Which vacation would you choose? (Read first post before voting.)

[milovany]

Redding ... :D

 

This one's growing on me. I'm pretty sure an extended trip to a monastery is the one my 3-5 older kids would prefer. Maybe not the 6 and 4 year old boys so much, LOL.

[Vida Winter]

I would go out of state altogether and visit Salt Lake City. There are so many family friendly things to do there and you'll likely have good weather. During the summer heat it is nice to go into the canyons/ski areas for picnics and hikes. There are really a ton of things to do there for all ages.

[Twilight Woods]

I live 30mins from Chicago. :)

 

That being said....

 

I couldnt handle being on a train for 2 days just to visit Chicago!

 

I vote for the ocean!

[Crimson Wife]

This one's growing on me. I'm pretty sure an extended trip to a monastery is the one my 3-5 older kids would prefer. Maybe not the 6 and 4 year old boys so much, LOL.

 

The Pacific Coast Starlight is a fun train trip. Amtrak is telling me that Seattle to Redding would be 17.5 hours and Portland to Redding would be 12 hours. So I presume that you'd be looking at a trip time probably in between that duration, yes?

[milovany]

I would go out of state altogether and visit Salt Lake City. There are so many family friendly things to do there and you'll likely have good weather. During the summer heat it is nice to go into the canyons/ski areas for picnics and hikes. There are really a ton of things to do there for all ages.

 

 

That's an interesting idea, except that we would have to pay for hotel there and we'll be using all the above-mentioned cash on the gas or train trip. That's why Chicago and Vancouver are in the running -- we have friends/family to stay with. The monastery is fairly inexpensive too.

[milovany]

The Pacific Coast Starlight is a fun train trip. Amtrak is telling me that Seattle to Redding would be 17.5 hours and Portland to Redding would be 12 hours. So I presume that you'd be looking at a trip time probably in between that duration, yes?

 

Yes, Seattle to Redding. Arrives at 2:15 in the morning and departs (at the end of the trip) at 3:30 a.m. :001_huh: :D We'd have to crash in a motel before the monks came and got us the next morning.

[ElizabethB]

I grew up in the Seattle area.

 

I do not enjoy car or train trips, so that would be a factor for me.

 

We recently visited Chicago and enjoyed it, it was very interesting. I think Chicago or Vancouver would broaden everyone's horizons more and be more interesting.

 

Some of the local things might be more relaxing, though, it depends on what you want to get out of your vacation.

[Lily of the Valley]

We live about 4.5 hours from Chicago, and my husband has family there. We end up going to Chicago once or twice a year. There is a lot to do, the museums are amazing, and we really enjoy it. That being said, if we weren't so close and didn't have family there, I wouldn't take a vacation specifically to visit Chicago.

 

I vote for the beach! :-)

[milovany]

That being said, if we weren't so close and didn't have family there, I wouldn't take a vacation specifically to visit Chicago.

 

I vote for the beach! :-)

 

It's not Chicago specifically, but my friend and her family in the Chicago area that we'd be going to see -- and the train trip is a memorable way to get there. If we get to spend a day downtown at museums, that's an added bonus. I've been kinda wanting to do this for several years and now with this monetary gift, we may get to.

 

You vote for the beach because you live umpteen hours from one!! :D We go to A beach (although not an ocean beach) every summer. That's why I'm leaning toward the train trip or Vancouver island. Or driving around our state.

[Lily of the Valley]

You vote for the beach because you live umpteen hours from one!! :D

 

True! :lol:

[carol p]

I voted for the train trip with 2 things being my thoughts:

Is this the last trip as a family-before someone goes to college? :001_huh: If it is - make it a beautiful memory!

You could stop off in Glacier National Park for a day or 2 and do some beautiful hiking! :)

 

Carol

mom of 3ds

[Little Nyssa]

Where did Redding come in?? You know it will be as hot as blazes, right? ;)

 

To the pp from Canada-- WA residents can get a special drivers license that lets us go over the border without a passport. I have one.

[SonshineLearner]

With the family on the islands ;)

[J-rap]

IF you're up for a real adventure, I'd pick the train to Chicago. I think most people would not be up for that kind of adventure, but if you're the type, it could be a blast. I've ridden that route many times, and have always loved it. Even without a sleeper (but then, I can sleep most places). Sleeper cars add on a LOT of money.

 

Maybe you could break up the trip a little by stopping in Glacier National Park for a couple days, or even just a day. Amtrak has a stop right in the park.

[Poke Salad Annie]

IF you're up for a real adventure, I'd pick the train to Chicago. I think most people would not be up for that kind of adventure, but if you're the type, it could be a blast. I've ridden that route many times, and have always loved it. Even without a sleeper (but then, I can sleep most places). Sleeper cars add on a LOT of money.

 

Maybe you could break up the trip a little by stopping in Glacier National Park for a couple days, or even just a day. Amtrak has a stop right in the park.

 

:iagree:

 

We love to ride the train, and we usually travel in coach--no problem! Take some audiobooks or music on mp3 if you like. We usually take decks of cards, small travel games-- Scrabble Flash or Simon Flash---Mad Libs books, books to read, puzzle books---those kinds of things.

 

Having a place to stay for no cost is a super incentive to visit Chicago. The boat ride on the Chicago River is cheap and fun. You can do a whole afternoon of architecture study with a camera---cheap and fun, too! You might be able to get some inexpensive ball game tickets for Wrigley Field. If you have a museum membership elsewhere, the Field Museum is one of the ASTC museums on the reciprocal list.

 

I also agree about a stop at Glacier Park. The kids could do the Jr. Ranger Program to earn badges---free! The Brown House is a nice B & B, and is relatively cheap for a night or so. There are other B & B's there, and they will usually pick you up at the train station.

 

The Empire Builder route is a beautiful route to travel. The scenery is awesome! Spend time in the day/lounge car for extra special viewing, and access to tables for playing games. Take plenty of snacks and a small cooler. (Last summer we met a family traveling in coach who had brought 2 large bags of groceries filled with goodies from Trader Joe's. They were having a blast playing games in the day car, and having gourmet food for meals.) I think you can't go wrong with an inexpensive train trip. If you have a AAA membership, there is a 10% discount on tickets, and kids are 1/2 price.

 

Adding....You might want to look at Travelzoo.com for some specials on shows or other entertainment in Chicago. The city bus system is great, and you can buy day passes across the street from Union Station at CVS.

 

One more edit.....If you decide on the train trip, make sure to take blankets and pillows for everyone. It gets cold on the train in the summer!

Edited June 11, 2012 by Poke Salad Annie

[milovany]

Is this the last trip as a family-before someone goes to college? :001_huh: If it is - make it a beautiful memory!

You could stop off in Glacier National Park for a day or 2 and do some beautiful hiking!

 

First and possibly last! We have not been able to afford a big trip before, and this is a small inheritance gift with the instruction to "get/do something to remember [this relative] by." We'd done some traveling with this relative, so that's what I'm thinking of. I'd much rather create a wonderful memory for my kids than buy some doodad. I like the thought of stopping at Glacier.

[milovany]

Where did Redding come in?? You know it will be as hot as blazes, right?

 

Well, I didn't know, but that's the first thing my husband said, too, LOL. We don't necessarily have to go in the summer.

[milovany]

IF you're up for a real adventure, I'd pick the train to Chicago. I think most people would not be up for that kind of adventure, but if you're the type, it could be a blast...

 

We love to ride the train, and we usually travel in coach--no problem! Take some audiobooks or music on mp3 if you like. We usually take decks of cards, small travel games-- Scrabble Flash or Simon Flash---Mad Libs books, books to read, puzzle books---those kinds of things.

 

Now someone's understanding me, LOL. I really don't think two days on the train would be awful. We'd do these kinds of things -- read, play games, walk around, watch scenery, snooze, etc. We took the train from Seattle to Portland last year (3 hours) and the kids loved it.

 

Having seen the movie "Flight Plan" though, I'll have to find a way to chain my littles to me while we sleep overnight. :tongue_smilie:

[Dory]

First and possibly last! We have not been able to afford a big trip before, and this is a small inheritance gift with the instruction to "get/do something to remember [this relative] by." We'd done some traveling with this relative, so that's what I'm thinking of. I'd much rather create a wonderful memory for my kids than buy some doodad. I like the thought of stopping at Glacier.

 

I wish I could change my vote on the poll. I had to think through memories of my childhood for awhile and I have to say that the best vacation that my family ever had (we only had a few), was a train trip to Vancouver. The train ride was amazing (despite the fact that I peed my pants :tongue_smilie:). I was only 5 and I remember that long train ride very vividly as do all my brothers.

[momtokea]

I voted "other". I would go to Hawaii.

[Juniper]

If you do the train, put littles in the window seat next to someone bigger. I did a 24hr train ride and it was nerve racking to sleep. I kept fearing one of the kids would wake up and try to go to the rest room and I would know.

[Kathleen in VA]

If I were you, I would want my kids to see the places I loved as a child so they could share in my memories and know what I was talking about when I referred to them. It would be a way of passing on the family history.

[Hikin' Mama]

I said other, because both the Chicago trip and the ocean would be appealing to me. I've been to Chicago and had a great time there. But one of my favorite places in the world is the Oregon coast. Actually, upon more thought, I would go with the coast. It would be much more relaxing, and therefore more rejuvenating for me.

 

I wish you a lovely vacation, which ever one you choose!

[milovany]

If I were you, I would want my kids to see the places I loved as a child so they could share in my memories and know what I was talking about when I referred to them. It would be a way of passing on the family history.

 

Haha, driving across the plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan (which we did more times than I can count) is not really something I want to repeat unnecessarily. ;) We did it once with the five oldest, about seven years ago, so if that memory's important, they have it stashed in there. I hope you know I'm laughing tongue-in-cheek -- I do appreciate the thought.

[Poke Salad Annie]

I said other' date=' because both the Chicago trip and the ocean would be appealing to me. I've been to Chicago and had a great time there. But one of my favorite places in the world is the Oregon coast. Actually, upon more thought, I would go with the coast. It would be much more relaxing, and therefore more rejuvenating for me.

 

I wish you a lovely vacation, which ever one you choose![/quote']

 

I agree. The Oregon coast is a wonderful place, too! We have a family friend who has allowed us to stay at her beach cottage for several years in a row. We could sit at the dining table and look out at the ocean and sometimes spot whales spouting in the distance. We loved to play in the tidal pools and hunt for starfish and anemones. The Newport aquarium is cheap, or at least the research aquarium is cheap. There are several lighthouses to explore along the coast, and there's always somewhere to buy some yummy Tillamook ice cream for a treat. (I hear the chowder at Moe's is quite good, too. ;))

 

Soooooo, I guess my vote is half train trip, and since I've had time to think about it, half Oregon coast trip. But I have to say that when you ride on the train and see the Columbia River Gorge, and Mt. Hood off in the distance, and feel the rocking rhythm of the rails as the train winds along, it's a very peaceful experience. Glacier Park is beautiful, too!

[NCBlueberry]

I voted car trip around home state because I love car trips. But I really like the Chicago trip idea too. I personally would not enjoy the train, but as you said not to factor that in, I didn't. :001_smile: Hope you have a great trip!

[AdventureMoms]

Well, I love Chicago and I used to live there. So that was my first vote. If you go, though, you do need to go down and see the city! I would be truly a shame to go all the way to Chicago and not see it. There's tons of free stuff to do there if you can get into town - tickets on Metra or the El are usually pretty reasonable. You could tour Millenium park, walk along Lake Michigan and watch the boats sail out of the harbor, take a self-guided walking tour, study the architecture, check out the really awesome downtown library, walk through chinatown, and visit the zoo without spending a penny except transportation. There are other things to do for free too, but they are slipping my mind right now. Anyhow, if you can get into the city for at least a couple of days, it might be worth it, even given the train ride.

 

However, I'd do a bit more research before you decide on whether that train trip will be quite so easy, lol. I'm an easygoing traveler, backpacked through Europe, rode in many overnight trains in coach while I was there, etc. That was all fine. So when I needed to get from Chicago to Buffalo, I got an amtrak ticket. 12 hours, overnight, no biggie... It was awful. Truely, horribly, awful. The 12 hour train ride took closer to 20 hours due to freight train traffic. The climate control was broken, so I kept waking up either shivering or drenched in sweat. Unlike the European trains (which were far older) you couldn't open the window to get any air, even when it was 90 degrees in the train. The dining car ran out of food, and what they had was awful. The bathrooms were not serviced anywhere near enough - the last 6-8 hours they stank to high heaven and had no TP or soap. Amtrak does not own or have right of way to any of it's tracks, so if a freight train needs to travel on a stretch of track where the Amtrak is scheduled to go, the Amtrak has to wait or detour around it. This can take hours because most of the US does not have enough tracks to detour without going a LONG way out of your way. FWIW, on my Amtrak adventure I was a young single woman traveling with my now-DW (who I had logged many, many travel miles with previously). No kids. I'm trying to imagine doing it now with my three littles and it's giving me a headache, lol.

 

The trip back was slightly better - only 4 hours delayed.

 

I really like the IDEA of train travel, and it's my first choice anywhere else, but my experience with Amtrak makes me very hesitant to recommend it in the US. For a long list of reasons, we simply do not have a good rail system here.

[Shamzanne]

I actually like the idea of the train trip - I've taken that trip and it is gorgeous. The train actually travels through Glacier Nat'l Park. I didn't mind not having a sleeper, but I did it when I was single. The seats on that train are very comfortable and they recline. Train food is expensive, however.

 

I LOVE the Oregon Coast, too. But Victoria and Vancouver Island seem the most special and exciting of your options to me, so I chose that. Would riding the train to Glacier and staying there for the week be possible? I would choose that if I could afford it.

[happyhomemaker25]

I like spreading it over the weekends. Then you have something to look forward to for a few weeks. Sounds like fun to me! :)

[KidsHappen]

Really? We're only two hours from the Canadian border and I'm pretty sure we'd need passports to cross the border in a car.

 

:iagree: I agree. I think passports are now needed for all border crossings.

[KidsHappen]

I voted Chicago - so much to do but then I saw that the majority of the vacation would be the train trip of a large group of people without a sleeper car and that definitely nixed that idea. I have traveled long distance on a train in regular seating, never again. And then just visiting the suburbs? That would be like a car trip (in too small of a car) to the middle of Nebraska just to turn around and go home again. I am not terribly fond of the beach either so I guess I would go with Vancouver.

[kalanamak]

Poll to follow.

 

:

 

 

what month? Chicago can be brutally hot and brutally cold. WA can be very wet.

 

Personally, I don't leave western WA from 15 July to 15 Sept. The weather is dreamy. I try to escape in the rainy month. November is perfect to get out of there.

[SunnyDays]

what month? Chicago can be brutally hot and brutally cold. WA can be very wet.

 

Personally, I don't leave western WA from 15 July to 15 Sept. The weather is dreamy. I try to escape in the rainy month. November is perfect to get out of there.

 

Aha!! Now I know where I need to visit in the summer. :) I'm already over the midwest heat.

 

As another midwesterner who lives far and away from the beach, that was my vote. However, based on your wanting to do something different, I would vote for the Vancouver Island trip. I don't know that area very well... could you take a day trip into the city of Vancouver as well for some culture and additional memories?

[kalanamak]

Aha!! Now I know where I need to visit in the summer. :) I'm already over the midwest heat.

 

 

 

 

No chiggers! Sleep with a light blanket and no sweating yet wear shorts in the afternoon.

[milovany]

:iagree: I agree. I think passports are now needed for all border crossings.

 

Kids 16 and under do not need passports (just birth certificates) when crossing on foot or by car.

[Little Nyssa]

Sorry, I thought you meant right now! If you go to Redding then I guess you could schedule yr visit when Fr Mel will be there at the monastery-- I often see flyers for him speaking at retreats in various places, so I guess heis not always at home.

 

I still vote for Victoria though!

[Munchkins_mama]

Kids 16 and under do not need passports (just birth certificates) when crossing on foot or by car.

 

:iagree:

 

We live in Washington and just TODAY we crossed the canadian border with just an Enhanced DL and the kids' birth certificates.

[fraidycat]

Kids 16 and under do not need passports (just birth certificates) when crossing on foot or by car.

 

:iagree: Even adults don't need a passport to go TO Canada, but you need it if you'd like to come home again without a whole lotta hassle. :D

 

I vote Chicago, booking the lower level of the train. I've done a couple train trips and lower level is the place to be if you want any rest.

 

I've lived within 15 minutes of the beach on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and that has never excited me one bit. We go when my sister comes to town for a visit and makes us take her, so I vote stay away from the beach. LOL

Edited June 12, 2012 by fraidycat

[OnTheBrink]

I voted on Chicago for purely selfish reasons: I could drive up and meet you and maybe even go to church with you at the EO church in downtown.

 

So, I vote Chicago. And, there's Ikea. What more could anyone want for their vacation?

[milovany]

I voted on Chicago for purely selfish reasons: I could drive up and meet you and maybe even go to church with you at the EO church in downtown.

 

So, I vote Chicago. And, there's Ikea. What more could anyone want for their vacation?

 

Now there's a draw! The only thing is my friend and her husband have wanted to visit an EO church, too, but would probably want to go to the one they'd likely attend should the decide to keep going. Is an hour west of downtown too far? (Then again, they might be open to going wherever we'd want to go, and the downtown church looks beautiful; could be a good day trip.)

[extendedforecast]

I voted for the trip to Chicago because it's out of state, and you're bound to make lots of memories on the train trip alone, not to mention the excitement of being in Chicago.

[macmacmoo]

All are great ideas. I voted train ride to Chicago. But I also like the idea of week in Canada. as far as an other: driving down the west coast.

[justLisa]

what month? Chicago can be brutally hot and brutally cold. WA can be very wet.

 

Personally, I don't leave western WA from 15 July to 15 Sept. The weather is dreamy. I try to escape in the rainy month. November is perfect to get out of there.

 

THIS. We would never leave, but by *this* time every year I am begging DH to go get a job somewhere else :lol:

 

I say a drive around the state. I lived in tri cities for several years, and the western side is a HUGE difference. You will all love it!

[6packofun]

I think I'd choose the islands. My main issue with the suggested vacations is that you'd be staying with family. *I* don't consider it a vacation if we have to stay with someone we know! Ugh. Maybe if your relationships are good and you're free to do what you want without feeling obligated in any way, then it would be OK. I just think vacationing with family is tough.

[milovany]

I think I'd choose the islands. My main issue with the suggested vacations is that you'd be staying with family. *I* don't consider it a vacation if we have to stay with someone we know! Ugh. Maybe if your relationships are good and you're free to do what you want without feeling obligated in any way, then it would be OK. I just think vacationing with family is tough.

 

 

This thread got long, but I said somewhere a few pages back that things like where we stay (with family, with friends), a long train ride, etc. aren't what I'm looking at (although staying with the people we'd stay with wouldn't be an issue). This isn't a vacation for ME, it about doing a one-time big memory-making thing for the KIDS. So I don't mind that the train might be harder or that I won't get to relax as much or that we'd stay with someone and not at a hotel. This time, with this money, it's not about me.

[besroma]

I like the islands idea because you could share something from your childhood with DH and your kids and see how things have changed.

[OnTheBrink]

Now there's a draw! The only thing is my friend and her husband have wanted to visit an EO church, too, but would probably want to go to the one they'd likely attend should the decide to keep going. Is an hour west of downtown too far? (Then again, they might be open to going wherever we'd want to go, and the downtown church looks beautiful; could be a good day trip.)

 

West of downtown, east of downtown (which, I guess, puts you in Lake Michigan, but whatev), doesn't matter to me. If it's feasible to do, I'm there!

 

And, don't forget Ikea. :)