Vacation...

[GrnBay007]

I have grown accustomed to planning most everything around my kid's sports seasons/schedules. That has very much limited the time we have open for a vacation. We haven't been on a family vacation in several years. :( We've traveled for baseball and kinda tried to incorporate a little vacation type stuff while doing that. So now my daughter is a Senior (omgosh, where did the time go!!) and I want to plan some special things this year. Thing is I'm basically looking at November through early February. I have 3 things in mind and have a few questions for the Rat family. :)

1) Of course a Packer game at Lambeau. The last two games we went to were in Dec. and I really want to take them to a warmer weather game so we can enjoy all the outdoor activities pre-game. Looking at Oct. or Nov. Where do you guys have the best luck getting tickets? The last two games we went to we were extremely lucky and got tickets for face value ...won't be so lucky this year.

2) I have a niece that lives in Washington DC and want to plan a trip there. So Washington rats.....is Nov. a bad time to go there? What will we be looking at for weather then?

3) Mexico/Caribbean! I'd like to do an all inclusive trip. I've heard really good things and some not so good things about them. Any suggestions are appreciated! Got 2 teens so I want it to be a place there will be fun things for them to do. Ideas? Would like that trip to be around Christmas break but kinda wondering how much higher tickets are then. So all you travelers out there.....where do you find the best prices when booking tickets?

[MJZiggy]

November is not a great time to be here, but not horrible either. You'll need jackets, but it's not like in Wisconsin. It's also a lot less crowded and cheaper once the summer tourists are gone--and there should still be stuff to do.

Check out some places in the Mayan Riviera. Took a very nice trip there several years ago that was all inclusive at a very nice resort. We flew into Cancun and it's about an hour south of there. I'm trying to remember the name of the tour we used. I'm sure if you go on a travel site, you should be able to find something.

[red]

i can show you a good time

[mraynrand]

I have grown accustomed to planning most everything around my kid's sports seasons/schedules. That has very much limited the time we have open for a vacation. We haven't been on a family vacation in several years. :( We've traveled for baseball and kinda tried to incorporate a little vacation type stuff while doing that. So now my daughter is a Senior (omgosh, where did the time go!!) and I want to plan some special things this year. Thing is I'm basically looking at November through early February. I have 3 things in mind and have a few questions for the Rat family. :)

1) Of course a Packer game at Lambeau. The last two games we went to were in Dec. and I really want to take them to a warmer weather game so we can enjoy all the outdoor activities pre-game. Looking at Oct. or Nov. Where do you guys have the best luck getting tickets? The last two games we went to we were extremely lucky and got tickets for face value ...won't be so lucky this year.

2) I have a niece that lives in Washington DC and want to plan a trip there. So Washington rats.....is Nov. a bad time to go there? What will we be looking at for weather then?

3) Mexico/Caribbean! I'd like to do an all inclusive trip. I've heard really good things and some not so good things about them. Any suggestions are appreciated! Got 2 teens so I want it to be a place there will be fun things for them to do. Ideas? Would like that trip to be around Christmas break but kinda wondering how much higher tickets are then. So all you travelers out there.....where do you find the best prices when booking tickets?

I've heard that high school girls love Aruba. There are cute guys vacationing there from the Netherlands...

[GrnBay007]

i can show you a good time

Cool! U buying? :) lol

[GrnBay007]

I've heard that high school girls love Aruba. There are cute guys vacationing there from the Netherlands...

Ouch!

[Little Whiskey]

A Cruise might be a nice option for you. you get to stop at a number of diff islands, and there is always something for the kids to do on the boat.

[Deputy Nutz]

Check out the Palace Resorts in Mexico. My wife and I went their for our 5 year. Some of them are kid friendly like the Moon Palace. Look online to buy weeks off of time share holders. Much cheaper than going through a travel agency.

[MJZiggy]

A Cruise might be a nice option for you. you get to stop at a number of diff islands, and there is always something for the kids to do on the boat.I was a little unhappy with the last cruise in that all of the ports of call were nothing more than tourist traps for the cruise lines to make even more money off of you in the shopping areas. We wound up paying money to go to the beach and it was a rent-a-beach behind a private resort where we were treated like second class citizens. Just a way for the resort to suck up some more money off the unsuspecting tourists.

[Little Whiskey]

that sucks zig. the last cruise we went on was eastern carib. every island we stopped at had very nice public beaches only cost us the cab ride. we loved all the ports. st. thomas, barbados, st. marteen, st. kits, St. lucia, dominica (worst port, dirt floor poor).

we've learned that cruises are not really our thing. we like the beaches and don't need much of the night life the boat offers, but we also drank up the savings a cruise offers vs an all inclusive. our next vaca is to the dominican republic to a dreams property.

I know mad would disagree, but I'm planning on staying away from Mexico for a bit. Those drug lords are even f-ing with tourist. even though we rarely ever leave the resort, I just don't feel all that safe in Mexico. People who think like me are driving the price of Mexico down a bit. You can get some great deals to Mexican all-inclusives right now.

[Freak Out]

Nothing wrong with a little gun-play while on vacation....give Mexico a chance 007.

If not Mexico then I recommend hitchhiking from Cairo to Capetown with your son. A lifetime of memories in just a couple months.

[woodbuck27]

Hi: (-:

There's a site on the NET that I find interesting to familiarize yourself with all sorts of information. It's called WAYN and allows a person to communicate with people all over the world. This may or may not serve your needs but nevertheless. I suggest it to you. :

http://www.wayn.com

Your a single parent it seems to me. My compliments to you GrnBay007.

I write that because observing your posts here @ PackerRats it's obvious your a fine MOM and person. Two children...WOW! A Son and .... a daughter.

Give errrr this season in the Pro Pickem' . GOOD LUCK GrnBay007. I'm pulling for you to take that Championship HONOR. I hope you get a great start and hold on.

Ed. woodbuck27

GO PACKERS !

[Scott Campbell]

My vote would be for DC or NYC. You guys live in Iowa. Time for them to see the world, and not just at some sterilized all inclusive, or a cruise ship.

You could always see Lombardi the play on Broadway.

IMHO

[GrnBay007]

Dang.......now they are saying they want to be in Lambeau for the X-mas game against the Bears! lol They r saying it would mean more to see the Packers play the Bears on Christmas than to go to a warmer weather game. ........ugh, I'm due for a warm weather game! ....I hate dragging all those clothes along for Dec. games!

I agree Scott, DC is a definite just gotta get the timing right. I'm not giving up on the all inclusive or cruise though! lol

[woodbuck27]

2) I have a niece that lives in Washington DC and want to plan a trip there. So Washington rats.....is Nov. a bad time to go there? What will we be looking at for weather then?

007:

I feel that the month of November is among the worst of the year in terms of .. it's drabness; but that's offset by the convenience of travel and enoying things in the off tourist season or less people. The weather may be OK in November. Anything has to be treated with the proper attitude to begin with. It's what you make it .... right dear? I know you understand that 007.

Somehow you come to relate specially to some people here at Packerrats. Your a Packerrat that I truly admire 007. I love the way you take care of business in such a classy lady like manner. The way you relate to your son. He's a lucky young man. He has a very fine MOM.

but 007 !! Arn't you a tad spoiled...Geeee... (-;

A trip to see 'the Packers' and... at Christmas time ....... Gheeeessshh.

DEAR LORD LADY 007 ! Your killin' me. Christmas @ Lambeau and seeing a Packers - BEARS Game is too sweet for me to ever imagine. I've a lovely friend that used to live in Milwaukee, Wisconson. She knows squat about the Green Bay Packers or the Milwaukee Braves but I want to take you back to all that and my youth. How a Canadian lad fell in love with two Pro teams from the State of Wisconsin.

It wasn't a giant leap from 'Cowboys and Indians' hahaa (-: ... to 'the BRAVES' and then 'the Green Bay Packers' by simple association.

I want to share something with you 007:

I cannot think of Milwaukee without these names being yanked from my grey matter: Henry 'HANK' Aaron and Eddie Matthews ( they would hit a combined 1,226 home runs as Braves, with 850 of those coming while the franchise was in Milwaukee ), Warren Spahn (what a beauty) , Lew Burdette (mmmmmm sweet) and Bob Buhl.

FLASHBACK !!

In 1957 and just before I started to follow the Green Bay Packers (1958-59). The Milwaukee Braves won their first pennant in nine years. Led by my earliest HERO the Legendary ( and still in my heart 0 HANK Aaron and his giant MVP season in '57.

Henry Aaron or Hammern' HANK or Number 44 , the smooth swinging Henry Louis Aaron. Led the National League in home runs and RBI's that year. The most memorable homer coming on September 23, 1957, a two-run walk-off shot giving the Braves a 4–2 victory over the St Louis Cardinals (Ohh the Kharma ... look at Aaron's middle name 007) and the BRAVES clinched the championship. The BRAVES went on to its first World Series pennant in over 40 years, defeating the mighty NY Yankees of Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford etc. in seven games. Yesseereee!

THAT WAS A TIME !! So SWEET 007 !

Lew Burdette was the Series MVP. tossing three complete game victories and giving up only two earned runs. That was an unbelievable experience for me as a boy to observe. TV and radio and the Milwaukee Braves. My BRAVES taking down the mighty Bronx Bombers. That helped hone me. To instill that competitive spirit I needed to excell as an athlete in various sports.

007 ! Didn't those BRAVES get back to the SERIES in 1958 and looked so great early jumping out to a three games to one lead. Again against the hated New York Yankees. Thanks in part to the strength of Warren Spahn's and Lew Burdette's tight pitching. ALAS ! They went down in flames as the Yankees grabbed back the SERIES and a sweet victory from probable defeat. Ohh ' the monumentle agony at that time the misery of all that still flashing back from those tender years. Your son is such a fortunate young man 007. CONGRATULATIONS DEAR.

So to continue... and I apologize for going off topic but your special so I share this with you 007.

Was I hooked ! It was devastating to not see the BRAVES win back to back World series Titles. How old was I? 11 -12 years old and living in a neighborhod that would hone my own prowess as an amateur athlete. ROCKWOOD COURT in Saint John. New Brunswick. What a place to enjoy as a youth . We called it ' Little Chicago '. It was the best neighborhood in ' the First City' of CANADA. ROCKWOOD COURT was Located right below the largest municiple and recreation Parkland site (including many lakes) in all of CANADA. ROCKWOOD PARK.

007 ! Wanna go on a special vacation sometime. Visit the Maritime Provinces of Canada. (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia) and if you have two months boogy on over toe Newfoundland to really get it on. Now..... there's a good time. A great place to vacation 007. Some do and never return home it's that lovely. People so good you cannot imagine it. Practicaly everyone there just waiting to serve your every need and desire 007.

I'm a Canadian. I'm a Maritimer. Damn. I lived a blessed life 007 in such a wondewrful part of the world.

Last year it was nice to enjoy another Packer Championship but it can't compare emotionally to what I felt back then as a boy or teen - late teen to enjoy those Milwaukee Braves and Green Bay Packer Championships ( the LOMBARDI ERA ) .

Those PACKERS ! Holy COW they we're something else.

and so was this MAN:

Henry 'HANK' Aaron now aged 77 and a true MLB GREAT !!

Want a 'good read':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Aaron

[Little Whiskey]

that has to be the longest woodbuck post ever! even for WB, that was one hell of a long post!!

[woodbuck27]

that has to be the longest woodbuck post ever! even for WB, that was one hell of a long post!!

That was 'just' of above average length. hahaaha

[MJZiggy]

Buck, she wants to go to DC, not Canada. We're still raking leaves in mid-to-late November. Now December is a different story. Then the leaves are gone and we don't see them again until March. Ick.

[GrnBay007]

Geesh, thanks Woody! :)

Maybe I'm just weird but right now in my life there is nobody I'd rather spend my time with then my 2 teenagers!! Sure there are days I'd like to boot their ass out the door.....lol ....but there are days I'm sure they'd like to trade me in too. We just have a pretty solid bond and have a lot of fun together.

Spoiled??? Helllll no!!! I think it's been 6-7 yrs. since we took a "real" vacation together. They (we) deserve some fun time!

[MJZiggy]

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it some more, you should put off the DC trip until spring. Fall is fine here, but spring is glorious. The place explodes in bloom (bring allergy meds) and is just gorgeous.

[GrnBay007]

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it some more, you should put off the DC trip until spring. Fall is fine here, but spring is glorious. The place explodes in bloom (bring allergy meds) and is just gorgeous.

I know, but track starts in Feb. and then there is the track/baseball overlap that makes spring the worst time to try to get away. UNLESS, I make that trip a mother/daughter trip. When is the best time to catch all the blooming? lol My daughter is on the golf team in the spring but her spot is pretty secure so she could probably get away with missing a few days.

[MJZiggy]

I know, but track starts in Feb. and then there is the track/baseball overlap that makes spring the worst time to try to get away. UNLESS, I make that trip a mother/daughter trip. When is the best time to catch all the blooming? lol My daughter is on the golf team in the spring but her spot is pretty secure so she could probably get away with missing a few days.

Cherry blossoms bloom near the end of March or beginning of April depending on the winter weather. You can click here (http://dc.about.com/cs/familyactivities/a/CherryBlossom.htm) to go to the Festival page and sometime over the winter they will predict the peak bloom times. They will be crowded at that time. Nothing else is blooming during cherry blossoms, but right afterwards the azaleas and tulips bloom and then you get the dogwoods, daffodils hyacinths and other spring bulbs. Everyone comes for the Cherry Blossom Festival, but there is also a huge tulip garden downtown that we got as a gift from the Netherlands. This is the kind of stuff I'm not expecting your son would be interested in, but there is the possibility that the Washington Monument might be fixed by then and that the reflecting pool might be finished. It depends on if they awarded the Monument repairs as part of an existing contract. The National Park Service website should tell you all you need to know because the Mall is owned by them (and I believe Rock Creek Park is as well).