On The Subject Of Best French Vacations

Stewart McIntosh answers:

Parce que je ne pouvais rien faire, j’ai dû rester au lit en regardant la télé. Mes amis s’amusaient et iraient aux fêtes, en celebrant le début de l’été. J’ai raté la fête d’anniversaire de ma meilleure amie, mercredi dernier. Je ne pouvais pas lui donner son cadeau jusqu’à aujourd’hui. De plus, le pouvoir d’aller dehors, sous le soleil, m’a manqué. Heureusement, maintenant ma jambe est complètement guerie !
Je suis heureux que, maintenant qu’il n’y a plus d’école, je peux sortir tous les soirs. En deux semaines, je vais aller en vacances aux États-Unis !

Literal backtranslation:
Because I couldn’t do anything, I had to stay in bed watching TV. My friends were having fun and were going to parties, celebrating the beginning of the summer. I missed my best friend’s birthday party last Wednesday. I couldn’t give her her present until today. Moreover, I missed the ability to go outside, under the sun. Happily, now my leg is completely healed! I am happy that, now that there is no more school, I can go out every night. In two weeks, I am going on vacation to the United States!

Stewart McIntosh answers:

Hey there!

You’re going to have a great time at Disney, especially at Port Orleans French Quarter! I’ll start with some of my tips for the resort, and go from there.

Tip for French Quarter:
-Take a walk over to the Riverside, it’s very short and there’s some fun things to do over there. My favorite is renting the surrey bike & taking it on the loop around both resorts.
-Order beignet’s at least once at the Sassagoula Floatworks cafeteria. It’s on the French Quarter side, and they are delicious! I wish I had ordered them more often.
-On your first day, buy a refillable mug at the Sassagoula Floatworks. It’s about $13, and you can refill it for free for your entire stay! My husband & I constantly had ours filled before the parks. You can take it into the park, and refill it at the water fountains in there too. Saves on buying bottled water all day!
-You can take a ferry right from the French Quarter over to Downtown Disney. It’s a very short & peaceful ride, and the ferries come constantly. It’s a nice way to spend an afternoon or evening.
-Don’t forget that you can use all the amenities that Port Orleans Riverside offers as well. If your pool is packed, go check out the pools on the other side. Same w/the arcade, cafeteria’s, and anything else you can think of.

Tips for the Parks
-The biggest & best tip I can give you is to go into the parks right as they open. The parks get crowded a few hours after they open, but right at opening time it’s not crowded yet. You can walk on some major rides, or get great character pictures w/little to no waits.
-Starting at the back of the park isn’t always the way to go. At the Magic Kingdom, the thing I would do is go counter clockwise. Most people go right to Tomorrowland, but if you go left into Adventureland, you’ll find no crowds until later in the day. At Epcot, visit the World Showcase as soon as it opens (usually it opens 2 hours later than Future World.) Most people visit World Showcase later in the day, when they are done w/Future World. If you do the opposite, you’ll encounter fewer crowds. For Hollywood Studios, you will want to go at open, and get a fastpass for Toy Story Mania, and then walk over to Aerosmith’s Rock N Roller Coaster. These 2 attractions have long waits all day, all year long. So getting them done early w/no waits is key. Then grab a fast pass for Tower of Terror, and see some shows. AK is very full of very windy, narrow trails. I do think going straight all the way back to Expedition Everest and working your way forward is a good way to go.
-Take plenty of water is a good tip. Bring a bottle of water or a refillable mug to fill all day at the fountains.
-Make your reservations 180 days in advance at http://www.disney.com or by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE. Restaurants do book up that far in advance, especially the best ones. If 180 days has already passed, call today & make your reservations.
-You can bring an autograph book, or buy one in any of the parks. They sell a lot of cute Disney ones for you to take to meet characters. Most of them do sign, some don’t.
-For any fireworks or parades, plan on getting a spot 45 minutes in advance, at least. For Fantasmic, I recommend going even earlier. I went 45 minutes ahead of time in May and nearly got shut out.
-Watch IllumiNations from the Future World side of the lagoon. Too many people think it’s best to watch it from the World Showcase side of the lagoon. All the countries are part of the show, and light up. You have a good view of all of them from the WS lagoon side.
-If you have time, head over to the Polynesian and catch the Electric Water Pageant on the water. Then, you can see the Wishes Fireworks over the castle from the beach too. It’s a really special experience, and usually isn’t terribly crowded.

Just a few suggestions for you! Have a great trip!

Stewart McIntosh answers:

That depends on who you are and what you want to do. Bora Bora is fine is you have plenty of money and are looking for luxury. The snorkeling, diving, and swimming with rays are fabulous, if you’ve got the francs. Fiji is less expensive and offers everything French Polynesia offers – except the spectacular scenery. No Question: The scenery on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora is tops. Fiji is good if you’re a bit adventurous and want to take local ferries to outer islands. There are lots of opportunities for backpackers and flashpackers. Is that you? Or are you a honeymooner from Chicago who wants perfection? Different strokes for different folks. Tonga is the whale watching capital of the South Pacific and there are also good surfing and scuba diving opportunities. But Tonga is also a little messy and Samoa is cleaner and more colorful. As for Tahiti, will you be buying black pearls or eating at gourmet restaurants? If so, Tahiti is for you. But if you are traveling on a budget, Tahiti is a pain. So as you see, there is no “best” place for everyone. Do your homework and you’ll find the island of your dreams!

Stewart McIntosh answers:

YOU DO NOT NEED A CAR! Walk, take a cab and use the pedicabs and carriages and streetcars.
Parking is awful and expensive in the quarter!

Museums-Historic New Orleans Collection, Ogden, Dday, the cabildo, Pharmacy, Confederate Museum, US Mint, Louisiana State Museum, Hermann-Grima-Gallier Historic, Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden (Museum)

Drink in the Quarter! Pat O’s, Lafittes Blacksmith shop, Absinthe House, Carousel Bar at the Monteleone hotel, bombay club
favorite FQ BAR- Lafittes and Pat o’s,
Goldmine- place to dance in the quarter

Local Bars not in the quarter- Victorian Lounge at the Columns, Bridge Lounge, Delachaise, fat harrys, Bull Dog, Balcony bar, St. Joes, brunos, rendezvous, Lucys retired surfers bar(warehouse district), Monkey Hill, Le Bontemps Roule, Fat Harry,s
Local Dive Bars- Ms. Maes(cheap Drinks and open 24 hrs), Three Brothers,
Maple Leaf Bar, Mayfair, Harrys,
DIve bar in the quarter- Johnny Whites, Lafittes…

The best po boy sandwich is Domilise’s a little family owned place outside of the quarter and is cash only.This is a best kept secret.

Things to do and see..Jackson Square, St Louis Cathedral, Cafe Du Monde,Moonwalk on the Mississippi, Audubon Zoo, Aquarium, Zoo/Aquarium Cruise, Imax, Royal St. Antiques, Magazine Street Shopping and Julia St Art Galleries, Check out the Architecture in the Garden District, Airboat Swamp tour, Mardi Gras World, Ride the Streetcar, New Orleans School of Cooking, Carriage Ride, City Park, Go shopping on magazine st., royal st., oak st., and freret st and canal place.

Http://www.basinlanding.com/

FOOD:
Jaquimos( Best Alligator Cheesecake and blackened red fish)
Rio Mar
Commanders Palace(MY FAV)
Muriels(Turtle Soup, Goat Cheese Crepes, and Pecan crusted drum)
Coffee Pot (FAVORITE RED BEANS and breakfast)
Upperline( TURTLE SOUP and FISH PIQUANTE USA todays best dish
Lilette
Irenes
Galatoise- (Very famous and very good)
Dick and Jennys-(EVERYTHING IS GREAT!)
One on Hampson( BEST DUCK and OKRA GUMBO),
Crabby Jacks Lunch Only Great FOOD owned by same guy as jaquimos because jaquimos is not open for lunch and it is cheaper.
Brennans( BRUNCH)
Crepe Nanou,( Love their crepes and grilled AMBERJACK)
Brigtsens ( Everything is AWESOME)
Yo Mamas Bar and Grill- Best Hamburgers and BOILED CRAWFISH during the season)
GW Fins- nice restaurant with a great and nice seafood menu
Palace Cafe( PECAN CRUSTED FISH AND BLUE CRAB LEGS)
Arnauds
Baru- Latin American Tapas
Antoines….
Domileses(awesome poboys)
Cochon( BEst cochon du lait)
Coops
R and O’s Great Seafood and pIzza
Galley- Great seafood home of the soft shelled crab po boy at jazz fest
Dragos in Metairie best chargrilled oysters
Frankie and JOhnnies- Great seafood
Clover Grill( open 24 hrs)
Parasols- Po boys
Parkway tavern- po boys
Johnny’s- Po boys
1179- Great italian food mainly pasta
Stanley(Great Breakfast and BEST GUMBO IN THE QUARTER AND OYSTER PO BOY)
Cafe du monde- beignets
Verti Marte(great po boys and delivers in quarter)
New Restaurants- Sylvian, Green goddess, Bouligny Tavern(gastro pub), High Hat Cafe, Company Burger, Ancora Pizzeria & Salumeria, Dat Dog…

Music-
Frenchman street has a lot of music clubs!!(snug Harbour, DBA, Spotted Cat)
Tipitinas has cajun dancing every sunday night as long as there is no special events going on
Maple Leaf Bar- Rebirth plays every Tuesday night and it right next door to the local favorite restaurant jaquimos!!!!Great music plays here! Http://mapleleafbar.com/
Le bon temps rouler- Soul rebels every Thursday http://www.myspace.com/4801magazine
Rock n Bowl- http://www.rockandbowl.com/CalandarPAGE/…
House of Blues
Vaughns- Kermit Ruffins plays here a lot.
Howlin Wolf- http://www.thehowlinwolf.com
Preservation Hall- Serves no Alcohol so all ages are allowed to go in.
Chickie Wa Wa- chickiewahwah.com/
Snug Harbour- http://www.snugjazz.com/site/

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Stewart McIntosh answers:

Mexico has gotten so bad from trying to deal with it’s drug gangs that i wouldn’t go anywhere near it without Special forces protection.

Http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358638/Mexicos-drug-wars-4-men-thrown-600ft-bridge-13-die-just-ONE-day.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242243/Murdered-mans-face-stitched-football-warning-rival-drugs-gangs.html

Paris is in France, so be full of French people

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1030359/British-tourists-France-face-traffic-chaos-lorry-drivers-start-new-wave-fuel-protests.html

So, your best bet might be………. North Yorkshire, England:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/65d99/49fc6/4/

http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/yorkshire-wold-moors-coast/hostels/Whitby/index.aspx

http://www.outdoored.co.uk/eastbarnby/

Speak the same language, jaw dropping scenary + as well as local foods (very good stuff) there’s most the snacks & drinks familiar to visitors from the US: Coca Cola, 7UP, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Twix, Snickers, Pringles, Kettle Chips, etc.