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What should I do while I'm in XX City???

Discussion in 'Tilted Entertainment' started by ZombieSquirrel, May 29, 2014.

  1. Going on a vacation to a city you've never been before? Want some advice on things you MUST do or places you MUST eat? Do you live nearby and want to meet up.

    Post where you are going and how long. Mention any details that would be helpful for those giving suggestions.

    I will be going to San Francisco at the end of June. I will only be there for four days, and my Sunday is reserved for seeing a Reds vs Giants game. It also happens to be Gay Pride weekend.

    Have you ever been? Where should I go? What should I do? Where should I eat? Please remember that I will have an infant child with me during the trip.
    --- merged: May 29, 2014 at 4:16 PM ---
    @cinnamongirl I know YOU were there recently.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 5, 2014
  2. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    I always stop in the Buena Vista Cafe for their fresh dungeness crab for lunch (Maryland blue crabs are still better) or late night for their famous Irish coffee!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    I loooooove the SF area. Muir Woods just made my entire body relax and reminded me of the smallness of being human. It's just across the Golden Gate from town. The seals near the pier by Ghirardelli were pretty cool. The zoo, walking around the Haight to see the freelance artwork, and just driving around town to see all the different areas were my favorite. I hopped the train to Berkley, too. Rather inexpensive and the culture and crepes were worth it. I like to wander in places I've never been, rather than trying to plan out anything major. Chinatown and dim sum is ridonkulously fun, too.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    I lived across the bay. You know, when I went to that little school. :p
    Even so, I did not visit The City often.
    Go to Golden Gate Park and have a picnic on the lawn. There is a conservatory there as well, so many beautiful flowers.
    You will want to take BabySquirrel to see the Exploratorium. It's a children's museum. The ultimate children's museum.
    If you're in the mood to enjoy some local culture, catch a drag show in the Castro district.

    I'm going to echo Noodle here. You must visit the redwoods somehow. Muir woods is a show-stopping kind of beautiful, but crowded. You need to arrive early in the morning if you are going to find parking. But there are a number of other state parks in the bay area where you can enjoy redwoods, so if early mornings aren't working for you, you should look into your options. Those trees are calming, beautiful, and humbling.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    Walk across or out on the Golden Gate bridge sidewalk. If you drive across the bridge ($6 or something and you need the electronic pass I think), there is a road to the west right after you get across the bridge on the Sausalito side. It provides a really nice spot to see the bridge and city.

    I was only there for 5 days last year, but I enjoyed taking a catamaran sail boat ride from Pier 39 for $35 (where the walruses are). And I rode a bike around town, which might not be possible with an infant.

    The city has free walking tours that I recommend doing. San Francisco Walking Tours | City Guides
    My uncle, aunt, and I did the Japanese Tea Garden and the Ferry Building one and it was worth doing. You just have to make sure you get there on time. Traffic can be an issue if you are driving. The BART system is good, but the subway doesn't take you everywhere.

    There are the cable cars, Lombard Street, Haight-Asbury, the Painted Ladies, and other things to check out when you are there.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    I'm going to have to keep these in mind. That sailboat ride sounds dreamy.
     
  7. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
  8. bobby

    bobby More Than Slightly Tilted ! Donor

    Coming to the Great Pacific Northwest?...I have ideas for you, pm or let me know here...xoxoxoo
     
  9. Jove

    Jove Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Michigan
    What places or restaurants should I visit while in Portland, Oregon?
     
  10. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    The last time I was in Portland, I spent a couple of hours just wandering around Powell's Book Store (the big downtown store) and found a few great used books.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  11. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    What's your budget, what part of the city are you staying in, and do you have transportation beyond public transit?
     
  12. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Breakfast at Byways (biscuits and gravy) or Mothers. :cool:
     
    • Like Like x 3
  13. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    • Like Like x 2
  14. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    • Like Like x 1
  15. ASU2003

    ASU2003 Very Tilted

    Location:
    Where ever I roam
    It looks like I might be visiting Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland in late August until Labor Day. I'm not sure how much time I will have for "touristy" kinds of things, but I would be interested in knowing what I shouldn't miss.

    I will be bicycling everywhere, so I'm not sure if I will be going right downtown or trying to avoid the traffic. If you know of any bicycling events going on around the NW coast around that time, I would like to know about it.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  16. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    You can bike most everywhere in Portland. Seattle has lots of hills, so that's something to consider. I'm not sure about bicycling in Vancouver, though I'm certain it's doable. Just be aware that Canadian drivers don't signal well. It might be worthwhile to figure out how to take your bike on public transit in all three places to give yourself some more flexibility.

    Not to miss in Vancouver: Stanley Park, Gastown, Chinatown, Granville Island, all-you-can-eat sushi somewhere, a stroll down Robson St. for people-watching, visits to UBC and Simon Fraser for television show set spotting (if you've ever watched Stargate SG-1 this is a MUST)

    Not to miss in Seattle: Seattle Center, Pike Place Market, the waterfront (if you have time, enjoy the Seattle Aquarium), Pioneer Square (though I've never done it, I've heard great things about UNDERGROUND TOUR) are all things close to the downtown core; further out, I'd suggest a visit to the University of Washington (beautiful campus) and grabbing a bite at http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-tom-seattle, visiting Green Lake Park (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=307), the Ballard Locks (Ballard Locks - City Attractions - Virtual Tour - Visiting Seattle - Seattle.gov) and Ballard in general (grab a bite to eat somewhere and go play Skee-Ball at King's Hardware), and Golden Gardens (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=243). If you're into planes, The Museum of Flight Aviation History, Airplane and Spacecraft Collections, Aerospace Library, Education and Research Center | The Museum of Flight

    Not to miss in Portland (and some of this info is probably good for @Jove, too): eating at a food cart, visiting the International Rose Test Garden (Rose Gardens), the Japanese Garden (Portland Japanese Garden | Portland, Oregon ), Hoyt Arboreteum (Hoyt Arboretum :: Home), Mississippi (Mississippi Avenue Visitor's Guide in Portland Oregon | Gourmet Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate, Himalayan Salt Blocks, Cocktail Bitters, and Finishing Salt | The Meadow), the World's Smallest Park (Mill Ends Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), go to a farmer's market (Portland Farmers Market), Portland Saturday Market (Portland Saturday Market), hang out in Pioneer Courthouse Square (Portland's living room: Pioneer Courthouse Square ), drink beer (there are lots, here are some highlights Breakside Brewing | We Love Beer, Cascade Brewing Barrel House, BASE CAMP | Base Camp Brewing Co., tasting room - Upright Brewery, HOME, Ecliptic Brewing, Homepage | Lucky Labrador Brewing Company), eat a waffle (Home - Waffle Window), eat a doughnut or cupcake (Blue Star Donuts, Voodoo Doughnut - The Magic is in the Hole!!!, Saint Cupcake), drink coffee (Here is a List of Every Coffee Roaster in Portland (We Think)), go urban wine tasting (Wineries | Portland Urban Wineries), check out Distillery Row (Distillery Row | Experience the Craft Distilling Revolution | The Best Way to Spend the Day in Portland, Oregon), visit a museum (Home | OMSI,

    Welcome - Portland Art Museum

    ), visit Powell's City of Books (Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books) and the Pearl District, drink from a Benson Bubbler (Benson Bubblers | Community Programs | The City of Portland, Oregon), and enjoy the things that Keep Portland Weird.
    --- merged: Jun 2, 2014 4:10 AM ---
    You can bike most everywhere in Portland. Seattle has lots of hills, so that's something to consider. I'm not sure about bicycling in Vancouver, though I'm certain it's doable. Just be aware that Canadian drivers don't signal well. It might be worthwhile to figure out how to take your bike on public transit in all three places to give yourself some more flexibility.

    Not to miss in Vancouver: Stanley Park, Gastown, Chinatown, Granville Island, all-you-can-eat sushi somewhere, a stroll down Robson St. for people-watching, visits to UBC and Simon Fraser for television show set spotting (if you've ever watched Stargate SG-1 this is a MUST)

    Not to miss in Seattle: Seattle Center, Pike Place Market, the waterfront (if you have time, enjoy the Seattle Aquarium), Pioneer Square (though I've never done it, I've heard great things about UNDERGROUND TOUR) are all things close to the downtown core; further out, I'd suggest a visit to the University of Washington (beautiful campus) and grabbing a bite at http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-tom-seattle, visiting Green Lake Park (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=307), the Ballard Locks (Ballard Locks - City Attractions - Virtual Tour - Visiting Seattle - Seattle.gov) and Ballard in general (grab a bite to eat somewhere and go play Skee-Ball at King's Hardware), and Golden Gardens (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=243). If you're into planes, The Museum of Flight Aviation History, Airplane and Spacecraft Collections, Aerospace Library, Education and Research Center | The Museum of Flight

    Not to miss in Portland (and some of this info is probably good for @Jove, too): eating at a food cart, visiting the International Rose Test Garden (Rose Gardens), the Japanese Garden (Portland Japanese Garden | Portland, Oregon ), Hoyt Arboreteum (Hoyt Arboretum :: Home), Mississippi (Mississippi Avenue Visitor's Guide in Portland Oregon | Gourmet Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate, Himalayan Salt Blocks, Cocktail Bitters, and Finishing Salt | The Meadow), the World's Smallest Park (Mill Ends Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), go to a farmer's market (Portland Farmers Market), Portland Saturday Market (Portland Saturday Market), hang out in Pioneer Courthouse Square (Portland's living room: Pioneer Courthouse Square ), drink beer (there are lots, here are some highlights Breakside Brewing | We Love Beer, Cascade Brewing Barrel House, BASE CAMP | Base Camp Brewing Co., tasting room - Upright Brewery, HOME, Ecliptic Brewing, Homepage | Lucky Labrador Brewing Company), eat a waffle (Home - Waffle Window), eat a doughnut or cupcake (Blue Star Donuts, Voodoo Doughnut - The Magic is in the Hole!!!, Saint Cupcake), drink coffee (Here is a List of Every Coffee Roaster in Portland (We Think)), go urban wine tasting (Wineries | Portland Urban Wineries), check out Distillery Row (Distillery Row | Experience the Craft Distilling Revolution | The Best Way to Spend the Day in Portland, Oregon), visit a museum (Home | OMSI,

    Welcome - Portland Art Museum

    ), visit Powell's City of Books (Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books) and the Pearl District, drink from a Benson Bubbler (Benson Bubblers | Community Programs | The City of Portland, Oregon), and enjoy the things that Keep Portland Weird.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 9, 2014
    • Like Like x 3
  17. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

  18. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

  19. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    • Like Like x 1
  20. My birthday is around Labor Day....Just saying.