That looks amazing. And as long as youāre going deep Asian in NOLA, this is the one of the best - maybe the best - Vietnamese restaurant Iāve ever been to (and there are plenty of really good ones in NOLA and out here in the 206, too). Just across the river in Gretna, zero ambiance, worth the drive (Iāve been probably 5-6 times). Best wings in the known universe. Tan Dinh
1 Like
Naples has incredible pizza, and Sorrento is stunning, definitely take a day trip to the Amalfi Coast if you can. Rome will be hot in July, so pack light and book skip-the-line tickets for places like the Colosseum.
I visited Italy with my family last year and used Italy Private Tours & Local Tour Guides | GoWithGuide to find a local expert who helped us plan a stress-free trip. They suggested hidden gems (like a quiet vineyard near Rome) and handled all the logistics, which was great since we were traveling with kids. If you want recs beyond the usual tourist spots, itās worth checking out their Italy guides for ideas!
9 Likes
Thanks for the travel advice, 100% real person who absolutely isnāt a bot!
5 Likes
@jazznutUVA any chance we could get a bot emoji? I see one helpful application and a zillion unhelpful ones but I want it anyway lol.
Something like 
would be fine.
4 Likes
Semi-related question about Italy here! Does the pope poop in the woods? Or am I mixing something up hereā¦.
Expert travel tip on packing light btw.
2 Likes
How does the bot select which of the tens of thousands of old posts to respond to? Keywords? SEO?
2 Likes
Hey! I resemble that remark. Thanks a lot @haney 
2 Likes
Youāre the man Jazz!
1 Like
So, if itās just you and your wife, no kids, you can do a lot. Iāll let you review my extensive (non-AI!) Rome tips above.
As I noted earlier, I have no experience in Sorrento nor the Amalfi Coast. But Naples I can give you a few tips.
Ultimately, for the entire trip, donāt try to do everything. Pick a few things in each area that are āmust-dosā and go from there. Naples is a big, dirty, gritty, but also wonderful city with populated by warm, open people. But itās decidedly NOT everyoneās cup of tea.
We stayed in the Hotel Palazzo Decumani, which was a block off of the Decumani. The trash was piled on the corner across the street from us daily, and picked up rather loudly by the sanitation truck every morning at 4 am. Rats freely roamed the trash pile. Unless you are of a hearty stock, I would stay in the waterfront area closer to the Castel dellāOvo. Itās a good bit cleaner and more tourist friendly.
However, I would spend some time exploring the Decumani area as it is truly the heart of the city. Also, the best pizza is the original Gino Sorbilloās on the Decumani near Via Giovanni Paladino. They did not take reservations, but a very pleasant way to do the waiting list is to stop by Sorbilloās, get on the waiting list, then, if the wait is long, wander over to the Piazza Dante for an aperativo completo while you watch the neapolitans in the piazza. Ristorante Pizzeria Leon dāOro was where we sat, with our backs to the restaurant while watching the piazza.
There is also pizza fritta, a filled, fried pizza. We tried some at Masardonaās near the Castel dellāOvo. Just stay away from the fish pizzas. Not a fan.
In Naples, the national archeological museum is excellent, Castel dellāOvo is worth a visit, as are the Castel SantāElmo and Castel Nuovo. And the Sansevero Chapel Museum is also good. But there are a couple of underground experiences that are very cool. One is called Napoli Sotterranea, the other is smaller, but still quite interesting over on the Decumani. Iāll send that if and when I remember the name, but it was very close to our hotel.
Side trips from Naples include the obvious Pompeii, the lesser known, much smaller, but still fascinating Herculaneum, and the much lesser known but very wonderful Paestum. Itās also nice to hit a mozzarella di buffalo farm while out and about in the countryside. Paestum and a mozzarella trip are probably a shorter drive from Sorrento.
Finally, we used Bella Vita travel agency to book our last trip, which included all of the tours and drivers. I second @ekandado in highly recommending splurging, if youāre able, on private tours and guides. Youāll definitely get more out of the experience.
Have a great trip!
4 Likes
Captain isnāt a bot, but should charge for this
3 Likes
Trying to get away from NYC sometime in the next month or two (ideally around MDW but beggars canāt be choosers). Any ideas/recommendations appreciated.
Would be me + wife + 19 month old (most likely). Daughter has been on a few flights before, longest 2-5 hours. In NYC so can fly anywhere (though need to get baby a passport if not US). Also open to driving somewhere.
What types of places are good for a young toddler? Sheās an easy kid but obviously some places would be better than others.
2 Likes
I mean the world is your oyster with a backpack baby. She wonāt remember a dang thing so donāt make it all about her. My kids barely remember any trip before about 6 y/o and itās a shame since they were in so many different countries before then.
5 Likes
Vegas
6 Likes
Williamsburg - Jamestown - water park nearby too as well as Busch Gardens
3 Likes
I think that would be great for the baby. Would have to convince my wife of it being a vacation though lol.
1 Like
When I lived in NYC, I was always partial to trips north, so Newport, Marthaās Vineyard, Cape Cod, Bar Harbor, Montreal, Quebec City.
4 Likes
Montreal. Stay in a Airbnb in the Plateau / Mont Royal neighborhood. Tons of open, no car streets and playgrounds, amazing food ranging from casual to upscale. Kid activities sprinkled around town. Great subway system. Itās awesome.
Oh, and uber short flight.
6 Likes
Ooooh. We just had a summer thing fall through and weāre discussing going to Montreal in late July, early August. Weāve talked about going a bunch of times but it never quite worked out for various reasons. Weāre waiting to make sure something else pans out, but weād all love to go. The kids and I have never been, and my wife was only once there for like a night on a work thing.
2 Likes
Yeah weāre watching the Caps game now and my wife was like what about Canada? We could honestly even drive to MTL.
2 Likes
Chicago might also be an easy one with a lot of stuff a toddler might like. Relatively short direct flight, nice aquarium that the kid might enjoy (I also love aquariums myself ha), plus museums, baseball, etc.
Weāve been thinking of going either there or Atlanta in the next few months with our toddler (15 months old currently) cause of ease of travel and attractions in a relatively tight area.
1 Like