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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 9, 2006 15:17:42 GMT -5
I can vouch for Anna Maria Island. I've been there a couple times--my sister has a time share there. Totally awesome area. For what it's worth, I can tell you all that the Gulf beaches are head and shoulders above the ocean beaches, if you ever decide to come down here.
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Post by tuneschick on Mar 9, 2006 15:47:47 GMT -5
Yeah, AM Island is a GREAT place... little slice of heaven. If we go this summer, it'll be my fourth time there - I never get sick of it.
I've actually never been to a beach on the ocean side. The only other place we've stayed was our first time down (17 years ago), when we stayed at Madeira Beach. I remember it being beautiful too, though I can't remember much detail.
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zorndeslammes
Streetcorner Musician
RICKSON BY ARMBAR!!1!!!!1!
Posts: 74
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Post by zorndeslammes on Mar 9, 2006 16:33:09 GMT -5
Per LA: I don't doubt or question that there's some nice architecture there, and I also don't question that there's a decent bar scene and art world. After all, LA is a haven for artists of virtually all kinds to get noticed. On the history tip, look, the place was Mexico 200 years ago, and apart from the Mexicans (who's influence is the one thing I actually find interesting there), I couldn't be less impressed. Arthouse film and a total lack of worthwhile musical acts since the heyday of gangsta rap doesn't bode well for LA in the modern day. Hell, the last big "scene" thrown onto the national stage from the area was fucking nu-metal. That's a pretty nasty strike against anyone.
On the beaches in FL (or really, anywhere in the US), I don't like the idea of going to crowded ass beaches anywhere stateside, or, honestly, in much of the Caribbean or Europe. Give me a quiet beach on Samui or something instead in the middle of nowhere, where I can appreciate the landscape, rather than bodies laying everywhere in the sand.
New Jersey I skipped on because I've been able to make enough fun of the place when there to not totally hate it. Its like Connecticut; there ain't shit to do or go to within the state, and its by no means physically attractive or even very nice, but somehow, it doesn't become soulcrushing like, say, a long trip to LA.
I'd have said New Orleans about a year ago, before the hurricane, too. That was a mockery of a city; poor blacks huddled in ghettos that stretched for miles while white tourists partied on a single avenue that smelled like urine and bounced around to music they wouldn't listen to at any other point in their life but when they're in New Orleans. The nice part was that all the good restaurants were in fantastically shoddy dives, but all of those places got washed away, along with the belongings of most of the people who lived there (and many of the people themselves). In the long term, I see it as only being good for the whole, as new housing will be built for these folks, and those who return can now find themselves lots of job opportunities (formerly absent in the city). But most positive things referring to New Orleans just glossed over the racism that was heavily ingrained in the place and the vast poverty that made the ghettos look like South African shanty towns.
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Post by rockysigman on Mar 9, 2006 18:07:57 GMT -5
Don't even think about crossing at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, which is about 5 hours from Detroit. You'll be miserable, believe me. Actually, the other border crossing option in Michigan that I forgot about is Port Huron, which really isn't that far from Detroit (maybe an hour or so by car?). We crossed at Port Huron last time we went to Toronto, and it was incredibly easy (although this was pre-9/11, so things could have changed considerably). My only concern for recommending Port Huron is that I highly doubt that they ever deal with anyone crossing there who is not from either the U.S. or Canada, so I could definately see some confusion on what to do with all your papers and trying to figure out if it was okay to let you cross and everything. I have family in Florida who I always love visiting, so I have pretty good feelings towards Florida. But those aren't really the spring break areas. I could see how those could get to be kind of annoying. |
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Post by Mary on Mar 9, 2006 19:04:18 GMT -5
hey rocky - all this talk of detroit just reminded me of a question i've always wanted to ask you. not exactly relevant to this thread, but still - have you read jeffrey eugenides' middlesex? amazing book (i hate saying this, as it was such an "it" book that it makes me feel like i'm buying into hype, but it really did deserve all the hype) all about the history of detroit... i'd think a detroit native would love it! re: LA - like i said, i don't really disagree with anything you say about la, zorn, and can certainly understand la-hatred. i just find the city has surprising pockets of really interesting stuff going on, and sometimes i think it's negative reputation causes visitors (and perhaps even residents!) to miss a lot of that stuff - my initial take on LA was that it was a complete wasteland, and it was only over time, several visits, and about 15 separate viewings of chinatown and double indemnity that i started to rethink things  i'm not much of a beach person, though, so i could care less about the beach scene...in la, elsewhere in california, or in florida!!! Cheers, M |
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Post by rockysigman on Mar 9, 2006 19:11:42 GMT -5
hey rocky - all this talk of detroit just reminded me of a question i've always wanted to ask you. not exactly relevant to this thread, but still - have you read jeffrey eugenides' middlesex? amazing book (i hate saying this, as it was such an "it" book that it makes me feel like i'm buying into hype, but it really did deserve all the hype) all about the history of detroit... i'd think a detroit native would love it! I don't think I've ever heard of it actually, but I'm definately going to look for it next time I head to the library. Thanks for the recommendation. |
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Post by luke on Mar 10, 2006 18:46:43 GMT -5
Well, if I had about ten grand to blow every summer, I'm sure I'd spend all my beach time in some abandoned tropical paradise. As is, I like to spend a couple months on the beach each year, I'm not loaded, and Florida happens to be the best place in the U.S. for that. Gimme an overcrowded, hot beach over some bustling city full of culture anytime.
In fact, that'll probably be why I'll never get to see the whole world like I want to. Why visit Rome or London or Paris when I can spend that few thousand bucks on going to some gorgeous tropical paradise? Beats me.
Re: New Orleans.
I agree to an extent that the city was a hell-hole. I read before Katrina hit that the city was set to beat out the U.S. murder record by a pretty good margin.
Mary, I think it was, lamented earlier how some cities get a bad rap for being "dangerous" when only parts are dangerous. Such is not the case in New Orleans. No, you're not gonna get mugged in broad daylight on Bourbon Street. But you might get mugged five feet off of Bourbon Street in an alley in broad daylight, and you may get mugged at 3:00 am in the middle of Bourbon St. on a week night, and I know more than one person who got mugged leaving a Saints game. I can't think of any other city that had such touristy areas so filled with crime.
Even going into the nicer suburbs, places like Metairie, you've still gotta keep your valuables locked indoors, because people would wander in from the city and take your shit. Things really don't get "safe" until you get as far out as Covington or even Houma.
However, "culturally" speaking, you can't fuck with New Orleans. The the collision of Spanish, French, and English architecture, the cemetaries, the music, the food, all that absolutely blows away everybody else. I'd spend long stretches of time in New Olreans never even touching Downtown or Uptown, just hanging out at a billion different shady little bars and restaurants scattered all over town. The way the streets are built, even that trashy smell, is all indistinguishably New Orleans. I know plenty of people who think that the hurricane was a good thing in the long run, and it may well come out for the better in a quarter of a century when Louisiana is back on its feet, but the city was still an absolute must-stop for anyone touring the U.S.
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Mar 12, 2006 21:52:38 GMT -5
Why visit Rome or London or Paris when I can spend that few thousand bucks on going to some gorgeous tropical paradise? Beats me
I'm a total beach/surfer girl & some of the places I've been to in the south Pacific blow my mind they're so stunning (I heartily recommend everyone visit New Caledonia, its such a beautiful country, very tourist-friendly, cheapish) - but most beaches, however gorgeous, look the same.
Those big old grand cities, though, theres no comparison between them. There is nowhere on Earth exactly like London or Paris or Berlin or Moscow or Edinburgh. Places like this are one-offs. Spend your next few thousand bucks on that. Its a completely different sense of awe. Walking on sand on a pristine beach is fantastic, but walking down a cobblestone street that dates back centuries is amazing, for me.
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Post by luke on Mar 12, 2006 22:38:49 GMT -5
The schtick just wears really thin in a city, though, unless I'm visiting people who live there, and we can go party in all sorts of crazy places. I really can't stand sight-seeing, and don't like going anywhere with an agenda. I like to hang out and not worry about anything, and I usually can't do that in a strange city unless I'm visiting locals.
On the other hand, just being lazy and relaxing and getting drunk in the sun just never wears thin on me.
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Mar 12, 2006 23:26:00 GMT -5
You can do all that in cities. You'll probably be mistaken for being a bum though. Its a nice way to get some extra travel cash.
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Post by wayved on Mar 13, 2006 1:11:47 GMT -5
The only thing I have about travel is--is that you love it when youre there and youre back to where you were-there is no way to capture that --the beuatiful images--in the blood--what youve seen--sometimes memories arent enough. My favorite place is York, England. It suited me to a T. Pubs everywhere, always cloudy! Beauty everywhere.
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Mar 13, 2006 1:20:42 GMT -5
The only thing I hate about travel is the crushing disappointment of arriving back home. I even look forward to going back home, to my routine & family etc. But you step onto the tarmac & you're like
"ah FUCK!"
desperately considering your chance of success at running into the gate opposite, currently boarding for Dubai, though you have no ticket no visa no clue about Dubai no money left.
I think the international flight crews should be trained to watch out for wild-eyed returnees who plan on crazy dashes to smuggle themselves aboard a leaving plane...
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Post by sisyphus on Mar 13, 2006 1:31:31 GMT -5
anyone up for travelin' 'n' railin' through eastern europe with me one of these years? we'll try to work temp jobs all over to pay for our bumming, and only fall back on straightforward (or not so straightforward) cash when despair-ate?
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Mar 13, 2006 1:46:25 GMT -5
Its fun to do some of Europe by yourself, but you need to have a very level head & good intuition (imo). Going around by rail is pretty cheap anyway, so you don't even need to bum jobs too much.
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Post by sisyphus on Mar 13, 2006 1:53:00 GMT -5
yeah...rail is super cheap, but working for your food in a transient way is soooo exciting.... dunno why.
where have you travled in e.u. la?
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