US help.

[twinklingstars]

twinklingstars
Will be going in mid May this year.

Patryn33, yup will go to zion national park. not looking in challenging treks though as we have 2 kids in tow. just maybe go see the vats landscapes and nature beauty and starry night skies . Need to flush the city lifestyle out ...

Hi, which airlines are you taking? And how much did you pay for your air tickets?

 

[patryn33]

twinklingstars
Will be going in mid May this year.

Patryn33, yup will go to zion national park. not looking in challenging treks though as we have 2 kids in tow. just maybe go see the vats landscapes and nature beauty and starry night skies . Need to flush the city lifestyle out ...

Mid May, have u considered antelope canyon?

Trails like this 1.6km round trip very doable
http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/kolob-canyons-wilderness-hiking-trails.htm

 

[Thanatos]

patryn33
Did consider antelope canyon but read some reviews that its like cattle herding (rush rush rush). any good recommendations

twinklingstars
Am taking SQ. Appx S$1.6k. booking done by my sis so dont have the exact amount. we usually square off after the trip

 

[patryn33]

unfortunately its a small canyon and there are schedule tours going thru that place.
the bad reviews on rush rush often come from photographers. with that these ppl can never be satisfied with guided tours. photographers want to setup the gear for the best shot wait for ppl to get out of the way... etc..

 

[Thanatos]

thanks. any recommended tour groups (understand that there are several there). I am not a hardcore photographer, just a few quick snaps and ensuring no one pushes my kids

 

[tung]

Hi,

I have booked my long awaited trip to US.

The travelling period will be from 1st to 22nd May and the SIA ticket cost approximately $1.6k. Arrive and Depart from SF.

I have been reading the threads and there are many good advice from the contributors.

I plan to rent a car for the entire trip (~SGD767.52).

The itinerary drafted from reading this thread.

D1 Fri- Arrive SF Airport @ 1235 (Union Square, Fisherman Wharf)
D2 Sat- SF (Golden Gate)
D3 Sun- Drive to Yosemite (Overnight), Hike/Trail
D4 Mon- Drive to LV (Any good place to stop, visit and stay overnight? Bishop, creekside)
D5 Tue- LV (Casino and shows)
D6 Wed- Drive to Springdale (Overnight, Valley of Fire and Zion Canyon)
D7 Thu- Drive to Bryce and to Grand Canyon Village (Overnight)
D8 Fri- LV (Penn & Teller show)
D9 Sat- LV (Vegas Premium Outlet)
D10 Sun- Drive to LA
D11 Mon- LA (Disney Land)
D12 Tue- LA (Desert Hill Premium Oulet)
D13 Wed- LA (Universal Studio)
D14 Thu- LA (Hollywood Boulevard, Griffith Park)
D15 Fri- ?
D16 Sat- ?
D17 Sun- ?
D18 Mon- Drive to Pismo Beach (Overnight)
D19 Tue- SF (Alcatraz)
D20 Wed- SF (Livermore Premium Outlet)
D21 Thu- SF (Chinatown,
D22 Fri- Depart from SF

I have 3 more days of activities to fill up, any other places of interest to visit on route from SF to LV? San Jose?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Shiny Things]

D3 Sun- Drive to Yosemite (Overnight), Hike/Trail
D4 Mon- Drive to LV (Any good place to stop, visit and stay overnight? Bishop, creekside)

There's a better-than-even-money chance that you won't be able to get over the top of Yosemite to Bishop. The Tioga Pass road typically doesn't open until late May or early June; it's been a very light snow year this year, so you might get lucky, but don't bank on it.

Your alternative is to drive south from Yosemite to Bakersfield, then go east on CA-58 to Barstow (through Hinkley, the town made famous by Erin Brockovich), then northeast on I-15 to Vegas. Shorter, but a lot less picturesque.

D7 Thu- Drive to Bryce and to Grand Canyon Village (Overnight)

Break this day in half if you can. Zion to Bryce to GCV is eight hours of solid driving, which leaves you almost no time to actually enjoy the fact that you're up in the mountains and in the open air. Stop for the night, either at Bryce Canyon City (I like the Best Western hotel up there) or in the town of Page, about halfway between Bryce and GCV. (Other advantage of stopping in Page - you can do Antelope Canyon while you're there.)

D15 Fri- ?
D16 Sat- ?
D17 Sun- ?
D18 Mon- Drive to Pismo Beach (Overnight)

I'd drive to Pismo on day 15. If you like wine, stop in at the Paso Robles wineries on the way up (and pick a designated driver, just warning you).

Day 16: drive up to Big Sur along Highway 1, and spend the night there in this ridiculously beautiful little hippie enclave.

Day 17: potter up to San Francisco, but don't stop - drive over the GG Bridge and up to the Napa Valley. Stop at Rohnert Park if you want to hit the ginormous Graton Rancheria casino, then potter over to Napa and spend the night in a cute little hotel there (I like the Westin Verasa Napa if your budget stretches to it; if it doesn't, I can vouch for the ridiculously charming Best Western Elm House Inn or the perfectly-serviceable Sheraton Petaluma.

On day 18, head back to SF through Berkeley. Stop in Berzerkeley and go shopping on Telegraph Avenue (pick yourself up some Cal gear!), and try some of the awesome vegetarian pizza at Sliver. Then head back over the bridge, dump the car at Hertz or wherever, and head to your hotel in SF.

I have 3 more days of activities to fill up, any other places of interest to visit on route from SF to LV? San Jose?

Not unless you really want to drop in on the Apple Company Store. San Jose is basically boring suburban sprawl. (If you get nostalgic for local food, though, there's a great Malaysian food place in Cupertino about two miles from the Apple HQ. It's called Layang Layang, and if you find yourself at the Apple HQ it's worth a stopover for lunch.)

The only places on the road from SF to LV that are worth a detour are Death Valley (except in summer) and the Mojave Desert. If you've got a couple of hours for a detour off I-15, potter over to the Kelso Depot, a tiny little outpost in the middle of the Mojave Desert with some surprisingly good food and terrific desert scenery.

 

[patryn33]

thanks. any recommended tour groups (understand that there are several there). I am not a hardcore photographer, just a few quick snaps and ensuring no one pushes my kids

It's been awhile, best check up on recent reviews
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60834-d103191-Reviews-Antelope_Canyon-Page_Arizona.html

As for vehicle, I would recommend a mini van since u have a party of 4 adults and 2 kid. A mini van will get u more room for bags than a full size suv. It's better on gas too.

Some kid friendly wineries in Sonoma, I like Sonoma as it's not so touristy as Napa. Don't get me wrong Napa has great Wineries, if u can specific ones to go drop by there. Wines and American whiskey (esp those not distributed outside usa) are cheap
http://www.intowine.com/sonoma-county-most-kid-friendly-wineries

If u cognac drinker don't miss out, a bottle of Martel cordon bleu is over $150 iirc but a nice germain robin craft method brandy is us$50.
http://www.mendowine.com/media/mendocino-wine-column.php?column=79
http://www.craftdistillers.com/products/germain-robin/reviews/


Those in the valley craving for ramen try http://www.orenchi-ramen.com
Good but very long wait

 

[twinklingstars]

patryn33
Did consider antelope canyon but read some reviews that its like cattle herding (rush rush rush). any good recommendations

twinklingstars
Am taking SQ. Appx S$1.6k. booking done by my sis so dont have the exact amount. we usually square off after the trip

hi, thanks for the info! im looking at either SQ or cathay, price wise, cathay is about $150 cheaper per pax.

 

[twinklingstars]

hi everyone, here's my updated itinerary, travel period will be from 13 july to 30 july. wanted to extend a few more days but this travel period will snap the lowest fares. will be taking either SQ or cathay, price wise, cathay is about $150 cheaper per pax. any advice? btw, i will not be driving, no car license.

day 1, mon: departure from sin, reached SFO airport at 12.35pm. will take it slow on the first day to recover from jet lag. city tour. any suggestions on what to do on the first day? i will be getting a city pass, either one of these: Official San Francisco CityPASS® | 4 San Francisco Attractions for $86 or 1 to 7 Days Card to San Francisco
day 2, tues: Alcatraz Tour + city tour: 1 day San Francisco City Insider's Tour with Alcatraz
day 3, wed: Monterey Bay, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea 1-Day Monterey Bay, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea (with Monterey Bay Aquarium) Tour
day 4, thurs: City tour F&E.
day 5, fri: Yosemite - Fresno (visiting fresno, bay area, yosemite national park, bridalveil fall) i am considering doing a 4days tour via this package
4-Day Bus Tour to Yosemite, Grand Canyon South or West and Las Vegas **Popular Summer Bus Tour**. or http://www.tours4fun.com/4-day-grand-canyon-powell-lake-antelope-canyon-e-tour.htmlis or http://www.taketours.com/las-vegas-...s-tour-358-1086.html?keywords=National Parkor should i stick to a one day tour instead? the tour packages will include hotel stay too. however, as im currently playing myvegas slot on facebook, im planning to exchange hotel stays and food with my points, so im not sure whether is it worthwhile to get the tour package, i still have about 4 more months to accumulate my points.
day 6, sat: tour package
day 7, sun: tour package
day 8, mon: Las Vegas - Bay Area (however i will not be going back to bay area with the rest of the group, this is just part of the tour package), city tour F&E
day 9, tues: ??
day 10, wed: taking a bus to los angeles. bus duration ~ 5 hours, according to the website. free and easy for the rest of the day, eg Griffith Observatory
day 11, thurs: city tour Grand Tour of Los Angeles
day 12, fri: USS, will be taking this package: http://www.citypass.com/southern-california
day 13. sat: san diego zoo
day 14, sun: outlet shopping
day 15, mon: disneyland
day 16, tues: disneyland
day 17, wed: disneyland
day 18, thurs: LAX, flight at 3.45pm back to SIN. what time should i be at the airport, understand that the security clearance at LAX will take quite a while

i have ~1-2 free days, not sure what activities i should include?

my budget is around S$6000, inclusive of everything.

thanks!!

 

[tung]

Hi Shiny Things, thank you for looking through my itinerary and the info sharing.

There's a better-than-even-money chance that you won't be able to get over the top of Yosemite to Bishop. The Tioga Pass road typically doesn't open until late May or early June; it's been a very light snow year this year, so you might get lucky, but don't bank on it.

Oh no, so depending on the road status, I may have to activate Plan B and travel via Bakersfield to LV. Will it be easy to get accommodation along the way to the places of interest? Or it's better to confirm the hotel/inn first?

Then head back over the bridge, dump the car at Hertz or wherever, and head to your hotel in SF.

I remember reading from the past threads that It is convenient to get around SF in Public transport. Would the taxi be able to accommodate 4 big luggages and 2 x adults or if BART is luggage friendly (I had a nightmare in Seoul transiting between train stations up and down the stairs)

The only places on the road from SF to LV that are worth a detour are Death Valley (except in summer) and the Mojave Desert. If you've got a couple of hours for a detour off I-15, potter over to the Kelso Depot, a tiny little outpost in the middle of the Mojave Desert with some surprisingly good food and terrific desert scenery.

Sounds good. I will drop by Kelso depot. Thanks again!

 

[pioneer888]

Any cheap tickets travel to New york rochester? Travelling date 11 apr to 28 apr. Few weeks ago the price was was around 1.4k delta air. Today when i check again the cheapest was like 2k. Why sudden increase of air fare.

 

[Shiny Things]

Oh no, so depending on the road status, I may have to activate Plan B and travel via Bakersfield to LV. Will it be easy to get accommodation along the way to the places of interest? Or it's better to confirm the hotel/inn first?

Yep, there won't be a problem. The US has perfected the art of the good, clean, cheap roadside chain motel; when it gets time to hunt for a place to stay, just pull up the HotelTonight app and see what's around you for cheap.

The Holiday Inn/HI Express and Hampton chains are everywhere in roadside America, and their big selling point is their consistency. They're always clean, always comfortable, the wifi is always free, and the hot breakfasts are always free and always good. (The best bit - if you're members of a hotel loyalty program, you can rack up stay credit at those chains: Holiday Inn/HI Express is an IHG brand, and Hampton is a Hilton brand.) You can also go for a Motel 6 or Super 8, though those are distinctly cheaper chains and a bit rattier around the edges usually; I've stayed in one super-8 once in Wyoming when the entire town was booked solid, and it was a bit run-down but perfectly serviceable if all you need is a bed and a shower.

That all said, Yosemite to Las Vegas is doable in one (very long) day. It's eight hours solid driving, so if you're staying near Yosemite and start off early in the morning (eight-ish), you'll be at the blackjack tables in Vegas by 6pm.

As for places to stay near Yosemite: the closer the better, but if you can't get a room in Yosemite Valley itself, Groveland and Oakhurst are the next best bets. If you can't get Groveland or Oakhurst, anywhere in Manteca, Modesto, Turlock or Merced is perfectly fine and probably a heck of a lot cheaper.

I remember reading from the past threads that It is convenient to get around SF in Public transport. Would the taxi be able to accommodate 4 big luggages and 2 x adults or if BART is luggage friendly (I had a nightmare in Seoul transiting between train stations up and down the stairs)

Yep, BART has elevators and escalators at every station, and wider fare gates that give you more time to drag everything through. If you're staying downtown, BART is definitely the way to get around; if you're staying in Fisherman's Wharf, though, you'll need to take a taxi because BART doesn't go out that way.

Sounds good. I will drop by Kelso depot. Thanks again!

Hey, no worries at all. Keep in mind, though, that the Mojave desert and Kelso will only be on your way if you're taking the southern route; if you take the northern route over Yosemite, you'll have plenty of other stops on the way (the White Mountains and the bristlecone pines; Death Valley is in that general direction; and if you're looking for especially wacky pieces of roadside Americana there's the Area 51 Truck Stop And Alien Brothel about two hours north of Vegas. Yes, they give tours)

 

[Shiny Things]

Any cheap tickets travel to New york rochester? Travelling date 11 apr to 28 apr. Few weeks ago the price was was around 1.4k delta air. Today when i check again the cheapest was like 2k. Why sudden increase of air fare.

It's because you waited too long, unfortunately. The cheapest I see now is $1700 USD on United, SIN-NRT-ORD-ROC.

Here's an idea: book SIN-JFK on Emirates ($1173 USD R/T), and then fly JFK-ROC on JetBlue. I'm seeing a round trip around the $180 USD mark for those dates. Splice that together and it works out to about $1350 USD / $1820 SGD.

 

[patryn33]

Any cheap tickets travel to New york rochester? Travelling date 11 apr to 28 apr. Few weeks ago the price was was around 1.4k delta air. Today when i check again the cheapest was like 2k. Why sudden increase of air fare.

Hmm... U waited thinking it will be cheaper. No demand price may go down but unlikely. With fewer seats can jack up price.

 

[arbra79]

car rental

Im planning to go to LA this Apr. Planning for a road trip going to SF. Wanted to ask you guys here on where did you book your car rental?

 

[twinklingstars]

hi everyone, here's my updated itinerary, travel period will be from 13 july to 30 july. wanted to extend a few more days but this travel period will snap the lowest fares. will be taking either SQ or cathay, price wise, cathay is about $150 cheaper per pax. any advice? btw, i will not be driving, no car license.

day 1, mon: departure from sin, reached SFO airport at 12.35pm. will take it slow on the first day to recover from jet lag. city tour. any suggestions on what to do on the first day? i will be getting a city pass, either one of these: Official San Francisco CityPASS® | 4 San Francisco Attractions for $86 or 1 to 7 Days Card to San Francisco
day 2, tues: Alcatraz Tour + city tour: 1 day San Francisco City Insider's Tour with Alcatraz
day 3, wed: Monterey Bay, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea 1-Day Monterey Bay, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea (with Monterey Bay Aquarium) Tour
day 4, thurs: City tour F&E.
day 5, fri: Yosemite - Fresno (visiting fresno, bay area, yosemite national park, bridalveil fall) i am considering doing a 4days tour via this package
4-Day Bus Tour to Yosemite, Grand Canyon South or West and Las Vegas **Popular Summer Bus Tour**. or 4-Day Bus Tour to Antelope Canyon, Grand Canyon South and Lake Powell or 2-Day Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell Bus Tour from Las Vegas should i stick to a one day tour instead? the tour packages will include hotel stay too. however, as im currently playing myvegas slot on facebook, im planning to exchange hotel stays and food with my points, so im not sure whether is it worthwhile to get the tour package, i still have about 4 more months to accumulate my points.
day 6, sat: tour package
day 7, sun: tour package
day 8, mon: Las Vegas - Bay Area (however i will not be going back to bay area with the rest of the group, this is just part of the tour package), city tour F&E
day 9, tues: ??
day 10, wed: taking a bus to los angeles. bus duration ~ 5 hours, according to the website. free and easy for the rest of the day, eg Griffith Observatory
day 11, thurs: city tour Grand Tour of Los Angeles
day 12, fri: USS, will be taking this package: Official Southern California CityPASS® | 4 Theme Parks for $334
day 13. sat: san diego zoo
day 14, sun: outlet shopping
day 15, mon: disneyland
day 16, tues: disneyland
day 17, wed: disneyland
day 18, thurs: LAX, flight at 3.45pm back to SIN. what time should i be at the airport, understand that the security clearance at LAX will take quite a while

i have ~1-2 free days, not sure what activities i should include?

my budget is around S$6000, inclusive of everything.

thanks!!

Any kind souls can help??

 

[swirlsurfer13]

Hi US gurus, my wife and I are heading to NYC end of this month.

Any suggestions on a driving trip to Canada? Will 3 nights suffice? Thanks.

 

[fone]

It's because you waited too long, unfortunately. The cheapest I see now is $1700 USD on United, SIN-NRT-ORD-ROC.

Here's an idea: book SIN-JFK on Emirates ($1173 USD R/T), and then fly JFK-ROC on JetBlue. I'm seeing a round trip around the $180 USD mark for those dates. Splice that together and it works out to about $1350 USD / $1820 SGD.

Don't forget fees for domestic checked bags, if applicable. If you book on the same ticket, and the flight is part of an international itinerary, then no checked bag fee (ie UA throughout on same ticket).

 

[patryn33]

Hi US gurus, my wife and I are heading to NYC end of this month.

Any suggestions on a driving trip to Canada? Will 3 nights suffice? Thanks.

3 nites where in Canada? How much time do you have?
Into wine go niagara for ice wine and the water fall
Toronto nothing much to see
Montreal and old quebec city are nice places but 3 nites not enough