Help me plan a trip.....

Here's what I need...

I'm planning on a trip for Cristi around March or so, but i want to plan it or at least get a general idea of where we might go, so i can start saving up some money, setting up accomodations, getting tickets, etc....

i also want to be able to give her some information about it for christmas, but i'm not holding my breath that i make a decision by then.

If you vote in the poll, post why you think we should make that trip, if you have opinions on any of them, please post them, i want alot of input (even though i get about 3 US posters here)

Also, take into consideration that I was wanting this to be a weekend trip if at all possible, so travel time from Conway, AR might be an issue.

i've been to most of these places recently, so i'll take a stab at it.

Memphis - (2 hours) To me this is like a token "Let's get outta town for the weekend" place for Arkansans. I've never been a big fan of it, but I suppose if you can find some cool things to check out (Like the Motel MLK was shot at) then it might be ok.

Branson - (3 Hours) Well, I'm sure most everyone has seen Ally and mine's Branson videos at the acrop...It was a really cool trip for us. We saw some shows, saw the sites and did other various things. We had an absolutely wonderful time.

St. Louis - (6 Hours) SL was the first trip Ally and I ever went on together. It was also a really great time.

Kansas City - Never been there.

Dallas - (4 Hours) Dallas is ok. Traffic sucks, but the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area is so huge that they have tons of activities and fun things going on.

New Orleans - I havent been to New Orleans since I was a kid, so I dunno too much about it. I do know that it is quite a drive down there.

you answered very well, thank you, i have the same feeling about most of those places, the only difference is that Cristi and I have a running "joke" about Memphis, so we have to go there sometime soon.

New Orleans is a long drive, but after my visit a while back, i would love to go back when i had more time to see the sites.

One thing i just realized, is you didn't vote. Of all those places, (especially since you know me fairly well), which place do you think we would enjoy the most?

I have also been to several of these cities. I will give my opinion on them all.

Memphis is cool at night with people to party with or a day trip for the shopping...other than that, I can't think of another reason to go there.

I like Branson ok, but have been there so much I'm on the verge of hating it. If you go and see a good show, it might be a good time.

I really hate St. Louis, it's more slum than city...whenever I think of it I just think, "gross"

My vote was for Kansas City....it just has a classy feel about it and it's just big enough to have a great time.

I really hate Texas, so Dallas would be my last pick. Good shopping and stuff to do, but I can't stand the city. Everything there feels generic like they really have no identity they are just following the other big cities.

I've never been to New Orleans.

Now, Southwest is doing a promotion right now on tickets to Florida for like $99 roundtrip. You can book for whenever. I went to Panama City last March for spring break and couldn't have asked for better weather. It was awesome. It might be a great beach weekend getaway.

DJ, Which of those places have you been to before? Also, if you want to come here (New Orleans), march would be a good time too. Meaning it's not hot and muggy yet. You will miss Mardi Gras though as it is on February 24th. Even though that is a crazy time, everyone has to be here for that at least once in their lives.

First, I've been to all of the cities, none of them really for site-seeing or whatever...mainly for a basketball game, or a baseball game, i've never really been "out on the city" in any of them.

the problem with going to florida, is if we went to florida, we would be required to see her mom, which i would like to stay away from, simply because i want it to be our weekend, any other time, that is great. although, those plane tickets would be a great surprise for cristi to go see her mom, and would come in very handy for when we do decide to go see her.

I just spoke to one of my best friends and she suggests Dallas, because she just loves the city. one of the ladies i spoke with also suggests Dallas, although, with Dallas, I think that a longer stay might be required, mainly because Six Flags would take up at least one entire day.

And Ryan, the trip to Mardi Gras would not be something that I think Cristi would really enjoy, especially for our first trip together (outside of the honeymoon)

I have basically marked St. Louis and Kansas City off the list....so that narrows it down quite a bit. and New Orleans, mainly just because of the distance. However, that is still a trip that we will take at some point or another, just not within the next few months.

i'm with roxane...

fly some place

it gives a wider variety in less 'get there' time

personally... i don't suggest anything on that list.
its not that i don't like those places... i find
them ok....

i also assume you are relying on live activites
in each of those places (as opposed to just
going to go and hang out with each other).

i dunno cristi and i dunno her likes... but
personally... i think it would be much cooler
to invest some time into finding an 'original'
place that meets all of your criteria.

find a quaint bed & breakfast.... some local
flavor... perhaps search for her favorite play
or some wine tasting (or wtfever, i have no clue)...
go see a small live venue...

make it personal... its much more memorable


but since i know this post means nothing... as
i expect a barage of 'why can't you just answer
the question' replies...

i guess i'll pick st. louis...


*ho hum*

If you don't mind, i would like for you to expound, and give some possible suggestions, i'm new to all this, my ideal of a perfect trip, is driving somewhere, stopping on the way for a quick mbl game, then stopping somewhere for a nba game, and then catching a few more mlb games with a couple of unique local restaurants mixed within....that is a great trip to me.

i think i understand what you are saying, but (if you have time, and get bored with your neopets for a few minutes [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) would it be possible to "throw together" some sort of itenerary for a weekend type thing, that a "typical" (term used very loosely) female would enjoy.

also, the reason i would rather drive, is cristi loves road trips, i love road trips, and if you fly, you have to be bothered with transportation when you get there, and i've never been one to enjoy being without my own set of wheels.

(i'm totally enjoying all the ideas and suggestions from this thread already)

the best trips are those that seem more geared
around what the particular person enjoys the most.
as you said, your games... its fun when the trip
is centered around that.

but as you know (i hope) its also fun to have
a 'random' trip... that seems like it has a
destination... and although it might, the destination
isn't half as fun as the getting there.

let's say she likes live theater... and lets
say her favorite play is les miserables...

well the only les miserables is the broadway
company tour going around the states at outrageous
ticket prices. ok... so that won't work...
but what if you plan on going to... *thinks of
random city*.... jackson, mississippi (off hand)...

so you check around at local theater venues and
find that no one is doing les miserables... but
you find a play that seems rather interesting.
so you plan on going to that. (order tickets
online if possible)

next.... plan for the road trip to be better...
go to the local zoo... find a B&B (like i said)
go to a local hot spot at night (some local
popular restaurant that isn't a major chain)....

become a local... as a tourist.

it is my contention that the best trips are those
that remind you of just how special small things
are. sure you like the 'wow' factor...

but let me show what i mean based on some trips
jason mentioned.

st louis was great... fabulous...
first time to see a SX for me...

but you know... when i think about that trip...
the first thing that comes to my mind isn't
the hotel... it isn't the horrible meal at
blimpie (which is still somewhat humorous)...
it isn't the to and fro... it is the sx...

however... in comparison... the camping trip
was loads more enjoyable... when i think about
the camping trip... more personal images come
to mind... building a fire (or trying to)...
hunting for dry wood, refusing to sleep in the
spider-infested tent, sleeping in the back of
the truck, the lake, the geese, the hammock...

all that shit.... which makes the trip more
valuable, imo.

that makes complete sense....and i can totally understand where you are coming from....i will definitely take that into consideration....

however, i still want more opinions, if there are more out there....(which i know there are)...i want as many options as i can get.

yanno...I hafta go with alison on this one.

you should just wing it and avoid a "manufactured trip".

the coolest thing to do would be get a map and a dart. on xmas, wrap the dart up as a present and then give it to cristi to open. when she opens and says "wtf" point to the map that has been inconspicously hanging on the living room wall the last few days. have her throw it and where ever it hits is where you'll go.
ok, well that might not be the coolest thing but still...

just make sure the map is the city you want to go to

wait... i forgot to add a smiley to that post...

*insert [img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img] *

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Originally posted by shatzy:
just make sure the map is the city you want to go to

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<font size="4" face="Comic Sans MS, Verdana">no no no..the point is to leave your trip up to fate/random chance/your dart skills. The map would hafta be the entire US. Or maybe just a regional map if you didnt wanna hafta make plans to travel to Hickory Flats, Idaho.

if you wanted, you could also use a variation of this and try to "Pin the tail on the map".

i don't know that that is totally going to work, because if she throws the dart anywhere near arkansas, louisiana, mississippi..(or anywhere else in the south) there is a good chance that we will be spending the weekend in the middle of a cotton field or cow pasture......

i think i will have to limit the options a little bit

what about nashville?

i have been to nashville a couple of times, and I have no complaints with the city. however, i don't know that that is really what we are looking for in a weekend trip. to be honest, i think i'm leaning towards nashville for now. and for a bigger trip to be planned later, i'm leaning a bit towards dallas or kansas city. as another quick little weekend trip, memphis will be coming up soon.

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Originally posted by TastinGood:
yanno...I hafta go with alison on this one.

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<font size="4" face="Comic Sans MS, Verdana">SUPRISE! SUPRISE!

How about that place.. Ummm, ahh shit what's it called again? I know some folk who live there..

Ohh yeah, Australia!

that would be a weekend's worth of travel, not a weekend trip

Just shut up and come to Australia

I'll show you my pet kangaroo! and we can eat snags and shrimp on the bbq for breakfast lunch and dinner! and we can wear stupid cork hats too!

Yeah.. and we can all wear jumpers!

i will not be wearing a jumper

I like Gatlinburg TN. Haven't been to a lot of places in the south so I can't comment on them. But this lil community is cozy and there are so many fun things to do. Hard Rock, cute lil stores. RIpley's...... and that lil town down the road has batting cages and well, lots to do.

Hmm... my whole selling point was the beauty. Forgot to add that. Ask Blazey and Wynter. Demon says,"Wait, one more pic".. over and over and over....

I agree on the road trip though. Gives you lots of chance to talk and laugh and sing to the radio... and dick around. Plus you can stop at anything that looks interesting on the way.


Yeap anyway..........i had to put my 2 cents in.... and i know its too late but who cares.....

Go gatlinburgggg

i believe at one point, there was a possibility that cristi and i were going to be moving to gatlinburg....i had a job offer in tennesse that was around that area i believe. but nothing ever came of it... [img]frown.gif[/img]

Gatlinburg is fun but it's quite a drive. I hate driving through Tennessee because you drive for hours and hours and youre still in the same state. How frustrating! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

well, we have an update finely...

January 17th, a Saturday, my cousin is getting married in Collierville, TN about 25 miles outside of east memphis.

therefore, we are going to make a half-weekend trip out of the deal, going to memphis on friday afternoon, and coming back home late saturday night.

so far, here is what we have on the agenda.

we need help filling in the gaps...

Friday Evening, dinner
Rendezvous

we don't know what to do for the rest of friday, we should be getting there around 4:00 or so....we need something before and/or after dinner

Saturday morning, before the wedding
We had plans of going to local shops and whatnot in Germantown and/or Colliersville just to get a little "home town" feel to the trip, and other suggestions are warmly welcome

Saturday after the wedding
The Pink Palace (you can do a search for "Pink Palace memphis" to get a few more ideas of what it is if you want"

Saturday dinner
Leonard's Pit Barbecue (voted by one of my co-workers, who lived in memphis for most of her life, as the best barbecue in the area)

we also need something for after saturday dinner.

the plan is to hang out around beale street on friday night and possibly saturday night, if the weather is reasonably warm, and is not raining. but we need something as a back up. not sure how much traveling anyone does, but suggestions are great.

kinda continuing on with previous comments...

i think only you can plan the ideal trip for the two of you. sure, i could tell you what I would do. Memphis has an arenacross coming up so I'd take Shatzy and get her a good seat by the whoop section. Then every few minutes I'd bring her a fresh towel. But that might not nessecarily be the best thing for ya'll. You see?

i fucking LOVE rendezvous!!!!!

oh man... just thinking about it makes me hungry [img]frown.gif[/img]

TG, yes, i would agree, but that is exactly what i want, i want multiple people to mention what they would do..(suggestions), that way i can pick and choose among all of the ideas, and decide which of those ideas, if any, would be ideal for cristi and i. for example, jana, the lady who lived in memphis for a long time who gave me all of those ideas, also mentioned several horse arenas in the memphis area that she loves to go too, i'm not going to the horse arenas that she mentioned, because that does not interest me. but the other things that she mentioned were very helpful...

as for the arenacross....we will not be going to that....see?

is there a basketball game that weekend?--that's what we'd prolly do.

this is her weekend (sort of), so i was wanting to do things that she would really enjoy. that is also why i was looking into places such as platinum place or other gentlemen's clubs

the next weekend, the sacremento kings are going to be in town.

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but that is exactly what i want, i want multiple people to mention what they would do..(suggestions),

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<font size="4" face="Comic Sans MS, Verdana">

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is there a basketball game that weekend?--that's what we'd prolly do.

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i was wanting to do things that she would really enjoy

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<font size="4" face="Comic Sans MS, Verdana">THAT'S WHY TG SAID IT WAS COUPLE SPECIFIC!! IT WAS MY SUGGESTION *rolls eyes*

lmao....

i don't think i've seen her explode on any board
other than jn....


you get one point


(and for the record... i agree... you DID ask
for suggestions)

i took it as a suggestion, i did not mean to offend anyone, i was just explaining why we would not be doing that. i appreciate the idea, and i considered it, but then i made my response that we would not be doing it, and explaining why we would not be doing it.

my apologies.

I accept your applogy.

*turns around, puts sunglasses on, starts walking, and thinks, "I am so cool."* [img]cool.gif[/img]

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I accept your <font size="5">applogy</font>.

*turns around, puts sunglasses on, starts walking, and thinks, "I am so cool."* [img]cool.gif[/img]

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<font size="4" face="Comic Sans MS, Verdana">crap! i wanted to put in some sort of wise crack remark about how you might be cool, but you cant spell, but i couldnt' think of anything...you got lucky this time.

FUCK!--oh well.

*turns around, puts sunglasses on, starts walking, and STILL thinks, "I am so cool."* [img]cool.gif[/img]