I have seen pieces of these things pop up in different threads, but with it being the Sox offseason, and maybe a really long one, I figured we could use some more non-fighting topics:

This one is what are your favorite spots, places, things you have ever done for a vacation and what ones were the worst or most disappointing.

My top so far was Hawaii. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It was the greenest greens of vegetation, the bluest blues for water, and the powerful natural beauty of things like volcanos, reefs, black sand beaches and everything else there... I never wanted to go home.

The two worst I ever did were going to the top of the St Louis Arch, and going out to the historic site of the Hamilton/Burr duel. I talked about the arch in a different thread, but for the dueling site, I took a boat from midtown Manhattan out to Jersey to get there, I walked a bit and climbed some stairs from the port. There is a really basic park there, with a plaque that basically reads we think the duel happened right below here, but we aren't really sure. That's it. It's a pocket park on top of a cliff with some wild undergrowth below it. One of the biggest wastes of time ever.

Great idea. Agree that Hawaii is pretty magical and I was skeptical before the trip. Some other thoughts:

Disappointments

• St. Louis in general. What a ghost town. It might make Cleveland look cosmopolitan

• Whale watching boats - Any time I go on one of those 2 hour trips I can pretty much guarantee a headache (and minimal to zero whales seen)

Great Trips

• Vietnam - No matter the flight cost and time, this is one of the cheapest and friendliest places foreign or domestic. We took a 10-11 day roundtrip to DaNang and had a blast. We quickly headed to Hoi An and also spent time on China Beach. Beautiful countryside, history, and excellent coffee and food. The cheaper mid-tier hotels on the Hoia River were wonderful with delicious traditional Vietnamese breakfast. Renting old bicycles for a few bucks a day and riding through the rice paddies and then visiting the silk village was exhilarating.

Acadia National Park in Maine- If you like hiking and lobster, you can't beat it. If you are a good hiker, you can pick tougher trails and avoid the crowds. Way better summer temps than places like Yellowstone, too.

Greece - Athens is a pretty modern city now and the Parthenon's exterior scaffolding was removed last year so the experience is amazing. Plenty of beautiful islands to fit your tastes (particularly Naxos), but the mainland Peloponnese is still the most authentic experience. Get a good rental car and get lost driving around to places like Nafplion, Olympia, Monemvasia, Epidavros, etc. Outside of Athens and tourist hot spots, it will be way cheaper than you would expect.

4 hours ago, Pants Rowland said:

• Vietnam - No matter the flight cost and time, this is one of the cheapest and friendliest places foreign or domestic.

I have a few older friends that would absolutely not agree with this.

On 11/4/2026 at 5:16 PM, Milkman delivers said:

I have a few older friends that would absolutely not agree with this.

times change but I get what you're saying.

On 11/5/2026 at 7:16 AM, Milkman delivers said:

I have a few older friends that would absolutely not agree with this.

Definitely affordable and much safer than Laos and Cambodia, unless you're around those tourists allowed to shoot off M16s and AKs.

Hue Da Nang Nha Trang all worth it.

Don't try to fit into those underground tunnels lol.

HCMC can get overwhelming with all the e bikes and scooters 12-13 deep across major roads.

Some pretty interesting Vietnam Era prisons museums and historic sites.

Food is great and cheap...unique coffee a favorite.

Edited 10 hours ago10 hr by caulfield12