Scoop Airport/Hotel/Travel Thread

[pbiflyer]

Going to Budapest, Munich, Prague and Vienna as part of a European trip/Danube River cruise (Viking).

Any suggestions? Been to Munich when it raised to high heaven. Want to see it for a day when I'm back. But, any thoughts Warrior Travelers?

I am assuming since it is a river cruise you have a day in each city. Correct?
Been to Munich multiple times and Prague and Vienna.

Munich:
I echo the above advice of the English Garden and watching the surfing, very cool. A short stroll away from surfing is a place to get a beer in the garden Fräulein Grüneis https://fraeulein-grueneis.de/. Be aware the garden itself is clothing optional. So feel free to let it all hang out! You may see people sunbathing topless or au natural.
Haufbrau house is touristy but a must (and it is pretty cool). My daughter who was too young to drink at the time, swears they have the best apple juice in the world. Also just for the history there. Nearby is the city hall (catch the  Glockenspiel at 11, 12 and 5) in Marienplatz.
I would recommend a beer and brat at the Viktualienmarkt a short walk away. Even if it is 9 in the morning, you won't be drinking alone.
A bit further afield is   Augustiner-Keller, a great beer garden and restaurant. An intimate setting with you and a couple thousand of your closest friends. Mostly locals usually as well. https://www.augustinerkeller.de/en
My favorite place if you have time during the day is the Deutsches Museum, their technical museum. Big, so if you have limited time, maybe pass.

Vienna - ah Vienna.
Tons of palaces and museums. The one mentioned above, Schönbrunn Palace, is a metro ride away, but it and its grounds are spectacular. If you go, pay the extra couple of euros for the grand tour, not the limited one. It is huge. Not much else near there. But again, easy metro ride back to the city center.
Do not waste your time standing in line to get the famed Sachertorte cake at the Sacher hotel. It is dry and bland. Get pastries and coffee at one of the many amazing coffee houses instead. Demel is pretty well known. https://www.demel.com/en/pages/cafe
They have a variety of coffees that would make the best US barista embarrassed. Here is a guide to the coffees here: https://www.flightcentre.ca/window-seat/how-order-coffee-vienna
You can probably spend the entire day in the Museum quarter and have an amazing day. If you do, visit the Austrian National Library,  in State Hall. It rivals the one in Dublin.  If you want to see the famed Lippenzaner (sp?) stallions perform, the shows are pricey and long and not so thrilling, but they practice almost every day from 10am-12pm and you can watch for a much smaller fee (15-20 euros)
A bit further afield suggestions:
If you like markets the Naschmarkt is cool, again an easy metro ride, especially if you visit the Schönbrunn Palace.
The national cemetery has every famous composer buried there. Beethoven, Mozart, Shubert, and of course, the most famous….Falco!
Prater park is an old amusement park with the world’s oldest ferris wheel, famous from the movie The Third Man. Each gondola is an actual cabin.

Prague:
Drink beer. Walk around old town, see the astronomical clock, drink beer, walk across the historic Charles bridge up to the Prague Castle, don't miss the Golden Lane (where alchemists lived and "worked"). Did I mention drink beer?
The library in Prague is pretty cool as well, Klementinum. Maybe a nice spa day at the Beer Spa? https://www.beerspa.com/en/

If you want to be totally depressed, visit the Jewish quarter and the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Holocaust museum. The exhibit on the children's artwork will rip your heart out.

If you are at all a WWII buff there are sites in Munich and Prague that would be must see.
 

[MU82]

No Coke Zero in the American lounge at CLT.

The world is doomed!

[Sir Lawrence]

We decided to drive rather than fly from Wisconsin to Charlotte NC for a wedding in May.  Stopping in Cincy to say hello to my wife's sister and her husband, then was thinking about checking out the New River Gorge area of West Virginia.  Need to cross West Virginia off the "visit every state" list and would appreciate any recommendations. 

[tower912]

Tudor's Biscuit World.

[JWags85]

We decided to drive rather than fly from Wisconsin to Charlotte NC for a wedding in May.  Stopping in Cincy to say hello to my wife's sister and her husband, then was thinking about checking out the New River Gorge area of West Virginia.  Need to cross West Virginia off the "visit every state" list and would appreciate any recommendations.

I can't speak to any destinations but I drove to Morgantown 2-3 times in college from SW Ohio, as well as taking a longer route south through WV driving from NYC to Wisconsin during Covid, and its some of the prettiest and cool scenery that you will get in the Eastern part of the US.  I can't think of a place that is more disconnected in the US in terms of natural beauty and terrain with reputation, stereotypes, and socioeconomic situations than WV.

Huntington stinks tho.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

We decided to drive rather than fly from Wisconsin to Charlotte NC for a wedding in May.  Stopping in Cincy to say hello to my wife's sister and her husband, then was thinking about checking out the New River Gorge area of West Virginia.  Need to cross West Virginia off the "visit every state" list and would appreciate any recommendations.

Driving out to Cincinnati from Connecticut we would pass through one of the fingers of WV and would only be in it for 15 -20 minutes or so.  Definitely beautiful scenery that went totally flat one minute after crossing in Ohio.

[Spotcheck Billy]

I used to drive to Winston-Salem from MKE and took I-77 near Zanesville, OH (I-70) south into NC. Very scenic with a few tunnels on the way through the mountains.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

This story from the Atlantic about the inaugural voyage of the Icon of the Seas is something.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/05/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-icon-of-seas/677838/

[pbiflyer]

This story from the Atlantic about the inaugural voyage of the Icon of the Seas is something.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/05/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-icon-of-seas/677838/

I know we have big cruise fans here and they know all the ins and outs.
As someone who visits several of the ports of call for work or sometimes for fun, you couldn’t pay me to be on one of those cruises. They overwhelm The destination.
I would do Alaska cruise and if forced maybe a Mediterranean one, but would prefer train there.

[Herman Cain]

Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Georgia is an Excellent Resort.  Staff is super friendly , quality food and the setting is remote and tranquil. 

[StillAWarrior]

Later this summer my wife and I are planning on a quick stop-over in Nashville on our way to a wedding in Arkansas. I figure we'll be there mid-afternoon. We'll stay the night and then continue on to Little Rock the next day. We've never been. Any suggestions? I do see that the Opry has a show the night we will be in town and think we should probably do that.

[21Jumpstreet]

Later this summer my wife and I are planning on a quick stop-over in Nashville on our way to a wedding in Arkansas. I figure we'll be there mid-afternoon. We'll stay the night and then continue on to Little Rock the next day. We've never been. Any suggestions? I do see that the Opry has a show the night we will be in town and think we should probably do that.

Mid-afternoon on Broadway often has some of the best singers/acts as they are usually singer songwriters and not necessarily the cover bands. I love The Listening Room, Basement/East, Bluebird, The Blue Room. Grand Ole Opry is out of town at a mega mall type situation. Definitely a great experience, get there early as lines can be crazy long to get in, or hit up the old Opry The Ryman downtown for a show. Check out Third Man Records.

So many incredible restaurants, and you have to get Prince’s or even Hattie B’s hot chicken. Husk, Lockeland Table, Puckett’s for breakfast (a short walk from Broadway), Biscuit Love for well a biscuit, Audrey (big Sean Brock fan), good old fashioned meat and three at Big Al’s or Monell’s.

Lots of cool neighborhoods outside Broadway, pick one or two and check em out like The Gulch, 12 South, Germantown, or East Nashville. Last time I was there, I stayed in Hillsboro Village.

Since it’s your first time, kick around Broadway and pop in and out of bars all night. Go to the small dumpy places, go in the back door and up the back steps at Tootsies, watch out for flying chairs apparently.

[Hards Alumni]

Just got back from California.  We drove from Reno down the East side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Made stops at Virginia Creek Settlement, Mono Lake, some hot springs, Lone Pine... then drove through Death Valley... which was amazing.  It was atypically cold and wet (snow at elevation, and 56F at sea level).  Father Crowley Overlook was cool, but fogged out.  Saw an amazing super bloom of yellow flowers near Panamint Springs that stretched for hundreds of acres.  Continued on with stops at the dunes near Stovepipe Wells, an abandoned borax operation, Furnace Creek, and finally a quick stop at Zabriske Point.  We ended a really awesome day in Barstow (don't do this) and then moved on to Palm Springs as well as Joshua Tree.  Honestly, it was pretty neat, but Death Valley was much much cooler.

After a nice nature vacation, we spent a week in LA.  Driving everywhere is extremely annoying and then you need to find parking.  Definitely the low-light of the trip.  Checked out some breweries, Venice, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Griffith Observatory, WeHo, Hollywood (don't), Long Beach, and Disneyland.

Strangely, our Uber driver on one of the first days in town was a former member of the 80s group SlyFox!

Overall, it was a good trip, but I'm not in any hurry to rush back to Los Angeles.

[tower912]

Strangely, our Uber driver on one of the first days in town was a former member of the 80s group SlyFox!

When you got in his vehicle, did he lead with 'Let's Go All The Way?'

[Hards Alumni]

When you got in his vehicle, did he lead with 'Let's Go All The Way?'

Nah, but he was very down on the world in general.  He lost his nightclub in NYC during the 'plandemic'.

I felt for the guy, really.

[StillAWarrior]

Mid-afternoon on Broadway often has some of the best singers/acts as they are usually singer songwriters and not necessarily the cover bands. I love The Listening Room, Basement/East, Bluebird, The Blue Room. Grand Ole Opry is out of town at a mega mall type situation. Definitely a great experience, get there early as lines can be crazy long to get in, or hit up the old Opry The Ryman downtown for a show. Check out Third Man Records.

So many incredible restaurants, and you have to get Prince’s or even Hattie B’s hot chicken. Husk, Lockeland Table, Puckett’s for breakfast (a short walk from Broadway), Biscuit Love for well a biscuit, Audrey (big Sean Brock fan), good old fashioned meat and three at Big Al’s or Monell’s.

Lots of cool neighborhoods outside Broadway, pick one or two and check em out like The Gulch, 12 South, Germantown, or East Nashville. Last time I was there, I stayed in Hillsboro Village.

Since it’s your first time, kick around Broadway and pop in and out of bars all night. Go to the small dumpy places, go in the back door and up the back steps at Tootsies, watch out for flying chairs apparently.

Thank you. Helpful stuff.

I figure that if we're in Nashville, we've really "got to" go to the Opry. We're going to be there on a Wednesday and they happen to have a show on Wednesday. Ticket prices are lower than I expected (starting at about $50). They've announced one performer (someone I've never heard of) but apparently there likely will be 6-8 others that will either be announced closer to the day or unannounced.* Honestly, the appeal isn't any particular act...just going to such a famous and historic venue. I wouldn't characterize us specifically as country music fans -- and we certainly aren't familiar with the up-and-coming acts -- but it just seems like if we're in Nashville we should probably go.

When you refer to the long lines, are you referring to specific ticketed shows? Or do you mean in general for tours, etc.?


*Edited to add: I see they've now announced another performer...that I've at least heard of, but am not particularly familiar with.

[21Jumpstreet]

Thank you. Helpful stuff.

I figure that if we're in Nashville, we've really "got to" go to the Opry. We're going to be there on a Wednesday and they happen to have a show on Wednesday. Ticket prices are lower than I expected (starting at about $50). They've announced one performer (someone I've never heard of) but apparently there likely will be 6-8 others that will either be announced closer to the day or unannounced.* Honestly, the appeal isn't any particular act...just going to such a famous and historic venue. I wouldn't characterize us specifically as country music fans -- and we certainly aren't familiar with the up-and-coming acts -- but it just seems like if we're in Nashville we should probably go.

When you refer to the long lines, are you referring to specific ticketed shows? Or do you mean in general for tours, etc.?


*Edited to add: I see they've now announced another performer...that I've at least heard of, but am not particularly familiar with.

You’re welcome, have a great time!

I love not knowing much about the musicians and often pick a venue I like, score some tickets, and go in blind. The last time I went to the new Opry, I knew nary an act and saw some incredible bluegrass. Of course, I follow my faves around the country, but I have stumbled on some of my new faves not knowing them before a show.

So, the last time I went to the new Opry, it took forever to get in. It was a ticketed show, assigned seats/bench, and the lines to get in were prohibitively long. We didn’t make it in time for the start, I don’t think, and it felt like we were some of the last people in the joint.

Perhaps it was a function of day/time/lineup, but I was stressed. I like to get into venues early, scope it out, if it’s not ticketed grab my sweet spot for sound, grab a beer, stuff like that. That’s why I said maybe be mindful of arrival time. Perhaps your experience will be different. Remember, it is a fair distance from downtown, so plan accordingly with traffic.

Not sure if they still broadcast live, but that is a cool experience. I highly recommend The Ryman, if you’re interested in sort of the home of country music. It was the home to the Opry for years, probably the most famous home. It’s a music Mecca.

It’s Nashville, you can’t go wrong. A common misconception is that it’s only country music. I have seen some of the best songwriters and voices there that are decidedly not country. And, if I recall, there is a bar on Broadway where I crushed old school hip hop for hours. Of course, it’s a lot of country, and the voices are incredible.

I’ve been racking my brain for a place I like to spend midday on Broadway, I think it’s Layla’s. Also, there is another area nearby called Printer’s Alley, which I think is worth it. I recall there being a lower level English pub where I watched some futbol. It’s probably worth a walk, but maybe a bit hit and miss.

Looking forward to hearing where you check out and who you see.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

When you got in his vehicle, did he lead with 'Let's Go All The Way?'

That was my first thought.

[drewm88]

Mid-afternoon on Broadway often has some of the best singers/acts as they are usually singer songwriters and not necessarily the cover bands. I love The Listening Room, Basement/East, Bluebird, The Blue Room. Grand Ole Opry is out of town at a mega mall type situation. Definitely a great experience, get there early as lines can be crazy long to get in, or hit up the old Opry The Ryman downtown for a show. Check out Third Man Records.

So many incredible restaurants, and you have to get Prince’s or even Hattie B’s hot chicken. Husk, Lockeland Table, Puckett’s for breakfast (a short walk from Broadway), Biscuit Love for well a biscuit, Audrey (big Sean Brock fan), good old fashioned meat and three at Big Al’s or Monell’s.

Lots of cool neighborhoods outside Broadway, pick one or two and check em out like The Gulch, 12 South, Germantown, or East Nashville. Last time I was there, I stayed in Hillsboro Village.

Since it’s your first time, kick around Broadway and pop in and out of bars all night. Go to the small dumpy places, go in the back door and up the back steps at Tootsies, watch out for flying chairs apparently.

21 is spot on. Sounds like you have plans for a night but if you have more time, I’ll echo/add just a little—
Catch the afternoon slots at the big Broadway bars for singer/songwriters instead of the cover bands playing the hits at night. At night catch a show at a place like Bluebird. Explore Printer’s Alley. Found a dive bar hosting karaoke once; the voices were absolutely incredible. There’s also a jazz club that had an open mic night where folks signed up with their instrument and were thrown together to make music.

East Nashville definitely has some great restaurants away from the crowds of downtown.

I also found the Country Music Hall of Fame really interesting for the history in the museum. I am not a modern country guy by any stretch, but learning about its origins and development was great.

[DegenerateDish]

Just got back from California.  We drove from Reno down the East side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Made stops at Virginia Creek Settlement, Mono Lake, some hot springs, Lone Pine... then drove through Death Valley... which was amazing.  It was atypically cold and wet (snow at elevation, and 56F at sea level).  Father Crowley Overlook was cool, but fogged out.  Saw an amazing super bloom of yellow flowers near Panamint Springs that stretched for hundreds of acres.  Continued on with stops at the dunes near Stovepipe Wells, an abandoned borax operation, Furnace Creek, and finally a quick stop at Zabriske Point.  We ended a really awesome day in Barstow (don't do this) and then moved on to Palm Springs as well as Joshua Tree.  Honestly, it was pretty neat, but Death Valley was much much cooler.

After a nice nature vacation, we spent a week in LA.  Driving everywhere is extremely annoying and then you need to find parking.  Definitely the low-light of the trip.  Checked out some breweries, Venice, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Griffith Observatory, WeHo, Hollywood (don't), Long Beach, and Disneyland.

Strangely, our Uber driver on one of the first days in town was a former member of the 80s group SlyFox!

Overall, it was a good trip, but I'm not in any hurry to rush back to Los Angeles.

I was just in LA and Orange County all last week. I personally enjoy LA, but I won’t argue with you at all about traffic/parking. I agree on Hollywood, but I enjoyed a meal at Dan Tana’s in WeHo. Didn’t see anyone of note, but the vibe was great.

Did you go into Newport? I saw you mentioned going south towards Long Beach and then into Orange County/Disneyland. I was actually at the Anaheim Marriott (at the convention center) a few nights last week.

[Hards Alumni]

I was just in LA and Orange County all last week. I personally enjoy LA, but I won’t argue with you at all about traffic/parking. I agree on Hollywood, but I enjoyed a meal at Dan Tana’s in WeHo. Didn’t see anyone of note, but the vibe was great.

Did you go into Newport? I saw you mentioned going south towards Long Beach and then into Orange County/Disneyland. I was actually at the Anaheim Marriott (at the convention center) a few nights last week.

We had a lot of good food (sushi and tacos aplenty!) and beer in town.  We based most of our journey from an AirBnB just south of UCLA... which was great because it was fairly central for our LA portion, and it included free underground parking. 

We didn't make it as far South as Newport.  In Long Beach, we only checked out the marina area and aquarium before we headed to Anaheim.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

In what I call the layoff and contract work period of my life in 2009-10, I took a contract engineering job in Connecticut and I had to restart a manufacturing line in Brea, CA.  I always stayed in Anaheim next to Disneyland.  It lasted 7 months and they ended the contract in March which stunk because I really wanted to go to an Angels game.  I would head out 1-2 weeks a month and the travel didn't start until November.  On the longer trips I liked to drive through Beverly Hills and do my Eddie Murphy. 

[DegenerateDish]

We had a lot of good food (sushi and tacos aplenty!) and beer in town.  We based most of our journey from an AirBnB just south of UCLA... which was great because it was fairly central for our LA portion, and it included free underground parking. 

We didn't make it as far South as Newport.  In Long Beach, we only checked out the marina area and aquarium before we headed to Anaheim.

Sounds like an awesome trip altogether, everywhere you went has something cool and unique for everyone.

I was on UCLA’s campus for work and (stating the obvious) love that area. To me it’s cool how different each neighborhood is, even though they’re super rich. Bel-Air is highest of high, Beverly Hills is glitz, and UCLA’s campus is just smack between them in Westwood.

[JWags85]

Nah, but he was very down on the world in general.  He lost his nightclub in NYC during the 'plandemic'.

I felt for the guy, really.

One of them was a Bowie collaborator/protege I believe.  Wonder if it was him, that would have been cool to hear about.

One of my closest friends lives in Santa Monica and I have good friends there and in Venice.  They are very much beachy people, but we always get inland a bit when I visit.  Its always crazy to me how much LA changes in vibe and buzz even just from SM to WeHo to Downtown to Bel Air/Westwood/BH.  Traffic blurs reality, but its really not that far distance wise to get huge cultural swings.

[Hards Alumni]

One of them was a Bowie collaborator/protege I believe.  Wonder if it was him, that would have been cool to hear about.

One of my closest friends lives in Santa Monica and I have good friends there and in Venice.  They are very much beachy people, but we always get inland a bit when I visit.  Its always crazy to me how much LA changes in vibe and buzz even just from SM to WeHo to Downtown to Bel Air/Westwood/BH.  Traffic blurs reality, but its really not that far distance wise to get huge cultural swings.

Yeah it was Michael.  And I totally agree with you and Dish, there are a ton of different vibes from each city within the greater city.

I forgot to mention we drove out to Malibu.  It was a very gloomy day, and there wasn't much going on.  We walked out on the pier, and along some of the rugged beaches.  I didn't understand the allure of the city at all.