Gas prices force local family fun/vacations. What's good in your home town?
 

It seems like this will be a summer with much less travel than in previous years. Gas prices have forced us to realize what is good in our own backyard. What local fun can you have in your town?

My town has NYC across the Hudson, and many ways to get over there other than driving and paying for parking. But in my own town we have a great park and mini golf and, ummm... and NYC right across the Hudson. :o

I live in Fresno now (Haven't updated my Cellar profile in a while). It's not my hometown, and I don't plan to be here more than 5 years (girlfriend is going to grad school). We have ... very little. There are farmers markets, few nice theaters, clubs, etc. but this town is dead inside. Like a zombie city.

El Paso has a few small museums, an "arts center", the Sun Bowl, a few "haunted sites" and Ciudad Juarez just a few miles south.

Simply put, it's the asshole of Texas. I'm forced to live here out of love for my wife. Her arthritis is bad and she is in too much pain to live outside a hot, dry climate.

I want to live in Knoxville, Tenn. Or around there. Lots to see and do in that area. Music, art, theatre, tourist-y things, history, nature, fishing, swimming, boating, camping. Too much to list. And few if any tornados because the Smoky and Bald Mountains tend to block them.

There are all four seasons, all mild. Rarely is a winter harsh or a summer brutal. Here it's already climbing up into the 90s and will be hitting over a hundred degrees daily by the end of the month.

And we're just about to move into a house without air conditioning. I can only open three windows so far and they require a pry bar.

I REALLY love this woman, right? Right?

She wants to move to Phoenix someday. Or The Mojave desert. She will be alone there as I'll be in Heaven on Earth, otherwise known as Tennessee.

Just say NO to the house without air conditioning. What are you thinking?

Actually, there are some things to do around here. There are missions, rock painting sites, the largest urban state park in the country (a mountain). A little farther afield there is Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, hot springs.

Not a lot, true. But not nothing, either. Pretty much every place has something--most locals don't do them, though.

The Getty, Museum or Villa

The Beach

Lake Arrowhead

The Hollywood Bowl - Bring picnic dinner and a bottle of wine. This summer, you can go hear Joshua Bell, Yo Yo Ma, and dozens of other world-class artists. Perfect LA summer evening.

The Original Farmer's Market

A walk to Masthi Malone's, the best damn ice cream in the world.

A hundred other things. These are just on my mind, because we're planning a family fun week. I love this town.

DC has a lot of neat stuff, but I'd rather be in Maine if it's August.

there's even a word for it: stacation

Cowtipping.

I'd rather be in Maine for May, June, July, August and September. Maybe even October. It's already 93 degrees here. No A/C yet---only a window unit and it's not up yet. Slowly melting.

Brian,

I live near the Mojave desert, Indian wells valley. AC is not the economical answer for a dry hot climate, an evaporative cooler is, as long is humidity is low (and here, 3 miles from the sun, it is). Dealing with the heat takes an adjustment, but the crime rate is low, schools are good, and housing prices are among the best in California, so here we are. That being said, there is not much to do here, and when our kids are grown, and we retire, we are off to the Oregon coast with all the rain and fog.

Flagstaff for the cooler mountain air and camping - 1.5 hour drive
Lake Pleasant for the quick boating, fishing, whatever days - 15 minute drive
Rocky Point for a weekend at the beach -3 hour drive

In town, lots of swimming pools and water parks, nice ballparks, mediocre theater, science center, museums, and heat to bake your braincells in.

The Brandywine River for one...

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL162.../320600053.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL162.../320600051.jpg

Is...is that LJ in that hat?


(adorable kid)

Yes, and thanks, she's a sweetie.

Lake Tahoe. Need I say more?

Love the sticker on your kayak Jinx - haven't seen one of them in tooooooo long!

No she's not, she picks on me. :p

Cloud, it's a done deal. I've pushed for portable room air conditioners and gotten one so far, more on the way. I just need to be able to open a window to exhaust the waste heat and moisture. We will be replacing the windows as money allows. Once the windows and doors are replaced, A/C will be going in.

We do have an evaporative cooler (seems like a big misted fan to me) but it doesn't work very well. I will be fixing it asap. All I think it needs is a new motor (high speed is gone) and new filter panels or whatever they're called. I replaced the water pump last summer and gave it preventative maintenance at that time. I can make it work but I'm from back East...I need my cool air!

I also know there are a few things that didn't make it onto my list but I can't list EVERYTHING. My opinion of El Paso stands.

Brian

I'm not sure we have the same cooler Brian. Ours can cool the inside to 70 when its 95 outside.

LJ has teh ghey....bad

There are almost too many things to list in London. I have focused on the cheap/ free things, as all I ever seem to hear is about how expensive London is to visit. Well, yeah – if you have to take a family to a West End Show and have tea at the Savoy I suppose it is! But it’s a wonderful city to spend the summer in.

I haven't even bothered with the usual sightseeing "must-dos"!

Museums worth spending a whole day in:
The British Museum
The Science Museum
The Natural History Museum (with live butterflies this summer!)
The Victoria and Albert Museum (art and design)

If you like art:
The Tate
The Tate Modern (although the crack in the floor has been filled)
The National Gallery (Western European art)

London Walks – which I push shamelessly whenever I can, run every day and only cost £7 per adult, children free!
You just can’t beat the amount of things you see and hear and learn, from street level up to the rooftops. Two and a half hours (more if you do a pub walk!)

London has some beautiful parks if the weather is good. We used to go out for the whole day, but then we didn’t have far to travel. At the least they’re great for a breather, a picnic, to go rowing, play Frisbee etc.
Hyde Park (includes the Diana Memorial Fountain)
St James’s Park (pelicans and The Mall)
Regent’s Park (400 varieties of roses in The Rose Garden)

The markets aren’t as large as some European markets – there just isn’t the space. But they have an impressive history and are vibrant and an attraction in themselves.
Borough Market (London’s oldest – food & drink)
Smithfields (800 years old – meat market but includes cheese, pies, deli items)
Portobello Road (World’s Largest Antiques Market & v trendy vintage clothes)
Covent Garden – (arts and crafts) and take in the street theatre while you are there. I don’t mean lame mimes and living statues either – these guys are good.

For a little more money, take a trip down the Thames (ie by river) to Greenwich – local landmarks are pointed out on the way and it’s a great way to kill half an hour. £28 family ticket means two adults and two children can get on and off the boat all day.
Or come out on the Docklands Light Railway, which feels like a toytown train but runs through the heart of East London and Canary Wharf, dwarfed by the towers and offices.

Stop off at Canary Wharf for shopping, for dinner on the water, or for the free events run all summer – example a performance of The Royal Ballet transmitted live from Covent Garden Opera House to a big outdoor screen, a showing of The Fountainhead, an demonstration of English Change Ringing.

Once in Greenwich we have a lively covered market, Greenwich Park with deer and squirrels that will eat from your hand and the marvellous Observatory Hill/ Observatory (free except for a charge for selected galleries). The Maritime Museum is at the bottom of the hill and also the various chapels and painted halls.

Then come to see me, and if HM’s working we can get a sneaky pint and sit and watch the river.

Awesome SG, but you forgot a couple of the most important items. First you must visit Emirates Stadium so you can be thrilled by the beauty that is Arsenal football.

Then when you have fallen in love you can visit The Armory to pick up your new 07/08 jersey. I'm sure you meant to include all that SG. ;)

Ahem.

She says you started it, and also "neener neener".

:lol2:

I was stylin'

black creek shoes, dark cammo shorts, black sleeveless T, big tattered straw hat, shades. you'd have swooned.

We're prolly just gonna drop M-80s off the covered bridge into the creek...