The all new and only slightly recycled off topic thread (read post 1)

awec

.ak wrote: »

Yep, the missus is a bit of a travel guru so she books everything, she does it all separate, after hunting for the best prices or locations etc.

I love the the fact that New Yorkers are assholes by the way. Makes a refreshing change from the fake smiley facade you get from a lot of other states.

I will be speaking to you in detail about this at some point!

Need to get something booked soonish!

Podge_irl

.ak wrote: »

I love the the fact that New Yorkers are assholes by the way. Makes a refreshing change from the fake smiley facade you get from a lot of other states.

Couldn't agree more. I love NYC.

Vegas is a hell hole but it's a hell hole worth seeing for a couple days! Twas about 43C when I was there. Bloody nightmare.

Buer

Swiwi. wrote: »

If you did that without google/wikipedia I'm impressed.

Never sure these days if a bit of a sly use of google has been required...

Nah. I used follow football quite closely and the brothers are big Leeds fans. I could name more players from 10 years ago than I could today.

Buer

I'd share some of the opinions here. LV is a bit meh. It's a spectacle and worth doing but if someone told me I'd have to spend a week there, I'd be bored out of my tree. There are great restaurants and decent shopping areas in the bigger casinos (if you've a lot of money spare) and obviously there's gambling everywhere. But that all gets tired very quickly. The whole place lacks any soul and is just packed with tourists wandering around. Outside of the strip, it ain't pretty either.

NYC is a personal favourite. I spent a summer there as a student and have loved it ever since. I haven't found another city with the same buzz as it; closest thing have been the big Asian cities. I could spend a day just sitting around downtown, watching the world go by. In a similar way to London, you could go back there 5 times and there would still be things you haven't seen or done.

justsomebloke

Unless you are doing the Grand Canyon you only need 2 full days maybe 3 max in Vegas (depends on how much you gamble). I've been to Vegas 3 times at this stage and I don't gamble (it was kind of bored of it the last time but it was the wife's first time so that made up for it). It is a great spot but it gets old fast so don't spend to long there, as when it all boils down to it all you are doing is going from one casino another.

If I was doing 2 cities in the states it wouldn't be New York and Vegas as Vegas is a good plane trip away just to go for a few days especially as part of another Holiday. San Fran is probably a better option to do it with in my opinion. We spent 10 days in San Fran around 4 years ago and incorporate a 2 day trip to Vegas as part of it

eyeball kid

About 3 nights in Vegas was my limit as well. Enjoyed at the time and all but after 3 days I sort of had enough. Just found it a bit relentless. But I'd still recommend seeing it, no question. I also did the grand canyon helicopter tour. First time in a chopper so absolutely loved that!

Can't really comment on New York. Was only there for a couple of days before. Had arrived into the city on Sept 10 2001 so didn't get to experience the city right. Would love to go back and properly see the city.

.ak

Yeah, I particularly love the village. Every time I go I consider staying somewhere different, but between the west, greenwich and east village there's still so much to see and do, there's so much character in those areas which is crazy considering how big Manhattan actually is and most cities like that lose their character. Plus you can stay anywhere in Manhattan and be 5 minutes from anywhere thanks to the amazing metro, and as big as it is everything is quite walkable from each other. The city is incredibly easy to navigate too, not sure how anybody could manage to get lost due to the parallel avenues and streets. The food in NYC is amazing, but particularly in the village areas (especially the east and greenwich), where every second business is foot related and probably the best you've ever eaten, a mix of streetfood menus and bistros and taverns. For all the hustle and bustle the Village does 'lazy' and does it very well.

If you have time get out to Brooklyn, it's changed so much over the last few years but now seems to be continuation of the Village with some amazing resturaunts and bars. Get a book and flake out in a cafe somewhere or sit on the waterside and appreciate the Manhattan skyline. Great way of wasting a day. Then when the sun starts to set make you way up to the Wythe hotel for a cocktail and watch the sunset over Manhattan, it's amazing view from their rooftop bar, if the sky is clear you'll see you're in the landing pattern for JFK airport too which is amazing. Then on to Brooklyn bowl next door, which is basically the coolest bowling alley you'll ever see and is right beside the Brooklyn Brewery (brooklyn larger, ipa etc). DJ Questlove is the resident in Brooklyn bowl and obviously has a bit of a hand in the feel of the place, really cool vibes and the bar forces you to get stuck in and make new friends. Great place.

I'm just ranting randomly though, I have a thousand amazing places you should visit in NYC, including the finest burger in the world (this coming from a burger snob).. So yeah, I'll catch up with ye over a drink soon and point out some places/things you should do over there.

.ak

eyeball kid wrote: »

About 3 nights in Vegas was my limit as well. Enjoyed at the time and all but after 3 days I sort of had enough. Just found it a bit relentless. But I'd still recommend seeing it, no question. I also did the grand canyon helicopter tour. First time in a chopper so absolutely loved that!

Can't really comment on New York. Was only there for a couple of days before. Had arrived into the city on Sept 10 2001 so didn't get to experience the city right. Would love to go back and properly see the city.

Jesus that must've been tough.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

You were in the city for the attacks so? Christ I'd imagine that was surreal/terrifying

awec

What's San Francisco like compared to NY? Is there much to see?

I can think of the golden gate but not much else.

.ak

awec wrote: »

What's San Francisco like compared to NY? Is there much to see?

I can think of the golden gate but not much else.

Never been, this is the first time either of us have been to SF. I heard its a cool place though, a lot of my friends lived there before and said it's fairly chilled out, bit of a hippy vibe running through the place with certain areas being very keen on green living. Apparently the food is fantastic also. As you can guess I'm an absolute foodie and tend to travel to where the food is good.

They're mad for their posh streetfoot in SF right now. One particular place has become very popular -the creme brulee cart! .. aw yeeeaaah!

mfceiling

awec wrote: »

What's San Francisco like compared to NY? Is there much to see?

I can think of the golden gate but not much else.

You can ask my missus...she's heading out this Saturday with work for about the 20th time!! She loves it...more so than Sydney which to me was the best place i have ever been.

As the lads have said, New York is unreal...it's like being on the set of a movie...great food, great sights, shopping, cool bars, museums...it has everything. The only city i was ever in that had a buzz like it was Rio during carnival, but that maybe was an edge of fear more than a buzz!!

awec

mfceiling wrote: »

You can ask my missus...she's heading out this Saturday with work for about the 20th time!! She loves it...more so than Sydney which to me was the best place i have ever been.

As the lads have said, New York is unreal...it's like being on the set of a movie...great food, great sights, shopping, cool bars, museums...it has everything. The only city i was ever in that had a buzz like it was Rio during carnival, but that maybe was an edge of fear more than a buzz!!

Aye dead on, I'll ask her later on when I see her. :pac:

mfceiling

awec wrote: »

Aye dead on, I'll ask her later on when I see her. :pac:

I always maintain that if she truly loved me she would get another man...we could both split the cost then.

Teferi

I went on a 15 day trip last year started in Los Angeles then onto San Francisco finishing in Vegas for 3 days.

I wouldn't be pushed going back to LA again, the city is an absolute kip and there's massive pollution problem. Constant fog over the city. Venice beach is cool, bit of a hippy vibe and loads of decent food.

San Francisco is awesome. Loads of good food, anyone going there should head down to the market on the pier. Loads to see and do. Plent of mentally ill people walking the street - harmless but disconcerting when you first arrive.

Our absolute best day during the trip was the night we stopped off in a little town midway between LA and SF called San Luis Obispo. Every Thursday night they shut down main street and have a market - fresh food, stalls selling nik naks, music etc. I'd encourage anyone driving near it to stop in overnight, especially around market day.

.ak

awec wrote: »

Aye dead on, I'll ask her later on when I see her. :pac:

Boom!

.ak

There's no crazy quite like NYC Subway crazy though. Be prepared for some crazy people encounters there.

chupacabra

awec wrote: »

Anyone here ever been to Vegas?

How long do you think is enough time to spend there as part of a holiday with the girlfriend? 3 nights?

I spent roughly 5 days around the vicinity of Vegas and never actually went into the city. It was a strange one. Camped in the valley of fire, spent a night in a motel in Henderson right outside the city, went to Hoover dam. But for some reason that both me and my travel partner dont really understand, we never went to the strip or even into the city proper. So I can say ive been to Vegas, but I havent been to Vegas :pac:

mfceiling

.ak wrote: »

There's no crazy quite like NYC Subway crazy though. Be prepared for some crazy people encounters there.

Like the 3 blind lads i saw who were banging drums and shouting randomly...and they wanted paid as they saw it as busking. I wondered how did they know how much they made and who was in charge of dividing it up!!

awec

Any of ye ever been to Florida?

I imagine it's more for families / the retired?

chupacabra

.ak wrote: »

There's no crazy quite like NYC Subway crazy though. Be prepared for some crazy people encounters there.

And whatever you do, dont drunkenly fall asleep on the A line and end up in Harlem like I did. I remember being woken up by a pretty insane looking homeless man who asked me if I was Jimi Hendrix.

.ak

awec wrote: »

Any of ye ever been to Florida?

I imagine it's more for families / the retired?

I've been to Orlando a few times. It's definately somewhere you just go for the whole theme park thing. I love rollercoasters so I think it's great, but you won't find any culture or anything there. It's mostly just Americans from other parts of the states going on cheap holidays there.

Went to Miami as well. I thought it was quite cool, in a tacky kinda way. It's like Ibiza for Americans really, all very stuck in the days of dayglo vests and 80s haircuts. Great food though, but very pricey.

Florida Keys is supposed to be amazing, but I've never been.

awec

What about Chicago? Washington DC?

Any other city recommendations?

chupacabra

awec wrote: »

Any of ye ever been to Florida?

I imagine it's more for families / the retired?

Miami is fairly shít unless youre into gaudy beachside resorts. The north part of the state is a nice mix of a southern feel with the more trendy part of america. Especially around Tallahasse and Pensacola. I wouldnt be going all the way to America for a beach break when you can just as easily go to any number of places in Europe.

chupacabra

awec wrote: »

What about Chicago? Washington DC?

Any other city recommendations?

Chicago is my favourite American city. The food is magnificent and the pubs are just consistently great. Its the perfect place for a paddys weekend and ive gone there 3 years in a row now (Paddys day also being my birthday). DC is a great place for people interested in american history and museums especially the Smithsonian air and space museum. Hands down the coolest museum ive ever been to.

Other good cities to visit would be Seattle on the east coast if you dont mind the long flight times. Great for seafood and is a gateway to some really nice park lands and Mountains. My suggestion to you though is to fly to Chicago, rent a car, drive up and take a short trip through Canada (takes around an hour) to Niagara and see the Falls from both sides. Then drive down through upstate New York all the way to Manhattan and fly home from there. I did it last year as the starting part of a long trip across America and it was easily my favourite section. You get the greatness of two amazing American cities, the beauty of Niagara falls (Canadian side is better) and the cosiness of upstate New York with the drive along the hudson river into the city being surprisingly beautiful.

EDIT: http://goo.gl/maps/c7iSA This is the exact route we followed. We stayed in a motel just outside of Buffalo so it only took 2 days to get from Chicago to New York at a leisurely pace.

pickarooney

awec wrote: »

What about Chicago? Washington DC?

Any other city recommendations?

Baltimore, Detroit?

I can't think of any city in the US i'd be bothered to visit besides NY and SF.

molloyjh

Florida is grand if you're into theme parks or chilling out in a house with a pool. Outside of that it's very limited. Miami is a dive for the most part. Chicago is class. I'd actually prefer it to NY personally. But there isn't as much to do there during the day.

In all fairness NY is the place to go. It really is the kind of spot that has something for everybody and it's nearly impossible to get bored in the place. Chicago is great for the nightlife side of things and it's not as hectic a city as NY so has a much more relaxed vibe to it. It might actually be an idea to split it. Spend a week in NY and then head to Washington for a few days mid-week and then onto Chicago for a long weekend???

mfceiling

Get yourselves down to south america. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with steaks and meat like you've never had in your life and women who are so gorgeous you want to cry.

Uruguay is like Ireland in the 1920's...montevideo had cowboy music playing constantly on speakers.

Brazil is beautiful...beaches and bitches!!. Saw a bus driver pull a machete on another driver..saw a woman get robbed as she danced in a congo line. Watched a soccer crowd almost overturn an opposition bus and was taken out of a taxi by machine gun toting police. But as a country it is class and the people are sound.

Buer

awec wrote: »

What's San Francisco like compared to NY? Is there much to see?

I can think of the golden gate but not much else.

SF is really cool. Not a lot in terms of big name attractions but visitors are more there for the atmosphere of the city. Very bohemian feel to the place and you really get the traditional SF scenery with the steep streets, street cars etc. like from a scene from Bullitt.

In terms of the city, Alcatraz, GGB, Pier 39 and Union Square are probably the best known attractions. The best thing I did, however, was cycling the GGB and getting out into the small towns that are on the other side. Tiburon and Sausalito are really scenic small towns with good places to stop for a drink and lunch. If the weather is good, it's a great way to spend an afternoon.

Teferi

+1 on Sausalito. Get the boat over and walk the Golden Gate Bridge back. You can pick up a bus on the other side.

Taco Corp

mfceiling wrote: »

Get yourselves down to south america. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with steaks and meat like you've never had in your life and women who are so gorgeous you want to cry.

Uruguay is like Ireland in the 1920's...montevideo had cowboy music playing constantly on speakers.

Brazil is beautiful...beaches and bitches!!. Saw a bus driver pull a machete on another driver..saw a woman get robbed as she danced in a congo line. Watched a soccer crowd almost overturn an opposition bus and was taken out of a taxi by machine gun toting police. But as a country it is class and the people are sound.

the Brazilian tourism dept won't be hiring you anytime soon

.ak

Captain_Hindsight wrote: »

the Brazilian tourism dept won't be hiring you anytime soon

Really? I'm sold!

Grimebox

I like to pretend some posters are practicing their debating skills when they almost blindly back a particular argument

dregin

"Rugby Debate"... that'd make for an interesting boards event!

irishbucsfan

Those who enjoy Brewdog will enjoy this press release:

On behalf of BrewDog PLC and its 14,691 individual shareholders, I would like to issue a formal apology to the Portman Group for not giving a **** about today’s ruling. Indeed, we are sorry for never giving a **** about anything the Portman Group has to say, and treating all of its statements with callous indifference and nonchalance.

Unfortunately, the Portman Group is a gloomy gaggle of killjoy jobsworths, funded by navel-gazing international drinks giants. Their raison d’être is to provide a diversion for the true evils of this industry, perpetrated by the gigantic faceless brands that pay their wages. Blinkered by this soulless mission, they treat beer drinkers like brain dead zombies and vilify creativity and competition. Therefore, we have never given a second thought to any of the grubby newspeak they disseminate periodically.

While the Portman Group lives out its days deliberating whether a joke on a bottle of beer is responsible or irresponsible use of humour, at BrewDog we will just get on with brewing awesome beer and treating our customers like adults. I’m sure that makes Henry Ashworth cry a salty tear into his shatterproof tankard of Directors as he tries to enforce his futile and toothless little marketing code, but we couldn’t give a **** about that, either.

The Portman Group took objection to the phrase "rip it up down empty streets"? Mr Portman, you seem to like taking things literally. Can you please explain how something can be ‘anti-social’ if the streets are empty? Anti-social is defined as ‘contrary to the laws and customs of society, in a way that causes annoyance and disapproval in others.’ If the streets are empty, there are no ‘others’ to annoy.

As for not agreeing with "we believe faster is better", well I think the archaic existence of the Portman Group proves just how bad "slow" can really be. Maybe they should try and catch up with the rest of the world instead of insulting the intelligence of consumers with such a thin veneer of impartiality. It is an embarrassing condemnation of the mega brewers who provide their funding, the same mega brewers whose pricing reaps havoc on society.

Mr Portman, we'd be appreciative if you could now kindly save some trees and stop sending us meaningless letters.

We sincerely hope that the sarcasm of this message fits the Portman Group criteria of responsible use of humour.

http://mashable.com/2014/04/28/scottish-brewer-shows-how-to-issue-a-damn-apology/

Swiwi.

mfceiling wrote: »

Get yourselves down to south america. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with steaks and meat like you've never had in your life and women who are so gorgeous you want to cry.

Uruguay is like Ireland in the 1920's...montevideo had cowboy music playing constantly on speakers.

Brazil is beautiful...beaches and bitches!!. Saw a bus driver pull a machete on another driver..saw a woman get robbed as she danced in a congo line. Watched a soccer crowd almost overturn an opposition bus and was taken out of a taxi by machine gun toting police. But as a country it is class and the people are sound.

My cousin lives in Brazil. Married one of the locals. Recife at first, now Brasilia. It's on my places to visit, but you need your wits about you. Having a cousin who speaks fluent Portuguese is very handy though. They don't have any kids, but have about 20 stray cats...

CatFromHue

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Those who enjoy Brewdog will enjoy this press release:



http://mashable.com/2014/04/28/scottish-brewer-shows-how-to-issue-a-damn-apology/

"The producer did not make representations to the Panel."

"A Retailer Alert Bulletin has been issued instructing licensees and retailers not to place orders for stocks of Dead Pony Club in its current packaging after 8 July 2014."

http://www.portmangroup.org.uk/media/news-details/2014/04/28/dead-pony-club-ale-breaches-alcohol-marketing-code

Lol they didn't even bother trying to defend themselves and now have the possibility of suppliers not buying their product, that's if these Retailer Alert Bulletins are followed.

Podge_irl

CatFromHue wrote: »

Lol they didn't even bother trying to defend themselves and now have the possibility of suppliers not buying their product, that's if these Retailer Alert Bulletins are followed.

I don't know anything about the case but not defending yourself when you don't recognize the authority or motive of the body is fairly standard.

CatFromHue

Yeah it would, equally though it'll be interesting what happens on 9 July.

irishbucsfan

CatFromHue wrote: »

Yeah it would, equally though it'll be interesting what happens on 9 July.

Very few retailers who are placing orders currently for dead pony club are going to have much interest in the ruling!

Taco Corp

I decided recently, in my infinite wisdom (I'm an idiot), to start re-watching 24. I still don't understand why it was ok for torture to appear on screen but no one could swear.

Swiwi.

Bye bye Bayern

thomond2006

What were the odds on Ramos getting 2?!

Fireball07

thomond2006 wrote: »

What were the odds on Ramos getting 2?!

Not as good as they should have been.


Guardiola has seriously limited Bayern this season, they'll thump most weaker sides but they don't have the same variation as last year.

Swiwi.

When you consider all the golden missed goals in the first leg, it should be 7 or 8-0 rather than 4-0 on aggregate so far.

CatFromHue

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Very few retailers who are placing orders currently for dead pony club are going to have much interest in the ruling!

Ah so their ruling isn't binding so.

Another feather in the cap of self regulation so lol

Swiwi.

Wee chuckle to start the morning.

.ak

Anyone been to the Butchers Grill in Ranelagh? I've been salavating at the thought of their Cote de Beof for a while now. It's supposed to be amazing.

awec

Looks some feed that.

.ak

I absolutely love Cote de Boeuf. Nothing more annoying than getting to a restaurant and your partner not wanting one though.