Hometown Tour Guide
 

Summer vacation time is almost here - and who better to tell you what to see than GCers who live in the various cities and towns you may be traveling through or to? SO - how about giving us the five cent tour of YOUR hometown? What should we see, where should we eat, what should we avoid like the plague? Give us the inside scoop - the places off the beaten path!

^^^Still weirded out by the black squirrels, lol. The first time I saw one I was, "OMG, WTF IS THAT?!?!"

This might not be a hometown, but I'm looking at visiting San Francisco in July. I was wondering if anyone had hotel reservations?

Not sure why you would vacation in Blacksburg, but here it goes:

-Check out the VT cows. There are about ten that have little portholes in their sides so you can see their organs. It's pretty cool.

-If you want good food, I actually encourage you to eat on campus! We have the #1 ranked food in the nation. Off campus, on Main Street, Soulvaki is THE place to get amazing gyros. There will also soon be a Chipotle.

-Go hiking in the Cascades. Take a ride down the New River in a tube.

-Check out the only Rite Aid in the Roanoke, VA area.

-Come to our big spring football game. We looove us some football. But in order to watch it right, you have to jump as hard as you can to the tune of "Enter Sandman" while our football team enters. I guarantee it will be an epic experience.

-Try to figure out what a Hokie is.

Come to Naples
 

Florida, that is.

Stay at the Naples Beach Hotel, right on the gulf. Be sure to bring your golf clubs-NBH has their own golf course. Enjoy a cocktail at sunset at the beach bar and see if you can spot the green flash.

Stroll down 5th Avenue and enjoy the architecture and eclectic shops.

Chow down at Grouper and Chips, a standing room only quirky restaurant located downtown.

Pick up some great bargains in Estero at the Miramar Outlets. If designer clothes are more your style, shop at the Waterside Shoppes.

Take a cruise on the Naples Princess to see the fabulous mansions in Port Royal.

Jump on the Key West Express for a day trip to the Keys.

Head east on US 41 into the Everglades to take a ride on an airboat.

Visit Everglades National Park.

If you come in the spring or fall, you might catch a swamp buggy race.

Come to Indianapolis...

If it's May, be sure to stop by the Speedway for qualifiying for the 500. (but don't forget your ear plugs)

Visit the IHQs of lots of GLOs

Go to St. Elmo's steakhouse for shrimp cocktail

spend a day at the Children's Museum. Even if you don't have kids. It's worth it.

Try Mama Carola's for some italian food

take a tour of Crown Hill Cemetery

if you want to cook for yourself, go to Klemm's butcher shoppe for authentic German lunchmeats and German-style cuts of meat

Try Purta Valarta (sp?) Mexican restaurant for lunch/early dinner if you want to see Colts Players

^^ When I was in college, I went to my cousin's wedding in Naples. It was in January, I think, or sometime around there. The weather was about 60-ish. His wife's parents had a summer house that was apparently only a few doors down from one of Bill Gates' house... it was unreal. But I was amazed at how early the bars and everything closed around there!


Everyone, come to DC! Whereas some magazines will tell you to go to places like Ben's Chili Bowl for something off the beaten track, that is ridiculous.

Do a Segway tour of the mall and Capitol. You get cute little helmets and everything.

Take a late-night haunted tour of Old Town, Alexandria.

Check out http://www.internationalclubdc.com/Events/Default.aspx for listings of events held in embassies! For instance, learn to dance the waltz and salsa in the French Embassy and have a wine reception there.

Visit the PX in Old Town or the Gibson at 14th and U for a "speakeasy" type of night- they create drinks to suit your mood and make everything from scratch (except the alcohol, of course).

See the Nationals play... oh wait, they suck and lose every game. BUT, it is a pretty new stadium, with cheap tickets (as no one wants to watch the crappiest team in all of MLB).

There are a million other things to do, and the ones I mentioned aren't even that good. Forgive me, I'm in a sinus headache haze.

If for some reason you're stuck in Mountain Brook, Alabama:

-Try Chez Lulu and Continental Bakery in English Village for French food in a cute little cafe, or fresh bread and baked goods next door.

-Gilchrist's in Mountain Brook Village for a famous limeade

-Otey's Tavern in Crestline Village for rockin' food.

-A'Mano in Mountain Brook Village for the most unique gifts and home decor you've ever seen.

-Jemison Trail along Mountain Brook Parkway for a really scenic jog or walk...stop at the old mill and check it out.

Very green, very leafy, and very quaint. It's right outside of Birmingham...which has a surprising amount of good places to eat and see shows. Try Zydeco for music, Al's to eat afterwords, the Art Museum during the day, and Five Points for a wide variety of restaurants and hippie-kid shops. And if you like the bar scene, walk through Cobb Lane and stop at the J.Clyde for specialty beers and the Blue Monkey for ridiculously expensive but tasty martinis.

I did not know you were in Mt. Brook!!It is so beautiful there! Both my kids go to Samford and i love to go visit. One of their favorite restaurants is Surin. I love O'Henry's coffee in Homewood. And don't forget Smith's!

AnotherKD, it is too bad that it was in the 60's for your cousins wedding. Usually it is a little warmer than that, but not this year!

I can't believe I forgot Smith's! I don't go home a lot but I appreciate how pretty it is when I do.

I'm addicted to Surin!

ASTalumna - sorry I didn't find your great thread - thanks for pointing it out to us.

Are you willing to spend an arm & a leg (not including parking, which is extra)? The only place i've stayed is the Radisson by Fisherman's Wharf, but it is extremely expensive, and honestly not that great a place.

I'd suggest staying in a city outside of SF, someplace like Hayward (if you stay there, go with the Hampton), Dublin, etc. From those places, it's still easy to get into SF---you can drive or take the BART.