US help.

[DriftKing]

Then maybe not worth going to napa valley if both arent really drinkers.

Will u be in the SF area that time and looking for a daytrip?

Pretty much in the area, will have a car to go anywhere before Yosemite

 

[Hisashiburi]

Pretty much in the area, will have a car to go anywhere before Yosemite

Can consider Monterey Bay/Carmel area on the coast.

 

[Shiny Things]

Any recommendation for a short Napa valley(or nearby) sight seeing run, can't drink much as Im the only one driving and my wife doesnt drink, just to see if it's worth to sight see?

If you don't drink, Napa's not really worth it. Some alternate day trips in the North Bay:

• If you like oysters and fine food - drive to Tomales (for oysters) and Point Reyes Station (for excellent cheese). Also the drive from Petaluma to Tomales is absolutely gorgeous.
• If you like scenery, rent a bike from downtown, ride over the bridge to Sausalito, and then take the ferry back. Alternatively, you can take the ferry to Tiburon, eat at Malibu Farm or Bungalow Kitchen right at the ferry dock (with amazing views of SF!), go for a walk, and then chug back to SF.
• If you like Peanuts, the Charles M Schulz Museum (and Snoopy's Home Ice) in Santa Rosa is a slightly longer drive but it's an absolute treat.

Other places you might enjoy, outside the North Bay:

• If you like fine art, the Legion of Honor and De Young museums are super easy to get to from downtown (either by Uber or bus, you don't need to drive), and both are surrounded by superb gardens. The Legion is better for classic art; the De Young is better for modern art;
• The De Young is also a great base for spending a day in Golden Gate Park. You can rent a bike, ride all the way to the ocean on protected bike paths, have a leisurely coffee at the Swiss Chalet, then bike back.
• If you're a plane spotter, the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos will absolutely knock your socks off; lots of vintage and modern aviation history, and even a full-on flight simulator;
• If you or the missus likes to shop, take Caltrain to Palo Alto, and spend a day in Stanford Shopping Center. It's outdoors, the weather is beautiful, and the shopping is... well it's not Orchard Road, but it's pretty much the classiest shopping in the Bay Area. (It's also a leisurely 15-minute walk from the garage where Silicon Valley was born, if you like quirky local history).
• If you want a gorgeous drive in the country but don't want to slog through North Bay traffic, may I recommend driving down Skyline Boulevard to Alice's Restaurant in Woodside for lunch? It's a phenomenally beautiful drive through the redwood forests that tower over Silicon Valley; a pretty great lunch (with a shockingly large number of supercars usually parked outside), then a leisurely blat back down the 84 to the 101. (You can also back this into a walk around the Stanford Dish, which is a great place for zillion-dollar views of Silly Valley.)

 

[MGeaR356]

anyone knows if trust bank can do debit card ATM withdrawl in USA, in particular Seattle? Any admin fees too?

 

[Shiny Things]

anyone knows if trust bank can do debit card ATM withdrawl in USA, in particular Seattle? Any admin fees too?

It should work (though Trust Bank's FAQ website tells me that you'll need to enable overseas transactions in the app first). Trust also says there's no fees, but they'll still make money out of you on the currency conversion spread.

That said, you really won't need much cash over here. Everywhere you'll want to go will take credit/debit cards.

 

[DriftKing]

Day 1: (Thursday) Land at SFO, head to SF Downtown (before 12pm) , Fisherman's wharf, Golden gate
Day 2: (Friday) : SF downtown free and easy (any other recommendation?)
Day 3: (Sat): Drive to silicon valley area look see look see
Day 4: (Sun): USS hornet, Livermore outlet, drive towards yosemite nearby towns
Day 5: (Mon): Yosemite
Day 6: (Tue): Sequioa see big tree
Day 7: (Wed): Drive out to Death Valley -> badwater -> Las Vegas
Day 8: (Thur): LV -> Hoover dam drive by -> Grand canyon south rim -> drive towards antelope canyon (Page/Lake powell)
Day 9: (Fri): Horshoe bend, Antelope canyon -> Back to LV
Day 10: (Sat): LV
Day 11: (Sun): Lv drive down to LA, Santa monica, stars avenue, TCL
Day 12: (Mon): Getty, USS Iowa, xxx
Day 13: (Tue): Disneyland
Day 14: (Wed): Universal / Warner
Day 15: (Thur): LAX flight back SIN

Hi shifus, currently planning something above for Mid-Oct, is this itinerary ok?

What are the better telco to consider for this trip?

Thinking of Eskimo esim (AT&T), I recalled reading T-mobile is only ok for city areas

 

[Shiny Things]

What are the better telco to consider for this trip?

Thinking of Eskimo esim (AT&T), I recalled reading T-mobile is only ok for city areas

I may have written that about T-Mobile in the past, but it's no longer true. Ever since they merged with Sprint in 2020 and combined the two networks, T-Mobile has had the best coverage in America—even better than Verizon.

 

[DriftKing]

Would it be risky to book Southwest last flight out to Vegas from SFO? Not sure how frequent is their cancellation?

Currently looking at 6pm flight from SFO. There's still a 8pm flight from Oakland.

 

[Hisashiburi]

Would it be risky to book Southwest last flight out to Vegas from SFO? Not sure how frequent is their cancellation?

Currently looking at 6pm flight from SFO. There's still a 8pm flight from Oakland.

I think it should be ok

It is a very short flight and LAS is a main hub for Southwest.

 

[Shiny Things]

Would it be risky to book Southwest last flight out to Vegas from SFO? Not sure how frequent is their cancellation?

Currently looking at 6pm flight from SFO. There's still a 8pm flight from Oakland.

You're looking at flight 4317, right? You're fine, that one literally always runs on time. SFO has a reputation for delays, but not on that particular flight.

The only reason to fly out of Oakland or San Jose (SJC) would be if you're closer to those airports for some reason.

 

[DriftKing]

You're looking at flight 4317, right? You're fine, that one literally always runs on time. SFO has a reputation for delays, but not on that particular flight.

The only reason to fly out of Oakland or San Jose (SJC) would be if you're closer to those airports for some reason.

Weirdly from Southwest's page, its tailed WN 3911 (maybe there's a change in schedule in Oct).

I'll be returning my rental at Sixt Mission before and I'm hoping to utilise the centurion lounge in SFO.

Decided to skip Sequoia national park and just visiting Mariposa Grove instead so the drive won't drain myself on that day lol

 

[Hisashiburi]

Weirdly from Southwest's page, its tailed WN 3911 (maybe there's a change in schedule in Oct).

I'll be returning my rental at Sixt Mission before and I'm hoping to utilise the centurion lounge in SFO.

Decided to skip Sequoia national park and just visiting Mariposa Grove instead so the drive won't drain myself on that day lol

Be very careful when u return the rental car.
Take pics of the entire car inc the roof when u return it

Many scam cases where rental car companies make up stories about damage a few weeks after u return it

 

[ceecookie]

Be very careful when u return the rental car.
Take pics of the entire car inc the roof when u return it

Many scam cases where rental car companies make up stories about damage a few weeks after u return it

For rental car in USA, typically CDW is thrown in when u are booking as intl visitor. This is the case for major rental coy like avis, budget, hertz

Once there is cdw, they literally don't care if got damage or not. There was once I booked an Avis car, got multiple dents - they said no need bother coz CDW is $0 excess for me. They eventually recorded down the dents after I insisted for transparency

 

[DriftKing]

Be very careful when u return the rental car.
Take pics of the entire car inc the roof when u return it

Many scam cases where rental car companies make up stories about damage a few weeks after u return it

For rental car in USA, typically CDW is thrown in when u are booking as intl visitor. This is the case for major rental coy like avis, budget, hertz

Once there is cdw, they literally don't care if got damage or not. There was once I booked an Avis car, got multiple dents - they said no need bother coz CDW is $0 excess for me. They eventually recorded down the dents after I insisted for transparency

Yup, thank you for the reminder. I also added maximum insurance they offered (expensive but don't want to deal with anything).

Now I'm praying I can early return my car without ruining my current weekly rates (more ex to return a day earlier)

 

[heroking]

for sim card in USA, which one cheaper?
i see their prepaid card all start from $50 USD?
got 10-20 USD kind?

 

[bberry]

for sim card in USA, which one cheaper?
i see their prepaid card all start from $50 USD?
got 10-20 USD kind?

go shopee search esim USA or sim USA, around sgd30 for 10 days to sgd66 for 30 days

 

[siaoboy]

if going to NP, better not go with MVNO. I was in yellowstone and basically there is no or minimum coverage

for sim card in USA, which one cheaper?
i see their prepaid card all start from $50 USD?
got 10-20 USD kind?

 

[heroking]

if going to NP, better not go with MVNO. I was in yellowstone and basically there is no or minimum coverage

i using ultra mobile in LA

 

[twinklingstars]

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

 

[TMBagain]

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

Washington DC was an eye opener for me. It puts a visual perspective to what I see and read in the news. Walking past the Federal Reserve building was an ah-ha moment, as was walking past Nancy Pelocy's door, both being so iconic in the news. Washington DC Looks so orderly compared to other states, or at least the part of DC that I visited.