US help.

[twinklingstars]

Washington DC was an eye opener for me, putting a visual perspective to what I see and read in the news. As was walking past the Federal Reserve building, being so iconic in the news, not that it looks interesting. Looks so orderly compared to other states, or at least the part of DC that I visited.

Hi thanks for the info.. did you take a day trip or spend a couple of days in Washington DC?

 

[reddevil0728]

Washington DC was an eye opener for me, putting a visual perspective to what I see and read in the news. As was walking past the Federal Reserve building, being so iconic in the news, not that it looks interesting. Looks so orderly compared to other states, or at least the part of DC that I visited.

but i dun think day trip is enough

 

[TMBagain]

Hi thanks for the info.. did you take a day trip or spend a couple of days in Washington DC?

I was there for 3 days and that was sufficient for me. I had the time and it was a place for deeper dives.

 

[Shiny Things]

Hi thanks for the info.. did you take a day trip or spend a couple of days in Washington DC?

Oh man, DC is a great call, especially if you can spend a couple of days there. It's a nice train ride down and back on the Acela from Penn Station; the museums and sightseeing are unsurpassed (sadly the Newseum has closed), and the food and bar scene is shockingly good.

Other than that... October's a bit of a tricky time because it's starting to get cold over there. Niagara might be doable but it'll be a schlep; Boston might be a go; but really your best bet might be exploring all around NYC itself.

 

[Horiv3]

Planning to travel to NYC next year, from what i understand, we do not need a visa if only staying in US for less than 90 days, but will still need to apply for ESTA, correct?

 

[reddevil0728]

Planning to travel to NYC next year, from what i understand, we do not need a visa if only staying in US for less than 90 days, but will still need to apply for ESTA, correct?

yea. but got some exceptions. can go to their visa waiver programme website to check

 

[Shiny Things]

Planning to travel to NYC next year, from what i understand, we do not need a visa if only staying in US for less than 90 days, but will still need to apply for ESTA, correct?

Correct, as long as you're traveling for tourism, not for business. Here's the info page from the US Embassy in Singapore.

And when you're applying, make sure you apply using the official ESTA website at esta.cbp.dhs.gov - there are a lot of other sites out there that charge inexplicable markups for the same thing.

 

[beanstalk6]

Planning to go NYC next year October.. any suggestions of day trips? I have 2 weeks based in NYC.

Next year's October is a long time away.
You will need more than a day trip to have a substantial experience. Even Niagara Falls should require a night, much less to say Washington DC, to speak the least. Have a leisurely day on Staten Island, perhaps, or in Philadelphia.

 

[adgjl321]

Oh man, DC is a great call, especially if you can spend a couple of days there. It's a nice train ride down and back on the Acela from Penn Station; the museums and sightseeing are unsurpassed (sadly the Newseum has closed), and the food and bar scene is shockingly good.

Other than that... October's a bit of a tricky time because it's starting to get cold over there. Niagara might be doable but it'll be a schlep; Boston might be a go; but really your best bet might be exploring all around NYC itself.

Do you have any recommendations for sights / food? I'm finding myself in DC for about 3 days (1 day being Trump's inauguration...purely coincidental).

 

[Shiny Things]

Do you have any recommendations for sights / food? I'm finding myself in DC for about 3 days (1 day being Trump's inauguration...purely coincidental).

Unfortunately I can guarantee you it's gonna be a shirtshow around Inauguration Day—a lot of the good museums and exhibits might be closed.

That said, the Smithsonian museums are always great - the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum is a bit out of town, at Dulles airport, but it's fun as heck. And I hear good things about the Museum of African-American History, which is the newest in the Smithsonian system.

The food in DC is all extremely good, so I wouldn't want to point you to anything without knowing your tastes - but basically, hit up Yelp and it won't send you too far wrong.

 

[SpeedingBullet]

Planning a big driving/hiking trip to the US in maybe 2 years' time, might budget about a month for it, could someone here advise if it's doable or if I need to budget more time?

> Fly into Texas (via LAX/SFO or Europe, not sure, SQ just ended their IAH flights ), have some southern grub, do some hog hunting, hopefully catch a Space X launch (optional since it's in Boca Chica which is basically Mexico)
> Fly to Colorado, rent a car and hike the national parks. Maybe stay at a ranch here for 2-3 days
> Drive west to Utah, visit/hike Zion/Bryce/Arches? If time permits, hike the Navajo Trail?
> Drive south to Arizona, do the Grand Canyon/Antelope Canyon
> Drive west to California for Yosemite/Sequoia, any others worth doing?
> Fly back to S'pore via LAX or SFO

 

[Shiny Things]

Planning a big driving/hiking trip to the US in maybe 2 years' time, might budget about a month for it, could someone here advise if it's doable or if I need to budget more time?

> Fly into Texas (via LAX/SFO or Europe, not sure, SQ just ended their IAH flights ), have some southern grub, do some hog hunting, hopefully catch a Space X launch (optional since it's in Boca Chica which is basically Mexico)
> Fly to Colorado, rent a car and hike the national parks. Maybe stay at a ranch here for 2-3 days
> Drive west to Utah, visit/hike Zion/Bryce/Arches? If time permits, hike the Navajo Trail?
> Drive south to Arizona, do the Grand Canyon/Antelope Canyon
> Drive west to California for Yosemite/Sequoia, any others worth doing?
> Fly back to S'pore via LAX or SFO

Oh yeah, that's super doable if you have a month, and the itinerary sounds absolutely amazing. One starting note: you'll need to do this in July, August, or September, otherwise you'll risk a lot of those roads being snowed in. The tradeoff of that time of year is that the Nevada and California leg of the trip will be stinking hot, which'll rule out a few national parks like Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Pinnacles that you might otherwise want to visit.

Personally I'd try to time the trip for mid- September into early October. Trail Ridge Road across the Rockies will still be open then; and by the time you get to Las Vegas around October 1st, Death Valley and Joshua Tree will be a lot more manageable.

I'll leave aside the Texas part, because I don't know Texas as well, though be warned it's going to be super unpleasant that time of year—hotter and more humid than Singapore.

For the rest of the trip, your route's going to look something like this. (Leaves out a lot of detail, though!)

• Fly into Denver; rent a car one-way to San Francisco. It'll cost a bucketload, but do it, it's worth it.
• From Denver, drive southwest across the Rockies toward Durango. This is a cool little mountain town, and Silverton (a beautifully preserved Wild West gold-mining town surrounded by 11,000-foot mountains) is an hour up the road.
  • If you want to see some extra sights, you can cut north to Estes Park, and take US-34 (Trail Ridge Road) across the Rockies, then head back south
• From Durango, head northwest to Moab, at the front door of Arches National Park. It'll be hot in summer, so try a canyon rafting trip!
• From Moab, you've gotta go up to Green River on I-70, then immediately back down across the desert toward Hanksville (Capitol Reef NP), Escalante, and thence to Bryce Canyon National Park. This stretch is the best driving road in America—beautiful wide roads, desert and mountain landscapes, and mind-blowing hills and valleys (especially along The Hogsback).
• From Bryce, head down toward Springdale, which takes you downhill through Zion National Park.
• At this point you'll probably spend a day or two in Zion, and then double back - you're heading to the town of Page, which is right near Antelope Canyon, and at the back door to the Grand Canyon South Rim.
• Spend a day or two in Flagstaff - it's a great little town with shockingly good food and lots of shopping on the cute Main Street.
  • You can do a quick two-hour detour east of here to see Meteor Crater and Painted Desert National Park
• Head west to Las Vegas. Get yourself a nice room at the Mandalay Bay or the MGM Grand and enjoy a couple of days in civilization
• From Vegas, you have two choices:
  • Choice 1, the Joshua Tree route: head west on I-15 toward Los Angeles. You can hit Mojave and Joshua Tree on this route, and if you to, you'll end up on I-10 right near Palm Springs, which is a great place to spend a day or two if it's not too hot in summer. From Los Angeles, head north. You can hit Sequoia and Yosemite on the way north, and even Pinnacles National Park, and end up in San Francisco.
  • Choice 2, the Death Valley route: head northwest through Death Valley NP, then cross the White Mountains (where the bristlecone pines grow) toward the town of Bishop. Spend a day or two there, then enter Yosemite National Park from the back (CA-120, Tioga Pass) and head back across to San Francisco. You'll see Death Valley and get a better view of Yosemite, but you'll miss Los Angeles and Joshua Tree... your choice.

 

[SpeedingBullet]

Oh yeah, that's super doable if you have a month, and the itinerary sounds absolutely amazing. One starting note: you'll need to do this in July, August, or September, otherwise you'll risk a lot of those roads being snowed in. The tradeoff of that time of year is that the Nevada and California leg of the trip will be stinking hot, which'll rule out a few national parks like Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Pinnacles that you might otherwise want to visit.

Personally I'd try to time the trip for mid- September into early October. Trail Ridge Road across the Rockies will still be open then; and by the time you get to Las Vegas around October 1st, Death Valley and Joshua Tree will be a lot more manageable.

I'll leave aside the Texas part, because I don't know Texas as well, though be warned it's going to be super unpleasant that time of year—hotter and more humid than Singapore.

For the rest of the trip, your route's going to look something like this. (Leaves out a lot of detail, though!)

• Fly into Denver; rent a car one-way to San Francisco. It'll cost a bucketload, but do it, it's worth it.
• From Denver, drive southwest across the Rockies toward Durango. This is a cool little mountain town, and Silverton (a beautifully preserved Wild West gold-mining town surrounded by 11,000-foot mountains) is an hour up the road.
  • If you want to see some extra sights, you can cut north to Estes Park, and take US-34 (Trail Ridge Road) across the Rockies, then head back south
• From Durango, head northwest to Moab, at the front door of Arches National Park. It'll be hot in summer, so try a canyon rafting trip!
• From Moab, you've gotta go up to Green River on I-70, then immediately back down across the desert toward Hanksville (Capitol Reef NP), Escalante, and thence to Bryce Canyon National Park. This stretch is the best driving road in America—beautiful wide roads, desert and mountain landscapes, and mind-blowing hills and valleys (especially along The Hogsback).
• From Bryce, head down toward Springdale, which takes you downhill through Zion National Park.
• At this point you'll probably spend a day or two in Zion, and then double back - you're heading to the town of Page, which is right near Antelope Canyon, and at the back door to the Grand Canyon South Rim.
• Spend a day or two in Flagstaff - it's a great little town with shockingly good food and lots of shopping on the cute Main Street.
  • You can do a quick two-hour detour east of here to see Meteor Crater and Painted Desert National Park
• Head west to Las Vegas. Get yourself a nice room at the Mandalay Bay or the MGM Grand and enjoy a couple of days in civilization
• From Vegas, you have two choices:
  • Choice 1, the Joshua Tree route: head west on I-15 toward Los Angeles. You can hit Mojave and Joshua Tree on this route, and if you to, you'll end up on I-10 right near Palm Springs, which is a great place to spend a day or two if it's not too hot in summer. From Los Angeles, head north. You can hit Sequoia and Yosemite on the way north, and even Pinnacles National Park, and end up in San Francisco.
  • Choice 2, the Death Valley route: head northwest through Death Valley NP, then cross the White Mountains (where the bristlecone pines grow) toward the town of Bishop. Spend a day or two there, then enter Yosemite National Park from the back (CA-120, Tioga Pass) and head back across to San Francisco. You'll see Death Valley and get a better view of Yosemite, but you'll miss Los Angeles and Joshua Tree... your choice.

Hey Shinyyy! Thanks sooo much! This is all going into my travelling OneNote, let me digest this a little. Oh, quick question: do I need to rent a 4x4 doing this or a normal SUV would do? A friend of mine told me to live it up and get a Suburban lol

Grand plan will be this, 2nd trip will be to Idaho/Montana/Wyoming, basically the states surrounding Yellowstone, same length but spending more time in ranches and doing outdoor activities. The US is so huge it's so exciting to plan.

 

[Shiny Things]

Hey Shinyyy! Thanks sooo much! This is all going into my travelling OneNote, let me digest this a little. Oh, quick question: do I need to rent a 4x4 doing this or a normal SUV would do? A friend of mine told me to live it up and get a Suburban lol

Grand plan will be this, 2nd trip will be to Idaho/Montana/Wyoming, basically the states surrounding Yellowstone, same length but spending more time in ranches and doing outdoor activities. The US is so huge it's so exciting to plan.

Hey SB! Hit me up if you need recos for the Montana/Wyoming trip as well, I've done (parts of) that loop before and it's mind-meltingly beautiful. The smart move for that particular trip is to start from Denver or SLC; it might be tempting to fly into Jackson but it'll cost you squillions.

And a normal SUV or sedan will be fine—this entire trip is paved roads. I did roughly the same trip a decade ago in a Corvette and it was probably the best fun I've ever had?!

 

[SpeedingBullet]

Hey SB! Hit me up if you need recos for the Montana/Wyoming trip as well, I've done (parts of) that loop before and it's mind-meltingly beautiful. The smart move for that particular trip is to start from Denver or SLC; it might be tempting to fly into Jackson but it'll cost you squillions.

And a normal SUV or sedan will be fine—this entire trip is paved roads. I did roughly the same trip a decade ago in a Corvette and it was probably the best fun I've ever had?!

I'll definitely ping you once I'm getting the flights and general planning ready. Yeah Youtube somehow read my mind and started pushing Jackson to me, talking about billionaires living there lol.

Damn Corvette! They cheaper to rent than an SUV? I was thinking SUV because of luggage space actually.

 

[Shiny Things]

I'll definitely ping you once I'm getting the flights and general planning ready.

Definitely! I'm not saying that doing this particular road trip sealed my decision to move to America, but I'm not not saying it; it's an absolutely beautiful part of the world.

Yeah Youtube somehow read my mind and started pushing Jackson to me, talking about billionaires living there lol.

Jackson is primo in the height of summer—long days, great hiking, rafting on the Snake River, lots of wildlife, and plenty of events in Jackson town and up in the national parks (it's right next to Grand Teton and Yellowstone).

Damn Corvette! They cheaper to rent than an SUV? I was thinking SUV because of luggage space actually.

Sadly the rental-car places don't seem to offer the really hot metal any more, but you should be able to find a company that'll do you a Mustang or Camaro, and those are still pretty great. They don't have a ton of trunk space, but if you're just in two suitcases you'll be fine. Any more than that and you'd want an SUV.

 

[dreamcast18]

Definitely! I'm not saying that doing this particular road trip sealed my decision to move to America, but I'm not not saying it; it's an absolutely beautiful part of the world.


Jackson is primo in the height of summer—long days, great hiking, rafting on the Snake River, lots of wildlife, and plenty of events in Jackson town and up in the national parks (it's right next to Grand Teton and Yellowstone).


Sadly the rental-car places don't seem to offer the really hot metal any more, but you should be able to find a company that'll do you a Mustang or Camaro, and those are still pretty great. They don't have a ton of trunk space, but if you're just in two suitcases you'll be fine. Any more than that and you'd want an SUV.

Hertz still do have fun cars. Avoid EVs at all costs.

 

[Not.banned.yet]

Looking at the thread, for California, I see outlet shopping at the pike, premium outlet, and citadel. Any advice on the features, or which is a must go?

or in fact they have mostly the same brands?

 

[Not.banned.yet]

Hi all, as a first-time traveler to the States, could I seek your assistance in providing suggestions/advice for my upcoming holiday from 12 Dec - 20 Dec to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, please?

Notes:
Traveling in a group of 7 pax of young adults.
Car Rental: Ford Transit, SGD$ 2500 booked till 20 Dec via Turo.
Excalibur Hotel: SGD$2,400 from 15 Dec - 18 Dec.

I have listed my itinerary below, as follows:

12 Dec 2023:
1930: Touch down at LAX Airport at approximately 1930
2100 onwards: Dinner and grocery shopping, near our residence at N Mariposa Avenue Airbnb.

13 Dec 2023:
0900: Griffin Observatory
1200 - 1700: Lunch at The Grove LA, LA Farmers Market, and Hollywood Walk of Fame & Streets
1900: BBQ dinner at Korean Town

14 Dec 2023:
0900 - 1700: Downtown Santa Monica - 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier/Beach/Place
1700 - 2100: Dinner at Chinatown

15 Dec 2023:
0900: Drive to Las Vegas Nevada - Route 66, 6 hour drive
1500: Check-in at Excalibur Hotel & Casino
1600 - 2100: Gambling/sightseeing through Las Vegas Fremont Street & Downtown.

16 Dec 2023:
0500 - 1800: Grand Canyon South Rim & Horseshoe Bend tour, booked via Klook
1900: Dinner at Gorilla Sushi.

17 Dec 2023:
0900 - 1700: Las Vegas North/South Premium Outlets.

18 Dec 2023:
1000: Drive back to Los Angeles - Huntington Beach Airbnb. Will stop by Citadel Outlet shopping mall.

19 Dec 2023:
0800: LA Whale watching tour at Long Beach & lunch
1400 - 1800: The Pike Outlets and Downtown Waterfront Long Beach

20 Dec 2023:
0900: Grand Central Market
2300: Flight back to Singapore.


Questions:
12 Dec 2023 queries: Is Mariposa Avenue's neighborhood safe to travel after dark? Should I get my SIM card from Airalo or AT&T stores?

13 Dec 2023: Any suggestions on our itinerary? Is there anything we could skip out on or improve on? What could we do after dinner from 8 pm onwards?

14 Dec 2023: Any suggestions on our itinerary? Is there anything we could skip out on? What could we do after dinner from 9 pm onwards?

15 Dec 2023: Any suggestions for 3 nights of buffet dinner/things to do in Las Vegas? Is Excalibur hotel decent?

16 Dec 2023: Could we squeeze in any other attractions such as Hoover Dam? Which is better, South Rim or North Rim?

17 Dec 2023: Should we skip the Premium Outlets in Las Vegas and LA entirely? Any suggestions on activities we could do on 17 Dec?

18 Dec 2023: Any suggestions for activities and food? Should we skip out on Citadel Outlet?

19 Dec 2023: Could we skip the LA Whale watching as we understand that it's rare to see the whale? Any suggestions for activities and food?

20 Dec 2023: What could we do after Grand Central Market?

Adhoc Questions:
What souvenirs should we buy?
Which shopping brands are cheaper in the USA than in Singapore?
Where could we eat nice Seafood/Steaks in LA/LV?

Many thanks and appreciate all of your suggestions.

Any tips? Looks like I’m taking a flight of similar timing as u did 2 years ago. First time to US too

 

[reddevil0728]

Looking at the thread, for California, I see outlet shopping at the pike, premium outlet, and citadel. Any advice on the features, or which is a must go?

or in fact they have mostly the same brands?

california is very big. which part or any also can?