Favorite experiences at places other than Disney

[Rajah]

Inspired by another post of a similar name that turned out not to be this topic, how about posting some of your favorite vacationing stories that take place somewhere besides Disney?

One of mine is the first time my DH saw the Sandia mountains in Albuquerque. We'd just stepped off the plane, and for several windows all you could see were the small foothills of the Sandias. Only when we got on the moving walkway to head to baggage claim did the view out the windows show the rest of the mountains. Michael stopped dead in his tracks, he was so impressed by his first time seeing real mountains.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Thanks Rajah for opening this thread. The other was quite....umm...depressing...and some of the comments were unnecessary, but anyway, let's see!

I think one of my favorite memories outside of Disney is the last trip DH and I took to New Orleans. It was our anniversary celebration and the time at the zoo and the aquarium was tons of fun! The first night in the hotel I could have done without...the room on one side of us with a tv locked into a certain channel blarring with no one to turn it off...I finally called the front desk on that one, and the other room...well let's just say the couple was having LOADS of fun....LOUDLY!

It was nice to take a trip that cost us under $500 and not having to worry did we bring enough money for this thing or that thing. I would like to celebrate my 15th in Disney, but that's 3 years from now. We'll see how it goes when that time comes.

Oh yeah, the cruise we took from the aquarium to the zoo was quite enjoyable also. That's the first time I've been on a boat since I was about 5 years old, I didn't do bad at all. Of course I give a lot of that credit to Dramamine(spelling?). Of course anywhere I go with DH is enjoyable to me no matter where we are, but this last trip to New Orleans holds the memories right now.

 

[Sonya]

When we don't go to Disney we usually go to the Tetons and Yellowstone. The 1st trip up there we had never been in mountains so big before. We took a hike into Cascade Canyon. It was the most beautiful place I'd ever been. We walked between 2 giant mountains in a lush mountain valley. We saw a moose. It was incredible.

Another time we watched the sun come up on the Canyon and the Lower Falls from Artist Point in Yellowstone. We were the only ones there, no tourists yet. Very awe inspiring.

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Im not at all surprised that people say "the mountains"!

One of my fondest memories is driving through the White Mtns w/DS when he was 4. We have been several times, skipped last year.

Going back day after tomorrow!

 

[cuterlt]

Rajah - nice thread! I get to see the Sandia mountains every single day, and they are most certainly beautiful, particularly when the sun goes down.

Here are a couple of my other favorites -
Taking the train from Durango to Silverton, Colorado and back. It is the most beautiful country!
Taking the train from Michigan to Albuquerque over my Christmas school break - there was snow and ice and it was just stunning!
Seeing the Neuschaunstein castle in the middle of April, with a light snow falling, from the bottom of the hill, walking up.

I rarely have a bad vacation - but those are the most wonderful sights.

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

I know you should see your own country first but me going to Australia I was in awe. I wa sin Sydney and there were no Mountains where I was but the beach was breathtaking.

 

[Penny2]

Have to concur with New Orleans...took my first trip there two years ago and it was too much fun! The food, the sights, the people watching....kind of like an adult, funky DW!

Love our trips to the upper part of Michigan. The Great Lakes are so vast and pristine...nothing like a sunset over Lake Michigan from Mackinac Island....clippity clop!

Loved the mountains of Oregon...Portland was a fun and cultural surprise! It was the first time I looked down on trees! The air was so clean....food tasted better, I had more energy....just loved it!

Last, but not least, I stayed at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in February. This hotel is like no other I've ever stayed at....truly a work of art!

So many memories...so little space...I could go on and on!

 

[CyranoJones]

We love the Sandias also. Our DD goes to UNM so we get to see them frequently.

Other favorites...getting drenched in a sudden downpour in New Orleans. We looked like drowned rats but it was hysterical.

Snorkeling in Kauai...I was getting upset with my DD because I thought she kept hitting me with her fins. I turned around and it was a sea turtle swimming with me.

 

[Rajah]

Originally posted by cuterlt
Rajah - nice thread! I get to see the Sandia mountains every single day, and they are most certainly beautiful, particularly when the sun goes down.

Here are a couple of my other favorites -
Taking the train from Durango to Silverton, Colorado and back. It is the most beautiful country!
Taking the train from Michigan to Albuquerque over my Christmas school break - there was snow and ice and it was just stunning!
Seeing the Neuschaunstein castle in the middle of April, with a light snow falling, from the bottom of the hill, walking up.

Very neat! I've also done the Durango/Silverton train and love that area, and Neuschaunstein was *neat* even when I saw it in June.

 

[Rajah]

Originally posted by CyranoJones
Snorkeling in Kauai...I was getting upset with my DD because I thought she kept hitting me with her fins. I turned around and it was a sea turtle swimming with me.

Now that is Neat!!!!

 

[katerkat]

I also loved the Silverton, Colorado train. Mesa Verde, too. That was just a fun trip!

My honeymoon was pretty good, but we didn't see much of the sights.

Weirdly enough, one of my favorite vacations? 24 hours in Maine. We got up to Bar Harbor, saw some sights, then found out our neighbor called the hotel - our basement was flooding! We couldn't drive back that night, so we ended up cramming all the sights in that evening - we were at the pebbly beach at midnight, climbing up some rocks at sunset, running aound, trying to see everything before we had to go. It was a lot of fun, for some random reason. Probably because we knew we had to mop up the basement when we got back!

 

[d.kurz]

Thanks, Rajah. That's what I thought the other thread was, too.

I have a couple: BK (before kids) DH and I spent 2 weeks in a Winnabago driving from San Francisco to Tijuana. So beautiful, so nice to have 2 weeks. Seems like ancient history now, tho!!

Just this past March, I spent a week in Washington DC at Figure Skating World Championships. It's really a treat to immerse yourself in an event for a week. PLUS I LOVED DC and can't wait to go back. Hardly saw a fraction of what I wanted to see!

 

[AspiringCindy]

One of my favorite experiences was when DH and I went to Austria and Germany. The one thing that made it so wonderful was...we were able to go on the Sound of Music Tour and visit all the locations featured in the movie. Yes, as corny as it sounds, it has been my favorite movie since I was a little girl. We were able to reproduce some of the silly shots during the song, "Do Re Me"with me and DH posed in the pics!

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

Sante Fe...at night with all the lights flickering, the Indians at Governor's Palace, the balcony at the Ore House overlooking the square, the art galleries...the food.....oh I need to stop before I get depressed!! I want to go again!!!

 

[Loubon]

There are places other than Disney?????????

 

[adamak]

We just came back from Vegas, staying at the Four Seasons. And that was as close to Disney as you can get, service-wise. I was very impressed. Our room is on the top floor, facing the strip. Everyone there was trying hard to make us comfortable. And we were.

We also did a Grand Canyon white water rafting trip while there, and that was great fun. Very beautiful indeed.

Yosemite / Napa Valley / New Orleans are the other places we greatly enjoy too.

 

[Uncle Scar]

We had a good time at Universal Studios last year, it's no Disney but was well worth it. We did the VIP tour...I would highly recommend it, especially during the crowded season.

For a non-theme park vacation, Gulf Shores, Alabama was a great trip for us. Nice beach town, very clean and not too commercialized yet. Reminds me of what South Padre Island, Texas used to be like. Another place I'd recommend.

 

[Rajah]

Originally posted by d.kurz
PLUS I LOVED DC and can't wait to go back. Hardly saw a fraction of what I wanted to see!

DH and I had a day and a half in DC just over a year ago when we went to pick up Skye and we absolutely loved the city! Not somewhere I'd want to live, but we are going back for a longer visit before long, no question about it!

 

[Rajah]

Originally posted by AspiringCindy
One of my favorite experiences was when DH and I went to Austria and Germany. The one thing that made it so wonderful was...we were able to go on the Sound of Music Tour and visit all the locations featured in the movie. Yes, as corny as it sounds, it has been my favorite movie since I was a little girl. We were able to reproduce some of the silly shots during the song, "Do Re Me"with me and DH posed in the pics!

That sounds like fun! When my parents and I went to Germany and Austria we got to see the tree-lined street from Sound of Music and one of the buildings. I also loved that movie and we wish we'd had enough time to see more from the Sound of Music.

 

[ToyStory Fan]

In no particular order, some very memorable vacation moments.

1) Trip to Yosemite National Park with DW and DS, what magnificent views
2) DS's first beach experience was in the Pacific Ocean (we're east coasters so it was pretty significant) Santa Cruz
3) Watching the changing of the guard in Monaco
4) gambling at Le Casino in Monte Carlo
5) Vineyard tour at Verrazzano Castle in Tuscany
6) A really fun trip with my cousin, his DW, and my DW (before we all got married) to Hershey Park
7) Touring Rome and seeing all of its beautiful history, Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, the Forum, Vatican City
8) Can't forget my biz trip to Tokyo, what a cool experience...still disappointed I didn't make it to TDL though.