finishing up my coffee and was in a chill mindset so I told him I’d pass, but promised him a game or two later in the day. He was insistent, in a friendly, playful way. Finally, Mrs. 82 said she would play him.

Now, Mrs. 82 is petite, but is athletic and coordinated, particularly in racquet sports. I could tell, early on that Larry had decided he would take it easy on her. They started playing at a friendly pace, and Mrs. 82 won the point. Larry congratulated her, and started to play just a little bit harder. As Mrs. 82 won more points, you could see Larry trying harder and harder all the while trying to look like he wasn’t trying hard. The game quickly escalated in speed and intensity and drew a little crowd. After every point Mrs. 82 won, the group would laugh, and applaud, each time a little bit louder.

After she won the first game, Larry insisted on another. This game there was no pretense of chivalry. He was slamming it every opportunity and Mrs. 82 would just lob it back and wait for him to overshoot the table on the slam. Of course, the crowd was loving it, much to Larry’s chagrin. Mrs. 82 won the game by a significant margin. She asked Larry if he wanted to play another game and he responded with an emphatic and frustrated “No!” I laughed and said something like “it’s OK Larry, she’s a lot tougher than she looks. C’mon, I‘ll play you.” Larry looked up at me and said “No! I am not playing either of you.. ever… again!” pointing at us for emphasis. Mrs. 82, and I laughed and tried to encourage him to play a few more times over the rest of the vacation, but he would very insistently say “No! Never again!” we did a lot of other stuff with them over the week (also not of the “stays in Vegas” variety.) They were a nice couple with a great sense of humor.

 

[TWG236]

Portugal, last summer took a river cruise on the Douro River. If you are a wine enthusiast, this is a fantastic experience. The entire cruise is through the mountains and the views are spectacular. Also included a tour into Spain and a long visit to the city of Porto, the home of port wine. Spent several days in Lisbon and a couple of days in the mountains. We are certainly making a return trip.

 

[MdStang]

Cape Town, South Africa about 10 years ago. Table Mountain, Robin Island, a wine tour, visit to an animal preserve and fantastic food. Plus a ten day visit with our daughter who was in year two of a three year stint in the Peace Corps in Botswana.

 

[Beemer]

easy: Scotland. My wife and I went for 10 days in 2019, and in that time, we had exactly 2 hours of rain, total. That was on the 1st day after taking the red eye over, and spending the morning at Edinburgh Castle. After the rain stopped, we went back up to the castle for the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo. Spectacular, and the rest of the 10 days were just as epic.

A friend of mine is there now and she's been raving about how great it is there, she's having a wonderful time.

 

[Blond D.]

Went to Daytona, Beach in my senior year (2007). Just off the beach was a castle with a huge courtyard and a band shell. The courtyard had 2 full length basketball courts. Lots of pickup games during the day.
About 6:00 the "big boys" came to play so we just sat and watched them. Some GREAT action.
Later around 9:00, some bands started playing in the band shell until about 1am. This happened every night we were there.

 

[EdSaid]

We could probably do a thread on NPs alone. Among those I've visited are Gateway, Acadia, Shenandoah, Everglades, Carlsbad Caverns, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Mt. Ranier, Olympic, Rocky Mountain, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes, plus a bunch of national monuments and national military parks. I'd still like to visit Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier/Waterton Lakes and Denali. One of my most prized possessions is my Golden Age Passport.

Yeah, I could go on about NP's. Some of my favorite are Crater Lake, Bryce and Muir Woods. I drive a Sequoia just because of Sequoia NP. My wife thinks I'm crazy. We have three left in the 48 states: New River Gorge NP, Voyageurs NP, and Isle Royal NP. I'm planning to get them this summer. I waited a long time, with a big price jump for Senior Lifetime Pass.

One regret is I didn't go to Lake Clark NP in Alaska. (I'm sure you know Dick Proenneke, and his PBS show "Alone in the Wilderness.") At the time we were in Alaska it cost $800.00 per person plus a 20% tip. There were four of us and I didn't want to spend the money. You left Anchorage at 7:00 am on a small plane, then took a sea plane to his cabin for 90 minutes and ended up back in Anchorage by 7:00pm. A park ranger lives in his cabin all summer. What a great job.

 

[Bigboote]

A friend of mine very kindly offered me the use of his house in Maui. He didn’t have to offer it twice! Though I didn’t know it at the time, it turned out that his “house” ended up being a fairly substantial plantation with gardens, groves and beautiful grounds. The “house” had, if I recall correctly,14 guestrooms, 11 of which with attached baths.

We drove up the long, curving driveway and parked under the porte cochere where we were greeted by the property’s manager (think Higgins from the old Magnum, PI series) who gave us a tour of the house and introduced us to the cook/housekeeper. After some light refreshments, he showed us the substantial grounds via golf cart. He very emphatically told us whatever we needed just to let him know. That ended up being literally true. When Mrs. 82 joked that the only thing that was missing was a ping pong table (kind of an inside joke, referencing another vacation) one magically appeared on the lanai an hour or so later.

The food was amazing. The cook would meet with us to ask what we were in the mood for that day, typically we would just leave it to her discretion, and we were never disappointed. Mornings, she would go out into the groves and pick fresh fruit that she would cut up in a fruit salad for us. It was amazingly delicious. She would vary the location of the dinners as well sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the veranda, sometimes in park-like gardens, always lit by hurricane lamps and tea lights, with fresh flowers on the table.

Every detail was immaculately managed. Throw even one piece of clothing in the hamper, and it was immediately washed, folded and put away for you seemingly moments later.

On top of all of that, it was in Hawaii, so definitionally it was beautiful. The house was situated on the hillside and had an infinity pool that overlooked the ocean. We almost felt guilty going out to tour beautiful Maui because the estate was just that stunning.

As the vacation ended, I joked with my wife that it was going to be hard to go back to the real world. I think that is probably our most memorable vacation, but there were others that were memorable more because of the people than the location.

Can you introduce me?

 

[Lawrence]

It's offseason at the boneyard and I'm by my pool eating oxtails. It made me reminisce about my favorite vacation in Jamaica.

The food was absolutely amazing
The locals were kind, advised me on places to stay away from and braided my hair
The water was beautiful

I'm a fast pacer, get things done, quick decision, direct type. So the juxataposition of this slow, chill out, wait for your food, "enjoy the vibe" was perfect me. Shifted my mind to remember that self-care is important. Work is part of my life, but not my entire life or a total view of who I am. Just like basketball isn't the entire lives of the women's team. I hope they rest, see their family, eat good food, relax and recharge, I'l be doing that for them if they done. Share your favorite vacation, where'd you go and why was it your fav?

Sunset Beach at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico...great place.

 

[CL82]

Can you introduce me?

Sadly no. Bill passed in 2000. He was a great guy. Funny and kind hearted, despite an intimidating persona and a reputation for not suffering fools gladly.

 

[AreBee1969]

Couple three times Martha's Vineyard too. I liked to buy a fine, enormous cigar and smoke it down people watching in Edgartown. I was working at a crazy pace back then so these places were real recharge stations for me.

The Vineyard is my spot to recharge too, something about that boat. That ferry ride separates you from all your mainland troubles.

We have done a handful of other vacations in the last 25 years, but this is our usual summer vacation. Driving the Jeep out of sight on a Chappaquiddick beach, kids playing in the sand, a cigar, a beer and a book. Kids are 19 and 23 now, but they will be joining us again in June. Can't wait!