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05/01/2006 06:30:18 AM · #1
I'm trying to plan a trip to America with my girlfriend. We have 3 weeks (more or less) and wondered if anyone had any suggestions. So far we have

1) New York for 6 days (including taking the train to Boston, Philadelphia)
2) Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton Nation Park for 4 days
3) San Francisco (including Berkeley) for 4 days
4) Las Vegas (including Grand Canyon) for 3 days

We really want to go to a baseball game as well.

Between us we've already been to Florida (Theme parks and Everglades), Yosemite NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Monument Valley NP, Arches NP.

Once we have worked out the 'main' places that we are going to go to then I'm sure I'll be posting a few more mails to find out the best restaurants etc to try out!

Hope someone is able to give us some advice as the choice seems enormous!
05/01/2006 06:58:35 AM · #2
For the baseball game, try to get to see the Boston Red Sox. Lots of history there. All your suggestions look great.
05/01/2006 06:59:08 AM · #3
While your in the North you may want to go up to Niagara Falls. I hope you have a great time on your trip. I am sure everyone here will be able to give you some great tips as they all know where they "beautiful photographic" locations of the USA are!
05/01/2006 08:05:47 AM · #4
I'd might suggest knocking Philly off the list and hitting Washington DC instead. From NYC it's maybe an 1 1/2 further by car, or less and a little extra by train.

There are things to do and see in Philadelphia but not much by comparison.
05/01/2006 09:18:48 AM · #5
When I look at that schedule, I think wow - that's alot of traveling. That much running wears one out and makes the trip less enjoyable. Accounting for a full day's travel to some of those venue's, you don't have much time at the venue. I might consider trimming out one of the venue's and extending the stay at others ... also include at lease one day a week to "do nothing" but rest and recover. You might want to make those recovery days a Saturday as they tend to be most crowded. Sounds fun. Good luck.
05/01/2006 10:02:11 AM · #6
I would suggest staying in NYC and not taking those long boring trainrides to Boston and Philly. At the very least, skip Philly.
05/01/2006 10:05:08 AM · #7
I agree with photoneer, I would be a little less ambitious. With that type of schedule you'd just be scratching the surface of most places and be run ragged in the process.

However, while in Las Vegas you should make some time to take in the non-photographic experiences. You'll want to visit the Double Down Saloon and drink Ass Juice or a Bacon Martini. Of course when I visit Las Vegas I always like to visit The Gun Store. There's nothing like firing a fully automatic weapon. They have a coupon on their website good for $5 off.

I live just next to San Francisco in Daly City. Sounds like you'll be hooking up with friends since you mention Berkeley so they'll know all the interesting spots but if you want other specific recommendations just ask.
05/01/2006 11:25:23 AM · #8
Originally posted by KHolt:

1) New York for 6 days (including taking the train to Boston, Philadelphia)

Philadelphia and Boston are in opposite directions with NYC in the middle. Starting in the north you have BOS-NYC-PHL-WDC (BOS-NYC 3.5 to 4 hrs, NYC-PHL 2 hrs, PHL-WDC 2 hrs -- all via Amtrak)

I recommend one, but not all three, all three have a lot of historical sites. I don't know why people would suggest passing on Philadelphia. There is a lot to do here. Museums, historical sites, restaurants...

Originally posted by KHolt:

3) San Francisco (including Berkeley) for 4 days

Definately, go the the Haight, Coit Tower, do the Berkerley street fair on a Saturday morning, Sausilito is north accross the Golden Gate Bridge. It's beautiful up there.

Originally posted by KHolt:

4) Las Vegas (including Grand Canyon) for 3 days

Catch a Cirque de Soliel show. My favorite has been Zoomanity. Tours of the Hoover dam are good too.

Originally posted by KHolt:

We really want to go to a baseball game as well.

Possible in any one of the cities mentioned.

Originally posted by KHolt:

Once we have worked out the 'main' places that we are going to go to then I'm sure I'll be posting a few more mails to find out the best restaurants etc to try out!

I'd recommend Zagats, although it could get expensive to buy one for each city. Also try Citysearch.com.
05/01/2006 11:36:22 AM · #9
Charleston, SC... lots of history there, (if you're into that kind of thing). It's beautiful around the waterfront!!!
05/01/2006 11:44:26 AM · #10
I have to agree with the others who say you're trying to do too much. NYC is a week just by itself; I'd stay there the whole time instead of wandering around the Northeast.

I assume you're flying out west, though I'm not sure how you're getting to Y-stone. I'd pick two of the three destinations and take an extra couple of days in each of those two.

Baseball season ends in late September (early Sept in Vegas). Check mlb.com for schedules. Tickets are very hard to get in Boston. Go to Yankee Stadium in NYC (Bronx) if you can get tickets, and don't let Shea Stadium (Queens) be your only impression of an American ballpark. In SF, go to a Giants game in SF (beautiful new ballpark), not an A's game in Oakland (old crappy stadium) if you can help it. You'll get a very different kind of baseball game in Vegas - it's the minor leagues.
05/01/2006 01:49:25 PM · #11
Thanks so much for everyones comments so far. I've revised the schedule a bit. Again any comments would be greatly appreciated.

1) New York - 7 days - one trip to either Boston,Washington,Philly (yet to decide)

2) Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks - 5 days

3) Las Vegas & Grand Canyon - 4 days

4) San Francisco - 5 days - including Sausilito

Take me up to a nice round 3 weeks.

I agree with Palmetto, I think Charleston would be beautiful. Looks like we will probably save this for another trip, as we'd also like to take in Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina.
05/01/2006 01:57:52 PM · #12
It would help to know the approximate time frame on the trip, and how you are planning to get around during the trip. I assume you're flying between coasts, at least, but are you renting a car or using rail/busses when you're at your destinations?

Caoe Cod is between NY and Boston, for what it's worth. If you're taking a train from NYC to Boston, I can pick you up at Providence, RI and put you up for a night, then deliver you down-cape to Provincetown, from whence you can take a ferry across the bay to Boston...

R.
05/01/2006 02:01:25 PM · #13
Sounds like a great trip that many Americans would themselves feel privileged to embark upon.

San Francisco has a great zoo. If you are able, try to schedule a your trip during a bike tour through the zoo. You catch all the animals as they wake up and the crowds are much smaller. Find a bike tour day here: //www.sfzoo.org/events/calendar.shtml

Vegas is amazing. Get your dinner and shows in early, then gamble later in the evening. It's a lot of fun and the real high rollers are up late throwing money around.

Cheers, mate.
05/01/2006 04:26:38 PM · #14
Originally posted by KHolt:


1) New York - 7 days - one trip to either Boston,Washington,Philly (yet to decide)

Do Washington D.C. (unless you're bent on Boston and want to see Bear_Music for some special reason. Philadelphia's a skip...best restaurants in the world outside of NYC, though.) Plenty of free museums and inexpensive tours in D.C. and the architecture is not to be missed.
Originally posted by KHolt:


2) Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks - 5 days

3) Las Vegas & Grand Canyon - 4 days

Grand Canyon is, of course, a must see. Hoover Dam is between the two so if you're driving be sure to plan a stop there early in the day...only drawback is that for the best views of the dam you have to take the underground power plant tour. There are also helicopter rides over the canyon from casino and Indian Reservations outside of Las Vegas....none over the National Park, if I'm not mistaken.

Tip: When visiting National Parks be sure to eat at the lodges in the restaurants they have great prices and restaurant atmosphere--skip the hotdog/burger stands as they aren't a great value and tend to be annoyingly busy.

When are you coming? I'm moving to Baltimore (between NYC and Washington) in July and will be temporarily without any job commitments--if the timing works out, I'd be happy to offer a place to stay and/or a chance to meet up for either B'more or D.C.
05/01/2006 04:53:04 PM · #15
Originally posted by TechnoShroom:

However, while in Las Vegas you should make some time to take in the non-photographic experiences. You'll want to visit the Double Down Saloon and drink Ass Juice or a Bacon Martini. Of course when I visit Las Vegas I always like to visit The Gun Store. There's nothing like firing a fully automatic weapon. They have a coupon on their website good for $5 off.


I have to agree with TechnoShroom here.... You just can't beat a frosty pint of Ass Juice and an Uzi.
05/01/2006 05:57:12 PM · #16
Originally posted by pawdrix:

Originally posted by TechnoShroom:

However, while in Las Vegas you should make some time to take in the non-photographic experiences. You'll want to visit the Double Down Saloon and drink Ass Juice or a Bacon Martini. Of course when I visit Las Vegas I always like to visit The Gun Store. There's nothing like firing a fully automatic weapon. They have a coupon on their website good for $5 off.


I have to agree with TechnoShroom here.... You just can't beat a frosty pint of Ass Juice and an Uzi.


Butch and Sundance ... Starsky and Hutch ... Ass Juice and Uzi
Excellent!
05/02/2006 02:10:25 PM · #17
Thanks everyone for your comments. It will be next year around May that we'll be making the trip, so thanks to Bear_Music and KaDi on their very generous offers and I'll put out another post closer to the date and see if there are any DPCers around!

Here is the latest plan.

1) New York (including trip to Boston) - 6 days
2) Fly to Salt Lake City, hire car and drive to Grand Teton/Yellowstone - 5 days
3) Drive to Grand Canyon! (got to try a road trip!) - 2 days
4) Drive to Las Vegas - 3 days
5) Fly or Drive to San Francisco - relax for 6 days

Just got to find some money now!
05/02/2006 02:19:02 PM · #18
Originally posted by KHolt:

Thanks everyone for your comments. It will be next year around May that we'll be making the trip, so thanks to Bear_Music and KaDi on their very generous offers and I'll put out another post closer to the date and see if there are any DPCers around!

Here is the latest plan.

1) New York (including trip to Boston) - 6 days
2) Fly to Salt Lake City, hire car and drive to Grand Teton/Yellowstone - 5 days
3) Drive to Grand Canyon! (got to try a road trip!) - 2 days
4) Drive to Las Vegas - 3 days
5) Fly or Drive to San Francisco - relax for 6 days

Just got to find some money now!


sheesh. just keep in mind that the US is a lot bigger than England. Hell, it's a lot bigger than Europe.
05/02/2006 02:51:14 PM · #19
It would be more reasonable to do only one of these trips. Any of these have more than enough to entertain you for a 3-week period.

1) Fly to New York (including train trips to either Boston (Cape Cod), Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington,D.C.) or
2) Fly to Salt Lake City and drive to Grand Tetons/Yellowstone or
3) Fly to Las Vegas and drive to Grand Canyon or
4) Fly to San Francisco

I disagree with the comments about Philadelphia. If you are only interested in eating at fast food chain restaurants you can do that anywhere. But if you want to experience a great "walking" city and outstanding food at reasonable prices, Philadelphia would be an excellent stop along the way.

05/02/2006 02:53:48 PM · #20
Originally posted by KHolt:

2) Fly to Salt Lake City, hire car and drive to Grand Teton/Yellowstone - 5 days
3) Drive to Grand Canyon! (got to try a road trip!) - 2 days


Jackson, Wy. is a 6 hour gorgeous scenic drive from Salt Lake. It's the gateway to the Tetons and Yellowstone. To drive the Teton/Yellowstone loop without stopping would take over 6 hours as much of road slows to a creep as it winds up and over the mountains in Yellowstone.

Driving from Yellowstone to Grand Canyon is going to take over 12 hours of driving. Then you'll need to drive to see the gorgeous views in the Grand Canyon.

You'll want to balance the amount of time you spend driving with the opportunity to see the country you're in.

Have fun.
05/02/2006 02:55:12 PM · #21
I'm with posthumous on this one....just for measure, the distance from Salt Lake City, Utah to the Grand Canyon is about 500 miles....it'd take you one exhausting day of driving just to get from one to the other!

My husband and I flew in and out of Las Vegas (spending 1st and last nights there) two years ago renting a car to travel from Vegas to Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon and back to Vegas--a relaxing 10 day trip and we did some serious driving. The US is a big, big place!
05/02/2006 02:55:39 PM · #22
Originally posted by KHolt:

Thanks everyone for your comments. It will be next year around May that we'll be making the trip, so thanks to Bear_Music and KaDi on their very generous offers and I'll put out another post closer to the date and see if there are any DPCers around!

Here is the latest plan.

1) New York (including trip to Boston) - 6 days
2) Fly to Salt Lake City, hire car and drive to Grand Teton/Yellowstone - 5 days
3) Drive to Grand Canyon! (got to try a road trip!) - 2 days
4) Drive to Las Vegas - 3 days
5) Fly or Drive to San Francisco - relax for 6 days

Just got to find some money now!

Keith... as an American I think your itinerary basically is sound.

Boston is a long way from NYC and if the reason you are going up there is to take in a USA baseball game then I'd say don't. Though I'm not a fan, the Yankees are the quintessential baseball team in the USA to see for a foreign visitor. And I say that taking into account that Boston has Kurt Schilling as a pitcher and he helped my beloved Arizona Diamondbacks win a World Series title over those same Yankees. :)

I'm not a city person and certain you could spend your entire time in New York City, the Big Apple, and never scratch the surface but I'd suggest if you want to travel to another US city from NYC before you go west I'd recommend Washington DC. It is about the same distance, around 200 kilometers, from NYC but is far more interesting regarding government and world affairs. Boston has more colonial American history. Given history, I'd think Washington, DC would be better for an Englishman. LOL!!! But, heck, maybe not. :)

Yellowstone with the Grand Tetons, Las Vegas, San Francisco and the Grand Canyon are among the greatest natural(and cityscape) wonders to photograph in the USA for an international visitor. I'm sure there will be many who disagree with that but few that would say your choice is wrong.

San Francisco is a beautiful and photogenic city, perhaps moreso than NYC, depends on your view.

Should you decide to drive out here in the Western USA and decide on an exact itinerary I will be more than happy to make side trip suggestions.

Personally, I think that your biggest problem will be deciding what you can't do, not what you can and want to do.

Message edited by author 2006-05-02 15:01:04.
05/02/2006 03:07:53 PM · #23
Originally posted by KaDi:

I'm with posthumous on this one....just for measure, the distance from Salt Lake City, Utah to the Grand Canyon is about 500 miles....it'd take you one exhausting day of driving just to get from one to the other!

My husband and I flew in and out of Las Vegas (spending 1st and last nights there) two years ago renting a car to travel from Vegas to Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon and back to Vegas--a relaxing 10 day trip and we did some serious driving. The US is a big, big place!

I agree with you, that is exactly what I first thought. But if you are serious about going to both Yellowstone AND LV and the Grand Canyon then that is not a bad starting point. My only suggestion would be to make Vegas and the Grand Canyon your last visit and fly from Vegas to San Francisco for the rest of the trip. Even then you still face a long drive from Yellowstone south to Vegas and may want to consider a flight if that works out better and you can find one. :)
05/02/2006 05:58:27 PM · #24
Originally posted by KHolt:

I agree with Palmetto, I think Charleston would be beautiful. Looks like we will probably save this for another trip, as we'd also like to take in Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina.


yeah... come on over to memphis, but be warned... it's going to take you a few days to get moving again after a big plate of ribs...

yummm...
05/02/2006 06:08:18 PM · #25
Originally posted by KHolt:

I'm trying to plan a trip to America with my girlfriend. We have 3 weeks (more or less) and wondered if anyone had any suggestions. So far we have

1) New York for 6 days (including taking the train to Boston, Philadelphia)
2) Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton Nation Park for 4 days
3) San Francisco (including Berkeley) for 4 days
4) Las Vegas (including Grand Canyon) for 3 days

We really want to go to a baseball game as well.

Between us we've already been to Florida (Theme parks and Everglades), Yosemite NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Monument Valley NP, Arches NP.

Once we have worked out the 'main' places that we are going to go to then I'm sure I'll be posting a few more mails to find out the best restaurants etc to try out!

Hope someone is able to give us some advice as the choice seems enormous!


Consider flying BA 49/48 non-stop to/from Seattle and skip New York/Boston. Make you trip a "western US" trip? Stay 3-4 days in and around Seattle and maybe throw in a day or two in Vancouver BC (2 hr drive north of Seattle). Seattle/Vancouver are beautiful and you'll save yourself some money and make your trip a bit more relaxing. Just a thought.
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