US help.

[twinklingstars]

if I were to include Seattle, I will fly into Seattle and leave from LA
U don't have to hit so many outlet every where u go. u will be carrying a heavy bag.
the city pass is a cheap way to visit all the touristy attractions but not all are appealing to me. its often a mix of great places and some very boring place.
Seattle is the coffee mecca of course the birth place of starbucks but do not visit starbucks unless U are a huge fan.

Say Seattle I would visit the pike market for sure. thats real interesting. space needle is chop chop 1hr thing. museum of flight is interesting. Mr Rainer is more fun than EMP tour and seattle aquarium. 4 days does it include the day u flying in?

yea it will include the day i arrive plus some resting time to recover from the jet lag. i chose seattle cos i hope to visit the boeing factory, plus this musical which im hoping to watch will be touring at the paramount theatre in seattle, alternatively i can head over to NY broadway instead for the musical, so just replace the seattle trip with the NY trip. but I would much prefer to tour either the west or east, and not a mixture of both.

however, after working out my sums, i dont think i will be going to seattle anymore, even i would really love to go there. budget constraints argh.

San Francisco 5 day is alot! some ppl do it in 3. Chinatown is like our Singapore Chinatown small dont take al day. Pier 39 too. lombart street it takes more time to get there than stay there esp u dont drive. just take pics 5-10mins done.

Yosemite is in fact closer to San Franciso than Las Vegas. U missed out Big Sur. Yosemite is 1 day trip.

thanks for your suggestions. i should be signing up for land tours for those going to scenic places. most likely will do FnE for the city areas.
I may be including more attractions, but this is just a tentative plan.. but most likely will be spending around 5 days in SF? Would prefer to tour at a leisure pace.

los angeles - Disneyland and Universal studio are 2 days done. I would skip Cali adventure and go for six flags if u are big on rides. Hollywood and Beverley is like 1 day. nothing really to see in Hollywood besides that big sign and the stars on the floor, all the homes of stars have super high walls. Beverley Hills just expensive stuff, just window shop or show u there. these 2 places 1 day. I don't see the need for 7 days. 5 days tops.

oic, cos i thought of spending at least 2 days in disneyland, plus there is this citypass which includes a 3 days Disneyland/cali adventure pass, but i will most probably be spending 2.5 days at disneyland.

San Diego is in a different city not metro los angeles, sea world is real fun.. 1 day trip.

Vegas - 3 days with grand Canyon is right.
keep a last day around LA for big outlet shopping.
Add flight and travel.. hmm.. 19 day is about right add international flight.. yes U need 3 weeks off.

EVA air is $1700, for dates like 11 Jul and Aug 1st. yes it seem cheapest now. if U can find flights leaving on Friday nite from SG and USA leaving on Sun that would be best.
how many people going for the trip? Jul in Vega is low season super hot and cheap. The signature at mgm grand and vdara are like usd$100 for a suite or room!

just me and my sibling, 2 girls in total. safety is the utmost importance to us.

should i do san diego zoo at the end of my trip? it seems a bit far off.

How hot is it? 40deg?? Will it be very very hot over at grand canyon?

Flghts from Seattle to San Fran - travel on Tue/Wed/Sat is cheapest. ~us$90, if not its like usd$110. Domestic check in bag cost money! which is why I said limit shopping tiil the last day. U don't want to pay usd$25 for each bag checked in. pull out a xls and work the numbers.

$5500 - $1700 = $3800 for the rest

Seems like I need to set aside at least $6K? I will be doing quite a bit of shopping at the usual stores like kate spade, coach etc.
Any nice home and décor, kitchen utensils stores?

is it possible to do a 2.5 weeks trip for SF/LV/LA? would it be too much?

 

[twinklingstars]

Hi,

I also concur with Patryn that it's kinda long in SF. you can finish SF in 3 days. I stayed around Union Square and finished up Chinatown in a few hours. Try out the Golden Star Vietnamese food in Chinatwon if you are sick of the western food. It's pretty good.

For Pier 39, it will just take a couple of hours only, perhaps max 2hrs. There is nothing much there.

For alcatraz island, do book your tickets in advance.

For LV, you can actually catch Ripley Believe it or Not, if you are staying around Hollywood area. If you are catching shows, I would recommend you to catch O. It's simply stunning and amazing. I don't think we will be able to catch it in SGP, cos the stage is water based. It's amazing in a way that at one moment, it's a pool and the next, it's a normal stage.. I'm still reminiscing the moments of the stage. It's really stunning. For premium outlet, you can consider heading the North outlet. There are 2 outlets ie North & South Outlet.


For LA, I think 7 days is abit long. I was there for 5 days and personally I find it pretty long. Can consider visiting the Getty Centre and Getty Villas if you are interested in the museums. For USS, the park opens from 10am to 5pm, and it's not very big.. so you will be done by 5pm..

That's all!

hi! thanks a lot for your suggestions!!

i intend to plan a 2.5 weeks trip for SF/LV/LA.. but not sure whether is it too much?

for the premium outlets, are they actually somewhat the same? i will most probably be looking at coach, kate spade, levis, etc..

how about the quality? are they off seasons stuff, or factory rejects?

how about the bookstores? would love to get some books, but not sure price wise, are they cheaper than buying from amazon?

 

[twinklingstars]

Are you planning to head out of Seattle for day trips? Space Needle, Museum of Flight and EMP can be done within one day. One day for Pike Place Market and a stroll around Pine St(their orchard road).

You can consider spending a day trip to Mt Rainier or Victoria, BC
VICTORIA & BUTCHART GARDENS TOUR « Landsea Tours

If the day is sunny, walk or cab to Kerry Park in Queen Anne. U wont regret the scenic view there

thanks for your suggestions!! would really love to visit seattle but i have decided to skip seattle this time round and just focus on SF/LV/LA. however i will be doing 2.5 weeks, not sure is it a tad too long?

 

[twinklingstars]

Then you're going to need to plan ahead a bit for the Boeing factory, Yosemite (do that from San Francisco, it's closer), Grand Canyon and getting down to San Diego. Those are all 2-4 hours from the actual cities where you'll be staying.

first and foremost, thanks for your suggestions! really helpful!!

for grand canyon, should i make it a day tour, or should i stay overnight at one of the lodge?

i would like to visit the san diego zoo, but since it's so far away from the city where im staying, im not sure whether is it worth the time going down..

Also you are doing WAY too much outlet shopping. They're all basically identical; you'll be sick of it by the third or fourth one. Just do it in Seattle if you need to pick up some winter gear, and then again in LA if there's some stuff you absolutely must have.
(Also, you know the gear in outlet malls isn't as good as the real thing, right? The clothing companies knock off their own products to sell to the outlet mall crowd - it's all made with thinner material, less well made, basically you're getting what you pay for. Buy the real thing instead.)
Seattle's Broadway scene isn't that great. Do the musical in San Francisco instead - Kinky Boots is playing right npw, and Newsies and Book of Mormon are coming later this year. Check the SHN website and see what's on when you'll be there.

yea thanks for the advice. giving seattle a miss cos it will bust my budget. wanted to watch Wicked since the company will be touring seattle next year's july, but i suppose i can always watch the show again when im in NY.

There are people saying 5 days in San Francisco is too much, but I'd say if you're trying to squeeze in Yosemite one day and Alcatraz another, it might not be enough. I'd do 6 days in San Francisco (including Yosemite), 4 days in Vegas, and 5 days in LA (because LA is a soulless hellhole of suburban sprawl and theme parks).

i plan to do a 2.5 weeks trips, not sure whether is it too long for SF/LV/LA?

should i fly in to SFO first, then come back from LAX? or the other way round, LAX then SFO?

Do an extra day in Las Vegas. You've got the right idea here, but you can do so much more. (Also, Vegas this time of year is ridiculously cheap - if you're there midweek, the hotel rooms are like $50-$100 even for a really plush room.)

thanks for your suggestions, really really useful!

since its low season for LV, i will do more days.

I hate Los Angeles with a fiery passion, so I'm not the best person to ask, but I think you're going a bit too hard on this. 7 days is a long time.

Also: LA is BIG. The drive from Anaheim (where Disneyland is) to Hollywood and Beverly Hills (where Universal Studios is) is an hour and a half on a good day, and as much as three hours in LA's famously awful traffic. I think you might want to split this up: two days in Anaheim and three days on the west side (stay in West Hollywood, it's reasonably central to everything you want to do).
If you're not driving, you're going to be spending a truckload on taxi fares.

And San Diego's a heck of a long way - it's like two hours from Anaheim and the only realistic way to get there is to drive. I'd cross Sea World off.

i would love to visit sea world but it seems like its kinda out of the way?

im considering staying in a motel called alphine inn in anaheim, have you heard of this motel?

Normally I'd say "yes, just fly Virgin America for the lot", but here's a thought: how about taking the train from Seattle to SF? The Coast Starlight train runs once a day from Seattle to the Bay Area, and I'm reliably informed (by my parents, though, so take this with a grain of salt) that it's ridiculously relaxing.

Nope, it sounds good. You might be a little cramped in Vegas and SF, and a little too long in LA.

Yeah, I think you'll be good. Your one big expense will be tours, and hotels in San Francisco (it's stupidly expensive here). Use Tripadvisor and you might be able to find some decent bargains.

Enjoy your trip!

unfortunately im cancelling Seattle trip due to budget constriaints. however i still love to do a 2.5 weeks tour for SF/LA/LV, not sure is it too much?

thank you!

 

[critical888]

I am At Las Vegas now

Gas buddy app is good for people pumping gas. Find the best deal around your area for gas!

 

[boiboi123]

I am At Las Vegas now

Gas buddy app is good for people pumping gas. Find the best deal around your area for gas!

great thanks! I'm gna be renting from avis at aria - does anyone have any advice on the process? it'll be my first time renting

 

[critical888]

book online, get your own travel insurance locally in sg that includes car coverage, dont buy from the car company their insurance, sure very expensive...

find some codes online , discount code. for me i am a costco member, so i get car discount by costco and process is very simple..

i used my garmin that i bought from usa from my last trip, which i used back in sg too..so easy peasy direction, just update map

go there show passport, give credit card, show driving license.. thats about it.. this trip i rented a nissan altima, but i decided to change to corolla(because of fuel consumption) since long drive to las vegas from lax. can u imagine, i drove at 1am and reach las vegas at 5.30am . such an exciting dark dark night sleepy drive..


today go red canyon park, tomorrow going mojave

seriously go usa dont bring so much clothes, go there to buy, ross dress for less, marshals, tjmaxx, clothes all so cheap n branded..we are talking about 10+usd or lesser sometimes per piece

 

[stonedx]

I would like to shout out, a big thank you for SHINY THINGS! I have went USA and came back, changed some of my plans cos of what he had mentioned here and it works.

a few pointers:

-those going LAS VEGAS. (it doesnt hurt to play the facebook game, myVEGAS) I exchanged for 3 buffet lunch. and one room at new york new york. thanks to myVEGAS.

-update your GPS. we drove for a good whole 2 hours, and the road was closed (because the GPS was not upadted)

-it's okay to rent from rentalcars.com, just make sure you read the T&C very clearly. I booked mine via rentalcars.com (Alamo, car was a chervolet impala, pleasant drive)

 

[patryn33]

Gps updated and road close for construction have no relationship.
Road close due to construction info comes from traffic data.
Update gps will only update maps.
If u seek accurate traffic get it on your phone, traffic from FM RDS and HD radio not great, FM being the worst

 

[Shiny Things]

great thanks! I'm gna be renting from avis at aria - does anyone have any advice on the process? it'll be my first time renting

If you haven't locked it in already, jump on the Avis website and see if it's cheaper to rent from McCarran Airport. The rental-car companies tend to have higher prices and smaller ranges at their casino properties; the McCarran rental car centre is only about a 15-minute taxi ride from the strip, and it might save you a hell of a lot of money on a longer rental.

 

[Shiny Things]

for grand canyon, should i make it a day tour, or should i stay overnight at one of the lodge?

Stay overnight if you can. It's a real shame you're not driving; that makes it a hell of a lot easier to plan your own trips.

i would like to visit the san diego zoo, but since it's so far away from the city where im staying, im not sure whether is it worth the time going down..
[...]
i would love to visit sea world but it seems like its kinda out of the way?

Skip San Diego. It's a huge long drive to get from LA to San Diego; it's not worth going just for the zoo and Sea World.

i plan to do a 2.5 weeks trips, not sure whether is it too long for SF/LV/LA?

Nah, that's about right. You don't want to be too crammed with stuff.

should i fly in to SFO first, then come back from LAX? or the other way round, LAX then SFO?

I'd fly into SFO; the immigration is a hell of a lot nicer.

(In fact, it's a shame you're not driving; you could drive from LA back to SF up highway 1 and skip LAX altogether. It's an absolute hellhole, and it's right over the other side of the city from Anaheim so it'll be a huge pain to get there.)

since its low season for LV, i will do more days.

Actually - I just realised you're travelling in July/August. It's still low-ish season (the high seasons for Vegas are spring and autumn), but be prepared for monster temperatures; last time I was through LV in July it was north of 40 degrees (105 in the old money). Make sure your hotel's got an awesome pool.

im considering staying in a motel called alphine inn in anaheim, have you heard of this motel?

Never heard of it before, but Tripadvisor (which you should use to scope out every hotel you're planning to stay at) says it's pretty basic, but perfectly nice and a short walk to the parks.

unfortunately im cancelling Seattle trip due to budget constriaints. however i still love to do a 2.5 weeks tour for SF/LA/LV, not sure is it too much?

You, uh... you already asked me that?

for the premium outlets, are they actually somewhat the same? i will most probably be looking at coach, kate spade, levis, etc..

how about the quality? are they off seasons stuff, or factory rejects?

Looks like you missed the thing I wrote in my reply. Anyway, the premium outlets are all the same; doesn't matter whether they're in Las Vegas or the Bay Area or Los Angeles or what. Just go to one of them, otherwise you're wasting your time.

And the quality: as I said, the manufacturers are on to you. They make products specifically for outlet stores now - with lower-quality materials and cheaper construction - and you'll find that the vast majority of stuff at the outlets is specifically made for outlet sales. Don't waste your money on the crap at the outlets; you're getting ripped off. Here's what you do instead:

* If you want a pair of Levis, get them from the flagship store in San Francisco, on Market Street near 4th. Those are the real thing; Levis are supposed to last forever, but if you get them from an outlet store they'll be shoddily made and they'll fall apart.
* If you want fancy bag stuff (which I know nothing about), Macys in San Francisco is your best bet; I think they have a ton of that stuff. Otherwise, there are boutiques around Union Square as well that will have what you're after.

how about the bookstores? would love to get some books, but not sure price wise, are they cheaper than buying from amazon?

Nope, Amazon is cheaper. Sorry, bookstores.

 

[techman03]

hi guys

any suggestion for prepaid data sim card thats good in US?
anyone in SF dec13-16? hehe..
any suggestion for airport transfer cheap in LV? gonna be there on dec21-25
any suggestion for transport hire for NJ to brooklyn?
need advise where to buy cheap tickets for shows tours in NY?

thanks in advance.

by the way cant seem to find the app gas buddy? does it use a diff name?

 

[patryn33]

yea it will include the day i arrive plus some resting time to recover from the jet lag. i chose seattle cos i hope to visit the boeing factory, plus this musical which im hoping to watch will be touring at the paramount theatre in seattle, alternatively i can head over to NY broadway instead for the musical, so just replace the seattle trip with the NY trip. but I would much prefer to tour either the west or east, and not a mixture of both.

however, after working out my sums, i dont think i will be going to seattle anymore, even i would really love to go there. budget constraints argh.

U still spending 18-19 days even if U don't do Seattle. Doing Seattle is at most an air ticket how would that bust your budget?

thanks for your suggestions. i should be signing up for land tours for those going to scenic places. most likely will do FnE for the city areas.
I may be including more attractions, but this is just a tentative plan.. but most likely will be spending around 5 days in SF? Would prefer to tour at a leisure pace.

Summer time, if U like leisure pace can do something like the below.
Things to Do in Napa Valley | Napa Valley Bike Tours | Classic Napa Bike Tour

oic, cos i thought of spending at least 2 days in disneyland, plus there is this citypass which includes a 3 days Disneyland/cali adventure pass, but i will most probably be spending 2.5 days at disneyland.

U must love Disney. anyway U looking at the below? summer will be long queues at Disney
Disneyland California 3-Day Park Hopper Discount Admission Tickets | Southern California CityPASS® Attraction

in LA go to this place! I am visiting LA next week will drop by this place. yum!
http://www.maruhide.us/?lang=en

should i do san diego zoo at the end of my trip? it seems a bit far off.

if U don't drive, u need to find a way to leave for San Diego. Your city pass will get U to Sea world at San Diego. If U going for Sea world, U can do Zoo since they are in the same city.

I would stay in San Diego its only 2hr drive away. my friends from Taiwan love the Zoo so much they they went there 2X. I enjoyed sea world alot more. I been to San Diego and Orlando sea world, San Diego best so far.

How hot is it? 40deg?? Will it be very very hot over at grand canyon?

Grand Canyon is high elevation so its ~32C.

Vegas on other hand can reach 43C, much hotter and water cost a bomb!
go buy bottle water at the CVS or Walgreens its cheaper else at the stand they cost US$6 easy.

Seems like I need to set aside at least $6K? I will be doing quite a bit of shopping at the usual stores like kate spade, coach etc.
Any nice home and décor, kitchen utensils stores?

is it possible to do a 2.5 weeks trip for SF/LV/LA? would it be too much?

I love kitchen stuff. if U buy quality ones say All Clad they cost alot but U will not find them in outlet on the coast. (http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/expired-deals/1395678/)
Fissler is cheap,iirc prices is like 30-50% less than SG price.
U can visit HQ in LA to buy
http://www.fisslerusa.com/sample/1aboutfissler/index01.php
http://www.rolandinc.com/retail.html


At Desert Hills U get all your highend stuff from Kate Spade to coach to Tumi etc. no home stuff or kitchen stuff.
Desert Hills Premium Outlets - Designer Outlet Stores & Map

U can visit Ross/TjMax/Marshalls/Homegoods for home stuff often times cheaper than outlet.
U can find Polo/DKNY bedding cheap

vegas outlet dont have Le Creuset/Corningware/Waterford neither do Desert Hills. U will find it in Camarillo outlet.
Camarillo Premium Outlets - Designer Outlet Stores & Map

Calsbard outlet near San Diego U can find Le Creuset and Crate and Barrel. I love Crate and Barrel and Le Creuset but cast iron is heavy! but they are cheaper here in states.
Carlsbad Premium Outlets - Designer Outlet Stores & Map

its true that your Polo tee will be not as well constructed as the regular store at Macy.. some say they sew 1 thread less or what.. at under us$40 its still cheaper than regular US$98! U buy 2 still can out last 1 at regular price, plus U get more colors to mix and match. no close friend of yours will pull u aside and check the inside sewing to tell its factory goods or regular goods. more over clearance section at times U get items from regular store just dated. the regular stuff at Levis, Polo, DKNY, JCrew, Nike will be same same only the clearance section different. Brands like Kate Spade will have a little different stuff at diff stores. Coach usually same.
ladies throw stuff out or dont wear them b4 they break usually, men's idea wouldn't really apply. Some of my American ladies only shop outlet clothes passed 2 season they donate out. 2 seasons is like what 6 months clothes don't fall apart after 6 mths even with daily wear.

bags such as coach or kate spade they maybe made for factory and not as well done but U cannot tell. long before they fall apart u will be sick of the style. U are a gal I understand how U guys work, guys use things until they break. if store depends on guys to generate profit they will be trouble. LOL

levis dont last forever. CEO tell u dont wash it and it will last. wash freq and it will still fall apart. buy 501 at outlet under US$40. Last forever == company makes no money. how many will buy another 501 is this pair still good? a ladies 515 is just US$22 u surely dont expect it to last forever. LOL
U can shop vintage line but they cost over US$200 easy. outlet don't have those
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/22/living/dont-wash-jeans-levis-ceo/

 

[boiboi123]

Thank you all for your advice (i've refrained from quoting anything to avoid the clutter on this thread), really appreciate it

one more thing - saw many of your advising that it is great to stay overnight at grand canyon, and im thinking of driving there sometime in early jan, and am wondering how troublesome it is to drive on snow. i read that some rental car companies do not allow for chains (and tbh i dont even know how to use them at this point in time) - is it advisable then to still try to drive then?

 

[patryn33]

No need snow chains up Grand Canyon. I stay up north and driven in mountainous region under snow conditions under snow storm.

Just rent a Ford Escape or similar drive slow and u will be fine.
Been to the canyon in March and dec roads usually no snow just some on the canyon floors

 

[misssotong]

My first time driving in states, hope someone can help.
Do I need the platepass if I am driving from Los Angeles to Las vegas.
Any recommendation for the easiest route from Los Angeles to Las vegas, our first time driving in states so we are a bit lost.

thanks

 

[Shiny Things]

My first time driving in states, hope someone can help.
Do I need the platepass if I am driving from Los Angeles to Las vegas.
Any recommendation for the easiest route from Los Angeles to Las vegas, our first time driving in states so we are a bit lost.

thanks

1) No, you only need the Platepass if you're driving on toll roads, and I don't think there are any of those between LA and Las Vegas.

2) The "easiest" route for anything in the States is the one that stays on the interstate highways.

But the actual answer to this one depends on which part of Los Angeles you're coming from, because LA is huge. Greater LA is three or four times the size of the entire nation of Singapore.

If you're coming from the west side (so, from Hollywood, LAX, or Santa Monica), the easiest route is probably this one: the 105 to the 605 to the 210 to the 15 to Las Vegas. (The highways in America are all numbered, rather than named - so when I say "the" 105, I mean "highway 105".)

From the east side (Disneyland), the easiest is the 90 to the 60 to the 15.

In both cases, you have an alternative option - instead of leaving greater Los Angeles via the 15, you can leave via the 10 toward Palm Springs (which incidentally is a fun place to spend a night, and there's a ton to do there). Then from Palm Springs you can head north through the Mojave Desert (which is spectacularly beautiful and full of cool little ghost towns) and then hop onto the 15 just before the Nevada border.

If this is all a bit too confusing, the easy solution is to get a GPS - spend fifty bucks or so for the Navigon USA software for your smartphone, and use that to get around. It works beautifully (I've used it and love it), and it doesn't need a data connection so it won't blow up your phone bill.

 

[misssotong]

Thanks.

we borrowed a GPS.

 

[critical888]

Use garmin. I also use garmin GPS. Works perfectly during trip

 

[Traxgen]

Gonna be flying off this Sat for ~2 weeks, travelling around the Arizona / California region.

I'm thinking of buying pre-paid data SIM when I arrive there (mainly using Google Maps for GPS haha), but my dad insists that I can buy it here and activate it there? Which would be better? (I don't even know if you can even buy it here lol)

And, which carrier to buy? I'm thinking AT&T?

Oh, and first time driving there, quite worried about left-hand driving. Any tips to share? I'm mainly worried about not understanding the traffic signs then turn wrongly and get fined