Hi sf: (My San Fran Fodor friends)

Brugge would be my happy choice. I could never get tired of that town...picturesque, historic, pleasant people, laced with canals...the true "Venice of the north"...I can recommend our "familly" hotel which could give you a delightful long weekend. I facetiously call it our "family" hotel because since we discovered it ten years ago, it seems that beside our own returns, our kids and their spouses have also adopted it for themselves and have in turn recommended it to several friends. The rates have remained fairly static. I'll check it out and post web below...(I prefer the Flemish spelling and pronunciation over the French)

Stu Tower (easy, quick train ride to Brussels and connect for a short ride to Brugge)

http://www.hotel.info/Hotel/Detail?gclid=CKyT-ueWgLUCFWaCQgodghoAVg&hs_hmid=233218&cpn=1640&cpnll=1847

Hotel Egmond info,,,its idyllic location on the tranquil Minnewater is superb...pleasant walk to the Gros Markt and Central Brugge...many restos in the Minnewater area, the beautiful Beguinage with it's riot of colorful daffodils in spring..etc.

Well, I was living in Haarlem just up the road from Amsterdam and woke up one Saturday with nothing planned. I threw a bag in the car and drove to Paris for the weekend. I arrived after dark in the rain with no reservation and no francs and no idea where I was, basically. Sunday was beautiful, my first day in Paris.

Another time I made a spur of the moment trip to Düsseldorf. That is a great town for a weekend. The Altstadt is pretty crazy on Saturday night, and the locals promenade on the Königsallee on Sunday afternoon.

Pretty much anywhere in Germany, Belgium, Northern France.

Or here's an idea - the Netherlands!!!! Get out an see some of the country you are living in.

We spent a day in lovely Delft and also went to the working windmills at Kinderdijk, not as touristy as the ones near AMS. The indonesian rice table food is delicious. You could also add The Hague (a great mix of modern and historical sites) and make it a long weekend.