The New Travel Thread: Now with write ups in the OP

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Jax Teller, Apr 8, 2015.

  1. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    skytrain works fine. or get your hotel to call you a car. nice car, no meter, flat fee.
     
    BayouMafia and ohhaithur like this.
  2. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

  3. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    If you don't start every conversation with "parlez vous anglais" you're dumb and deserve mean things to happen to you

    (unless you speak french, of course)
     
    Where Eagles Dare likes this.
  4. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    No real reason to take public transportation with bags when cars are so cheap
     
  5. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    Parisians love nothing more than getting a chance to speak English
     
    M'ark Pepperonio and Keef like this.
  6. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    Its really quick.
     
  7. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    I had 0 problems with any there but I'm the only one
     
  8. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    I used them, but uber seemed a little bit nicer and cheaper
     
  9. pianoman

    pianoman my drinks are free
    Donor TMB OG
    Michigan WolverinesChicago CubsDetroit Red Wings

    I keep getting mixed reviews on this. Half the people I've spoken to who have been recently said every one was friendly and most will willing speak English if you ask them. Other half say everyone was rude.
    We're following it up with a week in Scotland so I'm sure that will be much easier to deal with.
     
  10. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Like I said, if you open in French the meanest you'll get is "non"
     
    pianoman likes this.
  11. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    My wife speaks French so I really don't know.

    I just let her talk all the time. I was being sarcastic. If you go speaking English, you'll have some issues but not awful. Most countries prefer you at least try
     
    Keef and pianoman like this.
  12. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson TideSeattle MarinersAtlanta BravesNew Orleans Saints

    Scotland will be pretty damn difficult, too. Maybe harder than a non-native English speaker. Swear some of those fuckers are speaking an entirely different language.
     
    Nole0515 and Where Eagles Dare like this.
  13. pianoman

    pianoman my drinks are free
    Donor TMB OG
    Michigan WolverinesChicago CubsDetroit Red Wings

    Well we're spending almost the entire trip hiking the highlands so there won't be too much interaction with locals outside of meals.
     
  14. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    I loved Scotland, would like to go back and spend most of the time up north as opposed to the Edinburgh area
     
    pianoman likes this.
  15. TLAU

    TLAU Dog Crew
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesAustin FC

    that sounds/looks awesome. idea got pivoted real quick to a first week of december ski trip. what are the popular TMB spots or is there a thread for ski trips? Buddy of mine is suggesting getting a group for the south shore of Lake Tahoe. Anyone have likes/dislikes here?
     
  16. tne

    tne Now tagging people with spaces in their name
    TMB OG

    puttering around Montreal this week. Any random suggestions?
     
  17. Pasta88

    Pasta88 Canes, Bruins, Raps, Jays and Sunderland.
    Donor
    Miami HurricanesToronto Blue JaysToronto RaptorsBoston BruinsSunderland

    I was just there last month and had no problems speaking english. Although it's a bit easier for me since I know some random words from French in school and since our food labels have both english and french sides.

    I feel like it's overblown because there's no way Parisians in service jobs are going to be stuck up to most of the rest of Europe/North America who don't speak French and make up a large percentage of the city's tourists.
     
    pianoman likes this.
  18. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    2 days in Minneapolis. never been. potential moving destination.

    what things must I do, want the wife to want to move there

    (going to hit Spoon and Stable bar then have a later reservation at Butcher and Boar friday night)
     
  19. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    Rabid
     
  20. Alshon

    Alshon Well-Known Member
    Donor
    South Carolina Gamecocks

    There's a Montreal thread somewhere. Has some good recs in there.
     
    enjj likes this.
  21. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    Better hurry up and take her before it gets cold there. You can walk from on side of downtown to the other and never go outside. A maze of tunnels and bridges under/between buildings.
     
    Lyrtch likes this.
  22. Rabid

    Rabid Fan of: DQ Treats
    Donor TMB OG
    Minnesota Golden Gophers

    You're good on food. In Downtown I would say Nicollet Mall but it's still under construction. The southern part near Brit's Pub (worth the visit for the rooftop patio) and The Local (great Irish Pub) is mostly done and that is probably the best area anyway. Randle's is a good sports bar in that area too. There is good stuff...lots of theatres, rooftop restaurant/bars, etc in the Warehouse District near Target Center/Target Field too but I would avoid the area at bar close because it is a bit of a shitshow at 2 am.

    Places to see/hang out...North Loop (this is where Spoon and Stable and Bachelor Farmer is...Bar La Grassa is another great restaurant in the area and there are a couple great basement bars Marvel Bar (hidden under Bachelor Farmer with a back entrance and Parlour Bar (underneath Borough). Great place to live, walking distance from Target Field, river, etc. There are also a few breweries: Fulton, Modist, Inbound, etc.

    Nordeast/St. Anthony Main:
    it starts right across the Hennepin Ave bridge from Downtown/North Loop area. St. Anthony Main is the birthplace of the city with a historic brick main street and a bunch of coffee shops, bars and restaurants and great views of the city and is really well known for the Stone Arch Bridge. If you go up either Main Street (which turns in to Marshall) or University Ave it turns in to a more eclectic mix of bars (and dive bars) that all have a lot of character. Betty Danger's Country Club, Psycho Suzie's, Tony Jaros (greenies), Gasthof's (German restaurant with polka band in the basement on weekends and boots of beer). Along Central Ave is more of a Hispanic immigrant community but before you get to that you have a pocket with a bunch of old warehouses that are now breweries.

    Uptown/LynLake:
    Centered around Hennepin Ave from Franklin to Lake St (30th) and then over to Lyndale Ave. Popular artsy place for 20-somethings and early 30s.. Traffic and parking is a challenge so I generally avoid it but there are good restaurants (Heyday in particular, World Street Kitchen is also great fast casual), shopping, bars and then you have Lake Calhoun.

    Minnehaha Falls. Beautiful park area.

    Breweries: Surly (for quality), Bauhaus (for outdoor area)...nearby there are Indeed Brewery, 612 Brew, Sociable Cider Works and Dangerous Man all in NE. And then the stuff by North Loop with Fulton probably being the best quality (Fulton 300 is a good IPA).

    Is there anything else you're specifically looking for? The only areas to generally avoid are North Minneapolis and Phillips Neighborhood although that is where the hospitals are.

    Where are you staying?
     
    #10772 Rabid, Sep 12, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2017
    CoastalOrange and Lyrtch like this.
  23. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    more than I could have hoped. hotel is in the dead center of downtown. from my rudimentary research over the last few months an apartment/condo in the north loop is where we'd live.

    100% going to hit some of the bars mentioned, going to hit Surly after I drop the wife off at the interview
     
  24. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
    Donor
    North Carolina State Wolfpack

    Maybe we just got unlucky but on our honeymoon my wife was literally told to "fuck off" because she didn't know any french. Also, had a couple of waiters be decently snarky about us needing an english menu. I tried to speak as much French as I could (a very small amount) but it didn't seem to really help much.
     
  25. Pasta88

    Pasta88 Canes, Bruins, Raps, Jays and Sunderland.
    Donor
    Miami HurricanesToronto Blue JaysToronto RaptorsBoston BruinsSunderland

    Fair enough. Maybe I just got lucky.
     
  26. kentucky_dawg

    kentucky_dawg Fan of: Georgia
    Donor
    Georgia Bulldogs

    Is AirAisia a pretty decent option when flying between locations in Thailand? Anyone on here used them before?
     
  27. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
    Staff Donor
    LSU TigersTexas RangersNew Orleans SaintsFulhamDulwich Hamlet

    I speak French pretty well and when I'm in France, especially Paris, most people speak English back to me because they figure their English is better than my French, which is true. Never had or seen anyone be as overtly rude like what happened with Russellin4885 but I don't doubt that it happened. There are shitty people worldwide.

    I've actually been a bit surprised by the patience some French show with some of the more ignorant Americans. The guy taking tickets at L'Orangerie a few years ago is a saint for how he endured the barrage of louder and louder english this one dumb bitch kept directing at him because he wouldn't let her enter 10 minutes before it opened for the day.
     
    Rabid and Fran Tarkenton like this.
  28. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Colorado BuffaloesOakland RaidersFulhamLos Angeles Angels of AnaheimUnited States Men's National Soccer Team

    Yes. They are totally fine. Much better than US based budget airlines. I think we paid like $8 to upgrade to a bulkhead.
     
    kentucky_dawg likes this.
  29. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    All of those small regional Thai airlines are great
     
    kentucky_dawg likes this.
  30. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

  31. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    Rabid

    may be way out of your scope but any thoughts on north loop apartment/condo buildings? theres like 90 of them
     
  32. Rabid

    Rabid Fan of: DQ Treats
    Donor TMB OG
    Minnesota Golden Gophers

    Most went up in the last 10 years and the last time I was in the market for a condo was 2006 so I don't know them well. I've been in many but don't even know the names of half of them. If you ask on specific ones I can look them up and give feedback if I know them. I think hardcorekickball lives in the one above Whole Foods on Henn & Wash.
     
    Lyrtch likes this.
  33. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    was reading about those today

    hardcorekickball thoughts as I'm trying to knock down the 900 to like 3 I might visit over two days
     
  34. Rabid

    Rabid Fan of: DQ Treats
    Donor TMB OG
    Minnesota Golden Gophers

    I've never been there but the pool area looks awesome based upon the pictures I've seen posted by friends.
     
    hardcorekickball and Lyrtch like this.
  35. Rabid

    Rabid Fan of: DQ Treats
    Donor TMB OG
    Minnesota Golden Gophers

    Btw- Lyrtch - Thanks for the Block 15 Recommendation in the PDX thread. We stopped there when I was in Corvallis last week. The Perishable Produce IPA (seasonal) was fantastic.
     
    Lyrtch likes this.
  36. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    just finished my last can tonight, bought a bunch to take to a retreat this weekend and got rave reviews by the cunty beer drinkers

    they do fantastic stuff basically across the board but its clear the owner prefers IPAs and Sours, which works out for me
     
  37. hardcorekickball

    hardcorekickball the meatus of the penis
    Donor
    Kansas City RoyalsChelseaSporting Kansas CityMinnesota WildKansas State WildcatsKansas City Chiefs

    222 is pretty awesome, especially the rooftop. it has a great view of downtown. the apartments across the street, Maverick, is brand new and loosk really nice as well, but is a bit more expensive. i think they have like three separate rooftop areas. there are a few that are right by 2 really awesome breweries, but i can't remember what they are called.
     
    Lyrtch likes this.
  38. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

  39. Tilly

    Tilly Souf Cack
    Donor TMB OG
    South Carolina Gamecocks

    Planning on going to the Caribbean from like Dec 27th through Jan 3rd.

    Any tips or suggestions on where to go?
     
  40. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    Not the virgin islands
     
    tmbrules likes this.
  41. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    Don't stay at a Sandals
     
    Where Eagles Dare likes this.
  42. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    How often do yall order pizza delivery?
     
  43. SugarShaun

    SugarShaun A man of many hobbies
    Donor
    Ohio State BuckeyesCincinnati RedsCleveland BrownsManchester CityColumbus CrewUnited States Men's National Soccer Team

    Once every month or 2
     
  44. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    Lol whoops wrong thread. Thought I still had that pizza one open
     
    SugarShaun likes this.
  45. Tilly

    Tilly Souf Cack
    Donor TMB OG
    South Carolina Gamecocks

    I'm still not sure that wasn't a Freudian dig at me. :dubioustrump:
     
  46. SugarShaun

    SugarShaun A man of many hobbies
    Donor
    Ohio State BuckeyesCincinnati RedsCleveland BrownsManchester CityColumbus CrewUnited States Men's National Soccer Team

    I thought I was in the RTT
     
  47. dahldennsull

    dahldennsull Living in the best state
    Donor
    Oklahoma City ThunderCleveland BrownsOklahoma SoonersHouston Oilers

    while I would agree about the generic ones, I highly recommend Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios Jamaica. It's technically owned by them but was a private property next door they bought out. Full butler service, incredible restaurants, nothing like the standard sandals that are everywhere. Very small (like 80 rooms), not even much of a pool, but purely private beach, 5 star service and amenities and incredible spot to relax.
     
  48. enjj

    enjj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Had friends stay at the Sandals south coast in Jamaica and said it was their worst experience ever at a resort.
     
  49. enjj

    enjj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Who are you going with?