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PorscheGuy

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Posts posted by PorscheGuy

  1. Suggestions on transportation from MCO to Disney please. Mears is the official shuttle and it looks like it's around $33 per person if you book round trip. Who knows what uber/ lyft will be. If I was at the airport right now those are cheaper options, but I'm guessing a Saturday afternoon in May will be more expensive. There will be 4 of us with luggage and golf clubs. 

    Look up Orlando Magic’s Rides on Facebook. Run by former cast members. They were fantastic. Highly recommend. Driver is waiting for you at baggage claim. They will run you by anywhere you want to go (target/public’s) on the way to the resort to get snacks/food etc on the way. Think it was around $125 each way. But so much more efficient. You will be checking into your hotel by the time the Mears bus would be leaving the airport.
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  2. Barnett Vineyards is also up there. They have a great red called Rattlesnake.

    I throw some love towards Barnett Rattlesnake. Great wine!
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  3. If you want to stay downtown central you have a few options. I’ve stayed at all of these over the years.

    Crescent is very nice and quite. Pricey but worth it.
    Hall hotel - nice upscale place
    Kimpton - cool hotel. Street racing at night kept us up all night. Not sure if Dallas PD has curbed that but it was enough I haven’t gone back
    Midtown Marriott. Best bang for your buck. New, clean big rooms, great staff.
    Stoneleigh. Historic hotel. Hipsters frequent it now. Proceed w caution.
    Highland hotel on 75. Not bad. Haven’t been in years though.
    Ritz. You can go to the bar and pick up a hooker or get propositioned by swingers if that’s your thing.

    The new Swexan in Harwood district just opened today. Looks awesome.

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  4. Heading with a buddy for a quick 24 hour trip to for Stars/Knights game 2 on Sunday.  We're flying out late Saturday afternoon and back Sun night.   I go to Vegas relatively frequently but buddy hasn't been in a while.  I'm trying to think of a place with a good Vegas vibe/scene for Sat night dinner (think STK but not STK as maybe not steak restaurant since we have plenty of those in Dallas). Any thoughts?  I booked Sushi Roku as a placeholder as I had a good meal there probably 8+ years ago, but that was 8+ years ago so not sure how it is now.
    Also, have not been to the arena.  Any advice?  It's a Noon local time start so have a 10:15AM at Beer Park since that is relatively close by but open to suggestions.   Also, for anyone that has been to arena, advice welcome on seating locations to avoid, etc. (based on pics online seems like a really well designed arena where no seats are really shitty).  Where we end up probably largely depends on how much tickets fluctuate.  Hoping shitty local game time results in a softer ticket market than it otherwise would be.  

    Check out Sushisamba also. Had a great dinner there and it had a good scene going.
    Can’t go wrong w Beauty and Essex
  5. By all means, I would not recommend Porsche dealerships for non warranty work. A good independent shop is the way to go. Furthermore I would recommend staying the hell away from Park Place Porsche’s shop. It got so bad I started taking mine to Autobahn in Ft Worth for anything that was covered. I was able to prepay for all the scheduled maintenance and get a significant discount.

  6. Like others have said, great cars, generally very reliable. Total blast to drive. There is nothing cheap when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Need a new windshield, $3000+. Time for tires, that’s another $2500+. Brakes, just bend over and take it. One year scheduled maintenance with oil chance, $1500 at the dealership.

    2/3 of Porsche owners baby their cars. So the odds are you will find a 2-4 year old off lease w low miles in near showroom condition. Bad news is those hold their values so the cost of entry is still high for a used car.

    My advice is start looking for a CPO less then 50k miles with a 100k mile warranty attached. That will cover your ass on all the non consumables. Factor in additional 3-5 grand a year for everything else because you should drive the hell out of it.

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  7. Long overdue trip to Vegas was a blast.

    First time staying at the Bellagio. Will be my go to moving forward. Newly renovated fountain view room was great. Service was always on point.

    Highlights

    Sky bar window seat reservations. This is a must. Great view overlooking strip. Calm, attentive service and great drinks.

    Prime. Get a fountain window view table. Food, service and atmosphere were perfect.

    Mon Ami Gabi. Brunch outside in the patio. Great people watching. Eggs Benedict with andouille sausage and a few bloody Mary’s to shake off the cob webs.

    Tao Asian Bistro. Our server was a little spastic. Loud as fuck but fun. Drunken lobster noodles were fantastic. Sushi was well above average. Rest of the food was good not great. Not sure if rush back.

    Saw O again. Still my favorite show in Vegas.

    Went by Resort world to check it out. Not sure what the fuss is about. Left after 30 minutes. I’m pretty sure they are aiming at the under 30 crowd.

    You can really tell which properties clean up during Covid and which did nothing and look horribly run down

    Had to cut the trip short and fly back early so we missed out on a few spots/things we had reservations for.

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  8. The closest beaches are Huntington and Newport. We took the kids to the state beach in Huntington and it was fine. Newport is a cooler town. Not sure on hotels for you. 

    Lido House (Marriott) in Newport is great. Tons of great restaurants within walking distance. About 20ish minute Uber to front gates of Disneyland. Take the kids on a whale watching boat tour. It’s actually really cool.

    Beach is fine, fairly crowded though. Laguna beach is post card perfect. Cool beach town to check out for day. Great beach.
  9. Alright.  I am almost 60 days out from my trip (first in 4 years) and start making dining reservations on Monday morning.  Daughter and wife are both celiac which sucks, and we are working through where to eat, both on the go and reservations.  But this is for my son's 5th birthday.  Two questions:
    1. Grandparents joining so we have a couple of date nights.  We've done the Safari dinner and the Epcot French restaurant.  What else is recommended?  Particularly on one of the days we aren't going to park (so something in Disney Springs or Boardwalk, etc.).  Prefer something more modern that is not a straight steakhouse type place, but open to ideas.
    2. My son loves Elsa, Toy Story, and Bluey, and we have our plan for Star Wars area.  So we've got that planned.  Given last two trips have been daughter focused, though, curious what other hidden gems there are that are more boy focused that are worth checking out, both in and out of the parks.
    We are kicking around a VIP day if we can convince some friends that are local to join us and defray the cost.  If we do that, will report back on whether it was worth it.  Seems like the one or two people above that have mentioned it thought it was.    

    Morimotto in Disney Springs is one of our favorites. Fantastic food, beautiful restaurant. Probably best meal I have had in Disney in the 5 times I’ve been. Check out Gideons for dessert after too.

    The yachtman’s steakhouse (Yacht Club) actually impressed me great food and service. It’s just too bright (need to dim lights) in there.

    Heard god things about Todd English’s place in Swan/Dolphin as well as the sushi place there.

    Have a blast, I’ll be there Thanksgiving week


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  10. Barnett up on Spring Mountain is really good and has a killer view of the valley.

    Agreed. One of my favorites. Do the cave tour too, absolutely worth it. Plan a little extra time to get up and back down the mountian if you have other stops before or after. It’s at the very top.

    Get a bottle of Rattlesnake Cab.


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  11. And if you stay in Yountville, definitely eat at Bottega.  I'd rather eat there than French Laundry.

    Completely agree. Bottega is really good. Don’t sleep on Reddwood. It’s a more “casual” restaurant but I swear I would eat their summer squash ravioli as my last meal.


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  12. There are some great places to stay in Yontville. You don’t get wonderful views but you are in an excellent location. Stroll down to Bouchon bakery on the morning before you get started. Great restaurants to hit at night. Our room at the Vintage house had a great fireplace and private patio.


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  13. Driving to Disneyland hotel this afternoon for a day at Disneyland and a day at California adventure park. Got the genie+ app and plan on figuring shit out tonight when planning for our day tomorrow at Disneyland park. First time in 15 years.
     

    Broke away for a day to DLR last week. We were able to get everything done at both parks in one day. By 6:30 pm too.

    Keys:

    Get there 30 minutes before rope drop. You will get four rides in the first hour. Second it opens book a genie plus for hyper space mountain. Buy LL pass for rise. Once your get through the check point for HSM, book genie plus for one splash or Thunder. Which ever has the longer standby. Head to that side of the park and do stand by in the other. It will still be before 10:30-11. It does not start getting crowded until then. Finish there head to your LL at rise. Enjoy Star Wars land, do single rider for falcon. By now the park will be packed. Take a late lunch. Pick and choose rides based on ride times. Kids ages will factor in. If young, strollers are a must.

    CA is cool. Guardians is great. So is Incredicoaster. Buy the LL for the cars racer ride. They get priority over standby. And they sell a lot. If you don’t mind splitting up a little and don’t want to drop more $, Go single rider on that one. You will be in and out very quick.

    Have fun. It gets hot. There is little shade. Where sunglasses. Most of the women there barely wear anything that resembles clothing


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  14. Wow.  One of mine is GT/ADHD and other on spectrum.  Would be interested to know how to apply for this.  
    I’ll ask our planner too. 
    We go in January and stay at Baylake Tower. Hope Tron and Play are open by then but not holding breath.  
     
     

    I believe you sign up for DAS on line through Disney website. You will have a video interview w a cast member. It is painless. Just explain why waiting in long lines is a issue. Rarely heard of anyone not getting it unless they were clearly lying.

    My son qualified for DAS. They will pre book two rides each day you are in the park when you finish your interview. This is in addition to using DAS and genie+.

    Pro tip. Once the get through the second check point/gate that scans your DAS on a ride, you can book your next one immediately.

    We had genie plus and DAS and NEVER waited for any ride over Five days. We called my son the Golden Ticket all week.


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  15. Anyone ventured to Dolce Riviera lately? It apparently was closed for almost two years. We never made it but it was always on our list.

    Think we will not sweat going to Carbone in Dallas anytime soon. Love Monarch and The Charles. Wondered if DR measured up to either?


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  16. Suddenly craving a seriously crunchy, tender chicken fried streak with some thick country gravy. Don’t care too much about sides, any place that consistently knocks out great CFS will have good green beans, mashed potatoes and fries. Portioned so large that you save some for a killer CFS sandwich the next day.

     

    The old Heitmiller’s on I35 between west and Bellmead was glorious. Place went to shit when the old Czech owner died and his son took over.

     

    That was 15 years ago. Time to search out a new one.

     

    I’ve tried a handful of places over the years and still have not found it.

     

    What do the esteemed gentleman of Surly have for suggestions?

     

     

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  17. Just scheduled a trip in June the weekend after Father's Day. I'm pretty, pretty excited.
    (Long-winded) Question for anyone interested in offering an opinion:
    We're going to do Piero's and Le Cirque for two of the dinners. I assume Mon Ami Gabi for a brunch and hopefully Bardot, not giving a shit that they're both French. The only other breakfast or lunch target will be a jaunt over to Giordano's for pie and pitchers one day, then gambling and fucking around at the Cromwell and other shit over there. We're staying at Aria, it's me and wife. We normally do a steakhouse for the 3rd dinner. We've done most of them, so I'm curious - Is there a better choice than one of the nice steakhouses? Like, something pantydropper excellent similar in scope to Le Cirque?
    TIA and +rep for any productive recs. 

    Only panty dropper I don’t see on your list would be Prime at Bellagio. They have three tables that are with windows directly next to the fountains. Food was excellent last time I went. Score one of those tables and thank me latter


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  18. Finally had a spare minute to try making tomato sauce from scratch. Wanted to keep it simple.
    San marzano tomatoes (1 large can /whole) crushed by hand
    Drained tomato water
    Garlic/ shallots / fresh thyme
    Salt

    The flavor was there, but it was too acidic.

    It reduced way faster then I thought, but worked well when I added bucatini and some pasta water.

    What sugar ratio do you recommend to add-or do you do it by taste? Am I missing anything else?


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  19. I’m in line for a Panamera Gran Turismo 4S Hybrid allocation and expect to get to start the build as soon as April presuming dealer gets an allocation.  I have had a bit of tunnel vision on it recently, but now getting head turned by the RS6 Avant (queue meme).  Build costs are in same ballpark (Panamera about $10K more, but after rebates, etc. its a bit of a wash).  I’m probably still leaning to the hybrid given how much city driving I’d be doing.  And despite the trunk of the RS6 having a lot more room, it seems like the back seat of the Panamera has more legroom.  
    In any event, curious if someone has sat in both.  
     

    My Panamera 4S Hybrid got unbelievable gas mileage for the amount of power/torque is possesses. Unless you fell like having fun on a lonely street and put it in sport plus mode, it will just sip gas under normal city driving. I filled mine up maybe 4-5 times a year (8-10k miles a year). I got 38/40 mpg on hwy. now if you drive it like a race car, it will drink premium gas like a drunk drinks bourbon at a bar…

    I’m 6’2, I can sit in back w legs crossed.


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  20. Yeah, this isn't last year's team. Offense is still a work in progress. 

    Good news is that Flagler can get his shot anytime he wants. Also, Kendall Brown has unlimited potential. Dude could be really special.

    It all comes down to if Mayer and Akinjo can play within themselves for the betterment of the team or if they manage to fuck it up. More worried about Mayer. But CSD seams to have a quick trigger on pulling him as evident in the Villanova game.


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