Hello Hubski! So I have been researching a lot to come up with an itinerary and I would like your advice.
Some basic infos about me: 23 years old guy, loves adventure, I will have 27.5 days to travel the US and make the most of this journey in August (30 July – 26 August). My plane takes off August 26th at JFK, New York.
I want to visit great cities and the scenary of the US. I’m trying to minimize cost while doing so. I’m also ok with very long journey. I prefer to spend money on events than on transportation/renting room.
It’s a first draft. The plan is as follows : New York --> Chicago (3days) --> Denver (3days) --> Salt Lake City (3 days) --> San Francisco (3 days) --> Los Angeles (4 days) --> Dallas (3 days) --> New Orleans (3 days) --> Orlando (2 days) --> New York
1) New York to Chicago Bus 45$
Departure: July 30th 15:10 Arrivals: July 31st 08:30
2) Chicago to Denver Plane 120$
Departure: Aug 3rd 12:20 Arrivals: Aug 3rd 13:56
3) Denver to Salt Lake City Amtrack 65$
Departure: Aug 6th 08:05 Arrivals: Aug 6th 11:05
Spending 7, 8, 9 in SLC
4) Salt Lake City to San Francisco Amtrack 80$
Departure: Aug 9th 23:30 Arrivals: Aug 10th 16:10
Spending 10, 11, 12 in SF Night saved 1
5) San Francisco to Los Angeles Bus 31$
Departure: Aug 13th 07:20 Arrivals: Aug 13th 16:15
Spending 13, 14, 15, 16 in LA
6) Los Angeles to Dallas Bus 59$
Departure: Aug 17th 07:10 Arrivals: Aug 18th 14:40
Spending 18, 19, 20 in Dallas
7) Dallas to New Orleans Bus 15$
Departure: Aug 20th 18:20 Arrivals: Aug 21th 05:40
Spending 21, 22, 23 in New Orleans Night saved 1
8) New Orleans to Orlando Bus 15$
Departure: Aug 23th 23:59 Arrivals: Aug 24th 13:15
Spending 24, 25 in Orlando Night saved 1
9) Orlando to New York Plane 175$
Departure: Aug 26th 10:00 Arrivals: Aug 26th 12:31
And then back to Paris with the departure at 23:59 Aug 26th.
Total cost: 605$, let’s say prices increase by 15% and make that 700$.
Don’t really know how much can cost a night, let’s say 50$, it means 200$ saved on sleep.
I can probably skip a day in SLC, SF or LA in order to arrive a day earlier at NYC to be sure not to miss my plane back.
It seems that the journey from Denver to SF in train is amazing. Great sightseeing of the country and natural wonders. I really wanted to spend some time in natural parks but it cost an arm (e.g. Grand Canyon back and forth from LA ≈ 250$, more or less the same thing for other parks like Yosemite). That's why I think taking the train from Denver to SF can be a great substitute for the scenery.
I have my brother in Dallas and a friend in LA that I’m visiting.
Do you think it’s doable ? Do you recommend spending more or less time in a particular city ? Do you think it’s way to much transportation by bus/train ? Do you think I’m missing something by passing near it and not making a stop ? I would love your input.
Might switch the bus ride from LA to Dallas for a plane. Here's Plan A:
That is a lot of bus. I think you'll run out of stuff to do in SLC. It is not an interesting place. The route is sound, however, because that train will take you through back-of-beyond Nevada, which may very well be more empty than you've ever seen in your young life. veen spent four days with us in LA; let's see if he wanted more or less time. I agree with Galen. Dallas is not an interesting place. I'm not a big fan of Texas in general and you will have seen all the empty you can handle crossing Nevada. Austin if you must; I'd happily replace all of the Southwest with some time in and around DC/Boston/Baltimore/Etc. I've been to Orlando. I haven't been to Memphis, Nashville, Louisville or Charleston. Given my choice between going to Orlando or any of the previous, I'd go to any of the previous. Given my choice between going to Orlando or going to Dallas, I'd go to Dallas. Make of that what you will.
kb is dead on here... the buses in the USA are really terrible. They are almost never on time, they usually smell terrible and are not well kept. If you're lucky and get on a nicer, newer bus, it will still be filled with typical bus clientele - which at the risk of sounding like a dick... means you'll be traveling with the unbathed poor. I've taken the bus from Detroit to SLC twice, and from LA to SLC once. Those are different stories for different days - but I'll just say, speaking from experience, it's not an easy experience. I worry about your NYC to chicago leg. And when I say - not running on time.... they might leave on time, but they almost never arrive on time. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that whatever they tell you for duration - double it and subtract 25%. If they say it's a 10 hour trip? that realistically means 17.5 hours. But you're right about one thing - they're cheap. The rail trip from Denver to SF will be gorgeous. One word of warning - that time problem on the buses? it's as bad or worse for the train. I have an uncle who retired from Amtrak. It's a standing family joke that if Uncle Larry tells you he's showing up on Thursday at 2pm, just plan on midnight or later. In the world before mobile phones... I kind of hated Uncle Larry, because it meant sitting in some scary parking lot for hours and hours and hours just waiting for the train to arrive. Now it's not so bad - I just wait for him to call (I only live about 10 minutes from the main station downtown. Salt Lake City... ok - it's been heavily trashed by others already... but I'll give you a slightly different spin: SLC is "fine". It's a clean, lovely city that's EASY to get around in via the public light rail system (free in many parts of downtown). BUT... unless you're A)Mormon, B) Have friends there, or C) Really into Mormon history... SLC isn't a place to burn more than a day layover. And you're going in August, so I ruled out the main reason to go to SLC - SKIING. That place has the most amazing snow... but that's another story for another day. I'm stoked you're coming to Denver. We'll have some fun.That is a lot of bus.
Amtrak has the deck stacked against them: they're a public utility running on private rail. Across vast swaths of their network, that means that if BNSF feels like running today, Amtrak gets to wait. I've noticed that within a single Amtrak line (Coast starliner, Pacific whatever) their timetable ain't bloody bad. But as soon as you get from one principality to another, you're dealing with our dear friend BNSF and he don't give a fuck.
The fact that Amtrak can lose $800m in 10 years selling $8 sandwiches speaks volumes as to the level of dysfunction that entity operates within.
Yup. Yup. Yup. The only good experience I've had with buses was with RedCoach while I was in Miami for freshman year. My family's used it for years. You have legroom, free wifi, a comfy chair, smells clean, sometimes comp'd water and a snack. Unfortunately, it's exclusively in FL. I went ahead to look for other "luxury" lines similar for travel just to be an extra set of eyes looking, but I can't find anything comparable as of yet. I mean... I guess you'll really be experiencing America if you go this route so far...? They are almost never on time
they usually smell terrible
are not well kept.
I thought LA was really nice to visit. How long one can last really depends on what you're into, I think. The best sights can be seen in a day or two if you have a car and four without one. Creativity, do look into how the hell you're going to move around LA. The city is endless - the public transport certainly is not. For me I could've easily spent another week because LA and Atlanta are an urban planner's Sodom and Gomorra. Plus there's also a few good museums and themeparks there. Your mileage may vary though.
Thanks for the tips. After more research, it seems that it doesn't cost that much to go to Yosemite so I will definitely cut down some days in SLC in order to be able to enjoy the park. I will be able to enjoy DC/Boston on the week-ends of July (I will be working in NYC for the entire month) so that's great. I thank you so much for the link to Harry Potter in Hollywood, I had absolutely no idea and I would probably never have thought of searching if such a thing existed. Will definitely scrap Orlando and see with what I can replace it. Might be Memphis, Atlanta or another National Park.
You can totally go to the UHS version of Hogwarts, it's identical to the one in Orlando. But IoA in Orlando has way more amazing rides in the park - The Hulk, fan-favorite ride Spiderman, Duelling Dragons, Revenge of the Mummy... Plus Orlando has Busch Gardens Tampa Bay with phenomenal rollercoasters and has Animal Kingdom with Expedition Everest where Disney literally built a fucking 200ft / 60m mountain for one amazing rollercoaster: If you mostly want to get the HP experience I understand why you'd scrap Orlando, but if you don't mind the super expensive park tickets and want the best experience, I'd put it back up your itinerary.
Ahah this is crazy. I will save money by skipping Orlando in order to go to Yosemite, the real mountains should be nicer :) I get the opportunity to go to the park with friends in LA while I would be mostly alone in Orlando, so that journey is going to be for another time in life !
If you go to one place in Texas, don't do Dallas. For cities, Austin > San Antonio > Dallas > Houston, IMO. There's also lots of cool small towns; I can recommend some if you want. If you do go to Dallas they have a bitchin' art museum, and you're required to see the new Perot science museum. You might consider stopping somewhere in New Mexico or Arizona to experience the Southwest as well. Lots of great art, Amerindian stuff, etc. I think kleinbl00 could tell you more? Sorry if I'm misremembering. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities in the US. Spend some time just wandering the streets, especially in the French Quarter: you'll be sure to stumble upon great music and/or great food.
Unlike Austin, Houston is an actual, real city with a less than 90% white population, industry that contributes more to the world than a high blues rock band/capita ratio, frat boy parties that span it's entire main street, and pretention built upon student debt. Austin food is a breakfast taco with sprouts on it. Contrast: Austin's art scene is your friends and friends of friends bored at a semi-relevant internet artist's kareoke show. Contrast: Houston has actual institutions that are world reknown, and Austin has SXSW which spoiled after only a few years in the open air. Oh, you like punk music and no wave but wish someone had been doing it decades earlier? Thanks, Houston Austin is the Bay Area of Texas, but without the Nobel winners, flocks of smart and adventursome folks, enormous world class colleges, and shitloads of money. Ie, it's a fantasy camp for adults, but the Bay actual earned it. Houston is city living on expert level, it's one of the realest, most heterogenous, and opportunity-filled places in America, but no one is gonna throw you the keys and say "Don't forget your free t-shirt before you leave!"
Woulda worked a lot better without the anti-Austin sentiment. Austin is 48% white, has a booming tech industry, and invented the food truck trailer park. Austin City Limits is fucking legendary, both as a TV show and as a festival. One of the best choral groups in the nation was born here, and UT's student radio was so good it became our NPR affiliate and then split into two frequencies broadcasting simultaneously. Austin has so many good musicians it's actually a problem, because club owners can always find someone great willing to play for less. Houston gets off on bands that came out of there 50 years ago. Austin is a cultural and technological hub that's been on the right side of hip since it was Waterloo, and yeah it's a shame it's being gentrified, but that's no reason to discount the great art, food, and industry that still flows through this town.
But then it wouldn't be fun :) You're still wrong about Dallas being better than Houston, though. And, of course, people from Austin don't waste their time thinking of dick measuring contests with other cities, it definitely stems from insecurity.Woulda worked a lot better without the anti-Austin sentiment.
This has been a great Texas city thread, thanks galen and iammyownrushmore. Neither of you are wrong, I think it all boils down to individual taste of what you're looking for in a city. I'm in Houston now, but I spent most of my life in San Antonio, now the seventh largest city in the nation, with almost no representation in national media. It's just too poor. San Antonio is certainly on the rise though, and I much prefer the laid back mentality as opposed to the "EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE" feeling I get from Houston. People come to Houston to sell their lives for large salaries, which is a bummer for suckers like me, living on a modest research stipend. Yeah, there's a serious homeless problem, I see some real shit on the metro rail at least once a week. But I'm also witness to the most diverse demographics in the United States, and it's a beautiful thing. There's no way I could choose a favorite Texas city, but I can definitely advise everyone to stay the fuck away from College Station and Texas A&M. Worst three years of my life. Austin doesn't seem as bad as iammyownrushmore claims (I've only spent a bit of time there), but it's definitely a "thing" now, and I generally don't cope well with "things".
Will definitely try to see if we can do something else than Dallas with my brother. Thanks for the recommendations! New Orleans seems really great. Since I watched the TV Series "Treme" I wanted to just go around the town and listen to street concerts and enjoy food we don't get to enjoy elsewhere. I hope it's still like that.
My opinion is to drop Orlando and add a great US South city. Atlanta would be the easiest, but I've heard great things about Charlestown, SC. Memphis, Nashville or Louisville would be good options, too. If you really wanted to see Florida, Miami might be good, but I've never been.I want to visit great cities
WanderingEng kleinbl00 The main reason I want to visit Orlando is to spend 2 days at Universal Orlando Resort in order to do attraction parks we don't have in Europe. Have you ever been ? It's kind of cheesy (like Las Vegas I guess), but I think it's worth it to just see how huge it is, the details, the rides and the atmosphere of it all. I grew up with Harry Potter, the books and movies, and I really want to discover how they build this world in Orlando. I got the opportunity to go to Miami 4 years ago and enjoyed it.
Damn. Let my comment publish 4 hours late and I missed this thread. Absolutely check out Harry Potter land (as klein linked below). They just re-vamped it and added on even more room. I visited it 3 or 4 times within the few years that it opened. I haven't been to the parks since either of it's two major expansions. I bet you could spend a good part of your day in there. Tips from a local: 1. Bring an umbrella. Florida always has summer showers that are as fickle as it is hot (usually once or twice per day around 4PM). 2. This sounds like a plug, but get those Fast Passes if you want to get the most out of your day. It's summer time so those places are likely packed. Since it sounds like you're going solo though, there's a 'Single Rider' option for rides when attendants (to the ride) are looking for single riders to fill empty spots since people tend to ride in groups. If you ever hear an attendant asking for Single Riders, then grab that chance to skip the line. 3. Islands of Adventure is fun as hell, don't leave that out of your destination. 4. There used to be a regular ol' path-with-guard-rails exit from a Hogwarts ride (the Harry Potter castle) that dumps you out and opposite side of the Harry Potter area entirely. I don't know if that place exists since the renovations, but if you find it, that's how my buddies and I got into the Hogwarts area for free when it first opened. Just act like you have a place to be or left something in the castle if anyone sees you (not like to happen if it's what I remember it being). 5. Enjoy yourself. :)
I'm going to check the new park in Hollywood, thanks for the tips! I think that the Fast Passes can definitely be helpful. Islands of Adventure seems a lot of fun but it will be for another time :)
Ah! I should have said "unless you want to do the touristy stuff, Orlando doesn't have as much as other cities." I've been to Orlando and been to Disney and Universal Studios twenty years ago. If you have an interest, they're worth doing if only for the experience. If you do want to do the touristy stuff, Orlando is the place to be.
Ok, nobody else has offered this basic fact you need to address with your trip planning: the US has no real public transport infrastructure. I assume from your sentence structure and word choice - and that you are "visiting the US" - that you are not American. Probably European. Anyway, you have never been somewhere as big as America with as much space between things. Unless you have spent an unreasonable amount of time in the Taiga or the Australian Outback, there just aren't parts of world as spread out and inaccessible as America. So you need to get from one place to another? We fly or we drive. Period. My friend just drove from Seattle to North Dakota and back to buy a cat. That's three times the distance from London to Edinburgh... one way. This is the thing that foreigners just don't get about America. It is goddamn huge, and we hate tourists who don't rent cars. I think you'd be much better off flying between four different "hub" cities, and once in those cities, use local service like Uber, and CouchSurfing to find ways to get in, out, and around town. New York. Seattle (or Portland). New Orleans. Atlanta/Memphis/Charlotte. These cities each embody a different part of what America is, they have rich infrastructure to support exploration, culture, meeting people, etc, and they also are nearby to amazing things you can go do "out of town" for an afternoon or a weekend. Hiking. Sightseeing. Museums. Cultural shit. With Couchsurfing or AirBnB "shared room" accommodations, you also get to meet the hosts, who are excited to have you in town, show you around, and connect you up with their fun friends who are going camping this weekend, or have a boat, or maybe are playing in a band at show at a local club. THAT is going to give you way more of an "America" experience than sitting on shitty, piss-smelling buses full of ex-convicts for 2.5 days, or getting dropped off in the ass-end of town by Amtrak, 15 hours late, in an unsafe area, with no transport options into town. There are also a lot of people who are driving somewhere far away, and don't want to do it alone. So they post on Craigslist, or other sites, and are looking for someone to pitch in some gas money, good tunes, and conversation to make the hours on the road pass by faster. And there are heavily traveled corridors (like Interstate 5 between Seattle and LA) where you could get a ride probably any day of the week. So I'd rethink your itinerary. What do you want to learn about America? Do you like people? Do you make friends? When I travel, I prefer to find a place to stay, and stay there. Buy groceries from the local store. Make my own food. Meet people at the local bar, etc. I don't want to touch the "tourist" areas of any city. Take me to a dive bar instead, and let me talk with real people. Not people who are paid to smile at me and pretend they give a shit... So... yeah. That's my list of suggestions...
Thanks for putting this bluntly. I have already rethought some passages due to others commenting on how bad public transport is. Do you know why is it so bad? I’m indeed European and used to travelling around it by cars, bus and trains fairly easily. It’s hard to fathom how one could go this far for a cat. My experience with Airbnb so far has been mitigated. While the price for value is awesome compared to hotels/hostels, the hosts were almost never in the apartment/house with me and my friends. I think that most people used it as a complementary stream of income but don’t necessarily enjoy chatting with foreigners. I had one amazing experience in Praha though. I guess we have to get lucky and check the comments first. Definitely considering dropping all the “bus” part of the plan. Still wants to take the California Zephyr though. I’ve checked the reviews on Yelp & Tripadvisor, it’s known for arriving late but I think I’m ok with that. It would be part of the journey and if I make my plan a bit more flexible it should be no problem. As I would be taking it from Denver to SF, it seems reasonable to say I should not have a problem finding shuttles to gain the city center. A friend of mine might join me for parts of the trip and we are considering renting a car between SF & LA in order to do some of the natural parks. I’m interested in a lot of different things: the cities and their unique culture (e.g. New Orleans), the vastness of the Natural parks (Yosemite is now on the itinerary), discovering big cities in and out, seeing the country and getting off the beaten track (California Zephyr should also be a great occasion to discuss with Americans from all over the country). But I also want to do a bit of the touristy stuff. I have a month in NYC in July (will be working there), which should be great to see what the locals do and speak a lot with them and experience the city. Thanks again for the post.
You are welcome! Public transport in America is a multi-faceted problem. Each state is sovereign in many ways, while participating in the larger nation. Similar to the EU. So why would North Dakota pay their part to allow people quick transit across their boring and featureless state? They want people to stop. Buy gas. Buy food. Pay local taxes. Fill the local coffers. They don't want to offer people a simple and effective way to get across the state without dropping some money along the way. Many capital cities in Europe have brilliant transport infrastructures - Paris, Budapest, Berlin, etc - because the city was the Capital City, the gleaming jewel of the country. So the investment was made. Here in America, we grew too fast, and simply didn't give a shit about anyone else. "I got mine, you go get yours" was, and remains, the dominant philosophy. There is no "social contract", and no big thinkers any more. AirBnB is definitely more focused on amateur hoteliers. CouchSurfing is a better way to find real people, who charge reasonable rates, who want guests, and want to introduce you to their city. AirBnB is mostly just a yuppie money grab, with some hidden gems in there. Yosemite. Yes. Just, yes. Make sure you can get in, though. National Parks are very busy and sometimes limit admission so they don't get overrun. Do your research ahead of time and buy any passes you may need long before you need them. Culture. I chose that grouping of cities because they reflect distinctly different types of American culture. And, each of those cities have places you can easily "get away" to, so you can experience some of the countryside as well. Except LA. LA is just... unique. Sure, there are a hundred different cities around there, but the difference between them all are just signs you pass on the freeway. They flow seamlessly into one another into a totally featureless concrete landscape, spanning from the mountains to the ocean. But, you gotta experience it at some point in your life. The beaches. Hollywood. The freeways. You just have to see it to understand it, and you can't see it without... A rental car. This is going to be your big cost, but also your big lifesaver. I hate that you can't really experience "America" without a car, but... America is cars, and cars are America. And honestly, no matter what you do, you are going to have an American Experience. You are going to be here, eating our food, navigating our traffic, experiencing our customs, and seeing Americans you will never see anywhere else in the world. Only something like 20% of Americans will ever have a passport in their entire lives. That means 80% of Americans will never even go to Canada, much less another continent. You know those annoying loud Americans with the backpacks in the cafe in your home town, who drive you crazy with their loud laughing, lack of understanding of local customs, and brash "me first" hubris? Yeah... those are the GOOD ones. The ones who have actually gotten outside their own country once in their lives and experienced some of the world. When you come here you will see the other 80%. Should be an eye-opening trip for you, my friend!
+1 to all of this. I've tried to use the bus infrastructure in New York (state) and it's pretty much total shit. Buses don't run on time, barely anyone uses them and the people that do seem off, plus one time I was out at the one "bus stop" (a bit of sand across from the post office) in a small town and the bus straight up drove right past me. Ended up having to catch the next one, missed my connection, and would've been totally fucked if a friend didn't happen to be driving through Albany literally the same day.
Skip SLC, there's pretty hiking, but you can hike elsewhere and it's not that special. Skip Dallas. Go to Austin. Maybe Marfa if you think it would be cool to get off the beaten path and if that's feasible. Skip Dallas, I'm telling you. San Antonio can can be cool, Houston can be great if you like museums, but you gotta be staying in just the right place cause they are very car-centric cities, so ask and plan accordingly if you want to tackle that. I'm from Houston, so I can tell ya what's what for a two day stay. Spend more time in New Orleans, it's every good American's favorite American City. Skip Orlando, it's crazy expensive to do anything, and not that much fun at all. Go to Atlanta or Nashville, take a bus to DC if there's a good route, the Carolina's and Virginia are (mostly) socially shit, but it's some of the prettiest country in the US. From there you can Amtrak back to NY. Hit me up when you're in SF, I have a couch in Oakland to crash on if ya want it. It's also a pretty Couchsurfing friendly city. I'll take a day off and go to the MoMa with you, I've been putting that off. Riding a bus around America is a very unique journey. You'll definitely meet some characters.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I'm currently reajusting my plan (dropping SLC and Orlando gives me extra time to do Yosemite & one more day in New Orleans, I might add another Natural Park in there somewhere). My brother lives in Dallas and I will see if we can do something else together. I would love to surf your couch in Oakland and will keep you updated on my journey, will you be there between 6-11 August ? I'm not sure yet which day I might arrive but it should be between those dates. The MoMa seems a great idea!
Hey buddy, I wanted to follow up on your trip stuff. A couple of my friends are going to be in town the exact dates you are (they were coming later before, but had to move their dates up), so I sort of will have a packed house. I definitely can find space to offer if you need it, can't find a couch to surf or whatnot, you def won't get left out in the cold, I just have an extra layer to manage now, unexpectedly and wanted to keep you up to date on that.
I was surprised you were going to Dallas in August until I saw you were visiting family. Dallas isn't much of a tourist destination. It's not a bad place to live as far as the job opportunities/price of living ratio, but it is hot, sprawling, and ugly. I usually leave Dallas whenever I have enough time off, so I'm not the best tour guide, but I'll second galen's suggestion of the Perot museum. It's new and it is a lot of fun. Dallas has a bunch of museums: a modern art museum, 6th floor museum (at the place where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the president), frontiers of flight museum, biblical art museum, dozens more I've never been to I'm sure. If you want to see more of Texas history there is a bunch in Fort Worth, just a little west of Dallas. Their "Texas Heritage" is less overrun by millions of residents and new construction. The historic downtown has stockyards, the cowboy and cowgirl hall of fame museums, a bunch of old restaurants and bars, and rodeos almost every week. The cattle drive they do isn't worth seeing though, unless you have never seen a cow. If your brother has some time off to go to a different city in Texas I would recommend San Antonio. I accidentally posted this 6 times so I deleted the other 5. I'm going to blame it on flakey phone-tethered internet.
Thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely hit Perot museum when I'm there. Might still skip Dallas if my brother can take vacations in order to visit something else.
I will definitely spend some time in DC. I have the full month of July in NYC for work and I will take the week-ends to visit DC, Niagara Falls, and I don't know yet but I might make a stop to Montreal and/or Boston. It would be really great if we can do a Hubski meet up in DC !
Oh I see -- this is your 100% free time for traveling itinerary. Have you done any research onto what exactly you want to see in DC? It's best not to over plan because there's a ton to do and see and it's not humanly possible to do it all in one fell swoop especially in the summer heat.
yo don't let everyone turn you off the bus yeah sure LA to dallas in august is a long shitfest but just do whatever is cheapest and put up with the rest. when you're poor, that's how you travel. no one has good advice if their advice is 'don't take the bus because it sucks' ----with that said, sometimes the buses over here are just baffling price-wise so never underestimate flying southwest/spirit/etc instead make sure you make a post when you're in chicago in case some of us happen to be there
I didn't thought that plan would change a lot but it definitely did. Two friends will come over and we are planning on renting a car for the first two weeks to do the West Coast. For the remaining days, it will be a mix of buses/planes. I went to Niagara Falls last weekend thanks to your recommendation, I spend an amazing time there, it's really a natural wonder. It was a 18 hours bus roundtrip (Departure Friday from NYC at 22pm, Arrived to Niagara Falls ON at 7:45, spend 12 hours there, and I was back in NYC at 5:30 am on Sunday).
I'm definitely going to check out Yosemite with the extra days I have by dropping SLC and Orlando :)
directed at me? Well - I have done some fishing for sure - both commercial and sport (gill-netting after 18 hours in a small boat in stormy water - that's when it gets fun ;). Mostly I've fished for salmon... I'm a mover though, fishing - stationary - gets me kind of antsy after a while. You fish much?
It's not entirely directed at you. Just more me responding to a random comment. Though I think Creativity might enjoy it a bit. I personally haven't gone fishing for a while. I get side tracked by other things. :/
Arrivals: Aug 24th 13:15 Spending 24, 25 in Orlando Night saved 1 So if you're planning on stopping by Orlando, but not for the theme parks, then I suggest some of the parks and natural springs. You know, stuff the locals do for fun. In truth, Orlando isn't an electric, high-gear city. We're more relaxed here cradling our own gems, aside from the theme parks - which is more or less an afterthought in our minds. Nothing much outside of the parks will be a wallet buster. There's a lot of niche history here, but that'd likely require to travel a bit outside of Orlando for the day that you're here so I'll keep the places to visit in a tight radius within a couple hours of the airport or less (depending on where you're staying and your form of transport). A nice wildlife reserve nearby my university is the Little Big Econ. It's a good park to go hiking, paddling, and what-not. Leu Gardens, one of Florida's ~20 public flower gardens. Only $10 admission. Relaxed environment where you can also enjoy the flowers and sip wine. If you do have the time and bandwidth, Deleon Springs is both historically rich and an awesome spring to visit. With regards to museums and what not, I can't say we have too much that I'm personally aware of, but the Central Florida Holocaust Museum is relatively new, and I hear memorable. A personal favorite of mine is the Orlando Science Center. While you're in that area, you could also pick up some great vietnamese food off Mills (a nearby intersecting road). If you're looking for the urban scene, Altamonte Springs' Cranes Roost is a town favorite. Honestly, this can be your general guide for urban areas. In any case, it'd be awesome to meet up if you intend on staying the course. Florida has a fair amount of springs and natural parks. If you're leaving out the theme parks, you'll have to really search for 'interesting' sites to visit, but I can assure you they are out there.Great sightseeing of the country and natural wonders. I really wanted to spend some time in natural parks but it cost an arm
8) New Orleans to Orlando Bus 15$
Departure: Aug 23th 23:59
Needs more Nashville. And it makes no logical sense for your plan, but personally I'd love to see Seattle on a cross-country trip.
I'm planning some sort of trip for when i get leave in the spring, with a few other cadets from West Point. The rich ones want to go to the Swiss Alps, the not-so-rich ones want to road trip out West. I might get back to ya!
Yes I would have loved spending some time in Seattle but it's way too much in the North :/