Does anyone have suggestions for restaurants doing takeout in the Houston metro area?
A friend of mine is getting married over Zoom, and I'd like to get him and his wife a gift card for a celebratory dinner. They live in DC but are sheltering in place with his parents in Houston for the time being.
My former boss loved Perry’s. If you like meat,that is, but then meat is quite popular in a Texas. Avoid the Kemah restaurants which are just touristy.
ok, she came back with: B&B BUtchers for steak, Kiran's for ethnic food (that is upper class Indian), Brennan's for Cajun, Helen for Greek, El Tiempo for Mexican- says it is less fancy than the others but is still nice and has the best Mexican food in the entire city
The only two places I've eaten in Houston were Corkscrew BBQ (phenomenal) and What A Burger (pretty good). I'm sure LP could give lots of recommendations.
joe_nard_vee: As a student, I remember in woodworking that we have to make a foldable chair that we have to work on the whole sem. In the end mine was a fucking safety hazard aka it can be sit upon but there's like nails ready to skewer your ass. Scared to submit that i literally bought new materials outside class and let my dad do it. Teacher was shocked on how good it was and question my authencity. In the end i confessed that it was my dad but my teacher's ego was so high probably thinking he can humilate me infront of class so he told me to bring the "original chair". He sat on it and punctured his ass and fell because the chair did not support hos weight. I got suspended not because i hurt him but because i was cheating lmao
's Market in Oakland. Back in the late 90s and early 00s it used to have lots of little stalls. Now it seems to be much more upscale with artisan shops and stuff like that.
Not a lot of local beer choices in Perth, Australia - but they make a decent lager. Also, Swan Valley is the one place where I found that lamb was cheaper than chicken.
My older daughter’s bestie is at Wisconsin and by all accounts it’s just a shitshow. No social distancing etc. A couple weeks ago my daughter was watching a debate with her roommate and their neighbors and they were all masked up, aforementioned bestie FaceTimed from someone else’s room where they were finalizing their look / pre-gaming before heading out to a frat party. You’d basically be a sucker to be the only one masked up in that environment
All I can say in response is that Vassar has had a total of 31 cases (staff and students) since mid August. Some of the underlying factors can’t be replicated at a massive state school like Wisconsin but mask wearing could be, were the students willing to try. That’s the one variable in all this that could remotely be described as “their fault.”
Wisconsin is a hot spot now. My sister lives in eastern Iowa not far from LaCrosse, WI. The post had a story yesterday about how colleges in LaCrosse reopened and the virus went crazy.
not that i think this, but it seems that "coronavirus fatigue" is a real thing from talking to some people. it seems that most people are pinning their hopes on vaccine to be the magic thing that saves us
Even people who generally listen to experts' guidelines have talked themselves into thinking that they're probably minimizing risk enough (to still do whatever risky behavior) because this HAS lasted a long time (through deliberate, intentional policy decisions).
Doesn't appear to be due to the lawsuit; the lawsuit resulted from the decision to pull the officers at a time when the need for secure and timely mail delivery has never been greater, or under greater scrutiny.
On the surface of it, it seems to be a ploy to increase the likelihood of actual problems occurring that otherwise wouldn't have in anywhere near the same quantity.
The same Federal authorities in Portland that contend the Constitution exempts them from complying with zoning laws are now being sued for using chemical weapons that violate federal environmental and public health laws.
I'm guessing taxpayers are going to get the bill for cleanup, not the command staff that thought violating their own laws might be a consequence-free action they could take.
There is a good throughline episode released today about history of voting. Political parties hiring goons to go to the polls has a pretty deep history
Tampa Bay bounces back, with a series evening 6-4 win over LA. Dodgers got behind, and the Blue Rays made it 64 in a row when they have a lead after the 7th inning. (Only 37-1 when leading after the 6th. inning though.)
They do. Their AAA club is the Durham Bulls. This last season, they trotted out guy after guy who was burning 99 MPH gas. The hiss of a ball thrown that hard and a subsequent smack into the catcher's mitt is startling even when you're sitting in the stands.
They have a variety of movements. Arm angle matters too. They have a diversity of 98+ mph arms. Most of them being 6'5" or so also helps with angle of approach.
Yeah I saw a graphic where they showed all the arm angles of the relievers. From sidearm from the left and right to over the top, and all angles in between. Dodgers had 15 Ks I think. Although the strike zone last night was all over the place. Quite a few balls at the top and the bottom of the zone were balls. And off the plate as well. One of the worst i've seen all playoffs
Yeah they seem to do that. Elite velocity can be hit but they have people with different arm angles and what seem to be decent breaking pitches. It'll be hard the first go around but the question is if they'll get hit the 2nd time they pitch.
May not having his stuff was a back breaker last night. Only threw 1 good slider in his 2 innings and that was followed by the hanger that Lowe hit out.
The other missing Cal student Sydney West was invited by me to attend a new student welcome party last year but didn't attend. Watching her family plead for her return is heart breaking.
You are probably right, but do you think there is any interest in a tailgate at the TCU game next year? Not the same as doing one at Ole Miss (or Notre Dame) but it at least gives something to look forward to.
I just want people to let me know where they have traveled (or would've like to travel to) since the pandemic started, its intriguing to see how people can "get away" for a mental reset in these times. I'm finally leaving the bay area for the first time since the pandemic to Reno and I've honestly never felt a better opportunity for a "vacation" type of reset.
Del Mar. Beach is great. You can walk for miles on the beach I n either direction. Water is warm enough to go in. Weather is neither too hot, nor too cold. And, plenty of places to eat outside. Feels pretty safe.
Maine. VRBOd a house on a pond for two weeks expecting to quarantini in advance of #1's wedding. Worked remote, interwoven with coastal hikes and scenic drives. Didn't need to sit for the entire 14 days as I tested negative after arriving. Very easy - called and received a same day appointment, received results ~3 days later. Four days after returning to SFO, tested again (negative). Fortunately California is expanding access to test sites. Best two weeks I've had since, well, March!
I am in Tahoe for two weeks right now, and I spent 11 days up here right before Labor Day as well. Makes a huge difference to be able to hug a tree, since my home has no outside space at all, and I'm pretty sick of its four walls.
I am considering a Palm Springs jaunt in February, but I'm really not looking to get on a plane anywhere.
No travel as such - couple of same day trips to PA (took my older girl to a camp friend’s 18th birthday party near Nazareth and collecting a laptop in Philly) and dropping the aforementioned daughter off at college (that was a long day). My younger daughter went to OBX with a friend’s family and had to come back earlier than planned because their rental house got walloped by a hurricane 😬)
My wife doesn’t want to do something like rent a house because she views it as a working trip for her and that’s the end of that.
The summer camp where the missus and older girl work just announced that they’re opening next summer. The younger girl is super excited - it’ll be her last year as a camper and they make it a big deal - and my wife is probably already 90% in. The older girl doesn’t think the college aged counselors will take any behavioral precautions seriously and remains to be sold that this is a good idea. Since I probably won’t be able to visit them at all, it’s quite possible I might make it to 2022 before taking any time away.
Don't think I've driven anywhere further than Benicia (to get a haircut when barbers in Alameda County were still shut down but Solano County was open).
Trying to "get away" with two young kids is fairly pointless. The most we've done is drive in to SF on hot days to visit the park or the beach.
In terms of spread, Joshua Tree was great because there was literally no one else around for miles. Sequoia more crowded, but still doable. Catalina... I learned is basically the party spot for rich white dbags from Orange County.
I drove back with No 1 to Philly. He drove out at the end of June, stopping by to pick up his friends from Louisville who were back visiting their parents. His friends live in Fort Baker, across the GGB from SF, now. At the end of July I drove back to Philly with him, stayed for a week to help him move to another apt, and then flew back.
I'm usually a United flyer but they got rid of their non-stop, and I had some miles on AA, so I took a direct AA flight using miles. I paid extra for whatever they call their economy plus section. I had a window seat on the left side with no one 4 rows in front of me and 6 rows behind me. Also just one person on the other side 2 rows up and 2 rows behind. I still quarantined in a tent on the deck for 10 days since urgent care wanted me to wait 1 week before taking the test and then had to wait 3 days for results. Initially I used an outside door to use the bathroom and basically only went inside to get food. I could watch TV with the boys by sitting on the porch looking in the sliding glass door. After about 5 days of no symptoms, I say just inside the door 6+ feet away from them.
i have done a couple trips, mostly outdoors related so it felt like it was "low risk." that being said there were gas stations, grocery stores, and outdoor dining invloved, but all things that i otherwise would be doing here.
- backpacking in WV w/ kids
- cycling in western NC x2
- renting a house on Lake Saranac in Adirondacks
tentatively we have flights booked to CO to ski at Steamboat after Xmas. the backup plan is to ski in VT where we can drive.
ideally i would love to just move to MT for the next 6-12 months.
It is only a 75-minute drive but feels like another era. Rural. No TV. No stores. Internet so slow that you can't be on your phone all day. Just play games. Read a book on the boat. Paddleboard to go bird watching. Talk. Have a beer or two. Eat veggies grown about a mile away.
Took a cross-country road trip this summer with the pup - 38 states, California to Maine, down to Florida and back...even checked in on Newellbany, that crazy nut!
We wrote a travel blog: www.throughallieseyes.com...brought multiple, hearty Go Bears! cheer to Big10, Big12, ACC, & SEC country!!
A day trip to Crater Lake National Park, and a few day trips to the coast are about it. I do plan to make it to another National Park/Monument in the area or two next year before the 1 year pass that admission to Crater Lake included expires.
Doesn't do any good to travel to FB games when you can't go into the stadium anyway.
Just the Bay Area for mostly day trips. As far north as Santa Rosa and south to Santa Cruz. The highlight was a weekend camping trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park about a month before the fire.
That sounds amazing. Would you mind sharing the details? I think the "house just a bit out of the area for a week" is going to be my jam until we can do real travel again.
Sure, through VRBO, last house on Isabella, 3 1/2 baths, big enough that my son and his wife drove down as well and had their own bedroom and bath. Carmel is hopping, lots of outside dinning. Best two places were Casanova's & La Bicyclette, I thought Il Tegamino was good, the wife was less impressed. Cultura Comida has good Mexican. Carmel Belle has great take out food, very reasonable.
Looking at the map, I guess it's in Carmel Point, but I liked it quite a bit.
It was, even though I got pooped on by some pelicans - the flock reminded me of the movie "The Birds" which my daughter had never seen, so we watched when we got back. Probably Hitchcock's last good movie, some truly great scenes.
Also that movie scared the bejesus out of me when I saw when I was 14; B/W low def probably made it scarier.
Yeah, as much as I want to go on a big trip, I feel like what I am imagining is a trip in the pre Covid world and what I will get is something else entirely
It was most certainly different traveling during COVID...somehow, a car-trip seemed more manageable, despite the risks. I was on the road from mid-July to mid-August, and was pleasantly surprised with the various precautions hotels, restaurants and gas stations were taking, even in small rural towns in the midwest and Deep South where I incorrectly assumed that COVID was considered just a rumor. It was a new experience, that's for sure.
Searching for a gift for someone who has everything?
Look no further [kinda NSFW]
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000475040618.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.509e6e69BCHyRC&algo_pvid=8c0ce5fe-f573-4118-87c7-9d9dc490c99f&algo_expid=8c0ce5fe-f573-4118-87c7-9d9dc490c99f-21&btsid=0bb0623c16034030119337844e335b&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
Nope!
Someone guessed Trump's Twitter password again. Last time, it was "yourefired". The new one was "maga2020!". What do you think his new password is?
https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/22/dutch-hacker-trump-twitter-account-password/
Imanidiot
Does anyone have suggestions for restaurants doing takeout in the Houston metro area?
A friend of mine is getting married over Zoom, and I'd like to get him and his wife a gift card for a celebratory dinner. They live in DC but are sheltering in place with his parents in Houston for the time being.
Pappas Brothers Steakhouse in the Galleria area. It’s on Westheimer. High end food, great atmosphere. They will like it.
Thanks!
My former boss loved Perry’s. If you like meat,that is, but then meat is quite popular in a Texas. Avoid the Kemah restaurants which are just touristy.
Thanks!
one of my direct reports was a chef in Houston until a couple years ago. I'll ask her... do you have a preferred cuisine you'd like to target?
They're pretty open to trying new things, and I think I'd aim to give them $100–$150
ok, she came back with: B&B BUtchers for steak, Kiran's for ethnic food (that is upper class Indian), Brennan's for Cajun, Helen for Greek, El Tiempo for Mexican- says it is less fancy than the others but is still nice and has the best Mexican food in the entire city
The only two places I've eaten in Houston were Corkscrew BBQ (phenomenal) and What A Burger (pretty good). I'm sure LP could give lots of recommendations.
Thanks, HAG
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jfqxk3/teachers_of_reddit_what_was_the_most_obvious_your/g9m3uav/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
joe_nard_vee: As a student, I remember in woodworking that we have to make a foldable chair that we have to work on the whole sem. In the end mine was a fucking safety hazard aka it can be sit upon but there's like nails ready to skewer your ass. Scared to submit that i literally bought new materials outside class and let my dad do it. Teacher was shocked on how good it was and question my authencity. In the end i confessed that it was my dad but my teacher's ego was so high probably thinking he can humilate me infront of class so he told me to bring the "original chair". He sat on it and punctured his ass and fell because the chair did not support hos weight. I got suspended not because i hurt him but because i was cheating lmao
Ghislaine Maxwell deposition: 400+ page transcript of her dodging questions
https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=7274476-Ghislaine-Maxwell-Deposition-Transcript
"I don't understand what you mean by female" LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
10 Q. Are you a female, is that the sex
11 that you are?
12 A. I am a female.
13 Q. That's what I'm referring to a
14 female and I'm asking you when you first, the
15 very first time you recruited a female to
16 work for Mr. Epstein?
17 A. Again, I don't understand what
18 female -- I am a 54 year old women.
This is amazing. But now I feel bad because of what this case is about.
This lass is a hero.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/tunbridge-wells/news/e-me-as-a-big-sister-235832/
Swan
, Bella
No swans, but I did see three blue herons down in the C&O Canal on my run this morning.
's Market in Oakland. Back in the late 90s and early 00s it used to have lots of little stalls. Now it seems to be much more upscale with artisan shops and stuff like that.
Swann's Way, the first volume of A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu
Not a lot of local beer choices in Perth, Australia - but they make a decent lager. Also, Swan Valley is the one place where I found that lamb was cheaper than chicken.
https://www.swanbrewing.com/
Mentioning Australia, that reminds me that the Sydney Aussie Rules team is the Swans.
Elsewhere in college
Texas band will not play Eyes of Texas this weekend
https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1319021782976860161
On the positive side, data scientists now have a case study about home-field advantage
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/home-teams-arent-winning-as-much-in-college-football-this-season-the-big-ten-should-fit-right-in/
Oct 10 Florida's Dan Mullen says he wants 90k in The Swamp
Oct 14 AM Mullen issues apology that people were offended
Oct 14 PM Florida postpones LSU game
Oct 17 Mullen tests positive
Oct 21 Florida program shuttered through Oct 26
https://twitter.com/AlexS_ESPN/status/1318935870624440321
heh...karma.
Report: Tennessee HC fired his DL coach DURING a game
https://kentuckysportsradio.com/football-2/source-jeremy-pruitt-fired-assistant-coach-jimmy-brumbaugh-during-loss-to-kentucky/
I've seen this approach before, and it doesn't led to championship level performance. Experience suggests its not a good tactic.
LSU bans Odell Beckham 2 years for handing out money after national title game.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/lsu-bans-odell-beckham-jr-for-two-years-for-handing-out-money-after-national-title-game-per-report/
He might have to resort to using PayPal.
Today in Covid
just found out that my nephew, who is a soph at Wisconsin tested positive.
no symptoms, but apparently he and most of his friends tested positive.
My older daughter’s bestie is at Wisconsin and by all accounts it’s just a shitshow. No social distancing etc. A couple weeks ago my daughter was watching a debate with her roommate and their neighbors and they were all masked up, aforementioned bestie FaceTimed from someone else’s room where they were finalizing their look / pre-gaming before heading out to a frat party. You’d basically be a sucker to be the only one masked up in that environment
i sort of get that impression from my sister as well although she doesnt want to admit it.
she will make statements like "you cant expect a bunch of 18 yrs olds to wear masks. they just dont care".
i guess not ..
All I can say in response is that Vassar has had a total of 31 cases (staff and students) since mid August. Some of the underlying factors can’t be replicated at a massive state school like Wisconsin but mask wearing could be, were the students willing to try. That’s the one variable in all this that could remotely be described as “their fault.”
Wisconsin is a hot spot now. My sister lives in eastern Iowa not far from LaCrosse, WI. The post had a story yesterday about how colleges in LaCrosse reopened and the virus went crazy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/10/21/la-crosse-wisconsin-covid-outbreak-nursing-home-deaths/
You would think that with the explosions in some places that have opened up, that they would, I don't know, maybe be a little more careful?
not that i think this, but it seems that "coronavirus fatigue" is a real thing from talking to some people. it seems that most people are pinning their hopes on vaccine to be the magic thing that saves us
So basically people don't want to listen to scientists, they just want scientists to solve all of the world's problems right now.
i think that is the American way in some respects. there is notion that you dont have to do the hard work yourself, you can import the solution.
there are countless analogies one can think of. even free agency in baseball makes it easy to not have built a good farm system.
there is also this notion that US universities and businesses are better than everyone else, and somehow we will innovate our way to greater riches.
Even people who generally listen to experts' guidelines have talked themselves into thinking that they're probably minimizing risk enough (to still do whatever risky behavior) because this HAS lasted a long time (through deliberate, intentional policy decisions).
That was a sad story.
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
Trump leaks his interview with 60 minutes. There are 38 minutes of his Orangeness, but he is defensive from the start.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=350524406214941
Kayleigh McEnany tries to impress Leslie Stahl with a big book full of the administration's healthcare work. It's blank, naturally.
https://mobile.twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1318988352918487040
SMH
Vice Media: 20% decline in US polling sites vs. 2016
https://twitter.com/cam_joseph/status/1319253498131865600
USPS pulls 455 uniformed police off streets ahead of the election due to a lawsuit. In other news, there are uniformed Postal Police.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-postal-service-sidelines-its-police-officers-with-election-day-just-weeks-away-11603303752
Doesn't appear to be due to the lawsuit; the lawsuit resulted from the decision to pull the officers at a time when the need for secure and timely mail delivery has never been greater, or under greater scrutiny.
On the surface of it, it seems to be a ploy to increase the likelihood of actual problems occurring that otherwise wouldn't have in anywhere near the same quantity.
The same Federal authorities in Portland that contend the Constitution exempts them from complying with zoning laws are now being sued for using chemical weapons that violate federal environmental and public health laws.
I'm guessing taxpayers are going to get the bill for cleanup, not the command staff that thought violating their own laws might be a consequence-free action they could take.
WaPo: Trump considering firing FBI Director Wray and AG Barr because they haven't been successful enough in fabricating enough October surprises.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-wray-biden-barr/2020/10/21/6ce69f02-13b0-11eb-ad6f-36c93e6e94fb_story.html
Oh please do.
ICE tortured Africans to coerce them to sign their own deportation papers
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/22/us-ice-officers-allegedly-used-torture-to-make-africans-sign-own-deportation-orders
Two armed people dressed as security guards at St. Petersburg, FL early-voting site claim they were hired by Trump Campaign. Trump campaign denies it.
https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/armed-guards-at-st-pete-early-voting-site-told-deputies-they-were-hired-by-trump-campaign-election-officials-say/
There is a good throughline episode released today about history of voting. Political parties hiring goons to go to the polls has a pretty deep history
Time Magazine: electronic dirt on Hunter Biden shopped around Ukraine for $5m last year
https://time.com/5902557/hunter-biden-rudy-giuliani-ukraine/
PRO
Tampa Bay bounces back, with a series evening 6-4 win over LA. Dodgers got behind, and the Blue Rays made it 64 in a row when they have a lead after the 7th inning. (Only 37-1 when leading after the 6th. inning though.)
All right, that's more like it Tampa.
Is it just me or does TB have like a million guys in the bullpen that throw 98/99 mph? It’s like they have a machine that just pumps them out
They do. Their AAA club is the Durham Bulls. This last season, they trotted out guy after guy who was burning 99 MPH gas. The hiss of a ball thrown that hard and a subsequent smack into the catcher's mitt is startling even when you're sitting in the stands.
It's called scouting and player development. It's something some other MLB teams should consider looking into.
But it isn't just straight velocity though. Any MLB player can barrel up straight 100. You need movement and a breaking pitch.
They have a variety of movements. Arm angle matters too. They have a diversity of 98+ mph arms. Most of them being 6'5" or so also helps with angle of approach.
Yeah I saw a graphic where they showed all the arm angles of the relievers. From sidearm from the left and right to over the top, and all angles in between. Dodgers had 15 Ks I think. Although the strike zone last night was all over the place. Quite a few balls at the top and the bottom of the zone were balls. And off the plate as well. One of the worst i've seen all playoffs
Yeah they seem to do that. Elite velocity can be hit but they have people with different arm angles and what seem to be decent breaking pitches. It'll be hard the first go around but the question is if they'll get hit the 2nd time they pitch.
May not having his stuff was a back breaker last night. Only threw 1 good slider in his 2 innings and that was followed by the hanger that Lowe hit out.
Brandon Lowe broke out of his slump big time, with a pair of HRs for TB.
yeah the 2nd one was on a hanging slider that didn't slide. The first one was a good swing on a FB a little low and away.
CAL
Another Cal student reported missing: Obioma Onuoha - last seen on Grizzly Peak yesterday at 2am
https://twitter.com/chizit7/status/1319140808675577856
He's been found and is now safe with family.
That's good. I wonder what happened?
The other missing Cal student Sydney West was invited by me to attend a new student welcome party last year but didn't attend. Watching her family plead for her return is heart breaking.
https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/this-is-every-parents-worst-nightmare-parents-of-missing-chapel-hill-teen-uc-berkeley-student-plead-for-information-in-her-disappearance/83-e370e2fc-cea9-4898-86a8-358407916c5d
Go Bears!
Marshawn describing his famous injury cart ride. The man is a national treasure.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1318950170869059585
We need to get him to come to the CGB tailgate!!
When is the CGB tailgate (and where?). Thanks.
I was assuming the ND game would be the next away one.
You are probably right, but do you think there is any interest in a tailgate at the TCU game next year? Not the same as doing one at Ole Miss (or Notre Dame) but it at least gives something to look forward to.
Stephanie Rivera and her husband donate half a million to upgrade Cal's softball facilities. GO BEARS!
https://www.si.com/college/cal/news/rivera-softball-gift
I just want people to let me know where they have traveled (or would've like to travel to) since the pandemic started, its intriguing to see how people can "get away" for a mental reset in these times. I'm finally leaving the bay area for the first time since the pandemic to Reno and I've honestly never felt a better opportunity for a "vacation" type of reset.
Del Mar. Beach is great. You can walk for miles on the beach I n either direction. Water is warm enough to go in. Weather is neither too hot, nor too cold. And, plenty of places to eat outside. Feels pretty safe.
There are reasons Del Mar has long been a popular getaway. Best stuffed pizza I've ever had was a place just to the north, if I recall correctly.
Good memory. Solana Beach (just to the north). Bongiorno’s Pizza is fantastic.
Maine. VRBOd a house on a pond for two weeks expecting to quarantini in advance of #1's wedding. Worked remote, interwoven with coastal hikes and scenic drives. Didn't need to sit for the entire 14 days as I tested negative after arriving. Very easy - called and received a same day appointment, received results ~3 days later. Four days after returning to SFO, tested again (negative). Fortunately California is expanding access to test sites. Best two weeks I've had since, well, March!
I am in Tahoe for two weeks right now, and I spent 11 days up here right before Labor Day as well. Makes a huge difference to be able to hug a tree, since my home has no outside space at all, and I'm pretty sick of its four walls.
I am considering a Palm Springs jaunt in February, but I'm really not looking to get on a plane anywhere.
No travel as such - couple of same day trips to PA (took my older girl to a camp friend’s 18th birthday party near Nazareth and collecting a laptop in Philly) and dropping the aforementioned daughter off at college (that was a long day). My younger daughter went to OBX with a friend’s family and had to come back earlier than planned because their rental house got walloped by a hurricane 😬)
My wife doesn’t want to do something like rent a house because she views it as a working trip for her and that’s the end of that.
The summer camp where the missus and older girl work just announced that they’re opening next summer. The younger girl is super excited - it’ll be her last year as a camper and they make it a big deal - and my wife is probably already 90% in. The older girl doesn’t think the college aged counselors will take any behavioral precautions seriously and remains to be sold that this is a good idea. Since I probably won’t be able to visit them at all, it’s quite possible I might make it to 2022 before taking any time away.
Don't think I've driven anywhere further than Benicia (to get a haircut when barbers in Alameda County were still shut down but Solano County was open).
Trying to "get away" with two young kids is fairly pointless. The most we've done is drive in to SF on hot days to visit the park or the beach.
Joshua Tree, Sequoia, and Catalina.
In terms of spread, Joshua Tree was great because there was literally no one else around for miles. Sequoia more crowded, but still doable. Catalina... I learned is basically the party spot for rich white dbags from Orange County.
I drove back with No 1 to Philly. He drove out at the end of June, stopping by to pick up his friends from Louisville who were back visiting their parents. His friends live in Fort Baker, across the GGB from SF, now. At the end of July I drove back to Philly with him, stayed for a week to help him move to another apt, and then flew back.
I'm usually a United flyer but they got rid of their non-stop, and I had some miles on AA, so I took a direct AA flight using miles. I paid extra for whatever they call their economy plus section. I had a window seat on the left side with no one 4 rows in front of me and 6 rows behind me. Also just one person on the other side 2 rows up and 2 rows behind. I still quarantined in a tent on the deck for 10 days since urgent care wanted me to wait 1 week before taking the test and then had to wait 3 days for results. Initially I used an outside door to use the bathroom and basically only went inside to get food. I could watch TV with the boys by sitting on the porch looking in the sliding glass door. After about 5 days of no symptoms, I say just inside the door 6+ feet away from them.
i have done a couple trips, mostly outdoors related so it felt like it was "low risk." that being said there were gas stations, grocery stores, and outdoor dining invloved, but all things that i otherwise would be doing here.
- backpacking in WV w/ kids
- cycling in western NC x2
- renting a house on Lake Saranac in Adirondacks
tentatively we have flights booked to CO to ski at Steamboat after Xmas. the backup plan is to ski in VT where we can drive.
ideally i would love to just move to MT for the next 6-12 months.
Took a day trip to Delaware to go to the beach earlier in the summer. Because it was a weekday there were no crowds, so it felt perfectly safe.
Lakehouse.
It is only a 75-minute drive but feels like another era. Rural. No TV. No stores. Internet so slow that you can't be on your phone all day. Just play games. Read a book on the boat. Paddleboard to go bird watching. Talk. Have a beer or two. Eat veggies grown about a mile away.
lakes are remarkably peaceful places to unwind and get away from it all
Took a cross-country road trip this summer with the pup - 38 states, California to Maine, down to Florida and back...even checked in on Newellbany, that crazy nut!
We wrote a travel blog: www.throughallieseyes.com...brought multiple, hearty Go Bears! cheer to Big10, Big12, ACC, & SEC country!!
that is quite a trip to hit 38 states on one trip. some people take lifetime to hit that many.
i finally made it SC this summer, which was one of the few states to which i have not been
Going to check out the posts. Haha..finally found day 1.
A day trip to Crater Lake National Park, and a few day trips to the coast are about it. I do plan to make it to another National Park/Monument in the area or two next year before the 1 year pass that admission to Crater Lake included expires.
Doesn't do any good to travel to FB games when you can't go into the stadium anyway.
Hoping that changes by next fall.
Just the Bay Area for mostly day trips. As far north as Santa Rosa and south to Santa Cruz. The highlight was a weekend camping trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park about a month before the fire.
Drove to Carmel for a week a week ago, rented a large house on the beach; it was awesome, needed it.
That sounds amazing. Would you mind sharing the details? I think the "house just a bit out of the area for a week" is going to be my jam until we can do real travel again.
Sure, through VRBO, last house on Isabella, 3 1/2 baths, big enough that my son and his wife drove down as well and had their own bedroom and bath. Carmel is hopping, lots of outside dinning. Best two places were Casanova's & La Bicyclette, I thought Il Tegamino was good, the wife was less impressed. Cultura Comida has good Mexican. Carmel Belle has great take out food, very reasonable.
Looking at the map, I guess it's in Carmel Point, but I liked it quite a bit.
That sounds delightful
It was, even though I got pooped on by some pelicans - the flock reminded me of the movie "The Birds" which my daughter had never seen, so we watched when we got back. Probably Hitchcock's last good movie, some truly great scenes.
Also that movie scared the bejesus out of me when I saw when I was 14; B/W low def probably made it scarier.
Agreed - it was very scary...just eerie
Nowhere. I would not feel comfortable traveling right now.
Same. I also would prefer not to chance being a spreader of pestilence.
Yeah, as much as I want to go on a big trip, I feel like what I am imagining is a trip in the pre Covid world and what I will get is something else entirely
It was most certainly different traveling during COVID...somehow, a car-trip seemed more manageable, despite the risks. I was on the road from mid-July to mid-August, and was pleasantly surprised with the various precautions hotels, restaurants and gas stations were taking, even in small rural towns in the midwest and Deep South where I incorrectly assumed that COVID was considered just a rumor. It was a new experience, that's for sure.
I have a tour of the national parks in the west planned for next summer with my nephew, who will be 10 years old at the time. Covid-dependent though.