NEED SUGGESTIONS: Things to do in the USA

[Ozzie]

So, I am heading over in May, for about 3 weeks. (From about May 6th, until May 26th)

I don't want to be racing around everywhere, trying to see everything in those 3 weeks, but still need some stuff to do/see.
Anyone interested in having a house guest in that time? (I'm not a fan of hotels/motels/gutters, and would rather spend my money on other things)
I am flying in to LA, then probably heading to Phoenix and staying with Greg & Bex (if they let me!) in the lead up to Carlisle (14th and 15th).

I'd like to see Vegas too, but that's about all I have planned.

Now on to the (serious) suggestions.....

[jamesgios99]

If you're heading into San Fransico, be sure to check out all of the glory holes there!

[Mr1der]

tip waitresses and buy some overalls!

[Ozzie]

If you're heading into San Fransico, be sure to check out all of the glory holes there!

Thanks for the tip. Added to the itinerary.

[mmkeller]

If you like baseball, go to a Major league game of your choice.

[Ozzie]

If you like baseball, go to a Major league game of your choice.

Is it more about seeing the game live, or the stadium experience?

[Eikon]

It's the stadium experience.. baseball is boring to watch. If you are in Boston.. see a game at Fenway park. If in Chicago.. go to Wrigley.. it's the old stadiums that give you the best experience.

You're going to DC right?
Gettysburg battlefield in on the way from DC to Carlisle PA.

Are you driving around or flying around the country? How many plane tickets are you willing to pay for? I could name at least 100 amazing things to see and do, but it depends entirely on where you will be and for how long, etc...

If you happen to head through the Cleveland, Ohio area, you are more than welcome to stay at my place. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland and is a decent thing to see.

Are you more into nature or man made stuff? Let me know and I can fire off a ton of ideas at you.

[mmkeller]

If you like baseball, go to a Major league game of your choice.

Is it more about seeing the game live, or the stadium experience?

Both, also, the NBA playoffs will start around then, if you like basketball.

[jamesgios99]

Are you more into nature or man made stuff?

What is this? A dating site?

[darens13]

Are you more into nature or man made stuff?

What is this? A dating site?

it can be.



since you will be in arizona, are you planning to see the grand canyon?

[Eikon]

Are you more into nature or man made stuff?

What is this? A dating site?

I was going to ask about long walks on the beach, but I thought that might be a bit too forward...


What I was really after is asking about his preference of attractions... is he the kind of person who would rather see mountains, rivers, waterfalls, canyons, etc... Or would he rather see museums, cities, historic sites, etc..

[MaximA32]

Let me know the day and time and I'll pick you up at LAX! We can go do stuff and I'll take you to In-n-Out so we can grub and you can get the missus a t-shirt. Ladies love In-n-Out (see what I did there)

[Ozzie]

It's the stadium experience.. baseball is boring to watch. If you are in Boston.. see a game at Fenway park. If in Chicago.. go to Wrigley.. it's the old stadiums that give you the best experience.

Baseball is pretty american, I should probably go to a game.

You're going to DC right?
Gettysburg battlefield in on the way from DC to Carlisle PA.

I believe that is on the itinerary as a "to do" with Greg and Bex.

Are you driving around or flying around the country? How many plane tickets are you willing to pay for? I could name at least 100 amazing things to see and do, but it depends entirely on where you will be and for how long, etc...

If you happen to head through the Cleveland, Ohio area, you are more than welcome to stay at my place. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland and is a decent thing to see.

I was planning on going to Cleveland, so I could catch up with the NSR crew.
If I have a place to stay, then consider it added to the list.

I will only have use of a car while in Phoenix (I think), so I will be flying around mostly.

Are you more into nature or man made stuff? Let me know and I can fire off a ton of ideas at you.

I am not really into the nature stuff. I guess I am wanting to experience the american culture mostly.

[nissangirl74]

Have you ever thought about flying to Carlisle with Greg and I and then renting a car and driving back to LA? You could see a lot of amazing stuff, and some cool people along the way. Might be a heck of a lot cheaper than hopping planes on a semi-daily basis.

[Ozzie]

Have you ever thought about flying to Carlisle with Greg and I and then renting a car and driving back to LA? You could see a lot of amazing stuff, and some cool people along the way. Might be a heck of a lot cheaper than hopping planes on a semi-daily basis.

I didn't think about that, until now.

Thanks for the idea!
Now to attempt to plan a route.
Ideas anyone?

[nissangirl74]

Depends on who you want to see and if you want to travel the main interstates or side roads. More to see on the side roads but interstates are, of course, much quicker.

To simplify things, figure out who you want to see the most. Find out where they live and we'll help you from there. Jesda is the Road Trip King of NICO. He'll be the best help to devise the most effective plan of attack.

[Ace2cool]

In-n-Out

FTW!!!!!!!

[Jesda]

I leave the country for vacation on May 29th, so I'll still be in Missouri when you get here and there's a pretty gosh darn good chance of me making it to Carlisle this year.

Gas prices will be 25-30% higher in the summer, so prepare for that, and motels and hotels will also be slightly more expensive during that time. There's a few one-way car rental choices out there, and Budget seems to be the most flexible. Budget typically lets you drive unlimited miles to any state without restrictions. The one-way rental costs will vary since their goal is to basically get you to move their cars to markets where they need them.

You're more than welcome to borrow my cars and go wherever you want. I guess the dilemma is how to get it back.

I'm sure they do this in Australia as well -- the rental company will try to scare you into buying additional insurance coverage. They'll even lie and try to say the car has no insurance unless you buy their special coverage, which isn't true at all [or legal]. I would skip it. Bring a copy of your car insurance papers with you in case they give you a hard time. I've only had that problem with Enterprise; Budget has always been easy for me to deal with.

Between California and Pennsylvania you could fit these into your route:
Old Route 66 -- various historic structures and small museums in Arizona, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Lots of stuff you'll recognize from the movie "Cars". Old 66 runs mostly parallel to interstate 40.
Grand Canyon
The St Louis Arch -- its not very good but the elevator ride in the little rotating egg is cool.
Music in Nashville. You'll want to look up mr1der and meet up with him.
If you're into US presidents, you could visit the museums/libraries of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon (California) or Bill Clinton (Arkansas).
Wal-Mart has a small museum in Bentonville Arkansas if you're into folksy rags to riches stories.
A whole bunch of stuff in Washington DC

If you're into car factories, greasy food, and music, I strongly suggesting fitting Chicago and Detroit into your trip. You can go back and tell Cathy you survived a night in Detroit. Chicago is an essential food stop, especially Portillo's and Giordano's.
Detroit is home to the Motown Records Museum and the Ford Rogue factory where they build trucks. For $7 you can tour the factory at your own pace and watch them build vehicles. There's also a Chrysler museum in Auburn Hills MI which I think is free. GM's renaissance center is downtown. There isn't much there but its a great place to take pictures and you can look at a couple cars displayed in the lobby. Lafayette's is nearby where you can order a "coney dog", a hot dog drenched in chili. Despite the poverty and mismanagement, its actually a great city.
Both Chicago and Detroit are on the way to Cleveland, and Cleveland is home to Jerry, Stephanie, and all those NSR guys as well as the rock and roll hall of fame. Apparently Cleveland's food claim to fame is a monster pastrami sandwich which I have yet to try.

Our friend Wes is in central Indiana.

The scenery gets pretty boring once you get to my neck of the woods (its all corn fields) but gets interesting again once you get up to Lake Michigan or eastward to Pennsylvania. Something you MUST experience if you drive in the US is the Pacific Coast Highway along the California coast. Texas is pretty flat too, but in a spacious and big sort of way.

If you see billboards for silly roadside attractions, then by all means check it out. Usually those are the silly little gems that give you a taste of the local culture. The interstates are safe but boring. During the day, its worth seeing if there's a state road or scenic route that runs parallel to your path that you can enjoy for an hour or so. At night, stick to the interstates.

Lodging -- There's probably no better bang for the buck than Motel 6. They're clean, friendly, and most of them have free internet. In the middle, south and southwest regions of the country you can stay in them for as cheap as $35. The quality of the particular location will depend entirely on how nice of a neighborhood its in.

Food -- Start by eating at In and Out in Los Angeles. As far as I'm concerned, its the best fast food burger in America. Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Washington DC, and Philadelphia are significant places for food.

Rest areas in the west are sometimes terrible. In Nevada they're basically plastic toilets mounted on top of a hole in the ground (with a plastic tank underneath full of chemicals). In Idaho they sometimes don't have toilet seats or doors on the stalls. In the east they're bright, clean, and secure. Out west, I tend to prefer taking a dump at a truck stop or McDonald's.

There will be toll booths in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, expect to spend $18 in tolls to cross Pennsylvania.

Motel 6 used to publish free travel guides with listings of all their properties with nightly rates and maps. Not sure if they still do, but there's always motel6.com. Rest areas are also a great place to get brochures for local attractions and diversions as well as coupons for hotels.

I use Priceline to get higher-end hotels at low rates but on a road trip it requires a little bit of planning and an internet connection. Their cutoff for same-day reservations is 9 or 10pm so you have to think ahead about what city you plan on being in when you're ready to sleep and book ahead accordingly.

If you go to Las Vegas, you should hit up my brother on Facebook for tips and ideas on free entertainment. He just got back a couple days ago. You can see talk show tapings for free and food is cheap.

To save money, there's KOA campgrounds all over the country with showers and security. Camping is definitely not my thing, especially with summer heat. You could park at a rest area and just sleep in your car if the area seems safe and secure. I've done that before in a pinch but again, summer heat is a concern. There's usually lots of activity at rest areas from truckers parking overnight so they don't feel so spooky.

Wal-Mart stores allow RVs and campers to stay overnight in their parking lots. Just go in and ask the manager if its okay if you're unsure. They like the business generated by travelers. Again, summer heat would keep me from doing that.

Give me a call if you're lost and wandering the continent!

[Ozzie]

Speaking of calling people, I will need to pick up a cheap phone while I'm there. (roaming charges for my phone will be REDICULOUS, so that's out of the question)
Which provider would be best to use, for a pre-paid SIM?
(I have already seen phones for about $15 at Wal-mart, which makes them "disposable" cheap)

Also, I think a larger hire car might be better option than a compact.
Advice on the following?
Dodge Avenger
Ford Fusion
Chevrolet Impala

Is one better than another?
Which one(s) to avoid?

[Jesda]

Fusion is the best overall and with the base engine will get over 30mpg on the highway. Its based on the Mazda 6.
Impala is longer by nearly a foot but gets only 23-25mpg. It really is enormous inside. Handling is kind of sloppy.
Avenger is to be avoided unless there's absolutely nothing left to rent.

[Jesda]

Wal-Mart has a new phone service called Common Cents:
http://www.commoncentsmobile.com/
$20 for a phone and 7 cents per minute. Its also 7 cents per text, per email, or per megabyte of data.

Boost Mobile is sold at Sprint, Best Buy, and most Wal-Mart stores.
http://www.boostmobilestore.com/bpdirec ... ew&id=i290
$30 for a phone, $2 a day for unlimited service.

[sx moneypit]

If you get to Nashville you might as well head to Memphis , check out Graceland and eat some ribs at the Rendezvous!

[goody90q45]

Are you travelling alone or is this a 2nd honeymoon with your new bride? You want culture? IMHO Spend a couple of days at the beaches in L.A. getting over your jet lag by drinking beers at the Poop Deck in Hermosa Beach (5 miles from LAX) while watching the waves and Califirnia girls in bikinis cruise the strand on bikes. Disneyland is in L.A. and wouldn't be too crowded since school is not out yet.

Once you're acclimated and can stay awake during the day, rent a car and drive highway 1 and 101 up the California coast (400 miles) and spend a day or two in San Francisco. If money isn't tight upgrade your rental to something a little more sporty and enjoy the drive. S.F. has it's own culture and you'll enjoy it. You can't come to NorCal without hugging a giant redwood and Muir Redwoods is just across the Golden Gate Bridge in S.F.

Make Sacramento your next stop (2 hours from S.F.) and I'll put you up for a couple of days. Take a rafting trip on the American River, drive 2 hours to Lake Tahoe/Reno and enjoy the Sierra Nevada mountains, tour the state capitol (free) and the railroad museum. Got the Folsom Prison Blues? It's 2 miles away. There;s lots to do here in God's country. After Sac drive back to L.A. (6.5 hrs.) through the central valley croplands and see where a lot of our country's fruits, vegetables and dairy are raised. An alternate return would be driving the desert route through Death Valley and Las Vegas on the way to Phoenix to see Greg and Becky.

Send an email if you're interested in coming to NorCal and staying in Sacramento.

[Bubba1]

Ozzie, There are great things to see in every part of this country. If you're starting in Arizona, you might consider checking the many fun things out there in the southwest before flying cross country to Carlisle.

Carlisle PA itself is not exactly a tourist mecca, but it's not far from several terrific cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, WashingtonDC, New York, even Boston. All of which have tons of great stuff to see/do. I think it boils down to what you're into, and how much time and money you want to invest seeing/doing it.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

If you get into the Philly area let me know, I'll take a day off and show you around.

Biggest thing to watch out for when in the US of A, don't get shot, robbed, or car jacked. This is a very dangerous country, especially for tourists. But the ladies will love you and your accent.

[Jesda]

I'd only be concerned when entering densely populated industrial cities like St Louis, Detroit, Philadelphia, etc, and even then they're segregated enough where you can instantly tell if its safe to stick around the moment you take an exit. And really, that kind of stuff only accounts for 2% of the entire span of the trip.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

There isn't really much in my neck of the woods (besides a Nissan plant), but you're more than welcome to crash here. I don't even really give a crap if you give me notice or not. If you get here and I'm not here, help yourself to the beers in the fridge til I get back...

[MaximA32]

So let's see, depending upon time you get in, there's a TON of stuff we can do in LA.

We can go to the Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame, In-N-Out. It should be baseball season so we can always hit up $1 beer night at the AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Next day we can head to SD to hang out with Aaron and the others down there. So much stuff around here to do.

[breadbox]

Not that you will be but if you are in the 757 area code for any reason I can get you a bed guaranteed.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

^ He probably doesn't know what the 757 area code is. Hell, I bet half the people on this forum don't know.