ROAD TRIP!!!

[firecat88]

If you pit-stop in Denver, you *must* go to Park Burger. Or, if you like Thai food, Wild Ginger. Also, if you're coming through CO, do let us Coloradans know so we can update you on the weather and such.

[AccountingDrone]

That is neither I-10 nor I-40, but is definitely more in the neighborhood of I-40, i.e., northern Arizona. Let me know when you have more specifics. Feel free to PM me if you want.



YOU have rum for ME to taste? Well, THAT'S a switch from the norm!

Seriously, I look forward to it. By all means, let me know ahead of time when you'll be here, and for how long, and I'll set some time aside for you if I can. (Hopefully you won't be coming through here during one of my impending trips this year....)

But since I know you guys will be on a budget, I have to ask...you DO know that Key West is very much out of the way as far as driving down here, and that Key West IS very expensive to stay in, right? I ask because I'm concerned.

And...what IS this rum you have for me to taste, hmmm?

So far it looks like we will be heading westward starting March first, taking roughly 7 days to cross to Fresno and spending a week with one day in San Francisco, then swinging back towards the coast and heading down PCH to socal where we will perhaps hit Disneyland again with San Bernadino and Indio for a couple of relatives, then east though we have not firmed p the dates yet.

Bacardi Reserva Limitada <where is that drunk smiley?>

And yes it is quite a swing to the south, but we are also combining in visiting job prospects for hubby with the vacation and we already had the vacation money allotted so it is fine. And I did want to hit Key West this year, so it will work out fine [and it wont be during any real festival week so it won't be as bad as during a festival people-crush wise]

I asked, and it will be I-10 as we did I-40 the last time. [he has family in Indio to visit this time.]

[Jester]

Bacardi Reserva Limitada <where is that drunk smiley?>

You mean that one?

And yes it is quite a swing to the south, but we are also combining in visiting job prospects for hubby with the vacation and we already had the vacation money allotted so it is fine. And I did want to hit Key West this year, so it will work out fine [and it wont be during any real festival week so it won't be as bad as during a festival people-crush wise]

Well, depending upon when in March you get to KW, it may well still be Spring Break. Be advised. Also, are you staying with friends you know here, or will you be staying at a hotel? If the latter, make your reservations ASAP, because if it is Spring Break, well, good luck. I would offer you a place to stay, but my apartment is very limited, what with three of us living here. Best I can offer you is fun times and tour guide expertise.

I asked, and it will be I-10 as we did I-40 the last time. [he has family in Indio to visit this time.]

As soon as you said Indio earlier in the post, I knew it would be I-10, as I have made the Phoenix-Los Angeles drive more times than I can count. Do you know how long/if at all you will be staying in the Phoenix metro area? Or are you blasting right through.

Without knowing your plans, if you were looking for some attractions, I would definitely recommend the Desert Botanical Gardens (which are right next to the Phoenix Zoo, though I would NOT recommend the Phoenix Zoo, if you've ever been to any zoo worth a damn), Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd's Wright old winter retreat, truly fascinating), Mill Avenue in Tempe for eating/drinking (it's a street, not a bar itself), and/or Tombstone, which is about an hour past Tucson, and then another hour south of I-10. Just went to Tombstone for the first time in September, and had a blast!

As for places to eat and/or drink in the Phoenix area, I would definitely recommend Grind (Phoenix), Four Peaks Brewery (Tempe), Papago Brewery (Scottsdale), The Yard House (Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale--I went to the Glendale one, by the football stadium), Matt's Big Breakfast (Phoenix; Guy Fieri coverd it), Rula Bula (Irish/sports bar, Tempe), Bison Witches (sports bar/stupidly awesome and huge sandwiches, Tempe), the Salt Cellar (seafood, Scottsdale), the Irish Wolfhound (Irish pub, Surprise), the Blue Moose (bar/tavern, Scottsdale, if it still exists...not sure), Teakwoods (sports bar with great wings, four locations, I was at the one in Chandler), Harlow's (breakfast, Tempe), The Farmhouse (breakfast, Gilbert), Dos Gringos (Mexican, many locations around the Valley), and probably many more that I can't think of off the top of my head right now. If you like rum, surprisingly there is a great (and well hidden) little rum bar in downtown Phoenix I can suggest. Also, I know it's been on many food shows, but the food just isn't that good at Alice Cooper's Cooper's Town, and it is LOUD in there. Not just sports bar loud, but just LOUD. Atmosphere was "cavernous cafeteria." Wasn't very impressed, clearly.

Let me know what you're looking for, how long you'll be staying, what part of town you'll be staying in if you stay, and I'll let you know your best spots. (Phoenix is HUGE physically, so this is an important thing.)

[AccountingDrone]

You mean that one?



Well, depending upon when in March you get to KW, it may well still be Spring Break. Be advised. Also, are you staying with friends you know here, or will you be staying at a hotel? If the latter, make your reservations ASAP, because if it is Spring Break, well, good luck. I would offer you a place to stay, but my apartment is very limited, what with three of us living here. Best I can offer you is fun times and tour guide expertise.



As soon as you said Indio earlier in the post, I knew it would be I-10, as I have made the Phoenix-Los Angeles drive more times than I can count. Do you know how long/if at all you will be staying in the Phoenix metro area? Or are you blasting right through.

Without knowing your plans, if you were looking for some attractions, I would definitely recommend the Desert Botanical Gardens (which are right next to the Phoenix Zoo, though I would NOT recommend the Phoenix Zoo, if you've ever been to any zoo worth a damn), Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd's Wright old winter retreat, truly fascinating), Mill Avenue in Tempe for eating/drinking (it's a street, not a bar itself), and/or Tombstone, which is about an hour past Tucson, and then another hour south of I-10. Just went to Tombstone for the first time in September, and had a blast!

As for places to eat and/or drink in the Phoenix area, I would definitely recommend Grind (Phoenix), Four Peaks Brewery (Tempe), Papago Brewery (Scottsdale), The Yard House (Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale--I went to the Glendale one, by the football stadium), Matt's Big Breakfast (Phoenix; Guy Fieri coverd it), Rula Bula (Irish/sports bar, Tempe), Bison Witches (sports bar/stupidly awesome and huge sandwiches, Tempe), the Salt Cellar (seafood, Scottsdale), the Irish Wolfhound (Irish pub, Surprise), the Blue Moose (bar/tavern, Scottsdale, if it still exists...not sure), Teakwoods (sports bar with great wings, four locations, I was at the one in Chandler), Harlow's (breakfast, Tempe), The Farmhouse (breakfast, Gilbert), Dos Gringos (Mexican, many locations around the Valley), and probably many more that I can't think of off the top of my head right now. If you like rum, surprisingly there is a great (and well hidden) little rum bar in downtown Phoenix I can suggest. Also, I know it's been on many food shows, but the food just isn't that good at Alice Cooper's Cooper's Town, and it is LOUD in there. Not just sports bar loud, but just LOUD. Atmosphere was "cavernous cafeteria." Wasn't very impressed, clearly.

Let me know what you're looking for, how long you'll be staying, what part of town you'll be staying in if you stay, and I'll let you know your best spots. (Phoenix is HUGE physically, so this is an important thing.)

Yup that one

We will be doing the hotel think in KW - sort of looking for one of the residence ones with a microkitchen, as we might be there for 2 or 3 days depending on Rob's stuff and what all we want to do food and sightsee-wise. We are still firming up our schedule and are not entirely certain of the exact dates just yet [it will still be a few days before we can start to really solidify things]

Hm, foodwise for Phoenix - the rum place sounds good, as does the Irish Wolfhound. Rob likes microbrews occasionally, and we would also be up for some good Mexican or other ethnic goodies [I know it sounds strange to go someplace like Phoenix for say Persian or Ethiopian, but sometimes you can find absurdly great little places in the strangest cities] Since we haven't picked a motel out yet, where we eat is still very flexible.

[And apparently we need to stop at Cudjoe Key for a couple hours to see someone so now we have to work that into the schedule. Know anything about the blimp base there?]

[Jester]

[it will still be a few days before we can start to really solidify things]

Book your dates as soon as you know, especially if it's in the early part of March. Spring Break is a bitch. If you have any questions about any places down here, feel free to PM me. I don't know them all, but I know quite a few, and I can help you decided where to stay based on where it is in town, if that makes sense.

Hm, foodwise for Phoenix - the rum place sounds good, as does the Irish Wolfhound. Rob likes microbrews occasionally, and we would also be up for some good Mexican or other ethnic goodies [I know it sounds strange to go someplace like Phoenix for say Persian or Ethiopian, but sometimes you can find absurdly great little places in the strangest cities] Since we haven't picked a motel out yet, where we eat is still very flexible.

You might want to look where the Wolfhound is before you say that. It is definitely not along I-10.

The rum place...I will look it up later. Remind me. It is right in downtown Phoenix.

Microbrews, definitely hit Four Peaks, Papago, or the Yard House. Four Peaks is a local brewpub in Tempe which distributes their beers all over Arizona, while the other two have other people's beers on tap. Food is great at Four Peaks and the Yard House, but I've never eaten at Papago.

Plenty of good Mexican to be had in Phoenix, and also other good ethnic food. More stuff I'll have to look up or ask my friends about to jog my memory. I will tell you that I know far more about the East Valley than the West Valley.

[And apparently we need to stop at Cudjoe Key for a couple hours to see someone so now we have to work that into the schedule. Know anything about the blimp base there?]

Shouldn't be hard to work Cudjoe Key in, as it is only about 10 miles up the road from Key West. You'll pass it when you drive through the Keys to get to KW. However, this is the first I've heard of any blimp base.