Road trip accross America

[stoneman]

We are thinking of doing a road trip across America, either east-west, or the other way. Any help will be appreciated as to thoughts which way around we should do it, itineraries that some of you have used, whether an RV or just a car is best, and any ones experiences. One of the main considerations is that we like going out in the evenings, not ones for sitting around the camp fire and gazing at the stars. I guess we can probably get a full itinerary made up for us and have a sat-nav all set up. So we like nice bars and nice meals, fond of cities for just this reason. Thinking of late summer.
Thanks

[stan747]

i have'nt done this myself but i've been to quite a few places on the east coast so i would suggest route1, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_1
from new york down to key west. i would take a few diversions along the route, i.e. blue ridge mountains in north carolina, orlando florida, washington dc. absolutely loads of other places to see and things to do on route and key west is perfect for a wind down after a long drive.
we got a chrysler 300 touring for a car, nice easy drive and loads of boot space, fuel economy was ok too considering.

[Crabman]

This was asked recently on another thread, you may find some helpful info on there:

USA Road Trip: from one end to the other

[looby-loo]

I thought, oh, I can help with this one until I read the last sentence. I've travelled coast to coast and done three circular tours but have never stayed in a city. We stopped just outside and travelled in early next morning and out and onwards towards teatime.
We stayed in small places - the smaller the better and met real cowboys and indian people. Got invited to a ranch and saw cattle being rounded, helped make indian pottey on a resevation and got lost ine the wilderness in Yosomite. Are we the only family who drove without stopping through Las Vegas?
We must be complete opposites. I'm sure someone will be along soon who can help.

By the way, we booked flights called 'one stop' which meant flying return to Boston with a stop off at Houston, so after landing at Boston, we drove to Houston, flew back to Boston then back to UK. It worked out cheaper than return with and internal flight.

[stoneman]

Originally Posted by Crabman

This was asked recently on another thread, you may find some helpful info on there:

USA Road Trip: from one end to the other

Thanks Earl, err, sorry, Crabman. Fingers rapped for not doing a proper search.
Stan, we actually own a 300C, tinted windows, Bentley grill, the lot, beautiful car.

[Craig A]

I am a mod on the forum at www.roadtripamerica.com - check it out before you get too far into the planning...

[Crabman]

By the way - there's another thread on the topic of a US roadtrip, in case you've not already seen it:

Touring holiday to Nevada, California & Arizona

[Nordictat2]

I would fly to Cali. and then drive back and fly out of NY or Phila.,.
I mean after a long holiday driving around the US etc. I don't want to sit on a plane for an extra 4+ hrs (which you do when flying from the west coast) so add that onto the 7 or 8 hrs of your flight from the time it would take from NY heh.

Nice car, We got that car as a rental on our last trip to the US. Sat radio, comfy seats...was a dream to drive (my husband said) heh.

[BrandNewDay]

I recommend flying into San Francisco and driving to New York, Boston, or Philadelphia. I can't speak for Boston, having never been there, but Philly is a lovely city with a great culture ("Yo, Adrienne!") and plenty of fascinating history as well as good nightlife, much more affordable than NYC. (Plus, no tax on clothing in Pennsylvania, so it's a good place to do your low-cost shopping spree!)

I used to live in San Francisco and also for a while in LA. SF is a much more compact, walkable city. It's also very beautiful and has fascinating people, with an incredible night life. From there, you can drive to Reno, NV in a few hours and from there Salt Lake City. However, there will be a flat spell across the midwest. Not much nightlife for a while, but some stunning scenery. Then, you'll get to Chicago and that's a great town. (I believe this is all on Interstate 80, btw.) From there, you can go to Cleveland and then either up to Buffalo to NYC/New England or to Pittsburgh and over the Alleghenies to Philadelphia.

The Southern Route, however, would take you through places like Los Vegas, Arizona, and Texas, then you could go through the Deep South, perhaps driving up the Atlantic Coast or through the Appalachian Mountains. Whichever way you do it, there will be some "slack water" in the middle where things get flat, the cities are far apart, and the stretches of driving are very, very long.

I drove from SF to Philly a few years ago. I had to break off and drop down South in order to swing by my parent's house in Cincinnati, but it was four full days of driving for me, alone. If you want to take your time and get off the highways a bit earlier, then you'll take longer.