Visiting The Usa - But Only 14 Days

[Markman]

I know we have a few USA based fans and some well travelled ones from the UK so looking for a few tips here.

Limited sort of funds but off to USA for 14 days from mid July next year (no choice re dates) also this is Hubby with Wife Trip so not backpacking at our age - big country I know but in 14 days what should we try and see?Do we just stay in one area or can we cram a few internal flights in (cost permitting) - happy to use trains and buses (so I can quaff beer rather than drive) and will stay in Hotels I think - but can we plan this on our own in advance or is it simpler to use a Holiday Firm (these look very expensive) - I think we will need a visa so how long does that take as well

Any sensible suggestions welcome! Thanks

[Mr Mosquito]

I know we have a few USA based fans and some well travelled ones from the UK so looking for a few tips here.

Limited sort of funds but off to USA for 14 days from mid July next year (no choice re dates) also this is Hubby with Wife Trip so not backpacking at our age - big country I know but in 14 days what should we try and see?Do we just stay in one area or can we cram a few internal flights in (cost permitting) - happy to use trains and buses (so I can quaff beer rather than drive) and will stay in Hotels I think - but can we plan this on our own in advance or is it simpler to use a Holiday Firm (these look very expensive) - I think we will need a visa so how long does that take as well

Any sensible suggestions welcome! Thanks

I've got family in Pennsylvania and in Maryland USA and they took me to the Harley Davidson assembly plant and Museum in York Pennsylvania and on a battlefield tour of Gettysburg. I've also been to the National Aquarium in Baltimore Maryland. All 3 are of extreme interest to me. Motorbikes, ancient battle sites and looking at fish - superb but my wife was pretty bored with it.

Anyway, you'll need 14 years not 14 days to take in all that the mighty USA has to offer. I've got some famous ancestry in the USA. Amongst which John Haviland - from Somerset - was a famous architect there and he designed many public buildings in New York and Philadelphia. His son - John de Havilland - was born in Philadelphia and he fought in the USA/Mexico border war in the late 1840s on the Rio Grande. John de Havilland settled in London in the 1860s and that's why I'm here rather than there.

[Craven arms]

Forget the bright lights and casinos but if you can get to Vegas take a excursion to the Hoover Dam,takes 40mins on the bus and cost's 6 dollars to get there.its got to be one of the most mind blowing things you'll ever see...............

[Markman]

Forget the bright lights and casinos but if you can get to Vegas take a excursion to the Hoover Dam,takes 40mins on the bus and cost's 6 dollars to get there.its got to be one of the most mind blowing things you'll ever see...............

Cheers - Hoover Dam can go "on ze list"!

[kevinmabbuttshair]

Also if you go to Vegas, which you should. It is like visiting another world, the Grand Canyon is very close and stunning. Huge doesn't begin to describe it.

New York is great as well

[eskay]

+1 for New York, take one of the sightseeing bus tours, well worth the money. loads to see and do there.

Boston and surrounding area is great, stayed in Massachusetts a while ago, the countryside is great in late autumn.

[DC Red]

Come to DC, our museums are free...

Seriously though, my first trip to the States about 30 years ago lasted for three weeks. We flew into DC and drove down to Florida. Little was I to know then that I would later move here.

Do not try to pack in too much travel into one trip. Pick a region and explore it. Florida is often a good place to go for a first visit. While others like New York, I personally do not. In my opinion it is worth seeing, but then leave and see the "real" America.

[One Team In Keynsham]

DC Red calls it right with "don't pack too much in", and the museums in DC are fantastic, with the Holocaust one being particularly impressive. Though we clearly have a difference of opinion on New York: I love the place.

Having made countless trips to the US over the past few years, there is more than you could hope to cram into 14 days. You could for instance

1. Fly into Boston, and make your way down to DC via NYC

2. Fly to Vegas, do the Hoover dam, Grand Canyon, drive to San Fran via Joshua Tree, LA, Highway 1, San Simeon.

The 1st choice would be viable on trains, as well as flying and driving, the 2nd choice would probably require a rental car. But, the drive up the coast from LA to SF is worth it.

Unless you are visiting popular destinations in the peak of tourist season, you should be able to find places to stay as you go (we arrived at the Grand Canyon with no hotel, and the nearest option ended up being 60+ miles back the way we had come): accommodation can be cheap as chips, if you drop down to the joys of Motel 6 and Super 8. I think you need to have at least the first night booked to provide to US immigration, but you are free after that.

If you hold UK passports you don't need a visa, since you can enter on the visa waiver program: you will need to complete an ESTA form online before traveling (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/)

[94th Minute]

DC Red calls it right with "don't pack too much in", and the museums in DC are fantastic, with the Holocaust one being particularly impressive. Though we clearly have a difference of opinion on New York: I love the place.

Having made countless trips to the US over the past few years, there is more than you could hope to cram into 14 days. You could for instance

1. Fly into Boston, and make your way down to DC via NYC

2. Fly to Vegas, do the Hoover dam, Grand Canyon, drive to San Fran via Joshua Tree, LA, Highway 1, San Simeon.

The 1st choice would be viable on trains, as well as flying and driving, the 2nd choice would probably require a rental car. But, the drive up the coast from LA to SF is worth it.

Unless you are visiting popular destinations in the peak of tourist season, you should be able to find places to stay as you go (we arrived at the Grand Canyon with no hotel, and the nearest option ended up being 60+ miles back the way we had come): accommodation can be cheap as chips, if you drop down to the joys of Motel 6 and Super 8. I think you need to have at least the first night booked to provide to US immigration, but you are free after that.

If you hold UK passports you don't need a visa, since you can enter on the visa waiver program: you will need to complete an ESTA form online before traveling (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/)

The two suggestions here are exactly what I would have gone with too!

I was located in Philadelphia for a while, and did the east coast trip slowly over my time there, everywhere left me wishing I had one more day there (normally weekend breaks, apart from New England), so certainly plenty to do there, Megabus will see you between all of the major cities for little over $10 a ticket (probably less), nice places, and you'll be constantly busy, real city break style.

I did the 2nd trip, flew into the Grand Canyon via helicopter (about $200pp) but totally worth it, it's around a 5 hour drive there I think, and you don't get to experience it in anywhere near the same way! The drive to LA is pretty dull, the most exciting thing I saw was the thermometer go above 120f, but then the drive from LA to San Francisco was just amazing, all cut into the cliffs with the pacific ocean off to your left, you need to leave a day for it probably, but definitely should, such an amazing drive! Then in San Francisco do Alcatraz, it's really cool if you're at all into that sort of thing, such a laid back city apart from that, really nice place to spend a few days. I didn't give the trip anywhere enough time, (nine days) but it would be an outstanding way to spend two weeks. LA is alright, I quite liked it, but it would be the city I'd spend the least time in for sure. Nice relaxing time to be had.

Factoring in the extra cost of flights, West Coast would probably be the more expensive, I'd say don't bother with internal flights, they'll just add to the cost, in a place where there are more than enough activities to connect by car/bus.

Deciding which one to do, if I could only go on one holiday ever again, that would be a tough choice! For me it would probably be the West Coast almost certainly.

You'll have an amazing time whatever you do!

[One Team In Keynsham]

The two suggestions here are exactly what I would have gone with too!

I was located in Philadelphia for a while, and did the east coast trip slowly over my time there, everywhere left me wishing I had one more day there (normally weekend breaks, apart from New England), so certainly plenty to do there, Megabus will see you between all of the major cities for little over $10 a ticket (probably less), nice places, and you'll be constantly busy, real city break style.

I did the 2nd trip, flew into the Grand Canyon via helicopter (about $200pp) but totally worth it, it's around a 5 hour drive there I think, and you don't get to experience it in anywhere near the same way! The drive to LA is pretty dull, the most exciting thing I saw was the thermometer go above 120f, but then the drive from LA to San Francisco was just amazing, all cut into the cliffs with the pacific ocean off to your left, you need to leave a day for it probably, but definitely should, such an amazing drive! Then in San Francisco do Alcatraz, it's really cool if you're at all into that sort of thing, such a laid back city apart from that, really nice place to spend a few days. I didn't give the trip anywhere enough time, (nine days) but it would be an outstanding way to spend two weeks. LA is alright, I quite liked it, but it would be the city I'd spend the least time in for sure. Nice relaxing time to be had.

Factoring in the extra cost of flights, West Coast would probably be the more expensive, I'd say don't bother with internal flights, they'll just add to the cost, in a place where there are more than enough activities to connect by car/bus.

Deciding which one to do, if I could only go on one holiday ever again, that would be a tough choice! For me it would probably be the West Coast almost certainly.

You'll have an amazing time whatever you do!

We drove from Vegas to Grand Canyon to 29 Palms (for a trip into the Joshua Tree), then drove into LA. We took one day to drive from Vegas out to Death Valley: a long schlep but impressive sights. I didn't much care for LA, but spent a couple of days seeing some of the sights (walk of fame, Hollywood sign, Venice beach etc), but was glad to get onto the road north. We then ended up taking 3 days for the drive to SF, staying at San Luis Obispo (to visit Hearst castle: well worth taking the time) and then planned to stop at Santa Cruz, but ended up somewhere in Silicon Valley Santa Cruz was stuffed to the gills with parents bringing back students for freshers' week). The scenery up the coast road to Monterrey and Carmel is breathtaking. Could not cram in as much as we wanted in SF, but enjoyed the time, nonetheless.

[Markman]

Many thanks everyone - some great help and advice here - thanks again

[SeaMillsRed]

I have lived in Virginia for a couple of years now. As people have said DC is great and most things are free. Even the metro ( tube) isnt too bad for fares. NY is ok if you wanna see the sights but its like London, 1-2 days and thats it. This country is very big so travel can take up all of your holiday time. Vegas is awesome, so are most of the beaches though. It can be done though, just remember its a time to enjoy not to travel all of the time and get stressed about time restraints.

[Mr Mosquito]

Many thanks everyone - some great help and advice here - thanks again

I hope you have a fantastic holiday in the great country that is the USA. Remember also that there were many from God's own county of Somersetshire that helped to make the USA the great country it is today !!!!!!!!! Including my very own ancestor John Haviland the architect. I believe also that there are at least 5 US Presidents with connections with Somerset including John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Enjoy your holiday.

[22A]

William Penn from Redcliffe founded Pennsylvania.

If you are touring, my daughter who spent 3 weks in the States, caught the sleeper train from Chicago to San Francisco; dunno if it was cheaper than flying, but it took 33 hours so they had two nights sleeping on the train and the day time they actually have a Lounge carriage rather than sitting in neat rows as you would with FGW at Temple Meads. She then went to Vegas and left with $300 more than she arrived with. She also reports that as Denver is so high, there was not quite enough oxygen there for her. The best resturant food they found was at Yosemite national park.

As you're going in July, Southern states such as Arizona may be a bit too warm.

[sephjnr]

Anything in St. Louis, MO apart from sport? I'm going September next year.

[One Team In Keynsham]

Anything in St. Louis, MO apart from sport? I'm going September next year.

There is a big f-off arch that should be pretty hard to miss. If large arches is your thing, you're all set for the holiday of a lifetime.

[Northampton Red]

William Penn from Redcliffe founded Pennsylvania.

If you are touring, my daughter who spent 3 weks in the States, caught the sleeper train from Chicago to San Francisco; dunno if it was cheaper than flying, but it took 33 hours so they had two nights sleeping on the train and the day time they actually have a Lounge carriage rather than sitting in neat rows as you would with FGW at Temple Meads. She then went to Vegas and left with $300 more than she arrived with. She also reports that as Denver is so high, there was not quite enough oxygen there for her. The best resturant food they found was at Yosemite national park.

As you're going in July, Southern states such as Arizona may be a bit too warm.

Think it was William Penn Jr. who founded Pennsylvania, his old man is from Bristol though and buried in St. Mary Redcliffe! I can certainly vouch for a lot of the Northeast, especially Philadelphia as my daughter lives there. However, if you are squeezed for time it's always going to be tough to see things as it's obviously such a big country. This area does have a lot to offer though, you could do a great drive from Washington DC to Boston, taking in Baltimore, Philly, New York along the way. All with great things to see.

[sephjnr]

There is a big f-off arch that should be pretty hard to miss. If large arches is your thing, you're all set for the holiday of a lifetime.

Aside that?

[One Team In Keynsham]

Aside that?

http://tinyurl.com/4yx3fzk

[94th Minute]

http://tinyurl.com/4yx3fzk

Wow, your help is priceless to sephjnr I'm sure.

God forbid one city fan should give advice to another, perhaps he was looking for a personal experience which he could plan a trip around. Is that really what the world is coming to, someone asks for advice from another human, and they just get told to ask a search engine.

Even if you were going to try and be less than useless, you could have at least gone to the effort of directing him to the usually helpful trip advisor page for things to do

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2FAttractions-g44881-Activities-Saint_Louis_Missouri.html

[Barrs Court Red]

Been looking into re-locating to Maine. Is life over there any better than here? The riots just about done it for me, and it's only gonna get worse.

[Harry]

I know we have a few USA based fans and some well travelled ones from the UK so looking for a few tips here.

Limited sort of funds but off to USA for 14 days from mid July next year (no choice re dates) also this is Hubby with Wife Trip so not backpacking at our age - big country I know but in 14 days what should we try and see?Do we just stay in one area or can we cram a few internal flights in (cost permitting) - happy to use trains and buses (so I can quaff beer rather than drive) and will stay in Hotels I think - but can we plan this on our own in advance or is it simpler to use a Holiday Firm (these look very expensive) - I think we will need a visa so how long does that take as well

Any sensible suggestions welcome! Thanks

I recently returned from the most amazing 3 week honeymoon to the States and it comes highly recommended from me.

I crammed in a fair bit in the 3 weeks, taking in both the West Coast and the East Coast, with lots of driving (2,500 miles clocked up!!), but it was well worth it for the fantastic places we visited :

4 nights at Laguna Beach, Orange County, California

2 nights at Yosemite National Park

1 night at Mammoth Mountain

1 night Los Angeles

Internal flight from LA to New York

3 nights at Hyannis, Cape Cod

2 nights Boston

1 night Grafton, Vermont

2 nights Stowe, Vermont

2 nights New York

All depends on what sort of things you're interested in.

If you're an active sort, get yourself to Yosemite National Park. Absolutely awesome place. Take the 4.6 mile mountain trail up to Glacier Point and see the breathtaking scenery from the top of Half Dome. If you get the chance, drive from Yosemite across the 10,000 foot Tioga Pass, amazing views, and on from there we went to Bodie Ghost Town which was eery, but fascinating. The long drive back from Mammoth Lakes to LA that day was superb - we saw people ski-ing in the morning in the high mountains and then a few hundred miles later, through mountains, desert, 110 degree heat and through LA, we then saw people surfing on Malibu Beach!! A typical contrast of an amazing State.

If you want beaches, Laguna Beach was fantastic (but a little more on the expensive side), Santa Monica Beach is good, Venice Beach is an experience! East Street, Bedminster on ACID!

Cape Cod also has some amazing beaches. Hyannis was a great little place, and Craigville Beach was really nice.

I wouldn't recommend staying in LA. A quick visit to Hollywood Boulevard & Santa Monica Beach etc is all you need.

If you want more laid back, genteel, then visit Vermont. We stayed in Grafton which was the most peaceful place I've ever been, then went further north to stay in the Von Trapp Family Lodge which was truly excellent (a quick stop at the Ben & Jerry's factory en route too!!) Nearby Burlington and Lake Champlain also very nice.

For your City breaks, Boston was incredible. We stayed in the Back Bay area and I thought it was amazing, so laid back. Visited Fenway Park for a game of rounders too!!

New York is brilliant and an absolute must. We did 2 days there which wasn't enough. You can spend all day in Central Park and another whole day in Macy's!! I must go back there and see some more.

In terms of booking all of this, I just did it myself through the power of google and Hotels.com and Booking.com. You don't need a Holiday Firm/Agent's help, just make sure you do the research on the places you'll be staying, and that you can realistically get to and from these places if there are distances between them. This is where I planned my route meticulously, from hiring the car, distances, driving times, hotels, places to visit, but you may prefer to do it more off the cuff and just find a motel to stay in and explore.

If you are hiring a car, petrol is extremely cheap. I did 2500 miles and didn't spend a huge amount on fuel. You don't need to drive in New York though. And driving in LA is quite an experience!!!

Although I enjoyed myself immensely, my best advice would be to not try to do both East and West coasts. Choose one and see as much as you can.

I wanted to do the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to San Francisco. I wanted to do Las Vegas. I wanted to do the Napa Valley. But just didn't have the time to cram it all in. I'm gonna have to return again!

It's an awesome place.

[One Team In Keynsham]

I recently returned from the most amazing 3 week honeymoon to the States and it comes highly recommended from me.

I crammed in a fair bit in the 3 weeks, taking in both the West Coast and the East Coast, with lots of driving (2,500 miles clocked up!!), but it was well worth it for the fantastic places we visited :

4 nights at Laguna Beach, Orange County, California

2 nights at Yosemite National Park

1 night at Mammoth Mountain

1 night Los Angeles

Internal flight from LA to New York

3 nights at Hyannis, Cape Cod

2 nights Boston

1 night Grafton, Vermont

2 nights Stowe, Vermont

2 nights New York

All depends on what sort of things you're interested in.

If you're an active sort, get yourself to Yosemite National Park. Absolutely awesome place. Take the 4.6 mile mountain trail up to Glacier Point and see the breathtaking scenery from the top of Half Dome. If you get the chance, drive from Yosemite across the 10,000 foot Tioga Pass, amazing views, and on from there we went to Bodie Ghost Town which was eery, but fascinating. The long drive back from Mammoth Lakes to LA that day was superb - we saw people ski-ing in the morning in the high mountains and then a few hundred miles later, through mountains, desert, 110 degree heat and through LA, we then saw people surfing on Malibu Beach!! A typical contrast of an amazing State.

If you want beaches, Laguna Beach was fantastic (but a little more on the expensive side), Santa Monica Beach is good, Venice Beach is an experience! East Street, Bedminster on ACID!

Cape Cod also has some amazing beaches. Hyannis was a great little place, and Craigville Beach was really nice.

I wouldn't recommend staying in LA. A quick visit to Hollywood Boulevard & Santa Monica Beach etc is all you need.

If you want more laid back, genteel, then visit Vermont. We stayed in Grafton which was the most peaceful place I've ever been, then went further north to stay in the Von Trapp Family Lodge which was truly excellent (a quick stop at the Ben & Jerry's factory en route too!!) Nearby Burlington and Lake Champlain also very nice.

For your City breaks, Boston was incredible. We stayed in the Back Bay area and I thought it was amazing, so laid back. Visited Fenway Park for a game of rounders too!!

New York is brilliant and an absolute must. We did 2 days there which wasn't enough. You can spend all day in Central Park and another whole day in Macy's!! I must go back there and see some more.

In terms of booking all of this, I just did it myself through the power of google and Hotels.com and Booking.com. You don't need a Holiday Firm/Agent's help, just make sure you do the research on the places you'll be staying, and that you can realistically get to and from these places if there are distances between them. This is where I planned my route meticulously, from hiring the car, distances, driving times, hotels, places to visit, but you may prefer to do it more off the cuff and just find a motel to stay in and explore.

If you are hiring a car, petrol is extremely cheap. I did 2500 miles and didn't spend a huge amount on fuel. You don't need to drive in New York though. And driving in LA is quite an experience!!!

Although I enjoyed myself immensely, my best advice would be to not try to do both East and West coasts. Choose one and see as much as you can.

I wanted to do the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to San Francisco. I wanted to do Las Vegas. I wanted to do the Napa Valley. But just didn't have the time to cram it all in. I'm gonna have to return again!

It's an awesome place.

Have driven up from Boston to Vermont, and agree it is worth the trek: we were up in Vermont in the autumn, and went horse-riding through the hills: fabulous scenery. Had planned to visit Napa or Sonoma when in SF, but never found the time, and not made it back yet. Various friends have been over, and each said it was great.

[94th Minute]

Been looking into re-locating to Maine. Is life over there any better than here? The riots just about done it for me, and it's only gonna get worse.

Do you have major ties here, I mean if you have a family and kids and a mortgage then it's really a question of more than is life better over there.

If you don't, then why not go for it, I can't imagine that it would be any worse... the winters will be cold, but then again the summers will be actual summers too, I've only visited briefly and it looked nice enough, I'd say cost of living is lower and people are generally more considerate. Then again you've singled out Maine, I guess there's a reason you'd want to move there, so you must have an idea in your head why you'd like it.

Think about it like this, you only live once.... you can live it always looking back over your shoulder wondering 'what if', or you can take the risk, sort out a job and move. The worst that can happen is you get homesick, can't stand it, and have to come back again, but either way you get a new experience out of it.

I reckon the toughest bit is securing a job there, their economy is apparently worse than ours... make that your decider, start looking for employment there, if you get the job you go, if you don't, you stay....

[Northampton Red]

Been looking into re-locating to Maine. Is life over there any better than here? The riots just about done it for me, and it's only gonna get worse.

In my experience from being there, the people there are generally much warmer and friendlier than over here, and have a much greater respect for where they live and their communities. Cost of living is lower, plus lower taxes, however you do have the added expense of healthcare to think about. The main thing is whether you can get a job or not, unless of course you are retiring!!

[One Team In Keynsham]

Do you have major ties here, I mean if you have a family and kids and a mortgage then it's really a question of more than is life better over there.

If you don't, then why not go for it, I can't imagine that it would be any worse... the winters will be cold, but then again the summers will be actual summers too, I've only visited briefly and it looked nice enough, I'd say cost of living is lower and people are generally more considerate. Then again you've singled out Maine, I guess there's a reason you'd want to move there, so you must have an idea in your head why you'd like it.

Think about it like this, you only live once.... you can live it always looking back over your shoulder wondering 'what if', or you can take the risk, sort out a job and move. The worst that can happen is you get homesick, can't stand it, and have to come back again, but either way you get a new experience out of it.

I reckon the toughest bit is securing a job there, their economy is apparently worse than ours... make that your decider, start looking for employment there, if you get the job you go, if you don't, you stay....

This was my view in 1995. And am still overseas. There are still certain things I miss from home, but on balance, my quality of life is better here.