Ryan If you are driving, you'd probably want to check this nursery out. It is Hall's Plant Nursery, but in Temecula though. Personally I haven't been there yet to give any reviews but if I need another tree, I would go there first next time. They run ads on Craigslist everyday and their prices look ridiculously good. If Simon is following this thread, he can give you pointers on the farmers market. He probably knew bunch of good spots. I also agree with NEWGEN. Good quality tropical fruits are found in OC. I always buy fruits when IâÂÂm up there also. Tim Here is a link that might be useful: one of Hall's plant nursery ad on craigslist

Oh Daisy I wish you could visit the city in December when it's decorated for the holidays. If you're lucky you'd get a dusting of snow which makes all the lights twinkle. The holiday crowds can be infectious and it always puts me in the mood for Christmas. My other favorite time to visit NY is on a crisp fall day. Every now and then I'll catch an early train by myself and be in the city in time for coffee and croissants and then I'll just spend the day walking around, poking into some of the little shops, stopping into a gallery or the best yet - afternoon tea at the Plaza. My girlfriend and I used to sign up for tickets for The View, Regis and Kelly, Rachel Ray and once I even managed to get tickets to David Letterman, although we haven't made it to Saturday Night Live. I feel fortunate to live where we are since NYC, the mountains or the ocean are all within a short drive.

chispa, that is a great idea. She would probably like that too. She'd also get insight into how difficult it was for her friend to come to her school and converse in another language. They actually did invite us to stay with them right from the get go, but have also been gracious in saying that they totally understand us wanting to have our own space. I can not express what nice people they are. Last year we got to spend some time with them in Florida and we got along so well. However, I think I have to listen to that little voice in my head telling me to keep the hotel. We may play the car thing by ear when we get there. We weren't planning on renting a car, but rather getting tour guides to drive us to the places we want to visit. Reading all the thoughtful responses helped me to see what I really feel comfortable with. I can totally understand the arguments to stay with them, but each time I think of it, I get a bit of a knot in my stomach. REading Joanie's response made me feel calm. If the hotel really isn't working, we always have the option of staying with them. I think it is most likely, as others have noted, the difference in expectations of a hotel. I backpacked across Mexico and parts of Central America in my 20's and have (what I think are) realistic expectations of the hotel. Thanks everyone for helping me to clarify my thinking. I actually just spoke to DD about it and she'd rather stay in the hotel, too.

Wacky OT story about modifying hair for travel: I was heading for a Yorkshire walking tour, and to head off the inevitable flat hair the wind and rain would bring, I got a perm and carried no blow dryer or curling iron! Woo hoo! Freedom! Well, on the way home it got interesting. This was a year after the jet was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland. I was flying home through Glasgow. At Security, I tripped all the triggers for interrogation: ...I'd paid cash for my ticket, ...I traveled alone, ...I'd stayed in a village no one knew (and I didn't understand the village-town system enough to explain where I'd been), ...I was traveling through Glasgow instead of the closer Manchester (our newspaper had run a series on great train rides, and a Yorkshire line ending at the border was one, so of course I had to take advantage), ...I had no blow dryer or curling iron, apparently unlike most women, and ...with my perm I looked very little like my passport photo. The security guy couldn't wrap his head around any of my explanations, nor could his supervisor. They rifled through my suitcase that was going to be checked (remember, the Pan Am was exploded by a bomb in checked luggage), questioned, examined, and took the battery out of my $5 Target travel clock, even asked me about the other walkers on the trip! They finally let me through. To walk through an UNSECURED area of the airport to get to my gate. Crazy. And all for my vanity!