Let's play pretend

[SnuggleBuggles]

Imagine that you have 1 weekend where the is no pandemic. It's not even a glimmer of a problem. But you also are aware that you just get this one weekend and then we return to reality. You'll want to make the best of it, whatever that means to you. You can do anything. Imagine money was no object. Imagine you can instantly teleport to one spot (I can't give you the power to globe trot by teleportation but I can get you to 1 point and back home). You can't go back in time. Any other constraint isn't a constraint. Imagine what you would do with one weekend where the world is utterly unaffected by a pandemic. Go!

[ArizonaGirl]

Oh man!

I would go to Denmark. I have always wanted to go and haven't been able to make it there.

Who needs sleep, I would tour every imaginable destination there.

What a fun question!

[JustMe]

Wow, fun! I think my imagination is rusty! I would go someplace warm, sunny, and beautiful and stay in a luxurious hotel where they had massages and good vegetarian food right there Maybe I am cheating a little, as I am describing some place, but I do not know where that is. Feel free to name where this could happen if you have. been to a place like this!.

[chlobo]

I would go to Italy and sample lots of food and see hike the Dolomites.

[basil]

I would ski. I would have to research the actual place, once this comes true :). Maybe Switzerland or Italy or New Zealand? Or Colorado.

It would be 30 degrees and sunny with bright blue skies. My whole extended family would there. We would stay in a huge amazing luxury house with big comfortable beds for everyone. We would have an hearty breakfast then head to the slopes. The snow would be incredible. Powder where you wanted it, groomers elsewhere, not a spot of ice to be found. No lift lines at all, and no one else on the slopes. Then we'd go in for lunch to an amazing catered spread. Mac and cheese for the kids, chili for the grownups, roasted veggies and dip, chocolate chip cookies, maybe a nip of Champagne. The kids would be having the time of their life and they'd have unlimited snacks.

Then after skiing we would soak a bit in a heated pool or hot tub, then get dressed into nice clothes and go out for a magnificent multi-course chef's tasting dinner at a fancy restaurant with expensive cocktails and wine, while someone else put the kids to bed :)

ETA: you should answer your own question! :)

[trales]

I would head out to hike and eat amazing food and drink the best wine in Umbria. And enjoy every damned minute of it!!!!! I would bring my family (but if my 13 year old was not talking to us on the morning we left, she would be left behind :) ).

[Kestrel]

I would love the chance to visit Scotland / Ireland. I love history, there is so much history there. There seem to be castles around every corner!

We are also going to Boston soon - trip was planned for last summer and canceled. History, again! Revolutionary war stuff. (Since we are Washington state, it's about as far as we can go and still be in the USA!)

[gatorsmom]

I would say Scotland too but I want to drive all over and see things. Unless I can be transported to each of my designations in Scotland, there would have to be travel time between each. I only get one weekend, right? So instead, I think I’d like to go to Rome. I haven’t been there yet and I have a lot I want to see. Tons of things stuffed into one town so probably a better use of my imaginary magic time. History and gelato sounds wonderful.

[essnce629]

I think I would go someplace beachy and warm like Turks and Caicos where I could just relax without thinking about cooking dinner, cleaning, and laundry!

Sent from my SM-A515U1 using Tapatalk

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would ski. I would have to research the actual place, once this comes true :). Maybe Switzerland or Italy or New Zealand? Or Colorado.

It would be 30 degrees and sunny with bright blue skies. My whole extended family would there. We would stay in a huge amazing luxury house with big comfortable beds for everyone. We would have an hearty breakfast then head to the slopes. The snow would be incredible. Powder where you wanted it, groomers elsewhere, not a spot of ice to be found. No lift lines at all, and no one else on the slopes. Then we'd go in for lunch to an amazing catered spread. Mac and cheese for the kids, chili for the grownups, roasted veggies and dip, chocolate chip cookies, maybe a nip of Champagne. The kids would be having the time of their life and they'd have unlimited snacks.

Then after skiing we would soak a bit in a heated pool or hot tub, then get dressed into nice clothes and go out for a magnificent multi-course chef's tasting dinner at a fancy restaurant with expensive cocktails and wine, while someone else put the kids to bed :)

ETA: you should answer your own question! :)

I don’t ski but you sure painted a fantastic picture! Maybe I’ll steal yours and sub the skiing out and add a tropical beach in. Hammock, waiters to bring me whatever I need at the beach, someone to set up the chairs and umbrellas, and a great book with no distractions.

Night time= a rager of a party. The kind they make movies about- well, scaled back to avoid any damage, destruction or police involvement. The music would keep going into the late, late hours. All manner of food and drink available. Lots of spots for people to kick back and converse and lots of activities (yard games, swimming pool and that hot tub mentioned above). Just kick back without a care in the world.

Eta- start the day with a fantastic class at the gym! I miss the gym and people.
Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[MSWR0319]

I don’t ski but you sure painted a fantastic picture! Maybe I’ll steal yours and sub the skiing out and add a tropical beach in. Hammock, waiters to bring me whatever I need at the beach, someone to set up the chairs and umbrellas, and a great book with no distractions.

Night time= a rager of a party. The kind they make movies about- well, scaled back to avoid any damage, destruction or police involvement. The music would keep going into the late, late hours. All manner of food and drink available. Lots of spots for people to kick back and converse and lots of activities (yard games, swimming pool and that hot tub mentioned above). Just kick back without a care in the world.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

Love your night time choice!

I don't have a specific place in mind, but I'd like to spend the day hours somewhere where it's warm and relaxing with activity options available if wanted. I'd like to have a few of my really good friends there with their families so we can all socialize. At night, I want a great party. My happy place is good music, lots of dancing and singing, and people just having fun or being able to relax and socialize. I just want to socialize and have fun with my friends without worrying about getting too close or singing causing spit to fly!

[Dayzy]

We've had to cancel our Disney cruise twice already, and it looks like this summer might not happen either. I'd love to take my kids on a 3 day cruise so that they could have a little normal fun again.

[georgiegirl]

An overwater bungalow on an island in the South Pacific...Fiji, Tahiti, somewhere like that. Blue skies, pristine sand, warm, crystal clear water. Just me, no husband or kids. (Maybe I’d invite a couple of my best friends, but we’d each need our own bungalow.). Gourmet healthy meals, massages, champagne, some snorkeling, sea kayaking, beautiful sunsets, reading a good book while in a hammock between two palm trees, maybe some yoga on the beach (I’m not really into yoga but it sounds nice.)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[georgiegirl]

Wow, fun! I think my imagination is rusty! I would go someplace warm, sunny, and beautiful and stay in a luxurious hotel where they had massages and good vegetarian food right there Maybe I am cheating a little, as I am describing some place, but I do not know where that is. Feel free to name where this could happen if you have. been to a place like this!.

You can join me in the South Pacific

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210201/69bb06092874049efaa4e148a830ba2f.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[AngB]

I think I would go someplace beachy and warm like Turks and Caicos where I could just relax without thinking about cooking dinner, cleaning, and laundry!

Sent from my SM-A515U1 using Tapatalk

This! I am far too lazy for skiing to sound even remotely fun but a beach would be great. (Though we did a very covid-safe beach trip -driving- last year and plan to again this year, so I should probably expand my horizons but eh.

We can be away from our kids on this magical weekend too, right?! :)

[SnuggleBuggles]

This! I am far too lazy for skiing to sound even remotely fun but a beach would be great. (Though we did a very covid-safe beach trip -driving- last year and plan to again this year, so I should probably expand my horizons but eh.

We can be away from our kids on this magical weekend too, right?! :)

You sure can. :)

[mommy111]

Beach on the maldives

[klwa]

I was hoping to convince my husband to go to London for a bit this summer before Covid hit. DS turns 16 in the fall, so I thought this might be our last chance to take a BIG vacation without worrying about a summer job, etc for him. So, that would be my first thought. Or going back to Disney which got postponed last year to this year and is now in question for this year. *sigh*

[hbridge]

ski weekend in Maine... Complete with outdoor pool, nice meals out, open lodges... Just a "regular" ski weekend.

[nfceagles]

To Prague if I can bring my beginning running group friends and have there be a half marathon to run that weekend. What we were supposed to do the end of March 2020. If I can’t transport them, I’d teleport to London to visit them and run with them there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[carolinamama]

I would take our family to Italy, probably Florence, maybe Rome but anywhere we could soak up the history, culture and food because we were going last spring before Covid shut down our plans. There are other cities that came to mind first I've never been to Italy so it won out. We would pack our days as full as possible, hang out in crowds, restaurants, eat gelato without worrying about anything else.

[Mommy_Mea]

DH and I were doing this a bit last week. Greece would absolutely be my choice, DH wants Turkey as part of the trip as well [emoji16]

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would take our family to Italy, probably Florence, maybe Rome but anywhere we could soak up the history, culture and food because we were going last spring before Covid shut down our plans. There are other cities that came to mind first I've never been to Italy so it won out. We would pack our days as full as possible, hang out in crowds, restaurants, eat gelato without worrying about anything else.

That's what ds1 and I have been daydreaming about. We aren't keen on Rome but want to do Florence. That would be lovely.

[MSWR0319]

You can join me in the South Pacific

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210201/69bb06092874049efaa4e148a830ba2f.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think I'd like to come with you. The idea of having my own bungalow with no one bothering me or asking me what I just said to someone else sounds lovely.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think I'd like to come with you. The idea of having my own bungalow with no one bothering me or asking me what I just said to someone else sounds lovely.

I might join you. I think I like this better than a sandy beach. No sand to deal with. Bathroom right there. I assume that I have butler service? Someone to set up all my meals. Ooh- MSW it could be like that movie Couples Retreat where they have these bungalows then there is a great dance club near by for night time fun. Sounds like a win!

[MSWR0319]

I might join you. I think I like this better than a sandy beach. No sand to deal with. Bathroom right there. I assume that I have butler service? Someone to set up all my meals. Ooh- MSW it could be like that movie Couples Retreat where they have these bungalows then there is a great dance club near by for night time fun. Sounds like a win!

YES! Night time fun is a must on this weekend!

[bisous]

So all these places look amazing. With travel in mind, I go either to France to do a big tour of the chateaux of the Loire, or I think I want one of those South Pacific Cabanas. I mean that looks amazing!

But that's not what I think I'd really want. I mean, I want to go to those places but that's not what I feel like I'm fundamentally missing! I just don't travel exciting places like all of you (some day!!)

I think if I had one weekend, I'd go to the DC area to hang out with my sister. We're both super independent so in a lot of ways it is like "alone time" but together! We haven't hugged for months. We would walk the mall, gawk at the Library of Congress, eat some good food for lunch, check out the National Gallery, spend an afternoon at one of the monuments, catch some church, visit Arlington cemetery, visit our temple there, walk a LOT and drink lots of herbal tea.

I'd also just love the foreknowledge of what was coming. I was mentally prepare, not for two weeks of flattening the curve but a fundamental drive to live well while physically distancing and that would give me a better way to plan and prep my family!

[jgenie]

If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be to my mom’s kitchen table. If we had already seen my mom and life was normal, I would opt for an isolated cabin near Vancouver with plenty of gorgeous weather and lots of easy hikes. The cabin would have an awesome game room with ping pong, air hockey, 80’s video games, a hammock in the yard, and a swimming pool. An awesome chef and housekeeper to keep us well fed and keep the house clean. I would throw in a master pastry chef who would drop off daily goodies!

[AnnieW625]

I would probably go on a weekend trip up the central coast or to San Diego with DH this coming weekend. I would fly in my sister to stay with my kids. Dh and I celebrate our 18 year anniversary next Monday. If I had more than a weekend I would do a week in Hawaii as my kids have been asking for one since long before covid. Two weeks we would go back to Europe and we would take the kids.

ETA: missed the teleport option when I first read it....oops....I honestly don’t know where DH would want to go for a weekend that isn’t driving distance....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[carolinacool]

I love so many of these ideas, but they would be a fantasy even without COVID. And I know the idea is to not worry about expenses.

But really, my post-COVID goal is to go to the beach with our friends and do beach things without a care in the world. Inside dining, dancing/piano bar, strolling on the boardwalk at night. No ducking away from people or needing to dig out a mask. Just basic 2019-era fun.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I love so many of these ideas, but they would be a fantasy even without COVID. And I know the idea is to not worry about expenses.

But really, my post-COVID goal is to go to the beach with our friends and do beach things without a care in the world. Inside dining, dancing/piano bar, strolling on the boardwalk at night. No ducking away from people or needing to dig out a mask. Just basic 2019-era fun.

That was where my head was when I started this thread. Just a busy, normal weekend with friends. Gym, restaurants, party. Being with people in a carefree environment just sounds so nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[gymnbomb]

That was where my head was when I started this thread. Just a busy, normal weekend with friends. Gym, restaurants, party. Being with people in a carefree environment just sounds so nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)


Yes, my first thought when I saw this was that I want to go hang out with my Mom! Bonus points if we could also take the kids see my 94 year old grandfather. And all go out for dinner. Maybe sneak off to a movie with DH while my parents put the kids to bed.

[carolinacool]

That was where my head was when I started this thread. Just a busy, normal weekend with friends. Gym, restaurants, party. Being with people in a carefree environment just sounds so nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

Right. We tentatively have a beach trip planned for June with our friends. While I doubt it will be "2019 fun," I'm hoping it's better than 2020 fun for sure. lol

[JustMe]

You can join me in the South Pacific


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That would work just fine for me! Turks and Caicos sounds amazing too! BBB post-pandemic meet-up!

[Tenasparkl]

Hawaii sounds perfect! Our digital photo frame keeps showing photos from when we went to the Aulani a few years ago and every time I see one I'm like "Yes please!!"

[gymnbomb]

Hawaii sounds perfect! Our digital photo frame keeps showing photos from when we went to the Aulani a few years ago and every time I see one I'm like "Yes please!!"

I would love to go to Hawaii with DH, and I will one day, but I was there when everything started shutting down so it will always be what I associate with the beginning of the pandemic. When I left to go to Hawaii there were a few random infections here and there in the US (obviously there were many more, but we didn’t know about very many at the time). While I was there was when my work and my son’s school and my daughter’s daycare all announced they were shutting down. We paid a fortune to change flights home at the last minute to get home faster and to minimize or eliminate connecting flights and avoid states with known outbreaks.

It is one of those hindsight things. On one hand if we had realized how quickly things would escalate we would not have gone. On the other hand, since it all turned out ok in the end, I was so glad to have had that special time together with my mom right before our worlds got turned upside down. I just wish it could have been a couple of weeks earlier!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ahisma]

Scottish Highlands. We cancelled a UK trip last summer and that is what I'm most bummed about missing.

Alternatively - dinner and a theater show - probably in the West End (London). With a crowd. Sigh.

[mommy111]

Scottish Highlands. We cancelled a UK trip last summer and that is what I'm most bummed about missing.

Alternatively - dinner and a theater show - probably in the West End (London). With a crowd. Sigh.
I will have a hard time sitting in a theatre now and breathing the same air as everyone else and wondering what new pandemic is starting. The summer before covid, we went to the shakespeare theatre in london for a play. really glad we had that experience, would never do that again. just not happening

[SnuggleBuggles]

I will have a hard time sitting in a theatre now and breathing the same air as everyone else and wondering what new pandemic is starting. The summer before covid, we went to the shakespeare theatre in london for a play. really glad we had that experience, would never do that again. just not happening

This is an exercise in pretend. Covid doesn’t exist. There are no looming ways pandemics. You have no fears of concerns. So, going to a theater is a totally valid and comfortable option.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[carolinamama]

This is an exercise in pretend. Covid doesn’t exist. There are no looming ways pandemics. You have no fears of concerns. So, going to a theater is a totally valid and comfortable option.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

Yes! I would completely spend time hanging out in crowded spaces in your pretend world. I miss those small interactions with people around me, a quick smile, an excuse me as I walk through the aisle. I often wonder how far our social skills have slipped without those incidental exchanges with strangers.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Yes! I would completely spend time hanging out in crowded spaces in your pretend world. I miss those small interactions with people around me, a quick smile, an excuse me as I walk through the aisle. I often wonder how far our social skills have slipped without those incidental exchanges with strangers.

I worry about how terribly people will behave at movies. They were starting to get bad before this all started...treating the theater like they were home watching on the couch with their phones out and talking. Ugh.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[bisous]

Yes! I would completely spend time hanging out in crowded spaces in your pretend world. I miss those small interactions with people around me, a quick smile, an excuse me as I walk through the aisle. I often wonder how far our social skills have slipped without those incidental exchanges with strangers.

I actually really miss those things too. One thing I'll never forget were grocery runs early in the pandemic (pre-mask!) when all I saw on the faces of the other shoppers was fear, suspicion, and stress. I guess in that way, masks actually made it better. Feeling protected while shopping has allowed me to "smize" at other shoppers. But friendly conversations will be such a lovely thing when they return! (I hope they will!)

[carolinacool]

I miss those small interactions with people around me, a quick smile, an excuse me as I walk through the aisle. I often wonder how far our social skills have slipped without those incidental exchanges with strangers.

The Atlantic recently wrote a story about this very thing. Those interactions you might have with co-workers in the hall, or chatting with a stranger while waiting in line. Of course, the comments were full of anti-social types who said they were glad not to have these interactions. But many more said they missed these unplanned/unscheduled chats. I know I certainly have been talking to the cashiers at the grocery store and other retail stores much more than normal. :rotflmao:

This is probably for another thread, but I can't think of much that I will no longer do. I miss attending games a ton. I mean, we're attending DS' basketball games, but I'm talking college and lower-level pro sports. I cannot WAIT to step back into a basketball arena.