MetaChat - Cheap Vacation II.

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19 September 2007

Cheap Vacation II. I have a free airline ticket and need to go somewhere by May. Seeking recommendations.→[More:]I got bumped last May and got a free United flight to be used within the year, roundtrip anywhere within the continental US. I still haven't used it and am trying to decide what to do. Here are my criteria:

1) I'd like to use it to go somewhere I haven't been.

2) Wherever it is, it has to be a destination where accommodations are very inexpensive. Costs in general need to stay very low.

3) I live in Southern New England. Anything that's within 6-8 hours of here is easier just to drive, which rules out a lot of the Northeast.

4) Somewhere that will offer a decent travel experience during the months of Jan-May (in other words, I won't find half the attractions closed).

Some of the thoughts I had:

1. I've never been to California, Washington, or Oregon and would like to check them off my 'life list'

2. Always wanted to visit Charleston, SC, or perhaps the Georgia Sea Islands

3. Could use it to visit Raleigh-Durham and Chapel Hill, and check out the grad program I would like to go to - but unsure what else to do with the time there.

4. Have been dreaming for a long time of a music history tour of Tennessee, taking in Memphis, Nashville, and Bristol and all the relevant sights.

Your thoughts?

post by: Miko at: 09:09 | 18 comments

Charleston is wonderful, but not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. However, with a handy rent a car, you could combine Charleston/Chapel Hill and then. . . come to Asheville! Or skip Chapel Hill, the drive is easier straight to Asheville. Which, btw, is also a nice natural jumping off spot for the music history tour of Tennessee.

posted by mygothlaundry 19 September | 09:15

I was going to suggest Nashville- you'd love it, I think. Memphis is about four hours drive from Nashville, so you can roll them into a single trip- we did the very kind of "music history" thing you're talking about, about 10 years ago, and it was incredibly fun. (Also, you KNOW I'd drive up to Nashville from Atlanta for a meetup!)

on preview: or if you started in Asheville, NC, I'd show up there, too! :)

posted by BoringPostcards 19 September | 09:24

ahem

:)

posted by mike9322 19 September | 09:25

I'd go to Iowa, and maybe never come back. Something about slowing down.

Or El Paso, maybe.

posted by Hugh Janus 19 September | 09:37

Meeks, what school are you looking into? If you come to Raleigh, I could drag you to some places:

1. take in an ACC bball game at a local pub where everyone is yelling at the game.
2. check out the Cloud Chamber and After the Mona Lisa 2 onsite at the NC Museum of Art
3. go to a Carolina Rollergirls bout (high quality low brow entertainment!)
4. take in a movie at the Rialto, or a show at Carolina Theatre.
5. go to an AVgeeks show
6. go to a meeting with the Aerial Robotics group at NCSU
7. chill/chow at any number of places: Raleigh Times Bar, Vin, Mythos, Neomonde
8. Our parks/scenery can't compare with either Asheville, the Outer Banks, or New England, but might be a nice break
9. UNC Chapel Hill has a beautiful campus, Durham's 9th Street is fun & eclectic, both are about 30 minutes from Raleigh. Mountains & Outer Banks are both about 3.5 - 4 ish hours from Raleigh. Some beaches are 2 hours from Raleigh.
10. Asheville's mightay purtay, I'm sure mgl could show you some groovy stuff there too.

posted by chewatadistance 19 September | 09:48

San Francisco. Great walking city, overwhelming food choices, lots of sights and culture.

posted by tr33hggr 19 September | 09:51

Mexico.

posted by chuckdarwin 19 September | 09:52

I'm close enough to Raleigh to come join in the chewie tour for a day, if that's what you decide. Not really a vacation mecca, but a practical choice with the looking at a school factor.

Nashville IS beautiful, and Memphis can be a suitably terrifying/edifying exposure to the Deep South.

posted by rainbaby 19 September | 10:01

I'm good on the Deep South, given my background, so so its natural degree of terrification stays in perspective.

There are some TEMPTING offers here. I'm looking into the Folklore Program at UNC/Chapel Hill. I'm wondering how much manic-ness I can cram into such a trip. It does sound like maybe that's more practical than Tennessee right now - a combined Asheville/Raleigh jaunt? Is that too crazy given, say, 1 week?

I have another pair of friends in Raleigh, too, so there's a lot going for this plan.

posted by Miko 19 September | 10:18

Seattle or Portland. Then rent a car and go up (or down) to the city that you did not fly into.

If you do that, and want to come to Eugene, there would be a bed for you for a night or two.

Lots of culture, lots of spectacular nature, as in the Oregon and Washington coasts, the Olympics, the Cascades, some first class wine country in both states, and lots of welcoming bunnies, I would assume.

posted by danf 19 September | 10:27

There's always Rocky Mount, NC, home of Gardner's Barbecue and my high school buddy's grandma, bless her soul, who made the most delicious pies ever; her sweet potato pie was ambrosia. She had a tremendous calm love about her. Once she called me a "tall glass of milk." I think about her often.

I guess that's not the best trip recommendation, but it's why I love Rocky Mount.

posted by Hugh Janus 19 September | 10:32

NM: fly into Albuquerque then drive to Santa Fe and Taos it's lovely lovely lovely

posted by matteo 19 September | 12:23

Continental US? Dammit!

Looks like you've got some good offers here, though. Sounds like it'll be a fun trip.

posted by elizard 19 September | 12:26

Asheville is 5 hours away from Raleigh so no, doing both in a week is eeeeeeeaaasssyy. And you can stay with me if you don't mind the dogs, who really, really like that fold out bed in the den. ;-) We will have fun! We will drink whiskey and sing songs around the firepit! We will have a meetup with Moonbird so it can be the Mygothlaundry, Miko and Moonbird Meetup. And chewie and rainbaby can come too, but they have to change their names to something beginning with M for the occasion.

posted by mygothlaundry 19 September | 12:44

What rainbaby said. And yeah mgl's right also about Raleigh/Asheville being do-able in a week. Keep us posted dollink!

posted by chewatadistance 19 September | 14:32

If you come to California, you can stay with me -- and that's the cheapest accomodation of all. I'm a train ride away from SF and a about 1.5 hours away from Tahoe.

posted by mudpuppie 19 September | 14:59

Miami is absolutely beautiful in February. Palm trees, mojitos, salsa dancing, cuban sandwiches, tiny geckos... hang out in South Beach for a bit, then rent a car and drive down to the Keys. Rum runners, conch fritters, six toed cats, sunsets over water.....

(take me with you? :)

posted by Pips 19 September | 17:32

Do I get to come too? *snif*

posted by Lipstick Thespian 19 September | 21:36

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