I'm working on a trip with a couple of my buddies (as my wife has limited interest). Highly condensed, very ambitious for the limited time, unique value given the staggered layover nature of the trip.

Fly from the states to Istanbul, spend a jet lag day in Istanbul, then fly the next day to Cairo.  Spend a couple days in Cairo to see the area, the pyramids, then right back home.  It's only a couple days away from work and essentially a long weekend away from the family.  Lots of stop, go, and flying.  I'm debating if it's worth it, but it would be nice to see two cities I've never been to.

4 hours ago, eagle45 said:

I'm working on a trip with a couple of my buddies (as my wife has limited interest). Highly condensed, very ambitious for the limited time, unique value given the staggered layover nature of the trip.

Fly from the states to Istanbul, spend a jet lag day in Istanbul, then fly the next day to Cairo.  Spend a couple days in Cairo to see the area, the pyramids, then right back home.  It's only a couple days away from work and essentially a long weekend away from the family.  Lots of stop, go, and flying.  I'm debating if it's worth it, but it would be nice to see two cities I've never been to.

I've done as 5-day trip to Iceland, and long weekends to Costa Rica and Alaska. You can pack in a lot a few days.

 

My biggest suggestion is make sure the airfare is worth it.  If it's low enough and you'll never see that price again, then go.  That was my reasoning for Alaska: I found airfare for $320 round-trip from Philadelphia, for Memorial Day weekend a couple years ago, and I knew that would be the cheapest flight to Alaska I'd ever see.  Some people pay that much to fly to Orlando!

@xzmattzx add this to your list next time you are in Fort Lauderdale.  Reservation will need to be made in advance (up to 60 days only I think).  Our table was right in front of the house band.  Newly renovated.  Old school Italian is best way to describe it.  I think this family also owns the Anthony's Coal fired pizza joints as well.

Here's the website, but you can look them up on the other social media sites as well.

https://www.runway84.com/

We also did a quick stop at Burlock Coast which is in the Ritz Carlton for drinks and appetizers. It was nice to see the ocean.

On 3/4/2024 at 1:28 AM, xzmattzx said:

I've done as 5-day trip to Iceland, and long weekends to Costa Rica and Alaska. You can pack in a lot a few days.

 

My biggest suggestion is make sure the airfare is worth it.  If it's low enough and you'll never see that price again, then go.  That was my reasoning for Alaska: I found airfare for $320 round-trip from Philadelphia, for Memorial Day weekend a couple years ago, and I knew that would be the cheapest flight to Alaska I'd ever see.  Some people pay that much to fly to Orlando!

I did the 5 day iceland trip and loved it.  Alaska feels like a tough one, but that's awesome that you made it work.   It's such a vast expanse with so much to see and do...and not condensed around the airport.

The airfare is what is prompting it for me.  It's all bundled into a single ticket with what Turkish air views as an undesirable extended layover in Istanbul, so they actually include a hotel in Istanbul for the night.  The airfare is tremendously discounted for the chopped up itinerary in that they view as a round trip to Cairo.

3 hours ago, eagle45 said:

I did the 5 day iceland trip and loved it.  Alaska feels like a tough one, but that's awesome that you made it work.   It's such a vast expanse with so much to see and do...and not condensed around the airport.

The airfare is what is prompting it for me.  It's all bundled into a single ticket with what Turkish air views as an undesirable extended layover in Istanbul, so they actually include a hotel in Istanbul for the night.  The airfare is tremendously discounted for the chopped up itinerary in that they view as a round trip to Cairo.

I've never seen an airline add a hotel room into airfare.  Where did you see this?

3 hours ago, eagle45 said:

I did the 5 day iceland trip and loved it.  Alaska feels like a tough one, but that's awesome that you made it work.   It's such a vast expanse with so much to see and do...and not condensed around the airport.

The airfare is what is prompting it for me.  It's all bundled into a single ticket with what Turkish air views as an undesirable extended layover in Istanbul, so they actually include a hotel in Istanbul for the night.  The airfare is tremendously discounted for the chopped up itinerary in that they view as a round trip to Cairo.

I limited us in Alaska to day-trip places.  We flew into Anchorage, and drove northward to Talkeetna and Denali N.P. for a day and a half, and then were in Anchorage again and did Seward for a day.  It really was just a long weekend in Alaska.  If I had more time, I would've spent a second day or more in Denali N.P.; that is what I want to do most if I ever get the chance. I would also drive to Fairbanks and explore there for a day.  If I had more than a week, then I'd head east to places like Wrangell-St. Elias N.P.  A separate trip would be to go to Juneau for a quick weekend.

 

The big things is flying out there, much like flying to much of Europe.  You have to connect once or twice from Philadelphia, so you add that layover time in with what is normally 8 hours up in the air anyway.  So you lose a full day flying there and a full day flying back.

1 hour ago, xzmattzx said:

I've never seen an airline add a hotel room into airfare.  Where did you see this?

It's a "stopover" perk they have for extended layovers.  Icelandair, Turkish air, Emirates, and a few others do it.

26 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

It's a "stopover" perk they have for extended layovers.  Icelandair, Turkish air, Emirates, and a few others do it.

Do you see this on the airline website?  Or does a travel agent mention it?  I knew that Iceland promotes staying overnight in general, hence the Icelandair promo, but never knew how you would see something like it.

When you're determined to reach your destination, no matter what

 

Leaving tomorrow for Ft. Myers for 2 nights at a friends house, then taking the https://www.keywestexpress.net/ to Key West for the weekend and spending Monday on Sanibel Island https://islandinnsanibel.com/

 

Noice.

6 hours ago, xzmattzx said:

Do you see this on the airline website?  Or does a travel agent mention it?  I knew that Iceland promotes staying overnight in general, hence the Icelandair promo, but never knew how you would see something like it.

https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/flights/stopover/index.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAopuvBhBCEiwAm8jaMcNy_2fraHMF-qUhWNdV1NdaFD6ph3W4Xodsfe7S0xu-N6xdF_8IHRoCTTgQAvD_BwE
 

Certain tickets are eligible for it I think.  

I have some time off after Easter, so I think I will head out to Chicago.  I actually think I'll drive, because I'll stay with my brother and his family in Gettysburg for a day, and then explore Indianapolis, Chicago, Indiana Dunes, N.P., and then visit family in Buffalo and catch the Flyers game that Friday night of that week.

 

Any food recommendations for Indianapolis and Chicago?  For Indianapolis, I want to try a pork tenderloin sandwich, which seems to be an Indiana thing (and Iowa thing).  Aristocrat Pub seems to be one of the best, but I am open to other options, especially those near Downtown or an Interstate.

 

For Chicago, I have heard about the gym shoe sandwich.  If Philly is known too well for cheesesteaks and not well enough for roasted pork sandwiches, then Chicago is known too well for deep dish pizza and Chicago hot dogs, but not well enough for gym shoe sandwiches.  Are there any other Chicago foods or restaurants that anyone recommends?

 

In Chicago, I am planning on going to Buddy Guy's Legends, finally after missing it 8 years ago, and then also the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge to see a real speakeasy, with trap doors and all.

 

Any recommendations for southern Michigan, if I drive though that area en route to Buffalo?

On 3/13/2024 at 4:01 PM, xzmattzx said:

I have some time off after Easter, so I think I will head out to Chicago.  I actually think I'll drive, because I'll stay with my brother and his family in Gettysburg for a day, and then explore Indianapolis, Chicago, Indiana Dunes, N.P., and then visit family in Buffalo and catch the Flyers game that Friday night of that week.

 

Any food recommendations for Indianapolis and Chicago?  For Indianapolis, I want to try a pork tenderloin sandwich, which seems to be an Indiana thing (and Iowa thing).  Aristocrat Pub seems to be one of the best, but I am open to other options, especially those near Downtown or an Interstate.

 

For Chicago, I have heard about the gym shoe sandwich.  If Philly is known too well for cheesesteaks and not well enough for roasted pork sandwiches, then Chicago is known too well for deep dish pizza and Chicago hot dogs, but not well enough for gym shoe sandwiches.  Are there any other Chicago foods or restaurants that anyone recommends?

 

In Chicago, I am planning on going to Buddy Guy's Legends, finally after missing it 8 years ago, and then also the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge to see a real speakeasy, with trap doors and all.

 

Any recommendations for southern Michigan, if I drive though that area en route to Buffalo?

Chicago - I was honestly not a fan of deep dish pizza.  Too thick for me, but most people swear by Lou Malnati's.  There are multiple locations.  Portillo's in River North has the best big beef sandwiches I've ever had in my life, and they're huge.  They also have great Chicago Style hot dogs.  For dinner or something fancier, one of our favorite spots right on the river was Smith & Wollensky's.  Other favorite places to eat were RPM Seafood, RPM Steakhouse, Chicago Cut, and Kinzie Chophouse.  

Brunch is insane in Chicago.  You can go almost anywhere downtown, River North, or Gold Coast for unlimited champagne, and amazing Bloody Mary's.  I don't know if they have this anymore, but Groupon used to have a $40 voucher for 2 for brunch at the Hubbard Inn that included a bottle of Prosecco.  We did that dozens of times!  

Headed to Disney World at the end of June, I'd booked our airline tickets months ago.  Found a flight leaving Greensboro at 7:37am, arriving in Orlando at 10:50am so we 'd get to Disney to start our vacation around noon.  About a month ago I got an email saying that they'd changed our first flight to leave at 7:00am instead of 7:37am.  . OK, that's early, but only a little over a half hour earlier so, even though we'll be wiped out by mid-afternoon I'll keep it.  This morning I got an email saying they'd changed our 1st flight to 6:34am. WTF???  That's not happening.  Had to get our flights changed again to leave at 8:38am but now we don't land in Orlando at 1:00pm.  What's the deal with changing the flight times repeatedly?  

On 4/3/2024 at 3:22 PM, The_Omega said:

Headed to Disney World at the end of June, I'd booked our airline tickets months ago.  Found a flight leaving Greensboro at 7:37am, arriving in Orlando at 10:50am so we 'd get to Disney to start our vacation around noon.  About a month ago I got an email saying that they'd changed our first flight to leave at 7:00am instead of 7:37am.  . OK, that's early, but only a little over a half hour earlier so, even though we'll be wiped out by mid-afternoon I'll keep it.  This morning I got an email saying they'd changed our 1st flight to 6:34am. WTF???  That's not happening.  Had to get our flights changed again to leave at 8:38am but now we don't land in Orlando at 1:00pm.  What's the deal with changing the flight times repeatedly?  

Fly on the 634 instead of being a bish! 
 

now, flights to Orlando changing are rare (unless you manage to get direct from a smaller regional airport), but living in MN and flying into a smaller regional airport in NY (by way of Detroit), and often booking flights 4-6+ months in advance when heading back home, almost EVERY flight gets at least 1 if not 2 changes to the departure times. 

On 3/13/2024 at 9:01 PM, xzmattzx said:

For Chicago, I have heard about the gym shoe sandwich.  If Philly is known too well for cheesesteaks and not well enough for roasted pork sandwiches, then Chicago is known too well for deep dish pizza and Chicago hot dogs, but not well enough for gym shoe sandwiches.  Are there any other Chicago foods or restaurants that anyone recommends?

 

In Chicago, I am planning on going to Buddy Guy's Legends, finally after missing it 8 years ago, and then also the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge to see a real speakeasy, with trap doors and all.

 

On 3/14/2024 at 9:23 PM, hputenis said:

Chicago - I was honestly not a fan of deep dish pizza.  Too thick for me, but most people swear by Lou Malnati's.  There are multiple locations.  Portillo's in River North has the best big beef sandwiches I've ever had in my life, and they're huge.  They also have great Chicago Style hot dogs.  For dinner or something fancier, one of our favorite spots right on the river was Smith & Wollensky's.  Other favorite places to eat were RPM Seafood, RPM Steakhouse, Chicago Cut, and Kinzie Chophouse.  

 

Sheet, I missed this one.  Sorry I'm late.  I was just in Chicago last summer for 5 days.  Such a great town to visit and amazing food.  We did go to Lou Malnati's and it was really good.  Deep dish isn't my favorite but it was great in any case.  There are so many great restaurants.  Our favorite place was Twin Anchors where we had an awesome rib/bbq dinner.  We also had a great Italian dinner on the way to watch the Cubs play.  Lots of excellent Italian food in Chicago as well.

Buddys Legends was killer.  Was it you @hputenis that recommended it to me when I asked about a Blues place?  So glad we visited for a night.

10 hours ago, Agent23 said:

Fly on the 634 instead of being a bish! 
 

now, flights to Orlando changing are rare (unless you manage to get direct from a smaller regional airport), but living in MN and flying into a smaller regional airport in NY (by way of Detroit), and often booking flights 4-6+ months in advance when heading back home, almost EVERY flight gets at least 1 if not 2 changes to the departure times. 

If it were just the boys and I we'd take the 6:34 every time.  It's not just us though and, with some of the other members of our party, it will be best just to get there 2 hours later. The flight from Charlotte to Orlando never really changed, it was just that 1st flight from Greensboro to Charlotte that did.  Hopefully it's all settled now.

20 hours ago, DrPhilly said:

 

 

Sheet, I missed this one.  Sorry I'm late.  I was just in Chicago last summer for 5 days.  Such a great town to visit and amazing food.  We did go to Lou Malnati's and it was really good.  Deep dish isn't my favorite but it was great in any case.  There are so many great restaurants.  Our favorite place was Twin Anchors where we had an awesome rib/bbq dinner.  We also had a great Italian dinner on the way to watch the Cubs play.  Lots of excellent Italian food in Chicago as well.

Buddys Legends was killer.  Was it you @hputenis that recommended it to me when I asked about a Blues place?  So glad we visited for a night.

I was the one that recommended Buddy Guy's Legends.  I went there myself, getting it off the bucket list, this past Wednesday night.  I saw Jimmy Burns perform there, and it was great.  There were some really great aspiring blues musicians there as well.

 

I got a gym shoe sandwich down on the south side beforehand.  It was pretty good, although I would've liked more toppings and slightly less meat.  Gym shoe sandwiches seem to be a little hard to come by in Chicago, kind of like finding a beef on weck sandwich in Buffalo anymore.

I took a trip out to the Midwest: Columbus>Indianapolis>Chicago>NW Indiana>Lansing>Buffalo (really where the Northeast US ends).  Here's my suggestions:

 

FOOD

~ Get a Columbus-style hamburger at the Thurman Cafe in the German Village neighborhood in Columbus.  Columbus loves sliders, so a Columbus-style burger is a 0.75-lb burger, which is so big that you need a big steak knife to cut it into quarters.  Then you get four big sliders.

~ Try a pork tenderloin sandwich in Indiana.  Get one that way overflows the bun, like this.  In Indianapolis, the Aristocrat Pub has the best pork tenderloin sandwich.

~ Just like everyone knows about cheesesteaks in Philly, but not roast pork sandwiches, everyone knows about deep dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs in Chicago, but not gym shoe sandwiches.  Gym shoe sandwiches are hard to find, actually.  I got one at Stony Sub on the South Side.  Sun Sub on the West Side is another place that has them.  A gym shoe sandwich is a cross between a gyro and a hoagie/sub. It has corned beef, roast beef, and gyro meat, with lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickled peppers.

~ Again, like cheesesteaks overshadow roast pork sandwiches in Philly, chicken wings (never called Buffalo wings) overshadow beef on weck sandwiches in Buffalo.  The best place in Buffalo for a beef on weck sandwich is Schwabl's in West Seneca.  It might be the best place in the world for a beef on weck sandwich.  The beef is carved at a carving station and all.

~ Steak N Shake is a nice little regional fast food chain.

~ Culver's is on par with Chick-Fil-A as having a cult following, but it's unknown outside of the Midwest.  I had never heard of it until 2019 when I went to Milwaukee (it's a Wisconsin chain, with its closest location to the Delaware Valley being Ohio).  The burgers are great, and the custard (ice cream with more butter in it) is great.  You may want to eat the ice cream first.

 

OTHER
 

~ Buddy Guy's Legends in the Loop in Chicago is the best blues bar in the world, from what I hear, and I believe it.  I recommended it here once, and I will recommend it even more after finally going there.

~ Indiana Dunes N.P. is worth a stop, especially in warmer weather.  There's a $25 entrance fee.  If the air is clear (so no humidity), you get amazing views of the Chicago skyline from the beach.

~ State capitols are always free to visit, and are worth stopping in when they are open.  I saw Ohio's and Indiana's capitol building interiors while I was exploring. (I've also been inside the capitol buildings for Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona.)

~ Check out the historic architecture in Downtown Buffalo. It is some of the best in the country.  The main buildings to check out, both inside and outside if you can, are City Hall, the Guaranty Building, Ellicott Square, the Old Post Office, the Buffalo Savings Bank, and the Electric Tower.

On 4/13/2024 at 12:29 AM, xzmattzx said:

I took a trip out to the Midwest: Columbus>Indianapolis>Chicago>NW Indiana>Lansing>Buffalo (really where the Northeast US ends).  Here's my suggestions:

 

FOOD

~ Get a Columbus-style hamburger at the Thurman Cafe in the German Village neighborhood in Columbus.  Columbus loves sliders, so a Columbus-style burger is a 0.75-lb burger, which is so big that you need a big steak knife to cut it into quarters.  Then you get four big sliders.

~ Try a pork tenderloin sandwich in Indiana.  Get one that way overflows the bun, like this.  In Indianapolis, the Aristocrat Pub has the best pork tenderloin sandwich.

~ Just like everyone knows about cheesesteaks in Philly, but not roast pork sandwiches, everyone knows about deep dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs in Chicago, but not gym shoe sandwiches.  Gym shoe sandwiches are hard to find, actually.  I got one at Stony Sub on the South Side.  Sun Sub on the West Side is another place that has them.  A gym shoe sandwich is a cross between a gyro and a hoagie/sub. It has corned beef, roast beef, and gyro meat, with lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickled peppers.

~ Again, like cheesesteaks overshadow roast pork sandwiches in Philly, chicken wings (never called Buffalo wings) overshadow beef on weck sandwiches in Buffalo.  The best place in Buffalo for a beef on weck sandwich is Schwabl's in West Seneca.  It might be the best place in the world for a beef on weck sandwich.  The beef is carved at a carving station and all.

~ Steak N Shake is a nice little regional fast food chain.

~ Culver's is on par with Chick-Fil-A as having a cult following, but it's unknown outside of the Midwest.  I had never heard of it until 2019 when I went to Milwaukee (it's a Wisconsin chain, with its closest location to the Delaware Valley being Ohio).  The burgers are great, and the custard (ice cream with more butter in it) is great.  You may want to eat the ice cream first.

 

OTHER
 

~ Buddy Guy's Legends in the Loop in Chicago is the best blues bar in the world, from what I hear, and I believe it.  I recommended it here once, and I will recommend it even more after finally going there.

~ Indiana Dunes N.P. is worth a stop, especially in warmer weather.  There's a $25 entrance fee.  If the air is clear (so no humidity), you get amazing views of the Chicago skyline from the beach.

~ State capitols are always free to visit, and are worth stopping in when they are open.  I saw Ohio's and Indiana's capitol building interiors while I was exploring. (I've also been inside the capitol buildings for Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona.)

~ Check out the historic architecture in Downtown Buffalo. It is some of the best in the country.  The main buildings to check out, both inside and outside if you can, are City Hall, the Guaranty Building, Ellicott Square, the Old Post Office, the Buffalo Savings Bank, and the Electric Tower.

Spoiler

 

If you ever go to Puerto Rico any time soon, they have rolling blackouts and rolling water-outs down there.  I stayed at an Air BnB in San Juan last week, and had to go a whole day with no power, and at the same time a whole day with no running water, then to have it turn on the next morning, and then get shut off again that afternoon until the following morning again.  Keep that in mind if you are debating between an Air BnB and a hotel down there.

16 hours ago, xzmattzx said:

If you ever go to Puerto Rico any time soon, they have rolling blackouts and rolling water-outs down there.  I stayed at an Air BnB in San Juan last week, and had to go a whole day with no power, and at the same time a whole day with no running water, then to have it turn on the next morning, and then get shut off again that afternoon until the following morning again.  Keep that in mind if you are debating between an Air BnB and a hotel down there.

[CVON]  Good practice for when the rolling blackouts start up here.  [/CVON]

My guys trip never materialized, but we did end up doing 4 days at Disney with our 3 year old son and another family.  2 hotel pool days 2 park days.  Disney is, well, Disney.  All the good and all the bad that everyone knows.  Everything is as you’d expect (some great rides, magic for the kids, brutal lines, poor value)….but noteworthy (IMO) was the Tron ride…that was amazing…and just how awful food and drinks in the park were.

Working on a California trip early this summer.  Visiting my sister/brother-in-law at Hermosa for a couple days…but then we want to take a road trip to Yosemite.  I’ve done all of the CA coast a few times and wanted to take it inland to the national parks.  I wanted to finish at Tahoe, but I wonder if that may be too ambitious….and it seems that, lately, Tahoe has become very congested and overcrowded.  

Anyone familiar with the area?

1 hour ago, eagle45 said:

My guys trip never materialized, but we did end up doing 4 days at Disney with our 3 year old son and another family.  2 hotel pool days 2 park days.  Disney is, well, Disney.  All the good and all the bad that everyone knows.  Everything is as you’d expect (some great rides, magic for the kids, brutal lines, poor value)….but noteworthy (IMO) was the Tron ride…that was amazing…and just how awful food and drinks in the park were.

We were there in 2022. It was a notable time as James Harden played his first game for the 76ers, and Russia invaded Ukraine. Both while we were on our trip. I had fun filled days at the parks, and then sat down to tons of news, and some 6ers action to watch on my phone while winding down at night.

Planning a trip back for March. This time bringing my parents along. My mom always said a bucket list item was doing disney with our kids. We booked 7 nights. Arrival day will be spent at Disney Springs. Then 5 park days, with 1 rest day somewhere in between.

I only recall 2 meals which were very meh... The rest were pretty normal meals like I could get any day at home. You can watch foodie videos on youtube where people talk so much about the restaurants, or the snacks, or the temporary offerings. The food is definitely so very over hyped. I wouldnt complain but it certainly wasnt anything to brag about. I think youre best saving your money there and eating simple things. Theres probably nothing worth paying Michelin type prices for.

 

That trip basically blows the vacation budget and then some before summer even begins next year. So we are also talking about 1-2 days in Niagra Falls just to do something during summer.