Scoop Airport/Hotel/Travel Thread

[Dr. Blackheart]

https://instagram.com/passengershaming?igshid=n8lzp8grzuqc

Any Scoopers in here?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Damn, there are a lot of messed up people on a plane.  WTF?

[Galway Eagle]

Grand Rapids recommendations anyone?

[Spotcheck Billy]

Founders Brewing?

[Galway Eagle]

Founders Brewing?

Yeah that's about all I know about the place

[tower912]

Grand Rapids recommendations anyone?

Recommendations for what?   When will you be here and for how long?    Business or pleasure?     I am your GRR huckleberry.   

[Galway Eagle]

 

Recommendations for what?   When will you be here and for how long?    Business or pleasure?     I am your GRR huckleberry.   

Thursday mid day to Friday afternoon for pleasure. Ideally two restaurants, a cool bar and if there's a more unique brewery than founders you'd suggest. Also at least one cheap dive food spot.

[tower912]

This week?    Where are you staying?    What is your favorite kind of diner dive food?   

https://harmonybeer.com/
http://www.mittenbrewing.com/
https://www.perrinbrewing.com/
http://newhollandbrew.com/knickerbocker/
https://www.atwaterbeer.com/locations/atwater-grand-rapids/

If you are staying downtown, New Holland and Atwater are within walking distance, a little less than 1/2 mile apart, crossing the river.   
Mitten is a mile and a half from downtown,  has phenomenal pizza and good homemade beer.    If you are really feeling adventurous, try the Westerdog pizza.   
Harmony has two locations, in opposite directions from downtown.    I recommend the Eastown location.   
Perrin is about 6 miles from downtown, but has a good menu and my personal favorite, Perrin Black Ale.   

If you are downtown and just want to eat stupid, I recommend Stella's   https://www.stellasgr.com/

Or the original Hopcat.     http://www.hopcat.com/

If you are staying out by the airport, honestly, it feels like any other generic upscale suburb.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Things that bother me about air travel...and safety.

Getting banged on the head in my aisle seat by clueless dorks with backpacks who can't carry them at waist level as they enter the plane.

The up and downers to the overhead bins.

Families who let their young kids take over the luggage carousel (Hint: They cannot carry your overstuffed 60 pound luggage bag and the carousel isn't a playground).

[🏀]

Alright looking at a winter vacation resorts, criteria:

1. Non-stop from ORD. MKE would be a plus if possible.
2. All-inclusive. Don't care what your opinion is.
3. Within 60 minutes from destination airport, we'll have a private transfer, but prefer not to spend a lot of time in transit.
4. Golf nearby or included.

Adults only preferred, butler service is nice. Prefer to be on the ocean, but not a dealbreaker. Good food is a priority, but the all inclusive part understands the quality may be lacking.

I'm going to get 4ever's suggestion of Hedo out of the way, we're not looking at getting into that. I'd have to grow a mustache and get all kinds of robes and lotions and I'd need a new bedspread and new curtains I'd have to get thick carpeting and weirdo lighting.

[dgies9156]

Cabo San Lucas. Best beaches. Wonderful restaurants and great people.

More than a few all-inclusive resorts if that's your gig.

Non-stop from ORD on AA and UA.

[Benny B]

Grand Rapids recommendations anyone?

It's been more than a few years since I was a regular visitor in GR, but if you have the means, I highly suggest the JW Marriott.

[Marquette Gyros]

This week?    Where are you staying?    What is your favorite kind of diner dive food?   

https://harmonybeer.com/
http://www.mittenbrewing.com/
https://www.perrinbrewing.com/
http://newhollandbrew.com/knickerbocker/
https://www.atwaterbeer.com/locations/atwater-grand-rapids/

If you are staying downtown, New Holland and Atwater are within walking distance, a little less than 1/2 mile apart, crossing the river.   
Mitten is a mile and a half from downtown,  has phenomenal pizza and good homemade beer.    If you are really feeling adventurous, try the Westerdog pizza.   
Harmony has two locations, in opposite directions from downtown.    I recommend the Eastown location.   
Perrin is about 6 miles from downtown, but has a good menu and my personal favorite, Perrin Black Ale.   

If you are downtown and just want to eat stupid, I recommend Stella's   https://www.stellasgr.com/

Or the original Hopcat.     http://www.hopcat.com/

If you are staying out by the airport, honestly, it feels like any other generic upscale suburb.

Love GR. Great recommendations above.

Really +1 to Harmony Brewing, and +1 for the Eastown recommendation. Outstanding pizza & good beer options.

The JW is probably nicest to stay; the Homewood Suites is better than what the brand usually offers, although $30+ overnight for parking is BS in GR.

Others:

- Brewery Vivant - great Belgian beer; go for lunch or dinner as the food is outstanding.
- The Chop House is your local flagship steakhouse; was impressed late last year.
- Madcap Coffee makes a mean cortado & was one of the first 3rd wave coffeeshops in the country. Rowster on Wealthy also gets the job done.
- Craft Beer Cellar to bring home bottles/cans from 40+ local breweries - all from one place.

In Holland - about a half-hour away - huge fan of almost everything on tap at Big Lake Brewing.

[tower912]

30 years in GR for me.    Agreed on everything.    Except I don't drink coffee.   

[tower912]

Galway Eagle, where did you end up going?  Or did you just stay in?

[Galway Eagle]

Galway Eagle, where did you end up going?  Or did you just stay in?

Thought I PM'd you letting you know and thanking you for all the recommendations.

Ended up doing Perrin, Founders, and Atwater when we arrived. The B.O.B that night. New Holand and Mitten the next day for lunch.

Also checked out the Meijer Japanese Garden and a cool coffee truck called outdoor coffee. We were staying on 28th and Buchanon which I would not do again though.

It's a much bigger city than I expected and I would 100% go back. Only bust was Atwater, didn't care for the beer and it was abandoned save a little league baseball team having dinner in the back room. Every other spot was fantastic.

[tower912]

Yeah, don't do 28th and Buchanan.  Glad you had fun.

[shoothoops]

One interesting aspect is what airline you fly into a specific airport. Sky Harbor is a great example, as Terminal 2 (United) is terrible, but if you go to the Southwest Terminal, it's great, totally different experience.

I also knock down PHX for the 10 minute drive to the car rental facility.

This. In some of the older posts on here people mentioned Lambert. Were/Are those people flying in and out of the Southwest terminal? That's the only way to do it there. Locals all fly Southwest, which has its own terminal there whenever possible. It's been that way there for many years. It's way better. American was the big airline there prior to that, as it had a big hub there. And of course TWA was there. Different terminals matter sometimes in different airports.

[Dr. Blackheart]

I'd add a. Day to Barcelona and take one away from Sevilla.
There are some great beer bars in Barcelona. Will get you a list if interested.

Take tuk-tuk tour in Lisbon. Great way to see the city. Do it on the first day. Eat in the a Time Out market. Eat peri peri chicken.  Go to Belen. And Sinatra. Make a day of it.

Where you staying (specific area or property)?  Porto is the bomb too.

[BM1090]

Where you staying (specific area or property)?  Porto is the bomb too.

Gothic Quarter in Barcelona. Calle Lanza near Casa de Pilatos in Sevilla.

Airbnb near Masa Hotel Almirante in Lisbon. On R. De Tomas Gonzaga near Cometa restaurant in Porto

[dgies9156]

This. In some of the older posts on here people mentioned Lambert. Were/Are those people flying in and out of the Southwest terminal? That's the only way to do it there. Locals all fly Southwest, which has its own terminal there whenever possible. It's been that way there for many years. It's way better. American was the big airline there prior to that, as it had a big hub there. And of course TWA was there. Different terminals matter sometimes in different airports.

American and TWA were one in the same. American acquired TWA just about the time TWA was on its last legs. Much of what TWA had in St. Louis came from TWA's acquisition of Ozark.

St. Louisians fly Southwest because its about the only way you can get anywhere from St. Louis non-stop without passing through a hub somewhere else. Southwest also offers the opportunity to fly on real jets (no matter how cramped) rather than third-rate flying partners on crapjets.

The TWA acquisition and addition of the St. Louis hub was one of the dumber things American ever did. While they may have picked up some slots into London, they acquired a hub in St. Louis that was duplicative of Chicago and Dallas (and about an hour's flying time from either). And, with the years-later acquisition of US Air (aka US Scare), the hub American acquired from TWA at JFK was redundant with US Scare's principal hub at Philadelphia.

Not quite as bad as Pan Am's acquisition of National but up there.

[shoothoops]

American and TWA were one in the same. American acquired TWA just about the time TWA was on its last legs. Much of what TWA had in St. Louis came from TWA's acquisition of Ozark.

St. Louisians fly Southwest because its about the only way you can get anywhere from St. Louis non-stop without passing through a hub somewhere else. Southwest also offers the opportunity to fly on real jets (no matter how cramped) rather than third-rate flying partners on crapjets.

The TWA acquisition and addition of the St. Louis hub was one of the dumber things American ever did. While they may have picked up some slots into London, they acquired a hub in St. Louis that was duplicative of Chicago and Dallas (and about an hour's flying time from either). And, with the years-later acquisition of US Air (aka US Scare), the hub American acquired from TWA at JFK was redundant with US Scare's principal hub at Philadelphia.

Not quite as bad as Pan Am's acquisition of National but up there.

St. Louis was the largest hub for TWA. Ozark bought it's airplanes from McDonnell and Douglas which later merged and headquartered there. Later bought by Boeing. Just 20 years ago Lambert had the 8th most flights per day. Airline deregulation hurt St. Louis as did antitrust anti-monopoly legislation in the 70's and 80's. It went from mid 20's fortune 500 companies to half of that amount. This also hurt other mid sized cities/metros.

Yep. Fun fact. TWA was the original football dome sponsor there. The seats were even red and never changed color.

[jsglow]

It just shows me how time flies.  I remember flying TWA when our kids were young and changing planes in SLU on the way to Tampa.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

JFK Airport just opened the TWA Hotel in the old Eero Saarinen designed TWA Terminal.  It is TWA themed.

[jsglow]

JFK Airport just opened the TWA Hotel in the old Eero Saarinen designed TWA Terminal.  It is TWA themed.

I saw that featured on some TV show.  Seems like a nostalgic waste of money to me.