Getting to Dry Tortugas National Park? -

Is there a cheap way to get there? Everyplace I have seen is $150 per person via boat.

unfortunatley no, i ve been to key west twice and and wanted to go both times but didint cause of the price--it doesnt seem worth it considering how short a time you would have there--i suppose if you camped a couple nights at dry tortuga the $150 would be worth it--but its pricy no matter how you look at it

The only other way to get out there is to take a float plane (assuming you don t have your own boat), but that s a lot more expensive. (I think it was about triple the cost when we were there.)My wife and I went to Key West for our 10th anniversary a few years ago and took the day trip (boat) out to Dry Tortugas. It was pricey (so is everything else down there), but it was the highlight of our trip. Of course, we plan all our trips around visiting National Parks, so for us, hitting Dry Tortugas was a major milestone. In my opinion, it ranks right up there with Kalaupapa NHS in Hawaii as being one of the toughest spots in the National Parks system to get to. That s one of the things that makes visiting it so rewarding though.P.S. If I had to rank them, out of the dozens (probably approaching 100 or more now) National Park sites I ve been too, Dry Tortugas would probably be #1 on my list. It is a truly breathtaking place (as are the Florida Keys in general).

It would help to know where you re departing from. Everything from Key West is around that price but a different departure site may meana lower fare.

Opinions on living in Massachusetts? -

I m from Michigan and am being forced to start my career out of state due to it s horrible economic condition. With that being said, I ve been offered a job in Northampton, MA. Went out there for a couple days last week and thought it was a very cool town and beautiful area. Any opinions on it and Massachusetts in general by those who have lived there? I m told cost of living and taxes are a little higher than most of the country. Should $70,000 a year be enough to live comfortably? Any thoughts would be appreciated

Northhampton is a very cool hip town. The only real downside is that New England winters are nasty, but you being from Michigan amust be used to it, so you can probably cope. 70,000 should be plenty to live in Noho comfortably

On 70K/yr you should be QUITE comfortable in Northampton. That area is considerably less costly than the Boston area. If you like the job, I d say Go for it! .

yes, now- Welcome to Massachusetts (:

yes i think $70,000 is definitely enough for that area! good luck

Moving to Austin at the end of December (From Seattle). Good / bad timing ? Any Moving and Rental tips? -

I plan to move to Austin at the end of December to attend UT the following Spring.Yeah it is during the holiday season, because I am just planning to just drive there with my friend.That is the only good time both of us (school holiday and what not). We will probably start to drive on the 26th or 27th after Christmas.I plan to just drive there to save money on moving. I don t own too much valuables. I believe it is cheaper to throw or donate away stuffs and buy new ones in Austin than moving them.Among my most valuable stuffs are my laptop and a $400 simmons beauty rest mattress.The beautyrest bed is my headache. But I believe it is still cheaper not to move it. =(About the driving part : Google estimates 37 - 39 hours from Seattle to Austin depends on routes.I plan to take the I-5 S route south. Because of the heavier Snow in the Interiors..And I plan to skip the mountainous Southern Oregon and NorCAL I-5. I am gonna take the hwy 101 (beach road) instead to skip the snowy mountains there.Is 3 days/2 nights for the trip a safe bet ??Planning to drive 6-8 hrs per person per day / 12-16 hours a day total.I have driven 8 hours before, but that was summer on my trip to Norcal.Now about the Austin part:I am staying in a hotel or guest house for few days and look for rental.1) I am projecting 5-14 days in hotel, until I found and moved in to my apt.Is this a good projection ?2) It seems that most rentals in Austin uses leasing agents (even for regular apts) - from what I see on craigslist.Here in the NW, u go straight to the apt manager.. leasing agencies are only reserved for upscale condos or renting houses.Why is that ? Is it a state / city law?So when u pass by an apartment .. u like it.. then are you gonna see the remax sign for rent something like that there ?3) Will the holiday season make it more difficult to hunt for a rental ? I mean because of the holidays and office closures..Usually regular offices are open again on the 26-30 Dec (unlike school and univ). But who know things are little different (again) in Texas ?Any tips about the trip, road safety, moving, renting etc ??on my less than 2 years old BeautyRest ?...Thanks

Welcom to Texas and Austin. The best state in the USA. You absolutely dont need an agent to rent an apartment. You drive by an apartment and you can just go in if it is still during the office hours. However I am wondering if there is a misunderstanding in the terminoogy here. At the apartment offices, the head is always called manager, then there may be the assitant manager, then for all the rest there, they have the titles like Leasing Agent or Leasing Consultant. I heard they actually get a commision if you sign the lease.But to our tenants,it really doesn t matter at all. They are all part of the apartment management team. I would think most apartment will be open on 26-30 of December. I think the apartment market is pretty soft here in Austin. If you dont have problem with background check and not picky in choosing the apartment, 2 weeks should be enough to get everything ready for you to move in. Just make sure you choose the right neighborhood.The general rule here is East Austin (east ofI-35) is bad, West of Mopac is good neighborhood. North west is best for professionals, North is the same but on a little lower scale, South west is really nice and expensive. Downtown is great for social life, but expensive. South (south of Town Lake) is what the original Austin feel like.

Driving the southern route in the winter is your best bet. You will have to decide how long you really want to spend in the car.As for Austin, you can check Yellow Pages and find an Apt Locater Service. They don t charge you; they pay 1/2 the first month s rent to this agency as a finder s fee. Be sure to have good credit and references from home. Apt Locater will drive you around town to look at apts. You may be coming at just the right time to find an apt, what with The University being off for Christmas. Look for an apt on the UT Shuttle routes. This is something you will pay for in your tuition. It s not possible to park even near the campus. Definitely don t try. Tickets are common and get expensive.The city is layed out North-South. East-West through Streets are few: Parmer, Braker, 45th St, 38th St, 29th St, 15th St, Rt 71(Ben White) North-South streets: Burnet( burn-it ), Lamar, Route 35 ( Interstate Highway 35)General neighborhoods are accurately described in the previous post.A party area, Sixth Street, is to be avoided for your own personal safety. Expect to be robbed here. I ve lived in Austin 30 plus years and have only been to 6th Street twice at night, then had a escort directly to my car. It s OK in daytime.

If you have a computer you can look at just about every apartment that is available in Austin. It is a great place! I was born and raised in the Lake Travis/Lakeway area. It is not hard to find a place there are a lot going up. If you want to get an agent you could but it is not really necessary because majority of the apartment complexes have their own rental agents on site. GOOD LUCK!