Fun Friday: Summer Vacation

It is that time of year that most of us take a week off and go somewhere to rest and relax.

I am on the East End of Long Island. Where do you plan to go for your summer vacation?

#Photo of the Day

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    I spent mine in Colorado with my son and family high altitude hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, and doing sour beer crawls from micro brewery to micro brewery with the family on bikes. Americana at it’s most unique and quite wonderful.

    1. Matt Zagaja

      Just watch out for the hangovers at the high altitude. Really sneaks up on you and hits hard.

      1. awaldstein

        Drink the right wine and you don’t get hangovers, regardless of altitude.

        1. Vendita Auto

          I buy mine from the first or second shelf after the that the priced are heady !!

          1. awaldstein

            Note exactly sure what you are saying.

          2. Vendita Auto

            Nothing heavy just a whine ; ) found the right wine/s (often recommended) on the high shelves more (altitude) expensive.The organic ones in UK supermarkets are few and far between with the term organic not clearly defined / ambiguous.

          3. awaldstein

            Got it!Yes, buying off of supermarket shelves in London or Wichita changes the dynamic.In my quite large bubble in NY there are no big box stores so all wine is sold in neighborhood shops so all buying is assisted.And I”m so spoiled as this is my community for play. I have a number of wine shops and bars that save stuff for me, text me to ‘come in’ so my reality is ever so spoiled and ever so much fun in this respect.

    2. ShanaC

      I’ve been to that park. I loved it, except for the fact when I was there I had a wicked cold stuck in my lungs. It made hiking extremely difficult.Which breweries did you love the most?

      1. awaldstein

        High altitude hiking is tough unless aclimatized to it. I’m in very good shape and it was a labor but I loved it but we stayed below 10K feet.Re: Breweries in Fort Collins, need to ask Asa.Fell in love with artisanal sours and in a long geekly talk with a brewmaster, it fulfilled my natural wine geek curiosity as that is my approach to all fermented beverages.

        1. ShanaC

          I’m moving out to colorado. (with someone from colorado). granted I get the feeling he knows much of the breweries out there, but it would be good to get a more recent update, especially since I Like sours

          1. awaldstein

            First of all congrats!It’s a local thing and I”m sure that you will discover them. Certainly true in Fort Collins where my son lives.

  2. Matt Zagaja

    Technically waiting until autumn to take my summer vacation at the end of September. Going to be exploring Portugal with a high school friend. I did manage to enjoy a weekend whitewater rafting in Maine a few weeks ago as well, so that makes up for the delay.

    1. awaldstein

      Portugal simple rocks.Having spent a fair bit of time in the Duoro and then just recently 5 days in Lisbon, I highly recommend it.

      1. Jeremy Robinson

        I second that emotion that Portugal Rocks. My wife and I had an amazing time at Quinto du Lago Hotel in Faro a number of years ago. Also enjoyed Lisbon. But the location of that hotel scenically was breathtakingly amazing- ttps://www.quintadolago.com…

        1. awaldstein

          Magical place.Best day I had in the Duoro was spending a day with Dirk Nieport up some truly impossible road to his winery on the top of some cliff, wandering around and talking about the soil, the crazy life of the vines up there and his dream for Portugal as a unique wine growing place.

    1. JLM

      .Some great trout fishing up there.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    2. JAJones

      Milford is a great little town in that area. Hotel Fauchere and Fretta’s Italian Deli are well worth the stop. Add in Grey Towers and you got yourself a nice little day trip from NYC.

    3. sigmaalgebra

      Water, hills, woods, sky — GREAT!

  3. Tom Labus

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c… There’s been a few geese and a cormorant who have taken up residents there. Cormorant just looks at me when I go out there. Never leaves, dives in once and awhile

    1. JLM

      .That pic brings back a memory.I used to go fishing in Canada at a place with a million islands. There was a floating dock like that. When it was hot in the afternoon, I would swim out to it and lay down in the sun. It took half an hour to warm up because the water was frigid.I saw a bear swimming from island-to-island.Looks very relaxing.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. Tom Labus

        Late in the season, it can be tough to come back in when the water cools. Bears on other side of lake, mostly

        1. JLM

          .Can you shoot a bear up there?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          1. Tom Labus

            Bear hunt every few years in Dec. Last year a guy shot an 800 LB black bear.

          2. JLM

            .Huge bear. I want that skin.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  4. jason wright

    ah, so that’s what ‘VC’ means.

  5. William Mougayar

    Not planning, but doing it now. Combining work with vacation in: Slovenia, France, Lebanon, Spain. (photo in Lebanon) https://uploads.disquscdn.c

    1. awaldstein

      You visiting Chateau Musar?

      1. William Mougayar

        Not this time, but drinking others 🙂

        1. awaldstein

          I can’t think of any place, region or country that is so identified by one producer as Musar. Even a tiny (really tiny) region like Savoie in the French Alps has a handful of rockstars.Enjoy my friend and best to the family!

  6. Michael B. Aronson

    Just got back from hiking at Mt Rainier , spectacular, reminded me of the alps, profusion of wildflowers

    1. Dan Epstein

      Did you stay in the Park? Was thinking about it for a family trip. Saw some pics (check out national park geek on instagram) and it looked awesome. https://www.instagram.com/p

      1. Michael B. Aronson

        Dont think there are any lodging options actually in park. We stayed near the sunrise entrance which is only open in summer. Place we stayed was alta chrystal resort, which are ski lodges. Was very pleasant. Was in the loft suite which was fine but a little cramped for four adults, great with kids. About a 15 min drive into park and the 15 min up road to start of hikes. We did four different hikes, all great.

        1. Dan Epstein

          Good to know. Thanks!

  7. Rob Underwood

    Maine. (I.e., Home)I also like to go phishing at Madison Square Garden. I usually bring a few doughnuts to eat during the day. Here’s a video of my last trip: https://youtu.be/Mr4XzT5AckE

    1. Dan Epstein

      What a run.

      1. Rob Underwood

        For the record our host was offered a ticket – to Jam night no less – and declined. A phish run for the ages.

      1. ShanaC

        I have a town full of family I’ve never met in Maine (apparently). I found one of them on facebook. Apparently, Maine really is that nice from what I have been told.

      2. sigmaalgebra

        And the winters are what, 6 feet of snow for weeks and -10 F most nights sometimes with high winds off the ocean?

  8. rich caccappolo

    Bermuda. On the runway about to head there now.

  9. JLM

    .That is a great pic of the beach. Everything is so lush and green.I struggle to grow hydrangeas in Texas, but they grow like mad up there. Weeds.I am renovating a kitchen and five bathrooms this summer. Who knew that granite countertops had a “shelf life?” Somewhere in Carrara, there is a missing mountain.New roof, new pool equipment, new pool tile, exterior and interior paint job, tree trimming, new slate walks — DONE!I go on vacation after Labor Day. The benefit of the empty nest.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  10. Mario Cantin

    Cottage Country, Ontario — Lake Muskoka and other places. Just came back last night. https://uploads.disquscdn.c

    1. Twain Twain

      SOOOOOOOOOOOOO envious! I’d just float from the deck to those islands in the distance!

  11. David C. Baker

    We used my airline miles and Julie and I took our boys and their spouses to Positano where we then spent some time at an olive oil plantation. I took both of these there. A wonderful 10-day trip in an AirBNB right on the water. Europeans and Australians are so much better at taking time off than Americans. https://uploads.disquscdn.chttps://uploads.disquscdn.c

    1. JLM

      .I almost died walking the Trail of the Gods above Positano. I didn’t make the right conversion between F and C. I thought it was 80F and it was 105F.That pic looks like a painting.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    2. Mitchell Henderson

      That is awesome! Wild guess here, no wi-fi?

      1. David C. Baker

        Correct. 🙂 Though I did have an ATT phone. The view of the city was from an outdoor restaurant on the trail that JLM refers to.

        1. awaldstein

          Know that walk well.My favorite walk in the region is from the look out point in Revello winding through miles of Anglianico vineyards back to Positano. A huge walk, but all downhill.

          1. David C. Baker

            Yes! And that narrow road–with cars parked along it–is better suited to pedestrians than cars.

          2. awaldstein

            Used to stay at the place in the pic on the water directly below Ravello every year for years so really familiar with the area.Since then I keep moving around Italy and Europe for vacation as while my work is in tech and building markets, my travels are invariably driven by my networks connected to the natural wine community which takes me everywhere.https://uploads.disquscdn.c

          3. JLM

            .Been there and done that. There is an ancient church and a convent in the other direction with 2,000 steps down to the corniche.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          4. awaldstein

            Actually not likely.Road aren’t what we walk, our experiences are.My relationship to that hike was all about anglianica actually and how the elevation and the salt air wafting up the valley changed it.Same path, different reality.That’s what makes life great.Each to their own.

          5. JLM

            . Very deep.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          6. awaldstein

            Not at allJust the way it is.Revello to you is whatever it is.To me the one constant of this area over thousands of years of changing rule is people’s relationship to making wine as part of their culture and how they do it in this challenging landscape.And how this area is very slowly changing as the worlds relationship to a different ethos of taste around what we eat and drink.Just a hobby that humbles me and forces nuanced thinking as there are no hard and fast truths in this area.Each of us walks down the same road and sees it differently.Common sense.

          7. JLM

            .Deeper still.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    3. Kirsten Lambertsen

      Great shots. Visual therapy 🙂

  12. Tom Maxwell

    Finishing my internship at Yale next week then driving up with the parents to Martha’s Vineyard, and after that I’m going by myself on a solo trip to Greece!

  13. ErikSchwartz

    I am delaying vacation until September this year. I made the US Archery Team and will be shooting in the 3D world championships in Robion France (in Provence, near Avignon) wearing a USA jersey. https://www.robion2017.com/

    1. pointsnfigures

      That’s so cool. My father in law was an archer “Robin Hood of the Midwest”. Taught me how to shoot without sights.

      1. ErikSchwartz

        The class I shoot is barebow (recurve with no sights or stabilizers). Barebow archery is a big deal in parts of Europe.

    2. BillMcNeely

      Congrats Man!

    3. JLM

      .Huge!Transpacific sailor and a bowman? Wow!When I was in the Army, I was a crossbow user. Believe it or not, they taught us crossbow — using bolts, you will know what a bolt is, many will not — as a legitimate, silent weapon.Rangers lead the way.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. ErikSchwartz

        in 2012 I was looking for an activity that I could compete in at a very high level into my 50s and later. Solo ocean racing is a younger man’s game (and is incredibly time intensive). I found barebow archery. Five years later I am on Team USA competing for the nation.

        1. JLM

          .Salute! Stronger than an acre of garlic.Well played.What does one wish a bowman? An archer?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    4. ShanaC

      that is so cool. Good Luck!

    5. awaldstein

      good on you!

    6. Kirsten Lambertsen

      Wow! Respect!

    7. Donna Brewington White

      Congrats Erik!

  14. pointsnfigures

    This is my summer of schlep. Almost not a day goes by when I don’t schlep something. We moved to a new apartment and we are rehabbing a cabin 10 hours away in northern MN. I am headed their tomorrow with a trailer full of stuff to finish.I highly suggest a trip to Grand Marais, MN for anyone that hasn’t been there. The drive from Duluth up is about 2.5 hours and the coast is rugged and beautiful. Grand Marais is touted as one of the coolest small towns in America, and the donut shop is worth the trip. You go from Grand Marais into the Boundary Waters which is magnificent. Yes, we have bears, wolves, and Moose and Squirrel!

    1. Tom Labus

      That is up there. Looks great!!!

    2. awaldstein

      This is tempting if an invitation.Been thinking of going on a trip with my son to where he was born–north central BC and recapturing a bit of that time of my life or even seeing if it still was there.Sounds like you are enjoying this actually!

      1. Michael Elling

        Go north over the lakes. Great Lakes history is not well taught or understood but was central to the formation of the US and continent.

        1. awaldstein

          I’m sure.My list of places for this year and next is kinda full honestly, many moving east in Europe with a must visit to Tblisi and a return visit to this unique vineyard that spans the border of Italy and Slovinia that offers perspective to the idea of political barriers between countries being just that often, just political.

  15. daryn

    We had aspirations for a “real” vacation this summer, like Europe for a couple weeks, or an Alaska road trip, but it wasn’t meant to be. Will hopefully get a couple days in Hawaii at the end of the month (one of the perks of the west coast is that any of the islands are a reasonably quick nonstop flight away).Enjoy your time off!

  16. Joe Lazarus

    Nice view. We’re escaping NYC for three weeks upstate starting a week from tomorrow. Can’t wait! https://uploads.disquscdn.c

    1. JLM

      .Love the slate deck. I live in TX and had this in mind when I put a pool in. Imported blue slate from Pennsylvania because it reminded me of Deal, NJ country club.I used gray cement.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  17. JimHirshfield

    Just got back from Cape Cod.

  18. Frank W. Miller

    You claim to be on vaca, but, the real question is, did you leave your phone behind? 😉

    1. sigmaalgebra

      When my wife and I were driving east on I-84 moving from Ohio to NY, suddenly our kitty cat was saying “Meow”. So, I stopped the car on the shoulder, snapped on the cat’s leash, and walked her. Next to the road was a steep hill, so we went up the hill. Our cat just lay down in the grass; didn’t want anything else! But we got lucky: We were standing right next to a great collection of wild red raspberry bushes with the timing just right! So, back in the car, found among the stuff we were hauling a one gallon plastic bowl, and then we filled it with raspberries! With everything back in the car, we took the first turn-off to a McDonald’s and had them basically cover over the raspberries with their soft serve vanilla ice cream.It was good!

      1. DJL

        Awesome. (We picked a few wild ones too.) Perfect on ice cream.

    1. sigmaalgebra

      WOW! So, it’s the Pacific Ocean, pacific in name only! Take a boat and head west from there and could go a long way!

      1. Thomas Kern

        Thanks for the suggestion. To see a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Point Arena Lighthouse (see second picture) will be enough Pacific Ocean memory this time as we are flying back to Europe tonight.

  19. LE

    Vacation? Just when I try to get out, they pull me back in. Commercial tenant issues… https://uploads.disquscdn.c

  20. David Anderson

    Heading up to Nantucket from the 11th through the 26th. If any AVC fans are on island, happy to meet up.

  21. BillMcNeely

    Our family has decided we are going on real vacation next year. Either London, Hawaii or Banff, Canada

  22. Semil Shah

    No semblance of summer this summer with kids all mobile now and nearing the end of pitch for the next vehicle. Am trying to get out of town by myself for at least 2 days to regroup before the fall. My best friend growing up had a small family house over by Little Peconic Bay so we’d go there every summer, lots of great memories out there on the boat, fishing.

  23. Paul Sanwald

    After skipping vacation last year (moved across country NYC->SF, new job at new company), we are planning to take a week this year and either drive down the CA coast, stopping along the way, and stay in LA for a few days, or, go camping in Yosemite or similar.Really looking forward to a solid week off the grid.

  24. creative group

    CONTRIBUTORS:Based upon our observation Fred has been on a virtual workcation all year. (Sorry Fred but when are you not on vacation)Why in the world are parents stuck taking vacations based upon children’s two month off in the hottest time of the year. That entire thought process needs to change. Emulating our parents vacation times and repeating it is awful. Europeans have their holidays in order.

  25. creative group

    CONTRIBUTORS:OFF TOPIC ALERT!Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene.The entire topic jumped off the screen. For every discovery there is always positives and negatives. Saving entire generations from hereditary diseases and ailments and then the ethical side of creating designer babies.http://www.npr.org/sections…The Atomic bomb, dynamite, etc original intentions turned to something destructive.But would enjoy viewing Contributors view on this amazing discovery.

  26. ShanaC

    I’m not. I’m moving. So setting up that. By New York, I’ll miss you (my heart and parts of my accent will always be from here)

  27. sigmaalgebra

    Ah, for the best scenery, need three elements — water, sky, and mountains! Some of the posts here have all three! The image of the north end of Long Island has only two, water and sky! Moreover can’t avoid noticing that the location is the US NE coast, especially this time of year, vulnerable to hurricanes! Gee, one of those bad boys could have a big storm surge, say, 10 feet rise in the water level, and just sweep right in, making hash out of that pretty shrubbery!Instead, maybe find a place in the Catskills, with mountains, sky, and a lake?Ah, likely no worries: I haven’t heard that any hurricanes are on the way!

  28. Kirsten Lambertsen

    As a family who resides at the beach, we’ll be coming into the city while you Manhattanites head to the water 🙂

  29. LE

    Further south there is “Lake Christie”:http://www.phillyvoice.com/…There is a Casel’s market in Margate you can try to sell while you are there.