US Trip Recommendations...

[MoeFOH]

49 minutes ago, PrairieSmoke said:

If it’s cold weather you are after we can accommodate your needs in Minnesota


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Ha ha... Noted! 

[MoeFOH]

47 minutes ago, GWG said:

Maine  ahhh, in portland allagash, Austin st, shipyard brewing and a tiny pub by the water mash tun, then down the street by the water to J's oysters for lobster stew. oh yea and  head a short bit up to Freeport and checkout LL bean very cool,  then you will need to stop for refreshments at Maine brewing just down the street. 

God, that sounds like my kinda deal. 

[MoeFOH]

47 minutes ago, garbandz said:

........and Cleveland is Number Two..............

Let's not go putting labels on things...  

[Duxnutz]

Take a day trip up to Milwaukee from Chicago. Awesome town (especially in warm weather! 

[JamesKPolkEsq]

4 hours ago, MoeFOH said:

Nashville... Another one I thought about diverting to; I've always heard nothing but good things about it. I'll bump it up the list and do some more research. 

Cheers!

Good for a laugh at least  Have a great trip!

[BrightonCorgi]

From Boston, you can take a high speed ferry to Provincetown on Cape Cod.  Great place for sight seeing, eating and shopping.  Won't be too crowded when you go.

[Colt45]

12 hours ago, MoeFOH said:

I'll be in Boston at that point, and I was thinking of touring around some of the better spots in Massachusetts

Go to Castle Island and grab a coupla' dogs at Sully's 

[MooseAMuffin]

12 hours ago, FatherOfPugs said:

If you want REAL BBQ, then come to Texas. Best BBQ in the US bar none. Plus, everything is bigger in Texas!

This is false as it is a known fact that KC BBQ is the best in the US.  

[mgcrunch]

1 hour ago, MooseAMuffin said:

This is false as it is a known fact that KC BBQ is the best in the US.  

Had some LEGIT burnt ends when driving through KS. AND they had waffle mix on draft(!!!) at the hotel we stayed in. 

[mgcrunch]

12 hours ago, MoeFOH said:

Thanks, Ken. Seems to be a great deal of support for it. Your #1 reason why?

I'll step in for supplement Ken's answer. Just one reason? 

The sights. 

There are many cities with incredible sights, but few so walkable as DC. The National Mall stretches about 2.5 miles and is JAM packed with history and culture. Beyond the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Korean and Vietnam Wars, White House, US Capitol, and so on, there is an unbelievable art collection. All free.

Want to see weird modern art that makes you think Smithsonian wastes their money? Go to the Hirshhorn.

The masters? NGA East.

Antique and modern portraits? Portrait Gallery.

20 foot tall sculptures? Hishhorn or NGA sculpture garden. 

Beautiful masonry? Press building, Treasury, Lincoln, etc

Walk five blocks up and eat incredible ramen, then catch an NBA or NHL game. 

Metro down to SW Wharf and eat crabs by the water [I think Old Bay is gross, but you'll make up your own opinion.

Want to see the Space Shuttle? Or SR-71? Drive to Dulles Air and Space [and go hit Aslin Brewing while your'e there.]

Like animals? Check out the pandas and more at the zoo. 

Interested in politics? Sit in on a Supreme Court or Congressional hearing. 

See random stuff, like a Haka on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 

Like opera, musicals, or theatre? Check out Kennedy Center. 

The food is pretty good here [few to none good hole-in-the-walls in DC though.] 

If beer is your scene - ChurchKey and Soverign have bottle and draft lists to rock your socks.

Into malt? Jack Rose for a bananas bottle list, plus they allow cigars. 

 

Richmond, if you are still hankering, is a two hour drive away. It's a one nighter. 

 

 

[ayepatz]

13 minutes ago, FatherOfPugs said:

ROTFL! I've been to KC, they would go wild for the Royals, the BBQ, not so much...... (in a very Borat-esque voice and tongue in cheek).

As a Brit, the concept of Truckstop BBQ, was well beyond my ken.

Then a mate from San Antonio took me to Rudy’s when we were in Houston.

Lukewarm sausage rolls and tepid tea in Motorway services in the UK have never been the same since.

*Apologies for the thread hijack. Another vote for Washington. A fabulous walking town. When everyone else is looking up at Abe Lincoln, don’t forget to look down. “I have a dream...” Very moving.

[MooseAMuffin]

42 minutes ago, mgcrunch said:

Had some LEGIT burnt ends when driving through KS. AND they had waffle mix on draft(!!!) at the hotel we stayed in. 

Good to hear you enjoyed some of our burnt ends!

But that hotel...THAT is a hotel that truly cares about their clientele! Haha

[nvrp813]

April is the tail end of ski season in Vermont. Perhaps a few days in Killington.

Also Montreal is a little more than 5 hours away by car. Awesome city if you’ve never been.

[helix]

15 hours ago, FatherOfPugs said:

If you want REAL BBQ, then come to Texas. Best BBQ in the US bar none. Plus, everything is bigger in Texas!

Amazing spot, Rudy's BBQ   Leon springs. outside San Antonio.  https://rudysbbq.com/

[sasserjp]

I grew up in the Richmond area and agree you could see most of the best/pertinent sites within a day. I would personally stop off in DC to spend the majority of your time there and then take the train from DC to Richmond.

As stated above, Richmond does have:

1. Great beer (The Veil, the Answer, Triple Crossing, and Final Gravity) located within a 10 mile radius of one another. 

2. A few interesting restaurants in Downtown, the Fan and Carytown. I'd recommend the Roosevelt, L'opossum, Barrel Thief (mainly if you like wine), Edo's Squid (for great seafood based Italian fare). 

3. A fine museum in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I would also check out the Anderson Gallery at VCU, as it has had some significant artist's work in the past (namely late Warhol) and posts student art from one of the better art schools in the US. 

4. Historical areas, such as Monument Avenue, the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, the capitol area, etc. 

5. An absolutely beautiful estate turned into a public park called Maymont; I'd highly recommend this if the weather is nice, as the estate is beautiful. 

 

[JohnInCleveland]

20 hours ago, MoeFOH said:

Cleveland had come into my considerations, but mainly as a baseball fan. The Indians have a cracking team at present. However, I'll get my fill of that in Boston (Red Sox fan). Agree it makes sense from the leg to Chicago perspective, so I'm going to keep it in the frame for now. R&R HOF has major appeal, too. 

Cheers!

The Jake is a great place to catch a game, I haven't been to Boston yet so I can't say I've seen Fenway, but I've spent half my life at Tribe games.  If you change your mind there's a front row seat in the upper deck with Moe on it...

[MoeFOH]

21 hours ago, Duxnutz said:

Take a day trip up to Milwaukee from Chicago. Awesome town (especially in warm weather! 

Not sure I'll have time for this one, as Chigaco days are unfortunately filled with serious work type sh*t. However, like most Australians of my vintage, I have a deep understanding and appreciation of Milwaukee gained from Happy Days and the Alice Cooper scenes in Wayne's World... So I'll do my best to get there!

Cheers! 

[MoeFOH]

19 hours ago, JamesKPolkEsq said:

Good for a laugh at least  Have a great trip!

Thanks, man.  

[MoeFOH]

12 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

From Boston, you can take a high speed ferry to Provincetown on Cape Cod.  Great place for sight seeing, eating and shopping.  Won't be too crowded when you go.

Ah, nice one. I had not considered the ferry option. That could be cool. And, yeah, avoiding the crowds is a big plus for me. 

Cheers!

[MoeFOH]

10 hours ago, mgcrunch said:

I'll step in for supplement Ken's answer. Just one reason? 

The sights.

 

Yeah, thanks for that. Ken's gone on the huff on me it seems. Must have been because I forgot to take my shoes off when round at his place the other day... 

Anyhow, ok, yeah, that list (chopped off because it was so long! Ha ha) is amazing. DC is clearly at the top of the list. The one thing going against DC is that it looks like I won't have nearly enough time to spend there! 

[MoeFOH]

8 hours ago, nvrp813 said:

April is the tail end of ski season in Vermont. Perhaps a few days in Killington.

Also Montreal is a little more than 5 hours away by car. Awesome city if you’ve never been.

Not a skier at all. However, I did think of Montreal at one point, also Toronto. Have heard good things about both, and they both kind of make sense in terms of heading to Chicago... Well, sort of. Anyhow, keeping them in mind; thanks for the input. 

Cheers!

[MoeFOH]

6 hours ago, sasserjp said:

I grew up in the Richmond area and agree you could see most of the best/pertinent sites within a day. I would personally stop off in DC to spend the majority of your time there and then take the train from DC to Richmond.

As stated above, Richmond does have:

1. Great beer (The Veil, the Answer, Triple Crossing, and Final Gravity) located within a 10 mile radius of one another. 

2. A few interesting restaurants in Downtown, the Fan and Carytown. I'd recommend the Roosevelt, L'opossum, Barrel Thief (mainly if you like wine), Edo's Squid (for great seafood based Italian fare). 

3. A fine museum in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I would also check out the Anderson Gallery at VCU, as it has had some significant artist's work in the past (namely late Warhol) and posts student art from one of the better art schools in the US. 

4. Historical areas, such as Monument Avenue, the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, the capitol area, etc. 

5. An absolutely beautiful estate turned into a public park called Maymont; I'd highly recommend this if the weather is nice, as the estate is beautiful. 

 

Ok, got it. The good oil is that Richmond is not more than a quick stopover and DC is jam-packed with more than I can hope to see. I think Richmond intrigues me from its history and burgeoning cultural scene--craft beers, food, etc. And it just seems a little off the well-beaten tourist path. I like that, but I also don't want to be scratching my arse wondering what to do next. So I'll happily take on board what everyone is saying, and I'll apportion the appropriate amount of time to it if I end up going there. 

Options are overwhelming! But all this advice is great stuff. 

Cheers!

[MoeFOH]

3 hours ago, JohnInCleveland said:

The Jake is a great place to catch a game, I haven't been to Boston yet so I can't say I've seen Fenway, but I've spent half my life at Tribe games.  If you change your mind there's a front row seat in the upper deck with Moe on it...

Ok, I'm such a baseball nut that this would ordinarily weigh in heavily. But you guys are on the road on those dates... Wait, is that why there's a spare seat for me? There's actually a whole spare bloody stadium!  

[JohnInCleveland]

20 hours ago, MoeFOH said:

Ok, I'm such a baseball nut that this would ordinarily weigh in heavily. But you guys are on the road on those dates... Wait, is that why there's a spare seat for me? There's actually a whole spare bloody stadium!  

You're too funny, I hadn't checked the dates, I have season tickets so I figured if they were in town I'd have em.  

 

Of the MLB parks, everyone tells me the stadium in Pittsburgh is supposedly great.  Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati is very nice.  There should be plenty of good options.  Enjoy your trip.