Your next NON-Disney trip

That looks like a great tour. Have you used Globus before? We're always on the lookout for tour companies that deliver what they say they will.

I've used Globus before & they're good. Way back in 1997 I did a version of their Britain & Ireland in Depth tour. It was definitely worth it. When you look at the tours just be sure to keep in mind your preferred travel style & choose a tour that matches it as much as you can. In other words if you like to check in to your hotel & then see the surrounding area by doing day trips don't choose a tour that has you moving every day or two. Should take a tour be sure to bring everything up to your room at night as it's possible for the bus to be broken in to. It happened to the tour I took in 1997 when we were in Ireland & quite a few members of the tour group had things stolen off of the bus because they didn't want to bother with hauling everything back up to the room. Luckily, I had the habit of taking everything up to my because I tended to like to repack at night & because I would have thought I lost whatever it was I had left on the bus.

I'm off to Spain tomorrow
We are staying near Malaga

We fly back to London on Friday, which is our wedding anniversary, so we are going to go to a nice restaurant. Then I will get the train home on Saturday after some retail therapy, while DH heads to Oxford for two days to see a friend.

Wow, how awesome Miss Micki!

Happy anniversary for Friday! Have you decided where to go to eat in London?

Have a lovely trip

Thanks. We've only used 2 tour companies - one local, for short trips, and Caravan. On those trips, we were never allowed to leave anything on the bus overnight. There are a few Globus tours that caught my eye. I do all the driving at home, and since we are getting now, it's nice to let someone else do the driving sometimes.

Sounds like a fabulous way to celebrate. Have a wonderful time.

Our next non-Disney trip will be early in Sept, we will be joining a group of Corvette's going to lake George in NY state for two super car shows. The Adirondack Nationals hot rod show at Fort William Henry and VetteFest a Corvette show in GlensFalls NY, two great well run shows.

You'll have to let me know when you come! Maybe we can schedule a non-Disney WDWFG meet up!!

I made it to the beach once this year (Topsail, NC) and hopefully will get another beach weekend in before the end of the summer. Just drove to Williamsburg this weekend to visit a friend who's back from overseas and I imagine there will be a few more long weekends visiting her family and catching up with her kids!

We just returned from a week long vacation to Seabrook Island, SC. We rented a house for a week with my sister in law. We were there over the 4th...and it rained almost everyday. I was daydreaming of WDW the entire time...sigh

I'm hoping to take my husband away for a couple of nights for our Anniversary to Kohler, Wisconsin. There's a 5 star resort and spa that sounds amazing!

I actually did not go anywhere other than Disney for vacation this year - another reason for my friends to give me a hard time. "Aren't you going to get tired of Disney?"....they ask.

Well, no. They just don't understand that I am not down there riding Dumbo over and over....there is SOOO much to do.

technically my next trip involves traveling to Asia however since we're going to those disney parks i don't think I qualify for this post

Heading to Chicago the first weekend in September with our kids, hubby's parents, sister and her kids - total of 10 people, all over 21. This is a first for us, so if anyone has any suggestions on what to see and where to eat let me know! My "must do" is to spend quality time in the Disney Store! Looking at going to Ed Debevick's for some fun and of course we MUST go to Sky Deck!

What's your plan so far? Where are you staying? There are several of us from the Chicago Area on the boards!

The Disney Store on Michigan Avenue is much nicer & bigger than the one on State Street - I suggest visiting that one.
I love to eat at Heaven on Seven. http://www.heavenonseven.com/

I don't know if you guys are looking for family fun or more adult themed entertainment. I haven't been there yet, but I've been dying to go to a place called Untitled. It's billed as sort of a modern day speakeasy. They're all about classic old fashioned cocktails, fresh seasonal foods, and whiskey - lots of whiskey. There's always some sort of live entertainment - Jazz, Blues, Boogie Woogie. Thursday nights they're doing something called "Unbridled" which is sort of a burlesque-circus party. There's video here, the video is not G rated.
Here's their general website http://untitledchicago.com/home-page/

We are actually going for a wedding and spending a few extra days so we can just have fun. We will be there from Sept 7 - 11. We are staying in Evanston at a Hilton Garden Inn - that's where the groom blocked rooms and got a great rate, it is also near their home, "only a block from the L and within walking distance of Lake Michigan" according to the hotels website. The wedding is on Monday evening, so we will have about 3 days to see and do different things. I am just REALLY excited to be having a vacation - it is the first one we have had since my hubby's accident in 2010. (He had a seizure while driving his patrol car and hit a house at 60 mph. He bruised his spinal cord and has learned to walk again. Its been a long road, but he is doing REALLY well.) I just want to have fun, plain and simple.

We are really up for anything and everything (everyone except my mother in law, she is not wanting to do anything at all (because she would have to spend money), so I told her she can choose to sit in the hotel or join us, it is up to her). Untitled sounds like it might be right up our alley - cocktails, food and music are some of our favorite things. We are all foodies too, so will check out Heaven on Seven.

My concern is, will we get lost?? I live in a small town in the middle of Nebraska. We have 2 stop lights, so just how hard is it to navigate Chicago? We will not be renting a car, just relying on public transportation.

If you have a smart phone with navigation it won't be a problem. It worked well when I was there last year and was surprisingly easy to use. It will give you walking, car, bus, or rail direction. Very convenient. I'd recommend Navy Pier for fun (there's lots to do there) and Gino's East pizza. It was super delicious, but I also am a huge fan of deep dish. I love that city and I'm sure you will too!

Becks534 has lived in Chicago proper for years, she's can probably offer some great public transportation advice. I am notorious for getting lost in Chicago, so I'm not the best person to ask about that.

I do have a smart phone, so .... yah, I will just have to use it! I am sure the groom would come to our rescue if we were truly lost! Sometimes getting lost makes for great memories! So if I don't post anything after September 11 you will know I am lost in Chicago! I'll take all the advice anyone wants to offer on the transportation subject - except from you Kristen (just kidding!)!!

Navy Pier is actually on our list, Hardy! I think that is where we are going on Sunday. Possibly a brunch cruise. We do want to have some deep dish pizza, too.

I think there is soooo much to do, it is going to be hard to choose!

our next trip is in 3 days ..we have rented a house in Acadia Maine for a week

Belinda, I'd be really interested to hear how your trip plays out. Chicago is on our list of places to go. It's a bit of a trek from S.W. Ontario, but not a huge trek. Commuter flights leave daily from our local airport, or we could drive if we felt like it. No one we know has ever done a trip there, so it's hard to get first hand information. If you have a great time, it might get bumped up to "do soon", rather than "do someday".

I see that Kristen has mentioned it already, but we took an NCL cruise a couple of years back and we LOVED it. Granted, it was Caribbean, not Alaskan, but the ship was wonderful. It was honestly the best vacation that I have ever had. I'd love to do another one.

Our 15th wedding anniversary is this December, so Kristen has declared that we need to go away for a couple of days. She's planned for us to visit The American Club, which is a Kohler spa in Kohler, WI.

5 stars. That's the rating from Forbes, and 5 diamond from AAA for the spa and hotel, and 4 diamond for the restaurant. It sounds absolutely luxurious, and should be rather quiet that time of year.

I can hardly wait for my Hammam ritual spa experience!

I will let you know Diana!

I know I probably sound like a creeper but I googled Hilton Garden Inn Evanston. Assuming I got the right place (Maple Ave?) you're in a pretty decent location for exploring Chicago. You're going to be very close to the Davis Street Purple Line stop as well as being right down the street from a Metra (commuter rail) station. For your purposes, the Purple Line is going to work better!

Alrighty, website time! www.transitchicago.com If you're using public transit in Chicago, this is where you're going to start researching. I promise, the CTA is not as scary/nasty/awful as you might have heard. Okay, sometimes it is but not ALL the time. The great majority of what I'm guessing you're going to want to see is near and/or accessible from the Loop or just north along Michigan Avenue.

My picks: I adore the Art Institute. Then they opened the modern wing a few years back and it got even better. Very, very easy to spend all day in here.

Millennium Park is right next door (home of the Bean!) and definitely worth a visit. Odds are good that the "face fountains" will still be running. Great way to cool off your tired feet and you can't beat the people-watching. Which reminds me - Buckingham Fountain is about 2 blocks.

The other big museums (The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium) are also excellent and easy to get to from the Roosevelt Rd. station.

I'm not a huge fan of Navy Pier but I do recommend taking an architecture cruise. Most of them will depart from Navy Pier or near the bridge at Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue.

If you're looking for something a little farther afield I would suggest the Chicago Botanic Gardens www.chicagobotanic.org Public transit directions are on the website and the train line you'd take (Union Pacific North) stops just down the street from your hotel. Plus, admission is free!

Food:

Gino's East makes a darn fine deep dish. Lou Malnatti's is also good. Pizzeria Uno and Due can have horrific waits on the weekend. Like Kristen K said, Heaven on Seven makes some absolutely fabulous food. If you're interested in trying a lot of different stuff and you're feeling adventurous I suggest doing one of the tasting courses: Jimmy, Feed Me (7 courses) or the Jimmy Jr, Feed Me (4 courses). You get whatever the kitchen decides to make for you and it's usually spectacular. Whatever you do, please try the andouille sausage with carmelized onions and sweet potato polenta? Just go with me on this, you won't regret it.

You also have some good stuff near you in Evanston! A couple of our favorites are Dave's Italian Kitchen and Mt. Everest for Indian food.

Hope this was at least a little bit helpful!

Yay! Thanks Becks! I knew you'd be the go to girl here.

I see the D.C. references. It's funny (with me) ... I have been to the capitals of Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Spain, England, France, Italy, Scotland, Germany, Ukraine, Ireland and United Arab Emirates. Though I have never been to Washington D.C. Definitely on our 'Want To Go' list in the future.

Our next holiday is either going to be D.C., Puerto Rico or Ireland. Have not decided when or where we want to go just yet. So close to our Disney trip, nothing else is on my travel plate right now.

Awesome info - thanks so much Becks! And, no, you don't sound like a creeper at all. It makes me feel better to have you tell me we are in a decent area that will be convenient to getting around! Glad you mentioned Lou Malnatti's because I am pretty sure that is where the groom to be said we are going for pizza! Thanks again to everyone! Can't wait!

Thanks for all the info Becks. I'm going to print it off, and add it to my "possible trips" file. I started a section for Chicago last year, and this is already much better than what you get in travel sections of newspapers, etc.

I knew I bumped this thread up for a reason!

I'm headed to Atlanta next Thursday for a conference for the bag company I work for on the side (direct sales) and I'm so excited! I've never really traveled by myself so it's going to be interesting to say the least! Hoping on the Sunday before I have to catch my plane, that I can go to the zoo!