US help.

[Shiny Things]

Going to west coast USA for honeymoon on 1st Nov. Hope the matter resolved by then or my visit to the grand canyon will be cancelled
Lucky I did not plan for visit to Yosemite park.

Don't panic! Even if the shutdown extends to the time you get to Vegas, you can still visit the Grand Canyon.

Here's the trick: the North Rim and South Rim are both on federal land, in Grand Canyon National Park, and so both of them are closed. But the West Entrance is on Hualapai Indian land, so the 4,000-foot-high Skywalk (don't click if you're afraid of heights!) is open.

And the rest of GCNP might be open by then as well - the state of Arizona is being hit so hard by the downturn in tourism that they're offering to pay out of their own pockets to reopen the Grand Canyon National Park until the federal government gets its act together.

Enjoy the honeymoon, and in the immortal words of Dan Savage, f*ck first.

 

[archcherub]

wwhoo!

flying to Los Angeles then driving to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, probably a road trip around nature parks till San Francisco

Damn happy the national parks are open!

 

[rojak-]

wwhoo!

flying to Los Angeles then driving to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, probably a road trip around nature parks till San Francisco

Damn happy the national parks are open!

YAR! finally open! just in time to visit before going home

 

[Orange999]

Help, first time to US. Planning to do LA, LV and SF in 3 weeks in March next year.
Thinking of renting a car to drive either from LA to SF or SF to LA. Then fly back from either LA or SF.
Any advice on which city to start from?

Have not really done enough research on places of interest along the way, so I hope to hear from you who had done a trip like this. Sharing your experience.

Grand Canyon, Yosemite, outlet shopping etc

Car rental rates and which company to rent from?

Thanks much!

 

[Shiny Things]

Help, first time to US. Planning to do LA, LV and SF in 3 weeks in March next year.
Thinking of renting a car to drive either from LA to SF or SF to LA. Then fly back from either LA or SF.
Any advice on which city to start from?

Have not really done enough research on places of interest along the way, so I hope to hear from you who had done a trip like this. Sharing your experience.

Start from LA; drive north to San Francisco along CA-1. Two reasons:
1) There are more flights to LA, so it might be a bit cheaper to get there;
2) If you're driving north on the 1, you're not on the ocean side of the road the whole time, and you won't have the sun in your eyes in the evenings.
[/QUOTE]

Car rental rates and which company to rent from?

I've never had a problem with Hertz, and they have a much bigger range of vehicles than the other shops. If you can pay up a bit, they've even got awesome metal like Corvettes, Teslas and 911s. (The only catch is that you can't usually rent those one-way, so you'll need to shuttle it back to LA when you're done - that's a quick five-hour blat down I-5, though.)

 

[pete98]

YAR! finally open! just in time to visit before going home

Haha..thank god. Just in time for my trip on 1st Nov.

 

[pete98]

Start from LA; drive north to San Francisco along CA-1. Two reasons:
1) There are more flights to LA, so it might be a bit cheaper to get there;
2) If you're driving north on the 1, you're not on the ocean side of the road the whole time, and you won't have the sun in your eyes in the evenings.

Yup agree with Shiny Thing to start from LA too due to more frequent flight. But notice that you also state that you wish to visit Vegas too. So not sure if you wish to drive between the 3 place LA, LV, SF or you be taking domestic flight and what is the sequence you wish to visit.

Possible scenarios:
LA - SF - LV
LA - LV - SF

Note that it is quite a distance to drive from SF - LV. Google map states that it is a 8-9 hours continuous driving. Much farther than driving to KL.

 

[Shiny Things]

Note that it is quite a distance to drive from SF - LV. Google map states that it is a 8-9 hours continuous driving. Much farther than driving to KL.

Yeah, this is an important point - and the answer is that you should fly.

Here's why.

The drive from SF to LV is phenomenally beautiful, and everyone should do it once in their life, because it goes through Yosemite National Park, the White Mountains (home of the bristlecone pines, the world's oldest living trees), and the spectacularly bleak Nevada desert (you can even swing by Death Valley if you want, it's not too far out of the way and it is just beautiful. Beautiful desolation, to steal a phrase from Buzz Aldrin).

But. That only applies between June and November.

In March, the Sierra Nevada (the mountain range that runs down the eastern border of California) is still covered by snow. Tioga Pass Road, which takes you through Yosemite and drops you out on the eastern side of the park, doesn't reopen until May or June most years - and if that's closed, the only routes over the Sierras are Interstate-80 (which is a LONG schlep north, it runs up through Reno, and is intermittently closed due to snow anyway) or I-5 to I-15, which takes you all the way south to Bakersfield and is just astoundingly fuçking boring.

Basically, in winter, you can't get across the Sierra Nevada without going a hell of a long way out of your way and missing all the good bits of the drive. So you might as well save yourself the drive, and fly instead (I recommend Virgin America).

 

[archcherub]

Yeah, this is an important point - and the answer is that you should fly.

Here's why.

The drive from SF to LV is phenomenally beautiful, and everyone should do it once in their life, because it goes through Yosemite National Park, the White Mountains (home of the bristlecone pines, the world's oldest living trees), and the spectacularly bleak Nevada desert (you can even swing by Death Valley if you want, it's not too far out of the way and it is just beautiful. Beautiful desolation, to steal a phrase from Buzz Aldrin).

But. That only applies between June and November.

In March, the Sierra Nevada (the mountain range that runs down the eastern border of California) is still covered by snow. Tioga Pass Road, which takes you through Yosemite and drops you out on the eastern side of the park, doesn't reopen until May or June most years - and if that's closed, the only routes over the Sierras are Interstate-80 (which is a LONG schlep north, it runs up through Reno, and is intermittently closed due to snow anyway) or I-5 to I-15, which takes you all the way south to Bakersfield and is just astoundingly fuçking boring.

Basically, in winter, you can't get across the Sierra Nevada without going a hell of a long way out of your way and missing all the good bits of the drive. So you might as well save yourself the drive, and fly instead (I recommend Virgin America).

oh dear.

I am landing in LA in end-Nov, and flying off from SF in mid-Dec.
intention was to rent a car, drive from LA to LV, enjoy LV, then drive from LV to SF for a week long road trip.
Read a lot about snow and stuff, realise I probably need to get snow-chain for my rental car..... zzzzz

So without snow chain, I guess i cant get into yosmite park and other national parks?

BTW, i think its cheaper to buy a GPS in LA, rather than rent the GPS from the car rental right? Avis charge abt $15 usd per day... think i can buy a new one.
or does buying a GPS in singapore get loaded with usa map?
if not, i think i go LA and buy 1 from walmart

 

[Shiny Things]

I am landing in LA in end-Nov, and flying off from SF in mid-Dec.
intention was to rent a car, drive from LA to LV, enjoy LV, then drive from LV to SF for a week long road trip.
Read a lot about snow and stuff, realise I probably need to get snow-chain for my rental car..... zzzzz

Don't do either of those. The drive from LA to LV is boring as hell unless you take side-trips to the Mojave Desert or Death Valley (which, to be fair, you should do! Stay in Furnace Creek in Death Valley if you can get a room there - and don't make the mistake I made of staying in Barstow, it's a sh!thole).

Also fun: Palm Springs, just outside Los Angeles.

Then, to get from Las Vegas to SF you're either going to have to double back to Bakersfield and then go north on I-5, or head up to Reno and hook onto I-80 (and take your chances with it being closed).

So you could probably make an argument for driving LA-LV if you're going to see Palm Springs or Death Valley or the Mojave, but not if you're just going to drive straight through - and there's no good argument for driving LV-SF in December.

So without snow chain, I guess i cant get into yosmite park and other national parks?

Depends on the park. The lower (western) reaches of Yosemite might be open, but the roads that take you through from west to east will be closed. Death Valley will be open; Valley of Fire (northeast of Vegas) will almost certainly be open.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is 50-50 - it's surprisingly high (6000 feet at the south rim), and I've seen big dumps of snow there as early as October. Zion is the same. Bryce Canyon is worse than a coinflip, because it's nearly 10,000 feet high. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon will definitely be closed.

BTW, i think its cheaper to buy a GPS in LA, rather than rent the GPS from the car rental right? Avis charge abt $15 usd per day... think i can buy a new one.

Even cheaper: get the Navigon USA app for your iPhone or iPad or Android or whatever; it should run you about $50 USD or equivalent. You can download all the maps onto your phone, so it works even if you're out of data range, and if you come back in a year or two you can reuse it.

Don't pay the Avis/Hertz GPS tax.

or does buying a GPS in singapore get loaded with usa map?

Nope.

 

[sellinglink]

which prepaid SIM card to get in the US? Any recommendation?

 

[archcherub]

Don't do either of those. The drive from LA to LV is boring as hell unless you take side-trips to the Mojave Desert or Death Valley (which, to be fair, you should do! Stay in Furnace Creek in Death Valley if you can get a room there - and don't make the mistake I made of staying in Barstow, it's a sh!thole).

Also fun: Palm Springs, just outside Los Angeles.

So you could probably make an argument for driving LA-LV if you're going to see Palm Springs or Death Valley or the Mojave, but not if you're just going to drive straight through - and there's no good argument for driving LV-SF in December.

Yup! thanks for so many of your tips! I drove from LA to LV before, the idea of a roadtrip is exciting enough haha!
but u r right that really must try to find stuff to do along the way, yup, i guess i would try to stay in Death Valley or Palm Springs.
I actually planned for Death Valley, as I heard Palm Springs is like a vacation for rich people.. so mostly atas stuff..

Then, to get from Las Vegas to SF you're either going to have to double back to Bakersfield and then go north on I-5, or head up to Reno and hook onto I-80 (and take your chances with it being closed).

I guess I would ask the hotel to see if I80 is closed, if not, I-5 would be good too, would go some national parks along the way.

Depends on the park. The lower (western) reaches of Yosemite might be open, but the roads that take you through from west to east will be closed. Death Valley will be open; Valley of Fire (northeast of Vegas) will almost certainly be open.

Would getting snow chain be absolutely necessary to visit? I think i will get 1 in the boot then and drive up. I have drove in california 3 times and have never visited a national park to stay in their cabins before. I was thinking of staying at Yosemite, Death Valley, Valley of Fire, and some other national parks for a 7-10days trip...
totally got blurred when I realised winter is coming....

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is 50-50 - it's surprisingly high (6000 feet at the south rim), and I've seen big dumps of snow there as early as October. Zion is the same. Bryce Canyon is worse than a coinflip, because it's nearly 10,000 feet high. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon will definitely be closed.

Ok skipping North Rim, Bryce Canyon...
Probably take a private jet or helicopter tour and finish Grand Canyon tour. Seems like staying at Yosemite or other national parks more worth than grand canyon. either that or im just consoling myself..

Even cheaper: get the Navigon USA app for your iPhone or iPad or Android or whatever; it should run you about $50 USD or equivalent. You can download all the maps onto your phone, so it works even if you're out of data range, and if you come back in a year or two you can reuse it.

Oh downloadable map! great, u mean without data plan (i dont intend to switch on international roaming), the phone can still knows my current location?


I tot of skipping the Avis GPS rental of $200 usd plus and just buy a GPS in USA, then come back singapore to download singapore maps for free, at least i get a GPS to use...
but ur suggestion is even cheaper! $50 USD is a steal.


Thanks Shiny Thing!

 

[Shiny Things]

I actually planned for Death Valley, as I heard Palm Springs is like a vacation for rich people.. so mostly atas stuff..

Also I just realised Palm Springs is the wrong way - LA to Las Vegas is on I-15, but Palm Springs is on I-10, so it's about two hours out of your way. Death Valley it is. (PSP is nice though; don't write it off!)

I guess I would ask the hotel to see if I80 is closed, if not, I-5 would be good too, would go some national parks along the way.

Both drives are awful, and you're not going to see any real scenery either way.

First, pull up a googlemap so you can see what I'm talking about.

If you take the north route from Las Vegas to SF, you're taking US-95 north to Reno, then I-80 west to San Francisco. US-95 is desert all the way, so it's going to be deathly boring; I-80 over the Sierras isn't a bad drive, but it's going to be snowy and you'll have to carry chains and it's a hell of a lot longer than the south route.

If you take the south route, it's I-15 west to Barstow, then CA-58 to Bakersfield, then I-5 north to SF. You're doubling back on yourself for the first 150 miles, and the entire drive is boring as hell: I-5 through the Central Valley of California is famously one of the most boring interstates in the country (though I dunno, I've driven I-80 through Wyoming and it was right up there).

Either way, you've got a day-and-a-half to two days of solid driving, and Yosemite is 3-4 hours out of your way - each way.

Seriously, save yourself the hassle, and don't drive from LV to SF. If you really want to hit Yosemite, fly from LV to SF, and rent a car at SFO.

Would getting snow chain be absolutely necessary to visit? I think i will get 1 in the boot then and drive up.

Yes, if you're going to hit Yosemite Valley. Here's the NPS's guide to "Yosemite in Winter". Give it a read.

(And you know you need more than one chain, right? It's one per drive wheel.)

I have drove in california 3 times and have never visited a national park to stay in their cabins before.

Be warned, you're going to have trouble getting cabins in the park - those things sell out a year in advance sometimes. But... it looks like there's midweek availability in Yosemite for the first week of December (even at the fancy Ahwahnee Lodge), so you might be in luck. And the Furnace Creek Inn and Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley both have plenty of availability around that time.

Oh downloadable map! great, u mean without data plan (i dont intend to switch on international roaming), the phone can still knows my current location?

Yep, the GPS works even if the mobile data is switched off. I've done this before and it works great.

Thanks Shiny Thing!

De nada.

Update: There is one reason to take US-95, and that is to drive phenomenally fast on long, flat, straight roads. Problem is, that doesn't work - I've driven US-95 and it's infested with highway cops. There really is no reason to drive that stretch, like, ever.

 

[patryn33]

BTW, i think its cheaper to buy a GPS in LA, rather than rent the GPS from the car rental right? Avis charge abt $15 usd per day... think i can buy a new one.
or does buying a GPS in singapore get loaded with usa map?
if not, i think i go LA and buy 1 from walmart

Navigon east is just usd$30, have to pay to get traffic
Igo primo is just usd$10 for 30 days, maybe free. The full version is a yr free. Igo navi is found in many OEM veh system

Or pay usd$100+ get one with traffic go back to sg should be able to use as long as u can get sg maps I think. Have to check the rds receiver if it's compatible in sg

 

[junk_foodie]

Hi all

Am planning to go NY and Orlando (Disneyworld!) for my honeymoon next May/June for 2- max 3 weeks. Anyone has done this and has itinerary to share? Thanks.

 

[archcherub]

First, pull up a googlemap so you can see what I'm talking about.
If you take the north route from Las Vegas to SF, you're taking US-95 north to Reno, then I-80 west to San Francisco. US-95 is desert all the way, so it's going to be deathly boring; I-80 over the Sierras isn't a bad drive, but it's going to be snowy and you'll have to carry chains and it's a hell of a lot longer than the south route.
If you take the south route, it's I-15 west to Barstow, then CA-58 to Bakersfield, then I-5 north to SF. You're doubling back on yourself for the first 150 miles, and the entire drive is boring as hell: I-5 through the Central Valley of California is famously one of the most boring interstates in the country (though I dunno, I've driven I-80 through Wyoming and it was right up there).

Either way, you've got a day-and-a-half to two days of solid driving, and Yosemite is 3-4 hours out of your way - each way.
Seriously, save yourself the hassle, and don't drive from LV to SF. If you really want to hit Yosemite, fly from LV to SF, and rent a car at SFO.

Thanks for this info. I am gonna plan ahead and check airfares and see about this. It may be boring but coz my gf has never done a roadtrip before... but this may be convincing us to fly instead

Yes, if you're going to hit Yosemite Valley. Here's the NPS's guide to "Yosemite in Winter". Give it a read.
(And you know you need more than one chain, right? It's one per drive wheel.)

Be warned, you're going to have trouble getting cabins in the park - those things sell out a year in advance sometimes. But... it looks like there's midweek availability in Yosemite for the first week of December (even at the fancy Ahwahnee Lodge), so you might be in luck. And the Furnace Creek Inn and Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley both have plenty of availability around that time.

Yuo 4 chains. I think 1 chain is abt $90, so 4 chains is abt $360.
If i fly in to SF and drive frm SF to yosmite, has to get 4 chains... no choice. no other alternate ways to yosmite
Wait, where did u manage to book the cabin? is it in the nps.gov website? please do send the link (or is it the link u just pasted) sorry its not that I am lazy to google, my internet at home can't surf govt websites, and certain american govt websites (I actually posted a thread in another subforum on this bloody starhub problem for the past few mths)

i can only click on your link when I go use office pc tmr... zzzzz

Yep, the GPS works even if the mobile data is switched off. I've done this before and it works great.
De nada.

Update: There is one reason to take US-95, and that is to drive phenomenally fast on long, flat, straight roads. Problem is, that doesn't work - I've driven US-95 and it's infested with highway cops. There really is no reason to drive that stretch, like, ever.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the GPS tip! Will be doing the GPS download then, unless walmart selling even cheaper hahahah.

Yah glad for your tip on US 95 too. I was stopped by highway cops before... not fun. haha.



BTW To all forummers, what is worth buying in USA to resell back in singapore? coz i heard luxury watches are even cheaper in usa than europe... too bad i dont understand watches

 

[Shiny Things]

Wait, where did u manage to book the cabin? is it in the nps.gov website?

These guys - Xanterra.com - run the lodging for a bunch of national parks, including Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Grand Canyon.

These guys - YosemitePark.com - run the lodging for Yosemite.

 

[patryn33]

BTW To all forummers, what is worth buying in USA to resell back in singapore? coz i heard luxury watches are even cheaper in usa than europe... too bad i dont understand watches

my sis has bought bags and sell them in SG and make a profit.
hot items go fast, not so popular may take a longer to let go and make a good profit. some ppl claim the profit equal an airticket to states, others just means 2-3 bags free.

with watches, it really depends. Tag and Movado outlet u may get watches at 50-70% discount. they maybe NOS or discontinued items. thru AD it depends on brand. Pam maybe U can get 5-10% discount but that translate to what kind of profit on forum buying these items U need to do good research.

 

[patryn33]

Hi all

Am planning to go NY and Orlando (Disneyworld!) for my honeymoon next May/June for 2- max 3 weeks. Anyone has done this and has itinerary to share? Thanks.

just disneyworld? are u very much into theme park?
NY is strictly NYC? any plans for Niagara Falls in Canada?

 

[invisible999]

my sis has bought bags and sell them in SG and make a profit.

You mean handbags? What kind of?

Until coming to Singapore I even did not know that a handbag with price tag of $5K and above existed. In States if you are an ordinary person and spend that amount on handbag people will think that a) you are stupid, b) you have really bad taste and manners.