BootsnAll Travel Community

It's not exactly a budget option, but we spent last weekend at the Rocky Mountain Escape ecolodge, and had a great time.

I don't think I can rave enough about the setup there. There are three log cabins, built to be environmentally friendly, with high efficiency wood stoves for heating. It's quite some distance from anywhere so there's no noise, and feels just completely isolated.

We took advantage of a winter special that included all meals, and they were just wonderful...cooked on a wood stove, and perfectly made.

Romantic Things to Do in San Diego
Learn about romantic beaches,restaurants, best places to watch sunsets, winery getaways, beach bonfires, fireworks, and San Diego beach hotels. There's a list of the top ten romantic dates in San Diego as well as guide for Balboa Park, the largest urban park in the United States.

No, don't laugh, but my home town is well worth the visit. Cleveland, Ohio.

There's great public transit (RTA) with the "Rapid" (train) and buses. You can go to www.gcrta.org, where you can type in where you are, where you want to go, and when you want to leave or when you want to get there. It will give you several options on how to get there, including walking distances involved. All Rapids go to Tower City, which is the center of the city.

There's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ($20 or $18 with AAA), Cleveland Metro Parks Zoo (free on Mondays for county residents, so I would avoid it as in the summer Mondays can be crazy--it is typically free anyday that it's 32F or below, the Rainforest always has an entry fee), Playhouse Square (the 2nd larges performing arts center in the country, and exterior was used for Spiderman 3, they have tours of the theaters, check their website, I believe this is free or very low cost), the Cleveland International Film Festival (late March, check Clevelandfilm.org for information), Cleveland Museum of Art (currently being remodeled, but is one of the largest free art museums in the country, currently the only exihibit is a pay one of Monet), Western Reserve Historical Society (local history museum which includes the Crawford Auto-Aviation museum), Cleveland Natural History Museum, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Severence Hall (Cleveland Orchestra plays there), MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), Cleveland Public Theater (small theater that seems like a hole in the wall, but puts on some great shows), Cleveland Playhouse, Lolley the Trolley (offers daily 1 & 2-hour narrated tours of the city--call a reservation in ahead of time, as in good weather they book solid), West Side Market (cheap eats and great atmosphere, on Saturdays in the summer the Ohio City Market in the Square will be across West 25th from the market), Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA team), Cleveland Indians (MLB team), Cleveland Browns (NFL and running joke of city), Great Lakes Science Center, Rib Cook Off (Memorial Day weekend--end of May), Goodtimes (dinner cruises of Lake Erie, great skyline scenes), Cleveland National Air Show (Labor Day weekend--beginning of September), Rockefeller Park (every ethnicity has it's own little garden here, don't go late or after dark), Lakeview Cemetary (memorial to Eliot Ness, President James A Garfield's grave,& Wade Chapel that has Tiffany windows, if you happen up on a tour, I suggest you take it, otherwise wander on your own, we treat it as if it were a park), Fat Fish Blue (a restaurant right downtown, mid-priced, probbly $25 for dinner and a drink, but you get live music on Wednesdays with Robert Lockwood's band, Lockwood used to play there,but he passed away last fall, he was the last of the Mississippi Delta bluesmen, learned to play the guitar by Robert Johnson--if you don't know him, go back to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), A Christmas Story House (restored house that was featured for exterior shots in the movie, can tour this for a small fee), Tri-C Jazzfest (this is usually in April), Cleveland Public library often hosts writers for speaking engagements, check their websits, and be aware of what branch the event will be at, the Cleveland ACLU features many interesting political discussions,typically are free to attend, Cedar-Lee cinemas is the local movie theater for independent movies, and the Cleveland Cinematheque(sp?) is at the Cleveland Institute of Art and features independent and art films, Slymann's (you HAVE to get corned beef if you come to Cleveland, and this is the place to go, you will wait in line if you go at lunch time, and it closes early in the day), Big Al's Diner (breakfast, closes very early in afternoon, easy to get to by Rapid)

Great neighborhoods to browse, Coventry Village (I work here, it's the original hippie neighborhood), Tremont (artsy neighborhood), Little Italy (restaurant neighborhood, huge festival for the Feast of the Assumption), University Circle (where Botanical Garden, Art museum, Natural History museum, Western Reserve, Cleveland Inst of Art, Cleveland Inst of Music, and Case Western University are all in the same place, easily walkable once you get there by Rapid or bus), Ohio City (West Side Market, browse the side streets to see the cute houses, and make sure you see Franklin Castle on Franklin Blvd, it's our most haunted building in the city), Gateway (where Jacob's Field--baseball, and Quicken Loans arena--basketball and major events, Tower City, Tower City Amphitheater, lots of restaurants and shopping, little warning, most people here still call Quicken Loans arena "The Gund" which is it's old name).

Beachland Ballroom, the Agora, the Grog Shop are great smaller venues for live music. As a side note, the Agora is believed to be haunted, too.

If you drive, there is ample parking, if you don't see something right near where you're going, go out a block or two, and you'll find something. Just keep in mind that there is virtually no street parking between 7am-9:30am and 4pm-7:30pm. If you park during those rush hour times, you will get a ticket or towed. If you're not going to a major event (like a concert or sporting event), then you mostly likely will pay $10 or less to park a full day. If you don't mind a little walk, park outside the city center and you could pay as little as $4 for a full day parking). If you drive, downtown is a grid, if you miss your turn, just circle and try again. The main roads to know are Lorain, Detroit, East 9th, West 25th, East 55th, Euclid, and Chester. When I had a friend here recently, she commented that no matter where we went, we ended up on Euclid Avenue.

You can buy an RTA day pass for $3.50, just put $3.50 into the machine by the bus driver and ask for a day pass. You can buy longer term passes as well, but not on the bus. Also the bus driver will answer questions if you don't know where to get off, some are grumpy, but they all answer. Also, if you have any trouble on the bus, tell the driver, they have emergency ways to contact the police or ambulances on the bus. If you get scared on the bus, go and stand or sit by the driver.

I think that the best times to travel here is probably May and October. In the summer, it can be hot and humid. In the winter, you could get in a huge snowstorm which slows down public transportation greatly. Also, in major snowstorms, attractions will close early, so you could take 2 hours climbing through snow only to see that something closed early. Anything associated with a school will be shown on the local news channels as being "closed," but things like museums won't. I haven't ever known the Rock Hall to close due to weather, though. I think that they know that people travel to come there, and don't want to disappoint. If you want to blend in, wear shorts in 50F degree weather. We crack out the shorts & sandals the first "lukewarm" day of the year. People from warmer climates think that we're crazy.

Do keep in mind that there is crime in Cleveland, just like any major city. Keep common sense, and trust your instincts.

I would also advise that you pick up "Cleveland on Foot" which is about $13. This book gives you walking tours of many areas. Don't get "Beyond Cleveland on Foot" as those are outside of the city and may be hard to get to if you're not driving.

Feel free to ask me, if you ever plan to come here. I'm very good at giving directions, and telling you what areas to avoid.

Maureen

Hey, no one's brought up Tripadvisor - lots of great guides and user reviews. You have to take them with a grain of salt, but the information and forums has been extremely useful to me over the years.

http://www.tripadvisor.com

Anyone coming to Dallas should see a damn good blues show. Where? Place called Hole in the Wall. This is true blues right here, and the bands, customers interact alot and the shows are so damn personal and intense. They are performing tuesday(jam night, anyone can sign up) through saturday. Awesome shows here, great place.

We also have the House of Blues, but there's not much actual blues in there, and besides, you cant just drop in.

Hole in the Wall, with a fireplace! I think they play from 9pm-12 on weeknights, longer weekends.

Cheers!

If you're in Maine, Bar Harbor is not the only nice place. Try climbing Mt. Katahdin! The infamous knife edge is a challenging part of the trail connecting Pamola Peak with the highest point, Baxter Peak. It's a wonderful mountain!

Also, the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec is beautiful and I felt like we went back in time to the 50's when there--lots of towns with little family motels and restaurants; everything in French, too.

If you go up that way, try to get to New Brunswick and climb their highest peak, Mt. Carleton. It's off the beaten path and is a really nice, but gentle, hike with a great view of the surrounding wilderness.

ALASKA RAVE
I spent a great week in McCarthy Alaska last week. I recommend staying at the Kennicott River Lodge and Hostel
http://www.kennicottriverlodge.com/home.html

If you stay during the week you have the place to yourself. I was there from Tues and left Friday. On Friday, Brad was fully booked. I got one of the hostel cabins all to myself for just $28 a night. This includes a hot shower and a large kitchen to use. But the best part is having a cabin on the river with an awesome view.

McCarthy now has a well maintained road and it took me less than 2 hours from Chitna to get there. I was there for the Summer Solstice and they had a bonfire party at one of the glaciers. I drove and brought my bike which came in handy for biking up to the historical Kennicott mines 5 miles away. There are shuttles every 30 min for $5 each way. McCarthy is at the southern entrance to the largest US park St. Elias-Wrangell. This is my favorite park because its much bigger than Denali but has only a few visitors.

Directions from Anchorage - head northeast to Glenallen (4 hrs) and stop for gas; then down towards Valdez but turn left at the St. Elias turnoff. You can stop in Chitna for the last bit of gas before heading off to McCarthy. It took me a total of 8 hours from Anchorage.

Some of my fav's are off the beaten path but that's half the fun:
TEXAS- Terlingua, a small town with great people and scenery
CALIFORNIA- Death Valley - sound ominous but it is beautiful
Georgia- Mtns in North, Little grand canyon, Cumberland Island, Stone Mountain - huge granite mountain with carving on side - laser show during summer
MAINE- Acadia of course but also the seaside towns
PACIFIC NORTHWEST- Coupeville, WA , Seattle's Pike Place Market, Portland
IDAHO- Northern handle great hiking and scenery, southern part has dunefields I believe
WESTERN MONTANA- Awesome Scenery, BIG SKY - you'll understand when you see it

There is a ton more but those are my fav's.

-Visit National and State Parks most are very good

RAVE:
Maligne Canyon HI Hostel in Jasper, Alberta
This is one of the best gem getaways for those looking to have a microcosm completely to themselves. The hostel is absolutly lovely. Shared accomodation only, but my husband and I had a cabin entirely to ourselves. The hostel is impeccably clean, the kitchen facilities are great, and you really do feel like you are in a place where the world simply can't get to you (even though you are only a 15 minute drive from the Jasper townsite). The stunning Maligne Canyon walking/hiking trail is within walking distance of the hostel, and there are enough trails branching out from there to keep the most dedicated day hikers busy for a long, long time. I would highly recommend going during an "off" time if you want to maximize your chance for having the hostel to yourself. We went in early October and it was perfect. The top of the Maligne Canyon trail usually has quite a few people there, but stick to the trail and the number of other hikers will thin out dramatically.

Additional Rave about the area: The magnificent Jasper Park Lodge is about 10 minutes from Maligne Canyon, and if you can afford to fork over the moola for a night or two there, I'd highly recommend it. Heck, if you want to interrupt your hostelling/backpacking/whatevering for a fantastic, nearly hedonistic dinner, you should give this place a try. Indulgent luxery in the middle of nowhere. I stayed there for a work conference and simply didn't want to leave - my collegues, myself, and my husband (who didn't want to miss the chance to stay at the Lodge) spent our days eating, hiking, eating more, hiking, eating a lot more, and floating around in their heated outdoor pool. The staff treat you like royalty, and the rooms are fantastic.

The lodge has hiking trails galore, most right outside your cabin door. And there is lots of wildlife - we saw minks, ferrets, bighorn sheep, and more elk than you can (or should) shake a stick at. Actually, I wasn't able to get out of our cabin one morning because several elk decided that the grass that lined our cabin deck was the tastiest around and munched it for quite a while before wandering off to trap some other guest in their room.

APPROACH WITH CAUTION: Banff Rocky Mountain Resort in Banff, Alberta

This is a very strange place. The rooms are great, with reasonable rates, kitchenetts, good arrangements, recent renovations, wood burning fireplaces (inquire for avalability), and shuttles into downtown Banff, which is only about five to ten minutes away. They've got lots of activities and resources for kids. It would be great for people who don't want to have to eat out every night, or for families with kids.

That being said, my husband and I went there for our 'mini-moon' and were rather dissapointed. We liked the room, but the customer service was wretched, and we didn't eat a single meal in either their 'pub style' restauraunt/sports lounge or in their self-procalimed fine dining restauraunt (a meal in their fine dining area came with the package deal we had purchased, otherwise we would have given it a wide berth). The meal in the fine dining restauraunt was indeed so bad that we literally had tears in our eyes from laughing.

We were the only ones in the dining room for the majority of our meal, the rice was uncooked, the duck was tough and gristly, and there were odd combinations of food like sweet biscotti being served with baked brie, stewed tomatoes, and cranberry chutny (sounds interesting on paper, but was a complete disaster on the plate). My creme brulee was nothing more than a small corell lasagne dish filled with whipped cream-from-a-can and burnt sugar! The dishes were so hilariously awful that we took pictures of every last one.

Even the pizza we ordered one evening was completely screwed up. It had cheese, yes, and mushrooms. But no tomato sauce (and we were told it had), and two other toppings we asked for never materialized. Happily, we had a lot of wine.

So yes - good rooms, but don't expect to eat there, or really to get customer service of any description there.


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Can two geeks survive a year in New Zealand without their 20-sided dice? Will the laptop get funky while nestled in their backpacks among stinky socks and unwashed clothes? Find out at
Geeks Abroad

After spending a horrible night in Watson Lake, YT, my friend and I stopped in Whitehorse, YT, for the night and had the most amazing experience. Whitehorse was full, but we got one of the last rooms available; not in a hotel, but in a yurt. I had never stayed in a yurt before, didn't even know what one was. But this place was fabulous! It's called Boreale Biking, and it's 4km outside town, up the side of a mountain. Prices are reasonable, everything was clean and beautiful, the owners, Marcia and Sylvaine, are incredibly nice. They provide internet access, and the communal yurt has power, so you can plug in a cell phone or laptop. Our faith in the Yukon was fully restored after staying here. Check out their website below. And you don't have to be a mountain biker to enjoy the view. It was incredible! To see pictures, check out my blog. I highly recommend anyone traveling through Whitehorse to stay with them.

http://www.borealemtbiking.ca/

If you find yourself in Victoria, BC, I highly recommend taking a Ghost Walks Tour. The guy who runs it is quite the story teller, so whether you're into ghosts or not, you'll definitely be entertained, and learn a few things about Victoria and BC. I'm a bit of a baby and was kind of spooked by the end. Really, he's got great delivery.

The same guy also runs a Chinatown tour on Saturdays, which is also excellent. Victoria's Chinatown is pretty neat to begin with, but again, he's a great story teller, and you can really see/feel the history come alive.