I see DC is on the list, and so is Boston. Boston is a lot of fun...walk the freedom trail, see the Old North Church, Bunker Hill, USS Constitution, wander around Harvard and see the museums and the Coop. There's a science museum, and one of the most beautiful art museums...the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. See Quincy market, go to the top of the John Hancock building to see the view...the arboretum, the museum of fine arts. If you time it right, you can go to a free summer concert at the hatch shell. This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Thu, Jun 6, 13 at 16:45

Wow, NHB - that is one gorgeous view. We've seen our share of houses perched on mountain sides and that's not for us. I love the more rolling land with the distance views of the mountains. It's not all about the land, of course, it's also lifestyle, and we love the slightly off kilter, hippy aspect aspects of Asheville along with the great dining, outdoor activities, entertainment options, the variety of festivals in the area etc. Last year we went down there with friends for LoxFest which was a hoot! bgj your trips to Knoxville sound like ours to Asheville, looking for the area that fits and is far enough away for peace but still allows us to get there and enjoy the aspects we love. I do want to go to Oak Ridge, though, just to see it! I would prefer to find an existing home and remodel it like we did this one but we haven't seen anything worth putting the time and $$ into. Biggest issue for DH is he won't accept a block basement, it has to be poured so I imagine we'll build. that's another thing to freak out about. We want a smallish house on acreage and if the land is there the house is 3500 sq ft and up - way more than I want to deal with. ellendi I hear you on the need for medical care. Privacy vs isolation is the tricky part but DH and I are partners and neither one of us is going to play the martyr for the other. We'll find a balance or we'll move on. Bottom line is, when I'm happy, he's happy ;-) bpathome we're really neighbors, you know? Several friends live on the main drag east of town. You probably knew/know one or two. And do not get me started on the library! That is honestly one of the hardest things for me to leave - we have the BEST library. shee that fixture is from Sea Gull Lighting but it's old and certainly not current stock. I spray painted it with Rustoleum ORB paint years ago when the look of brass was totally passé.

Ah grapefruit - your daughters sound like mine. "Sitting on the beach" is a definitive statement and little else is included other the bare beach necessities of a blanket, sun block, a few good books, a cooler with ice and beverages, easy, simple meals and a bed ( and that's the least important). Maddielee - i've never been disappointed with Ritz Carlton's or Fairmont Hotels either no matter where they were. Diane NJ - The Jersey shore is only 60 miles from my home and we've never vacationed there. We've gone down for day trips and we've had long weekends in Cape May but we usually rent places in Duck or Corolla in NC. Avon is one of those quite shore towns that seems to escape notoriety. Funkyart - All good suggestions, we must frequent the same areas - my retirement bucket list is growing longer. It's been over 20 years since we were in Ithaca and it definitely deserves a return visit. We have spent a little time at the Eastern Shore because my brother keeps his boat there but we really on the water most of the time and not investigating the charming towns along the water. We lived in Philly when I worked for the Free Library and then moved to Bucks County . The New Hope- Lambertville area and little towns along the Delaware are favorite haunts for dining or shopping or for exotic ice cream at Gerensers . We cross over the river often to visit my brother in Doylestown or my jeweler in Yardley and my physicians are in Langhorne. We moved to the Jersey side of the Delaware so that our children could attend a specific public school and even though we've been here for 30 years DH and I both still feel like we belong back in PA. Aren't you near Lancaster? DH and I are both originally from the Pittsburgh area and DH's college was in the Laurel Highlands. You definitely should explore the area. My brothers and I used to fish and water ski on the Monongahela River and Cheat River, raft in the Yough, ski at Seven Springs and camp in Somerset County. We used to shoot clay pigeons near Nemacolin Woods which is a beautiful resort. Then there's Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knoll. It's funny you mentioned that you could get lost in Longwood Gardens. That's literally what happened to my son and future DIL on their way to their wedding. DH was driving them and they had arranged to meet the photographer before the ceremony at Loch Nairn. The photographer went one way and they went the other and they all arrived 45 minutes late for the ceremony. As for the Brandywine Battlefield- my 3rd Great Grandfather fought there in 1777 with the 6th Virginia Regiment and then spent the winter of 1777/78 with Washington at Valley Forge. I finally made it there last month to see the encampment. Our friend's herb farm (more like a large kitchen garden) is in Genesee, nearly to the New York border. It's a very small home business called Bear Mountain Herbs and they make herbal teas, baths, balms, salves etc. They only sell locally and their web site doesn't even offer online sales. PR is on short list for a winter getaway. We found a home to rent in Rincon for the entire family this past February - until my eldest son hit a patch of ice in Squaw Valley and ripped his knee to shreds over Christmas. ...Kids ...they never cease to surprise and astonish their parents. When dedtired returns I'll have to get her impression of Scotland too.

I'm in San Francisco on holiday and brought SWMBO to Cookin’, the amazing jumble of vintage French cookware on Divisadero St that I posted about at the start of this thread. The door was locked with a hand-lettered sign: "Knock", which I did. A man opened the door and explained the store is no longer open to the public but only admits "the trade". Before I could break down in tears he said he'd give us ten minutes in the shop. We entered and I said I was looking for a 25 mm carbon steel Sabatier chefs knife (yes, I like my first one so much I want another one). We wriggled through the forest of enamel pots, vintage advertisements, hanging racks, small appliances from the 1970s, cases and boxes and reached the glass case holding thousands of knives. He rummaged around a bit, and then went to fetch the owner Judy. She looked exactly as she had last time I was there, and we started talking about French knifemaking, blade profiles, her trips to France, and where the best markets were. I don't have any reason to think she recognized me. There are people you just click with right away and for me, she is one. She showed me a collection of vintage mochi molds and Japanese pastry branding irons, and we talked about her desire to find a collector or museum to keep this set intact. We went into the back room and she explained her plan to install a kitchen for cooking demonstrations. By now I'd been in the shop for a hour and I hesitantly asked if there was a way to become a "trade member" to have access to her shop in future. "No problem, I'll give you a card.". So a little later I left with a business card that signifies something that I'm not sure what, two 25 mm Sabatier knives, and various pots and forks that SWMBO, who had been talking with the man, had decided I should buy. Oh, and three recommendations for hole in the wall food joints in San Francisco that I promised to visit. I love shops and people like this. I hope Judy and Cookin' last forever.