USA Boards: 2004 Threads...Your Review!
 

Ok, what a busy and exciting event filled year of travels. We have discussed hurricanes, hoildays and many travel topics.

Let's put your TOP 5 USA threads of 2004 here. I do not know how to link to the thread but if you do try and provide the link if you wish. Here is my Top 5 USA 2004 Threads:

1) How Would You Respond when you hear another hotel guest screaming and slapping their child?

2) The Promised Alaska Trip Report by Oaktown (a shameless plug)

3) Eastern College Trip Thank You

4) Ladies-Packing & Shoe Help Please

5) What Do You COllect On Your Travels

Honorable Mention: Kimamom's posts, details and travel spririt.

Ok, go, research and report!

It doesn't get any better than GTG posts!

Travel AND meeting wonderful FFFs while dining on great food in nice places, no ka oi!!!!
:-X

The one in Sonoma this coming March with k'mom, Mr K'mom and the Budman's should be yet another great experience.
((Y))

alright!!! Keep going...I know it takes time to do the research...

The recipe thread has been fantastic. I haven't contributed enough to it but I've sure benefited from other people's postings. We really are a community here. :)

Okay these are not strictly threads

Freaky Friday raves and rants deserve a special mention - it's fun seeing what everyone is up to.

And the thread with bonniebroad's now famous almond square recipe :)

Yes, the <i>Friday Rants and Raves</i>..we learned about babies on their way, good news, bad news, it makes Fodors more of a community.

Of course the Freaky Friday Rant &amp; Raves posts are my favorites but there are a couple of other good ones.

Is the Duct Tape (Should I duct) and Plastic Sheeting Thread from 2004 or 2003? That was funny.

I very much enjoyed the Bird Threads.

Here is the duct tape threadhttp://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=1&amp;tid=34401510&amp;numrespo nses=11&amp;start=0&amp;searchText=duct

I have a great almond duct tape recipe. Goes good with a broiled kielbassa, Velveeta and a chilled bottle of Annie Greensprings. :O)

My favorites are:

1. All the posts deleted by management. Let's be civil folks...good natured ribbing is fine, but remember the Golden Rule.

2. How to roast a turkey?

3. You really know you've been traveling too much when...

4. People who never take their kids anywhere but Disneyworld or Hawaii drive me crazy!!!
(That one's still there...just neutered)

5. Bumper Stickers
(Yeah, it was mine, but I thought it was pretty cool. They neutered this one, too)

I always enjoy JOR's FFR&amp;R thread...

I know you asked for US threads, but Scarlett's &quot;Scarlett goes to Hell&quot; thread on the Europe board was also quite memorable &amp; entertaining...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...t+goes+to+hell

Well... For me the top five would be the ones that personally helped me, or when I was able to help another fellow-Fodorite, with our travel needs.

:-)

The absolute worst threads that I see are the ones that state, &quot;Where Should I Go...?&quot; Duhhhhh..

I must admit that I read and learn at this site almost daily - even though I don't post as often.

Cheers and Happy New Year to all! Thanks for making this site the awesome place that it is.

-Paul

1. Freak or Normal
2. Hurricanes oh my!
3. San Francisco Engagement (Love a romance)
4. Loved your trip reports to Alaska!!!!
5. Love the Roxy trip Reports.

Can't find the orginal post but as a goof I wrote something like &quot;What is the name of that restaurant near that place?&quot;

The regulars on the board got the inside joke and had some humerous responses. Probably bad form to raise a post I started but I found the responses I got to show some of the humor that used to be more evident here.

I also liked the post from a few weeks ago where a tourist to NYC asked about 10 questions on their upcoming. Number 8, I believe, was &quot;What would you tell a tourist to do that they don't do.&quot; Almost to a person (myself included) New Yorkers responded with a &quot;learn how to walk on the sidewalk.&quot; I realized it perhaps is the one question that every New Yorker can agree on!

I know that place! Get off on Exit 21 which is also Main Street, veer left at the yeild, go through 3 stoplights and take a right onto 5th. It is across from the thing that does the thing. You know, that has the whatchamajiggy on top.

I liked the Kelly Ripa Cracker Barrel thread. Also there was one where someone was looking for an east coast town with great schools and a low cost of living despite having debt and no job lined up - I found that somewhat amusing in a backwards way.

The How to Roast a Turkey thread was mine. I'm happy to report my first Thanksgiving Turkey was fabulous - moist inside and crispy out. I took the advice (from GT I believe) and bought a huge covered roasting pan and uncovered for the last hour. I'm an old pro now. :-)

Oh, I also thoroughly appreciated the replies to my thread about what to wear to a blacktie wedding in Boston. Thanks to reassurances on this board I went pantyhoseless to the rehearsal dinner and wedding and was much more comfortable because of it!!

I liked the one about the road trip and the farting dog, or something like that! I think it got removed, but it gave me one of my better laughs this year!

Oh, gc, thanks for mentioning the people who only take their kids to D-land drive me crazy! I started that one, it's the only time I've ever posted just to see if I could get something going, and it sure worked ;)!

I nominate the thread about a lady who lost one of her shoes on the plane and never found it.

I will top it if I find.

Aw, shucks, thanks Kikahead!

I would like to nominate any and all threads relative to the subject of San Francisco vs. San Jose. And you-know-who, San Jose's most vocal advocate.

Best wishes for a troll-free new year!

love
roxy

foxy roxy,
&quot;Freakin' beautiful&quot; trip reports! ;)

Awesome! Thanks...

You guys make me think of so many funny and fabulous threads...

Any thing written by Pumpy. He's a living travel legend (in his own mind)!

Hurricanes Oh My LOL that is familiar.
I hope this summer, I can avoid posting anything on that subject ~

The post by the lady that lost her dog, A Sad Goodbye was so touching when everyone posted about their pets..I am too sentimental :)

Cheers for the Friday Rants and Raves!

The &quot;What do I wear in NYC/LA/SF....&quot; threads always kill me, especially when the men start complaining!

I like the &quot;To Fodors Posters New and Old&quot; . . . should be a reading requirement for all new posters!

Also, any threads started by Muffin should get an honorable mention. Even though they are way silly, they always make me laugh.

Thanks Oaktown, I enjoy your posts also. I think one of my favorite posters on this board is..........drum roll, please!! makai1 for her beautiful posts on Hawaii.

We had many family members living on the islands for years and all of our kids were able to spend weeks visiting on Oahu and the Big Island. makai1, your posts really make me want to go back, even tho we won't have family to visit there ever again.

We hope to plan a trip to Maui soon and she will be the first one I ask for advice. Also, when we were considering the Tickle Pink Inn, she actually faxed me a map of the property. How sweet is that? Now take your crown and wear it well, makai1!!! Aloha to you and yours! ***kim*** ((l))

We truly enjoy timely posts from
all travelers about Sonoma County,CA.
We live here, and great goodness things change around here with a blink of an
eye! It is so sad and misleading to see
posters go on and on about a place they visited, and it's been gone months ago.
Well, then.
R5

A rose to anything Chicgal posts on Chicago downtown locations, as she is a true gem.

A violet letter to each and every poster who has patience and doesn't answer a newbie post with a sarcastic &quot;humerous&quot; slam.

My favorites include some of the above, but especially the latke post from Nina66. One reason is very selfish as I obtained that mondel bread recipe that is GREAT! It is in the first real keeper recipe I've gotten in years.

A special review for 2004:

About 4 or 5 years ago I used to read Fodor travel talk a lot but never posted. Then I got another job for 3 years and didn't look at this board more than once or twice. This year I have read and posted frequently.

What I had noticed of &quot;change&quot; in that timespan is that the political party tirade worked into every type of thread has increased and that they hold particularly rigid party venom. And that name calling is more rampant. Play nice folks! Name calling by both posters and/or against political figures is adolescent and non-productive. You aren't going to change anyone else's mind with that drivel.

Thanks to all for the great information that I have used successfully on so many trips. Thanks KAL for great SF info, and to several terrific Florida posters for all kinds of info from their area.

And please, the lucky ladies who lunch or whatever: Humor is terrific if it DOESN'T have a biting edge. The biggest turn off of this board for me is that &quot;let them eat cake&quot; attitude- which infers a slam with the Ha-Ha. A few of you are professionals in this gendre, and could you take a &quot;nice&quot; pill for 2005.

Every post by Muffin!

Is the nomination for USA board only?

On &quot;other&quot; board there is a thread &quot;do you bring sheets with you&quot; discussing everything, including kicking the bedspread off with your feet.

2004 witnessed once again, that Fodors serves as a home and chatroom for people who apparently have few other outlets, thus is valuable as always. That the chatter is often about non-trave is understandable. Most would agree that posters who need this site ought to have access to post whatever they wish, short of attacking other posters. May all of them have a bright 2005.

1.Some of Muffins stuff can be pretty funny.

2. The Scarlett Goes to Hell thread

3. The duct tape and plastic sheeting

4. Some the FFR&amp;Rs can be most entertaining. The one that comes to mind deals with a poster's sorrowful event to which most responded with great kindness. There was a post in the middle of it all that came from nowhere remotely close to the topic. The comments following that were pretty funny.

5. Honorable mention because it was on the European board goes to Faith and her terribly pale cousin Bambi who began their trip planning worrying about life jackets on the water taxis of Venice.

Lordy Pam, I recall THAT one !
Jaw droppingly oblivious to the agony
around ---.
~sigh~

1. Scarlett comes up with the
cleverist of titles-the 'Goes to Hell' was a hoot.

2. Roxy's Hawaii reports are indeed well
done. Just when I think I am going to
one island next, she tempts me with
another!

3. Double Gold Medal to the Wine-o's
thread...yes,yes I know it's on the
'Others' Board...it should be saved to
disc for all the terrific wine info.

4. Pam SF for Healdsburg and the Anderson Valleys areas up here in
North CA. Such great advice from an
&quot;insider&quot;. She really has the heartbeat
on what the locals like=you know she has
REALLY been there. Dinner at Ravenous
anyone?

5. The hurricane threads were so
great-how everyone kept in touch
and shared their stories.

and my Honorable Mention from the
Europe Boards has to be....
FAMOUSUNCLEART~

R5

Razzledazzle, that's awesome! But you know what? I don't know if I'd even bother with Hawaii. I mean, there's nothing to do on Kauai and no nightlife and too much rain; the Big Island is just TOO big and has no beaches; and Maui, well, no one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

You all are so nice, you make a wahine want to cry!

love
roxy

roxy:
:-d
You mean we'll be bored with our
3 nights in Hilo and 6 near Kona
??????????????????????????????
:S-
We must talk, girl......
R5

Topping...

Happy 2005!

Threads that I've enjoyed: Scarlett's *Egrets in my backyard.....*

.....and all the recipe threads (of course :p ).........

all the FFR&amp;R's, my favorite! Thank you, Jor!

GoTravel's thread on *Winged Migration*........

I know there's many others.. it's always a pleasure to chat with folks in Fodorville! :-)

JJ5 Happy New Year to you &amp; Sydney the Cockatiel :D

Who are the Ladies who lunch? Is that from a thread or am I dense? No no, don't answer that lol.

I especially like the hotel and restaurant threads.. it was a great help to me when I asked about Portland this year.

I always laugh at the threads where people discuss taking various drugs to fly with a Bloody Mary :O or as I think it is GoTravel says, they should spritz everyone with Valium at the airport.

There are SO many clever people posting here ((F))

There was one not too long ago where a Dallas local was trying to argue that the Dallas - Ft. Worth area had more culture than Rome. That would have to be my favorite of the year.

OMG! It has to be the Portland OR hotel thread that got horribly astray by a certain poster. That was the most amusing thread I read because certain people were soooooooo serious about having their opinions!!