Carmel, Napa, Chicago, so many options!
1 Like
San Diego has so many areas to explore. Monterey/Carmel area.
3 Likes
It’s an easy trip to many of the ski areas, and in the fall in particular, the hiking, biking, etc are great and accomodations tend to be more affordable. Park City is very accessible to SLC airport and has great food, shopping, spas, as well.
Like many, I’ve done Nashville with girlfriends. Definitely fun. I was less excited about Austin but we had a good time.
Santa Fe is trickier to get to but also lots to do (everything from art – making and looking -, hiking, cooking classes, etc.)
It’s not a great option from CA, but New Orleans is fun if you’re into music and food. Agree that Charleston and Savannah are options.
If you like to explore cities, Chicago and Philadelphia are both great options.
I travel with friends a lot. One cohort is very outdoorsy and active, so having those kinds of activities is the driver, with good food and a spa treatment or yoga class for recovery being a plus. We do a lot of talking while hiking, and we don’t all live in the same place, so the gatherings are first and foremostabout reconnecting and second about how we do it. The other cohort is much more interested in cultural activities, so places with good museums, architecture, history, etc are of greater appeal. Getting the right place for your group is very much about what the group wants.
2 Likes
If you want to stay in CA, I didn’t see Napa/Sonoma on your list. In Oregon you could go to Willamette Valley or the Oregon coast. I thought Cannon Beach looked like a nice place to stay. Husband and I had fun in Portland, Maine for a couple of days. Last October we did a bike trip and we stayed near St. George Utah for a day or two, at a place called Red Mountain Resort. I think you can drive to Zion Nat’l Park for a day trip from there.
3 Likes
My 2 friends and I (all SoCal) rented a home with a hot tub, huge wrap around deck in the trees and walking distance to the cute town of Idyllwild. After 3 days we were blissed out, unwound and had a great time. We’d made a shopping list in advance, divided it and each brought a small bag of groceries for breakfast/lunches/snacks and went to dinner in town - very cool area directly above Palm Springs which was a fun afternoon jaunt -
5 Likes
Throwing one more idea, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We loved Santa Fe more, but again rented a house and went to the Balloon Fiesta for 3 days which was a real treat! We drove the “turquoise road” to Santa Fe. Where we stayed for 2 more days.
6 Likes
@MMRose - interesting about Vancouver. My mom was a Canadian citizen so I’ve been looking into dual citizenship with US. Are you planning to live in Vancouver?
(sorry to digress the thread - great getaway ideas here!)
2 Likes
That’s my hope! I really, really like it there.
We applied to emigrate, but were told it can take up to 4 years to hear back. It’s been slightly over 2 years.
But we were also told that we can live there 6 months of every year as a visitor, as long as we leave in between. So that’s another option if the emigration doesn’t come through.
I am almost ready to retire, or could work as a consultant from Canada (I think), and my DH can work from anywhere.
Would you get any bonus points based on your mother?
2 Likes
In addition to my post below, I also sent you a DM.
Deleted - responded to a reply in error.
1 Like
California is so long, from north to south is like coming from 4 states away. I loved the ferry through the San Juan Islands!. You could rent a VRBO for a few days on one of the islands and ferry up to Victoria Island for a few days and finish it off at the 4 Seasons in Vancouver!!! Come home broke!
1 Like
Yes as I understand it, since my mom was still a Canadian citizen when she had me (born in USA) so I technically am a Canadian citizen via ancestry…
Need to speak to an immigration lawyer soon (not surprisingly, most I talk to are very booked up lately!!)
(again apologies for the topic digression but have heard SO many great things re: Vancouver!)
Totally agree that if the time worked out Balloon Fiesta (first week of October in Albuquerque) is pretty spectacular. We stayed in Santa Fe and drove twice to Albuquerque BEFORE DAWN because it was so cool. Staying in Albuquerque might be a better alternative, but the drive was pretty easy.
2 Likes
I did a week trip with 3 ladies to a cooking school in France. It was a fun, low key weekend. We cooked, ate, drank, gossiped, shopped for a week.
I have done few spa trips with girlfriends, and Norwich Spa is one of my favorites.
I think Montreal, Vancouver, wine country, Charleston, South Beach, finger lakes, Hamptons, etc are all great places for a getaway with friends, depending where you are and what you like to do. I think at the end of the day when friends get together they just want to have time/place to catch up.
4 Likes
CA has so many options, from Mendocino to Palm Springs. If you really just want to hang and chill together, you could rent a house by the beach. Have done Pajaro Dunes (Watsonville), but not recently. You might do better cost-wise with some of the other suggestions outside your state.
1 Like
Just returned from a girls weekend in Chadds Ford PA. Low key with history and museums, Longwood Gardens, some cute little towns and shops. Close to Amish country if that’s your thing. We chose it because it was a good midpoint from where we all live.
3 Likes
Isn’t Longwood gardens lovely?
I went there when I was a kid (lived in Philly) and took my CA-based spouse and teen kids there a few years ago. Everyone was blown away.
2 Likes
I’ve been toying with suggesting Catalina Island but not sure if it might be too limited - we’ve only been on a day trip so there might not be enough to do for a few days. But perhaps less effort for everyone to get to if you want simpler travel arrangements.
2 Likes
We are getting a list together. So far ideas that resonate Chicago, Vancouver. Road trip to Carmel or Sonoma. Those are all places we have each been before but don’t mind going again.
My Family spent a lot of summers in Catalina both in a hotel and on a boat. It’s a fun place with kids, it feels like you’re on a real holiday not 26 miles across the sea. Anyone else remember that jingle song? I get seasick and I don’t enjoy the ferry ride.
1 Like
Twenty - six miles across the sea…Catalina Island is calling to me…the island of romance…
We went ten years ago on husband’s birthday so he was half price or free, forget which. And tons of birthday deals all over.
1 Like