Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with travel and tourist

Mexico City to San Miguel de Allende: The Scenic Route?

carsonb — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:02:47 -0800

In July I'm flying into Mexico City for my friend's wedding in San Miguel de Allende. I have two days (or so, it's pretty flexible) to get from the airport in FD to SMdA, can you help me figure out the best route and/or means of transportation? And also what I should do for fun and/or adventure with the extra day or so I have to explore the area? I'm traveling alone. I have some little Spanish, more all the time, and some big itch for adventure. I've been to Mexico before, but really only the state of Sonora. My budget is fairly limited—I can't hire a palanquin, and I can't go skydiving or anything—but I'm willing to save extra to make this a memorable trip.

Looking at maps, I feel a little daunted by the distance between the two cities (~150mi) and don't really know where to start looking for a way to get from one to the other. Oh, and back again for my return flight...

That said, I scheduled some extra time so I don't have to feel rushed, racing to the wedding. I arrive on a Sunday, rehearsal dinner isn't until Thursday, but the house we're all staying in starts welcoming guests as early as Monday. Wedding guests will be trickling in that whole time. I'm thinking I'd like to show up on Tuesday, spend a few days with scattered friends before the wedding stuff starts in earnest.

That leaves a good portion of Sunday and all day Monday for me to do pretty much whatever I'd like around the Federal District. Or... I could spend the whole time on the road, wending. Consider me open to any and all suggestions. Thanks!

Going to San Francisco and Portland; what am I doing?

vulgar_wheat — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:14:08 -0800

Planes and Trains and Bikes, oh my! or, Going to San Francisco and Portland for a week and a half; what should I do and see and eat? I'm flying into San Francisco on Sunday (29th) until Thursday night (about 4 and some days), taking a 17-hour train to Portland, and then staying around Portland (another 4 and some days) until Tuesday (7th) night.

I like museums and gardens, except for most art museums. I'm also interested in general sightseeing. Not particularly interested in going to stores unless they are really nifty in some way or another. (Things that generally make that list: bookstores of a certain size, tiny stores that really focus on one thing). Money isn't exactly an objection for anything, but I'm also not inclined to spend a lot for something that won't be amazing (or at least memorable).

I'll have my bike with me, so I'm interested in general logistics (how do drivers react to cyclists, how important it is to really lock the sucker up, etc) and also places I should bike to. I hear that biking the Golden Gate Bridge is a thing, and that Portland is really bike friendly, but what else? I am not super fit, but I've recently done 50-mile rides and can bike indefinitely at a leisurely pace, for what it's worth.

I'm also very interested in food recommendations, with the two restrictions that I am vegan and also 21, so drinking isn't a thing for me. Places with communal tables are extra interesting to me, as are other things that might get me to meet people in the area.

Lastly, what do I need to know or do or bring to prepare myself for a 17 hour train? My parents insisted that I get a room, so ... I have a room. The cheapest one, with two beds, so I guess I'm sharing with some stranger.

I've been to San Francisco before, but 10 years ago and I remember nothing; Portland is a total blank slate to me. This is also my first time really traveling by myself, so I have no idea what I'm doing at all. I've read some of the previous asks, but was hoping for a few more datapoints.

Help me have a blast in northern Michigan

looli — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 19:19:36 -0800

What are the most super fun things to do in the eastern upper and northern lower peninsulas of Michigan? Next week, I'll be travelling from Sault Ste Marie, ON to somewhere in northern Michigan with my parents (mid-sixties) and my nine year old daughter, for a couple days. Right now it looks like our most likely destinations are Mackinac Island, Petoskey and/or Traverse City. I think 4 hours driving away from the Sault is the outside limit, but I am totally open to going places that are none of the above, if the attraction is compelling enough.

I'm looking for suggestions of great places to eat, fun things to do, interesting places to shop and unusual things to see. Weird and woolly is cool. Kitsch is also appreciated. Interesting to children is a high priority, though my kid has pretty sophisticated tastes, so it doesn't have to be entirely childish.

I'm not looking for any camping, hiking, nature-y things since we'll be spending a week camping at the most beautiful beach in the world the following week and that's all the outdoorsiness any of us needs. I've already favourited this earlier post but I'm curious about the Huron side, too.

A city filled with infinite possibilities

jadepearl — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 07:48:17 -0800

Will be flying into Toronto this Saturday for a conference until Wednesday. I will be in the Front St. area. I like to walk, transit and wander, so tell me where to go. I combed through the other Toronto questions with the most recent being a year old. I know that I need to hit Kensington Market and the shoe museum what else should I see? Any favorites?

Imagine you are choreographing a perfect few days to fall in love with a city and someone where would you place this romance of the city?

The rules of the romance: just by foot and transit; starts at Front St. on Saturday afternoon; never say sorry for quirky, thirfty or splurging with discretion; no fear of fat, sugar or deliciousness; day and night locales and ends at the airport on Weds. afternoon.

East Coast trip from Boston to DC -- ideas?

archagon — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:48:27 -0800

I'm planning on visiting the East Coast this July -- the area roughly from Boston to Washington, DC. I don't really have a set plan yet, aside from visiting NYC for a couple of days (up to a week), hopefully visiting Boston for a few days, and hanging out along the Maryland/DC border for a conference. Travel tips/suggestions? I've never been to the East Coast, so I have no idea where to go or what to do. What are some interesting destinations along my route? Large or small, touristy or obscure -- it doesn't matter to me. If you have a favorite city or town, museum, hostel, club, restaurant, food cart, statue -- whatever -- put it out there. I want as much information as I can get!

Current ideas: (just started brainstorming)
* touristy stuff in NY: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, etc.
* Comedy Cellar in NY (maybe I can see Louis C.K.?)
* lots of pizza (and donuts, cheesecake, bagels...) in NY -- especially Di Fara
* Harvard and MIT in Boston
* White House, Holocaust Museum, and Smithsonian in DC

(I'm sure there have been countless questions on the topic, so if you know of any great discussions off the top of your head, please post them here.)

Thank you!

places to check out in san francisco

jsh07 — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:24:30 -0800

I am a 22 yr old guy traveling to San Francisco for the first time June 5th-9th. I want to get a good mix of tourist stuff to do, then check out a few places that necessarily wouldn't be on the top places to check out that are cool. Any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks!

If I had a Tardis, this wouldn't be a problem...

jph — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:50:49 -0800

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "very safe" and with going-to-11 being "the most crazy," how insane is it to try to get into London from Heathrow to do some light sightseeing on my way back home to the US. (I've read the previous questions, but needed some clarification about some of the issues!) Complexity Level: 6.5 hours (arriving 8am, departing 3:30pm for the US/home) + Olympic Games opening a week later.

Mitigating factor(?): I'll be flying from Paris to London that morning, rather than flying into Europe from the US or elsewhere. Could a "domestic" European flight hasten my departure from the airport to grab one of the many modes of transit into the city center? Or is it pretty much one-size-fits-all passport-check and customs stuff no matter from whence you've come? Will Olympic travel make this a totally bad idea? I'll be there July 17, so just before the games begin.

Really, I'd just like to jog by the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum. I'd like to take a picture of a guard at Buckingham Palace. I'd like to see Tower Bridge and Big Ben. Eat a meat pie or something. And if I run into Hyacinth Bucket or Dawn French, then that would just be icing the crumpet.

I don't think I'm asking for all that much, really. Just a little taste of London. I'm a big boy. I can handle myself on public transit. I am flying solo, so I can move as quickly as my little legs will carry me. Worst case scenario, I'll just book a lounge at the airport for six hours and it wont be the end of the world. But I'd really like to make this happen if it is possible given the constraints of the time-space-travel continuum.

Miami, feed me

sararah — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:01:53 -0800

Heading to Miami in a few weeks for a conference. Would love to hear your food recommendations and must-not-miss attractions/neighborhoods/beaches. 1. Conference is in downtown Miami
2. Staying on Miami Beach (Bayshore area)
3. I will have a car

Looking for your food recommendations, especially lunch recommendations in downtown Miami (I will have most dinners provided).

Any other recommendations for cool historical stuff along the lines of the Villa Vizcaya, and your favorite spots on Miami Beach.

I'm heading down to Key Biscayne Nat'l Park and Key Largo for a few days after the conference, so any recommendations in that area are also welcome!

Babysteps into the land of Japan...

Arethusa — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:40:34 -0800

Travelfilter: Things to do in Japan that are good for someone who finds traveling stressful, and are welcoming to tourists and non-Japanese speakers. I live in Japan, which is pretty awesome! I am here with my spouse on a U.S. military base nearish to Tokyo. The problem is that the base is basically a little-America. Everyone speaks English, and it's very self-sustained, so you pretty much never have to leave. It doesn't look or feel like Japan at all. There are people who boast of never leaving the base the whole time they are stationed here! I don't want to be that person!

However, I have extreme social anxiety, and I feel like a huge boob for not knowing much Japanese. Pretty much not knowing any Japanese. But with being a grad student thing and having a job (both English-speaking) I haven't had much time to remedy that.

So I was hoping for suggestions in the Tokyo area for things to do or places to visit that would be very accessible and "safe" for someone who has social anxiety and doesn't speak much Japanese. Basically, a gentle starting point so that we can gradually start exploring this neat country. Just being in public here stresses me out, and I think I'd feel better if I knew I was in an area where tourists are expected, and possibly even welcomed. I do want to do less touristy things eventually, but I think even just doing touristy things would be a good first step. We do already go out to restaurants in the base area, though I am a vegetarian which somewhat complicates food-tourism.

We're going to be here for another few years so there's plenty of time. We can handle the trains alright, and my spouse doesn't have social anxiety, but he does get kind of stressed out when I start getting stressed out in a public area. He doesn't mind traveling but he's a real home-body so between the two of us we rarely leave the base.

The next two weeks or so are relatively free for us, so that is the time frame we're looking at in the near future, but we also have free days at other times throughout the year.

Thank you Metafilter!

I'm looking for a downloadable walking tour for Atlanta?

arnicae — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:08:39 -0800

I'm looking for walking tours of Atlanta available as CDs or (ideally) as MP3s that I can stick on my iPod. So far, I have only been able to find these two driving tours, but I'd really like to find a walking tour. Anyone know of anything available, either for free or for purchase?

Help me plan a weekend in NYC?

nickhb — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:37:06 -0800

We have one weekend in New York, help us make it count! So a friend and I decided that for spring break, rather than spend a week blacked out in Cancun, we'd spend some time in New York City. We've both been before many times (though not recently) and done all the Statue/EmpireState/OtherTouristyThings. What are some fun, but not cliched restaurants, activities, and other things to do in the city? We'll be there from the afternoon of March 2nd to the morning of the 5th.

ABOUT US: We're two male 21-year-old students from Miami, FL studying in Gainesville, FL (So metropolitan upbringing, small hippie college town school life). We're interested in all sorts of things (with the exception of anything sports related), but there are a few general things we want to do.
-Broadway Show: What are some good ones other than Book of Mormon and How to Succeed in Business (which now stars a Jonas brother)
-Museums: We're gonna hit MOMA and the Museum of natural history, so what are some can't miss exhibits?
-Gay Bar: We both like guys, but we have have different tastes in men, so what's a non-touristy bar/club where we can dance, drink, and meet lots of different types of guys and have a good time?

Tripadvisor has melted my brain.

Neonshock — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:38:28 -0800

Where shall we stay and what shall we do in our two days in L.A and Hong Kong? Me and my partner are travelling around the world to attend a wedding in NZ and were stopping off on the way for 2 nights/ 3 days in both LA (21-23 MAR) and Hong Kong (3-6 APR).

LA FACTORS
- We have rented a car. Therefore we can stay a little further out, but not too far out.
- I want to spend around £100/$150 for our accommodation. Bonus if there is some kind of breakfast.
- We have a cash 'spending, eating and doing' budget of about $300. What should we spend, eat and do?

HK FACTORS
- I have no idea where to stay, I think central is better but is it?
- We want to spend about £200/$300 max but we are tall; we dont mind a small room but cant deal with a small bed.
- I have no idea how much money to put aside for 'spending, eating doing' and no idea what to do with it.

OUR FACTORS
- Mid twenties British couple.
- Interests - We're geeks, he loves computers, I love art and shopping. We both enjoy culture, history, science and food.
- We are probably not coming back to these places and want to do the kind of standard or famous sights, i.e. the hollywood sign, Victoria peak... as well as anything else that might pique our interests.

Any help would be awesome, I really love to make a plan and our time is limited in each place so I want to experience as much as possible!

`ello Guvna!

blue_beetle — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:15:33 -0800

3 Days in London, England in April 2012. My wife has never been before. What should we not miss?

Not your average NYC tourist guide

wolfr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 10:58:36 -0800

I'm visiting New York City for the second time. The first time I was there for a month and travelled alone and did little of the "tourist" stuff. Now I'm going with my girlfriend who hasn't seem the city yet. I'm looking for personal experiences instead of general tourist guide style descriptions. This could be anything from your personal answer to this post or links to travel stories, people's travel blogs, etc. The regular websites (e.g. NYmag.com, NY Times) and listings about NYC don't tell me much. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.

I'm purposefully not describing my interests or what I've already seen: I'm open to anything.

Thanks!

Where to spend a couple hours waiting north of Chicago at night?

Vorteks — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:01:40 -0800

Please help me find some place pleasant, close to a train station, to pass the time from 10:00pm-12:00am north of Chicago, IL. My friends are attending a concert tonight (July 7, 2011) at 8:00pm at Ravinia Park, Highland Park, IL. I am flying down to spend time with my friends, but I will not be able to attend the concert. I am landing at Chicago Midway Airport this evening, about the same time the concert starts. My plan is to take the train from the airport and head in the direction of their venue. Then, after their concert is over, my friends will pick me up from wherever I am on their way to our hotel. However, I expect that after I arrive at my final station, I will have to wait 1 or more hours until they pick me up. I don't know when the concert will end, but 11:00pm doesn't seem unlikely. So, where's a good place to wait? I'd rather not just hang out at the train station.

If you know of any, could you please suggest a place where I could wait that meets the following criteria:

Is roughly between Highland Park, IL and Skokie, IL (where we'll be staying after the concert).

Is within reasonable walking distance of a train station that I could access from Midway Airport

Will be open between 10:00pm and 12:00am this evening

I'm thinking coffee shops, restaurants, book stores, places like that would be ideal. Some place I could sit with my laptop and write e-mails while waiting. I'd prefer not to wait in a bar. I've called a few Starbucks and similar places that I found on Google but none were open past 10:00pm. Do you know of any good places?

Thanks Mefites.

Places to eat/drink/visit in DC in the evening

Kpele — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:27:09 -0800

I'll be in DC for a few days in September-- I'd love some suggestions for things to do close to the conference hotel. Bonus for cocktail places and interesting food! I'll be in DC for a few days in September, arriving the evening of Sunday September 25 and flying out Wednesday September 28 in the afternoon. My daytimes will be pretty well taken up by conference-ing, but I should be free Sunday evening (land at DCA at 6:30ish) and Tuesday evening, and maybe an hour or two Wednesday, if there's anything I can do between noon (when the conference ends) and 3:30 when the flight leaves.

I've skimmed the previous Asks that seem applicable, but DC is big and a little overwhelming, and my prior experience was a 3-hour-drop-in-for-a-job-interview thing that gave me no real sense of the city or where anything was.

I'm not going to have a car, so I generally would prefer to stay walking-distance or easy-transit from the conference hotel-- the Grand Washington Hyatt on H street. I see that the previously-recommended International Spy Museum is nearby, so, yay! What else in the area is likely to be open and neat to visit after 5pm?

I like cocktails (and wine and beer) and food (all kinds!), and I'd love to have one or two interesting dinners if I can (to make up for eating conference food, sigh). Recommendations for cocktail bars and/or wine bars and/or brew houses, with an extra bonus for those with good food, would be most welcome. Places with unexciting cocktails but great food are also welcome. I see Hank's Oyster Bar was recommended previously, and Dupont Circle looks like a reasonable walk. Dukem was recommended for Ethopian, but I am less sure if that's a reasonable walk from the hotel. I am disappointed that Brickskellar seems to have closed, boo.

I'm not sure if I should try to visit museums and things like that this trip, since I'll be pretty time-limited, and I am likely to be back in DC at least once in the next couple of years (and may be able to tack on a day or two of vacation to a future trip). Thoughts on this issue are also welcome.

Displaying/Storing Patches

KneeDeep — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:11:01 -0800

How to store/display cloth patches from travel destinations (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, etc.). We have quite a number of cloth patches from our travels. Initially, we sewed them onto our travel vests but the vests filled up and frankly are a little gauche. The patches are great reminders of where we've been and the fun, or not, that we've experienced. My creativity has stalled. Any suggestions?

I want to be a part of it... Grenoble!

ddaavviidd — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:19:54 -0800

Sell me Grenoble! I will be in Grenoble for five days, and if I like it enough, I might return for a year or two... Later this month I will visit Grenoble for holidays but also to see if I like the city, since I may have an opportunity to come back for some paid research work. Basically if you live(d) there, what are the places I should visit? They don't have to be touristy, I'd just like to get a feel for places I might live in, shop at or visit if I came back for a longer time. For this trip I'll have a car for 3 days. And I speak French.
I love the outdoors (hiking mostly, snowboarding too), have 2 young kids, I love coffee, markets, libraries, used books stores, that kind of thing. Tell me your secret treasures, neighborhoods, or parks, which can be in or around Grenoble. If I live there, I'll definitely commute by public transportation.

Belleville Rendezvous

mippy — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:07:27 -0800

I'm going to Paris at the beginning of April. What should I see? Where should I eat? How much should I take? And what's the best thing you've done there? Am going with my OH for three nights. We're not on an unlimited budget (in fact, I'm wondering what the minimum one needs to take is and will then decide how much I can add to that - my bank charges £1.25 for every foreign currency transaction so will probably need to be cash) and mainly plan to wander round and take photos.

I know I'd like to see Bellville and Pere La Chaise cemeteries, the taxidermy shop (name escapes me now), have hot chocolate at Angelina's and visit one of the markets - preferably one selling textiles and bric-a-brac rather than furniture - for people-watching. I don#t speak French but am happy enough buying picnic lunches from the supermarket as they're probably nicer than the London version! Also, I know that museums are free on the first Sunday of the month which gives us freedom to see as many as briefly as we like and then go back and pay if we want to see more. Beyond that...I'm not sure.

Suggestions welcome! I like crafts, thrift-hunting, books and quirky things. OH is really into boardgames so we may check out one of the stores there.

Cheapskate goes to London

titantoppler — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:02:07 -0800

Going to London over for 3 weeks, advice needed! /travel-filter I'll be going to London from Boxing Day to middle of January, and need some ideas as to where to go, what to eat etc.

I've seen these threads and more. So far what I've come up with is this:

Places to visit:
- Taking a 3-day London Pass for the first 3 days
- Spending New Year (2-3 days) in Edinburgh
- To visit the touristy things like Upper Street, Borough Market, Greenwich Market, Brick Lane Market, Westminster Abbey and Harrod's.

Places to eat at:
- Veeraswamy
- Golden Hind
- Wong Kei
- Tay Do Café
- Rules
- Tayyab's
- Lahore Kebab House

What I need:
- More ideas on the must-see / must-do things in London, or around
- I have a 4-5 day slot free which if possible, would like to visit Germany / France etc on the cheap; can this be done?
- How can I maximize my money and time when there?

I can speak fluent English, but cannot speak French / German / other European languages. Accommodation will not be a problem, and other than the plane tickets and accommodation, I have not booked for anything yet.

Help is much appreciated!

Unexpected weekend off in Australia! What should we do?

olinerd — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:12:23 -0800

We are in Vincentia, NSW, Australia. We have a car and an unexpected weekend off. We've already done a ton of stuff in Sydney and we'd like to see someplace else. Help us plan our weekend trip. Two coworkers and I are working in the Jervis Bay area and we unexpectedly don't have to work the weekend. We'd like to drive somewhere and spend the night someplace fun, but other than Sydney there's doesn't seem to be a whole lot of exciting places within reasonable driving distance. We're thinking about the Blue Mountains, but don't know how to downselect specific drives/tours/hotels/etc from all the info we're finding online.

So, can you recommend to us:

(1) A fun place or places to go?
(2) Best way to get there by car? (We have a GPS, but if there are more fun/scenic alternate routes we're open to them)
(3) Best reasonably priced places to stay overnight in your suggested destination? There are two of us, two male and one female, when taking into account sizes of hotel rooms and number of beds. We're friendly (and cheap) enough to share a hotel room but not friendly enough to cuddle. Two beds + cot or couch is ideal.

We enjoy excellent food and drink, light hiking, and awesome scenery. We do not enjoy the myriad living things that seem to want to kill us and/or creep us out here (snakes, spiders, etc) so camping is out for right now. All three of us are from the US, and one has been to Australia -- mostly Sydney -- before but the other two of us are here for the first time.

Thanks!

What are the most popular, clichéd touristy things to do in London?

nitsuj — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:28:33 -0800

What are the most popular, clichéd touristy things to do in London? You know, like posing with the Queen's guards, taking a ride in the Eye, and eating fish and chips.

Getting around New York City and is there a fashion museum

digividal — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:31:09 -0800

New York City car & driver for a day? My girlfriend and I have a chance to spend a day in New York City tomorrow. Well not all day from about 2pm out.
We both really want to see Moma, PS/1 and a few other
choice artsy places.

I am concerned about having enough time before the places close.

I dont wont to spend my time figuring out the transit system
at the cost of not a few places.

So I was wondering about hiring a car and a driver for a day,
but I have never done such a thing before, is it done, if so
how, and how much?

Would a regular car service be able to pick us and drop us off fairly frequently (maybe an hour or two at each location).

Or should we trust an abundance of taxis?

Or is public transit simply the fastest way to travel around New York even when a person is unaccustomed to the routes. I love public transit in general and I have used it frequently in towns I have visited where I have some time.

Lastly is there such a thing as a fashion museum or such?
NYC is certainly known as one of the fashion capitols, and
I have noted down a few stores from Wallpaper (magazine)
but I havent seen a museum or gallery that focuses on it yet.

San Francisco, Take Two

JoanArkham — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:52:26 -0800

So we rescheduled our San Francisco trip and I've got a few more last-minute questions... We couldn't get booked into the same hotel, so we're staying at the Monaco instead which is close to (in?) the Tenderloin. Which is apparently "sketchy" according to Trip Advisor. I think we're generically city-savvy, but I want to know if it's ok to walk around at night or if we should stick to cabs.

Also, I'm planning on getting a MUNI Passport. I see that it isn't good on BART. I'm confused about the two systems, if we're not leaving the immediate SF area, do we need to worry about BART at all?

We're still going to Nightlife, but most of our other plans are now out. Chinatown Alley Tours never got back to us about a tour the last time, but I'm trying again. I see where there's going to be a St. Patrick's Day parade that I am pretty sure I want to avoid as much as possible. Anything I shouldn't miss from next Thursday through Monday? I've been checking the SF Weekly calendar but it's kind of overwhelming.

suggestion for off-the-beaten-path day trip?

roxie110 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:43:17 -0800

suggestions for Bay Area day trip? i've lived in the bay area for nearly 15 years and have done lots of road tripping... i and my boyfriend would love to go someplace that's within about an hour and a half drive. we do a ton of hiking and also love beaches and small towns. we've been so many places up and down the coast (and east), though! does anyone know of any unexpected gems we might not have been to? many thanks!

here are some of the places we've been:

sonoma
pt. reyes/olema
stinson beach
bolinas
fairfax
muir beach
mill valley
sausalito
tiburon
petaluma
guerneville
santa cruz
half moon bay (do not understand the allure! am i missing something?)
saratoga/los gatos
woodside (including nearby open space preserves)
winters
tilden park