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QUOTE (Knuckles @ Apr 28, 2014 -> 09:54 AM)
Madrid, and Barcelona plus a copule of lazy days in LLoret de Mar next week.

Damn man, have fun. I love Barcelona, and only had a few hours in Madrid, but I would love to go back there and spend more time.

 

Heading out to Europe as well in two weeks:

Scotland (4 day whiskey tour)

London

Dublin

Amsterdam

Paris

Prague

Brussels/Ghent

 

Super stoked for it, almost 3 weeks total.

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QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Apr 29, 2014 -> 05:33 PM)
Damn man, have fun. I love Barcelona, and only had a few hours in Madrid, but I would love to go back there and spend more time.

 

Heading out to Europe as well in two weeks:

Scotland (4 day whiskey tour)

London

Dublin

Amsterdam

Paris

Prague

Brussels/Ghent

 

Super stoked for it, almost 3 weeks total.

 

London - Cabinet War Rooms is very cool and underrated and whether you like the music or not, check out fabric nightclub...one of, if not the best nightclub in the world. Usually open until we'll past sunrise. Skip the London Eye

 

You MUST do Bike About Tours in Paris. MUST. Fat Tire bike tours is the popular one but ignore it, Bike About takes you to all of the unknown, "underground" Paris....they don't even take you to the Eiffel Tower. Amazing tripadvisor reviews if you want to look. Have fun!!!

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QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 25, 2014 -> 11:47 AM)
Anyone done a trip to Cumberland in KY? We are considering it with a couple of other places for summer trip. Any comments, experiences, or recommendations?

The pictures are paywalled probably but here's an article from my local paper on one hike (the paper features a hike a week on Thursday).

CUMBERLAND GAP — The Virginia side of Cumberland Mountain is limestone country. It’s where most of the 36 known caves in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park are located, and it’s where this month’s hike begins.

 

The 7.5-mile loop consists of numerous segments that take you to the top of Cumberland Mountain and back down through the saddle of Cumberland Gap. The hike is moderately strenuous, and the scenery — everything from rocky overlooks to creek bottom fields — is unparalleled.

 

The first leg of the hike starts on the Lewis Hollow Trail at the back side of the Wilderness Road Campground. From the trailhead, hike .2 miles and take a right at the sign to begin the loop. The Lewis Hollow Trail is steep as it climbs for one mile to the ridgetop of Cumberland Mountain. Much of the trail follows a deep, boulder-strewn drainage armored by towering limestone cliffs. At .8 miles you’ll pass by the opening of Skylight Cave, now closed to the public because of white-nose syndrome, the lethal fungal disease that’s spreading among bats.

 

Just past Skylight Cave the Lewis Hollow Trail crosses a footbridge. Above the bridge the stream channel is filled with water; below the bridge, the stream disappears underground, leaving the channel bone dry. Among wildflower aficionados, the Lewis Hollow Trail is known for its pink lady slippers that bloom in late spring and summer.

 

After one mile the Lewis Hollow Trail reaches the crest of Cumberland Mountain. A left at the trail signs puts you on the Ridge Trail — the park’s main trail artery — toward the Pinnacle Overlook. This 1.8-mile segment of the hike skirts the Virginia-Kentucky line along the ridge top. The terrain is rolling, and the trail is in excellent shape.

 

Just before reaching the Pinnacle Overlook, look for a rock bluff on the left that overlooks the Powell River Valley in Lee County, Va. Just before we reached this point, we spotted a peregrine falcon flying just above the tree line, perhaps headed toward White Rocks, the cliff face at the northeast end of the park that’s a known peregrine nesting site.

 

The Pinnacle Overlook is one of the park’s most popular attractions. The cliff face rises 1,290 feet above the town of Cumberland Gap. To the northwest is Middlesboro, Ky. — one of the few cities in the world built in a meteor impact crater — and on the other side of the gap is the northern end of the Cumberland Trail.

 

From the Pinnacle Overlook, hike down to the parking lot and take a left on the Fort McCook Trail. This trail goes down the Kentucky side of the mountain past the faint remnants of earthen forts and rifle pits built during the Civil War. After .8 miles, you’ll reach the Fort McCook parking lot where you’ll pick up the Harlan Road Trail and then hike another .5 miles down the mountain (crossing the paved Pinnacle Road twice) to the saddle of Cumberland Gap.

 

The next segment of the loop follows the Wilderness Road-Tennessee Trail for .9 miles through the historic Cumberland Gap. A log footbridge takes you over Gap Creek as it tumbles out of Gap Cave, and the trail goes right by the Daniel Boone Parking Area, which features rest rooms, picnic tables, and interpretive exhibits.

 

From the Daniel Boone Parking Area the hike begins its final leg along the Boone Trail back to the Wilderness Road Campground. For 1.6 miles the Boone Trail hugs the base of Cumberland Mountain as it reaches into Southwest Virginia. To the right, through a copse of woods, is U.S. Route 58. The trail crosses old home sites that have been reclaimed by broom sedge, cedar, and sycamore trees. There’s a creek nearby, and the brushy habitat makes for excellent bird watching.

 

After 1.6 miles the Boone Trail reaches the paved road. Take left toward the Wilderness Road Campground and hike a few hundred yards to the top of the hill. Re-enter the woods at the Lewis Hollow Trail sign and hike .7 miles until you reach the same Lewis Hollow sign that marked the beginning of the loop early in the hike. Take a right at that sign, and it’s .2 miles back to the Wilderness Road Campground.

 

Directions: From the town of Cumberland Gap, head east on Route 58 for approximately two miles and turn left into the Wilderness Road Campground. The Lewis Hollow Trailhead is at the back end of the campground in the paved parking area.

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QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 13, 2014 -> 09:28 PM)
Franklin BBQ...can't wait to hear if it lives up to the hype!

 

The hype is real...what a feast. Personally, I don't mind waiting for food and if you are waiting in a line with others who don't, it is a party. Everyone is drinking, playing football, having fun because everyone is there for the same reason.

 

I got there at 8:30 AM and was around 40th in line with 6 people in our group, I would recommend getting there at 8AM. We were far enough back that we weren't in the first wave of people sitting down to eat (but they are expanding the restaurant to seat more people). All in all, didn't leave until around 12:30.

 

Bring (or rent from the guy in the parking lot) a chair, football/baseball, sunblock, hat, beer, etc. and have fun. They take orders 2 hours before opening so they can judge for the people towards end of line.

 

They will recommend a half pound of meat per person, we ate a pound per person. Brisket, Turkey and Ribs, everything was amazing. They also sell beer in line. Most likely you are going to be hungover and hungry from the night before, luckily there are places to get amazing breakfast tacos nearby early on.

 

10/10, it's an experience.

 

Also, Austin may have jumped up to one of my top favorite cities to visit in the US. Recommendation, spend one night on 6th street but a must is to check out Rainey street, West Sixth is also a blast....so much to do in that city. Renting a boat on Lake Travis probably something to look at too

 

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QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 23, 2014 -> 08:01 AM)
Spirit Airlines is very cheap if you give up all rights as a human being.

I had no idea what you meant about this. Unfortunately now I do. Flying Spirit tomorrow and already I will never ever fly with them again.

 

Checking in and have discovered:

1. Have to pay $45 for a carry on bag that is stored in the overhead bins if you wait 24 hours before of your flight's departure.

2. Have to pay $40 for each bag checked in if you wait 24 hours before your flight's departure.

3. If you purchased more than one seat, pay to sit together (or your sits will be assigned after everyone else has been assigned).

 

I fly 2-3 times a year and have flown with various airlines, this is the first time I've experienced bad service and nickel and diming like this.

 

I have yet to see what happens when I arrive at the gate. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

Edited by Whitewashed in '05
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QUOTE (Whitewashed in '05 @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:20 AM)
I had no idea what you meant about this. Unfortunately now I do. Flying Spirit tomorrow and already I will never ever fly with them again.

 

Checking in and have discovered:

1. Have to pay $45 for a carry on bag that is stored in the overhead bins if you wait 24 hours before of your flight's departure.

2. Have to pay $40 for each bag checked in if you wait 24 hours before your flight's departure.

3. If you purchased more than one seat, pay to sit together (or your sits will be assigned after everyone else has been assigned).

 

I fly 2-3 times a year and have flown with various airlines, this is the first time I've experienced bad service and nickel and diming like this.

 

I have yet to see what happens when I arrive at the gate. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

This sounds awful. Will definitely steer clear of them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Arrived yesterday back from my 3 week backpacking trip through Europe. The trip was absolutely fantastic and couldn't ask for a much better one.

 

Highlight of the trip was definitely the 4 day whiskey tour to the Isle of Islay. Driving through the Scottish Highlands and ferrying to the island was so much better than I thought it would be, and the isle itself was beautiful. It was amazing how few people inhabit those lands, beautiful sights and almost untouched scenery. And the whiskey, oh god the whiskey, I'm going to go broke drinking it now.

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QUOTE (dasox24 @ May 14, 2014 -> 07:56 PM)
Heading to Gulf Shores tomorrow for Hangout Music Fest. Can't wait. First beach trip of the year, and doing it while listening to some great live music all day.

 

Really bummed that I just saw this. Family has a house on the beach there so I've spent a lot of time there. Could have recommended a lot of great seafood places for you guys. Hope you had an awesome time, I love it down there. Gotta try and make it down there once before the year is over!

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QUOTE (Sonik22 @ May 31, 2014 -> 09:34 AM)
Really bummed that I just saw this. Family has a house on the beach there so I've spent a lot of time there. Could have recommended a lot of great seafood places for you guys. Hope you had an awesome time, I love it down there. Gotta try and make it down there once before the year is over!

That's awesome. It's a great beach. I don't think many people associate Alabama with the beach (probably b/c the coastline is so short) but I really like it there... And no worries. We had a blast, but we didn't really go out to eat much anyway. Pretty much spent the whole time either on the beach (~10:00-1:00) or inside the festival (~2:00-11).

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Also, I spent the entire day at Manhattan Beach yesterday. I must say: I get while people hype up SoCal so much. My first impression of the area was the Inland Empire, because that's where I'm working, so I wasn't impressed. But our project is ahead of schedule, and in the rarest of moves, we were told we weren't working on Friday. So I decided to explore the beach (wanted one close to LAX since I was taking the redeye last night), and I completely get why people live there.

Edited by dasox24
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QUOTE (dasox24 @ May 31, 2014 -> 01:05 PM)
Also, I spent the entire day at Manhattan Beach yesterday. I must say: I get while people hype up SoCal so much. My first impression of the area was the Inland Empire, because that's where I'm working, so I wasn't impressed. But our project is ahead of schedule, and in the rarest of moves, we were told we weren't working on Friday. So I decided to explore the beach (wanted one close to LAX since I was taking the redeye last night), and I completely get why people live there.

Shouldn't this be in the hot babe thread?

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 31, 2014 -> 11:30 AM)
Shouldn't this be in the hot babe thread?

:lol: Yes, that could definitely be the case. I saw some absolutely beautiful women there. I think I fell in love a few times.

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  • 2 weeks later...
QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 31, 2014 -> 01:42 PM)
Off to Utah tomorrow for a week at Zion and Bryce Canyon

Randomly added Capital Reef, grand staircase escalante and cedar breaks the trip as well. The entire state of Utah is beautiful.

 

The great salt lake smells, though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Heading up to Sun Valley, Idaho in the morning, pretty stoked. It's not skiing season, but it's still great in the mountains, so much to do outdoors and it's a fun little town. Plus, I paid $45 for each roundtrip flight in December when Delta had a glitch on their website, so that's always nice.

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QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 18, 2014 -> 10:18 PM)
My friends and I are going to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play and to drink the second weekend of July. We're staying at the Hilton right by the ballpark. If anyone had any tidbits or advice I would really appreciate it!

 

Hate to break it to you, but the Cardinals are in Milwaukee that weekend.

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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 8, 2014 -> 05:04 PM)
Randomly added Capital Reef, grand staircase escalante and cedar breaks the trip as well. The entire state of Utah is beautiful.

 

The great salt lake smells, though.

Zion and Grand Staircase are on my short list, would love to see those soon.

 

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 19, 2014 -> 01:13 PM)
Zion and Grand Staircase are on my short list, would love to see those soon.

 

Observation Point at Zion was a tough hike (4 miles, 2400' vertical gain one way), but gave spectacular views. If the knife-edge scramble up Angle's Landing is too much, that trail allows you to get up and out of the canyon and see some spectacular views. The Narrows, which is a 4-12 mile round trip hike up the Virgin River in ankle-to-chest-deep water, is the most unique hike I've ever done. I wish we would have had another day to check out the Kolob Canyons area of the park as we heard several people tell us it was spectacular.

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QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 19, 2014 -> 11:32 AM)
I guess it's not really the weekend. Were going the 8-10th when Pittsburgh is in.

 

What kind of info are you looking for? You are staying close, so getting to the ballpark will be no problem. They just opened Ballpark Village this season, its big and popular, but not really my thing. There's a place called Flying Saucer about a block from the stadium that has a great beer selection and decent food.

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QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 19, 2014 -> 04:36 PM)
Well I know the know downtown could turn into a sketchy area pretty quickly and one of the girls I'm going with has a propensity to wander when she's drunk. Obviously we'll be keeping an eye on her but is it safe to say as long as we stay around the Hilton and Busch Stadium we shouldn't be near any potentially troublesome areas?

 

That area should be fine especially with the ball park crowd around. I definitely wouldn't want her to be wandering alone at night when the crowd clears out.

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QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Jun 19, 2014 -> 03:53 PM)
What kind of info are you looking for? You are staying close, so getting to the ballpark will be no problem. They just opened Ballpark Village this season, its big and popular, but not really my thing. There's a place called Flying Saucer about a block from the stadium that has a great beer selection and decent food.

 

 

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 19, 2014 -> 04:36 PM)
Well I know the know downtown could turn into a sketchy area pretty quickly and one of the girls I'm going with has a propensity to wander when she's drunk. Obviously we'll be keeping an eye on her but is it safe to say as long as we stay around the Hilton and Busch Stadium we shouldn't be near any potentially troublesome areas?

Ya, as long as you're in the area of Busch, I wouldn't worry too much. I've been to Ballpark Village once and I absolutely loved it but obviously it depends on what you're into.

Edited by Rowand44
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