930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: Vas Deferens on October 18, 2007, 11:28:00 pm
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I'm going to Italy in 3 weeks (10 days). I need some good recommendations on cities to visit. So far I only have Florence and Rome on my list. What other cities should I visit? What cities should I avoid? Thanks.
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In Tuscany Sienna is nice. I don't think you need to spend more than a day in Florence, but make sure to visit the boboli garden there (other than that and the Duomo I think it's a pretty boring city). Montalcino and Montepulciano are other good Tuscany destinations (small towns on hills...you could get tired of these after a while but the wine and food is always good). Venice can be amazing if you cross the bridge right out of the train station and then cut through town the back way and go around near the university (visit san marco but don't make a b-line for it).
You need at least 4 or 5 days in and around Rome in my opinion. There is so much to see (and eat) and you want to take you're time and enjoy it. My favorites are Trastevere and around the Pantheon (plus Villa Borghese). Pay for a good tour of the forum...it's worth it. And get up on the Janiculum for a nice view of the city.
I've never been to the Amalfi coast, Naples, or Sicily so don't know what to recommend in those places. I think the north in the Italian alps could be cool, too.
The most important thing is finding good places to eat. That's the best part of Italy. Plus everywhere you turn is a ruin of some sort.
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Oh. Now that I re-read your post I see you only have 10 days (I thought 3 weeks). I'd say 3-4 days in Rome (4 if one is the day you arrive on your flight), 2-3 days somewhere in tuscany, then pick pompeii (south of rome) or venice.
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Venice. Hands down one of the best cities I've ever been to.
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I just got back from Italy a few days ago. Rome is a must, but I've heard amazing things about La Cinque Terra, so I would look into that.
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Amalfi coast, definitely.
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Yeah, my neighbor was telling me something about La Cinque Terra that she's see in pictures...
http://www.evergreen.loyola.edu/~slenzo/cinque_terra1.htm (http://www.evergreen.loyola.edu/~slenzo/cinque_terra1.htm)
Originally posted by bizou311®:
I just got back from Italy a few days ago. Rome is a must, but I've heard amazing things about La Cinque Terra, so I would look into that.
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Second for Venice. One of my favorite cities in Europe.
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i didn't care for milan.
love love loved florence.
if you are in rome, you need to go to the forum and go to the top top garden tier. it's heaven.
seriously.
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Say hi to my mime friend in Siena.
Definitely the Amalfi Coast. Beautiful. Take the bus ride that winds along the coastline. I'd skip Rome. Too crowded and congested and bustling. Not relaxing for a vacation at all. But I guess you're probably flying into Rome. Florence is great, especially when not in the summer time. Venice is overrated, but worth a day or two. Bologna is a cool university city. The day I was there, I got caught up in the middle of a communist party rally. Never been to Cinque Terre, but would like to. The Italian Dolomites are incredible, we nearly died there on out honeymoon.
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third for venice...totally tourist-y but the gondola ride was fun :p
i thought pompeii was very interesting...the tour was pretty good, but i think that all depends if you get a good tour guide. mine was pretty funny and liked to point out all the brothels
man now i want to go to italy!!! definitely EAT a lot...mmm tiramisu...
have a great time!
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Skip the Gondola ride and take the water taxi. Cheaper.
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Originally posted by angelml:
third for venice...totally tourist-y but the gondola ride was fun :p
i thought pompeii was very interesting...the tour was pretty good, but i think that all depends if you get a good tour guide. mine was pretty funny and liked to point out all the brothels
man now i want to go to italy!!! definitely EAT a lot...mmm tiramisu...
have a great time!
Pompeii is good but Herculaneum is better. Buried around the same time, its is better preserved and unbelievable. Every see the Getty Villa out in LA? Based on this area.
I said maybe take a day trip to Sorrento/Capri. Lots of beautiful walking, you can take the tram up to Ana Capri and have a magnificent view. Very relaxing and extraordinarily beautiful.
I agree with the four or five days in Rome bit. I spent almost a week there three years ago and it was the right amount of time.
I'll see if I can dig up my itineraries. . . I spent ten days in Sicily this past spring with friends and it was a great time, I highly recommend making the trip. The best way to do it, if you're not planning on making stops in cities on the way down the coast, is the night ferry from Naples. Get on, pop a Tylenol PM, wake up in Sicilia.
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Italian Dolomite is my favorite wop-splotation movie.
Ditto on every other suggestion given. The only place I went that I'd skip was Milan. Friends wanted to check it out, and it's absolutely no different than any other city in the states. Also, if you can fit it in, see Pisa...it takes literally 30 minutes. Just jump off one train, take some pics, and split.
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
Italian Dolomites are incredible, we nearly died there on out honeymoon.
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My wife and I went to Italy at this time last year, also for 10 days. Had a fine time with Sorrento as the base camp for the Amalfi coast. Stayed in an excellent hotel there called Hotel Minerva http://www.hotelminervasorrento.com/. (http://www.hotelminervasorrento.com/.) Defintely do the ferry ride out to Capri, and take the Circumvesuviana train up to Pompeii and Herculeneum. You can catch a crowded bus to Positano, and Amalfi beyond that. Hairy, scary ride but beautiful towns. We went up to Umbria after that (NE of Rome) stayed a couple days in Orvieto, a very cool hill city. Took an unforgettable day trip to a beautiful hill town called Civita ... like something out of "Lord of the Rings". And spent 4 days in Rome ... so much to see: check out the Forum, of course, as well as Circus Maximus, also the Appia Antica http://www.parcoappiaantica.org/, (http://www.parcoappiaantica.org/,) and the Cat Sanctuary at Torre Argentina http://www.romancats.com/. (http://www.romancats.com/.) You can repeat our trip! Have a great time. And eat lots of pasta, pizza, fish, and try the wild boar (if you're a carnivore).
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Italy is pretty much my second home. Definitely don't skip Rome. To outsiders, Rome might seem dirty and congested, but it's over 2,000 years old. It's a magical place and this time of year it won't be too overcrowded. Most tourists make the mistake of going in summer when it's just insane.
Florence is pretty wonderful too, but people forget the natural beauty of Italy. Don't try to do everything at once in one trip. There is just too much to see. 3 places for 10 days is great. You can go to Pompeii in a day from Rome, and that is well worth seeing. Hell, you can even do a tour group which is what I did last year, and it was fantastic.
If you are able, take a couple of days to see the Amalfi Coast. This time of year is gorgeous. Ravello, Positano, Maiori, Minori, etc. are gorgeous. Take a day trip over to Capri or Ischia by boat, or a drive over to Paestum (gorgeous Greek ruins from a colony that was there about 300 B.C. I think). Venice is nice too, but again, allow yourself a chance to get away from the really touristy places. Outside of Venice you can do a day trip into places like Balsano da Grappa in the Veneto region and see the Palladian villas. I did that this year and it was just awesome.
Another great day trip is Tivoli, outside of Rome. Check out Villa D'Este for sure, beautiful gardens.
Here are some recommendations for Rome:
Ice cream -- San Crispino (right by the Trevi Fountain) is the best, hands down. Be sure to try the honey combined with any of the sorbets. Everything they make is what is in season, Giolitti is also very good.
Restaurants (you can Google all of these to get locations)
La Matricianella -- my favorite place, you can't go wrong there. Wonderful pasta, and the green peppercorn steak is unreal.
Perilli -- In the Testaccio neighborhood. Great traditional Roman cuisine.
Taverna dei Mercanti -- in the Trastevere neighborhood. Wonderful rustic place (I believe it's 16th Century) that has fantastic steaks and pizza. Also try the polenta w/sausage.
Lots of very, very good restaurants in Trastevere and Testaccio. Also be sure to stop by Cafe Greco for coffee, which is near the Spanish Steps.
If you want a great location to stay in Rome that is inexpensive and quiet, check this place out: http://www.hotelsuisserome.com/ (http://www.hotelsuisserome.com/)
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wow...i'll have to print this thread out for when i finally get back to italy...great suggestions and tips!
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Seth should just rent a villa for a forum meetup.
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I'll be the translator...I'm in :)
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I concur. Milan sucks.
I took the train all the way to Pisa and back, and while in Pisa, couldn't find the leaning tower. Maybe it was being bandaged and you couldn't see it? I don't know.
Originally posted by nkotb:
Italian Dolomite is my favorite wop-splotation movie.
Ditto on every other suggestion given. The only place I went that I'd skip was Milan. Friends wanted to check it out, and it's absolutely no different than any other city in the states. Also, if you can fit it in, see Pisa...it takes literally 30 minutes. Just jump off one train, take some pics, and split.
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
Italian Dolomites are incredible, we nearly died there on out honeymoon.
[/b]
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I was in Rome for work last year. I stayed in northern Rome at the sports complex, Acqua Ce Tosa. At night Tranny Hookers would hang out in the parking lot. I thought they were chicks but then when I walked by one at night the tranny said in a deep voice, "Ciao Ragazzi."
Not bella.
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May I put in a shout-out of Ancona? I loved that town.
Naples is a shit hole, you may as well visit Arlington VA.
Genoa was interesting, Palermo nice but Ancona was my favorite.
We also honeymooned on Sardinia which is beautiful but that's pushing it for a 10 day stay.
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Some friends of mine who go to Europe regularly went to Cinque Terra last year on their honeymoon and had a less than great time. Their take was that it's beautiful but that the locals are split between those who are sick of tourists tramping through their towns (and vocal about it) and those that are very eager to rip you off. Otherwise, they went to Rome, Herculaneum (sp?), Florence, and Siena and had a splendid time.
Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
Yeah, my neighbor was telling me something about La Cinque Terra that she's see in pictures...
http://www.evergreen.loyola.edu/~slenzo/cinque_terra1.htm (http://www.evergreen.loyola.edu/~slenzo/cinque_terra1.htm)
Originally posted by bizou311®:
I just got back from Italy a few days ago. Rome is a must, but I've heard amazing things about La Cinque Terra, so I would look into that.
[/b]
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I would recommend you hook up with as many chicks as you can.
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I have to put in another great recommendation for the the Amalfi coast. A couple years ago I spent two months on an archaeological excavation in Pompeii. It's true that Herculaneum is better preserved than Pompeii. While Pompeii was buried under small gravelly rocks known as lapilli, Herculaneum was entombed by an avalanche of volcanic mud which left the city in better condition, but also made excavation much more difficult. Thus less of Herculaneum has been excavated. So while Herculaneum is better preserved, there's more to see at Pompeii, the baths, the stadium, the theaters, the villa of mysteries, etc. So it's kind of a toss-up Pompeii gives a better feeling for what a roman city was like, but Herculaneum has better preserved houses and provides a richer image of how people lived.
From Sorrento to Capri the entire region is amazingly beautiful. All the cities are just a short train ride away from each other and are all extremely accessible. But if you're going to Capri I'd recommend going to Ischia. A smaller less touristy island.
I also have to give recommend Paestum and it's three amazing Greek temples. If you've ever seen the movie Clash of the Titans, you've seen these temples. It is a little out of the way, and difficult to get to, but well worth the effort.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
I would recommend you hook up with as many chicks as you can.
...and their mothers who chaparone them!
Italian men will be too busy admiring themselves through the reflection in the window and checking out the other men to make sure they're the most beautiful one in the room to worry about you hitting on the Italian women.
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I didn't even know Joe Marshmallow was into chicks.
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Was it Bull930?
Originally posted by econo:
I was in Rome for work last year. I stayed in northern Rome at the sports complex, Acqua Ce Tosa. At night Tranny Hookers would hang out in the parking lot. I thought they were chicks but then when I walked by one at night the tranny said in a deep voice, "Ciao Ragazzi."
Not bella.
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Originally posted by Chip Chanko:
Montalcino and Montepulciano are other good Tuscany destinations (small towns on hills...you could get tired of these after a while but the wine and food is always good).
You need at least 4 or 5 days in and around Rome in my opinion.
montepulciano = seconded. best food and wine in italy, hands down. i dream of the little villa i rented outside of montepulciano... a small slice of heaven. rome and the vatican can easily take up 4 or 5 days. i spent 5 days last time i was there, by the end i only say half of what i wanted to see - but was "rome'ed out", needed to get outta there. only so many ruins and 16th century masterpieces one can take in a week.
Originally posted by vansmack:
I would recommend you hook up with as many chicks as you can.
i would recommend that too, and i'll also wish you a ton of luck. i saw so many beautiful women in italy, and none of them would give me the time of day. they're hot and they know it, thus they have to throw up a huge wall between themselves and anything male (otherwise they'd never make it across the street). not that i have the highest success rate when it comes to picking up random women, but my score fell to zero in italy :( maybe i needed to be more of a macho a$$-hole.
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naples and milan suck ... verona is a cool little town, and pompeii and venice are must-sees ... spend as much time in rome as possible, you can do florence in a couple of (jam-packed) days
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I'm staying in Naples for 3 nights but only to be close to Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento and Amalfi Coast. We are doing an all day tour of Venice, 3 days in Rome, 1 or 2 days in Florence, and maybe a day in Siena. Thanks to everyone's suggestions :)
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
naples and milan suck ... verona is a cool little town, and pompeii and venice are must-sees ... spend as much time in rome as possible, you can do florence in a couple of (jam-packed) days
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Originally posted by sweetcell:
one can take in a week.
Originally posted by vansmack:
I would recommend you hook up with as many chicks as you can.
i would recommend that too, and i'll also wish you a ton of luck. i saw so many beautiful women in italy, and none of them would give me the time of day. they're hot and they know it, thus they have to throw up a huge wall between themselves and anything male (otherwise they'd never make it across the street). not that i have the highest success rate when it comes to picking up random women, but my score fell to zero in italy :( maybe i needed to be more of a macho a$$-hole. [/b]
I wouldn't take it personally. Italians, not unlike the rest of the world these days, despise Americans with a vengence....
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He's Canadian.
Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:
I wouldn't take it personally. Italians, not unlike the rest of the world these days, despise Americans with a vengence....
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Not true Mankie...especially under Berlusconi the Italians were extremely sympathetic to Americans. They released that just because the town idiot gets elected doesn't mean the entire nation should be punished. For the most part, Italians love Americans.
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I'd still avoid capri and go to ischia but that's just me.
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Originally posted by bearman:
Not true Mankie...especially under Berlusconi the Italians were extremely sympathetic to Americans. They released that just because the town idiot gets elected doesn't mean the entire nation should be punished. For the most part, Italians love Americans.
To your face they may give you that impression, but behind your backs.....they hate you
:mad:
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Venice was by far the best. Naples was a dump. I am hella broke right now, but I did manage to see 7 museums + Colloseum, Boboli Gardens & Pompeii (spent 4 hours there).
The best museums were:
Galleria Borghese (Rome) - those Canova sculptures were gorgeous. Lots of great paintings, too. The only disappointment is that Caravaggio's Boy with a Basket of Fruit was on loan at another gallery in Spain. If you are thinking about going to this museum during peak season, you need a reservation as there are capacity restrictions.
Vatican Museum (Rome) - huge place. You need at least 5 hours to see everything.
National Archaeological Museum (Naples) - worth seeing are the Pompeii and Herculaneum mosaics and the "Secret Room" (lots of penises in this room!).
Best to go here before 12 noon, as the Secret Room doesn't seem to be open after 12:30 pm (it was closed right after I got out of it).
Uffizi Gallery (Florence) - again, lots of great paintings, notably Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Primavera.
I also recommend the Gallerie dell'Accademia (Venice) and Duomo Museum (Florence).
The food pretty much sucked the whole time. I really don't like their food. The food at the airplane was better actually!!
P.S. Italian restaurants in the US do it better.
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Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
The food pretty much sucked the whole time. I really don't like their food. The food at the airplane was better actually!!
P.S. Italian restaurants in the US do it better.
I don't know what kind of places you picked to eat in, but that's pretty difficult for me to believe. Maybe if you were on a fixed budget you went to places that looked like they catered to tourists? That's really too bad, given that Italian cuisine is some of the best you'll ever eat anywhere.
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Sounds like you went to fine dining Italian restaurants. We went to sit down places with an average bill of 40-50 euros for 2 people (man that's a lot if you multiply it by 1.5)...the dollar SUCKS BIG TIME. Did I need to spend 100 euros a meal to experience the best Italian food?
Originally posted by bearman:
I don't know what kind of places you picked to eat in, but that's pretty difficult for me to believe. Maybe if you were on a fixed budget you went to places that looked like they catered to tourists? That's really too bad, given that Italian cuisine is some of the best you'll ever eat anywhere.
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Not at all expensive dining...the best meals I eat tend to be about the price that you mention. An antipasto, plate of pasta (or pizza), dessert, and wine for about 50 Euros for 2 people. 60 Euros at the absolute max. I had recommended a bunch of places in Rome further up in the thread. Maybe it was the neighborhoods you were in...I'm just sorry that you didn't have a good experience with the food. That's probably my favorite part of traveling to Italy. :)
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Yeah, actually not all was bad. I did like a restaurant in Naples. I have no complaints about the wine, just food :) [/b][/quote]
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Glad you had a good time but that's sad about the food. I've never had italian that comes close over here (but all the places I ate at were usually recommended by my sister, who was living over there and had the time to eat around).
I also haven't been back since they went euro...I think lots of the restaurants took that as a chance to raise their prices (just moving the decimal point rather than actually converting).
I do remember most everywhere I ate being reasonable to cheap, though. I guess you just gotta know where to go.
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Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
The food pretty much sucked the whole time. I really don't like their food. The food at the airplane was better actually!!
P.S. Italian restaurants in the US do it better.
:) )
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Hoya, we had to stay in Naples for Pompeii and the Archaelogical Museum. I would have preferred Sorrento now that I think about it. I think Naples is just dirty and abandoned, but it doesn't feel unsafe like the bad part of Baltimore City. Florence was nightmare-ish when you have a car (don't even try!!)
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Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
Hoya, we had to stay in Naples for Pompeii and the Archaelogical Museum. I would have preferred Sorrento now that I think about it. I think Naples is just dirty and abandoned, but it doesn't feel unsafe like the bad part of Baltimore City. Florence was nightmare-ish when you have a car (don't even try!!)
yeah, that makes sense, it's the same reason we stayed there ... i just hated the non-stop scooters and grime and general sketchiness all over the city
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I wonder when I should start my Belgium/South of France/Paris with a baby thread...
Anybody have any advice/tips on buying hotel rooms on Priceline's Name Your Own Price program?
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Yes, Sorrento is a lovely place to stay, using it as a base for Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Just being in the Naples train station made me certain that my decision to stay in Sorrento was the wise choice.
Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
Hoya, we had to stay in Naples for Pompeii and the Archaelogical Museum. I would have preferred Sorrento now that I think about it. I think Naples is just dirty and abandoned, but it doesn't feel unsafe like the bad part of Baltimore City. Florence was nightmare-ish when you have a car (don't even try!!)
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i agree with bearman and others- american italian food is nothing compared to what you get in italy. there's a reason why chefs like mario batali go to italy to learn, and not the other way around. so sorry you couldn't get meatballs with your spaghetti.
my week in italy was a culinary awakening (especially in florence- i didn't have one bad meal). . .i had no idea that pasta wasn't supposed to slathered in sauce, that simple ingredients go a long way. . .that pizza's weren't all about crusts and how much cheese and pepperoni one can pile onto the pie. . .
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speaking of american italian food, THIS (http://www.washingtonpost.com//wp-srv/cityguide/bestbets/2006/results/front.html?id=810010) never fails to amaze me ... i reference it all the time when i go on misanthropic rants
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Believe it or not, sometimes the chains really are better than your local shithole.
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
speaking of american italian food, THIS (http://www.washingtonpost.com//wp-srv/cityguide/bestbets/2006/results/front.html?id=810010) never fails to amaze me ... i reference it all the time when i go on misanthropic rants