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Penelope Witherspoon's Travel Thread


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Thursday, July 4th, I took my team to a dim sum lunch. After the long lunch, we headed to the Black Dog for more drinks, then it was to Brixton for Kurisu Omakase, what had been touted as one of London's best sushi restaurants. They have 8 seats, and it was absolutely outstanding. One of the best sushi experiences I've had in a long time.

 

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Monday, rain persisted.  We tooled around Oxford. We jumped on a hop on/hop off bus. Then we went to Blackwells to see the books. We popped into the King's Arms, visited Christchurch (a lot of the colleges were closed thanks to summary programs), and ended up doing a Thames cruise.  The cruise started and ended the The Folly, so what was where we had dinner.

 

 

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Tuesday, we flew home. I had flown First Class on BA for this trip as they gave me the option to upgrade from business for about 600 each way. I was in seat 1A. Fun fact, Kate Hudson was in seat 1K. 

The last time I had flown first on BA from London to NYC was back in April. I was in seat 2K. Lewis Hamilton was in seat 1K. So, some interesting people in the first class cabin from London to NYC.

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I have also decided to blow up all my plans for this year.  The only travel I will be doing is for work (probably two more trips across the pond), and I am going to stay in the UK for one of them (maybe go back to Oxford, hit up Cambridge or go futher in to the British Countryside to get some R&R, but the other, I might just do a weekend in Germany (one of my German colleagues has been after me to come to Hamburg...I do not think that is a bad idea, but I have to do the business case right).

So, now, doing two larger trips in 2025 and 2026.  

For 2025, Spring will be Venice/Imola (for the race)/Emilia Romagna.  Fall (Late October/Early November) will be Marrakech.  I still might have some time to play with, and if things go according to plan at work, will be traveling some to South America.  If so, might add on Buenos Aires, which is a place I have always wanted to go.

For 2026, am thinking a combo of Japan and Paris, each for 2 weeks.  Yes, I know I have been to Paris a lot, but now that I can just wander, it is an even better city. 

 

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  • 3 months later...
22 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Have pivoted a bit on the latter half of 2025 travel, from Morocco to Turkey. Was also contemplating India, but that’s a bigger trip with a lot more planning I think.

I love Turkey. I'd go back to Istanbul in a heartbeat. A great city. 

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On 10/20/2024 at 10:38 AM, Mo Horn said:

I love Turkey. I'd go back to Istanbul in a heartbeat. A great city. 

So, if I were to do Turkey, 2 to 2.5 weeks should be enough, yeah?  Generally, when I am doing a big trip, I fly on a Thursday, and come back two weeks later on Sunday.  So it gives me 16 nights.  Was thinking about doing this the first half of October 2025.  

I know I want to spend 3-4 nights in Istanbul and 2-3 nights in Cappadocia. 

Must sees for me include Ephesus and Pamukkale. I also like the idea of hanging out along the coast (Izmir and Bodrum), but there is just a wealth of choices.  

Anyone have any specific recommendations?  

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27 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

So, if I were to do Turkey, 2 to 2.5 weeks should be enough, yeah?  Generally, when I am doing a big trip, I fly on a Thursday, and come back two weeks later on Sunday.  So it gives me 16 nights.  Was thinking about doing this the first half of October 2025.  

I know I want to spend 3-4 nights in Istanbul and 2-3 nights in Cappadocia. 

Must sees for me include Ephesus and Pamukkale. I also like the idea of hanging out along the coast (Izmir and Bodrum), but there is just a wealth of choices.  

Anyone have any specific recommendations?  

I visited Istanbul on a cruise. One day was an excursion and one day was on our own. Enough to know I'd love to go back for at least 4 days. There is great energy in the city. We had another stop where we visited Ephesus and loved it, and also wanted to spend more time there. Sadly I don't have any recommendations to give since we didn't spend more time in country. Hopefully others do.  But just those short stays made me want to go back. 

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On 10/21/2024 at 10:19 AM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

So, if I were to do Turkey, 2 to 2.5 weeks should be enough, yeah?  Generally, when I am doing a big trip, I fly on a Thursday, and come back two weeks later on Sunday.  So it gives me 16 nights.  Was thinking about doing this the first half of October 2025.  

I know I want to spend 3-4 nights in Istanbul and 2-3 nights in Cappadocia. 

Must sees for me include Ephesus and Pamukkale. I also like the idea of hanging out along the coast (Izmir and Bodrum), but there is just a wealth of choices.  

Anyone have any specific recommendations?  

if you were to go to troy you could see this

Troy of Turkey

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Any surlists ever have to request to be moved to another seat because of a ‘passenger of size’ sitting next to them?

Had a dude that was at least 4 bills and about 6’4” on our flight this morning. He had an aisle seat and he had 2 buddies with him, so there were no issues. Everything was cool. 
 

I was sitting on aisle seat across from him and he wasn’t bothing me, but (maybe) because I am smaller, everyone was bumping the shit out of me while boarding.  My wife asked what I would have done if I was in the middle seat on his side.  I didn’t know the answer.  Dude was polite and not gross/ nasty-  just fucking huge.  He had this harness that attached the headrest that also had blackout sleep mask on it.  His buddies were wearing his ass out about his giant melon falling over while sleeping.  It was funny.  
 

What is Penelope or any other surly traveler doing if they are in the adjacent middle seat to the huge mofo?

 

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44 minutes ago, Iceman said:

Any surlists ever have to request to be moved to another seat because of a ‘passenger of size’ sitting next to them?

Had a dude that was at least 4 bills and about 6’4” on our flight this morning. He had an aisle seat and he had 2 buddies with him, so there were no issues. Everything was cool. 
 

I was sitting on aisle seat across from him and he wasn’t bothing me, but (maybe) because I am smaller, everyone was bumping the shit out of me while boarding.  My wife asked what I would have done if I was in the middle seat on his side.  I didn’t know the answer.  Dude was polite and not gross/ nasty-  just fucking huge.  He had this harness that attached the headrest that also had blackout sleep mask on it.  His buddies were wearing his ass out about his giant melon falling over while sleeping.  It was funny.  
 

What is Penelope or any other surly traveler doing if they are in the adjacent middle seat to the huge mofo?

 

1. Wrong thread.

2. Be less poor and don’t fly in the back of the plane.

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5 hours ago, Iceman said:


 

What is Penelope or any other surly traveler doing if they are in the adjacent middle seat to the huge mofo?

 

I have flown domestic 3 times in the last 5 years (I mainly fly international, and I almost always fly business.  I can count 1 flight where I flew premium economy in the last 5 years and it was a day flight to London).  Of those 6 individual flights, half were in First Class/Lay Flats (NYC to LAX and back). The others, I had the aisle in economy plus/extra leg room seats.  But when I used to fly a lot for work, and I could not sit in first class, my status assured me I never had a middle seat.  I always book my seat, and I always pick aisle. If you have to pay, do it. Being comfortable on a 3 hour flight is worth $100.

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  • 2 months later...

Ok, have spent some time this weekend making plans. I had rolled over effectively all my vacation from last year, but will not be able to take 8 weeks off.  So planning on taking about 4-5 weeks, though given everything going on at work, will be lucky if I do not have to work while traveling.  

Plans through end of August are finally starting to take shape, with ideas for the last 4 months of the year.  

I am travling for work to London March 30 through April 11 for a myriad of reasons.  My plan is to take the Eurostar to Paris the afternoon of April 11th (Friday), and be in Paris, until about noon on Tuesday, April 15th. I booked an apartment in the 2nd Arrondissement for this trip as with the Marathon on the 13th, hotels are much more expensive than they usually are for early April.  I will head out to Blois, and I have booked Fleur de Loire for three nights.  I will return to NYC on Friday, April 18th.

April 11th Train to Paris from London; Dinner somehwere.  Probably Le Truffaut in the 17th.

April 12th Lunch at Coretta in the 17th and Dinner at Kubri (already booked) in the 11th

April 13th Morning at the Louvre for the fashion exhibit (booked entry for 9, and will watch some of the Marathon before that). Lunch at Sushi B in the 2nd, with dinner at Amalia in the 11th.

April 14th Last full day in Paris; Lunch at MoSuke (had to change as the dinners were already full up) and dinner at Cafe des Ministeres in the 7th.

April 15th Train to Blois. Might go in the AM so I can have a full day in the Loire on this day.

April 16th Still planning

April 17th Still planning - Dinner at Christopher Hay that evening.

April 18th Fly back to NYC (most likely from Paris)

My must dos for the Loire are to at least see Chambord, Blois, and Amboise (the chateaus) and potentially visit Orleans (that is lower on the list).  Chambord and Amboise are easy bike rides from Blois, so seriously thinking about renting an e-Bike and doing it that way (can ride along the river). There are also a lot of wineries in that region to visit, so might give Orleans a skip and focus on the countrysides.

So that wraps up that little jaunt. This is, thankfully, all cancellable if work goes sideways, but hopefully, this is all going to work out nicely. 

My big vacation for this year is slotted for May.  I am supposed to head to Italy for just over two weeks in May. This trip, I will fly out on the 8th (most likely taking the day flight to London and overnighting at Heathrow), then will fly into either Venice on Bologna on Friday, May 9th.  Will stay in Ferarra May 9th to the 15th. Then Bologna from the 15th to the 19th. Then at the St. Regis in Venice from the 19th to the 26th (will fly back on the 26th).

May 8 Day flight to London - Overnight at Heathrow

May 9 Fly into Italy - Stay in Ferarra

May 10 Stay in Ferrara

May 11 Stay in Ferrara

May 12 Stay in Ferrara

May 13 Stay in Ferrara

May 14 My friend arrives for the Bologna leg (she is flying into Bologna); Stay in Ferrara

May 15 Spending the day in Maranello doing all things Ferrari (including lunch at Cavallino). Staying in Bologna.  We are on the wait list for Osteria Francescana

May 16 Race Practice sessions at Imola; Wait list at Osteria Francescana; Stay in Bologna

May 17 Imola Qualifying; Stay in Bologna

May 18 Imola F1 Race - Stay in Bologna

May 19 My friend heads back to the states; I head to Venice where I have a 4 PM Mask Workshop and plan on dinnner at La Zucca

May 20 Venice

May 21 Venice

May 22 Heading to Murano in the AM to do a private glass blowing workshop. Get to design a piece and keep it.  Venice.

May 23 Get to go out to Venissa on Mazzorbo for a wine tasking and lunch at their restaurant. Then that evening, doing an after hour tour of St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace. Going to try and squeeze in to Osteria alle Testiere.  They do not take reservations for 1, but people told me they will allow 1 person to squeeze into a table where they have room. We shall see. This restuarant is apparently a must visit in Venice.

May 24 That afternoon, taking in Attila @ La Fenice and have dinner booked at Antiche Carampane

May 25 Dinner @ Al Covo.

May 26 - Fly back to NYC.

This trip is stil being fleshed out. I know I want to spend a day in Ravenna with the Mosaics, a day in Verona, and a day in Modena. I have a number of places in the countryside I want to check out, like the place that Bourdain and Michael White visited for culatello (Antica Corte Pallavicina), and cheesemakers and wineries. I am renting a car for the first part of this trip in Ferarra. Might keep it while in Bologna, but maybe not. Our condo has parking, but I can imagine driving in Bologna is a shitshow. The Imola race is going to be a blast.  If anyone here works for Oracle, it would be great if you could hook us up with Paddock Passes.  I am loathe to pay for them (8k for the weekend per person), but my company spends a shit load of money through Oracle, so you could justify it that way (worth a shot).

Once I am back from that trip, my friend who is getting married in London in August is going to be in NYC the following weekend, so I am going shopping with a gaggle of women for dresses.  Then in July is her hen weekend.  We are going to Taormina.  I am planning on being in London for work the week before, then will fly into Catania on Friday AM (there is an 8AM flight out of Gatwick). Then we come to London at noon on Monday.  I will most likely fly back to NYC that evening. Then the wedding is in London on the 9th. My aunt who lives in LA (which some of you met at the Texas game out at USC), is most likely coming with me.  The plan is for her to fly to NYC, visit me for a day or two, then we head out to London on the 1st.  We are either (1) going to the English Countryside for 5 days...thinking Cotswolds or (2) heading somehere else for 5 days....Scandinavia potentially then staying out in Greenwich Thursday through Sunday for the wedding.  There is an afters party for the wedding out in Chiselhurst on Sunday, and I think my friend booked me into the pub where that is for Sunday night (it is a really nice hotel actually). Then I think we will fly back to NYC on Monday evening (gives us time to recover).

That is through the end of August. Will most likely take two more trips for work to London in late September and mid December (though could have more if things go nuts). I am thinking about going to Marrakech for Christmas, but that is still up in the air. Could also go to the countryside for Christmas with Harvey in upstate New York, or potentially take a road trip down to Virginia, North Carolina, or Tennessee.  All of this is still up in the air at the moment.

Edited by PenelopeWitherspoon
Slight edits to the plan.
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This new play opens on the West End tomorrow and will be going while you're there. I only mention it because I love Nicola Walker, the other actors are well-known and excellent, and the subject matter is definitely provocative. 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/feb/03/unicorn-explicit-throuple-nicola-walker-stephen-mangan-erin-doherty

 

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