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shoeshine boy
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Postby shoeshine boy » Fri Aug 14, 2020 4:40 pm

Modena: we did a day trip to dine at the #1 restaurant in the world at the time, Osteria Francescana: https://osteriafrancescana.it/
worth every penny.
:shock:

Massimo Bottura is one of my culinary heroes. His cookbook is titled "Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef"..... he himself is a skinny Italian chef. lol
it was absolutely everything we hoped it would be. one of the dishes, 5 Ages of Parmigiano was worth the price of admission on it's own:
Image

a year later one of my SOs college roommates went and actually got to speak with Bottura. we were so jealous. :mrgreen:

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Postby willeyeam » Fri Aug 14, 2020 4:46 pm

Has anyone hear been to the Adirondacks? Fingerlake region? I am trying to find a place for a week long vacation in October where I don't have to worry about getting a COVID test or isolating upon arrival. And I don't like week long beach vacations.
Watkins Glen in the fingerlakes was an excellent time. Would highly recommend. Has to be beautiful in October

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Postby Sam's Drunk Dog » Fri Aug 14, 2020 5:27 pm

@skullman80
This is what I did in Ireland:
Dublin:
3 nights in Dublin (1 day was because of the PSU game at Croke Park. I didn't find anything that unique about the stadium other than normally they don't allow alcohol at your seats. If you can, I'd check out a game of Irish (Gaelic) Football or hurling. Irish Football is like a combo of Rugby and soccer, but fast paced and a decent amount of scoring. Hurling is like a combination of field hockey and lacrosse, and also fast paced.

While in Dublin, we did the following in the order I'd recommend:
1. St. Patrick's Cathedral
2. Cobblestone Pub - authentic Irish pub near Jameson factory. There will be live music from locals playing fiddle and other Irish instruments.
3. Guinness Storehouse - the tour itself is meh, but at the end you get a free pint of beer in the Gravity Bar which provides outstanding views of the entire city.
4. Jameson Factory - again the tour was meh, but you get to taste the whiskey and get a free mixed drink at the end of the tour.
5. Trinity College/Book of Kells - The college is pretty and the library long room looks like something straight out of Hogwarts, but I'd skip standing in line to view the Book of Kells unless it was a short one.
6. Temple Bar area - reminded me of older version of Carson Street. It was extremely crowded when we were there because of the game, so maybe that soured me on the experience, but I found it to be nothing special.

Other than that we would walk around town and hop into pubs for a pint if they looked unique.

The only thing that I regret not seeing while there was the Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old jailhouse. They had limited hours so you need to plan ahead to visit.
Outside of Dublin:
-Walked through the town of Kilkenny and self tour of Kilkenny Castle. I'd visit, but it is by no means a must.
-Overnight stay in Killarney. Took a Jaunting Car Ride through Killarney National Park and self tour of Ross Castle. This was neat, but again no means a must. The highlight of this portion of the trip was that the bus driver's wife happened to be performing in a traditional Irish Bar near the hotel so we spent the night drinking with them and the locals.
-Trip to Cliffs of Moher. This place is a must in my opinion. The views are absolutely gorgeous, plus part of Princess Bride was filmed there.
-2 nights stay in Adare Villas near Adare Manor. The manor was beautiful and you can stay in it although we stayed in the more modern Villas. The grounds were beautiful, and the town was quaint with thatched roofs, but going there is not a must. There are Franciscan Friary Ruins and an old Abbey in the town that we missed.
-Day trip to Blarney Castle. Kissing the Blarney stone is definitely overrated especially if the line is really long. It also involves being in tight cramped corners in the castle which would be upsetting if you are claustrophobic. The grounds were pretty and there was a lot to do there that we missed that I would have done if I had more time. There is a Woolen Mills clothing outlet nearby too. I won't say it is a must, but if I ever go back to Ireland, I'd probably go again just to check out the things I missed.
-guided tour of the Rock of Cashel, an old ruined castle that was a seat of power during ancient times. Interesting, but not a must.
-Overnight stay at Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow. This was the nicest hotel we stayed in and the grounds and views were beautiful. There was a lot that we missed including a nearby waterfall. I'd highly recommend it as the last leg if flying back home from Dublin, since Wicklow is just outside of town.
There was some other small things that we did, but you could skip as they weren't that memorable.
Hope that helps.

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Postby Shyster » Fri Aug 14, 2020 5:40 pm

Our next international sojourn will likely be Japan, which will involve a certain amount of gettin' around. We'll base out of either Tokyo or Osaka (where Mrs Tif lived for 3 years), but both cities are already on the itinerary, as is Kyoto.

Japan had been on the itinerary for this year. Right about now, in fact. But alas.

We didn't do Kyoto last time. Considering that the next trip will be with my SIL's mother again and will likely be Tokyo and Osaka again, Kyoto would be easy to hit.

I have a list of some Tokyo museums I'd like to see. The Edo-Tokyo and Sumo museums are on the same block, so that's an east two-fer. I'd also like to see the Nezu Museum and the Tokyo National Museum. Wouldn't mind catching a kabuki show at the Kabukiza, either. We went into the Kabukiza last time in order to buy tea from the tea shop on the top floor, but we didn't catch a show.

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Postby tifosi77 » Fri Aug 14, 2020 5:51 pm

The only things I for sure want to do is the Robot Bar and Bar High Five.

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Postby Shyster » Fri Aug 14, 2020 6:25 pm

Watkins Glen in the fingerlakes was an excellent time. Would highly recommend. Has to be beautiful in October

If you want to hike Watkins Glen and you're not in good shape, start at the top and walk down, not at the bottom and walk up. Way easier.

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Postby Shyster » Fri Aug 14, 2020 6:56 pm

The only things I for sure want to do is the Robot Bar and Bar High Five.
C'mon man, get yourself some culture. ;)

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Postby NTP66 » Fri Aug 14, 2020 6:57 pm

I doubt I'll ever make it to Japan, but if I do, I am absolutely taking a ride on the Shinkansen.

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Postby Shyster » Fri Aug 14, 2020 7:10 pm

If you're going between any of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, and Kyoto, it's the easiest way to go, and it's still a very viable option even for more distant cities like Fukoka or Sapporo. The fastest Nozomi shinkansen will get you from Tokyo to Fukoka in about five hours, although that service is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

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Postby Shyster » Fri Aug 14, 2020 8:51 pm

Tif, if you'd like to get out of the cities, I liked our stay in Fujikawaguchiko. This was the view from our hotel room's windows:

Image

The hotel was Kozantei Ubuya, https://www.ubuya.co.jp/.

There's a little sake brewery in town that made the best sake, by far, that I've ever had in my life. It's the Ide Sake Brewery. http://www.kainokaiun.jp/

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Postby Freddy Rumsen » Fri Aug 14, 2020 9:21 pm

I miss Japan. Coolest year of my life.

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Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Fri Aug 14, 2020 9:42 pm

Has anyone hear been to the Adirondacks? Fingerlake region? I am trying to find a place for a week long vacation in October where I don't have to worry about getting a COVID test or isolating upon arrival. And I don't like week long beach vacations.
Watkins Glen in the fingerlakes was an excellent time. Would highly recommend. Has to be beautiful in October
I stayed a week in the mid-80s in Minerva, NY. Friends of ours rented an old massive hunting lodge for 3-4 families. This was a former Wall Street tycoon’s lodge that was rented out, as the descendants ran through all of the family money. Situated on a lake, near a mining museum, it was awesome. Very much like something out of Great Gatsby-era elegance. I spent most of the week outdoors, hiking, canoeing, swimming. Good times.

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Postby shafnutz05 » Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:34 am

Has anyone hear been to the Adirondacks? Fingerlake region? I am trying to find a place for a week long vacation in October where I don't have to worry about getting a COVID test or isolating upon arrival. And I don't like week long beach vacations.
Watkins Glen in the fingerlakes was an excellent time. Would highly recommend. Has to be beautiful in October
My wife and I stayed for a few days in Corning as a base of operations. If you don't go the airbnb route, highly recommend. Corning is a really fun little town and has been revitalized very nicely over the last two decades.

Watkins Glen is indeed beautiful. If possible, try and visit the Glenn Curtiss Aviation Museum at the bottom of Keuka Lake. Great stop.

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Postby dodint » Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:52 am

Well, we officially booked our house down in Salvo for the last week of October. I'm really excited to bring our dog to the beach with us for the first time.
I am jealous, in a couple different ways. :thumb:

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Postby Sam's Drunk Dog » Sat Aug 15, 2020 10:07 am

Has anyone hear been to the Adirondacks? Fingerlake region? I am trying to find a place for a week long vacation in October where I don't have to worry about getting a COVID test or isolating upon arrival. And I don't like week long beach vacations.
Watkins Glen in the fingerlakes was an excellent time. Would highly recommend. Has to be beautiful in October
My wife and I stayed for a few days in Corning as a base of operations. If you don't go the airbnb route, highly recommend. Corning is a really fun little town and has been revitalized very nicely over the last two decades.

Watkins Glen is indeed beautiful. If possible, try and visit the Glenn Curtiss Aviation Museum at the bottom of Keuka Lake. Great stop.
An aviation museum at the bottom of a lake. That definitely sounds interesting.

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Postby shafnutz05 » Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:57 am

:lol:

Oh man, that's gold. Oops.

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Postby shafnutz05 » Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:03 pm

Well, we officially booked our house down in Salvo for the last week of October. I'm really excited to bring our dog to the beach with us for the first time.
I am jealous, in a couple different ways. :thumb:
I think we are all struggling to some degree on the mental health front so this will definitely help for sure. I need the change of scenery.

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Postby shoeshine boy » Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:19 pm



I think we are all struggling to some degree on the mental health front so this will definitely help for sure. I need the change of scenery.
we took a trip to Asheville last weekend and it did a WORLD of good. made me confident that we can safely go to Destin in late September for a week for our usual vacation.
I believe that if you take precautions you can safely visit other places and have somewhat of a normal life.

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Postby shafnutz05 » Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:23 pm

Yup. Honestly, the only thing that was different about this trip vs. any other year was not going out to eat. And to be honest, it was really nice. More time at the house/beach, got to try some new places, and didn't spend as much money. Other than that, COVID was not even a thought outside of masks in stores.

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Postby robbiestoupe » Sun Aug 16, 2020 10:29 am

Has anyone hear been to the Adirondacks? Fingerlake region? I am trying to find a place for a week long vacation in October where I don't have to worry about getting a COVID test or isolating upon arrival. And I don't like week long beach vacations.
2 years ago we did a loop starting at Niagara Falls NY side), two nights camping in the Adirondacks, 3 days in Quebec City, and a night in Montreal and finger lakes on the way home.

Can’t say too much regarding the finger lakes as we only stayed one night, but there are tons of things to do. We stayed near Geneva, which is the northern part of the lake.

Adirondacks were a blast. Especially if you are into hiking. We stayed in Tupper Lake area, which is very close to Lake Placid. Checking out the Olympic are was a blast in and of itself. In the Adirondacks, so many hiking trails to chose from. Most are mountainous, but you don’t need climbing gear

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Postby shafnutz05 » Sun Aug 16, 2020 1:44 pm

We left Nags Head with the two kids in tow at 5:20 this morning. Glad my wife and I are on the same page with going home and not waiting around.

Checked my radar app and saw a ton of rain moving east across the Chesapeake, so we decided to take I-64 to 95 up through DC to avoid it. Couldn't have went better. Including a 20 minute trip for gas and breakfast, we made it home to Lancaster County in 6h 20m. First time we haven't taken 13 the whole way in a long time.

Definitely couldn't have taken that route had we left even two hours later. Our 10 month old slept the first 2.5 hours, cried for a little while (although not bad at all) and slept for another hour. We are definitely instilling both kids with the "get up early and go" mentality :lol:

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Postby tifosi77 » Sun Aug 16, 2020 2:07 pm

Tif, if you'd like to get out of the cities, I liked our stay in Fujikawaguchiko. This was the view from our hotel room's windows:

Image

The hotel was Kozantei Ubuya, https://www.ubuya.co.jp/.

There's a little sake brewery in town that made the best sake, by far, that I've ever had in my life. It's the Ide Sake Brewery. http://www.kainokaiun.jp/
1) Fair play to you for knowing sake is brewed.

2) This was as close as I got to Fuji-san on my trip:
Image
(Roof of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo)

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Postby Shyster » Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:15 am

1) Fair play to you for knowing sake is brewed.
Of course! Sake is fermented from a starch, so it's a beer, and if you distilled it, it would be a whisky. Wines are made from sugar, and brandies are distilled wines. Commercial micro was one of my favorite classes in my microbiology major.

On the tour we did of the Ide Sake Brewery, there's no brewing in summer, so it was just the 21st-generation owner and his wife there. I'm not sure the owner is the usual tour guide, because he didn't speak English very well (but he could understand it better). He asked my SIL to translate because he heard her speaking both English and Japanese, and the tour was almost all foreigners who spoke English. He was trying to explain the fermentation process, but my SIL didn't know the technical terms, so I piped up and explained how polishing off the bran removes the amylase enzymes that would usually convert starch to sugar, and yeast can't break down starch, so that's why sake is fermented using kōji, which is a mixture of Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with the fungus breaking down the starch and the yeast converting it into alcohol, etc. I also asked the owner a bunch of technical questions on the tour. My SIL didn't tell me until later, but after the tour the owner pulled her aside and asked her which brewery I worked for. He actually thought I might be a spy.

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Postby Sam's Drunk Dog » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:33 pm

Shrute Farms has it's own Trip Advisor page
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... 99?m=19905

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Postby RonnieFranchise » Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:50 pm

Nice long list of PA overlooks pursuant to previous Hyner View discussion......

https://uncoveringpa.com/best-scenic-ov ... 43292XrpfI

Side note: Back in college a gf and I got, um, sidetracked into something and the car got locked in to Shickellamy State Park after dark. We had to go find a pay phone and her mom had to come pick us up. Fortunately she lived nearby. Good times.

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