August 29, 2007
The east coast
A lot of people prefer the west coast but my family really enjoys taking a summer vacation on the east coast of the United States. There are some great beaches to explore and they have a lot of stories that go along with them.
For instance, the Outer Banks of North Carolina are beautiful barrier islands that are often the setting for a romance or mystery novel. With names like Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, how can you resist checking them out? Some parts are fairly old with worn cottage-type homes on stilts, other parts are newly developed with multimillion-dollar estates. The views are equally fabulous.
Further south, you will run into another set of islands in North Carolina. For instance Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach are simply lovely areas for families to rent a beach house for a week or two. Then there's Bald Head Island, to which you must take a 15-minute ferry ride. This can be a pain at check-in and check-out times for the rental houses as the lines get pretty long for the ferry. But the island includes Cape Fear. Haven't we all seen that movie, the old one and the remake? You can buy shirts on Baldhead Island that say Cape Fear, very cool.
Pawley's Island is an older development and it's really interesting. The old houses are really jammed in, like there was no real master plan for this island. But regulars love it! It's famous for its hammocks that sell around the world.
And character. You will find lots of it on the east coast. There are a lot of lovely accents that you will hear and the people are real friendly, sometimes sharing gossip about locals before you even ask. Every time I came out of a store, I had another story to tell my family about, for instance, why a multimillion-dollar house has sat half-built for two years. Or which house the famous race car driver owns.
There are a lot more states along the east coast, all worth checking out for your next vacation.
Posted by Idea Man at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2007
The right season
Be really careful when you make your travel plans to go during the best season. Or at least, to NOT go during the worst season. My brother and his wife went to an island last month for a weeklong vacation, but it turned out to be monsoon season. After three days of miserable rain, and evacuation, they went home. They did not have travel insurance, and even if they did, it probably wouldn't have covered weather.
For instance, eastern Europe in the winter (Dec-March) is not a good idea. Watch for hurricane season on the U.S. east coast. If a trip has a deep discount, there is usually a reason for it; no one wants to travel at that time. We went to Vegas once, and I was looking forward to a hot getaway, but the hotel pool wasn't even open yet.
Do your homework, learn all you can about seasons and locations.
Posted by Idea Man at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2007
A weekend in Canada
There's a lot to do in Canada, but we only had two days, a rather quick turnaround for a family of four. Toronto was everything I remembered it to be: cosmopolitan, cool, crowded. It reminded us of New York, actually.
When we were looking for a restaurant for dinner, we found a long list of possibilities. There was even a category of "Canadian" food, though I really can't think of anything that is pure Canadian. (OK, like Canadian bacon, or Canadian beer, what am I missing?)When we finally settled on a place, there was a 45 minute wait.
The city was really bustling. We saw a lot of big groups walking around, from conventions, reunions and sports teams. There were a lot of photo opportunities, for sure. We didn't even have time to go to the Ontario Science Center, which is a really cool place. Next time, we will set aside more time so we can fit everything in.
Posted by Idea Man at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2007
Toronto is cool
We are planning a trip to Toronto and will travel by train. It's been years since I have been there. It's a beautiful city, very cosmopolitan. Taking the train gives it an even more surreal sense. How often do we get to take a train anywhere?
I was a little surprised by the price and even commented to the customer service rep on the phone that it was almost as expensive as a plane trip. She responded: "Yes, but some people just prefer the train."
Well, right she is.
There's a science museum that I would love to visit again. I have great memories of that place. And we're going to a musical, "We will rock you," music by Queen. This should be interesting.
I'm glad we all have passports, that should make the border crossing a bit smoother. Speaking of passports, I hear there is a big log-jam. I finally convinced my mother to send hers in. Now we'll see how long it will take.
Posted by Idea Man at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
