Kim's comments (member since Feb 23, 2008)

Kim's comments from the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die group.

Nice! thanks for the tip!

I'm headed to London and Paris! Anyone have any suggestions of where I MUST go?

I enjoyed St. John (part of the USVI) not so much for culture (but there is some) but for the eco-friendly part of it. While I stayed at one of the 2 major resorts there...I found out that there is a whole eco-tourism part on the island. Since a large portion of the island is a protected park, you can "camp" and hike in a gorgeous setting. There are some beaches that you can't get to by car and only by hiking. My husband and I visited some of these by taking a dinghy out from the resort and going around the island to the secluded beaches. It was lovely!

See: http://www.maho.org/

Let me know when you're back in town and I'll show you around! =)

The post about summer road trips reminded me to post something about this.

We took a day trip and drove down the coast from San Francisco to Santa Cruz along highway 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway). It was a gorgeous day and we rented a convertible from zipcar (zipcar.com).

We took our time and stopped at beaches along the way and at other vista points. We managed to get a bunch of lovely pics by the end of the day.

Before we hit Half Moon Bay, we stopped for a late lunch at Sam's Chowder House (www.samschowderhouse.com) which brought me back to the east coast seafood goodness that I remember! So yummy!

When we finally made it down to Santa Cruz we stopped by the boardwalk to walk around. It was a bit touristy, but it still had some of the classic elements that I enjoy (read: cotton candy!)

After that we drove back to SF for the night. But you could always keep going down to Monterey, Santa Barbara, and even LA!

One of these days, my husband and I will probably do a longer road trip and do the whole coast!

I'm based in San Francisco, so there are a bunch of lovely places in driving distance...however we probably have one of the more expensive gas prices out there. We filled up at $4.79 yesterday. ugh. =)

A few weeks ago, we rented a mini cooper convertible from zipcar (like a rental, but it's a membership type thing where gas, insurance, etc is paid for...lovely!! It was actually cheaper than taking our other car!)

We drove south on highway 1 along the coast down to Santa Cruz. We stopped at beaches along the way and an fantastic beachy seafood joint.

When we got to Santa Cruz it was late afternoon and we went and walked around the boardwalk.

I thought the trip was more fun than the destination actually. The scenery is just lovely...especially in a convertible with the sun!

Oh I remember going there as a kid! I really enjoyed that family trip. =)

That sounds like a fantastic way to spend thanksgiving!

I went on the Napa Valley Wine Train a few weeks ago. Here is my review:

The Napa Valley Wine Train was definitely not on my list of top places. The velvet curtains with tassels really didn't do it for me. The "gourmet" food was horrible for the price paid for the trip....and no wine was included? What's up with that...it's call the WINE TRAIN!

There were good points to the trip. The tour of the vineyard is interesting enough if you have never done one. (I have done the vineyard trip before and really didn't need another one)

I had gone with family and I'll admit the older folks (50+) in the crowd loved it. I would have rather stayed in Sonoma and relaxed at the Girl and the Fig restaurant.

I'm contemplating a trip to Peru this summer...has any one been there?

My mom's side of the family is from vermont and I remember going to various family functions over there...but yeah...it's cold during the winter/early spring! I mostly went out there in the middle of the summer...where they own a cow farm....and you can imagine what the heat does to that! whew! stinky! =)

Thanks Anne for all the suggestions on Maui! I'm going to highlight them and make sure I put them on my itinerary!

I'm really looking forward to this trip even though it's soooooo far away. It's been way too long since I had a beach vacation where I can just chill out.

I will post a link to pictures when I get back for you Tamela!

Oh I wish I got summers off!! That's one of the few things I miss about school. =) If only I lived in France and had an automatic 6 weeks vacation! That would be lovely =)

I'm voting for Lake Tahoe (California/Nevada).

I was just there for the first time this weekend and it was absolutely gorgeous! We stayed with a bunch of friends in a rented log cabin. It was a lovely weekend. Even though we don't ski or snowboard it was still nice to walk around to see the amazing views. Snow covered mountains, snow dusted evergreen trees, and a sparkling lake. I'm looking forward to going there in the summer.

What place do you think does not belong on the list?

For me it would have to be Cooperstown, NY. Yes, it's historical and whatnot, but I really don't think it should be on the "before you die" list. However, it is nice if you're passing though upstate NY. =)

I agree with your hotel comment. Most of those hotels are just not my style! I would prefer modern, green, moderately priced options...or boutique hotels that you really would not find anywhere else. Say like a Scottish Castle or something. That would be neat! =)

I'm off to Montreal in May then Maui for Thanksgiving! Anyone have an suggestions for what I should do in those places?

I've been to 26 so far. Mostly in the US - California (where I live now) and NY (where I grew up)

For me it would be California's wine country. Which is easy for me since I live in San Francisco and I go up there fairly often.

It a beautiful place in fall during the harvest season. I prefer Sonoma to Napa though. =)