Scoop Airport/Hotel/Travel Thread

[lawdog77]

Seattle reccommendations?

I have 24 hours in Seattle before going fly fishing in Montana. Never been, so any must sees/must easts?

[warriorchick]

Seattle reccommendations?

I have 24 hours in Seattle before going fly fishing in Montana. Never been, so any must sees/must easts?

Museum of Pop Culture
Chihuly Museum

Make sure you go to a good seafood restaurant (there are many) and east some wild caught salmon.  Salty's is the go-to if you are willing to spend the money.

If you are a beer lover, visit the Ballard neighborhood.  Over a dozen microbreweries within a few blocks of each other.

[warriorchick]

Glow and I are visiting London soon.

Which sites are overrated?  Which are underrated?

Any restaurant/pub recommendations?  Not looking for anything fancy.  We especially like historic places.  Also maybe a good Indian restaurant.

[panda]

Glow and I are visiting London soon.

Which sites are overrated?  Which are underrated?

Any restaurant/pub recommendations?  Not looking for anything fancy.  We especially like historic places.  Also maybe a good Indian restaurant.

Dishoom

[Galway Eagle]

Glow and I are visiting London soon.

Which sites are overrated?  Which are underrated?

Any restaurant/pub recommendations?  Not looking for anything fancy.  We especially like historic places.  Also maybe a good Indian restaurant.

Personally my favorite area was off the Hackney Wick stop, breweries was Hhowling Hops & Crate brewery & pizzeria. It's in an old industrial area covered in graffiti right off an old channel where some of the old channel boats are now coffee shops. Really cool.

[pbiflyer]

I really liked the tour of the Tower of London by the guards. Interesting. Looking at  all the folks buried at Westminster abbey is cool. British museum, home to the largest collection of stolen antiquities in the world is amazing. The inside building of the natural history museum is cool.
I used to like Camden lock area, but seems touristy last time I was there.
Check with your neighbor on places to drink.

I thought globe theatre was overrated. Seeing a play in west end is cool. We did the Mischief theatre last visit.

[warriorchick]

I really liked the tour of the Tower of London by the guards. Interesting. Looking at  all the folks buried at Westminster abbey is cool. British museum, home to the largest collection of stolen antiquities in the world is amazing. The inside building of the natural history museum is cool.
I used to like Camden lock area, but seems touristy last time I was there.
Check with your neighbor on places to drink.

I thought globe theatre was overrated. Seeing a play in west end is cool. We did the Mischief theatre last visit.

So far we have scheduld a play in the West End, trips to the British Museum and the British Library. and a Hop oN Hop Off bus. Figured we'd drive by everything and decide where to return later.

[Skatastrophy]

So far we have scheduld a play in the West End, trips to the British Museum and the British Library. and a Hop oN Hop Off bus. Figured we'd drive by everything and decide where to return later.

Near the British Museum is a Sam Smith's pub called The Princess Louise. Victorian-era pub with booths that you sit in at the bar, my wife and I had a wonderful time there one afternoon/evening.

https://goo.gl/maps/pDcmeWWsCpBL89vB7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Louise,_Holborn

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Churchill's underground WW2 HQ was awesome.

[JWags85]

Glow and I are visiting London soon.

Which sites are overrated?  Which are underrated?

Any restaurant/pub recommendations?  Not looking for anything fancy.  We especially like historic places.  Also maybe a good Indian restaurant.

Jealous.  August/Sept is my favorite time to be in London for sure.

Dishoom is great, but I don't consider it proper Indian.  For Indian, I always tell people to go off of Bayswater Rd, north of Hyde Park, and go down Queensway.  There are a ton of great spots, pick one that looks fun and just enjoy.  A city with incredible Indian food like London, its more fun to just explore and find something random than needing a specific spot.

I really liked the tour of the Tower of London by the guards. Interesting. Looking at  all the folks buried at Westminster abbey is cool. British museum, home to the largest collection of stolen antiquities in the world is amazing. The inside building of the natural history museum is cool.
I used to like Camden lock area, but seems touristy last time I was there.
Check with your neighbor on places to drink.

I thought globe theatre was overrated. Seeing a play in west end is cool. We did the Mischief theatre last visit.

+1 to a lot of this.  One of my favorite things about London is that so much of the well known stuff lives up to expectations.  Tower of London is awesome and oozes history.  British Museum is fascinating.  The interior of the Natural History museum is BREATHTAKING.  Ive been there half a dozen times and still stop and stare every time I go in.

Camden can be touristy but its still worth a stop.  I have a number of paintings, prints, and assorted art that Ive gotten in my trips there, so maybe I have a bias towards it as a result.  Its another spot with amazing history but equally cool shopping if you pick your spots.

Its INSANELY touristy and the wait can be annoying, but honestly, I love the London Eye.  If you get a clear day, the views are absolutely unbeatable.  Especially in a city like London that is so relatively flat.

If you have time and the weather/energy, I have a walk I love.  You start at Trafalgar and just walk down the mall along St James Park up to Buckingham Palace.  Beautiful views in both directions, the park is gorgeous, and its incredibly scenic as your approach the palace.  Then along the north side on Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner.  The walk the length of Hyde Park, from East to West, along the Serpentine and approaching Kensington Palace.  Its just so quintessentially London.

Where are you staying?  Cause there is always good neighborhood centric stuff.

[warriorchick]

Jealous.  August/Sept is my favorite time to be in London for sure.

Dishoom is great, but I don't consider it proper Indian.  For Indian, I always tell people to go off of Bayswater Rd, north of Hyde Park, and go down Queensway.  There are a ton of great spots, pick one that looks fun and just enjoy.  A city with incredible Indian food like London, its more fun to just explore and find something random than needing a specific spot.

+1 to a lot of this.  One of my favorite things about London is that so much of the well known stuff lives up to expectations.  Tower of London is awesome and oozes history.  British Museum is fascinating.  The interior of the Natural History museum is BREATHTAKING.  Ive been there half a dozen times and still stop and stare every time I go in.

Camden can be touristy but its still worth a stop.  I have a number of paintings, prints, and assorted art that Ive gotten in my trips there, so maybe I have a bias towards it as a result.  Its another spot with amazing history but equally cool shopping if you pick your spots.

Its INSANELY touristy and the wait can be annoying, but honestly, I love the London Eye.  If you get a clear day, the views are absolutely unbeatable.  Especially in a city like London that is so relatively flat.

If you have time and the weather/energy, I have a walk I love.  You start at Trafalgar and just walk down the mall along St James Park up to Buckingham Palace.  Beautiful views in both directions, the park is gorgeous, and its incredibly scenic as your approach the palace.  Then along the north side on Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner.  The walk the length of Hyde Park, from East to West, along the Serpentine and approaching Kensington Palace.  Its just so quintessentially London.

Where are you staying?  Cause there is always good neighborhood centric stuff.

We are staying up near the St. Pacras train station.

[JWags85]

We are staying up near the St. Pacras train station.

Ahh great.  Good spot.  Kings Cross is cool to see, but don't waste time with any Harry Potter stuff, cause that portion is really dumb and stupid overrated (coming from a huge HP fan).

Regents Park is an amazing walk that is very close.  The inner circle has a couple insane mansions that are owned by wealthy Middle East royalty now, but are gorgeous.  But then making your way north towards Primrose Hill and the Zoo, its just another really nice peaceful walk.  Again, biased by my love of London, but Regents Park and Hyde Park feel far more quiet and removed from the bustle than Central Park does for me.  Regents Park specifically you can walk for a good clip and not see a soul depending on the time of day.  Both Madame Tussads and the Sherlock Holmes Museum are right by Regents, but I would say both of those are very overrated schlock.  The Dickens Museum just south of that area is cool though.

Definitely go to Camden given how close you are.

Also you'll be quite close to Shoreditch which is a really hip revitalized area (think Brooklyn 10 years ago).  Tons of great shops, microbreweries, distilleries, and the like.  Spitalfields Market is also fun to walk through.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions or are looking to narrow anything down.

[dgies9156]

Seattle reccommendations?

I have 24 hours in Seattle before going fly fishing in Montana. Never been, so any must sees/must easts?

Museum of Flight near Boeing Field south of the city is really neat if you are into that stuff.

Likewise, the 777 plant in Everett is a great tour.

[WarriorFan]

Jealous.  August/Sept is my favorite time to be in London for sure.

Dishoom is great, but I don't consider it proper Indian.  For Indian, I always tell people to go off of Bayswater Rd, north of Hyde Park, and go down Queensway.  There are a ton of great spots, pick one that looks fun and just enjoy.  A city with incredible Indian food like London, its more fun to just explore and find something random than needing a specific spot.

+1 to a lot of this.  One of my favorite things about London is that so much of the well known stuff lives up to expectations.  Tower of London is awesome and oozes history.  British Museum is fascinating.  The interior of the Natural History museum is BREATHTAKING.  Ive been there half a dozen times and still stop and stare every time I go in.

Camden can be touristy but its still worth a stop.  I have a number of paintings, prints, and assorted art that Ive gotten in my trips there, so maybe I have a bias towards it as a result.  Its another spot with amazing history but equally cool shopping if you pick your spots.

Its INSANELY touristy and the wait can be annoying, but honestly, I love the London Eye.  If you get a clear day, the views are absolutely unbeatable.  Especially in a city like London that is so relatively flat.

If you have time and the weather/energy, I have a walk I love.  You start at Trafalgar and just walk down the mall along St James Park up to Buckingham Palace.  Beautiful views in both directions, the park is gorgeous, and its incredibly scenic as your approach the palace.  Then along the north side on Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner.  The walk the length of Hyde Park, from East to West, along the Serpentine and approaching Kensington Palace.  Its just so quintessentially London.

Where are you staying?  Cause there is always good neighborhood centric stuff.

I totally agree with this list with the exception of the London Eye...  When we did it, it was hopelessly disorganized.  We had one of the 5 sunny days of the year, and the ticket was not a time to get on the Eye, it was a time to enter the 1.5 hour queue - all in the sun - to then get on the un-airconditioned eye which by mid day was a toaster oven. 

I have done the walk Wags mentions... completely agree, it's fantastic. 

To the list I would add 2 things: 
a) go to a football match.  Chelsea or Arsenal would be preferred but they are all safe these days.  Amazing environment and a great view of the culture around these clubs.
b) Harrods.  Just because.

And a warning... don't trust the underground.  Londoners know that it breaks down regularly and for long periods.  Sometimes stops are closed on the weekends without information.  If it's less than 3 stops... just walk.  If you do use it, take water and plan for 45 minute to 1.5 hour breakdown/stoppages.  I've had this happen on 5 of my last 10 times on the tube... including to Wimbledon, during the open!

Taxis are OK but expensive for long distance - especially airport. Always a great pleasure talking with London cab drivers.  Uber there is pretty bad.  Mostly drivers who don't know the city at all and just follow the GPS, for better or worse. 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Agree on musts of the British Museum and Tower of London.  If you get lucky maybe you see the Beefeaters feed the ravens.
Harrods because you have too.  (I bought a tea pot.)
Just walking as everyone said for the views of famous places.
I thought Saint Paul's Cathedral was cool and I remember walking around the dome and views of London.
There seemed to be local pubs in any neighborhood and they were all cool. Each carries only one brewery if I recall.  (I funly got stuck in one as a the police closed the road and made everyone stay inside buildings as a Lifestar helicopter landed in the middle of a London street intersection, so they could airlift a person for some emergency medical situation.)
If you want something different, I also visited The London Dungeon.  It's a recreated middle ages dungeon with original torture devices and some interactive thing on Jack the Ripper.

[Coleman]

Going to be in Vegas for a work conference next week. Staying at MGM Grand. Not my first time there, but still open to any suggestions for fun things to do at night. It will be early in the week (Monday through Wednesday) so there aren't a lot of shows besides the standard Carrot Top/Cirque du Soliel stuff, which I'm not particularly interested in. I plan on gambling a little bit but I'd like to get out of the casinos too. I'm not a huge Vegas person but its a free trip on my employer so I'd like to make the most of it.

I've never been to Fremont Street, is that worth checking out?

[Dr. Blackheart]

Going to be in Vegas for a work conference next week. Staying at MGM Grand. Not my first time there, but still open to any suggestions for fun things to do at night. It will be early in the week (Monday through Wednesday) so there aren't a lot of shows besides the standard Carrot Top/Cirque du Soliel stuff, which I'm not particularly interested in. I plan on gambling a little bit but I'd like to get out of the casinos too. I'm not a huge Vegas person but its a free trip on my employer so I'd like to make the most of it.

I've never been to Fremont Street, is that worth checking out?

The Mob Museum. There is a cool underground speakeasy there as well. Open till 9PM. Hit Fremont Street after.

[JWags85]

And a warning... don't trust the underground.  Londoners know that it breaks down regularly and for long periods.  Sometimes stops are closed on the weekends without information.  If it's less than 3 stops... just walk.  If you do use it, take water and plan for 45 minute to 1.5 hour breakdown/stoppages.  I've had this happen on 5 of my last 10 times on the tube... including to Wimbledon, during the open!

Obviously YMMV, but 50% of the time riding the Tube you've had hour long breakdowns?  Thats just shockingly bad luck and nowhere near representative.  Ive been to London by last count a dozen times, I think, ridden the Tube for 90% of my intra-city travel and Ive gotten stuck on the Tube just once, for approximately 10 min.  You make it seem like its a coin flip if you get stuck in a sweltering carriage like its 1915.  The station closures bit is truer though, especially on weekends.  Though now with apps its quite easy to be apprised of that and avoid it.

The Tube is fantastic in terms of access, there is really nowhere in Central London that you can't easily get to.  Also, unlike somewhere like NYC, there are often multiple lines that will get you close, which is very helpful.

[warriorchick]

The Mob Museum. There is a cool underground speakeasy there as well. Open till 9PM. Hit Fremont Street after.

Agreed.  As many of you know, Las Vegas is where Glow and I live in the winter. 

Fremont street is definitely worth checking out, especially the new casino down there, Circa.  Check out their amazing sportsbook. That's were we had our NMD party, and I am going to go out on a limb and say we had the best venue of all the alumni cities.

Fremont has really high-quality cover bands playing every night.  They start around 8 pm. 

The downtown casinos, as a general rule, have lower betting minimums, looser video poker, and quicker drink service.  My favorites are the D - they have one of the few remaining Sigma Derby mechanical horse racing machines, the Grand - a block north of Fremont, and the Golden Gate, with its go-go dancing dealers.

If you go to the beer bar at the Golden Nugget, tell Dave that Glow and I said "hi".

Also, if you like old-school pinball and arcade games, the Pinball Hall of Fame is on the south end of the strip, and I consider it a must-do.  Dozens of old pinball and arcade games that you can play for the original cost (usually a quarter).  As young teens, my kids were fascinated by Pong and the mechanical baseball game.

[Coleman]

Agreed.  As many of you know, Las Vegas is where Glow and I live in the winter. 

Fremont street is definitely worth checking out, especially the new casino down there, Circa.  Check out their amazing sportsbook. That's were we had our NMD party, and I am going to go out on a limb and say we had the best venue of all the alumni cities.

Fremont has really high-quality cover bands playing every night.  They start around 8 pm. 

The downtown casinos, as a general rule, have lower betting minimums, looser video poker, and quicker drink service.  My favorites are the D - they have one of the few remaining Sigma Derby mechanical horse racing machines, the Grand - a block north of Fremont, and the Golden Gate, with its go-go dancing dealers.

If you go to the beer bar at the Golden Nugget, tell Dave that Glow and I said "hi".

Also, if you like old-school pinball and arcade games, the Pinball Hall of Fame is on the south end of the strip, and I consider it a must-do.  Dozens of old pinball and arcade games that you can play for the original cost (usually a quarter).  As young teens, my kids were fascinated by Pong and the mechanical baseball game.

Good stuff. Thanks Chick

[Dr. Blackheart]

As to London, for first timers, the on and off bus is a great way to see all the sites in a day (especially since all the tourists will be gone).

I would add Kensington as a place to explore, very Boujee but a very happening neighborhood with bars and restaurants (also the castle and Royal Albert Hall).

As to the Tower, take a little walk past along the Thames and hit St. Catherine's Dock, a nice enclave with bars and restaurants ;my favorite Indian restaurant in there closed during C19). Also, between the Tower and Millennium bridges across the river from the Tower is the Borough Market neighborhood which has a few nice restaurants and bars on the river (again a nice break from too many tourists).

Some of the movie stops are also cool like Leadenhall Market and the Temple Church.

[21Jumpstreet]

Glow and I are visiting London soon.

Which sites are overrated?  Which are underrated?

Any restaurant/pub recommendations?  Not looking for anything fancy.  We especially like historic places.  Also maybe a good Indian restaurant.

Ate at a Michelin started place I believe was called Tamarind. Really good Indian food. Also Nobu at the Metropolitan, also Michelin starred. In my notes, I have a couple pubs The Only Running Footman and Lamb & Flag.

[21Jumpstreet]

Museum of Pop Culture
Chihuly Museum

Make sure you go to a good seafood restaurant (there are many) and east some wild caught salmon.  Salty's is the go-to if you are willing to spend the money.

If you are a beer lover, visit the Ballard neighborhood.  Over a dozen microbreweries within a few blocks of each other.

Great museum choices and the Pinball Museum is kinda fun. Hit the market, Piroshky Piroshky, Rachel's Ginger Beer, Biscuit Bitch, Mee Sum Pastry. Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods are great among others. Sunday market in Ballard is awesome. We walked everywhere, so many great pockets in the city. Enjoy!

[Dickthedribbler]

Going to be in Vegas for a work conference next week. Staying at MGM Grand. Not my first time there, but still open to any suggestions for fun things to do at night. It will be early in the week (Monday through Wednesday) so there aren't a lot of shows besides the standard Carrot Top/Cirque du Soliel stuff, which I'm not particularly interested in. I plan on gambling a little bit but I'd like to get out of the casinos too. I'm not a huge Vegas person but its a free trip on my employer so I'd like to make the most of it.

I've never been to Fremont Street, is that worth checking out?

Used to go to Vegas 1 or 2 times a year since the 1990s. Almost always stayed downtown ( Fremont Street). Haven't been post-covid, although I doubt little has changed other than the opening of Circa.

In terms of what's cool on Fremont Street  I would say Fremont Street itself------aptly named The Fremont Street Experience. A 4 block long overhead light show set to different types or music themes. It goes I believe every hour all night long. If you're just strolling around down and you've never seen it, by all means.

You mentioned gambling and that you like to dabble a little. Fremont Street very recently was the haven for the $5 player. Sit at a $5 blackjack table all afternoon, drink free beer and watch the world go by. I have heard that since covid, most casinos have raised table minimums day and night.

In any event, downtown is a welcome alternative to the Strip, and if you have time I would go down there and check it out. Fremont Street is EXTREMELY walkable.

[jesmu84]

Any recs for Costa Rica? We'll be on the Pacific coast flying into/out of Liberia