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Grex > Travel > #73: Hellllllp! finding hotel room in Washington, DC | |
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| 25 new of 126 responses total. |
keesan
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response 59 of 126:
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May 30 22:03 UTC 2007 |
Three of the kids are teenagers and should be able to wake themselves up.
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marcvh
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response 60 of 126:
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May 30 22:11 UTC 2007 |
Cooking anything at all is a challenge in a hotel room where you typically
don't have a proper stove, counter, utensils, sink, refrigerator, and so
on. Eating something like eggs will also be a bit annoying and messy since
you typically won't have chairs or a table for even 2 people, let alone 6.
I'd either stick with something easy, like a granola bar and maybe some
yogurt, or else just go to McDonald's.
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bru
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response 61 of 126:
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Jun 2 00:03 UTC 2007 |
my campstove burns anything(alcohol) and the tank can be emptied prior to
boarding the plane. It would probably have to go in checked baggage though.
when you go to a restaurant for breakfast, make sure you ask for scrapple.
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mcnally
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response 62 of 126:
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Jun 2 00:42 UTC 2007 |
If you do, be certain they have some camp stove fuel on hand to
wash your mouth out.. At least be clear on what it is before you
order it.
From Wikipedia:
> Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the
> head, particularly the heart, liver, and other scraps,
> which are boiled with any bones attached (often the
> entire head), to make a broth. Some people joke that
> it contains "Everything but the squeal!"
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bru
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response 63 of 126:
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Jun 2 01:11 UTC 2007 |
The only place I ever saw scrapple was in washingtom D.C. And it was fried
like bacon...
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slynne
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response 64 of 126:
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Jun 2 01:14 UTC 2007 |
Wow, that place in Fairfax that edina mentions in resp:38 is really
cheap for a two bedroom suite. My brother lives in Fairfax. There is a
metro station there.
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keesan
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response 65 of 126:
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Jun 2 01:20 UTC 2007 |
I cooked on an alcohol burner (made in Greece) for three months, in Skopje
Macedonia, in an unheated room (it had a lightbulb) with water from an outdoor
faucet. I bought one frying pan, one pot, a lid, a bowl, knife, spoon. It
is not that difficult, just takes experimenting because that burner had only
one heat level. A room with an attached bathroom (with hot and cold running
water and sink) would be luxury in comparison.
Consumer Reports reviewed hotel chains some time this year, and says that if
you go a step or two up from the cheapest class you tend to get microwave oven
and maybe refrigerator in the room, and continental breakfast, without paying
for a kitchenette.
I don't see a major problem in sitting on a bed to eat. No mosquitoes,
adequate lighting at all times. Luxury camping.
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edina
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response 66 of 126:
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Jun 2 02:40 UTC 2007 |
Fairfax is huge - there are a bunch of metro stations there. I think
it's a great place to stay when visiting - it's far enough out to
escape some of the expenses, but not so far out that it's inconvenient
for getting into the city.
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nharmon
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response 67 of 126:
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Jun 2 14:39 UTC 2007 |
Jep, I just got back from DC. We stayed in the Staybridge Suites in
Columbia, MD. Our room was around $120/night, and included a full
fridge, dishwasher, microwave, and half-range. It is about a 20 min
drive from there to the nearest metro station, and a 20 min drive (going
the opposite direction) to Baltimore.
The hotel price depends on when you are going. I think we got a hotel
room last year near Dulles International Airport for around $70/night.
It was a Holiday Inn Express, very nice.
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jep
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response 68 of 126:
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Jun 4 02:29 UTC 2007 |
I'm still reading, just not responding much. Sorry!
resp:32 sounds excellent to me. Thanks, Brooke!
I checked into the rent-an-apartment you posted, too. They're available
for the time when I will be there.
I stayed in a Staybridge Suites in Columbus when I went there for work
last month. It was nice, and it gave me the idea of getting a place
with a kitchenette. It had one; I was on an expense account and so
didn't need to use it; but it seemed great for a family vacation. The
breakfast was very good, too.
I'm thinking of taking an electric skillet and electric griddle with us
if we don't get a kitchenette. We already have these things.
We can take some bowls, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt and the like. It's what
we usually eat for breakfast. We can take or acquire sandwich
materials; my son and I made sandwiches every day when we visited edina
in DC a few years ago, for lunch while visiting tourist sites. It
worked well.
We've decided against camping. My wife feels she would spend 2/3 of
every day cooking, and I think she has a point.
Not gonna rent an RV, though we all liked the Robin Williams movie. We
can too easily see ourselves having similar experiences.
re resp:46 and resp:47: No, I don't think we want to stay in a homeless
shelter. Yes, I'm cheap. We go cheap or we don't go. I had a
perfectly adequate income for 2 of us, but it's harder to make it cover 6.
BTW, the kids are 16, 14, 11 and 10 (my son turns 11 on Wednesday).
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jep
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response 69 of 126:
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Jun 4 02:37 UTC 2007 |
My wife and I went to a presentation by Global Vacation Resorts on
Saturday. They offer resort condos for $94/week. If you pay a lifetime
membership of only $9900, and an annual fee of $349.
Unfortunately, they misrepresented themselves greatly. We were offered
3 days and two nights at a Holiday Inn... "I promise, you can use it any
time in the next year, no cost!" Except for the $50 deposit, if "any
time" means Monday-Wednesday, and not within 2 weeks of any major
holiday. The deposit is refundable, so they say.
They also promised a free DVD player or video camera, then it turns out
that's "free but you pay a $14.95 shipping fee".
I dunno. When someone lies to you to get you into their place, you have
to be closely related to donkeys to buy anything from them. It's not
that we didn't know there would be catches. <shrug> So we wasted some
time.
If anyone wants the certificate for the two free nights, let me know.
If you have read this far into my item, you would be most welcome to the
certificate. I'm not going to use it.
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keesan
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response 70 of 126:
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Jun 4 03:25 UTC 2007 |
5% interest on the $10K ($500) plus the $350 plus $100/week does not sound
like a bargain to me. Nearly $1000 if you rent for a week every year. This
assumes you can sell your 'membership' to some other idiot. Some CHinese
friends of ours actually bought one in Las Vegas and use it. They thought
this was the only way you could rent something with a kitchen.
Can't you cook the same things in a frying pan that you could on a griddle?
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marcvh
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response 71 of 126:
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Jun 4 05:19 UTC 2007 |
There are plenty of places in Vegas you can rent with a kitchen. Probably
the newest and hence the one getting attention is the Platinum, which is
a little off the strip but has a full kitchen in every suite.
As far as the older options, the one that comes to mind is the Jockey Club.
Although it's owned as a timeshare (that's why it's still there -- too
difficult for developers to buy back the shares of thousands of different
owners so they can level it and build something better) you don't have
to own a share to book it like a regular hotel.
But, to be honest, I can't really imagine wanting a kitchen in Vegas.
If you're trying to save money and/or you have kids with you, you're in
the wrong town.
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tod
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response 72 of 126:
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Jun 4 19:56 UTC 2007 |
I think Vegas is a great town to vacation cheap with the kids. The pools
behind the MGM are pretty much geared toward doing that and they're right next
to the indoor cheapo fast food places.
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nharmon
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response 73 of 126:
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Jun 5 00:31 UTC 2007 |
Really? A lot of people told me that Las Vegas wasn't really geared to
kids and made for a poor place for a family vacation. Interesting.
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marcvh
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response 74 of 126:
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Jun 5 00:43 UTC 2007 |
The best place for kids is the casino at Circus Circus. Children aren't
allowed to linger in the casino itself (obviously they have to be able to
walk through it since it's in the middle of everything.) So, around the
perimeter of the gaming area, you find strollers parked with kids in them
as their parents gamble and then come over every hour or two to check on
them.
Your kids, however, probably will eschew the "water park" attractions
(which aren't as good as the ones at, say, Cedar Point) and prefer to
try to collect all the cards that the illegal immigrants are handing out
on the sidewalk.
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mcnally
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response 75 of 126:
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Jun 5 03:27 UTC 2007 |
re #73: Vegas could be a great place for a family trip, but if you
were doing a family trip there you probably wouldn't be doing many
of the "Vegas" things.
During the years I was living in the Seattle area I took a couple
of long trips through the American west and southwest, and on several
of them I wound up staying in Vegas for a day or two here or there
on my way to other places. If you pick the right time to visit
(i.e. not when any major events are going on and general tourism
traffic is low) it can be a terrific place to get a nice hotel room
and decent food at very good prices.
I probably wasn't a typical Vegas visitor, however.. When I passed
through Vegas on those trips the last thing I wanted to do was gamble --
I got enough of that in Seattle in those years and the poker action
in Vegas (at least back then) wasn't all that attractive in the range
of game that I was interested in playing.. As a stop-over point to
catch my breath and enjoy luxuries like indoor plumbing, soft beds,
and hot food that wasn't noodles and had never been freeze-dried,
Vegas made a great spot to stop and stay a day or two to sit by the
hotel pool and relax before continuing the journey. And there are some
*very* attractive outdoor recreation opportunities available at
distances ranging anywhere from the outskirts of the city (Red Rock
Canyon) to a little further away (Valley of Fire) to a couple of
hours' travel away (the Grand Canyon!)
I guess what I'm saying is if you pick the right time of year and
you're not interested in gambling, night clubs, or showbiz extravaganzas,
Vegas can be a spot for a very non-stereotypical-Vegas vacation.
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marcvh
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response 76 of 126:
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Jun 5 04:24 UTC 2007 |
Unfortunately, good food at decent prices is hard to find on the strip
nowadays. Downtown still has some good options though (and the poker
downtown is, in my limited experience, a lot more serious.)
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tod
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response 77 of 126:
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Jun 5 13:50 UTC 2007 |
re #73
Really? A lot of people told me that Las Vegas wasn't really geared to
kids and made for a poor place for a family vacation. Interesting.
Seattle to Vegas is about 90 minutes flight and the vacation packages
are cheap. Plus, we only pay for things with our Alaska Air credit card
so we usually have enough for multiple family flights to either there
or LA or San Diego. Vegas is the shortest and least hassle.
Fun things in Vegas for kids are watching street performers, the fountains
at Bellagio, the Zigfriend & Roy habitat, the Hoover Dam, Circus Circus,
the buffets, and walking up and down the strip with all the people to look
at the architecture like the Venetian.
re #74
Your kids, however, probably will eschew the "water park" attractions
(which aren't as good as the ones at, say, Cedar Point) and prefer to
try to collect all the cards that the illegal immigrants are handing out
on the sidewalk.
The illegals don't hand the cards to kids. They know they'll go to jail if
they do. Plus, we don't freak out if our kids see somebody's naked body in
a picture. We don't encourage them to look at porn or anything but we also
don't get all prudish about scantily clad women. I'm more worried about my
kids seeing violence on tv than them catching a look at a woman's breasts.
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slynne
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response 78 of 126:
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Jun 5 13:59 UTC 2007 |
I really need to go to Vegas one of these days. I have been to Reno but
never Vegas. It sounds like a fun place.
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cyklone
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response 79 of 126:
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Jun 5 17:00 UTC 2007 |
I wish more americans had tod's sensible perspective.
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tod
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response 80 of 126:
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Jun 5 17:14 UTC 2007 |
re #79
It really is a major downer in most of American society that the libido is
seen as evil. That's where you really see a rift between Fundies and Jews
is that Torah actually calls for sensuality with your spouse on the Sabbath.
Ask a fundie to transliterate his twisted thumper slant on Song of Solomon
and he will fall all over himself.
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slynne
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response 81 of 126:
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Jun 5 17:31 UTC 2007 |
I have mixed feelings about American prudishness. Because I think it is
kind of silly and yet, I find that I am actually a bit of a prude
myself. I was talking with some friends about going to a resort in
Jamaica that has a clothing optional beach and we all agreed that it
might be better for us to consider someplace else because while none of
us felt that nudity was wrong, we all felt we would feel more
comfortable in a clothing mandatory setting.
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tod
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response 82 of 126:
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Jun 5 17:38 UTC 2007 |
I'm not the nudist colony type, either. I don't mind topless beaches, though.
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marcvh
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response 83 of 126:
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Jun 5 17:38 UTC 2007 |
What if your spouse needs candlelight to get in the mood?
I guess I'll agree that the fringes of the strip include stuff that is
family-oriented (e.g. the rides at Stratosphere, the roller coaster at
NYNY, the pool at Mandalay Bay.) The middle strip, particularly the
newer and more prestigious properties, are moving away from that
direction. Wynn prohibits strollers for non-guests, for example, and
Bellagio prohibits all children unless they are guests, seeing a show
or dining in a restaurant.
After investing all that money, though, Vegas seems to have rediscovered
that their real niche is as a place you go to get away from your
family.
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