December 21, 2005

• Holden Village is a great place.
• Are you independently wealthy, or know a lot of people? Just thinking that $$ might play in the decision. Also because it's only a few days notice . . .
• go to nyc, pray for snow, walk around in central park, go to the Museum of Natural History...
• I am not independently wealthy, but my credit card is.
• I don't have any good suggestions for a place to go, although someplace warm might be nice if you're from the north. The suggestion I am going to make is that Site59 is a good place to get last minute trips for not much money. You can also use it as inspiration.
• I've always thought Christmas in Vegas would be a blast. I don't know if flights/hotels are more expensive that time of year, but sun and sin sounds awfully fun in the bleak midwinter to this East Coaster. Maybe a side trip into the desert, hanging out on the strip, taking in a fun show...
• In that case, go somewhere you've always wanted to go, like Paris or Berlin or London (someplace that Christmas may mean snow and lots of decorations) and find a good hostel and hook up with an attractive member of the gender of your choice and have a superior christmas.
• 1. Go to New York. 2. Go here. 3. Have platza. 4. Exit feeling like a newborn baby. And crying just as much. But still feelin' goooooooooood... Merry Christmas to you.
• As I mentioned in the "what was your best Christmas ever" post, I went to Belize one year and snorkeled on Christmas Day. I recommend Belize--warm, gorgeous beaches, lots of stuff to do, and English is the main language, which does make it a bit easier to get around.
• Florence. Stay here, if your credit card will stand it. Enjoy the really rather spectacular cocktails in the hotel bar. See some Art. Eat good food. And give us a shout when you arrive so we can take you out for a glass or two of Christmas Chianti :-)
• Why not Australia? It's summertime. Lots of beautiful beaches, sun, fun things to do.
• NYC is pretty wonderful for Christmas. But we are in the middle of a transit strike. This has good points and bad points. Bad... you are going to have get everywhere under your own steam (not so bad if you are staying in midtown). Good... plenty of tickets available to sold out Broadway shows, and deep discounts to off Broadway shows. Even with the strike, people seem to be in a pretty good mood.
• I hear the divers in Cozumel are having a great time, since the tourists aren't back in full force yet. Plus, the storms churned up previously undiscovered caves under the reefs, which would be so cool to be among the first to explore.
• Some tamales and ham in Austin for you, if you've ever wanted to visit! (email in the profile) NYC is beautiful at this time of year, and there are some reasonably cheap places to stay (check the Chelsea Star, they have a hostel option so there are always people around looking to go out and have fun). Vegas would probably be a blast, it's a city built for fun. I was in Sedona, Arizona right before Christmas a few years ago and that was a beautiful place if you're in the mood to hike a bit or just take in the scenery. How much time are you taking for the trip? Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a blast! It takes guts to walk away from the family at the holidays (even when that's the best thing to do).
• Most definitely agree with kimdog about avoiding the NYC transport strike. But if they settle by the end of the week, I'd second (third? fourth?) Christmas in Manhattan.
• Mothra demands you make a pilgrimage to His Holy City of Tokyo on His Most Sacred Day.
• St. Petersburg, Russia. Next question?
• Spend time with the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba. Have a Coke.
• help me out in the farm , I told the cows it would be xmas , but hmm they do not listen.
• (Hemaworstje -- nice handle! Welcome to the Monkey House.)
• I second the Cozumel/Playa del Carmen area. Hurricane damaged many resorts, so usual high occupancy level will not happen, and if this is your first ever visit, you will be amazed by the beauty of the area anyway. Nothing like celebrating the holidays on a warm beach.
• Go help out at a foodbank or homeless shelter - it'll be great for the patrons, make you feel useful, and put your own problems in perspective.
• mothra's suggestion of tokyo is pretty good, but for real japanese magic, hit kyoto (the graveyard on the east side of town is pure "legend of zelda", and hello, it's geisha central there) and Nara (about an hour south by train) boasts deer all over the place, the world largest wooden building (a temple housing a 16m high buddha) and the only blue koi i've ever seen...if you get a rail pass (must be purchased before you go) you can fly into tokyo, zip past mt fuji (or stay the night) and spend the week in kyoto b4 heading back... despite everything you've ever heard, japan is CHEAP...remember, they've been in a recession for 10 yrs...
• Ah yes, the cows. Demanding taskmistresses, those. I just want to wish you a Merry and a Happy, wherever you end up spending it, M'Possum. And I hope your New Year starts out better. (and the rest of yez Monkeys--the same!)
• I can second Belize. I've been twice and I love it there. The best snorkeling/diving ever, it's cheap, the people are nice, and it's absolutely gorgeous. If you're into ecotourism, they're trying to get big in that (a way to keep their rainforest intact and still have an economy). I suggest staying on San Pedro island. Alternately, take a tour of texas. See patita in Austin, then swing by Ft. Worth and see me (I'm visiting my folks here, and as our whole extended family is going to be out of town for Christmas, I'm sure we'd enjoy a temporary family member.)
• I suggest, in the least, you go abroad. Visit monkeys overseas. Go someplace you've never been before and take pictures. Maybe you should go to Amsterdam and smoke allot of pot?
• 1. New Zealand South Island ... dramatic mountains. Make haste to see the great glaciers before they all melt! North Island: not a bird-watcher? Then hang around Auckland, alert to shoot pictures of roaming gangs of unruly and intoxicated Santas! 2. Oz Kalgoorlie, western Australia Use MoFi search function for joys of. [thread # 10488] In general, a bird-watcher's paradise -- greatest variety of wild parrots to be found anywhere in the world.
• Prague.
• If I could go anywhere for Christmas it'd be the southeast coast of Hawaii's big island. The weather is always perfect in Hawaii, even when it rains. The big island is the one with most local flavour, and the southern part of the island seems to be a favourite with hippies. Although Prague would be nice too.
• If I could just throw everything away right now, and go anywhere, I'd fly to London, pick up a certain person there (extraordinary-rendition style, if necessary), then retreat to Japan. And never leave. *sigh*
• It might seem like an odd choice un the winter but Iceland has a lot to recommend it.
• Go to Vienna. Fantastic town around Christmas. The art museum downtown is breathtakingly beautiful, and that's the just entrance. The natural science museum across the plaza is pretty good. You can go see the grave of Beethoven and Brahms. Go see the uniform Arch Duke Ferdinand was wearing when shot. You can see where they cut him out. See the car he was riding in, all at the War History museum. There is an italian restaurant two streets down St. Stephensplatz that is open for your christmas eve dinner. Fantastic food. Went there twice in one day. Basically this. Sites to see? Very much checked if you like history. Easy to get around? Check, nice subway. Friendly people? Check. Very helpful if you didn't speak german and were polite about it.
• If I could, I'd be on a plane to London in a heartbeat, too, Flagpole. But I also have to second Vegas. If you're in the mood to throw off the shackles of reality, there's no place better in the world.
• (But International Blvd. in Orlando comes pretty close.)
• Throw dart at map of world, repeat until you hit land go where it lands.
• Throw dart at map of world, repeat until you hit land go where it lands. Unless, of course, the dart lands on your family's hometown.
• 1. go to your hometown, but don't tell anyone you know. 2. wear a disguise while you're there. fake glasses, mustache, beard, breast pads, the works. 3. ... 4. profit
• Holden Village is indeed a great place for a quite and relaxing time. plus they have a wood heated sauna.
• I just arrived at my folk's place, and I am envious of your resolve. Everytime I get together with the family I swear loudly it will be the last any of them see of me (which made my mom cry the last time), but here I am again. At least I get along with the cat... Oh, and btw, New York is unseasonably warm right now.
• If I had my druthers? Paris, encore et toujours.
• I just got back from Pisa. If I had a choice in the matter, I'd probably still be there.
• paris is also unseasonably warm tonight (~ 6 celsius, after several weeks of ~ 0/-1). bonne fetes a tous et a toutes. praise mothra.
• Hey, surlyboi, nice to hear from ya! Pretty warm here on the west coast, too.