US trip help needed

hotlatte

Hi,

I am going to US this September for 11 days including the weekend with my friend

Dates : 03 Sept - 13 Sept
Itinerary is as follow;
03 Sept Flight to NewYork
06 Sept Flight to LasVegas
10 Sept hire a car and drive to LosAngeles
13 Sept morning Flight to UK

This will be our first trip to the US and we want to make the most of it and be prepared / preplanned for as much as possible. Please, can you freely share your experience on the following.

- Must visit places in the given timeframe.
- Which Travel passes to buy to get around.
- What tickets / passes to buy for main sights in the cities above
- Places to shop gifts to bring back etc
- car hire
- Any other useful tips and things to watch out for

Thanks in advance and I look forwarding to gettting some solid responses.

jimmybog

Regardiing car hire. Check prices on a site like Kayak. And check what the hire covers. Be aware of high excess charges on the C.D.W. Some companies now offer zero excess on C.D.W. Oh and you will probably pay a higher price by picking up and dropping off at different locations.

As for what to visit, well I've not been to any of them cities but if I do I would certainly do the following:

New York: visit the statue of liberty, TImes square, do a broadway show

Las Vegas: DO one of the shows, see the Bellagio fountains at night, vist Fremont street at night, see the Treasure Island pirate show, see the Mirage hotel volcano eruption. Also visit some of the more spectacular hotels/casinos such as Caesars palace, Bellagio, Venice & Palazzo, Encore/Wynn. Oh and dont forget to do a trip to see the Grand Canyon if you have time

Los Angeles: Visit the shops on Rodeo drive, chinese theatre, Santa Monica Pier, Disneyland

For the best advice visit one of the more specialist forums for each city

ferf1223

jimmybog wrote: »

, see the Treasure Island pirate show

That's now closed.

I'd have a look at the NYC and Vegas threads on this forum - tons of info there.

Where are you staying in Vegas?

Car hire we normally use rentalcars.com - they have always been cheapest for us though others have had luck with Netflights and AlamoBrits. Normally no one-way fee between NV and CA but do check...the one time we rented with rentalcars.com and there was a one-way fee we called and they found us a better deal, slightly more expensive in terms of base price but no one-way fee.

John259

Have you explored options regarding possible routes from Las Vegas to Los Angeles?

The obvious route is I-15 South via Barstow and Victorville, then one of the various freeways west into whatever part of LA you're staying in.

However, there are other possibilities. For example you could take US95 North and then go through Death Valley. Then, if you wished, you could continue west to Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo, and take Ca1/Pacific Coast Highway south to Santa Monica. That would involve at least one or maybe two overnight stays along the way but motels are so readily available in the USA that wouldn't present any problem. It's just an idea and obviously it might not appeal to you. Here's the map:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&daddr=36.5313666,-115.5610654+to:CA-127+S+to:35.8853987,-117.3327195+to:35.4907734,-117.9534364+to:CA-58+W+to:35.1173356,-118.22624+to:Bakersfield,+CA,+United+States+to:San+Luis+Obispo,+CA,+United+States+to:34.9576292,-120.574009+to:34.6389129,-120.4579111+to:Santa+Barbara,+CA,+United+States+to:Malibu,+CA,+United+States+to:Santa+Monica,+CA,+United+States&hl=en&sll=35.32633,-117.938232&sspn=4.696186,8.811035&geocode=FRMRJwIdDpoi-Snt0GhUXsTIgDFiS0G46mOE-Q%3BFaZsLQIdl60c-Sn1e2gBG3zIgDElaDeQ_vnipA%3BFbjtKAIdxYQP-Q%3BFVaRIwIdEaUB-Sk3DOCm3C_BgDEUe1TlRtYB9g%3BFdWLHQIdZCz4-ClTfBUKbZ7BgDFcTnB7nJW5Kw%3BFcTZFwIdWD70-A%3BFRfZFwIdwAL0-CmvRmIPPCHCgDFUDHkYIUq1gA%3BFezAGwIdKOvn-CkNy5S5yGvqgDHIdP6YCQw2WQ%3BFUBfGgIdYOHO-Cknwmx7vubsgDFGD-_OwpACvA%3BFT1pFQIdxy_Q-Cnj8S6tLELsgDGITSrtubZ3hg%3BFUCMEAIdSfXR-ClvmZ-nlB7sgDFE4fci56TOEg%3BFV44DQId8ozd-CnVgy1vxxTpgDFIdrrXZDrRyA%3BFcIxBwIdk5Dr-Ck_1gj5qR3ogDFajOqycS23kw%3BFX4YBwIdyffv-CkZAJHCzqTCgDGr9SP_tQoXtA&oq=santa+monica&mra=ls&via=1,3,4,6,9,10&t=m&z=7

John259

NYC:

There are umpteen videos of visits to NYC on YouTube but most of them are fairly chaotic. However, this one has been created with considerable care and skill, including good quality pictures, narration and captions. On the other hand it's quite lengthy and you might want to skip the bits outside Manhattan if they're of no interest to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dia7xJy8mCQ

This video has some practical advice regarding how to use the subway system:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayp0ZUjfZRA

hotlatte

Thanks to John259, ferf1223 and Jimmybog

Thanks John thats a very good question. Idea was that we would do the Grand Canyon via car and then drive over to LA. I would have a look at the map you have inserted but have you got a preferred or a recommended route which would add to the fun and value of doing a road trip. PS: I will check your NYS video.

ferf1223 : staying in a hotel on the strip not confirmed but we have looked at planet hollywood, hard rock cafe and there is also a 3rd one cant remember the name right now. any must do activities or visits at LA?

Jimmybog: Thanks- any bargain shopping places for designer clothing / items understand its cheaper than UK when compared?

Also, whats the best way to travel in NYC and LA by public transport passed, cards etc . Please share

John259

hotlatte wrote: »

Idea was that we would do the Grand Canyon via car and then drive over to LA

Las Vegas to the south rim of the Grand Canyon is about 275 miles, going via the Hoover Dam:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&daddr=Grand+Canyon+South+Rim+Visitor+Center,+Grand+Canyon+Village,+AZ,+United+States&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.452734,70.488281&geocode=FRMRJwIdDpoi-Snt0GhUXsTIgDFiS0G46mOE-Q%3BFY80JgIdxFlR-SETkqbkwdxjNCnFzvuJkRAzhzETkqbkwdxjNA&oq=grand+canyon+south&mra=ls&t=m&z=8

Another option would be to head north on I-15 to St George, and visit Zion National Park, which I personally would rate as even better than the Grand Canyon even though it's less well known:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&daddr=Zion+National+Park,+Springdale,+UT,+United+States&hl=en&ll=36.659606,-113.895264&spn=2.308988,4.405518&sll=35.636883,-113.638723&sspn=2.339342,4.405518&geocode=FRMRJwIdDpoi-Snt0GhUXsTIgDFiS0G46mOE-Q%3BFZagNwIdNPdD-SH1VjaqFToufCnZ-ESI0OrKgDH1VjaqFToufA&oq=zion&mra=ls&t=m&z=8

Here's a video of the most extreme hike in Zion, but the first part of this trail up to a magnificant view is totally safe, and the park has various other much easier hikes as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CIN-N5cNwk

You could do both - from St George it's possible to visit the north rim of the Grand Canyon there and back in one day:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=St.+George,+UT,+United+States&daddr=AZ-67+S&hl=en&ll=36.844461,-112.730713&spn=2.303433,4.405518&sll=36.498597,-112.574158&sspn=1.15693,2.202759&geocode=FVAMNgIdYBU7-SnlOUmY0ETKgDEeHKH48gcXUw%3BFdeBKAIdiSpS-Q&mra=ls&t=m&z=8

Yet another option, you could modify the Death Valley/Bakersfield route to include Seqouia National Park (giant trees, great views), maybe at the expense of missing out the Pacific Coast Highway:
https://maps.google.com/?ll=36.401389,-118.602905&spn=1.158381,2.202759&t=m&z=9

But you need to check if you'll have enough time to do any of these. You haven't got many days to play with and distances are huge.

There's more information about the parks and photos on the US National Park Service web site http://www.nps.gov and Wikipedia.

jackieblack

hotlatte wrote: »

Hi,

I am going to US this September for 11 days including the weekend with my friend

Dates : 03 Sept - 13 Sept
Itinerary is as follow;
03 Sept Flight to NewYork
06 Sept Flight to LasVegas
10 Sept hire a car and drive to LosAngeles
13 Sept morning Flight to UK

This will be our first trip to the US and we want to make the most of it and be prepared / preplanned for as much as possible. Please, can you freely share your experience on the following.

- Must visit places in the given timeframe.
- Which Travel passes to buy to get around.
- What tickets / passes to buy for main sights in the cities above
- Places to shop gifts to bring back etc
- car hire
- Any other useful tips and things to watch out for

Thanks in advance and I look forwarding to gettting some solid responses.

So you're going to have 2 ( maybe 2 and a bit depending on your flight times) days in NYC, 3 and a bit in LV and 2 in LA?
IMO that's not enough time in any of those places to 'do' them in any kind of meaningful way, so you will need to decide on which sights are most important to you and prioritise your time accordingly in each place.

For me that would be,
NYC - SoL, 9/11 Memorial, ESB or ToR, Central Park
LV - Bellagio Fountains and whichever of the hotels appeals to you most, for me Bellagio, Venetian and Caesars Palce are the most spectacular. And New York, New York if you like rollercoasters If you have the budget, a helicopter tour to GC. Or collect the car a day earlier and drive to Red Rock Canyon.
LA - LA is VAST. Don't be fooled into thinking that many of the main attractions are close to each other. IME the traffic is horrendous and it takes forever to get anywhere. This is a good hop-on-hop-off bus that would take you around some of the main sights (and avoids having to drive). Parking charges at LA hotels can be $$$(:eek:), so make sure you check these out before booking.

Personally I would drop a day in LV & have an extra day in NY, but that's just my personal preference. Although really, I'd just pick 2 places max and have longer in each.

It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive from LV to GC (south rim) and about 8-10 hours (depending on traffic when you hit LA and where you are staying) from there to LA. We did this over 4 days (to spend a day at GC) which just doesn't fit into your time constraints.

I think you need to seriously consider the distances involved.

blindman

jackieblack wrote: »

I think you need to seriously consider the distances involved.

Best advice here. :cool:

If you do the route that John suggests :eek: It would be fine if you are prepared to:

1 Miss out LA- Good idea IMHO-:cool:
2.Spend two nights on the road somewhere.
3. Be prepared to whistle stop GC and Death valley-not a good idea IMHO.


Look at Both Vegas and NYC threads for tickets\shows\coupons etc.

John259

jackieblack wrote: »

Or collect the car a day earlier and drive to Red Rock Canyon.

Good idea, and it could easily be combined with a trip to Mount Charleston on the same day:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Las+Vegas,+NV,+United+States&daddr=Red+Rock+Canyon,+United+States+to:Mount+Charleston,+NV,+United+States+to:NV-156+N%2FLee+Canyon+Rd&hl=en&sll=36.281921,-115.360565&sspn=0.580083,1.101379&geocode=FRMRJwIdDpoi-Snt0GhUXsTIgDFiS0G46mOE-Q%3BFYmKKAId_Eoe-SFMsvwqHdjOdCk1haCVB73IgDFMsvwqHdjOdA%3BFaI9KQIdVW4b-SkNj1Ot6ZnIgDGAyulMRTXTsA%3BFTeMLAIdIQwe-Q&oq=mount+char&mra=mi&mrsp=3&sz=10&t=m&z=10
Mount Charleston isn't on the same scale as the Rockies, the Sierras or the Cascades, but it is quite scenic and it does give you some idea of the mountains. Also, being higher in altitude it gives some relief from the heat on the valley floor.

FWIW I totally agree with the previous poster's comments about Los Angeles, and the wisdom of cutting down to two places (if you haven't already booked) and checking your mileages. In fact, I'd fly in and out* of Las Vegas and do a road trip including places such as Zion, Bryce Canyon, the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Death Valley. But I like the national parks and I don't like cities so this is 100% a matter of personal taste.

*Any surreptitious mentions of excellent southwest USA burger chains are totally deliberate

hotlatte

Agree with you that we have a very tight timescale. But we do want to focus on quality than quantity. So you are right we need to prioritise

Just going to revise my Itinerary details and see what you think

New York : Flight gets there for 14.35. We are going there for first time and considering potential delays at immigration and travelling to the hotel will take us well into evening.Not sure if we could use that evening for something?

Jackieblack what is ToR and SoL?

All in all it gives us in New York till 14.30 (airport check in) on 6th September when we fly out to LAS VEGAS. We are thinking of hiring the car @LV airport.

LAS VEGAS we dont check out until Wednesday morning. We can spend Sunday and Monday at LV and drive to Grand C on tuesday day trip. Check out on Wednesday and drive to LA. Is there anything on the way that we can enjoy while driving to LA without deviating from the route?

LA Next, we get to LA on Wednesday quite possibly in a shattered state . Thats gives us full thursday and friday at LA before we fly out in the morning of Saturday 13th. So we need to carefully select places to go in these two days.

Hope that helps and thanks for helping so far its really helping me shape up this trip :j