Delta had a horrific memorial day weekend It's a systematic problem that is industry wide. There's no way to hide from it. There's shortages on all levels of aviation now from pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, bag throwers, etc.
Sunset stand up paddle board tour was coolest thing did in Toronto. You take a ferry out to the barrier islands in Lake Ontario. View from the water is amazing. I took those pics with my phone and almost fell in the drink on the last one bc choppy water and my trying to get the best shot lol
I might take a stance against out of state weddings. 4-5 a year, maybe $1,600 each if you bring a date, plus time off.
This upcoming weekend will be the 7th wedding I've attended since March 25, 2022--7 weddings over 12 weekends--and every single one has required travel and/or lodging. At 34yo, I thought this stage of life was behind me, but 4 out of the 7 have been my friends rather than BFF's. To make it work with work, I've been working 60 hour weeks Monday - Thursday. I don't have any desire to tally up how much $$ I've spent. Pretty sure I've spent over a grand just on dog boarding. I think these have been a mix of late bloomers and COVID delays, but if the stars ever align again for this many weddings to happen in a six-month span, I'm definitely taking a stance and saying "nah brah." At least I get to finish this little run of weddings in Aspen. Downside is that I've missed so much work I'm only going for the weekend.
Anyone who flies American a lot who can give experience with staffing issues/cancellations? I haven’t flown American in several years, but have a tight connect from Cincinnati-Dallas-Fresno both ways.
Same as any other airline as far as reliability at the moment, but your layover could be tight depending on which gate/terminal you arrive and depart from
It’s a full flight, so a cancellation seems like a bad choice for American. We’re using Fresno as a jump off point for Yosemite and Sequoia, not for the wonderful tourist sites in Fresno.
Should be fine. I just flew American from Phx to Heathrow and everything went smoothly. My experiences at Sky Harbor have all been pretty good - efficient for the most part, generally a newer/more traveler friendly airport but nothing overly extravagant.
The Dallas airport for short layovers is pretty shitty. The terminals are just way to large so even an hour layover for me has been just speed walking between gates with no down time. Godspeed if you've got less then an hour layover and need to change terminals.
Don’t stay by the airport. You’ll instantly regret it. It’s an industrial waste land and even if you have a car, it’ll be a huge pain to drive in and out of the city every day given the traffic and parking costs.
I will admit, they always end up fun and a good excuse to see people, but they keep ending up in locations I've been several times.
i was long a hater but excellence playa mujeres is now a yearly visit to escape the freeze. its by most measurements the most highly rated not obscenely expensive option. also congrats
Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Its a small island but has a pretty modern set of hotels/tourist industry. January-April is their best weather. Very cool active volcano/steam vents on part of the island that is an easy day trip. Awesome beaches/views where everyone stays on the other side. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucia All the standard all-inclusive branded chains are there—Sandals, etc.
Well one is for coming and the other for going so they serve different purposes. in general Id say global entry is no longer a necessity because reentry to the US has been streamlined greatly for Americans, but depending on the airport could still be highly recommended
I actually google some shit about honeymoons in St. Lucia last night and requested some info on some packages. Some lady emailed me today and we've been going back and forth a bit. I can't wait to get scammed out of thousands of dollars.
This kinda threw me off as my correspondence for honeymoon planning was done almost entirely through email as well - and if I recall correctly, through a weird domain (e.g. not using .com in the email address). This was French Polynesia specifically, but thankfully the booking was shown in my Hilton app since it was Conrad property.
This is all based on personal preference obviously but I looked into St Lucia for my honeymoon and it was pretty pricey. Can go to Europe for the same price so I chose Europe over St Lucia since I didn’t want to just sit on a beach the entire time. St Lucia looks beautiful though.
Depending on the airport (availability), mobile passport is a huge time saver if you don’t have global entry.
Most of the hotels are in the downtown core (south of Bloor St, east of Bathurst St, and west of Jarvis St), but I’d recommend there regardless since you’re then close to the subway, the island ferry, Rogers Centre, etc. In Toronto but outside of the downtown core can be cool to visit (Danforth, Queen West, Leslieville being some notable neighbourhoods) but I don’t believe there’s much in terms of hotels. I won’t recommend airbnb given the havoc they’ve created in the city. Outside of the city is a bit difficult since like most of North America it’s suburbia/business parks, so I’d be wary about ending up somewhere in the middle of nowhere (tourist wise). Also, check out Suresh Doss’ guide for international/ethnic food, which is one of Toronto’s biggest advantages. There’s a link to the googlemaps list he created on this page: http://www.sureshdoss.com/cbc-food-guide
Headed to Lisbon and Granada in a couple weeks. Gimme some recs, obvious points already covered. Looking for food just hits, off the beaten path stuff, wineries. Love cheap Portuguese wine.
I will second Excellence Playa Mujeres. We did our honeymoon there and have zero regrets. If you’re looking for relaxation and good food, it’s definitely a great choice.
I’m in Excellence El Carmen in Punta Cana in October. I’ve read and heard some good things, so I hope I have a similar experience.
Just got back from two weeks in Italy, here are some highlights. Generally food/wine focused: Langhe Stayed at Villa Roccaverano and while the town is cool, it's a pain in the ass to get anywhere. Gorgeous pool/views, but not a great airbnb option if you like creature comforts. Best meal, by far, was Umano in Neive after tasting at Cigliuti. Milan Ridiculous dinner at L'Alchimia for tasting menu and a great bottle list. Rabbit wellington might be my dish of the year so far. Just ridiculously good. Market Centrale at Milano Centrale is a fantastic option for lunch while waiting for a train. Florence Stayed at Hotel Calimala and can't say enough good things about it. Modern rooms w/ classic decor, nice rooftop bar and centrally located. Killer dinner at Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino on night one with their chitarra tripperia being an absolute knock out dish. Wine bar of the year is Le Volpi e l'Uva. Spent about four hours at the bar top and they have killer recommendations with delicious toasts and charcuterie for snacks. Can't recommend it enough. La Pescataria is, perhaps, the worst meal out I've had in years. Lunch consisted of panino hopping and our two favorites were at Amorini Panini e Vino Firenze (mortadella and negronis) and Da Narbone for porchetta and lampredotto (both impossibly juicy and delicious). Tuscany Stayed at Hotel la Fontanelle and it's just...fucking perfect. Unreal hospitality, great pool, and their on-site restaurant is amazing with ridiculous views across southern Chianti. Had a fantastic tour at Rocca di Montegrossi–one of my two favorite producers of Chianti Classico–and a less than awesome one at Felsina. Rome Keeping it brief, Rome remains the shit. There's no place, for me, that I enjoy simply leaving the hotel in the morning and seeing where you end up that day. First night's dinner was at La Ciambella for their tasting menu and it was a star, between the sweetbreads and carbonara. Killer wine list with tons of aged wines under 60 eu. Pizzeria Da Bafetto was knock out as well, especially the Pizza Bafetto w/ all the toppings. Impossibly thin, crispy, and super good sauce. Beer bar Open Baladin was our rescue from 94 degrees and their 'nazionale' lager was ice cold and fucking delicious. Another great beer bar was Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fà. Tons of Cantillon for those who love it and a nice selection of IPAs in addition to belgium wheats.
I like staying at the Sheraton on Queen. Centrally located although it might still be under renos. Delta near the arena is a good spot too. Then you can make your way over to SteamWhistle Brewery. Cool location.
Outside the city…meh. If you are downtown I’d do the double decker tour. Get a good sense of the core of the city.
Yeah, that's my debate. Downtown is super expensive, but it would allow me to be in the middle of everything and just be able to park the car (which I'll have to pay for) and not have to really pay for any gas. The suburbs means much cheaper hotels (and free parking) but you're going to be paying for gas by driving into the city every day and then paying to park in the city. Feels a little like six in one hand and a half-dozen in the other.
I'm from Atlanta, we don't have efficient, functioning public transportation. Thanks for the heads up.
Spent $150 for two tests to come back from Costa Rica last week. Didn’t even need a test to go there. Happy that’s over.
Sticking to the USA, but pretty excited. Headed to Rosemary next week at the Pearl. Any recs appreciated.
The foreign countries this year have been giving the weakest of covid tests. Barely scraping your nose or tongue. It's clear they don't want to have to deal with tracking and housing Americans when the rest of Europe has dropped the testing requirement. Last year places took it really seriously but this year it's become a joke. Glad we're finally dropping it.