Swamp Travel Companion: Pick My Next City

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:38 pm

The Maui thread made me think of this ... we haven't been on any sort of non-wedding vacation in like 3 years and we're trying to plan something for our anniversary.

Criteria 1: Can't take too long to get to, so lets say drive or flight =< 3 hours.

Criteria 2: Has to be a city, one neither of us has been to before, so no major city above DC and also not Charleston, NOLA, Memphis, Chicago.

Go.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:42 pm

Austin! (no idea how long the flight is)

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:43 pm

Giff wrote:Austin! (no idea how long the flight is)

'Tis a sweet city, and Jester King is close..

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:45 pm

Sounds like almost impossible criteria.

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:47 pm

If you can get a non-stop Austin would be about 3 hours and worth a visit. Would also suggest in no particular order -- Atlanta, Miami, Minneapolis (if you're going in summer) or Toronto.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:47 pm

Nashville

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:48 pm

Or Nashville. Of the one I mentioned above, I'd personally recommend Toronto most.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:51 pm

Rex wrote:Nashville

A buddy and I decided Texans @ Titans is going to be an annual trip going forward.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:52 pm

I'll throw out a second for Minneapolis/St Paul.

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:53 pm

One other advantage of Toronto is that the US Dollar (for now) is killing it so it's relatively cheap. Relative because Toronto is a pretty expensive city regardless of currency valuations.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:53 pm

BSF21 wrote:I'll throw out a second for Minneapolis/St Paul.

This one is on my list of random city I get to choose for a vacation (wife chose Raleigh a few years ago), but what's the appeal? Good Somalian food in a Big Mall while wearing purple?

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:54 pm

Austin is currently leading, Asheville and Savannah also in the running. I guess I should clarify that by "city" I didn't mean like top 50, but a place that has things to do versus a resort-ish town.

Minneapolis I'm trying to hold on because I want to rally a World Cup, we're all turning 40 boyz trip there.

Toronto is out because you still need a passport for Canada, right? Mine got stolen.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:55 pm

Nashville we just kinda have a feeling we'll end up going there for some other reason some day.

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:55 pm

Giff wrote:
BSF21 wrote:I'll throw out a second for Minneapolis/St Paul.
This one is on my list of random city I get to choose for a vacation (wife chose Raleigh a few years ago), but what's the appeal? Good Somalian food in a Big Mall while wearing purple?

Lots of great breweries and restaurants. Underrated arts scene. Great weather (in summer). If you can time it with a concert at First Avenue that's like watching a football game in the Rose Bowl.

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:57 pm

Asheville I only didn't recommend because I thought you meant bigger cities so I'd wholeheartedly recommend it especially if your missus likes beer half as much as you. If you at all like hiking or outdoors pursuits then AVL is probably a no-brainer.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:58 pm

Having been to Savannah a couple of times and Asheville never, I would recommend Asheville.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:04 pm

brian wrote:
Giff wrote:
BSF21 wrote:I'll throw out a second for Minneapolis/St Paul.
This one is on my list of random city I get to choose for a vacation (wife chose Raleigh a few years ago), but what's the appeal? Good Somalian food in a Big Mall while wearing purple?
Lots of great breweries and restaurants. Underrated arts scene. Great weather (in summer). If you can time it with a concert at First Avenue that's like watching a football game in the Rose Bowl.

Pretty much this. Transportation is fantastic, the lightrail/bus system gets you anywhere you want to go without renting a car. Uber for the longer gaps if you like. Great parks in the city. I love the area between Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. My family rented an AirBnB last summer there and it was awesome. If you end up booking something there let me know and I'll give you the lowdown.

Post by **Sabo** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:06 pm

I co-sign on Asheville. The Biltmore Estate is awesome to see. Check out the winery on the grounds. Lots of breweries in Asheville, too. There's an eclectic little town north of Asheville called Weaverville that's pretty cool, too. You can also take a little trip to Hot Springs where you can bathe in, you guessed it, hot springs.

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:13 pm

If you DO go to AVL, consider flying to ATL and driving (it's about 3 hours one-way on a good day) . Flights into AVL are insane and you're probably going to need to rent a car for Asheville getting around anyway.

Second visiting Billmore Estate -- it's a bit pricey but worth it. And the winery is really damn good.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:14 pm

brian wrote:One other advantage of Toronto is that the US Dollar (for now) is killing it so it's relatively cheap. Relative because Toronto is a pretty expensive city regardless of currency valuations.

You'll be getting a 30-35% bonus wherever you go. Which certainly makes it cheaper than a lot of places, and during the summer, the city is full of events.

Happy to send along any info...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:19 pm

brian wrote:If you DO go to AVL, consider flying to ATL and driving (it's about 3 hours one-way on a good day) . Flights into AVL are insane and you're probably going to need to rent a car for Asheville getting around anyway.

Second visiting Billmore Estate -- it's a bit pricey but worth it. And the winery is really damn good.

Knoxville would be a possibility, but of course nowhere near the number of flights in and out.

Post by **Sabo** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:20 pm

Charlotte airport is another possibility. It's two hours from Asheville.

Post by **brian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:21 pm

A_B wrote:
brian wrote:If you DO go to AVL, consider flying to ATL and driving (it's about 3 hours one-way on a good day) . Flights into AVL are insane and you're probably going to need to rent a car for Asheville getting around anyway.

Second visiting Billmore Estate -- it's a bit pricey but worth it. And the winery is really damn good.
Knoxville would be a possibility, but of course nowhere near the number of flights in and out.

Yeah, one nice thing about traveling to Asheville is you have some airports to choose from. TRI (1 hour away) is even smaller than AVL but can get some good deals on occasion. Also have Greenville, SC which is even closer than Knoxville as far as driving time I believe. ATL is usually the best option because you can get a non-stop from literally almost anywhere and the competition between airlines means you're probably getting the lowest prices. Also, rental cars for a week are usually cheaper there.

ETA: (Or Charlotte may be an even better option as Sabo noted.)

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:23 pm

Minneapolis or Asheville. I loved Minny the two times I was there (August and October of different years). I'm in Asheville every summer and it's certainly a top 10 beer town and in the pretty foothills of the Smokies. Also, Curate is amazing for tapas. Between Brian and I, I'm sure we can plan your whole trip for you.

I've never been to Austin, and it's certainly on my list of next places to visit.

I don't have any issues with the Asheville airport, but it's certainly small, and I doubt there are direct flights from the NYC area.

As Brian said earlier, you will need a car in Asheville. It's not spread out like Atlanta, and Uber isn't bad there, but you'll want to venture further than just downtown.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:32 pm

mister d wrote:Toronto is out because you still need a passport for Canada, right? Mine got stolen.

Um, get a new passport?

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:33 pm

Eh. Why start the clock, right?

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:34 pm

What's the Toronto beer scene like?

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:51 pm

Pourquoi pas Montreal?

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:58 pm

You should just up the flight time an hour and come to the Front Range. Great food, better beer, lots of museums, etc. etc. Shame you missed the Yankees coming here by a year, Coors field is a nice place for a game.

and Montreal is a fantastic city..

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:59 pm

Been to Montreal. Not sure why I was too dumb to think of Canada at all on my own.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:08 pm

Re-up your passport and grab a cheap flight to Europe. If the continent isn't your thing, go to Iceland. The flight is less than 6 hours.

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:13 pm

mister d wrote:Austin is currently leading, Asheville and Savannah also in the running. I guess I should clarify that by "city" I didn't mean like top 50, but a place that has things to do versus a resort-ish town.

Minneapolis I'm trying to hold on because I want to rally a World Cup, we're all turning 40 boyz trip there.

Toronto is out because you still need a passport for Canada, right? Mine got stolen.

I've been to each of Austin, Asheville and Savannah. Austin wins by a decent margin (I love me that Americana arts & music scene), but you're not going to have a bad time in Asheville or Savannah, either. Bonus points for Tybee Island's proximity to Savannah, too.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:30 pm

Asheville gets a big thumbs up from me

(flying to CLT would seem to be easier than ATL too. it's 90 min from Charlotte and an easy drive)

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:46 pm

I was going to suggest Halifax until you lost your passport

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:04 pm

mister d wrote:What's the Toronto beer scene like?

Absolutely top notch. https://theculturetrip.com/north-americ ... n-toronto/

Montreal is a great place to visit as well.

Toronto is out because you still need a passport for Canada, right? Mine got stolen.

To Canadian ears, that is just about the most stereotypically American comment possible!

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:09 pm

The pain in the ass part of air travel isn't the difference between a 3 and 5 hour flight. It's all the waiting at the airport you have to do even for a short flight. So, if you're flexible on the 3 hour flight criteria, I'd humbly suggest San Francisco. I'd even buy you a beer.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:17 pm

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:28 pm

Is this with or without kids? Since you said Anniversary, I'm thinking without. Montreal is a good option. Lots to do, world class food, easy to get to outdoorsy stuff, if that's your thing, which I'm guessing it isn't

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:31 pm

Pruitt wrote:
mister d wrote:
Toronto is out because you still need a passport for Canada, right? Mine got stolen.
To Canadian ears, that is just about the most stereotypically American comment possible!

I thought after 9/11 there was a time you needed a passport, but now it is recommended but not required, right?

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:36 pm

it's required

in fact, all Canada/US customs is done at Canadian airports.