db's summer itinerary

[BH]

June 19th :  Tokyo to NYC
June 20th :  An evening with MMJ
June 21st :  An evening with Forum Friends in Manhattan
June 22nd:  NYC to St. Louis
June 23rd:  An evening with BH
June 24th:  Drive 4-1/2 hours from St. Louis to Memphis
June 25th:  An afternoon with the KING
(BH returns home to refinance home)
June 26th-July 3rd:  Drive from Memphis across the great mountain west
July 4th:  Vegas Baby!
July 5th:  Vegas to Tokyo

Just an idea... ;)

[sweatboard]

I like your train of thought BH.  It's hard to argue.  If he hits it up in Vegas he can pay for the whole trip.  Let It Ride DB!!!!  You can both stop in Memphis on the way back from NYC and then spend the night with me in Knoxville before heading onto STL.

[dragonboy]

Haha wouldn't that be great!!!
My summer holiday is from the 24th of June to the 6th of July. I was planning to go to San Francisco, Memphis & Austin (music capital of the world, no?) but my wife has now decided that she wants to go to the US too (she can only take one summer holiday, I have 2 so we were planning another holiday together in August)
If she comes with me then that changes everything. She says she wants to go to Graceland but I know she'll just laugh & take the piss & make sarcastic comments etc (I think she's a little jealous of my love for The King!) so we'll probably end up going to Vegas.
Nothing wrong with Vegas but she still not 100% sure that she can take time off then & won't know until the Spring so it's all kind of up in the air at the moment...

[BH]

Wow, I got pretty close! :)

I can't argue with San Francisco.  That's me and my wife's favorite city.

[aMD]

I'd like to see jacketfest on that itinerary!  I'm still trying to pin down a date though.  I'm thinking sometime in july but I'd like to see the band's plans before I commit to anything. you have to try to make it. if not this year then next.

[ycartrob]

June 24th:  Drive 4-1/2 hours from St. Louis to Memphis
June 25th:  An afternoon with the KING
(BH returns home to refinance home)
June 26th-July 3rd:  Drive from Memphis across the great mountain west

remember, Holly Springs, Mississippi is only 40 minutes from Memphis:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/MSHOLgracelandtoo.html

[mjkoehler]

And Waterloo, IL is kinda sort of on the way to Memphis from St Louis.

[dragonboy]

Wow, I got pretty close! :)

I can't argue with San Francisco.  That's me and my wife's favorite city.

The hotels I'm looking @ are Union Square/Convention Center, is that the best place to stay?

Anybody from Austin or know the best places to stay?

I haven't sat behind a steering wheel in more than 7 years so I won't be doing any driving, which I know makes things very difficult in the US.

[BH]

The hotels I'm looking @ are Union Square/Convention Center, is that the best place to stay?

I'd say that's a perfect place to stay.  I think you can walk to a whole lot of great spots from there.  It's been awhile however since I've been there.  bbill would know even better if he's listening.

[pawpaw]

Wow, I got pretty close! :)

I can't argue with San Francisco.  That's me and my wife's favorite city.

The hotels I'm looking @ are Union Square/Convention Center, is that the best place to stay?

Anybody from Austin or know the best places to stay?

I haven't sat behind a steering wheel in more than 7 years so I won't be doing any driving, which I know makes things very difficult in the US.

Coming to San Francisco, eh? Let me know when, and if scheduling allows, we should meet up for a drink! As far as where to stay, it kind of depends on how much you want to spend...Union Square/Convention Center has plenty of nice hotels, it's centrally located and allows for easy access to train/bus/cable car lines (If you're flying into SFO you can take a train from the airport right to this part of town). All of the major hotel names are represented in that area, as well as many smaller boutique hotels. It's generally rather busy, but there's loads of shopping and some nice restaurants. In the Convention Center area, don't stay on Sixth Street. It's bad.

If you want to spend some money, head up to Nob Hill and book a room at the Fairmont, (Intercontinental) Mark Hopkins, or the Ritz Carlton. This is a beautiful part of the city, and close to Chinatown, North Beach (Little Italy), and Union Square. A friend of mine, my neighbor actually, works at the Ritz Carlton (a native Japanese woman), and might be able to hook you up with a deal (you and I are old friends, right!).

There are also MANY hotels by Fisherman's Wharf, which is very touristy. It is by the Bay though, and there are some nice areas to walk around there. Lombard Street in the Marina also has quite a few hotels (probably relatively inexpensive), and while it doesn't really feel like a classic SF neighborhood, and is on a busy street, there are a lot of nice areas to explore around there. There are also some hotels in Japantown, which is right near the Fillmore, the new Yoshi's (jazz club), and the Boom Boom Room (the late John Lee Hooker's bar, live music).

Unfortunately, I haven't stayed in many SF hotels, so I can't give you very many good specific recommendations. If you have a hotel in mind though, I can find out some info for you and let you know about the area. I CAN also recommend some amazing restaurants...I love to eat out, it's kind of a vice. Bars and clubs too.

Keep me posted on your plans! There's actually a possibility that my wife and I may be moving toward the end of the year (ya know, move somewhere we can afford to buy a house, start a family, that kind of thing), but the timing is still uncertain, and we may very well still be here in August.

Have fun planning your trip!

[dragonboy]

Thanks very much for your help & advice BH & Bbill!

I shall definitely let you know what our plans are closer to the time. We'll probably only be in town for a day or 2 just as a stop over (it's a heck of a flight all the way from Nagoya, Japan to Memphis TN!) but SF is somewhere I've always wanted to visit  :)

[tower]

San Fran is such a cool city...if you like amazing margarita's you have to check out Tommy's Mexican http://www.tommystequila.com/  Great place!

[dragonboy]

Thanks Tower! Who doesn't like Margaritas?  ;)

I can't find a reasonably  priced direct flight from MEM to LAS. The flight I'm currently looking at stops off in Denver CO. I don't know anything about Denver, is it worth stopping off there for a day?

[aMD]

Definitely worth it to see the rockies.  I wouldn't stay IN denver but the surrounding areas are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.  You could probably get a better person to tell you exact locales, but it's definitely worth checking out.  I'd go see Red Rocks even if there was no show. it's amazing and boulder's close and a very cool town.

or you could go to Golden and suck Coors Light straight off the nipple of the Rocky Mountains.  ;)

[tower]

Denver is pretty cool...big city, normal big city stuff.  Boulder is pretty happenin'.

Denver is right next to the start of the Rockies so if you rent a car you can drive up into the mountains in no time.  If you're into that kind of thing (and I am) the Rockies are spectacular!  You could make a daytrip to Glenwood Springs, hang out at the natural hot springs and visit Doc Holliday's grave.

[dragonboy]

Thanks aMD, I shall have to investigate.

I'd love to catch a couple of shows when I'm in the US, MMJ (obviously!) & DBT being top of the list. Part of me wants to wait for their summer schedules to be announced before finalising my locations but then I run the risk of hotel & ticket prices going up or even selling out.

[tower]

Boulder's very own, Big Head Todd and the Monsters will be at Red Rocks 6/7/08!  That will be a fucking awesome show although I think it's a little early on your itinerary.

www.bigheadtodd.com

[dragonboy]

Thanks Tower but yes it's a week or so early.
I'm currently looking @ arriving in SF on the 24th of Jun, flying to MEM on the 25th, LAS on the 28th & back to SF on the 3rd or 4th before flying back to Japan on the 5th.

[tower]

For what it's worth, I stayed at a boutique hotel South of Market in San Fran with my wife.  Very euro and several years ago but reasonable price and a great little place. I think I got it on Hotwire.

I lived in Napa for 3 years and my bro in San Fran so I was all over that place before moving back to KY 7 or 8 years ago.

[pawpaw]

Thanks Tower but yes it's a week or so early.
I'm currently looking @ arriving in SF on the 24th of Jun, flying to MEM on the 25th, LAS on the 28th & back to SF on the 3rd or 4th before flying back to Japan on the 5th.

Well, 7/3 and 7/4 will be a few days after getting back from NYC and the Radio City show, so we should meet up and I'll download the goods. I'll definitely still be here then. And that's the Fourth of July! Day off of work, drinking all day and fireworks over the Bay!

or you could go to Golden and suck Coors Light straight off the nipple of the Rocky Mountains.  ;)

;D Dude, that is awesome. That's like a Muslim's pilgrimage to Mecca, or something.