Plus, Nov. would be a horrid tease to Jilly for missing the Halloween season.

Yes, yes it would. Halloween in Salem is one of the things I'd love to do. I WISH I could have arranged to do it this year, because it would tie into my favorite Ray Bradbury short story.

Yes, yes it would. Halloween in Salem is one of the things I'd love to do. I WISH I could have arranged to do it this year, because it would tie into my favorite Ray Bradbury short story.

Oh dear. I SERIOUSLY should have caveated that.

I wish the McWaringles were online at this point just to give an idea how disillusioning a Salem Halloween would be to you. Total tourist gawker and amateur drunken assholes. I make an effort to be elsewhere whenever Halloween is here - I always go an elsewhere, usually to Maine.

And it is possible for a non-local to plan the F2F, so long as there's a local willing to go and actually see the places in question.

Hell, Erin did Evansville/Chicago totally blind and we only had former localista P-Moon as her guide dog iirc.

I think its worth considering if there is a city we'd really dig. If the hotel isn't the best EVAR its just a weekend and will provide anecdote fodder for years to come.

[Jersey Shore] Transportation would be an issue (ditto for any non-city location), but if we book early enough I bet there are good deals out there.

(Hey Trudy! Help me out here before I have to start talking completely out of my ass!)

WOOF!

New Jersey Transit connects Newark Airport to a fair chunk of the Shore with no muss or fuss. And the train stations are walking distance from the beach and its various amusements.

I would love a shore F2F.

Asbury Park would be fantastic as even in the off-season its hoppin. There are quaint shops due to the much-beloved Gay renaissance, live music from the yet-again revived music scene (The Stone Pony is just the tip of the iceberg) anda couple of dance clubs as well. There are a couple of nicer restaurants. And there is a pinball museum.

Ocean Grove (which is likely one of the last dry towns in the north east) is across the canal and full of lovely houses and more shops and restaurants and an easy quiet place to stay for the more family- or tranquilit- oriented 'ffistas to stay.

And off-season hotels can be a steal. The Berkely-Carteret [link] in AP is beautiful and can be a hundred bucks a night in the off-season. The Empress [link] [link] is similar. Both are a five dollar cab from the train.

There are other shore spots as well, but AP (particularly in the off season) is the one I know best.

With cars Atlantic City is reachable. The train situation is not as great unless the extension will have gone through by then.

Here is the information on the Atlantic City Train. [link]

Or, you know, house or cottage rentals. [link]

Is Summer considered "off season" on the Jersey shore?

Season is, more or less, Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Lots of good ideas out there.

• Savanah would be very cool, except the humidity thing. Very nice city.

• Lancaster County, PA has Hershey! Choco factories, beautiful gardens, theme park, Amish, outlet malls, tours of Three Mile Island, and my Alma Mater. Close to Harrisburg for airport. But not many direct flights.

• Richmond VA would be cool to visit my brother. That's all I know about there.

• Orlando would be cool to be near my sister.

• awhile back, I mentioned a friend who knew something about group rates on condo rentals. A couple hundred for a week! (not per day). 2-3 bedrooms reduces price more, if folks are hip to sharing a condo. Prom & HS would be the question. I'm not positive on that vague info, but is this something we would want to explore??

Orlando has plenty to do and deals to be made for rooms. Time share condos are easy to find cheap too. The problem is the temperature at the time of year for the F2F. Average daily high temp in May is 88F. It is a winter destination.

The problem is the temperature at the time of year for the F2F. Average daily high temp in May is 88F. It is a winter destination.

Yeah, I've done Florida in the summer, because we were using summer vacation to visit my dad's family. I do not recommend it for anyone who doesn't love both heat and humidity. For those who do not get along well with summer heat of any kind, it would be not of the good.