[list]
[*][b]City Name:[/b]
[*][b]Major teams:[/b]
[*][b]What to do:[/b]
[*][b]What to avoid*:[/b]
[*][b]How to get there:[/b]
[*][b]Stuff reasonably close that's interesting:[/b] 1-2 hours way please!
[/list]

iospace fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Aug 7, 2019

• City Name: Boston, MA
  
• City Nicknames: The Hub of the Solar System, The Hub of the Universe, The City on a Hill, The American Athens, The Cradle of Liberty, Beantown.
  
• Major teams: Red Sox (MLB), Celtics (NBA), Bruins (NHL), Patriots (NFL, but located 45 minutes out of town in Foxboro), Revolution (MLS, also play at Foxboro)
  
  
• What to do:
  
• 1) Watch one of the most storied teams in baseball at the crown jewel of MLB parks, Fenway.
  
• 2) Walk the Freedom Trail, which is 300+ years of history in 2.5 miles. It'll take you across half the city, and show off many of the high points in one of the oldest cities in the New World.
  
• 3) Have dinner and dessert in the North End, which is towards the end of the Freedom Trail and has an amazing collection of great Italian restaurants packed into a tiny area.
  
• 4) If you have kids, or like museums and aquariums, the Boston Science Museum ($29 age 12+/$25 age 3-11) is among the best out there, period, and the Boston Aquarium ($31 adults/$22 kids) is one of the very best in the Northeast. The main tank is gigantic, and is home to the 95 year old Myrtle the sea turtle.
  
• 5) If you don't have kids or have extremely precocious ones, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the four or five best in the world, and plays right in downtown every season but summer. The Museum of Fine Arts is also right in the heart of the city, and has a fantastic collection of American masters. Literally down the street from the MFA is the Isabella Stewart Gardener, which if anything has an even better collection and is the center of a wild story about the most valuable art theft in history.
  
• 6) The Boston Common and the adjoining Public Gardens are real dang nice, albeit tiny compared to something like Central Park.
  
• 7) Whale Watches from the Boston Harbor, as well as other cruises from the harbor. You'll have a good chance of seeing some big honkin animals, and the harbor itself is pretty placid.
  
• 8) If you're in town for the Beanpot college hockey tournament that takes place in February, you'll get a chance to see some excellent college programs in Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, and Harvard compete for a trophy that goes back nearly 70 years at this point. The games are played at the Boston Garden.
  
• 9) TAKE THE SUBWAY. The T isn't the best subway in the world, but for getting around the fairly small center of the city or into the immediate suburbs like Cambridge/Somerville and it's going to be vastly faster (and less frustrating) than driving.
  
• 10) New England Clam Chowder Herman Melville had chowder right when he described it in Moby Dick. There's multiple places with claims on the best chowder, but Legal Seafood is always good, has close to a dozen locations in the city, and is a very solid A- exemplar of the style. My personal favorite is at Doyles, which is an old Irish pub in Jamaica Plain on the Orange Line near the Green Street stop. Easy to visit if you take in the Sam Adams brew tour nearby.
  
  
• What to avoid:
  
• 1) DRIVING IN BOSTON. I lived in Boston for 7 years of my adult life, the second most amount of time I've spent anywhere, and I never owned a car during that period because driving in Boston is crazymaking. Beyond the traffic that you'll find in any major city, Boston's laid out in an effort to drive people to insanity. Moreover, Boston proper is a tiny city in land size, you can walk from the edge of Brookline in the west to the edge of the bay in the North End in less than two hours, and you'll pass most of the major tourist sights on that walk. If you drive in for your visit, park at where you're staying and then don't get back into your car until you're leaving.
  
• 2) Seats at Fenway in the right field grandstand, they're not only tiny and facing towards the Green Monster, but you'll probably also get a steel support beam blocking a part of your view. Bleacher views are generally better, and cheaper.
  
• 3) The Union Oyster House- it's neat eating in a 200+ year old restaurant, and it's not bad food, but it's overrated and somewhat pricey.
  
• 4) Getting stuck out at night because you took my advice about not driving. Boston is the City that Sleeps, and the T shuts down around 1:30 a.m. IIRC bars are also all closed by around 2:00 a.m. Cabs are reasonably available in the downtown area, and if you're further out there's always Uber or Lyft.
  
• 5) Saying "Pahk youah cah at Havahd Yahd." We get it, you find the accent sexy. But we've heard it from everyone. Also, most people don't have much of an accent.
  
  
• How to get there:
  
• By Car: Either I-90 (aka the Mass Pike) or I-95 from the south. Be warned that traffic gets seriously snarled every day from about 7am-11am and 4pm-8pm, especially once you get inside the 495 belt.
  
• By Plane: Logan International, which is about 20 minutes from downtown if you're lucky enough to hop on the transit bus to the rail/subway hub at South Station right as you walk out.
  
• By Train: Amtrak runs right into the center of town, and if you're starting anywhere between NYC to DC you should highly consider the Acela instead of flying. The prices are similar, your door to door time is going to be about the same, and instead of being stuck on a plane you get to ride on a train that serves beer. DC to Boston is about a 6 hours, and deposits you at South Station in the middle of the city. The Northeast Regional is also an option, but takes 8+ hours.
  
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting:
  
• Foxboro: If you're coming out for an NFL or MLS game, you're going to end up here anyways. There's not much around other than a decent sized moderately upscale shopping and dining around the stadium itself. 30-45 minutes drive, also reachable by the commuter rail on game days.
  
• Salem: They've got one thing they're known for, and boy do they lean into it. Their Halloween celebrations are a sight to see, and their Witch Museum is p good as I remember. About 30 minutes north of Boston, reachable by commuter rail and ferry, both take ~45 minutes.
  
• Cape Cod: Really only worth visiting in the summer. Lots of good little restaurants and galleries in Provincetown, and plenty of pretty scenery and beaches. The water is freezing though, and if you want to stay on the cape you'll need to plan well ahead as guest houses rent out quick. Provincetown is reachable in less than an hour by taking the ferry from the Boston harborfront, but if you drive and get caught up in traffic at the bridge it could be two hours to get to the main tourist area.
  
• Springfield: Home of the Basketball Hall of Fame and a billion dollar MGM casino. The Basketball Hall of Fame is a unique, and excellent, experience but if you want gambling there's a casino just north of Boston that's now open. 90 minutes away on a good day, but often more like 2 hours.
  
• The Berkshires: The prettiest place in Massachusetts, with excellent hiking (including parts of the Adirondack and M&M trails) and dotted with towns that have amazing culture. Lenox is the hub of these, with both Shakespeare and Company and Tanglewood. The former is a fantastic Shakespearean corps who have put on some of the very finest performances I've ever seen. The latter is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and is a massive, beautiful complex with a gigantic lawn where you can bring in a full danged picnic and listen to one of the best Symphony Orchestras in the world. Add to that a world class contemporary art museum at MassMOCA in North Adams, and a shockingly good but small art museum at the Clark on the Williams College campus, and you can see why the Berkshires gets invaded by New Yorkers on a regular basis. If you're there in the fall, you'll also see some outrageous displays of color from the changing leaves. The Berkshires are roughly 2 to 2.5 hours from Boston (and about 3 from NYC), although North Adams is much more like 3 or 3.5 hours as it's right in the northwest corner of the state.
  

habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 00:11 on Aug 21, 2019

• City Name: Boston
  
• Major teams: Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, Patriots (not mentioning anything Foxboro-related because I never go there)
  
• What to do: The North End is very close to the TD Garden (Bruins and Celtics); it has a ton of good Italian restaurants. The Museum of Science and the Aquarium are both very close and walkable on a nice day. You can also walk the Freedom Trail if you're a history buff, or take a Duck Tour. If you have a free night, there's a bunch of music venues (Sinclair, Paradise, Brighton Music Hall, House of Blues, Royale, Middle East). The MOFA and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are both close to Fenway.
  
• What to avoid*: Quincy Market is a tourist trap. So is Cheers.
  
• How to get there: You can take the Blue line from the airport to get downtown (or Uber/Lyft from a designated pickup spot). If your hotel is downtown you should be able to walk or take a short T ride wherever you need to get to. The Green Line can be very slow west of Fenway. Uber/Lyft if you're staying further out, rather than gently caress with the commuter rail (my opinion).
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting: Harvard Square is on the Red Line outbound from Downtown. Chinatown, as the name implies, has some great Chinese restaurants. There are a lot of Breweries around too (Harpoon, Mystic, Night Shift, Downeast, etc). If you're feeling really ambitious take a trip north (Salem, Beverly, Marblehead) or south (Quincy, Weymouth, Hingham) and hang out at a sea-side spot, get a lobster roll on the beach and all that fun poo poo.
  
• Pre/Post-Game Hangouts:
  
  Bruins/Celts: Any place between Causeway and Valenti Way will fill up at least an hour or so before game time, and if you're just drinking they should all do the trick. I like the food at Boston Beer Works, and Tavern in the Square has decent food too. I've heard good things about McGann's and Porters, although I've never eaten there.
  
  Fenway: Similar situation in that there are a lot of bars and restaurants nearby and they all fill up early. Again, Beer Works is solid, Yard House has a ton of space, Bleacher Bar is a cool experience because it faces out on to center field in Fenway, Loretta's Last Call is really good food and drink, and Jillian's/Lucky Strike has stuff like pool tables/bowling/arcade games. Baseball Tavern can be fun because it has a roof deck, but the food is not good.
  

Ace Jameson fucked around with this message at 13:36 on Aug 7, 2019

• Chicago has a ton of museums, and the main museum campus is next to Soldier Field. I would recommend not going to the museums during a football game though since that area is a madhouse. Top ones at the museum campus are the Field Museum (natural history), and Shedd Aquarium, although the Shedd is very expensive. Other museums of note are the Museum of Science and Industry where you can see a German U-Boat, and the Art Institute.
  
• Around Wrigley Field is the Wrigleyville/Lakeview neighborhood which has a tons of bars to get Cubs fans drunk. Personally, I would stay away from this area unless you are going to a Cubs game since most of the places are generic sports bars.
  
• Directly around Sox Park is a wasteland surrounded by parking lots. Best thing to do is go to Chinatown, which is around Cermak and go to literally any restaurant there, but I like Joy Yee for bubble tea, and Sze Chuan. Pilsen is a Mexican neighborhood that is getting gentrified. It's a short ride from Sox park and has a recent influx of new spots like S.K.Y., and Thalia Hall, but also has tons of great Mexican restaurants along 18th St.
  
• If going to the United Center for Bulls or Blackhawks, or just looking for some of the best food in the city, I'd advise going to the West Loop area. Restaurants like Au Cheval, Publican, Girl & the Goat, and Momotaro are all fantastic, but also expensive. You can also go to The Aviary for good, but also expensive cocktails, and the possibility to see a server spit on one of the Trump kids.
  
• Other areas not related to sports venues - The stretch along the blue line from Wicker Park to Logan Square is littered with tons of bars, good food, and local shops. You can definitely spend a day just making your way through these two neighborhoods eating and drinking. Chicago is also home to tons of improv places, Second City obviously, iO Theater, and The Annoyance are good ones to check out. The Loop also has tons of live theater like at the Oriental, Goodman, and the Chicago Theater. Garfield Park Conservatory is free and one of the best jewels of the city in my opinion.
  

• City Name: Columbus, OH
  
• Major teams: Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL), Columbus Crew SC (MLS), Columbus Clippers (MILB), Ohio State Buckeyes (NCAA).
  
  
• What to do:
  
• COSI (Center of Science and Industry, pronounced Co-Sigh) is a hands-on science museum for the whole family. COSI After Dark is COSI With Alcohol/Drunk COSI with activities designed for those of age.
  
• The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a nationally-known zoo founded by Jack Hanna. Wildlights is their Christmas display which can be a good time. (Zoombezi Bay is their water park.)
  
• The Short North is an entertainment district with bars, restaurants, etc. and is the hub for one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in America if that's relevant to you.
  
• Multiple Barcades (16-Bit, Brewcadia, etc.). 16-Bit is my favorite, with Dirty Frank's and Mikey's Late Night Slice directly next door.
  
• The Arena District is another entertainment area much like the Short North. The RBar is the local hockey bar with all kinds of memorabilia on the walls.
  
• National Veterans Memorial and Museum. Haven't been yet, but it looks kind of cool.
  
• German Village. Go to Schmidt's.
  
• Jeni's Ice Cream. Just don't get listeria.
  
• Craft Brewery/Distillery Mania- Brewdog, High Bank, etc.
  
  
• What to avoid*:
  
• Grandview Heights is a nice area but parking is imfuckingpossible there.
  
• Ohio State University. If it really tickles your fancy, go check the campus out, but it's often a construction-laden clusterfuck.
  
  
• How to get there:
  
• Driving- Interstates 70 (which literally runs from Baltimore to Utah) and 71 (Louisville to Cleveland) are the main ways to get to Columbus. The City is an hour from Dayton, roughly two from Cleveland and Cincinnati, roughly three from Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Detroit.
  
• Flying- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) is served nonstop by Air Canada (Toronto), Alaska (Seattle), American (hub cities), Delta (hubs plus Raleigh/Durham), Frontier (Denver, Orlando, plus some other randoms they try to make work), Spirit (7 cities), Southwest (20ish cities), and United (hubs). AirConnect is a bus service which runs every 30 minutes between CMH and several downtown stops. Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) is the secondary airport which Allegiant (and its 12 destinations) has all to itself.
  
• Rail- Ain't got none.
  
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting: 1-2 hours (a)way please! (Sorted by distance)
  
• Dayton- The National Museum of the United States Air Force has a collection ranging from tiny artifacts to a massive fleet of aircraft spanning all eras of aviation, most notably several retired Air Force One aircraft you can walk through, and the whole thing is awesome (plus the Wright-Dunbar Heritage sites are cool as well- Google them).
  
• Near Zanesville- The Wilds, which is a wild animal park/conservation facility housed on reclaimed strip mines.
  
• Lexington (OH)- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (IndyCar, IMSA, NASCAR's Xfinity Series all race here, plus they have driving schools).
  
• Rossburg- Eldora Speedway (The World's Greatest Dirt Track).
  
• Canton- Pro Football Hall of Fame
  
• Cleveland- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

CBJSprague24 fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Aug 13, 2019

• City Name: Minneapolis, MN. St. Paul is cool too but I don't have much experience with it.
  
• Major teams: Twins (MLB), Timberwolves (NBA), Lynx (WNBA). There's also football and soccer teams here but I can't really speak to that.
  
  
• What to do:
  
• Brewey Hopping: The microbrew scene is huge here. It's very easy to map out a half dozen breweries that are an easy bike or doable walking distance inbetween. Some recommendations downtown-ish near the sports venues: Modist, Pryes, Clockwerks, Inbound, Fulton, Number 12 Cider, Lake and Legend, HopCat.
  
• Go to a Lynx game: The Lynx, and the WNBA in general, rules. You can get the equivalent of ~$200+ NBA tickets for like and enjoy a good game with a bunch of older women.
  
• Check out Uptown: Lots of good food/drink and some fun things to do. If you have a free afternoon rent a paddle boat or standing boat thing and enjoy the lake. I also really enjoy Up Down, a bar-cade with lots of retro cabinets and some newer games as well including Killer Queen. It does get packed at peak hours especially on weekends.
  
  
• What to avoid:
  
• Jager Club: Owned by a literal nazi.
  
• Surly Brewery: Solid beer but big enough that its available at any liquor store and the venue is overrun and out of the way. There are better options.
  
• Juicy Lucy's: I might catch some heat for this one from locals but I think these are trash burgers for trash people. If you insist on it, Matt's or Blue Door are the best options. But there is so much better foot to be had.
  
  
• How to get there: The light rail. Driving downtown and parking isn't too bad but the train will drop you off right near both the Target Center (TWolves) and Target Field (Twins). The light rail will also drop you off at the airport without the need for any secondary shuttle which is nice. There is also a good city bike network if that's your jam.
  
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting: Farthest I've been is about 45min outside the city to do an apple press at a sheep farm so I'm not the best resource here. If you are basic as hell you can go to The Mall of America I guess. The light rail goes there directly. There's also a good winery called Sovereign Estates that does tastings.
  

• City Name: Milwaukee, WI
  
• Major teams: Brewers (MLB), Bucks (NBA), Marquette Golden Eagles (NCAA Division I Basketball), UW-Milwaukee Panthers (NCAA Division I Basketball and Baseball), Milwaukee Admirals (AHL, Nashville affiliate), Milwaukee Milkmen (Independent Baseball), Green Bay Packers* (NFL)
  
  
• What to do:
  Milwaukee Art Museum - Has one of the most distinctive art installations in the world: The Calatrava, a moveable art piece that folds and unfolds daily
  Discovery World - A STEM oriented museum located right next door to the Art Museum.
  The Safehouse - a spy themed bar and restaurant. What more do I have to say?
  Sprecher Brewery Tour - Home to some of the best root beer in the world, you get unlimited soda samples after the tour. The regular beer is good too .
  Milwaukee Public Museum - Home to a large amount of historical information about Wisconsin and Milwaukee. There's even a scale version of old world Milwaukee, including a candy shop!
  Milwaukee County Zoo - Located right off the interchange of I-41 and I-94 (at the aptly named Zoo Interchange), it offers a large number of animal exhibits, and is laid out that the predators are near their prey.
  Bar Hopping - The area near State Fair Park has a fuckload of bars if that floats your fancy.
  Microbrew Tours - And yes, we have a bunch of microbreweries around here. What did you expect?
  Oak Leaf Park System - Milwaukee has one of the greatest county park systems around. Whitnall is the largest, with a significant hiking area at the Wehr Nature Center, but the others shouldn't be overlooked. Golf is also plentiful at the parks.
  Frozen Custard - There's a bunch of stands in the area, but Leon's and Kopp's are the two you should really consider the most, especially Kopp's.
  
  
• What to avoid:
  Miller Brewery Tour - Unless you're a major fan of Miller, there's other breweries that are better
  Wisconsin Dells - Tourist trap. Though if you're into water parks, sure, go nuts! Taking a Duck Ride though wouldn't be a bad idea if you want to see the Wisconsin River first hand.
  
  
• How to get there:
  Road - I-41 (also US 41), I-43, US 45, and I-94 all run through the county, with I-43 and I-94 running through downtown proper. The airport is off of I-41/94.
  Plane - General Mitchell International (MKE) is located on the Southeast side of the county, and serves most cities in the US via Southwest or Delta.
  Rail - The Hiawatha runs regularly between Milwaukee and Chicago, and is on par with driving between the two in terms of time. There's even a station at the airport. The Empire Builder stops twice a day in downtown Milwaukee, once in each direction and runs from Portland and Seattle to Chicago.
  Boat - The Lake Express, a car ferry, runs from Muskegon, Michigan, to Milwaukee three times a day.
  
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting:
  Madison, Wisconsin - The State Capital. Worthy of its own post, but there's a bunch to do here, but some highlights are: Capital Tour, State Street, and University of Wisconsin
  Fox River Valley - Sort of at the upper end of the 2 hour window, the Fox River Valley stretches from Oshkosh all the way to Green Bay. Highlights include: EAA Museum in Oshkosh, History Museum at the Castle in Appleton (if you're a big Houdini fan), and Green Bay itself (also worthy of its own post). Also a lot of paper mills if you're into that.
  Kettle Moraine State Parks - Some of the most scenic areas near Milwaukee, they showcase the glacial features left over from the Wisconsin Glaciation. Almost all of them have hiking and mountain biking trails
  Richard Bong Recreation Area - aside, it was a planned USAAC base that never got off the ground (). Located between Milwaukee and Chicago, has a lot of outdoor activities available, including ATVs and offroad motorcycle areas.
  Chicago - Close enough to fall under the 2 hour window, but I highly, highly recommend taking the Hiawatha if you value your sanity. See Chicago goon posts for recommendations there.
  

• Walker Art Center: They have fuckin minigolf at a world-class art museum. Go do it.
  
• Mill City Museum: Minneapolis was once the flour milling capital of the world and then a building blew up. Find out how and why!
  
• Get on a bike: Those stupid loving scooters are everywhere but you don't need em cuz we have Nice Ride which is a bike rental service for anyone/anywhere. Our town lands in the top 5 for most bikeable cities in the world like all the time so check it out.
  
• Don't forget yer skateboard: 3rd Lair and Familia parks are open to the public and very awesome/good.
  
• Do some bouldering: The Minneapolis Bouldering Project is a great workout, tons of fun, and in the same building as Pryes Brewing which is v good.
  
• Go see and hear some live music: Seriously our music scene is pretty not bad. Radio K curates a lot of great events so check their calendar out. Venues of note:
  
  • First Avenue and 7th Street Entry (yes, it's the same place where Purple Rain was filmed)
    
  • The Turf Club
    
  • Mortimer's
    
  • FOE #34 Minneapolis
    
  • Hexagon Bar
    
  • Palmer's Bar (also named the top dive bar in America by a magazine)
    
  • Part Wolf (formerly known as The Nomad)
    
  • 331 Club
    

• 56 Brewery. One of my favorites. They experiment a lot with flavors and are big on the "grower to growler" thing. Recommended beers: all of them.
  
• Fair State Co-op. One of the only worker-owned, fully cooperative breweries in town and their pilsner is 100% world-class. Recommended beers: Vienna Lager, Pilsner, and Nitro Stout. Speaking of co-ops:
  
• Broken Clock Brewing Co-op. Just try everything, it's all good.
  
• Dangerous Man. Reasonably famous, better at dark beers than they are at lighter ones, very awesome taproom. Recommended beers: Peanut Butter Porter and the Milk Chocolate Stout.
  
• Bauhaus Brewing. One of the first breweries in the area to heavily feature lagers, great taproom space. Another "Just try all of them" place.
  
• Indeed Brewing. If chefs opened a brewery to experiment with flavors and poo poo, this'd be the place. Rad room, too. Recommended beers: Mexican Honey Light, Day Tripper.
  

• La Dona Cerveceria. My #1 favorite good-vibes brewery. Go here. If you're lucky, you can take in some 3-on-3 futbol in their tiny arena outside the brewery. House-made micheladas as well. Drink it alllll.
  
• Utepiils Brewing. Another "great space" brewery and their kolsch is my favorite.
  
• Sisyphus Brewing. Fun beers and they sometimes have stand-up comedy!
  

mentholmoose fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Aug 11, 2019

• City Name: Vancouver
  
• Major teams: Vancouver Canucks (NHL), BC Lions (CFL), Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS), Vancouver Canadians (Class A Minor league baseball), Vancouver Warriors (NLL), Vancouver Giants (WHL)
  I wish I had some women's pro leagues to add here but if there are any in Vancouver I don't know about them. Rugby maybe?
  
• What to do:
  Well that depends. If you like drinking:
  About 5 years or so ago our draconian liquor laws eased up a bit to allow breweries to have tasting rooms for the first time, and also made it easier for them to get licensed. What followed was an explosion of small craft breweries in the GVRD. You can find a decent list here.
  
  A very great deal of them are clustered in the Strathcona area just west of the downtown eastside (DTES). I suppose a warning is warranted here: the DTES is an area of extreme poverty (it is not, however, 'the poorest postal code in canada' as is often said). That comes with issues associated with poverty. It remains one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city for entertainment, bar-hopping, restaurants, and general culture. It has been gentrifying over the last few years (mostly from the west as the area to the east remains somewhat industrial), but remains one of the few areas where you can get decent food for relatively cheap and still catch a punk show at a dive bar. Nearby Chinatown is also worth seeing.
  
  Several other breweries can be found near Main Street (between about 4th ave and Broadway), and there are plenty of others on that list too. If you're more interested in just going to a great bar that does beer primarily I would recommend The Alibi Room first, The Magnet second, and St. Augustines third. But to be honest it's fun to go on a brewery walk (just plan out your route first so you don't get lost/lazy).
  
  Other neighborhoods that are worth checking out: Previously mentioned Main Street - from 4th Avenue all the way up to 25th or so and beyond, Commercial Drive from Hastings to 7th Avenue or so, 4th Avenue in Kitsilano (touristy, imo, and very expensive), Davie street west of Granville street (note that this would be the LGBTQ+ section of town), Robson street west of Richards street (expensive high-end retail for the most part), the Granville strip (Granville street North of Drake street all the way to about Georgia Street) (Nightclubs be here). Gastown if you're into touristy kitch (but also some really good restaurants).
  
  Recommended cocktail bar: The Diamond. Recommended whisky bar: Fets.
  
  If you don't like drinking (or maybe you want to do something other than getting soused):
  Well, you could take in a show at the Stanely theatre, or at the Arts Club in Granville Island (which is also neat to walk around in occasionally, but it gets very busy and touristy). You could go to Playland (imo a lame amusement park, but I still end up there at least once a year so what are you gonna do). You could walk around Stanley Park or the Sea Wall (same area, both very beautiful, take a bike!). The beaches around town can be great in the summer; Kits and Jericho are always packed with people (although there's a dog beach near the Maritime Museum north of Kits Beach that is great). Several of the beaches further west are quieter (Spanish Banks for example). You could go to Science World and marvel at whatever wacky rear end poo poo they have there at the moment, and do a towers of hanoi puzzel because of course you can. In the summer there's Bard on the Beach, the yearly Shakespeare festival which puts on 4-ish different shows and is generally very high quality.
  
  If you're into more independent theatre, the Fringe festival, the Push festival, the Revolver festival are all great emerging artist theatre and performance.
  
  Nature:
  But most people coming to Vancouver are actually going to be leaving it to see the surrounding mountains, parks, hiking trails, lakes, campgrounds and etc. If that's your bag there are a shitload of options.
  
  
• What to avoid:
  This is a difficult question to answer. Personally I dislike Robson street, Granville Island, and much of the downtown core because it's generally packed with people buying expensive bad food. But that's pretty much the same everywhere. South Granville (5th ave-16th ave) is boring. So is Marpole (Granville between 65th Ave and 70th Ave).
  
  
• How to get there:
  Take transit. Transit is great in this city. Take a cab or car-share if you must. But really, take transit. Do it. Be a good person.
  
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting: 1-2 hours way please!
  <this section coming soon, this has already gotten too long>
  

JawKnee fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Aug 11, 2019

• City Name: Seattle, WA
  
• Major teams: Seattle Mariners (MLB), Seattle Seahawks (NFL), Seattle Sounders FC (MLS), Seattle Supersonics, Seattle Storm (WNBA), a soon to be coming NHL team, UW Huskies (pretty much every collegiate sport at D1 level)
  
• What to do: Tourist attractions:
  
  Although its touristy, Pike Place Market is free to walk through, and while yeah theres the flying fish, there's a ton of other shops and food to get. The area itself is nice and has a great view of the water.
  Space Needle: its spendy to get up there but does give a terrific view. You could also try Columbia tower for a view as well.
  International District: a short walk from the stadiums, this place has tons of amazing Asian food, and isn't too expensive. Stop by Uwajimaya for some Japanese grocery shopping, then head to Harbor City for delicious dim sum.
  The Ave: formally known as 15th Ave / University Way, known to everyone else as The Ave, this street has tons of food catered to college students at UW, there's also a ton of shops that cater to that demographic as well. Get a gyro, burrito, ramen bowl, thai curry, shwarma, bratwurst or dosa then head over to Earl's and get wasted.
  Capitol Hill: Used to basically be where the college students would move when they graduated. It's getting heavily gentrified but still has great places to eat and drink.
  Museum of Flight: do you like planes? Go here!
  
  Parks:
  Gas Works Park: has the one of the best views of Seattle water. It's a great spot to hang out too.
  Kerry Park: if you find yourself in Queen Anne, stop by here. It's a small park but it has a fantastic view of the city proper. Stop here, admire the view, snap a photo and head on your way.
  Volunteer Park: one of the bigger parks in north Cap Hill, tons of places to hang, also has the Seattle Asian Art Museum and a conservatory. Go up one block to Lake View Cemetery and visit the grave site of Brandon and Bruce Lee while you're there.
  Woodland / Greenlake Park: this place is okay. Mainly for walking. Stop by the zoo if you wanna see animals.
  Golden Gardens: much better than Alki beach if you want a beach experience.
  
  
• What to avoid*:
  Ride the Ducks: kitschy and overrated. Also a death trap.
  Seattle Aquarium: compared to other aquariums I've been to, this one is a giant let down. Also overpriced.
  Pacific Science Center: I used to think the world of the PacSci Center until I went to other science museums in Chicago & New York and realized how small and outdated this place is. Unless there's a cool exhibit (you missed the Terra Cotta Warriors), probably not worth it. Seattle center isn't bad, though.
  MoPop: again if there's an exhibit you want to see, go for it. Otherwise, nah.
  Eye of Seattle: it's a ferris wheel that doesn't go very high...
  
  
• How to get there: From north or south, take I-5 by driving. Seatac airport is about half an hour south. From the airport you can take light rail to get into downtown Seattle and avoid taking / renting a car. There's also a train that sort of runs parallel to I5 that stops right next to CenturyLink Field and will go as north as Vancouver BC and technically take you all the way to Mexico. The stadiums are also right at the I-90 interchange which takes you out to Spokane and beyond. If you're on the west coast you can fly into Everett now (so far it only services Oregon, California and Nevada), a much smaller airport, but it will be a bit harder to get to a public transit option to head into Seattle.
  
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting: About half an hour to an hour east is the cascades which you can find a lot of places to hike, also Snoqualmie falls and a giant casino if you're into that sort of thing. 45 minutes south is Tacoma which isn't the hellhole from the early 90s anymore!

seiferguy fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Aug 12, 2019

• City Name:Madison, Wisconsin
  
• Major teams: University of Wisconsin Badgers (basketball, football and hockey are the big ones, although the men's hockey team sucks while the women's team is dominant)
  
• What to do: Tour the State Capitol. Tours are given on the hour seven days a week, and the Observation Deck, which surrounds the dome, is open until Labor Day.
  
• Visit the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as the Chazen Museum.
  
• Visit the Henry Vilas Zoo, one of the few free zoos in the country. The polar bears are adorable.
  
• Eat cheese curds at The Old Fashioned on the Capitol Square. Trust me.
  
• Visit the Dane County Farmers' Market on the Capitol Square, held Saturdays from April through ~Novemberish. It's the largest producers-only farmers' market in the nation.
  
• Get out on one of Madison's five lakes. Paddleboarding, kayaks, canoes, pontoons, they're all available for rental. I, uh, wouldn't recommend swimming in the lakes, though, because we have a real issue with blue-green algae.
  
• There are several hundred miles of biking and hiking trails in Dane County.
  
• What to avoid*: People will tell you to go to the House on the Rock, but it's a kitschy piece of poo poo. Also, avoid Madison "institutions" like Glass Nickel Pizza and The Nitty Gritty, because they're trash. For pizza, go to Cafe La Bellitalia on the east / north side, or Rosati's on the west side.
  
• How to get there: I-39 comes up from Rockford, Illinois, and US 151 comes up from Iowa. The Interstate also runs directly from Milwaukee to Madison. The Dane County Regional Airport has direct flights from something like 17 or 18 cities. Buses run here from Chicago, Milwaukee and Dubuque.
  
• Stuff reasonably close that's interesting: The Cave of the Mounds, about 40 minutes outside of Madison, is amazing. The National Mustard Museum is in Middleton, a suburb of Madison. The Wisconsin Dells and Noah's Ark waterpark are about a 75-minute drive north of Madison.
  

Timby fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Aug 13, 2019

Regnevelc fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Aug 20, 2019

BWV fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Sep 15, 2019

piratepilates fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Sep 15, 2019

• City Name: Las Vegas
  There is a 5 mile-long cruise ship of hotels and casinos that make the city famous. This guide will focus on the city and outdoors surrounding The Strip. I've lived here since the mid-80's and have seen the city evolve from every stereotype you can think of, to a "real" city that also has every stereotype you can think of.
  
  
• Major teams & events: Vegas Golden Knights (NHL), Raiders (NFL), Las Vegas Aces (WNBA), NASCAR 2x a year, Professional Bull Rider's Championship, NBA Summer League (Scrubs, Washouts, Injured Players, and Draft Picks battle for a prize), Several NCAA Basketball & Football Championships (Pac12, WCC, MWC, and more), UFC stuff
  
  
• Major teams & events coming soon: MLS, Formula 1, The Super Bowl, probably the Oakland A's and NBA Expansion?
  
  
• What to do:
  
  
• Sportsball!
  
  
  • Catch a Golden Knights game
    The city is still on a relative high to have our first pro team. The crowd enthusiasm is usually pretty high regardless of who is playing and it's a high production event. If you go, park at the Excalibur or Luxor parking lots and walk underneath the bridge to get to T-Mobile arena. This is the same area that Lyft/Uber will drop you off and pickup from. Section 207 is my favorite because it's always decent price and the home team shoots twice so you might want the opposite side as a visitor. There are no bad seats at T-Mobile. Here's the last row in 207:
    
    
  • Go to a Raiders game
    I'm not that into the NFL but I went one time and it was fun. The stadium is brand new so a big multi-billion dollar building is fun to look at for a few hours. If you go, park at the Tailgater Tavern on Russell and walk down. They don't charge for parking as long as you buy a beer inside and it's only ~15 minute walk.
    
  • Go to a NASCAR race
    Cars go fast and it is fun. The track has good sight-lines all the way around and it's easy to get in and out as long as you enter and exit near Nellis AIr Force Base and not the I-15.
    
  • Go to an Aces Game
    They are one of the best WNBA teams and the atmosphere is real fun. I bet if you gamble enough at an MGM property you can ask for comped tickets.
    
  • Catch a AAA game
    We are in a perpetual state of being used as bait for Oakland to get a new baseball stadium. But until we throw money at them to move, you can watch their AAA affiliate play in a brand new baseball park!
    
  • Go to the Circa Sportbook Pool
    It's a rooftop sportsbook pool on the 70th floor of the newest property Downtown, with a 100'+ screen. Really hard to beat for sports and lazy pool day combo.
    
  • Attend any number of seasonal championships
    Vegas makes its living off conventions and visitors. Recently that's shifted to attracting high-level championships and tournaments. If you want specific advice on one I'm happy to help.
    
  
  
• For when you need a break from your regrettable bender, visit these outdoor gems:
  
  
  • (20-30 minutes from Strip)
    
    • Red Rock National Conservation Area Scenic Drive
      
      Has some of the most incredible sandstone formations you've never heard of. Just as striking as Bryce or Zion imo. There are various hikes off the scenic loop if you aren't too dehydrated and hungover to get lost in a canyon. My favorite short hike is Icebox Canyon.
      
    • Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
      Just down the road from the Scenic Loop - this would be a good one to stack together. It is an old cattle ranch that's changed hands over the last 100+ years, including Howard Hughes. There are historic buildings on site along with some easy hiking trails that go back into a canyon.
      
    • Blue Diamond Mountain Bike Trails (aka Cottonwood Trails)
      A set of easy to medium-hard MTB trails that you could spend an entire week at if you wanted. You can rent bikes and necessary equipment a few feet from the trailhead at the Bike Outpost in Blue Diamond, NV, I'd recommend the trails Old Spanish Trail (literally the Old Spanish Trail used by early settlers, really), Ducky Trail, Cactus Slalom, and Viagra.
      
    
    
  • (45-90 minutes from Strip)
    
    • Valley of Fire
      Another collection of sandstone formations with easy hikes to enjoy the views. It's a bit of a longer drive than Red Rock but the hikes are more approachable.
      
    • Lake Mead Six Tunnels Loop
      There are lots of places to go at Lake Mead, but this trail gets you all the views you need of the volcanic southeast mountains surrounding the Las Vegas Valley
      
    • Boulder City, NV
      The town that people building Hoover Dam lived in. It's stayed a small town for the last 100 years and has a neat old-timey downtown. Highly recommend Fox's BBQ if you go.
      
    • Hoover Dam
      It really is that cool up close. If you book ahead, you can take a tour into the dam itself and see some giant turbines. Also the depressing lake levels highlighting our impending heatdeath as a species.
      
    
    
  • (2 hours or all day)
    
    • Rock Climbing
      Vegas is home to some of the world's best rock climbing. For real. Several professional climbers live in the area and there are thousands of routes within 30 minutes of the casinos. Hire a guide and get vertical.
      
  
  
• Have drunken fun outside The Strip
  
  • Go to Fremont Street
    This is the "real" Downtown Las Vegas and most the properties are older. It has a classic vibe and the tables usually have friendlier odds. There is a new property named Circa that has an amazing sportsbook pool on the 70th floor rooftop.
    
  • The Laundry Room
    A secret bar inside Commonwealth Downtown. In order to get access, go to Commonwealth's bar and ask for a laundry pin. The pin has a number to text, if there is an opening they will open a secret door and you can enjoy literally the best drinks in Las Vegas. Not even joking there is no better mixologists in Vegas than the people in Laundry Room.
    
  • Main St Arts District has several breweries and restaurants to walk between. Good for a night out. Favorites are Able Baker and ReBar
    
  • Area 15
    A collection of psychedelic art stuff. Go on shrooms or after visiting one of the valley's multiple legal weed stores.
    
  
  
• For the highfalutin types:
  
  • Catch a SmithCenter concert. A beautiful building and a surprisingly good orchestra made up of some full-timers and mostly part-timers moonlight from their usual jobs playing shows on The Strip.
    
    
  • My favorite shows on The Strip in order: Mystere, O, La Reve (RIP), Ka, The Mirage Volcano (Soon to be RIP), Bellagio Fountains, The Flamingo Topical Gardens,
    
  
  
• What to avoid* (after you've had your mandatory bender):
  
  • The Strip. It's overpriced and crowded. There are places to go with the same quality run by people that used to work on The Strip.
    
  • Especially the big wheel at The Lync. My god it's so boring and expensive. You are looking at a parking lot and a building for most of the ride around.
    
  
  
• Food and Drinks off The Strip:
  This could be its own post (and there are probably several already) but I'll point out some of my favorites.
  
  
  • PublicUs Downtown has the best coffee and brunch. Feels like it belongs in Portland or the Bay Area
    
  • All of Spring Mountain Road Chinatown has great food. But here are some favorites:
    
  • Shang Artisan Noodle - Hand pulled noodles to order
    
  • EDO Tapas - Get the chef's menu and sit back and let them do what they do
    
  • Sparrow and Wolf - Ex-Strip chef opens restaurant in old Macy's off The Strip, deliciousness ensues
    
  • Road Kill Grill - OG Vegas BBQ place with delicious sausage
    
  • Chikyu Vegan Sushi - It's delicious and if you want a break from the heavy meals at the fancy places check it out
    
  • Yama Sushi - Also delicious and uses real fish
    
  • Kung Fu Thai - The original Thai restaurant in Vegas
    
  • Tacos and Beer - Good tacos pretty close to The Strip
    
  • Herbs and Rye - Best steaks off Strip at a great deal if you go during their happy hour
    
  • Cleaver - Sister restaurant to Herbs and Rye
    
  
  
• How to get there:
  
  • Flying: Harry Reid International Airport is how most people get here. It's 10 minutes from The Strip and almost dead center of everything. Don't let the taxi driver take you the long way to your hotel through the tunnel. Tell them to go up Tropicana like a sane person.
    
  • Driving: From Southern California you'll come in on the I-15.
    
• Where to stay:
  
  • Chances are if you're coming here your event is on or near The Strip. Park MGM is smoke free which is really nice. Vdara is a non-casnio hotel on The Strip that has a full kitchen in it. Cosmo is plush af. Lync is super cheap and always floods when it rains. Never park your car on the first 3 levels of The Lync's parking garage.
    

Parappa the Dapper fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Jun 19, 2022