Vagabender

josh...give her a hug and kiss for me.

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Sites that may interest you...

In Florida (continuing previous comment):

1) St. Augustine - the historical city has become highly gentrified and overrun with upscale shopping, hotels, and galleries. Still nice to walk around and take in what's left of the historical city--see Flagler College, the beach, the lighthouse, the museums, etc.

2) Miami - If you're in the mood for museums, the University of Miami has a great collection, cheap. Great beaches. Watch out for interstate troubles, it's a very congested city.

3) Orlando - Check out the local music scene at Will's Pub (Winter Park), The Social, The Peacock Room, Backbooth, or the Trapper Keeper. Good local music scene with plenty of going on, inexpensive shows usually run in the $5.00 range. Check out The Orlando Weekly (Available on-line) for more info about local attractions.

4) International Drive, Orlando - the tourist strip, still a good time if you like mini golf or laser tag. Take in something dumb, then refresh with Cream Slushies at Sonics.

5) Museums: Orlando Museum of Art, Morse Museum (Tiffany Art Deco collection in Winter Park), Ringling Art Museum (Pensecola, next to the Florida State training school for circus performers--no joke!), Salvator Dali Museum (St. Pete), The Cumer (small Jacksonville art museum).

6) Landscape/outdoors: Tons of beaches. Nice, secluded spots available in Daytona (Ponce Inlet area). Natural springs in Blue Springs (South Florida) and Wekeiva Springs (near Orlando). The Keys - beaches, scuba diving, and more...oh my! Great scenery - St. Johns. Take in some fishing on the banks. You might be able to rent a boat.

7) Redneck Florida - air boat tours in the marshes, gator farm tours (Gatorland), flea markets (Daytona on the weekends). There's cheap farmer's markets around Plant City where you can catch the last remaining statues of colorful dinosaurs that may've been part of a Drive-in theater at one time.

8) Cheap movies - second runs in Orlando ($1.00 Tuesdays at Park 11 Theaters and $.75 weekend shows at Colonial Promenade 6). Catch indie films at the view/dine Enzian (Orlando). Info available on-line (moviefone.com, zip code 32804).

9) College towns - Gainesville, Orlando, and Tallahassee are big college towns. That's where the big state universities are. Gainesville is mostly a residential bust, but has a healthy indie music scene and some locals bars.

10) Other museums - Kelly Slater surfing museum in Cocoa Beach.

11) Lake City is pratically a ghost town. Lots of junkyards, pawn shops, and nail salons, but mostly abandoned downtown area. But is frequented by indie fans attending shows at a small venue still in the area. Nearby is a restored theater that shows indie flicks.

12) Free movies sometimes shown in the park during the summer (Park Ave in Winter Park). Summer movie selections may not be much, but hanging out in the late afternoon breeze with lots of other equally bored twenty-somethings is fun. Especially with friends, food, and bug repellant.

13) Music stores with info about the indie sites - Park Ave CDs (Winter Park) and CD Warehouse (E. Colonial Drive). Cool video stores - College Park Video (great staff) on Edgewater Drive (Orlando). Orlando has a bike-meetup on weekday nights and other assorted get togethers for people with specialized hobbies.

14) Rollins College is a nice area to go around (Winter Park, Aloma Ave. area).
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In No. Va/DC area:

1) Alexandria, VA (off I-95) - Frank Lloyd Wright Pope Leighy House. If in Oak Park, IL, check out the rest of the Wright houses (entire neighborhood of homes designed by Wright, but resided by actual disgruntled homeowners).

2) Adams Morgan - good selection of eats/bars. Lots of Ethiopian, Indian, and Hillal selections. Good video store near Madam's Organ and basement music store down the street.

3) Rest of DC: Great selection of eats/bars. Numerous nationalities.

4) Museums: Corcoran is not a free museum, but has a good collection (located near the White House). Smithsonian museums are all free (including the Zoo). Museum of the American Indian just opened. Arrive early to avoid the line. Nice Native American modern art collection on the top floor. But, the Hirschorn (located nearby it) is choice!

5) The National Gallery of Art runs free movies. See their schedule on their website or in the East Wing (modern wing) of the building. Runs both art-specific and general feature films.

6) Georgetown University -- the filming location of The Exorcist. Walk down M Street towards 35th street (and past that). See the steps used in the movie, go to the top and add your name to the wall for posterity.

7) If in Arlington on Tuesdays (Clarendon metro stop), check out Dr. Dremo's. $1 Beer night, plus see c-grade cult flicks in the basement. Can also play pool, darts, and air hockey.

8) Good shows play at the 9:30 club (be careful what stop you get off at for night shows, stick to U Street metro stop). Unfortunately, the shows do run into some money depending on who's headlining. Wolf Trap and Merriweather Post Pavillion are the famous ones (northern DC, Md area). Shows also run at the Black Cat. House/DJ/DRum and Bass run at Fur. See Washington City Paper for info.

9) Georgetown Billiards - you can get beer and joins friends in games of darts, pool, air hockey, Galaga/Pac-Man, or Ping pong!

10) Free parking next to the Rosslyn Metro station (at the small garage across from McDonald's) after 5pm on Weekdays. Park at Georgetown U. for free on Weekends.

11) Indie film venues - E Street Cinema (DC) and AFI Cinema (Silver Spring, MD).

12) Tenleytown, Cleveland Park, Woodly Park - good choice of restaurants/bars (NW DC, red line on the metro).

13) Other museums - see Howard University, African American civil war memorial. Lots of Afro-American heritage sites in that section. See Howard U's art museum.

14) University of MD (College Park, MD, green line on Metro) - college town lite. Filming location of 'St. Elmo's Fire.'

15) Screen on the Green - outdoor films shown on the Mall in DC. Specific weeknights, check it out on the web.