PorscheGuy

Driving in from Waco. Sounds like Lexus parking is way to go. Don’t want to add another element with dart and still have to to get back an hour and a half south. Appreciate the suggestions.

Heading to the Mavs game tomorrow night and need recommendations for parking. I'll have two kids and my FIL with me, so I would prefer to park as close as possible. Do I bite the bullet and get reserved parking (lexus garage/ blue lot) through a reseller, or are there other better options available? Thanks in advance.

Just noticed you double posted. so I am copying my reply to bump this to top I resisted the change for years. Kept my double bowl sink the first time we redid our kitchen. I remodeled our kitchen a year and a half ago with a big single bowl fire clay farm sink at the insistence of the wife. I have to admit, I love it. Fireclay is bullet proof in the kitchen. To me, it does not get beat up on the center divide from the handles of pots and pans. There is more room for large pans. And honestly, I rinse off a few things at a time and they go right into the dishwasher. I since added stainless steel single bowls sinks in the utility and outdoor kitchen and love those as well. FYI, If you are getting a new DW too, go with a Bosch. Best money you will spend. You really don't have to pre-wash anything and it will come out perfectly clean. So damn quite I cant tell it running. Let me know if you have any other specific questions, I was in the kitchen and bath remodeling industry of almost two decades and would be happy to give you honest feedback on any products you are looking at.

I resisted the change for years. Kept my double bowl sink the first time we redid our kitchen. I remodeled our kitchen a year and a half ago with a big single bowl fire clay farm sink at the insistence of the wife. I have to admit, I love it. To me, it does not get beat up on the center divide from the handles of pots and pans. There is more room for large pans. And honestly, I rinse off a few things at a time and they go right into the dishwasher. I since added stainless steel single bowls sinks in the utility and outdoor kitchen and love those as well. FYI, If you are getting a new DW too, go with a Bosch. Best money you will spend. You really don't have to pre-wash anything and it will come out perfectly clean. So damn quite I cant tell it running. Let me know if you have any other specific questions, I was in the kitchen and bath remodeling industry of almost two decades and would be happy to give you honest feedback on any products you are looking at.

You don't need a big car. Small car for sure. The hardest part is the crazy narrow streets. You should be fine, you get used to driving on the other side pretty quickly

Looking to head back for the Wife's Birthday (no Pics) next month. We usually say at the Aria. Like it for its location, vibe and we have never had a sub par experience in the times we have stayed there. Thinking about switching to the Wynn for a change up. I keep hearing and reading that its overly smokey and musty smelling these days compared to other spots on the strip. Might be a deal killer. Any thoughts on if it is bad as I am hearing? I know its Vegas, but if it is overtly bad comparatively speaking, then I would look to other properties.

French Leave resort. Eleuthera Bahamas. Amazing experience. cant go wrong with Ritz in caymans or any where in Caribbean.

Made that trip once with a 5 and 7.5 year old. The problem is not getting there in one piece, it’s getting back. I was able to drive straight there with a lunch stop in Baton Rouge. You are exhausted, sunburned, hungover and tired as shit from spending a week at the beach. It would be smarter to stop on the way back. On the way back was the hardest drive I will never make again. Stoping on the way back would be ideal.

2014 is may favorite. I still have a few that I keep holding onto. Might need to crack one soon. 2016 is a close second.

This is 100% correct.

You'll love the Thompson. Great hotel. Great location. Second for still doing the boat architecture tour. Gibson's for steak. Go early, hang out in the bar, check out the scene around the piano. its across street from Thompson RPM Italian is my can't miss. Especially for if you are just doing one special dinner. Spicy king crab squid ink pasta is amazing. Even if you get a 10 pm reservation, it worth it. You can do a Wrigley tour, Sky deck, Chicago Art museum, Silver Cloud is weirdly cool, walk or hang out around the lake. Have a drink on the 16th floor patio of Trump Tower. Great view of the river and downtown. Grab another drink at Signature Room bar on the 103rd floor. Even better view at night. Gilt bar is a cool spot. FYI, thought London House Roof patio was way over rated...

Have had a Weber for years and love it. Will be 4 years old soon and I use it 4 or 5 nights a week That being said, I went with Blaze for the outdoor kitchen that should be finished up next week. It checked all the important boxes in terms of price, options, capabilities, etc. I researched the hell out of almost everything on the market and picked Blaze over the Weber mainly because i did not like the look of the built-in webers (looks like the one I have, just without side burner and table) and because of lack of options for side burner configurations. Check out BBQguys.com. They have awesome package deals. I saved a ton of money on a set of drawers and doors, trash can pull out, trim kits and under counter fridge when I bought the grill and double side burner. Free next day delivery, no tax, good customer service. Also bought outdoor gas fireplace and a few other things as well. I did use my friends built in Blaze a few weeks ago and was seriously impressed, which made me a lot less nervous about the switch. I'll report back soon once it gets hooked up and I fire it up a few times.

This guy knows what he is talking about. Eleuthera is amazing. Its one of the further most eastern islands that has the Atlantic on one side and Caribbean on the other. It's not for everyone. No big party scene, no crowds, and 100's of miles of simple, clean pink sand beaches to explore. Glass Window Bridge (google it) is amazing. The most people we saw on any beach is maybe 10, often we were the only ones for hours. And yes, you rent a car from a local for the day ($80.00) and go explore. There is basically one road. Amazing place to completely unplug.

Would definitely recommend park hopper. You can easily blow through AK in 1/2 a day if you plan right. If you have a fast pass mid to late morning for flight of passage you can usually get two or three rides in on Everest first thing if you are there for rope drop. Everyone else will head to get in line at flight of passage. FYI. The other pandora ride kinda sucks.

Check out Reddwood in Yountville. Probably my personal favorite in Yountville. Kind of low key but everything is made from scratch and is perfect. It’s not the French Laundry, but what else is? Botega is really good too. Thomas Keller’s bakery is fantastic for grabbing breakfast and coffee. His bistro is not worth a damn in my opinion. Bouchon Bistro might have been the most disappointing meal I ever had. Out of all his restaurants, I surprised it’s still open. Look at Mustards or gotts roadside for lunch.

Bike Tour? Riding bicycles from vineyard to vineyard? No way in hell I would do that.

I need to give them another chance. I must have gone on a off night last time.

Agreed. This was planned out. The fork lift 200 yards away gave them the inspiration.

Waco restaurant scene is awful. I can count on one hand which ones I will eat. At least Waco BBQ options have stepped up in the last few years. There is no Italian worth a damn, tex mex is nothing special with Chuys being on the top of the list. Diamond backs has been steadily declining to the point I refuse to spend money there. 135 has actually stepped up and is the top of my list for date night. Georges will only be good for as long as Sammy hangs in there. Hell, even Ridgewood's is off my list now that the new chef is dishing out nothing but crap the last few months. God I miss the Northwood Inn.

My only issue with staying at AK is that it is so far from everything else. You are a 30 minute bus ride to everything else. If you are trying to max out your time there and get the most bang for your money, staying at the one of the hotels on the Monorail is key. You can walk to the front gates of MK faster then the monorail gets there from the Contemporary. The Grand Floridain is a very nice hotel that is a little more subdue and quiet compared to any other resort. Can't comment on the Polynesian, I have not stayed there and absolutely would prefer one of the other two monorail hotels. Bottom line, staying at one of these hotels has a huge built in advantage in my opinion. My personal preference is the Grand Floridian, it's expensive but you definitely get what you pay for. Plus, you can watch the fireworks from the dock with a cocktail at the end of the night. They even pipe in the music from MK so you get the entire experience without the crowd. February should be a good time to go. Weather should be awesome. Watch out for ride closures, they typically do repairs jan-feb because those are the two slower months. You should be able to find a list on line of what will be shut down. Also, I think one of the Disney Marathons is around that time which would add to the crowds more then normal for that time frame

Tips from our recent family trip to NYC. My kids are about the same age. We saw School of Rock, good show for kids/ family. If you or your family is not overly "in to Broadway" this would be a good option. Get a city pass before you go. You can do a little research and pick the one that allows you to see what is on your list and save a little. Top of the rock has better views then Empire. We did both. Do top of rock late at night. There are three levels and we were able to go to the very top with out paying extra. Again, awesome experience at night. Going to the Statue of liberty will kill 2/3 of a day, not really worth it in my opinion, YMMV. Central park is worth the time. My kids loved Dylan's Candy Bar, FAO Piano from Big, NBC studio tour, checking our trump tower, and Times square at night (hit up after a Broadway show) Natural History Museum is good, not great. The Met is awesome. We did not do the Aircraft carrier museum (forgot name) and regret it not doing it. Its a little out of the way. Game at Yankee Stadium is a must do We stayed at The Quin, one block south of Central Park near the Plaza and Trump hotels. Great location, and a large room for NYC standards. Would recommend if not using points for hotel. Food is going to cost you a fortune. I still get pissed thinking about what I spent. Prepare for $125-$175 lunches with no alcohol. Dinner can hit $200 fast. Joe's Shanghai for really good Chinese and is affordable. Found The Smith on our last morning. Great food, open Breakfast lunch and Dinner. Balthazar is fantastic and worth every penny. Was not impressed with ABC Kitchen- Start booking reservations ASAP for lunch and dinner. Download and set up Curb app. Lets you pay for cab through app. Cabs are generally easier then UBER/Lyft unless you are heading across town.

LOL Thanks Landomatic Guess that C- in English Lit will always haunt me

Went to Miriam's across from Clyde Warren for lunch yesterday and happy to report it was fantastic. Best Mole" sauce in Dallas in my opinion. It's decidedly Latin more then TexMex with some influences of MiCo and Mesero for sure. Great service. I never seen employees at a restaurant work as hard as these did. Very impressive. Will go back for sure

I agree with everything you mentioned. I would add the wheels take forever to clean as well. Good to know about replacing the glass issues. Overall, I have been less then thrilled to say the least about my last few experiences at the dealership's service department. Learned the hard way that when you get a flat, it has to be towed on a flat bed to the dealership, as there is no spare on the vehicle. Sucks when you live 2 hours away and it happens late on a weeknight. All the cost were covered. Thank goodness I signed up for wheel and tire coverage. Saved me over a grand. Also, I prepaid for maintenance when I purchased both of my Panameras. Which knocked it down to $1200.00. Overall happy with the car. When in hybrid mode, I'm getting 39.9 MPG, plus 31 miles on pure electric each day. Currently getting around 900 miles per tank of gas ($60.00). To me, the performance is insane with that kind of fuel economy. The thrust from the added electric torque (516 total max torque rating) puts a grin on your face when you press the little red "don't fuck with me" button on the steering wheel. I miss a little on the exhaust note compared to your V8, but it still has a nice rumble. What kind of MPG are you getting? How are the tires holding up overall?