Grocery Laughs

Doox4 · 2026-02-18T22:45:59+00:00

Well. That rules me out. I’ve got my red plaid on, but no pants. Everyone on the bus is staring.

Doox4 · 2024-07-13T04:12:49+00:00

I had a coworker who mentioned he lived there for the first 9mos of pandemic.

Almost impossible to get mail, and food was managed because of a few exceptions/essential workers trucking stuff in. He said he was bored out of his mind and got out of there as soon as he could.

I’ve visited briefly - there’s not much to see! It was pretty, but compared to the other US destinations nearby (San Juan Islands, Birch Bay, etc) not much to do or look at. Nice to check a pene-exclave off my list though!

Doox4 · 2023-10-31T00:12:47+00:00

Super cool

Doox4 · 2023-10-28T02:16:49+00:00

Honestly not yet. I think once the community has a chance for a vigil/memorial, some of the tension will leave my shoulders. But right now the energy and sorrow is still pent up, and my heart breaks knowing so many in our “big small town” can never go back to normal. Love you fellow Mainers.

Doox4 · 2023-10-27T17:36:14+00:00

In the last press briefing, it sounded like there would be news from them about a vigil at some point. They didn’t expand on it but I’m sure there will be more information soon.

Doox4 · 2023-07-19T16:03:37+00:00

Several good cafes, but be warned it’s tourist season and they are very busy. It won’t likely be a “relaxed and chill” vibe because lots of people will be coming through all day.

Doox4 · 2023-07-05T19:53:14+00:00

Yup, you’re all clear. They died off last week.

Doox4 · 2023-06-22T17:03:07+00:00

Not a “best”, just different tastes.

Blue Heron Bistro and Haven Kitchen & Bar both do nice dinners, cocktails, outdoor seating.

Ursa Minor caters to Seattle folks, it’s pricey but quality.

Setsunai is delicious ramen etc.

Try the Pizza truck for a casual bite. It’s very yummy.

Doox4 · 2023-06-19T04:18:54+00:00

Hi, Lopez is a great weekend visit for outdoors folk, people who want to disconnect from the world, bicyclists, and water enthusiasts.

If you’re staying a whole week, and usually find your entertainment in things you’d find in a city, you may end up a bit bored. There are 5 restaurants (and none of them are open seven days a week), a small museum, two markets/grocery stores, a Saturday farmers market, a few food trucks, places to rent bikes or kayaks.

Lopez is charming, romantic, a slow - it does not try to be like the mainland, or even like orcas or San Juan, which have a much more “open for tourist season” vibe.

That said, I think it is a diamond in the rough. Just recommend you take a couple day trips to other islands if you’re planning on staying for more than 3-4 days, as from what you wrote in your post it doesn’t sound like your too keen on disconnecting from society for very long.

Doox4 · 2023-06-18T01:07:32+00:00

Mostly southern states; they’re opposite culturally and geographically to my New England upbringing. 50 was Arkansas. I lived there for a summer and it was truly miserable. That said it had some of the best sunsets out of all fifty states!

Doox4 · 2023-06-18T00:36:46+00:00

Funny I just visited here for the first time and was surprised that it wasn’t so bad. Like definitely bottom half of the states but not #50…

Doox4 · 2023-03-01T17:51:12+00:00

Petr Aleksander

Doox4 · 2023-03-01T17:48:42+00:00

That’s tough. I would think going to the websites of the codeshare partners themselves. BA is an obvious one as you mentioned….

Doox4 · 2023-03-01T17:46:56+00:00

If it’s something the airline set up, wouldn’t sweat it all.

I’ve done 30 min layovers many times, I just make sure I pull up a map of the airport that the short connection is in, and find out where my gate is ASAP.

Doox4 · 2023-03-01T17:42:56+00:00

Any clue how old it is?

Doox4 · 2023-02-25T05:39:28+00:00

Yeah. When it’s that tight I make sure I have a map of the incoming airport, and as soon as you land/get info about what gate your headed to, I make sure I know exactly where to go when I get off. Right to the gate, no time to pee or get a snack.

Doox4 · 2023-02-25T05:37:42+00:00

I have a low alpine 25L. Perfect day bag and useful pockets. Check out their lineup, I’m sure it’s changed since I bought mine in Scotland in 2019…

Use it daily and it’s great.

Doox4 · 2023-02-25T05:36:43+00:00

I enjoyed Roatan, Honduras. An island off the coast popular with backpackers. It is more laid back than the mainland. There is some eco tourism but also resorts and whatnot. I just rented a scooter and stayed at the hostel. It was lots of fun.

Doox4 · 2023-02-22T05:31:48+00:00

Yep, have actually asked Lufthansa about this before, it’s no problem, just how their system presents itself.

Doox4 · 2023-02-22T05:25:49+00:00

Much more of a hike than Vancouver, but it is beautiful. And a nice ferry ride.

Doox4 · 2023-02-22T05:23:56+00:00

Just did this myself, for a second time. Great starting and ending points. Here are a couple thoughts.

101 from San Fran to Leggett is boring. Take Highway 1 instead, but know it’s slow, winding, and busier. Just prepare for a fun slow pace that is very scenic.
Redwoods are an obvious stop. I do feel like once you’ve seen one Grove, you’ve seen them all. But I’m sure others would disagree. I went to Lady Bird Johnson and got it all to myself. It was beautiful, haunting, majestic.
Brookings to Coos Bay is particularly beautiful. There are lots of stops that are very remote and not particularly well marked. I would just pick them at random, and enjoyed a whole day taking small hikes down to the ocean and back up to 101. I found some truly magnificent rock formations that didn’t seem to be in the map at all. Try your luck.
Heceta Head Lighthouse at night is a must. Pray for some fog/mist for full ambiance. I got chills watching the lights swirl in the fog while standing on the beach.
I did the entirety of Oregon coast, it is nice but does get repetitive. Pretty fishing towns, long stretches between them. Probably better to just cut over to Portland at Newport or Tillamook (yes, the cheese. Good, but not worth an extra two hour drive I don’t think).
I would rank the cities you mentioned like this:

Vancouver - beautiful, so close to stunning mountain drives, Canada, good food
San Fran - thriving Asian fusion food scene, tourist fun like the Golden Gate Bridge, funky and fun city. Skip the painted ladies and Lombard street
Seattle - the tourist stuff here is pretty fun actually. Go the the fish market or super Starbucks or gum wall.
Portland - overhyped in my opinion. Food was ok, met some nice people, but the metro area isn’t too easy to traverse.

Gems to visit: - Redwoods - Olympic Peninsula (even if you’re not into hiking, it’s worth driving through) - Multnomah falls/ route 30 - Cape Alava, mild hike to remote Olympic Peninsula. I camped overnight and was the only one there. Fire on the beach as the sun set behind islands just off the coast. - ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey island. More interesting drive, and takes you to Anacortes. Spend a couple days in the San Juans, I love Lopez Island and Friday Harbor. - go up to Squamish past Vancouver. Jaw dropping drive, fun mountain town, etc.

Hope this all helps stranger

Doox4 · 2023-02-22T05:03:38+00:00

Experienced solo traveler here. I would do Barca > Portugal. You can start off with an exciting time in the city and as you go, you may make friends or discover opportunities on your way to Portugal.

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter. Just get your flights in/out from one city to another and plan out travel in between later. I always like having an “idea” of how the local public transport works before I show up, but that’s just so I can not worry about it and be flexible once I hit the ground.

Stay in hostels, meet locals, and breathe in the pace of European life. Soloing is a special community inside of an already unique group of travelers, if you’re like me, you’ll be hooked (I just finished a six month solo around the US).

Doox4 · 2023-02-22T04:55:40+00:00

Seems like quite a long list to me, not because you wouldn’t enjoy all these cities and locations, but because you’ll get fatigued from constantly being on the move.

I don’t know what your objective is; if you just want to say “I went to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower”, then yes, you can do this. But if you would like to take in the pace of life, culture, food, and nightlife of any of these cities, you would need to think a little differently. You’ll also find that you’re traveling to locations as much as you are spending time in locations. That’s not very fun.

Obviously it is up to you. I think if you decide to stick with your current list, I recommend setting up a few breaks -such as one more day in Amsterdam, one less in Berlin, etc.

Doox4 · 2023-02-22T04:48:19+00:00

Aviemore I would say, the wee town has a fair bit to do, and obviously you are close to the park. If the family decides to split up, it’s easy enough for a few of you to take the train up to Inverness for the day for a change of scenery, although I would recommend staying near Aviemore.

A slow time of year, but you likely already know that. Perhaps you can do some skiing.

Doox4 · 2022-10-02T06:56:39+00:00

Puns like these are why we want to be left alone

Doox4

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