Need cheap vacation idea. . .

[MichelleCarmen]

Okay, I'm not talking cheap as in only $5K cheap, but SUPER cheap . . .

This thread goes along with my meeting people on the internet thread. My husband wants to meet up with a couple who live in Alaska. These two individuals and my husband all love the same band and want to hang out and watch this group play live up in ancorage

For me, this is feels like HS revisited, but my husband is utterly stoked, and already making flight plans so I'm stuck!

In return for me flying up there with him and possibly experiencing flash backs to 10th grade when I heard the very same band play while I was becoming sick out back behind the building, my husband said I could pick a vacation destination of comparable value. . .

We're also planning a *real* trip to Amsterdam in the fall, SO, this mini trip has to be minimally priced.

My two first ideas are NY or San Fran, but NY isn't all that cheap is it??? I'd like to visit museums/sites and then sneak to Signed Pieces and pick up an anniversary band (lol!). . .but, wonder CAN NY be visited for less than $1500; probably not. Is San Fran cheap or very expensive?

Any other ideas? Somewhere interesting (culturally) and is inside the US.

Thanks!

 

[Lord Summerisle]

not a holiday suggestion...

but in Amsterdam... you must stop by the Hemp Hotel by Vondlepark (sp?) they have a great little cafe attached to the hotel (i say hotel... think 5 rooms) the Cafe is lovely tho, not one of *them* type of Cafes... but they have lovely Hemp Beer, Hemp muffins... hemp soap in the toilet, hemp toilet roll.... (stay there and you sleep on a hemp stuff matress, with hemp blankets and pillows... with hemp curtains... getting a theme here? - all goes to supporting 3rd world countries)

 

[MichelleCarmen]

lol - cool. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[ammayernyc]

Living in NYC, I can tell you that it is very expensive. However, you can certainly take an inexpensive trip here.
Go to one of those internet sites -- http://www.hotels.com or http://www.expedia.com to find cheap hotel deals. If you don''t take taxis, you can buy an unlimited metro card and ride the subway and buses as many times as you want for a set amount (you need one for each person though).
Most museums have a ''suggested'' entry fee, but there are also times when it''s free -- the Museum of Modern Art for instance is free on Friday evenings... but it''s very crowded. There are places where you can buy discount tickets for Broadway shows too.
Check out http://www.nyc.gov for more information. I believe there is a tourist website, but I don''t know the address.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance!
I

NY!

 

[abradabra]

San Fran can be super-expensive like NYC (I think if you live there it''s supposed to be even MORE expensive)--but I think you could do either city for $1500 if you got a good deal on airfare (maybe priceline, where you can bid your own price). I''m assuming the mini-trip is a long weekend.

I might also suggest Chicago (you have the Art Institute, Steppenwolf/Goodman theaters, Lyric Opera, Symphony, Second City, and great food) or New Orleans. I think that is a totally reasonable budget for a short vacation though...

 

[Mara]

you could do either NYC or SF on the cheap by checking out hotwire or priceline for cheap 5 star hotels..i heard the W in SF is on there for something like $80 a night.

we stayed at Le Parker Meridian in NYC which i guess is where some celebs stay too, we loved the hotel, and we got a great online deal, something like $150 a night for 4-5 nights. their breakfast place in the hotel is apparently the #1 in the city...it was yummy!

i''d first check out what sort of flight deals are happening from your originating airport, then maybe you can figure out what is best from the airfare pricing. aka if it''s $150 to NYC but $300 to SF...try NYC first etc.

good luck!

 

[lost on 5th]

i agree with the suggestions of starting with air travel. that is what will be most of the costs. i live in NYC and have lived in SF and Chicago. all cities can easily be enjoyed without undertaking extreme expense. but it all depends where you eat post again when you look at airfare and we can give you some more suggestions.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks everyone. . .I love the idea of New Orleans!

It''s all up to me and this is too much pressure. lol I''m going to be bored to death & wearing my ear plugs up in AK, so I have to find a way to make up for it with fun sights and sounds!

(oh and we won''t eat - just will drink, so this help keep the costs down . . .lol!)

Also, has anyone visited Anchorage?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/4/2005 3:34:54 PM
Author: lost on 5th
post again when you look at airfare and we can give you some more suggestions.

Okay, New Orleans is the most expensive. . .it's about $350 per person. NY and Chicago are both around $300 and SF is only $190 per person.

I'm confused now because I'd like to go to all four places. . .but summer weather is influencing me to pick SF.

Oh, but I want to go to New Orleans!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

deleted because I talked to husband about concerns

lol

 

[Blue824]

Sorry I don''t know where you''re flying from, but what about signing up for the AA or United deals where they send you the last minute airline deals. United will actually show you the current weeks and the upcomign weeks deals. Options are limited, but sometimes you can get a great deal to a fun place - spur of the moment and cheap!

Chicago is nice, slightly biased since I live there though

 

[Mara]

Michelle don't visit SF for 'summer weather'...SF can be notoriously foggy and cold even in summer. There are beautiful days of course, but it's not like further inland where it's sunny most of the time.

Sorry to burst the bubble but would hate for you to visit expecting hot weather, to find that 2 out of the 5 days are sunny and warm!

There have been days where it's 90 inland where we are and then we drive to SF (45 min) for an early dinner and find it's 50 and drizzly. EW! This is the reason I could never live in SF.

Of course there are beautiful warm days as well.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/4/2005 5:46:22 PM
Author: Mara
Michelle don't visit SF for 'summer weather'...SF can be notoriously foggy and cold even in summer. There are beautiful days of course, but it's not like further inland where it's sunny most of the time.

Okay, thanks for the warning. I've always imagined SF and Seattle having similar weather and up here we have rather impressive summer weather (LOL - three months of paradise to make up for grey miserary the remaining months

)

hmmm. . .still thinking then. . .

 

[AmberGretchen]

OK, so I second Mara on the SF summer weather, having grown up in this area. Have you considered, though, flying into SF and heading up to wine country (Sonoma or Napa - I could recommend Sonoma). Its quiet and peaceful up there and much nicer weather - sunny and hot during the day (not humid), cool at night, great restaurants, wine tasting is fun (and relatively inexpensive), and there are a range of places to stay. Just a thought...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/4/2005 7:11:45 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
OK, so I second Mara on the SF summer weather, having grown up in this area. Have you considered, though, flying into SF and heading up to wine country (Sonoma or Napa - I could recommend Sonoma). Its quiet and peaceful up there and much nicer weather - sunny and hot during the day (not humid), cool at night, great restaurants, wine tasting is fun (and relatively inexpensive), and there are a range of places to stay. Just a thought...

We''ll do this. . .I stuck a post it note on the espresso maker informing my DH that we''ll fly to AK and then go to SF. He seemed to agree. . . I think he may not want to fly up to see this band now, but, I''m FOR SURE buying tickets to SF. . .our anniversary is in June, so timing is perfect!