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Spoosner

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Spoosner

  1. https://bennyslakewood.us/
  2. Last thing on the garage parking, it goes on a 24 hour cycle. So if you park at 12 PM on Friday, and then leave at 1 PM on Sunday, you'll be charged for 3 days (there might be a small grace period, but not much).
  3. If he's flying out of Love, an Uber from downtown should be more like $15 each way (I would only expect the prices you quoted for rush hour, and even then they seem high). I've never used SpotHero, but a 15 min shuttle is too long. It takes 15 minutes to get from Downtown to Love, so I'm not sure what Hilton it's referring to. All that to say I'd Uber or park in Garage B. Anything else and you're making one of the most convenient airports...less convenient.
  4. Just got back from our trip. Overall it was great. Scenery is stunning, the gondola access from the Marriott Grand Residences was as advertised, walking distance to casinos was cool (we only went once), had great snow, and lift lines were not too bad Saturday and basically non-existent Sunday and Monday. I liked that it felt a bit more like a town than just a tourist ski village, if that makes any sense. First night we went to Azul out of convenience. Was described as California Fresh Mex, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Food was good, nothing great. I had a jalapeno marg that had a nice spice kick, but seemed very weak in the tequila department. Primo the second night. We got there real early (5 PM) as that was the only time they could seat our party (6 and a baby). We were the only people there so got great attention from the staff from the start, and it continued even when they started to fill up. Starters were nothing special (spinach stuffed mushrooms, sauteed shrimp and calamari, wedge and caesar salads), but the pastas were fantastic. We got rigatoni with vodka sauce (not nearly as creamy as traditional), bolognese that was on special, veal picatta, and chicken parm (my favorite of the bunch). I will caveat that we were all starving after a full day on the slopes, so that always helps. Naked Fish the 3rd night. I thought the food was very good, but the setting was a little cramped for our party. Service started off good, but then tailed off. Still an enjoyable meal. Last dinner was at Artemis Lakefront Cafe (Mediterranean). Enjoyed all the food and a nice Greek white wine. They advertise lake views, but you would really only have those if you sit outside which obviously was a bit on the chilly side. Would recommend for a casual dinner if Med sounds good. I thought the skiing was good. Helped that the snow was pretty great. The lifts/runs were pretty short. Felt like you had to ride 2 lifts and then ski all the way down to have a decently long run. Really enjoyed my time in the trees.
  5. 1912 here, and it's our first house. Second the thorough inspection. Don't know where you're looking, but if it's Dallas I've got a guy. My wife is interior designer so she oversaw a decent amount of work before we moved in, but it was mostly cosmetic. Our only real structural change was knocking down a wall between kitchen and formal dining, and it went very smoothly. Foundation (pier and beam) has been the main thing we've had to keep our eye on. Did some work in the beginning, and I've gone under the house a time or 2 to make sure the shims were still looking solid. Have still had some cracks develop, but nothing major. All that to say I love our house, neighborhood, and location. Very happy with our decision, which came with some apprehension based on warnings from older folks.
  6. I don't know what the Gunter is trying to charge you, but it is not worth "bucking up" anything. I frequent SA for work, and that is the team's last resort when staying downtown. Dated rooms, dirty bathrooms, restaurant always dead. Doubletree Emily Morgan, Hyatt Regency, Westin, and Hilton Palacio Del Rio are all better for similar prices (depending on dates). Agree with the La Cantera recs. If you are interested in something in between those areas the Omni at the Collonade is not a bad hotel. Helpful hint I've heard, if you call and tell them you work for the large insurance company across the freeway you might get a nice rate. If looking for budget near downtown, the Hyatt Place isn't that bad. You're close to Southtown, which is a cool area. Maverick and Battalion are great dinner spots.
  7. Spoosner

    Dallas | BBQ

    Sounds cool. What does the $25 get you? Ability to buy beer and listen to live music? Any food? I understand it's for a good cause, just asking the questions I know I'll get from the wife when I bring it up.
  8. I just did as well. Thanks for posting your statements from last year. Was able to compare to mine, which made it pretty clear I would've saved $10-30 per month using griddy. Really liked that they handle cancellation/switch over from Reliant. This is my first ever electricity provider switch, so I don't know if that's normal.
  9. This is part of the reason I was targeting the dates. Read that it's decent Fall type weather, less crowded from a tourist standpoint, and cheaper. That being said, I would not want the negatives to outweigh those positives. Could probably move a month earlier, will have to look at flights.
  10. I'm looking to book a trip for the wife and I. Preliminarily looking at something like May 22 - June 2, so we would likely have 10-11 nights. Things I'm interested in: Buenos Aires Cordoba Food and Wine Patagonia Iguazu Falls We typically aim for 2-3 nights in each location, which means we can't really do it all. What itinerary would you suggest with the time we have? I could maybe stretch the trip another day or so, but not more than that.
  11. Damn. Ladies can be annoying, but multiple blows to their faces? 😦 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xRNylT-c3c&feature=youtu.be
  12. Don't know if this is too late. I took the train from Sydney to Katoomba. You can take a train from the airport to the central rail station, and then catch the train to Blue Mountains. I stayed in Katoomba at the Blue Mountains Backpacker Hostel because as I was by myself and figured I'd socialize. It was nothing fancy, but the location was perfect. I walked directly into the park the next day, and the Three Sisters is pretty much the first thing you see. I hiked all throughout the park and into Leura, and then actually played 9 holes at Leura Golf Club. Brings back fond memories of a fantastic day. Went to an Irish pub with live music one of the nights. Harp and Fiddle I believe. Good times. That's all I've got as I think my meals were pretty plain. If you get out there early enough, you can certainly have a full day of hiking and still get back to Sydney in time for dinner.
  13. Thirded. Got a 12" pan for our wedding 3.5 years ago. Non-stick is still perfect, cleans super easy, can go in oven, great heat distribution, etc.
  14. If you're going by bus, Vonlane is badass. In addition to what you mentioned, they have decent snacks, noise cancelling headphones you can borrow, laptop "desks" that attach to your chair, and easily the best mobile bathroom you've ever seen. There's a stewardess that serves you all these things, and you can also purchase beer/wine/mixed drinks for $5 a pop. That being said, the price is obviously quite a bit higher than the next best alternative, which is Megabus. When Megabus was new (10 years ago), the clientele was much better than a Greyhound for the simple fact that you have to purchase your ticket ahead of time via the interwebs. As the word has spread, it is now more of the crowd you'd expect to be riding the bus, but definitely still WAY better than Greyhound.
  15. We stayed at the La Quinta right outside of Zion. Was actually pretty nice, and we enjoyed the pool/hot tub. Walking distance to restaurants and super close to the park entrance. I wasn't paying, but I'm pretty sure it was quite reasonable. Did the Angel's Landing hike. It was awesome, but certainly not for the faint of heart or anybody scared of heights. Sheer cliff drop-offs. Luckily (I guess) it was a little rainy and cold the day we did it, so it wasn't crowded. I couldn't imagine having to hike/climb around a ton of people on a busy day, which I've heard can be the case. We couldn't do "the narrows" or "subway" hikes because the rivers were too high. We were only there a couple days and that was the only Utah park we went to, so that's all I've got. Antelope Canyon is worth the stop if you do decide to go to the Grand Canyon. You need a reservation. The hike through the canyon only takes about an hour.
  16. Only saw some quick mentions in the ski thread. We are going in early March. Staying at the Marriott Grand Residences, chosen by my FIL who is the footing the bill for lodging. Access to the gondola and being in the middle of town were most important to him. We are still able to cancel if somebody has a great rec with the same qualifications. All that to say, recs on best apres ski (drinks and food) and dinner spots? That's pretty much all I'm looking for since we'll be skiing the rest of the time. Thanks
  17. Spoosner

    Dallas | Italian

    Booked Fachini for the wife's bday on the 28th. We've been to Sprezza and really liked it. Excited to try its New York counterpart.
  18. Spoosner

    Dallas | Italian

    I think you interpreted his post incorrectly. That or I'm missing your sarcasm.
  19. This. Well put.
  20. Anybody looking to sell 2 for Saturday?
  21. Anybody smoked a turkey on theirs? (I have the exact same vision setup as above) Recipes? Lessons learned?
  22. Spoosner

    Tokyo

    Be aware that apparently the Tsukiji fish market has closed. I'm not sure what that means for all the food stalls around. Lots of good suggestions here. We loved Osaka as well (pretty much just for the food), but don't know if you have time or are interested in bouncing around. Unfortunately it's not baseball season, but maybe a sumo match? I wanted to check one out, but schedules didn't align.
  23. Having people over for dinner on Friday before the sooner bashing. Wife wants to serve an orange cocktail. Anybody have a recipe for a good one? Something not loaded with sugar would be best. Found this: 1 oz UV Orange Vodka 3/4 oz Curacao (NOT BLUE) 2 oz Orange Juice 2 oz lemon lime soda Orange Slice Combine all ingredients except the soda in a shaker, shake and strain. Top off with lemon lime soda and garnish with the orange slice. But if I'm buying UV Orange Vodka, why not just mix it with soda and be done? Not to mention the sugar adds up in that one. Not trying to wake up with a hangover Saturday. Regardless, ou still sucks
  24. I know it's a long shot. Together preferred. Smaller sets still interested.
  25. I'm here a lot for work and put this list together from various sources. I have not been to all of them yet. As you can tell, we typically stay downtown. I really dig "Southtown" where Maverick and Battalion are, which were both very enjoyable meals. Biga on the Banks (nice American): https://biga.com/ Bella on the River (Mediterranean): http://www.bellaontheriver.com/ Bohanan's (nice Steak): https://www.bohanans.com/ Maverick: http://mavericktexas.com/ Mi Tierra (the landmark Mexican place I talked about with live mariachis): https://www.mitierracafe.com/ Acenar (good Mexican with some seafood options): http://www.acenar.com/ El Mirador (Mexican a little out of downtown): http://www.elmiradorrestaurant.com/ The Pearl has lots of restaurants, but I haven't eaten at any of them: http://atpearl.com/ Battalion (Italian): http://battalionsa.com/ Rebelle (Seafood): http://www.rebellesa.com/ Bohanan's is the best meal I've had here, just expect high end steakhouse prices. I'd like to go to more places on this list: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/san-antonio/best-restaurants-san-antonio#
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