So I put my foot in it by saying we should go to the US for a holiday this year.

The only stipulation from SWMBO is that we must visit San Fransisco, other than that we thought New York would be the first stop and that 2 weeks is the maximum we can both have off from work.

Ideas? Destinations? Hotels?

Well, I might be biased, but Washington DC is a good stop. Particularly if you like museums, as unlike pretty much every city in the country, almost all of our museums are free, and we have some pretty top-notch ones too. Then there's the monuments and stuff like that.

Seattle was my favorite city to visit, but a lot of that was because I'm a huge "grunge" fan.

Two weeks is going to be difficult to get in visits to two major cities on opposite coasts. Travel time alone once in the US between SF and NY is going to eat at least one full day.

Your best bet is to pick a general area and see what you can there. So if SF is a higher priority, expand it out to see the northwest. If NY is a priority, plenty of things to see down the east coast as well.

Think of it this way. Your wanting to visit a country larger then the continental Europe land mass, and one that also has a similar amount of diversity in things to do, cultures to experience, and areas to explore. I spent 3 weeks in Europe and still only traveled inside of 4 countries.

My opinion? Forget the cities. Every US city (even the ones I adore) can't hold a candle to London.

See some of the *natural* beauty we've got over here instead. Yellowstone? Grand Canyon? Anyone have other suggestions?

San Fransciso isn't bad, though, as cities go. Definitely one of my favorite cities. And from there you could do Yosemite or Lake Tahoe.

And go wine-tasting in Sonoma (and, if you insist, Napa,
which is often better known for something other than wine.

We did a loop round Northern California, starting in San Francisco, going to Tahoe to Yosemite and back to SF. Photos here.

You'll be able to cover way more ground than we did: I'd only just passed my driving test, and I didn't want to spend too long driving each day, so we chopped the journey into smaller pieces.

A decent move, that.


What time of year?

You could get a package to go to NYC *anytime* from London and the city is pretty usable all year round. The museums are heated

If you really *must* go to SFO, I'd just go there and leave NYC for another week-long trip. OK, you might be able to nest a ticket from NYC to SFO inside a London-NYC round-trip ticket without getting killed, price-wise, but, as others have said, not sure I'd take on both coasts in 2 weeks.

What do you like to do? Walk around the cities or drive around the countryside? If the latter and you can get a decent deal on a hire/rental, a trip I have steered some folks to is to leave SFO and then drive the Pacific Coast from Crescent City, CA to Coos Bay, OR, then head north to Portland, Seattle, then Vancouver, BC and come back south via Victoria, BC and Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

The southern Oregon coast is the nicest stretch of coast I have ever driven. Not too many RVs even in peak season, but definitely more relaxing in May-June and September-October.

Andy, you need to give us some ideas as to what you'd be interested in. It's hard to comprehend how LARGE the US is. If you really want to see what the US is all about, you just can't beat a road trip -- as long as you stay off the freeways and stick to 2 lane US highways. I've been all over this country on my motorcycle, so if you tell us what you and the SWMBO are in to, we'll tell you where to go.

Things might include:

Big Sur
Yosemite
Redwoods National Park / Avenue of the Giants
Death Valley
Lake Tahoe

... and those are just in California. You could easily have an amazing vacation for 2 weeks just in CA.

The Smithsonian could eat up 3 or 4 of those days all by itself. Then there's the great drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway and into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Boston is a great town. You can have a beer in the bar that was the secret hideout of the Founding Fathers.

Narrow the scope a bit!

J

The time of year you want to visit should be noted, too. Some places get too hot in the summertime and some can still be cold in May. We've got a lot of weather here...

Likewise, large sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially in North Carolina are closed in the winter due to weather.

Having just done both coasts in the last week, I can echo everyone else's sentiment that it's too much. Definitely pick a region and go with it. Also if in the Bay Area, a day or two trip down to Monterey and Carmel area is also worth it. I highly recommend the Tickle Pink Inn. Funny name, great place to stay.

I smell an empeg mini-meet!

How about driving from LA to SFO on the pacific coast highway (Route 101) stopping off at a few places on the way (like Carmel). If you want a really wacky night, stay in the one of the rock rooms at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obisbo (http://www.madonnainn.com/)

I did this years ago and it was a great road trip. Also did LA - Vegas & Death Valley - LA as well in the same 2 week trip. Or if you don't fancy Vegas you can go to Yosemete National Park instead, and even go North of SFO into the Napa Valley and wine regions.

You could even consider going down from LA to San Diego (for the zoo) and even pop into Mexico

I wouldn't try and do East coast and West coast in the same trip though. Save NY for another time.

From personal experience, I'd go with whoever said, to paraphrase, spend the fortnight in California, you can always go to New York for the weekend. At the risk of getting a deluge from Americans in other parts: California is the one part of the US I always want to spend more time in, I'd spend a few days in SF and leave plenty of time to get around.
I've spent more time, for family reasons, in Florida and Tennessee and I've not been to Boston. My view of WashingtonDC is largely tainted by being chased by a drug crazed guy with a large stick!
Of course, if you want a complete list of railway attractions and museums.......

I went to Boston last year and it was meh. Very pretty though. The Bunker Hill memorial was cool, and yes, I climbed all the way up. Our lobsters down here are better. Nothing beats a good cajun lobster.

On a side note, Mardi Gras wraps up next week!!!

The Rockies! Come to Colorado and hike a 14er (14,000 foot mountain). Rocky Mountain National Park is great at any time of the year, and from Colorado you can drive to New Mexico, Utah or Wyoming - Jackson and the Tetons would also be a good place to go.

Wow, Nixon's enemies list??? Some august company there. I am impressed!

Carter was in the White House at the time He only took flight(Man with stick, not Carter) when he mistook two Greyhound bus drivers for the Police!

Have to second the LA to SFO recommendation. Do it in a classic convertible - not a bright yellow Mustang

Actually, cancel that - make sure you go north of SF too. And not just Napa, keep going at least up to Eureka.

Many thanks for all your input. We're only going to stay in the NY for a couple of days, we've both been there in the past (although not together). We just figured it would break the travel up a little.

I think we're going to fly into SF, hire a car and probably head south. We're going to try and book some flights this weekend and probably sort a car out too. Still not 100% on what we'll do and where to go, bit more research I think.

I've just done a dew days in Monterey (amongst other stuff), it's worth a look, the aquarium (founded by David and Lucile Packard) is great, and 17 Mile Drive is worth doing.

I go to a conference in Monterey every year. Even being there in Nov (when the conference is held), it is still incredibly gorgeous. The Charthouse has some great food, and you can get tables with a wonderful view of the bay. The aquarium is incredible.

Right then, flights are booked. Manchester to New York for a couple of days, then New York to San Fransisco for 14 days then back to Manchester via Atlanta.

Swmbo is booking hotels and muggins here is sorting out transport. I've seen a Mustang Convertible for approx. £500 for the 14 days we're in California. Does that sound right?

Make sure you realize that that Mustang is likely to be a 210 hp (157 kW), 245 lb.ft. (332 Nm) model.

and if the new Mustang is like the previous one it will have about as much boot space as your Smart...

Especially the convertible...

Top tip:

Don't buy three children's tipis and expect to get them in the boot of an 2003 Mustang convertible

The mustang coupe has a decent amount of trunk space. Enough for 2 full sized suitcases, and some stuff on top. The back seats also fold down if needed. Probably better to use the seats there for storage, as noone can really fit into them comfortably.

The convertibles do sacrifice a lot of trunk space, so I'll second the bad idea for that option. You might get a suitcase in the back, then another in the rear seats.

..and DANGER WILL ROBINSON, do not lock the keys in the trunk of a Mustang convertible because in the latest version they omitted the trunk release button from the glove compartment and Thrifty don't keep spares meaning this happens:



Yes the person responsible felt suitably silly too! We also had a 300C and that had loads of space, the two cars were cheaper than an SUV or minivan for the same period.

(footnote: I looked up later on the internets and found if I had a piece of wire and a knife I could probably have popped the trunk via. the wiring loom, but obviously I didn't have the knowledge at the time and expected Thrifty to send a locksmith, not tow it from Gilroy to SFO.)

Andy- My empeg told me this morning to tell you Happy Birthday!

Many thanks, sadly neither of mine are installed at the moment so I didn't get the same greeting this morning.

Cool! Up for a minimeet when you're in CA?

Hugo

Two things that I thought were really cool, and free, to do on the left cost that not too many people do are:

«» See the taping of a TV show. I went to a sit-com and had a blast

«» Go to the off road park at Pismo beach and ride the rental car along the shore and partially into the waves. Just don’t go “off the hard pack” as they say. If you go too far from the water you’ll sink in sand up to the frame. Of course I did this and fortunately a nice 4X4 truck pulled me out.

Seeing a US TV show being made would be interesting, although a bit of busman's holiday for me. Not sure about the offroading though!

Definitely! Will sort some dates out tonight.

What weekend are you in town, Andy? I am planning an SF trip and my dates are pretty flexible.

We arrive in SF on the 6th of Sept (Saturday) then we'll be back in town on the 19th (Friday) before we fly back on the 20th. Either of those weekends should be fine!

OK, I thought you were maybe coming in the springtime which is what I'm aiming for.

I'm now looking for accommodation in the SF area. Any recommendations? Not really fussed where.

With the way the value of the pound vs the dollar and the housing market are going, you might as well just look for a good house to buy while you are here visiting. Should be about as cheep as a normal hotel stay

"cheep"?

Relatively, approx. $200 a night (between 2 adults).

I can't recommend any hotels specifically in San Francisco (expect that to be expensive!), but if you're interested in staying further down the peninsula, I've stayed happily several times at Dinah's Garden Hotel, roughly on the Palo Alto / Mountain View border. They have some nice gardens, a coy pond, and some very good omelets for breakfast.

If you're heading up to the wine country, my wife and I randomly ended up staying at the Farmhouse Inn several years ago. The rooms are a bit over-the-top posh, and the restaurant is staggeringly good.

I stayed in The Mosser last year, it's a little old fashioned (eg. thin doors, but modern locks). but cheap and cheerful. You'll probably want an en-suite bathroom but I was travelling alone and the shared bathroom was perfectly adequate, I always had use of one when I needed it. The rooms were a little small, but it's a going-out hotel not a staying in/convention hotel. It's in a great location, just a two minute walk to the cable car turn-around off Market St.

$200 should get you a nice room downtown. What it won't get you is a nice room, a parking space, and the taxes paid. Downtown hotels charge $50+ per night for parking, and most likely an absurdly high Transit Occupancy Tax that they won't quote in the rate. If you can, take cabs in the city, and only rent a car on the days that you're leaving the city.

Kayak.com is my favorite travel search engine. Combine it with tripadvisor, and you should know plenty about the hotel before you arrive.

The new Intercontinental seems to be under $200 on the random week I chose this summer. The Mark Hopkins is also. I like the St. Francis for it's location and classic building, but it seems to be in the $250-300 range the days I checked.

Matthew

Yeah, we did that, leaving the car rental until the day we left town, except that San Francisco is small enough that you can mostly walk across it. The buses are OK, too.

When you get here, be sure to give up golf. All of us Americans are giving up golf in solidarity with our poor president who also had to give up golf.


>)

Except for the times when he decided to give up giving up golf.

Bitt, just when I am on the verge of triumph (a deep, personal triumph, I might add -- something that might have made it into a made-for-TV movie) over disillusionment, you have to go and post *this*.

Damn you.