• Toronto, Ont., July 1-3.
• Fairport Harbor, Ohio, July 8-10.
• Bay City, Mich., July 15-17.
• Chicago, Ill., July 27-31.
• Green Bay, Wis., Aug. 5-7.
• Duluth, Minn., Aug. 18-21.
• Erie, Penn., Sept. 8-11.
• Brockville, Ont., Sept. 17-18.
The El Galeon Andalucia, a 495-ton, authentic wooden replica of a galleon that was part of Spain's West Indies fleet, and the Dragon Harald Fairhar, a replica Viking longship built in Norway, are crossing the Atlantic Ocean this year to join the Tall Ships Challenge returning to the Great Lakes in 2016.
YOU WILL LIKELY ENCOUNTER LONGER WAIT TIMES AT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS.
Due to current Transportation Security Administration (TSA) capacity, you will likely experience longer-than-usual security lines at your departure airport. To ensure you make it to your gate in time, please plan to arrive at least 2 hours before your flight, as wait times could be up to an hour or more.
awweeeesome.
They are probably short on personnel as they get training on how to use the digital randomizer app.
I got Global Entry late last year, but won't have a chance to use it for immigration until early this summer. I have been enjoying the TSA precheck that came with it though. I decided 5 years was worth the $100; the cost of CLEAR not so much. Maybe if I travelled for a living.
• Toronto, Ont., July 1-3.
• Fairport Harbor, Ohio, July 8-10.
• Bay City, Mich., July 15-17.
• Chicago, Ill., July 27-31.
• Green Bay, Wis., Aug. 5-7.
• Duluth, Minn., Aug. 18-21.
• Erie, Penn., Sept. 8-11.
• Brockville, Ont., Sept. 17-18.
The El Galeon Andalucia, a 495-ton, authentic wooden replica of a galleon that was part of Spain's West Indies fleet, and the Dragon Harald Fairhar, a replica Viking longship built in Norway, are crossing the Atlantic Ocean this year to join the Tall Ships Challenge returning to the Great Lakes in 2016.
Man, of all the weeks to visit Japan... I fly out today and its on the west side, but still, scary.
Hlad you're okay. Also hope you had fun!
Pics!
Thanks, just got back. I'll be sure to deluge the thread with images tomorrow once I get everything sorted.
(Artemis is happy I'm back, but pissed, as per usual. Never leave a cat unattended with cat nip, as I'm sure my cat sitter learned.)
Also, there was something I wanted to get but wasn't able to. If anyone goes to the Mandarake in Akihabara and wants to do me a MASSIVE favor, I'll be in your debt.
Here's the deal: Much as I am loathe to think about it, I'm going home. I'm flying from Melbourne to London in June.
Here's the deal, though: I'm taking the opportunity to make this a holiday in and of itself. I've booked a... very circuitous route. Here's the itinerary:
Fiji: 20th-27th June
Tokyo, Japan: 28th June-2nd July
Singapore: 2nd July-6th July
For Fiji and Singapore, I've got friends there to hang out with and hopefully they'll give me some pointers on what to see... although to be honest I'm up for just chilling at the beach in Fiji.
However. I have a few days in Tokyo and I want to make sure I'm making use of that time. This is the first time I've been to Japan and I'll be kicking myself if I don't end up doing anything.
I know three things: I want to go to an onsen, I want to visit Akihabara and I'm totally cool with staying in a capsule hotel. Anyone got recommendations or pointers? I want to book things ASAP.
Somestickguy on
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
Overall glad I went. The rarities and Akihabara were mind blowing, and Ueno Park was breath taking. Especially the ceremony(which I did not take photos of out of respect).
Here's the deal: Much as I am loathe to think about it, I'm going home. I'm flying from Melbourne to London in June.
Here's the deal, though: I'm taking the opportunity to make this a holiday in and of itself. I've booked a... very circuitous route. Here's the itinerary:
Fiji: 20th-27th June
Tokyo, Japan: 28th June-2nd July
Singapore: 2nd July-6th July
For Fiji and Singapore, I've got friends there to hang out with and hopefully they'll give me some pointers on what to see... although to be honest I'm up for just chilling at the beach in Fiji.
However. I have a few days in Tokyo and I want to make sure I'm making use of that time. This is the first time I've been to Japan and I'll be kicking myself if I don't end up doing anything.
I know three things: I want to go to an onsen, I want to visit Akihabara and I'm totally cool with staying in a capsule hotel. Anyone got recommendations or pointers? I want to book things ASAP.
Tokyo's not really well known for being an onsen town, but they've got some modern ones that I guess pump water up from way way down. I don't have any specific recommendations but you ought to be able to find one using Google. Same for Akihabara; I know next to nothing about it, but it's such a popular destination that has had so much about it written in English that a little Internet research will probably go a long way.
Capsule hotels, however, are fairly tricky. I hadn't lived in Japan for over a decade at this point, but I remember having a really difficult time trying to find them. Maybe Google maps has changed that, but unless you can speak and read Japanese I feel like you might be better if trying to find something a bit more typical.
0
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NogsCrap, crap, mega crap.Crap, crap, mega crap.Registered Userregular
Just landed in Milan!
We're taking a 2 week tour across Italy. Gonna be hitting up Como Lakes, Florence, Venice, Almalfi Coast and Rome.
Here's the deal: Much as I am loathe to think about it, I'm going home. I'm flying from Melbourne to London in June.
Here's the deal, though: I'm taking the opportunity to make this a holiday in and of itself. I've booked a... very circuitous route. Here's the itinerary:
Fiji: 20th-27th June
Tokyo, Japan: 28th June-2nd July
Singapore: 2nd July-6th July
For Fiji and Singapore, I've got friends there to hang out with and hopefully they'll give me some pointers on what to see... although to be honest I'm up for just chilling at the beach in Fiji.
However. I have a few days in Tokyo and I want to make sure I'm making use of that time. This is the first time I've been to Japan and I'll be kicking myself if I don't end up doing anything.
I know three things: I want to go to an onsen, I want to visit Akihabara and I'm totally cool with staying in a capsule hotel. Anyone got recommendations or pointers? I want to book things ASAP.
There used to be a very popular capsule hotel in Akibahara but it closed down a while ago. It's not a traditionally "touristy" experience in the eyes of most Japanese, more something used out of necessity for business. So when searching look for the "business" districts like Gotanda, Shinagawa etc. Otherwise Tokyo Khaosan is a hostel that's cheap, safe and comfortable.
For onsen, you can try Oedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba, Tokyo which is natural ground water, but artificially heated. Also kind of expensive.
For the real thing, you can make a day trip to Hakone, in the south or Kinugawa in the north, but that town, while much cheaper, was hit hard by the recession in the 1990's so it won't be as well-kept or maintained.
I was looking at Oedo Onsen Monogatari, and I don't actually recommend it if you're looking for "the typical onsen experience". If you want hot mineral water, it's got that, but it looks nothing like any onsen I've ever been to.
The last 24 hours before leaving on a trip is the absolute worst for me. I'm fine once I'm actually on the trip. But the last few hours? The degree to which I feel stress, wondering if I've done everything that I need to do, wondering if there's anything important that I've forgotten, and being terrified of something going horribly wrong, just amps up higher and higher until I actually get on the plane. Once the plane takes off, there's no turning back, and the stress just melts away. But right now? Did I pack this? Did I pack that? Did I charge this? Do I have money in the right accounts? Do I need to plan more than I've done already?
The worst.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
I'm fine once I've booked flights. Booking flights is my personal definition of hell. After that i've just got to make sure I didn't leave my passport in the fruit bowl.
I'll be visiting my mom next weekend and managed to buy the train tickets back and forth both in the wrong direction. That's 25€ down the drain for the cancelation fees.
edit: I'm also not sure if that is even proper english in the first sentence, but I'm tired.
currently visiting my sister in ehime prefecture. after a few days in tokyo. the various temples were amazing and the street shopping was great. my sister wanted to visit some famous shopping streets, which were crowded and full of either things too trendy or too much explicitly for tourists.
i am a much bigger fan of nobinono, the town i am in now. my sister told her school i was coming and their english teacher loved the chance to show off a foreigner to her classes. seeing how these schools work was cool to experience. now working out mountain hikes and how to get back to tokyo at the end of this.
pictures and a fuller report when i get home.
+1
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
getting excited for our trip back to the US in October.
Ellie will be about 8 months old then. Any advice/tips/etc?
The good: I've arrived safely in Ireland. I visited Trinity College this morning and saw the Book of Kells. I spent most of the afternoon napping (only two hours of sleep on the plane, if that, so I was beat), and then walked around Dublin in the early evening, taking pictures of everything that looked interesting. Per my Fitbit, close to 27,000 steps and over 20 km of walking today.
The bad: My feet hurt. Also, my hotel is in Temple Bar - normally I have no problem with music or street noises affecting my sleep, but damn they're loud down there, and the night is very young. We'll see how this goes.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
This isn't rain. I'm able to type coherently on my phone while outside (waiting for the 11am tour at Belfast City hall). This is a couple of scattered drops of water! And it's almost 20°!
What I'm saying is, the weather so far this trip has been absolutely gorgeous.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Back in Dublin. Still warm and sunny. And supposed to be sunny all weekend. Boo! A week left in my trip - I hope to see Trim Castle, King John's Castle (in Limerick), the Rock of Cashel, and Cahir Castle over the next four days. After that, maybe, maybe a trip south to see Blarney Castle. We'll see.
This trip has been a reminder that hotel rooms never look anything like their websites suggest, and that for consistent results I should just stay in chain hotels (other than Best Western).
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Posts
Shoulda used American Express
Gooooosh I hate waiting in immigration lines
In other news I also hate waking up earlier for flights than I do for work. Robble robble robble robble. I can never sleep on planes.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
You said something about Toronto, right? When are you gonna be there?!
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/01/fleet_of_20_tall_ships_to_race.html
• Toronto, Ont., July 1-3.
• Fairport Harbor, Ohio, July 8-10.
• Bay City, Mich., July 15-17.
• Chicago, Ill., July 27-31.
• Green Bay, Wis., Aug. 5-7.
• Duluth, Minn., Aug. 18-21.
• Erie, Penn., Sept. 8-11.
• Brockville, Ont., Sept. 17-18.
@Usagi You gonna be able to see them?
Thanks Moon!!
They are probably short on personnel as they get training on how to use the digital randomizer app.
Oh MAN.
It depends on if I get this job I'm interviewing for. If I do I am SO SEEING THIS
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
Switch Friend Code: SW-7437-1538-7786
Which is totally a thing you should do if you can swing it.
I was thinking about going to Japan this summer for a bit but Shanghai Disneyland is opening this summer.
It looks baaaaaallllllleeeeeer.
Hlad you're okay. Also hope you had fun!
Pics!
Also I need to book tickets to Comicon I guess.
Thanks, just got back. I'll be sure to deluge the thread with images tomorrow once I get everything sorted.
(Artemis is happy I'm back, but pissed, as per usual. Never leave a cat unattended with cat nip, as I'm sure my cat sitter learned.)
Also, there was something I wanted to get but wasn't able to.
Here's the deal: Much as I am loathe to think about it, I'm going home. I'm flying from Melbourne to London in June.
Here's the deal, though: I'm taking the opportunity to make this a holiday in and of itself. I've booked a... very circuitous route. Here's the itinerary:
Fiji: 20th-27th June
Tokyo, Japan: 28th June-2nd July
Singapore: 2nd July-6th July
For Fiji and Singapore, I've got friends there to hang out with and hopefully they'll give me some pointers on what to see... although to be honest I'm up for just chilling at the beach in Fiji.
However. I have a few days in Tokyo and I want to make sure I'm making use of that time. This is the first time I've been to Japan and I'll be kicking myself if I don't end up doing anything.
I know three things: I want to go to an onsen, I want to visit Akihabara and I'm totally cool with staying in a capsule hotel. Anyone got recommendations or pointers? I want to book things ASAP.
Ueno Park:
http://imgur.com/a/TOunn
Shinjuku/Ikebukuro:
http://imgur.com/a/cJiPH
Shibuya:
http://imgur.com/a/jopJw
Nakano Broadway:
http://imgur.com/a/M7q1f
Akihabara (2 parts)
http://imgur.com/a/MSrps
http://imgur.com/a/E8hXb
Shinagawa(and Aquarium):
http://imgur.com/a/4OhP2
Arrival:
http://imgur.com/a/9lXXw
Overall glad I went. The rarities and Akihabara were mind blowing, and Ueno Park was breath taking. Especially the ceremony(which I did not take photos of out of respect).
My favorite photos:
Tokyo's not really well known for being an onsen town, but they've got some modern ones that I guess pump water up from way way down. I don't have any specific recommendations but you ought to be able to find one using Google. Same for Akihabara; I know next to nothing about it, but it's such a popular destination that has had so much about it written in English that a little Internet research will probably go a long way.
Capsule hotels, however, are fairly tricky. I hadn't lived in Japan for over a decade at this point, but I remember having a really difficult time trying to find them. Maybe Google maps has changed that, but unless you can speak and read Japanese I feel like you might be better if trying to find something a bit more typical.
We're taking a 2 week tour across Italy. Gonna be hitting up Como Lakes, Florence, Venice, Almalfi Coast and Rome.
PARKER, YOU'RE FIRED! <-- My comic book podcast! Satan look here!
There used to be a very popular capsule hotel in Akibahara but it closed down a while ago. It's not a traditionally "touristy" experience in the eyes of most Japanese, more something used out of necessity for business. So when searching look for the "business" districts like Gotanda, Shinagawa etc. Otherwise Tokyo Khaosan is a hostel that's cheap, safe and comfortable.
For onsen, you can try Oedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba, Tokyo which is natural ground water, but artificially heated. Also kind of expensive.
For the real thing, you can make a day trip to Hakone, in the south or Kinugawa in the north, but that town, while much cheaper, was hit hard by the recession in the 1990's so it won't be as well-kept or maintained.
STEAM
Meanwhile, beneath all of the articles on the news wire at work about global markets and oil prices, I saw this.
Basically, a t-shirt for travel - you point at the symbol for what you're looking for to overcome language barriers.
The last 24 hours before leaving on a trip is the absolute worst for me. I'm fine once I'm actually on the trip. But the last few hours? The degree to which I feel stress, wondering if I've done everything that I need to do, wondering if there's anything important that I've forgotten, and being terrified of something going horribly wrong, just amps up higher and higher until I actually get on the plane. Once the plane takes off, there's no turning back, and the stress just melts away. But right now? Did I pack this? Did I pack that? Did I charge this? Do I have money in the right accounts? Do I need to plan more than I've done already?
The worst.
edit: I'm also not sure if that is even proper english in the first sentence, but I'm tired.
what I am not looking forward to is the long flight with two young children
I just got back from Italy! Where are you going?
PARKER, YOU'RE FIRED! <-- My comic book podcast! Satan look here!
currently visiting my sister in ehime prefecture. after a few days in tokyo. the various temples were amazing and the street shopping was great. my sister wanted to visit some famous shopping streets, which were crowded and full of either things too trendy or too much explicitly for tourists.
i am a much bigger fan of nobinono, the town i am in now. my sister told her school i was coming and their english teacher loved the chance to show off a foreigner to her classes. seeing how these schools work was cool to experience. now working out mountain hikes and how to get back to tokyo at the end of this.
pictures and a fuller report when i get home.
Ellie will be about 8 months old then. Any advice/tips/etc?
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
We're spending a week around the Florence area and then a week in Rome!
Nice. If you somehow get a chance to go out to the country, check out San Gimignano, cool town on a hill with fantastic view.
PARKER, YOU'RE FIRED! <-- My comic book podcast! Satan look here!
I made the mistake of looking up plane tickets this summer to Japan. United Airlines has one for 794.
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
The good: I've arrived safely in Ireland. I visited Trinity College this morning and saw the Book of Kells. I spent most of the afternoon napping (only two hours of sleep on the plane, if that, so I was beat), and then walked around Dublin in the early evening, taking pictures of everything that looked interesting. Per my Fitbit, close to 27,000 steps and over 20 km of walking today.
The bad: My feet hurt. Also, my hotel is in Temple Bar - normally I have no problem with music or street noises affecting my sleep, but damn they're loud down there, and the night is very young. We'll see how this goes.
computer bluescreens when i turn it on
see, this is why you give yourself another off day after a week out of the country
Whew.
No one warned me that Ireland is such a hot, dry country.
It's raining now though.
What I'm saying is, the weather so far this trip has been absolutely gorgeous.
This trip has been a reminder that hotel rooms never look anything like their websites suggest, and that for consistent results I should just stay in chain hotels (other than Best Western).