seeking travel advice

[abka]

I'm heading off tomorrow for two weeks of travel and I'd like to know if you have any suggestions on things we should see. I'm spending the first week with my parents and cousins in Arizona. We're staying near Phoenix, but are spending a couple days in Tucson. (We'll have a rental car.)

Then D. and I are off to New Orleans. It will be our first trip there (or anywhere even vaguely "south"-like unless you count Texas or Florida which I really don't, they're separate things). Help educate the Yankees. (I guess that makes D. a Croatian Yankee?)

So do you have any places we must see? Things we must try? Restaurants we must eat at? Currently we have no firm plans. My parents like to plan when we get there and we will be relying on grumph for LA. All advice is appreciated :)


PS I would not recommend the potato-chip and oj diet as one that makes you feel better at the end of the day. (It also really abuses your gums.) Also digital cable has a lot of bizzare offerings some of which are quality (Heavenly Creatures was great) and some are more guilty pleasures (John Tucker Must Die was utterly predictable, and decently entertaining.) Today's random movies were strangely complimentary. Who knew that Clerks II and Ice Age II The Meltdown both told stories of friends, the search an appropriate love, and the rejection of a more ambitious path for one's comfort zone. Not to mention implied beastiality. Yeah, still haven't done the laundry or packed.

Comments

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Well, I will suggest that when you drive through New Mexico, be advised that you can get green chiles on almost *everything*, sometimes without being asked.

I'd suggest Organ Pipe, but that's a ways out of your way. The Petroglyph National Monument is near Albequerque, if you're head that way, and it's rather interesting. Carlsbad Caverns, if you have time for it, is amazing.

[abka.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I love green chiles, especially on eggs. We didn't get to Organ Pipe, but I visited Carlsbad Caverns last year and it is incredible. We also saw the Petroglyph National Monument on an earlier NM only trip.

[treewishes.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite vacation spots!! Here are my recs:

1. Arcosanti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcosanti) -- really, this is a must-see. You have to realize what it is (and isn't).

2. Taliesin West (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliesin_West). Beautiful; especially when you realize that he walked away from the place after they put in power lines and ruined his view.

3. Biosphere 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere2). I don't know if they give tours anymore of the engineering that went into this place, but even if not, it's worth seeing. A marvel.

[abka.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recs. We visited Arcosanti on a previous trip and found the disconnect between vision and reality facinating (plus watching bell casting was cool). I loved Taliesin West and Biosphere 2. We had excellent tour guides on each. Thanks so much!

[treewishes.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed. It sounds like a great trip.