I see a lot of travel queries over various threads in OOT and I thought it would be a good idea for a catch all thread. Post your questions and get suggestions from other 2+2ers. If you guys ever get to Detroit I've got a laundry list of suggestions.

I'm going to an "outstanding in the field" event in Providence Rhode Island in August. The event is aptly named as it seems you stand in a field and people bring you food and drink. First question, Has anyone ever gone to one of these things?

So at this point my intinerary is to fly into Boston or Providence Thursday evening and out on Monday evening(labor day). Dinner is on Sunday in East Greenwich RI. Not a clue whats cool in that area but as a group our travel is generally centered around food/drink. There's some talk of spending the first 2 days in Portland, ME and then driving down on Sunday. Its a pretty aggressive drive though.

This is a great thread idea. Even though there is a travel forum, I find it to be very poker and degen centric and more informational for long term stays.

Serious question, do people really travel to Detroit for pleasure? If yes, what are cool things to do? Just last weekend a friend told me his parents recently sold their house outside Detroit for the same $40k they paid for it in 1972.. The topic came up because somebody asked about the Detroit Marathon when we were talking about Fall races.

Only planned travel for me for Spring/Summer is Lincoln, Nebraska in early May (anything cool to do there on a Saturday/Sunday before/after running 26 miles?) and 3 weeks of Germany right after that followed by Vegas sometime in June.

Well its certainly not a huge tourist destination, but plenty of people who live within a few hours will come for a weekend. During the winter its usually to watch a game or a show and eat at the excellent new restaurants popping up all over the city. Excellent opportunities for music from huge national headliners to cool little underground clubs. Henry Ford Museum is right outside of town for the car enthusiast folks.

Summertime gives you a beautiful riverwalk, open sand beach in Campus Martius(in the middle of a city block) and Tiger baseball. Also the city is becoming more and more bike friendly. The Detroit Marathon is actually pretty cool because its international. You run across the Ambassador bridge and visit our neighbors to the south Windsor, Ontario. Then you take the Windsor tunnel back to the good old USof A and run around bell isle before finishing back in the city.


Thats my tourist pamphlet version.

But really its a great place to get dinner catch a show of your choice at iconic venues and have great drinks at bargain basement prices compared to other cities.

Edit: Theres poker and casinos too.

I'd actually like to visit Detroit. If I go to the US for an extended holiday I'll probably end up going there.

the detroit institite of arts is superior to the big museums at the national mall (dc) and is probably the stone best thing to see in the city besides legends strip club

I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China.

Partner wants to go to Spain. Probably the South/East? parts. Safety is probably her #1 concern. Food is mine. I'd probably want to add a few days in the south of France.

Any thoughts on places we absolutely have to check out? Who wants to take a stab at crafting an itinerary for May.

If food/drink is the group thing, I highly suggest you all stay in RI. East Greenwich is between Newport and Providence. Johnson Wales University being in Providence leads to a lot of chefs staying around town to create awesome venues. Italian food is a specialty, but, there are plenty of other ethnic groups represented.

Specific to EG; I recommend Sienna for Italian and RASA for Indian. Newport has a ton of seafood restaurants, but, Diegos has the great drinks. Providence has too many places to mention...if your group has a preference, let me know and I'll tailor suggestions. Generally, Federal Hill is the go to for Italian (Venda Ravioli is worth a walk through even if you don't buy anything) and Los Andes (Peruvian / Bolivian food ) is my favorite great-food-in-sketchy-place place.

Enjoy!

If you are a foodie, you definitely have to visit Northern Spain, especially San Sebastián. That city is home to a couple of the highest rated restaurants in the world.

Why do you want to go to the South instead of the North? Unless you are looking for a beach vacation or are into historic things by the Moors, I think Basque and Catalonia have more to offer for first time visitors. You are also right at the French border if you plan on traveling there anyway.

I don’t think safety is a real concern anywhere in Western Europe, except for stuff like pocket picking that you have in all major tourist cities.

Re Boston: is it true that everything in the city is outrageously expensive on Patriots Day / Boston Marathon weekend? I am loosely planning on going next year but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a long weekend.

Sevilla is amazing. You can take day trips from there to Cadiz/Cordoba or rent a car and include Granada etc, just tour Andalusia.

The train to/from Madrid is super fast and convenient as well which helps with flight options and lets you see Madrid a bit.

hoagie,

go to portsmouth instead of portland.

San Sebastian is not only home to high end restaurants but also its own style of tapas called pintxos.

Its also Basque country so the culture is a bit different than the rest of Spain.

+1 San Sebastian for food. Beautiful city too. But if you stay in the south, can't go wrong with being based in Seville, like Doozie said.

Zang,

I love Barcelona. One of my favorite cities in the world. So I’d definitely go there. Sevilla is a little slower paced but also amazing. Granada definitely worth a visit too.

DZ - +4 on Sevilla. Note how all of us are recommending it and adjust your plans accordingly. The south of France is pretty overrated if you are talking about the Riviera area, but the Atlantic coast is sweet. Check out Biarritz for some spectacular sunsets and good Bordeaux region food. It's also a stone's throw from San Sebastian. Doozie's advice about just puttering around Andalusia is spot-on. Would definitely skip lolBarcelona in favor of Valencia. If you insist on going to the Riviera mise well check out Monaco while you are there, but avoid Marseilles & Nice. Explore the area between Montpellier & Marseilles instead - Port St Louis du Rhone is worth a stop.

The Haymarket area is pretty cool and there are a lot of nice restaurants/bars in that area. My favorite wing place is the Watering hole (grilled wings ftw) and I have heard good things about this burger place: https://www.yelp.com/biz/honest-abes...ican+%28New%29

I also very much enjoy this bahn mi cafe: https://www.yelp.com/biz/banhwich-cafe-lincoln

Outside of the Haymarket, I can't think of a ton of things I enjoy doing in Lincoln, given the time you're going. Nebraska sports are obviously a big part of the city and Saturdays are completely nuts if you go during the football season. I rock climb regularly and the University of Nebraska Lincoln Outdoor Rec center has one of the best rock walls in the state (if not the best).

Cool, thank you! I checked Google Maps and it looks like the course actually passes the Haymarket area on the way back to Memorial Stadium. Looks like a short walk from the stadium to get some lunch there, that burger place has really good reviews. I just hope Nebraska isn't one of those weird states where you can't have beer before noon on a Sunday or something like that.

Depends how much time you have. I lived in Valencia for 3+ years but that doesn't really draw in a lot of tourists.

I highly recommend Grenada for Alhambra and their Moroccan district. Seville has some fantastic architecture. I consider it the Barcelona of Andalucia given its place in history and beauty. Cordoba is quite nice as well. Malaga is overlooked as most tourists just use their airport and then drive to Costa del Sol to enjoy the sun but it was undergoing a bit of a resurgence when I was there in 2015. It also has, in my opinion, the best nightlife in Andalucia.

Appreciate it! I'm not a big fan of Italian, probably more interested in places for seafood since I'm from the Midwest and we don't have availability of fresh fish the coasts have.

detroit is the home of techno. plus good greek food.

Best nightlife might depend on what you are looking for. Hard to beat Marbella with places like Nikki Beach if you like to watch people spray $10k champagne bottles.

If you are in the region anyway, I think the Rock of Gibraltar is definitely worth a day trip.

I did a TR almost a year ago when I backpacked through Spain for 9 Days. I wish I spent more time in Madrid, but as far as my favorite cities there it was:

1. Grenada
2. Malaga
3. Madrid
4. Cadiz

Cadiz could have been incredible in the summer. If anyone wants to read, here it is:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/9...ighlight=spain

West Coast trip to the Redwood forest, but staying in Portland (Pearl District) for one Wednesday evening in Sept.

Any suggestions on microbreweries and/or food trucks to hit that one night in Portland?

Thanks!

+2 on Cadiz. Such a cool place for so many reasons. It's like the Istanbul of Western Europe imo.

Badger - I only know the cider places in Portland, so can't help you with that, but there are multiple streets lined with food trucks in different places. Just ask a local which ones are worth hitting, then run 2-3 of them depending on your tastes. Hard to go wrong with any of the Mexican options.