Stephanie

I would have enjoyed this more if it wasn’t so crowded. As it was, I was just ready to get away from the place. I went in to see the crown jewels and got roped into this whole tourist maze. Not what I wanted out of my visit. I enjoyed some of the other castles much more, because we were practically alone visiting them. Craigmillar and Lauriston are just on the outskirts of Edinburgh and well worth a visit (unfortunately I did not get inside Lauriston), and you will have them entirely to yourself!

Edinburgh is a neat city, just avoid the insane tourist traps. There are some lovely places – Calton Hill, the top of the Museum of Scotland, and some really nice outlying spots in the surrounding villages.

Love it and can’t wait to go back. Pictures don’t do it justice, though you can’t take a bad picture in Scotland on a sunny day. What an amazing place. Saving my money to go back…

You still feel it there, mostly because it hasn’t changed all that much. Sure there are different buildings, and different people, different conditions all around… but the poverty is there, underlying it all. “When you ain’t got no money, you got the blues…”—part of some old blues song, can’t remember which

Do visit all the places mentioned, and also don’t miss the Shack Up Inn… if you are passing through, you gotta stay there.

For a group vacation, try Carpe Diem – it’s a great (luxury?) beach house 2 miles from the fort, on a beautiful stretch of white sand beach, in the Dunes subdivision, right across from the marina.

Between Labor Day and Thanksgiving is really the best time, in my opinion, because it’s not too hot, and often still warm enough to enjoy the sun and surf.

Fort Morgan is not a “party” beach – it’s more quiet than all that. The fort itself is an old historic Spanish-built fort that has been used to guard Mobile Bay for centuries. There is a ferry from the fort to Dauphin Island, if you want to do some additional exploring.

There’s a little something for everyone, if you know where to look. Everything from beaches to mountains, cities to countryside, rednecks, and city-slickers. It’s not perfect, but it’s home.

Keep an open mind. :)

In my experience, you spend more time trying to get somewhere in Atlanta than you actually spend doing things. It’s crowded and confusing and the traffic is horrendous. It’s like a suburb on steriods. There are some nice restaurants and cool things to do, but mostly it’s urban sprawl gone completely out of control. I prefer a city that keeps to the city, myself.

And there’s more streets named Peachtree than there are ways to cook shrimp. You have been warned.

I hate to say it’s not worth visiting, but it’s certainly not what it used to be, since the volcano. Still, I have a morbid curiousity to go stand on the pile of ash over where I once lived and played.

I lived in Montserrat for a year in the 80’s – a good 10 years before the volcano. It was beautiful and perfect then, and still is in my memory, although many of the places I remember are buried under several feet of ash.

I’d love to go back someday. So many memories…

I’ve lived in Birmingham since high school (15+ years), and while I don’t see it as a tourist destination myself, I will say: it’s certainly easy to live here, it’s not very expensive (comparatively), everything’s easy to get to (if you have a car), and most people are relatively nice.

Also, we’ve probably got THE best food/dining selection of any other city this size anywhere in the world. We have several five-star restaurants, and many, many different ethnic food restaurants to choose from, not to mention the down-home southern-fried stuff (fried green tomatoes and BBQ!). Just about anything you want to eat, we’ve got it (see Birmingham Menus for info). Some of my favorite places to eat (all in Southside, within walking distance of each other): Cosmo’s Pizza , Dreamland Ribs , Golden Temple (vegetarian), Taj India , Sakura, and Surin West (Thai). Though, if you really want to get your shrimp and grits on, you’ll have to go to Highlands Bar and Grill – it’s expensive, but great. (As far as I know, all of these restaurants are locally owned and operated.)

My favorite places to go in Birmingham are the Botanical Gardens , the Zoo (which is finally getting its act together), Southside (people watching! Eat at a restaurant with a patio!), and Downtown (walking tour of the old buildings and churches).

We have a few cool festivals here, too – City Stages being the most prominent. It’s like the New Orleans Jazz Fest, but held in downtown Birmingham around Linn Park.

Suggested places to stay: the Pickwick Hotel (southside), or the Tutwiler (downtown).

Feel free to email with questions. :)