US help.

[Shiny Things]

Hi Shiny,

Thanks for the earlier advice above. One more qns. I will be driving from LV to LA in the last week of Nov. How is the weather like? Will it be icy and snowing? That will determine what kind of car I will renting. Cheers

Not likely, but it's not impossible.

Las Vegas to LA is high desert. Precipitation—rain or snow—is rare; it can certainly get cold, but snow is going to be rare (especially in November, it's not likely to get cold enough in conjunction with rain).

I wouldn't worry about a 4WD; just rent a decent-sized sedan and you'll be fine.

(Also, even if it does start snowing it's not reason for panic. I've driven a Corvette—a wildly overpowered rear-wheel-drive sports-car—through a light snowstorm in southern Utah, and it handled it like a pro; you just have to take it slowly and don't mash the accelerator or the brake. I wouldn't take it out in an inch-an-hour chucking-it-down storm, but a light dusting of the white stuff isn't going to be a huge problem even in a 2WD.)

 

[aromilk]

Not likely, but it's not impossible.

Las Vegas to LA is high desert. Precipitation—rain or snow—is rare; it can certainly get cold, but snow is going to be rare (especially in November, it's not likely to get cold enough in conjunction with rain).

I wouldn't worry about a 4WD; just rent a decent-sized sedan and you'll be fine.

(Also, even if it does start snowing it's not reason for panic. I've driven a Corvette—a wildly overpowered rear-wheel-drive sports-car—through a light snowstorm in southern Utah, and it handled it like a pro; you just have to take it slowly and don't mash the accelerator or the brake. I wouldn't take it out in an inch-an-hour chucking-it-down storm, but a light dusting of the white stuff isn't going to be a huge problem even in a 2WD.)

Fantastic. Thanks for the advice

 

[-cereal-]

hi, need some help here! has anyone taken flight SQ25 (8.15pm departure) on a Thursday from JFK back to SG?

how early should I reach airport? worried about immigration and customs queue at JFK, but stuck with a tight timing not able to leave early to airport due to meeting schedule in US

 

[freewilly5000]

Yes - I took the flight. Leaving USA much faster than getting in I would say aim arrive two hours or more before your flight.

 

[-cereal-]

Yes - I took the flight. Leaving USA much faster than getting in I would say aim arrive two hours or more before your flight.

Thanks for the tip!!

 

[helloworld321]

You really should get a hotel. That solves your luggage problem; and you can get as many wakeup calls as you need to make sure you don't miss your flight.

And SleepingInAirports.net (which is the bible for this sort of thing) points out that LGA's facilities are awful and they have a major problem with homeless people sleeping in the terminal. They recommend not sleeping there.

Ah thanks. Will it be ok if I take public transport around 3-4am for the 7am flight? Or should I stick to cab.

 

[Shiny Things]

Ah thanks. Will it be ok if I take public transport around 3-4am for the 7am flight? Or should I stick to cab.

If you get a hotel near LGA airport, the hotel should provide a free shuttle-bus.

 

[liemsc]

NY

I'll be having a 4-days stopover in New York later this month (my first time in NY ). So far I've included these in my itinerary: Statue of Liberty, ex-WTC area, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Museum of Modern Art, Times Square, Broadway (watch one musical), Museum of Natural History.
Some of my questions:
1) I don't intend to go right up to Liberty, with the thinking that it's gonna be wasting lots of time for queue, and I would just take the free Staten Island ferry to see and take photo of it from some distance. Is this a good idea?
2) Not intending to go up towers either (Empire State, One World, etc) as I've been up to some buildings like Burj Khalifa Dubai, John Hancock Chicago, etc - and starts to feel bored with these. Is there any towers in NY that is significantly different, that makes it worth going up to?
3) I've never watched ANY musical, at all. What would then be a good suggestion that is easily enjoyable for a newbie to watch? For example, while Hamilton seems to be very popular now, it seems you need to know some of the related history to fully enjoy it - so I'll skip that (and not to mention the expensive ticket ).
4) Shopping. Seems that the big outlet is Woodburry, but with my limited time, I don't want to travel 50 miles to go there. What is then a good alternative nearer to Manhattan? What about Newport Mall?
5) My itinerary seems to be all in Manhattan, southern side of Central Park. Is there any seedy / risky area that i need to take note of?

Thanks a bunch for any inputs!

 

[rnanse]

I'll be having a 4-days stopover in New York later this month (my first time in NY ). So far I've included these in my itinerary: Statue of Liberty, ex-WTC area, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Museum of Modern Art, Times Square, Broadway (watch one musical), Museum of Natural History.
Some of my questions:
1) I don't intend to go right up to Liberty, with the thinking that it's gonna be wasting lots of time for queue, and I would just take the free Staten Island ferry to see and take photo of it from some distance. Is this a good idea?
2) Not intending to go up towers either (Empire State, One World, etc) as I've been up to some buildings like Burj Khalifa Dubai, John Hancock Chicago, etc - and starts to feel bored with these. Is there any towers in NY that is significantly different, that makes it worth going up to?
3) I've never watched ANY musical, at all. What would then be a good suggestion that is easily enjoyable for a newbie to watch? For example, while Hamilton seems to be very popular now, it seems you need to know some of the related history to fully enjoy it - so I'll skip that (and not to mention the expensive ticket ).
4) Shopping. Seems that the big outlet is Woodburry, but with my limited time, I don't want to travel 50 miles to go there. What is then a good alternative nearer to Manhattan? What about Newport Mall?
5) My itinerary seems to be all in Manhattan, southern side of Central Park. Is there any seedy / risky area that i need to take note of?

Thanks a bunch for any inputs!

- 9/11 Memorial Museum / ex-WTC will take you at least 5 hours to complete but honestly, i wouldn't skip this. i'd go back there again.
- Statue of liberty is best seen from the boat unless you want to know the history behind Statue of Liberty then you will have to visit the island.
- There is an outlet mall at New Jersey (The Mills at Jersey Garden) - about 1h away from Manhattan. It is not as big as the one at Woodburry and it is actually literally a mall unlike Woodburry. If you are looking to get Tory Burch and other italian/ french designers, you are better off at Woodburry. I don't think they have Tory Burch at The Mills
- Musical! Please go!! Hamilton is popular but it is probably sold out by now.. you have to purchase your tickets way way way in advance. One tip is that you can get discounted musical tickets through lottery or TKTS box office. For lottery, you can do it online or be at the box office 2 hours before the show.
http://www.playbill.com/article/broadway-rush-lottery-and-standing-room-only-policies-com-116003
I have no luck in lottery so I will go to TKTS box office! There's one outlet near Wall Street where the queue is pretty manageable. TKTS usually have most of the broadway shows on discount for the day itself (Phantom of The Opera/ Chicago - going at about 50% off!) Shows like Lion King/ Book of Mormon don't ever seem to be on discount so try your luck in the lottery

hope this helps!

 

[hiyager]

I like to check if the transit time in Los Angeles airport is sufficient: 1hr 59m.

My flight as below:
Akaska Airline: Las Vegas (LAS) -> LAX Terminal 6: Arrive 15:51
SQ Flight: LAX Terminal B: Depart 17:50 -> Seoul -> Singapore

I read there is shuttle bus every 10min. Should i take the bus or walk?
Do i need go through additional screening at LAX.

Please advise. Thanks!

 

[mrashford86]

For New York make sure u go to Milk Bar to try the Ceriani Milk ice cream ... they have a few stores around

 

[mrashford86]

Cereal Milk Icecream* Sorry

 

[sendtolee]

I like to check if the transit time in Los Angeles airport is sufficient: 1hr 59m.

My flight as below:
Akaska Airline: Las Vegas (LAS) -> LAX Terminal 6: Arrive 15:51
SQ Flight: LAX Terminal B: Depart 17:50 -> Seoul -> Singapore

I read there is shuttle bus every 10min. Should i take the bus or walk?
Do i need go through additional screening at LAX.

Please advise. Thanks!

This mean you have to enter usa then exit terminal with your luggage, go to another terminal, check-in, go through customs check...
2 hours not enough. It takes 1 to 1.5 hours to clear immigration at LAX, 30 minutes to get to next terminal, 1 to 1.5 hours to go through customs check.

 

[Shiny Things]

I like to check if the transit time in Los Angeles airport is sufficient: 1hr 59m.

My flight as below:
Akaska Airline: Las Vegas (LAS) -> LAX Terminal 6: Arrive 15:51
SQ Flight: LAX Terminal B: Depart 17:50 -> Seoul -> Singapore

I read there is shuttle bus every 10min. Should i take the bus or walk?
Do i need go through additional screening at LAX.

Please advise. Thanks!

That's too tight.

That flight—Alaska flight 1475—runs late about a quarter of the time, and when it runs late it averages about half an hour late. Even if it was bang on time every time, you'd still be extremely squeezed to switch terminals, clear security, and get to your gate in two hours.

Take an earlier flight.

 

[hiyager]

I wonder why do SQ still sells this ticket knowing that the transit time of 2hr is insufficient at LAX? We follow the timing sequence from SQ website, although i did the purchase via expedia.

I still have to clear immigration & re-check in? I departing from Vegas back to Singapore, transit at los angeles & seoul airports.

 

[dilphinus]

I wonder why do SQ still sells this ticket knowing that the transit time of 2hr is insufficient at LAX? We follow the timing sequence from SQ website, although i did the purchase via expedia.

I still have to clear immigration & re-check in? I departing from Vegas back to Singapore, transit at los angeles & seoul airports.

https://viewfromthewing.boardingare...-immigration-checks-leave-us-not-just-arrive/

In the US there are no ‘exit controls.’ When you go to the airport you get off a connecting flight and right onto your international flight, no more security and no immigration. Domestic and international flights leave from the same terminal.

The US already gets advance passenger manifests, they know who is leaving. This adds physical checks of each individual passenger on the way out.

 

[jsoh123]

30 days in USA

I am looking at going to New York for about 30 days, may be more may be less, not quite confirmed yet. Any tips on safe yet affordable neighbourhood? I'm most likely looking at airbnb, not quite sure yet.

Also, is December a good month to visit NY? I understand it is going to be chilly and all, but was planning to spend Christmas/New year there, since Christmas and new year will be a big event there.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shiny Things]

I am looking at going to New York for about 30 days, may be more may be less, not quite confirmed yet. Any tips on safe yet affordable neighbourhood? I'm most likely looking at airbnb, not quite sure yet.

Also, is December a good month to visit NY? I understand it is going to be chilly and all, but was planning to spend Christmas/New year there, since Christmas and new year will be a big event there.

Thanks in advance!

Wow, 30 days is a long stint. Are you there for work or something?

December's a little tricky, to be honest. New Year's in Times Square is WILDLY overrated - it's going to be sub-freezing temperatures, and you have to get there about twelve hours before to have any chance of being anywhere near Times Square when the ball drops. That means twelve hours of standing out in the cold, no toilet breaks, no nothing. It's miserable.

If this is just for a holiday, I'd do a few things different:
* Maybe just do a few days in NYC and the northeast. Washington might be nice as well.
* Then pop down to Miami to get some warmth (and some Cuban culture!) for a few days)
* Then over to the west coast: LA, San Francisco, the desert southwest. Maybe even a stop over in New Orleans if that's your jam.

Really though, a 30-day trip to the States is probably better off in summer. You can do a truly awesome road trip in that time, and catch all of the great sights: the Sierras, the Rockies, a ton of national parks...

 

[jsoh123]

Wow, 30 days is a long stint. Are you there for work or something?

December's a little tricky, to be honest. New Year's in Times Square is WILDLY overrated - it's going to be sub-freezing temperatures, and you have to get there about twelve hours before to have any chance of being anywhere near Times Square when the ball drops. That means twelve hours of standing out in the cold, no toilet breaks, no nothing. It's miserable.

If this is just for a holiday, I'd do a few things different:
* Maybe just do a few days in NYC and the northeast. Washington might be nice as well.
* Then pop down to Miami to get some warmth (and some Cuban culture!) for a few days)
* Then over to the west coast: LA, San Francisco, the desert southwest. Maybe even a stop over in New Orleans if that's your jam.

Really though, a 30-day trip to the States is probably better off in summer. You can do a truly awesome road trip in that time, and catch all of the great sights: the Sierras, the Rockies, a ton of national parks...

Haha, I'm aware that 30 days is a long stint. Nope, I'm not there for work. Just a break from everything and probably gonna check out some grad schools in US. Not entirely sure of my itinerary yet, or my purpose there, but it will work out somehow.

Yeah, my friend was dissuading me against Times Square NYE as well. But I'm still being a little optimistic about it. We shall see on that. Also, my intention of staying at NYC for 30 days was just to really chill out, without lugging of luggage across states - plus experience the festive seasons there I guess? But idk, now that I tried to bounce that idea to a couple of my friends, it does sound a bit crazy?

And I do agree with you on the part that 30-days summer road trip would be more awesome than 30-days in the cold winter. But its just that its hard to plan a 30 days road trip with friends, given that everyone is busy with work and all. And I can't do road trip alone, I'd be itching to talk the moment I start the trip probably. :\ Haha. So, probably not this trip.

I visited San Fran for work previously, I do like it there but I was hoping for a bit of a twist in environment. Since I haven't visited NYC, that was how NYC came into consideration. Alternatively, I could do a 5 days at NYC, and take a domestic down to San Fran, and do some natural parks with tour groups (didn't get to do that in my last trip)? Maybe visit LA like you recommended? Does it make sense? Thanks a lot for your inputs! Appreciated it.

 

[Shiny Things]

Haha, I'm aware that 30 days is a long stint. Nope, I'm not there for work. Just a break from everything and probably gonna check out some grad schools in US. Not entirely sure of my itinerary yet, or my purpose there, but it will work out somehow.

Yeah, my friend was dissuading me against Times Square NYE as well. But I'm still being a little optimistic about it. We shall see on that. Also, my intention of staying at NYC for 30 days was just to really chill out, without lugging of luggage across states - plus experience the festive seasons there I guess? But idk, now that I tried to bounce that idea to a couple of my friends, it does sound a bit crazy?

Right, you can definitely have some fun. Don't be afraid of travelling around, either; you're going to get sick of staying in one place for longer than a week or so. A couple of thoughts:

1) If you want to check out grad schools, you absolutely have to do the west coast. Do the SF Bay Area (Stanford and Cal) and LA (UCLA, maybe Caltech and USC); both of those are worth a visit anyway, and you can drive down from SF to Los Angeles with your friends, it's a magical drive. (You can probably spend as long as a week on that drive if you pause at Paso Robles, Ventura, and maybe even take a detour to Palm Springs and/or Death Valley.)

That'll give you an excuse to go to Boston as well, but Boston in the winter isn't much fun.

2) Trust me, NYE in Times Square will NOT be worth it. I'll talk you out of that one right now. Imagine standing in sub-zero temperatures for twelve hours and not being able to leave to pee.

3) I think a fun trip would be:
* A week in NY and DC (and catch the train from NY to DC, it's great)
* A week in Florida (either do Miami, Key West and the national parks; or do Orlando and the Space Coast, whichever sounds more exciting);
* A couple of weeks on the west coast (SF to LA via the national parks, Highway 1, and maybe Palm Springs).

That's not too much moving around, but you'll still get a ton of variety and really get to explore America.