It’s August. So, that means that nearly everyone is on vacation. Isn’t that how it works in Europe? We need that in the U.S.
I love to travel. Nearby or faraway: not quite the “anywhere but here” mentality, but more like a “fit it all in while I can” sort of thinking. I have seen much of the United States; my family moved about every three years when I was in elementary school, both in the east and the west, and north and south. It is easier to count the states that I have not been to – eleven – than the other way around. Of course, I hope to visit these remaining states someday soon.
And I have only been to one TWO other countries (I forgot to count that one day in Mexico – so TWO countries! oops, mis apologías) I need to visit more. I want to fill my passport with stamps stamps stamps. I am working on that one – maybe in 2008 when I finally finish school.
We try to take one big vacation a year, and a few small roadtrips in between. This year, we have been south (Alabama), north (New York), east (Maryland beach), and in November, we will go west (California). We will be in San Francisco for four days (one day we will be down in Monterey) and then up in Napa Valley for the remainder of the trip. I am so excited as I have only been to the SF airport en route to Hawaii, last fall. It is the perfect time for a getaway celebration too – two weeks after I take the comprehensive examinations for my MLS degree! 
If you have some CA travel tips (restaurants, museums, stores, etc.) please let me know! I should have some free days for lunch and knitting too if any Bay Area knitters are interested in a meetup!
… I am also putting together a little romantic get-away for our upcoming fifth anniversary this winter… Green Mountain state is at the top of the list. I talked to Megan (who recently moved from the NYC to VT) and it just looks like the perfect place for a long winter weekend…
I often look back through my vacation photos just to relive it all. There were quite a few neutral photographs in my albums…
North Shore, Oahu – October 2005
Avdat, Israel – June 2000
Qumran, Israel – July 2000 (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found!)
Ocean City, MD – June 2006
Have you been on your vacation yet? I would love to hear about it!
(In other words, help me satisfy my wanderlust with your stories!)
There are many things about European culture that I think we should adopt here. A full month of vacation is one of them! I’d also like a 30-hour workweek. And more pastries. Definitely more pastries.
Sometimes living in Lexington still feels like being on vacation. We never seem to run out of things to do here. Which is good, because we never seem to go anywhere! I’ve been itching to run off to Mexico for a couple of weeks. Sit on a beach, be lazy, read trashy novels. Ahhhhh….
The 4-story fabric store in San Francisco is Britex. On Geary near Stockton. A whole floor of remnants last time I was there! It’s about a 5 minute walk from ArtFibers, by the way.
What a lovely blog entry. Vacations sound wonderful. My sweetie and I are going up to Tomales Bay to eat oysters, ride our bike and knit. Well, I’ll be knitting at least. And then Mexico for our honeymoon in November.
SF has some wonderful knit shops all over the place. Imaginknit is a great one that shouldn’t be missed. And a lot of people also like Art Fibers. I know you are not buying yarn right now, but still such fun to check out the different stores and such.
Britex is wonderful, but a touch on the spendy side, but you must go to the buttons store. It’s the perfect place to buy buttons for any knitting you might be doing in the near future.
Speaking of buttons, there is this other store called General Bead, which has beautiful beads, but a great selection of unique buttons as well.
Sint Maarten for me next February! Orlando for Xmas! I love to travel.
I love seeing your pics of israel.
Hey Lolly!
We returned last week from 10 days in Alaska. The state is gorgeous, and DH and I fell in love with it. I have pictures on my blog at http://www.irishcloverknits.blogspot.com. Honestly, 10 days is not enough time in Alaska and we are already planning our next trip. Have fun in SF! If luck is with us, we’ll be traveling to CA before the end of the year. Oh, and FYI, if you go to Canada, you have to ask for a stamp in your passport. They don’t stamp it by default, or at least they didn’t in Vancouver.
I live way up the coast from SF, but visit there often. If you are staying in the Napa area, be sure to visit Calistoga. It is a quaint town with wine tasting and spas. I went there for a mud bath once. I was skeptical, but it was terrific. Helena is also a very sweet spot for wine-tasting. There’s even a train ride you can take — do the lunch run so you can see the countryside.
Just got back from Europe. And I know what you are saying about filling your passport with stamps. That is my goal! And in France … they didn’t stamp me. I was so mad afterward. I didn’t realize it until I had walked away from Customs. So all I got was a stinking stamp from Amsterdam … since I flew home out of Schipol. Not one stamo from a country I visited on this trip. BOO!