I need a vacation, I need suggestions

[Woochifer]

Thanks for some great suggestions. You may be right for this mental health break going home to Quebec City may be the thing.

As I have been looking at Hotels I realized for just me I do not need the Chateau Frontenac or the Manoir Victoria. I spent most of my time taking my mother to Quebec and we stayed at very nice places and ate gourmet foods. I think I just want to stroll the streets and take pictures. Oh and I know where to drink.

I do not know why Quebec feels like home.

Sounds like you'd really rather go to Paris, and Quebec City (and Montreal) is as close as you can get in North America.

[neel424]

you should visit italy

[JohnMichael]

you should visit italy

I would love to see Venice.

[JohnMichael]

I was visiting my thread while deleting spam. I have to say I have been surprised at the increase in airfares. We used to fly to Quebec City for about $300 and now it would be $650. If I went back to Paris what I paid for flight and hotel is now what I would pay for the flight.

My vacation will be close enough for me to drive my fuel efficient car. Now I need to look for dog friendly hotels.

[texlle]

Memphis and Nashville sound like good suggestions if you're a music fanatic. I've never been but always wanted to go. I've heard they have some of the best BBQ, specifically Memphis. One good suggestion if you really want some scenic views....the Smokey Mountains in NC. Excellent opportunities for some landscape photography. My family and I vacationed in Jonas Ridge which is not far from Grandfather Mtn. and Blowing Rock, and only a few miles from the Blue Ridge Pkwy. We visited last year in the second week of October during the peak of the fall change and it was gorgeous. We used to vacation outside of Boone when I was younger during May and June which was a nice time to go. Minimal rainfall, temperatures in the 70's during the day. Wine and cheese country galore in some of the more upscale areas. In Asheville, you have the famed Biltmore estate known for their gardens and winery. Food, gas, and lodging will not break the bank either. Check it out, unless you're truly dead set on sticking to more heavily populated areas. Asheville is one of the larger cities in western NC. It's just a great area to get away, relax, and clear your mind. I'm not sure where in OH you are exactly, but google estimates travel time at 7 hr 35 mins from Columbus which is roughly how long it took us to get there from Jacksonville, FL.

[ForeverAutumn]

John, if you haven't made any decisions yet and you're looking for another good reason to visit Toronto, I think I've found it...unless, of course, you already saw this exhibit in its Paris home.

Picasso's art collection unveiled in Toronto display - Yahoo! News Canada

..Nearly 150 masterpieces from master modernist Pablo Picasso's personal collection are being prepped for a vast exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

When the Musée National Picasso in Paris — where the collection is usually on display — needed to close temporarily for renovations, it decided to send its treasured artwork on a rare, worldwide road trip.

The result is Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris.

The extensive show covers nearly every phase of the artist's long, diverse career and features notable pieces he saved for himself and for his family, including his studies for the iconic Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon), his Second World War-era sculptures and his famed self-portrait The Matador, which he painted three years prior to his death in 1973.

"Picasso's artistry was constantly evolving, and this particular collection offers our members and visitors a rare opportunity to experience the entire trajectory of his artistic achievement," AGO director Matthew Teitelbaum said in a statement.

The Toronto venue is the sole Canadian stop for the exhibit.

In conjunction with the Picasso display, AGO staffers have planned a host of related programming, including activities for children and a lecture by art historian and Picasso's granddaughter Diana Widmaier-Picasso.

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris opens to the public on May 1 and runs until Aug. 26.