This Land is Your Land
4 Mega-Journeys for Traveling Marines Cashing in Leave
Story by Sgt. Paul Kane HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington
A wise gunny once said his best time off duty was when he had nothing to do and all day in which to do it. "Otherwise," he said, "it meant we were on the road for a vacation. And I always found I had packed twice the clothes I wanted and half the cash I needed."
Marines breaks down four road trips to help service members plan a fun, affordable getaway...
The Pacific Coaster
Range: Sunny Southern California's Pacific Palisades to the Wilds of Vancouver, Canada
The Sights:
Homesick recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego • lowriders in Los Angeles • bodybuilders at Muscle Beach • skaters in Santa Monica • celebrities in Hollywood • surfers on the Ventura County Line • waterfalls at Burns State Park • art at Hearst Castle • redwoods at Big Sur • the aquarium in Monterey • Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay • vineyards in Sonoma Valley • lighthouses in Oregon, Washington's Westcott Bay Sculpture Park • the Capilano Suspension Bridge outside Vancouver.
The Rooms: The Ward Lodge, Camp Pendleton, Calif., $57-$67, 760/725-5194 • The Navy Lodge, Port Hueneme, Calif., $57-$65, 805/985-2624 • The Marines Memorial Club and Hotel, San Francisco, Calif., $69-$349, 415/673-6672 • The Presidio of Monterey Army lodging, Monterey, Calif., $50-$80, 831/645-1199 • The Evergreen Inn, near Tacoma, Wash., $27-$44, 800/847-3899.
"The Atlantic Coaster"
Range: Deep South & Balmy Beaches of Florida into the Placid Fishing Lakes of Maine
The Sights:
Margaritaville in Key West • sunbathers on Miami's South Beach • Goofy at Disney World • Space Shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center • NASCAR racing in Daytona • coastal marshes in Savannah • wild horses on Cumberland Island • homesick recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island • Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks • historical battlefields in Virginia; monuments in Washington, D.C. • cold beer and Maryland crabs in Baltimore • cheesesteaks in Philadelphia • Lady Liberty and the Yankees in New York • Bunker Hill and Fenway Park in Boston • lobster in Maine.
The Rooms: The Space Coast Inn, Cocoa Beach, Fla., $25-$39, 321/494-6590 • The Shades of Green, Orlando, $76-$250, 407/824-3400 • The Osprey Inn, Beaufort, S.C., $18-$27, 843/228-2976 • The Cross Roads Inn, Quantico, Va., $53-$70, 703/630-4444 • The Bolling Inn, Washington, $26-$41, 202/404-7050 • The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen's Club, New York, $10-$52, 212/683-4353 • The Hanscom Inn, near Boston, $35-$40, 781/377-2112 • The Navy Lodge, Brunswick, Maine, $51-$63, 207/725-6268.
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