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[Dilbert]

I need to take a vacation (VERY badly) sometime this summer, notionally in the mid-July timeframe, and I would like to solicit some suggestions about where to go and what to see. Although I'm tempted to visit a friend in Germany, I think I'd wait until fall for that trip, so I'd like to restrict my options to the United States or Canada.

I'd like to take some vacation days on either side of a weekend to a) save on plane fare, b) save on room rates, and c) get more "bang for the buck" for the days off. The total duration of the trip would be 5-6 days. I'd plan on renting a car (unless it was possible to get around 100% using mass transit and walking), so attractions in nearby areas/cities would be in play as well.

In the past, I really haven't "vacationed" very much. I've gone to various cities to visit friends and family, but really haven't gone to a city just to check it out. I do travel a lot for work, and have spent time (but not sight-seeing time) in the Dallas, Washington DC, Phoenix, and Boston areas. The only two cities that I've spent significant time exploring for fun have been Las Vegas and Washington DC.

Some possibilities which came to mind:

1) Vancouver. Believe it or not, I've never been to Canada, and I hear outstanding things about Vancouver...

2) Bay Area. I have friends in Sacramento, and since I could drive there, it would be slightly less expensive.

3) New York City. Never been there, need to go there at some point...but is July the right time?

Where else would you recommend, and why?

 

[xsarien]

3) New York City. Never been there, need to go there at some point...but is July the right time?

Where else would you recommend, and why?

New York City in the dead of summer isn't really the ideal time to go. It will most likely be very humid and very warm. Save that one for a spring or autumn vacation.

 

[djtiesto]

I need to take a vacation (VERY badly) sometime this summer, notionally in the mid-July timeframe, and I would like to solicit some suggestions about where to go and what to see. Although I'm tempted to visit a friend in Germany, I think I'd wait until fall for that trip, so I'd like to restrict my options to the United States or Canada.

I'd like to take some vacation days on either side of a weekend to a) save on plane fare, b) save on room rates, and c) get more "bang for the buck" for the days off. The total duration of the trip would be 5-6 days. I'd plan on renting a car (unless it was possible to get around 100% using mass transit and walking), so attractions in nearby areas/cities would be in play as well.

In the past, I really haven't "vacationed" very much. I've gone to various cities to visit friends and family, but really haven't gone to a city just to check it out. I do travel a lot for work, and have spent time (but not sight-seeing time) in the Dallas, Washington DC, Phoenix, and Boston areas. The only two cities that I've spent significant time exploring for fun have been Las Vegas and Washington DC.

Some possibilities which came to mind:

1) Vancouver. Believe it or not, I've never been to Canada, and I hear outstanding things about Vancouver...

2) Bay Area. I have friends in Sacramento, and since I could drive there, it would be slightly less expensive.

3) New York City. Never been there, need to go there at some point...but is July the right time?

Where else would you recommend, and why?

Of course, I'm biased, but I'd go with NY - it gets a bit hot in the summer (well, like any big city), but if you go out east on the Island, there's some real nice beaches. You can even go celebrity spotting in the Hamptons if you really want to

If you've never been to Canada, I strongly recommend Toronto. There's a lot of cool stuff there (science museum, a ton of Chinatowns, CN Tower, the Eaton Centre, the Guvernment nightclub, an hour from Niagara Falls). Haven't been to Vancouver so I can't comment... I need to get out to the west coast some time.

 

[Litigation Manuel]

I thought this said "Vatican suggestions" at first. And I was all "there's only one!"

 

[cloudwalking]

As far as Canada goes, I'm going to echo what djtiesto said about Toronto... took a summer trip there some years ago and I had a blast. There's tons of stuff to do and it's an extremely culturally diverse city.

I've heard amazing things about Vancouver, too... I had a boss who used to live on a small island near there, and he said it's just a smiply amazing city. I'm sure there are people who can tell you more about it here on GAF.

 

[Tuvoc]

Toronto for sure. I've been there 3 times in the past year. It is an awesome city.

The Guvernment is an amazing club. But I heard from a lot of people that Boa was a lot better. Tiesto, can you confirm?

 

[Willco]

Oh, I see. I move in July and you decide to go on vacation. I get jokes. You're out of the will!

 

[Boogie]

meh, Toronto's nothing special

 

[Talas]

Come to Mexico, you know you want to and we need your dollars.

 

[ToxicAdam]

San Diego. Went there last spring for 5 days. Awesome.

* - Excellent downtown area (restaurants, shopping, ballgame)
* - 4-5 big beaches within 20 minutes of each other
* - Amazing zoo
* - Mexico (if you choose to go) is only a short ride away
* - La Jolla area is great. (20 minutes north)
* - Indian reservation casino is also 30 minutes away


I went to New York City this past Christmas season. It was great also. Forget about driving though .. you will be WALKING everywhere or taking a sub. I could imagine it gets pretty humid and stinky in the summer. Tons of stuff to do though.

 

[Dilbert]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I didn't list San Diego because I go there often enough that it wouldn't feel like a vacation! (My family lives there.) I do not want to go to Mexico for a variety of reasons...but thanks for the idea.

 

[lexy]

Of the three on your list I'd recommend Vancouver.

Sacramento isn't really part of the Bay Area.

New York City is pretty much dead around the 4th of July.

 

[Willco]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I didn't list San Diego because I go there often enough that it wouldn't feel like a vacation! (My family lives there.) I do not want to go to Mexico for a variety of reasons...but thanks for the idea.

I'm telling you, Cozumel is a great place to visit.

 

[demon]

Peoria, IL.

Spend a week there, and the rest of your life will seem like a vacation.

 

[Drensch]

Sao Paulo and Rio.

 

[tuco11]

St. Bart's.

 

[djtiesto]

Toronto for sure. I've been there 3 times in the past year. It is an awesome city.

The Guvernment is an amazing club. But I heard from a lot of people that Boa was a lot better. Tiesto, can you confirm?

I've never been to Boa... I've only been to the Guv twice (I went to college in Buffalo, about an hour and 10 min away), one time was just a regular night (saw Marc Olivier, the in house DJ, play), and the second time was a big event - they had Desyn Masiello, Steve Lawler, Armin Van Buuren, a D&B room, some other guys, and some big 'circuit' guys. The second time was absolutely awesome, well I'm used to NYC clubs (RIP Arc) but the Guv has a different atmosphere, it's much larger than your traditional NYC place and the people there take slightly more interest in the music (dance music seems a lot more popular in Canada than the US), and a bit more posh on the inside.

 

[AniHawk]

Lake Tahoe's nice in the summer if outdoors stuff is more your thing.

 

[Bigfoot]

I disagree with the Toronto suggestions... Montreal is 10X more fun than Toronto, and Ottawa is only a couple hour drive if you like museums and stuff.

Vancouver is great too. I'd say take a day or two trip to the Island and check out Victoria and Tifino, but I'm not sure it fits into your time frame

 

[6.8]

As a bonus, Poutine is typically better in both Ottawa and Montreal. A sound suggestion.