USA West Coast

[wayfinder2012]

USA West Coast (Photos intensive)

Hi all,

My wife and I will be going to San Diego Comic-Con, 24-27 July 2014 and wanted to visit other areas of the West Coast after a few days at San Diego. It would be the 1st time we are travelling to the United States of America and we are clueless about many things and hope that we can get some help here.

1. We have not set the number of days, just that we will spend 4 days in San Diego. We got only Thursday and Sunday tickets to SDCC, so we will just spend Friday and Saturday in San Diego or visiting Disneyland. Is DisneyLand doable as a day trip from San Diego? Which other place is doable as a day trip from San Diego?

2. The areas of West Coast we know of and plan to go are LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Grand Canyon. Any other recommendation?

3. So my initial thinking is to fly to San Diego and then drive northwards and then fly out to Singapore. Which should be our end destination?

4. As only I can drive, is it tough for a single driver to drive from point to point on the West Coast?

5. Is renting a car and driving cheaper / better than taking public transport on the West Coast?

Thanks all.

 

[Shiny Things]

So click this link and hit play, and I'll answer all your west coast questions while you listen to some primo West Coast rap.

1. We have not set the number of days, just that we will spend 4 days in San Diego. We got only Thursday and Sunday tickets to SDCC, so we will just spend Friday and Saturday in San Diego or visiting Disneyland. Is DisneyLand doable as a day trip from San Diego? Which other place is doable as a day trip from San Diego?

First thing you'll want to do is look at a map. America is huge, and California is still pretty huge. Here's a map of Singapore dropped on top of Los Angeles - you could fit three or four Singapores in Greater Los Angeles alone, and that's just a tiny tiny piece of California.

San Diego to Anaheim (where Disneyland is) is about two hours' drive, so it's technically doable, but it's gonna be a really long day with a lot of painful driving (traffic in LA is famously bad). I'd probably stay in San Diego - it's a really great beachy city, and there's plenty of stuff to do.

2. The areas of West Coast we know of and plan to go are LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Grand Canyon. Any other recommendation?

Yeah, I'd recommend looking at a map; that's already a decent schlep. You could easily fill up two weeks visiting those four points.

There're Portland and Seattle further up, but those are too far for you to reasonably get to. Palm Springs is quite nice, and definitely worth a side trip if you're in the area. And the national parks in California are magical: Yosemite, Mojave Desert, Sequoia, etc etc etc. (If you're headed out to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, you can hit a few incredible national parks from there as well - Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion...)

3. So my initial thinking is to fly to San Diego and then drive northwards and then fly out to Singapore. Which should be our end destination?

Depends on how long you've got. I'd say:

1) If you've got one week, drive from SD to Los Angeles; spend just one night in Santa Monica; then drive north along Highway 1 to San Francisco and fly home from there.

2) If you've got two weeks, drive to LA and spend a couple of nights there; then fly to Las Vegas. Do the Grand Canyon, then fly to SF and go home from there.

3) If you've got three weeks and an appetite for driving: drive to LA; drive to Palm Springs; drive to Las Vegas; drive to the Canyon; loop around the top of the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks; then head back toward Yosemite (skip Death Valley, it'll be like 50 celsius down there in summer); go over Yosemite, down through Napa Valley, back to SF, and fly home from there.

4. As only I can drive, is it tough for a single driver to drive from point to point on the West Coast?

5. Is renting a car and driving cheaper / better than taking public transport on the West Coast?

Oh god yeah you should drive. It's pretty easy to drive from point A to point B - especially with a GPS app on your smartphone of choice. America is a driving nation, and public transport is significantly underdeveloped.

 

[genie47]

Eh Shiny,

Due to be in Mexico in May. More specifically the Baja California Sur at San José del Cabo. Any good things to do there other than the resort I'll be staying? Will have some time to explore other than the company meetings I'm having.

Drive to La Paz?

 

[Shiny Things]

Eh Shiny,

Due to be in Mexico in May. More specifically the Baja California Sur at San José del Cabo. Any good things to do there other than the resort I'll be staying? Will have some time to explore other than the company meetings I'm having.

Drive to La Paz?

I've never set foot across the border, so I can't help you there. Anyone else?

 

[invisible999]

Eh Shiny,

Due to be in Mexico in May. More specifically the Baja California Sur at San José del Cabo. Any good things to do there other than the resort I'll be staying? Will have some time to explore other than the company meetings I'm having.

Drive to La Paz?

Guys, if do not have a local contact who can take and accompany you around, I'd rather avoid to be and drive alone in Mexico. Just google Mexican Drug War.

Now, granted, it has largely avoided Baha California, but still.

 

[wayfinder2012]

Dear all,

I have bought tickets from Eva Air and my rough plan is below, really need those with experience to give us recommendations on where to go.

Mon 21/7 Depart from Singapore 5.45pm, arrive at LAX 4.45pm. Pick up a rental car and then drive to Anaheim and overnight there.
Tue 22/7 Visit Disneyland. Overnight at Anaheim.
Wed 23/7 Drive to San Diego and overnight there.
Thu 24/7 Attend SDCC. Overnight at SD.
Fri 25/7 Visit San Diego Zoo. Overnight at SD.
Sat 26/7 Visit other parts of San Diego. Overnight at SD.
Sun 27/7 Attend SDCC. And then drive to ???
Mon 28/7
Tue 29/7
Wed 30/7
Thu 31/7
Fri 1/8
Sat 2/8
Sun 3/8
Mon 4/8 Check in to LAX at 11.55pm. (A reminder for me in case I keep thinking we r leaving on 5/8 night.)
Tue 5/8 Depart from LAX 1.55am.
Wed 6/8 Arrive at Singapore 12pm.

1. Is San Francisco doable in my plan? Or just skip it and go back to LA from SD and spend the rest of the days there?

2. Any other recommendation to fill our itinerary?

3. Any recommendation on car rental? And what to look out for when renting a car there?

Thanks all.

 

[Shiny Things]

Dear all,

I have bought tickets from Eva Air and my rough plan is below, really need those with experience to give us recommendations on where to go.

1. Is San Francisco doable in my plan? Or just skip it and go back to LA from SD and spend the rest of the days there?

2. Any other recommendation to fill our itinerary?

3. Any recommendation on car rental? And what to look out for when renting a car there?

Thanks all.

For car rental: Hertz and Avis have never steered me wrong.

So here's my recommendations: hotels in San Diego during SDCC are going to be horrifically expensive. If you at all can, you'll want to shuffle the SDCC days to be on Thursday and Friday, then head somewhere else on Saturday and Sunday. (And if you haven't booked them already, then you're gonna have a bad time: the one-star America's Best Value inn in the Gaslamp district is already up to $240 USD a night(!), and the three-star Doubletree Downtown is seven hundred bucks a night. You could incinerate your entire holiday budget on four nights of hotels).

Now, if you cut two days off San Diego, that gives you plenty of time to hit Las Vegas and San Francisco. When you're done with SDCC on Friday night, dump the car at San Diego airport and fly to San Francisco. (I say SF first instead of Las Vegas because weekends in SF are cheaper than midweek, and mid-week in Vegas is cheaper than weekends.)

Spend three days in San Francisco doing all the touristy things, but don't forget to be a bit adventurous as well. Go check out the second-hand clothing stores in the Haight-Ashbury hippie district. Go to El Farolito taqueria at 24th and Mission BART for the best burritos in the world.

Then head to the airport on Monday (probably late evening) and fly to Vegas. You'll only want to spend two or three nights in Vegas, because it will be hot as balls, but it's a great place to experience and it's ridiculously cheap in the height of summer. You can get the Aria - a five-star hotel! - for $120 a night if you check in on Monday 28th and check out on Thursday. That is an absolute steal.

Update: AND AND AND AND - the Aria will throw in two free buffet passes with that $120-a-night rate if you book with the offer they've got going at the moment (if you can't find it through the Aria website, check out Vegas.com, they had the offer). The Aria buffet isn't the absolute best on the strip - the Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan next door is better - but that's about $65 worth of free food if you use the passes at dinner.

On Thursday, rent a car and head west. See the Grand Canyon (Thursday night), then loop 'round the top of the Grand Canyon to Page (Friday night), where you can see Antelope Canyon and the Glen Canyon Dam. Keep driving to Bryce Canyon National Park, nine-thousand feet high and spectacularly beautiful (Saturday night); then on Sunday, drive to Zion Canyon and explore one of the most beautiful national parks in the world, and stay in the adorable little village of Springdale, right at the front door of the park.

Update: Now that I think about it, you can - and you should - do that loop the other way around, just for the absolutely gorgeous drive up out of Zion Canyon toward Bryce.

Then on Monday, drive back down the hill to Vegas (stopping at the Valley of Fire), dump the car at Las Vegas airport, fly LAS-LAX (which will take an hour tops), and head over to the international terminal to catch your flight. You can sleep on the plane.

 

[wayfinder2012]

Thanks, u r the best!

So here's my recommendations: hotels in San Diego during SDCC are going to be horrifically expensive. If you at all can, you'll want to shuffle the SDCC days to be on Thursday and Friday, then head somewhere else on Saturday and Sunday. (And if you haven't booked them already, then you're gonna have a bad time: the one-star America's Best Value inn in the Gaslamp district is already up to $240 USD a night(!), and the three-star Doubletree Downtown is seven hundred bucks a night. You could incinerate your entire holiday budget on four nights of hotels).

Now, if you cut two days off San Diego, that gives you plenty of time to hit Las Vegas and San Francisco. When you're done with SDCC on Friday night, dump the car at San Diego airport and fly to San Francisco. (I say SF first instead of Las Vegas because weekends in SF are cheaper than midweek, and mid-week in Vegas is cheaper than weekends.)

Spend three days in San Francisco doing all the touristy things, but don't forget to be a bit adventurous as well. Go check out the second-hand clothing stores in the Haight-Ashbury hippie district. Go to El Farolito taqueria at 24th and Mission BART for the best burritos in the world.

Then head to the airport on Monday (probably late evening) and fly to Vegas. You'll only want to spend two or three nights in Vegas, because it will be hot as balls, but it's a great place to experience and it's ridiculously cheap in the height of summer. You can get the Aria - a five-star hotel! - for $120 a night if you check in on Monday 28th and check out on Thursday. That is an absolute steal.

Update: AND AND AND AND - the Aria will throw in two free buffet passes with that $120-a-night rate if you book with the offer they've got going at the moment (if you can't find it through the Aria website, check out Vegas.com, they had the offer). The Aria buffet isn't the absolute best on the strip - the Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan next door is better - but that's about $65 worth of free food if you use the passes at dinner.

We will be staying at a B&B place in SD so the cost is kept to a minimum. As I only managed to get tickets for Thursday and Sunday, I can't cut the number of days in SD. However I really love the idea of flying over to LV and SF. Do u have an airline to recommend?

So my thinking is that we check out from SD on Monday and fly to LV and stay there for 2 nights. Aria sounds great value and at night we can catch some shows. In the daytime, is it possible to drive to the Grand Canyon and back by evening?

Then on Wednesday check out from LV and fly to SF and stay there for 3 nights. On Saturday, drive down to LA along the coast.

Maybe like below:
Mon 21/7 Depart from Singapore 5.45pm, arrive at LAX 4.45pm. Pick up a rental car and then drive to Anaheim and overnight there.
Tue 22/7 Visit Disneyland. Overnight at Anaheim.
Wed 23/7 Drive to San Diego and overnight there.
Thu 24/7 Attend SDCC. Overnight at SD.
Fri 25/7 Visit San Diego Zoo. Overnight at SD.
Sat 26/7 Visit other parts of San Diego. Overnight at SD.
Sun 27/7 Attend SDCC. Overnight at SD.
Mon 28/7 Fly to Las Vegas and overnight there. Daytrip to ???
Tue 29/7 Daytrip to ??? Overnight at LV.
Wed 30/7 Fly to San Francisco and overnight there.
Thu 31/7 Overnight at SF.
Fri 1/8 Overnight at SF.
Sat 2/8 Drive to LA and overnight there.
Sun 3/8 Overnight at LA.
Mon 4/8 Check in to LAX at 11.55pm. (A reminder for me in case I keep thinking we r leaving on 5/8 night.)
Tue 5/8 Depart from LAX 1.55am.
Wed 6/8 Arrive at Singapore 12pm.

On Thursday, rent a car and head west. See the Grand Canyon (Thursday night), then loop 'round the top of the Grand Canyon to Page (Friday night), where you can see Antelope Canyon and the Glen Canyon Dam. Keep driving to Bryce Canyon National Park, nine-thousand feet high and spectacularly beautiful (Saturday night); then on Sunday, drive to Zion Canyon and explore one of the most beautiful national parks in the world, and stay in the adorable little village of Springdale, right at the front door of the park.

Update: Now that I think about it, you can - and you should - do that loop the other way around, just for the absolutely gorgeous drive up out of Zion Canyon toward Bryce.

Then on Monday, drive back down the hill to Vegas (stopping at the Valley of Fire), dump the car at Las Vegas airport, fly LAS-LAX (which will take an hour tops), and head over to the international terminal to catch your flight. You can sleep on the plane.

This part I am lost because most of the places I have never hear before and thus not very sure on how to plan, ie the hotel, the distance, the time etc.

 

[Shiny Things]

We will be staying at a B&B place in SD so the cost is kept to a minimum. As I only managed to get tickets for Thursday and Sunday, I can't cut the number of days in SD. However I really love the idea of flying over to LV and SF. Do u have an airline to recommend?

Yep: Virgin America, always. (Check Southwest Airlines, too, just in case they've got a rock-bottom deal going, but generally Virgin is your best bet for anywhere on the west coast.)

So my thinking is that we check out from SD on Monday and fly to LV and stay there for 2 nights. Aria sounds great value and at night we can catch some shows. In the daytime, is it possible to drive to the Grand Canyon and back by evening?

Not really. It's a five-hour drive each way, so you won't have a lot of time at the GC.

A better (and more driveable) bet is the Valley of Fire State Park, which is an easy one-hour drive from the Las Vegas Strip. It's phenomenally beautiful, and you can drive back along the shore of Lake Mead all the way down to the Hoover Dam. Make a day-trip of it.

(Bring water, though - LOTS of water. You're in the desert, in the middle of summer.)

As a side note, Google Maps gives you a really weird dead-end direction to the Valley of Fire by default. Be a bit careful with it.

Then on Wednesday check out from LV and fly to SF and stay there for 3 nights. On Saturday, drive down to LA along the coast.

Oh heck yes, this is a great idea, especially if you do the phenomenally beautiful Highway 1 drive.

Don't drive straight to LA in one day, though: break your trip, and spend the time on the road instead of in LA. Spend one night in Big Sur (at the Glen Oaks Motor Lodge if you can get it), and one night in Pismo Beach or Santa Barbara.

This part [in Arizona and Utah] I am lost because most of the places I have never hear before and thus not very sure on how to plan, ie the hotel, the distance, the time etc.

Google Maps, dude. Here's your route.

Also don't worry too much about the distances and times. I've done that loop before, and each leg is easily doable in an afternoon, which gives you an evening and a morning to explore each national park.

 

[patryn33]

Just San Diego zoo? No sea world?

TS pretty rich come to state for the sick of SDCC and just 1 day. The rest are extra or bonus? If u enjoy the city natural sights will just bored u. I met ppl who just come to Cali to shop, ask to these places they rather burn time in the city or shop.

Are u the only driver? Have u driven long distance?
Some ppl have trouble adjusting to the time diff so drive with great care.

Don't stay in Vegas and do day trips out a lot of time on the road. U not really giving yourself time on the strip

 

[wayfinder2012]

Yep: Virgin America, always. (Check Southwest Airlines, too, just in case they've got a rock-bottom deal going, but generally Virgin is your best bet for anywhere on the west coast.)

I checked, Virgin America does not fly from San Diego to Las Vegas.

Not really. It's a five-hour drive each way, so you won't have a lot of time at the GC.

A better (and more driveable) bet is the Valley of Fire State Park, which is an easy one-hour drive from the Las Vegas Strip. It's phenomenally beautiful, and you can drive back along the shore of Lake Mead all the way down to the Hoover Dam. Make a day-trip of it.

(Bring water, though - LOTS of water. You're in the desert, in the middle of summer.)

As a side note, Google Maps gives you a really weird dead-end direction to the Valley of Fire by default. Be a bit careful with it.

Just San Diego zoo? No sea world?

TS pretty rich come to state for the sick of SDCC and just 1 day. The rest are extra or bonus? If u enjoy the city natural sights will just bored u. I met ppl who just come to Cali to shop, ask to these places they rather burn time in the city or shop.

Are u the only driver? Have u driven long distance?
Some ppl have trouble adjusting to the time diff so drive with great care.

Don't stay in Vegas and do day trips out a lot of time on the road. U not really giving yourself time on the strip

Yes, we are going to USA because of my wish to attend SDCC but no I am not rich, just work hard to save for this trip. And since going to USA is pretty expensive, it does not make sense to just go SDCC and nowhere else. However I have to admit I don't know much abt California and thus have to ask in this forum for experts advice to fill out our itinerary. My wife and I have travelled in Japan and Europe without the need for me to drive, thus it will be a challenge for me because even though I have license, I am not an active driver in Singapore due to no car. In fact the thought of renting a car scares the **** out of me because of the horror stories I read of rental companies upselling and then slapping unnecessary charges to the final bill. At this moment in my planning, I will need a car from Anaheim to San Diego and from San Francisco to LA, if I can find better alternatives than driving, I will take it.

- From LAX to Anaheim where we are staying 2 nights at a B&B, the owner has let us know he will pick us up and drive to his place for US$40.
- From Anaheim to San Diego, planning to rent a car from Alamo and then return it at San Diego airport.
- From San Diego to Las Vegas, by flight.
- From Las Vegas to San Francisco, by flight.
- From San Francisco to LA, planning to rent a car and return it at LAX.

Alamo seems to offer the cheapest rate but is it ok?

As for Las Vegas and whether to do day trips, actually I have this thinking that it is filled with casinos everywhere and thus better to get out for sightseeing. Perhaps u can enlighten me on the strip and how much time we should spend there. I went to the Vegas.com - Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Tours, Clubs & More website and saw that there are shows which might be of interest and thus a key point for night time activity.

Google Maps, dude. Here's your route.

Also don't worry too much about the distances and times. I've done that loop before, and each leg is easily doable in an afternoon, which gives you an evening and a morning to explore each national park.

Thanks but I think we won't be doing this route for this trip.

 

[patryn33]

have U check alamo? 1 way rent prices not cheap.
I saw just on the website.

rent 1 way pickup in SFO returning in LAX btw July 13-19. cost is us$1166
pickup and return same location say SFO cost is ~US$270.

most rental place cost of 1 way rental is high, please double check

 

[Shiny Things]

I checked, Virgin America does not fly from San Diego to Las Vegas.

Not nonstop, anyway. That's a bit disappointing - the only airline that does SAN-LAS nonstop is the awful Spirit Airways (the American Ryanair)

You've sort of got a Sophie's Choice - do you fly Spirit nonstop, or do you change planes in LAX, the third-worst airport in the world behind Sheremetyevo and Newark? Personally I'd drive.

Edit: No, wait, don't panic: Southwest Airlines flies SAN-LAS nonstop as well, and they're quite good. You need to book directly at the www.southwest.com website, though, because they don't distribute their fares to the aggregators.

In fact the thought of renting a car scares the **** out of me because of the horror stories I read of rental companies upselling and then slapping unnecessary charges to the final bill.

Don't be. That doesn't actually happen with the reputable rental car companies. They do try to sell the extra insurance pretty hard, but you don't need that. The only thing I ever took was the third-party liability insurance, not the excess reduction or the personal insurance.

Just tell them "no, I'll buy my own gas; yes, I do want the third party liability insurance; no, I don't want the excess reduction; no, I don't want the personal accident cover insurance, no I don't want a GPS or anything else, just give me the friggin' car keys."

(For GPS, you'll save money by buying the Navigon US West app for your smartphone, which is about $30-$40 and has all the maps downloaded to your phone. The only reason to get the rental car company's GPS is that it has the rental car return locations preloaded, and honestly they're not hard to find anyway.)

At this moment in my planning, I will need a car from Anaheim to San Diego and from San Francisco to LA, if I can find better alternatives than driving, I will take it.

There is no better alternative than driving if you're taking a holiday between SF and LA, because the drive along Highway 1 (aka the Pacific Coast Highway) is one of the most beautiful road-trips in the world.

And driving in America is really not that hard. The interstate highways are extremely easy to follow, and if you have GPS you don't even have to worry about getting lost. My parents are the wrong side of seventy, and they've never driven left-hand drive before (they're from Australia); they came over to Vegas, rented a car, and were off on the road to Yosemite in ten minutes flat.

Alamo seems to offer the cheapest rate but is it ok?

Ehh, they're fine, but personally I prefer Hertz.

As for Las Vegas and whether to do day trips, actually I have this thinking that it is filled with casinos everywhere and thus better to get out for sightseeing. Perhaps u can enlighten me on the strip and how much time we should spend there.

One day on the strip is plenty. Walk up and down; have lunch by the faux-Grand Canal in the Venetian or the faux-Trevi Fountain in Caesars; then cap it off with early-evening drinks in Hyde nightclub in the Bellagio. It's right behind the famous Bellagio fountains, and it's the best way to see the fountains without fighting the crowds. Hyde gets busy after 9pm, but around 5pm or 6pm it's almost empty - they might even give you free drink coupons to get you in.

For the rest of your time in Vegas, definitely do a day trip or two. Rent a car (see above) and go up to the Valley of Fire; down to the titanic Hoover Dam; and even out to Red Rock Canyon for some desert hiking if it's not too hot.

You can also hit the spa at whatever place you're staying at and get yourself a massage; lounge by the pool in the desert heat; and heck, even buy yourself a house. Or two. Or three. Zillow tells me there's nearly 700 houses in Las Vegas for less than the $200k USD mark.

I went to the Vegas.com - Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Tours, Clubs & More website and saw that there are shows which might be of interest and thus a key point for night time activity.

Oh god yes the shows.

There are eleventy zillion Cirque du Soleil shows on the strip, but if you have to pick just one I can highly recommend the Michael Jackson show at the Mandalay Bay. The resident artist at Caesars - at the moment I think it's Celine Dion or Elton John, but it might be Rod Stewart or Shania Twain - is usually good too, but the tickets tend to be pricey.

The best option, though, is Penn and Teller's famous magic show at the Rio: if you do this, it's worth paying up the $10 extra to get front-row seats. Get there early to listen to Penn play jazz; and stick around afterward to get their autographs and take a photo with them.

Seriously, Las Vegas is awesome. Dive into it. You can sleep on the plane.

 

[patryn33]

Tomtom app on the Apple is under usd$30.
There are lots of options if u using phone navi just remember to keep phone charged up.

Igo navi does provide 1 yr free traffic but u need to have data plans. Garmin, tomtom products need to pay usd$20 for traffic

 

[wayfinder2012]

Not nonstop, anyway. That's a bit disappointing - the only airline that does SAN-LAS nonstop is the awful Spirit Airways (the American Ryanair)

You've sort of got a Sophie's Choice - do you fly Spirit nonstop, or do you change planes in LAX, the third-worst airport in the world behind Sheremetyevo and Newark? Personally I'd drive.

Edit: No, wait, don't panic: Southwest Airlines flies SAN-LAS nonstop as well, and they're quite good. You need to book directly at the Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Airline Tickets, Airfare website, though, because they don't distribute their fares to the aggregators.

ok, I signed up with Southwest Airlines to get their email and they say every Tuesday send out email on promotion, so wait for next Tuesday to check their prices.

Don't be. That doesn't actually happen with the reputable rental car companies. They do try to sell the extra insurance pretty hard, but you don't need that. The only thing I ever took was the third-party liability insurance, not the excess reduction or the personal insurance.

Just tell them "no, I'll buy my own gas; yes, I do want the third party liability insurance; no, I don't want the excess reduction; no, I don't want the personal accident cover insurance, no I don't want a GPS or anything else, just give me the friggin' car keys."

(For GPS, you'll save money by buying the Navigon US West app for your smartphone, which is about $30-$40 and has all the maps downloaded to your phone. The only reason to get the rental car company's GPS is that it has the rental car return locations preloaded, and honestly they're not hard to find anyway.)

Tomtom app on the Apple is under usd$30.
There are lots of options if u using phone navi just remember to keep phone charged up.

Igo navi does provide 1 yr free traffic but u need to have data plans. Garmin, tomtom products need to pay usd$20 for traffic

At the Alamo website after I chose the car, it asks me for "Trip Enhancements" and "Protection Products". Under "Trip Enhancements", I don't think I will take the GPS and as advised will just download the app. But is Google Maps useful enough to not get the app? And a related question is whether this prepaid card (see below) offered by another forumer is good enough?

USA
----
1) lycamobile sim prepaid card - 30 sgd, 250mb of 3g/4g data, unlimited 2g data after that, 1000 free idd calls back to singapore, unlimited local usa sms + local call + unlimited sms to singapore.

CAN BE ACTIVATED ANYTIME, NO EXPIRY DATE AT ALL

2) INSTOCK NOW!!, TMOBILE US$80 plan 3G/4G Unlimited data with no throttling speed, 15USD credit for overseas calls. unlimited local usa calls/sms. valid for 1 month upon activation. All these for only S$60 singapore dollars, to be activated before Sept 2015

this total package is worth US$95 in usa, and usually you use it for a month and throw it away because to renew one more month, it will cost US$95!!

It is under "Protection Products" that I need advice on which 1 is the third party liability insurance. https://www.alamo.com/en_US/car-rental/reservation/chooseAddOn.html

There is no better alternative than driving if you're taking a holiday between SF and LA, because the drive along Highway 1 (aka the Pacific Coast Highway) is one of the most beautiful road-trips in the world.

And driving in America is really not that hard. The interstate highways are extremely easy to follow, and if you have GPS you don't even have to worry about getting lost. My parents are the wrong side of seventy, and they've never driven left-hand drive before (they're from Australia); they came over to Vegas, rented a car, and were off on the road to Yosemite in ten minutes flat.

Ehh, they're fine, but personally I prefer Hertz.

Thanks for the confidence booster. I will plan the drive along Highway 1.

have U check alamo? 1 way rent prices not cheap.
I saw just on the website.

rent 1 way pickup in SFO returning in LAX btw July 13-19. cost is us$1166
pickup and return same location say SFO cost is ~US$270.

most rental place cost of 1 way rental is high, please double check

I have not check the price but I can't return the car back to SFO if I am planning the drive along Highway 1.

One day on the strip is plenty. Walk up and down; have lunch by the faux-Grand Canal in the Venetian or the faux-Trevi Fountain in Caesars; then cap it off with early-evening drinks in Hyde nightclub in the Bellagio. It's right behind the famous Bellagio fountains, and it's the best way to see the fountains without fighting the crowds. Hyde gets busy after 9pm, but around 5pm or 6pm it's almost empty - they might even give you free drink coupons to get you in.

For the rest of your time in Vegas, definitely do a day trip or two. Rent a car (see above) and go up to the Valley of Fire; down to the titanic Hoover Dam; and even out to Red Rock Canyon for some desert hiking if it's not too hot.

You can also hit the spa at whatever place you're staying at and get yourself a massage; lounge by the pool in the desert heat; and heck, even buy yourself a house. Or two. Or three. Zillow tells me there's nearly 700 houses in Las Vegas for less than the $200k USD mark.


Oh god yes the shows.

There are eleventy zillion Cirque du Soleil shows on the strip, but if you have to pick just one I can highly recommend the Michael Jackson show at the Mandalay Bay. The resident artist at Caesars - at the moment I think it's Celine Dion or Elton John, but it might be Rod Stewart or Shania Twain - is usually good too, but the tickets tend to be pricey.

The best option, though, is Penn and Teller's famous magic show at the Rio: if you do this, it's worth paying up the $10 extra to get front-row seats. Get there early to listen to Penn play jazz; and stick around afterward to get their autographs and take a photo with them.

Seriously, Las Vegas is awesome. Dive into it. You can sleep on the plane.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will plan Penn and Teller into the trip, as for Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil, it does not have the dates we are there. How abt David Copperfield, is he worth catching a show? Celine Dion has a show on 1 of the days we will be there and I am also wondering is it worth the pricey ticket?

A question from my wife, which outlet mall is the best in terms of price and range and is in the places we are going, ie LA, Anaheim, San Diego, LV and SFO?

 

[patryn33]

I will not tell u experience and memories are better than material goods. Singaporean come to states with shopping high on their list, some it's number 1 on their list.

All premium outlet prices same same, diff is tax.
Clearance item will diff from outlet to outlet in terms of selection. U often find better priced clearance items in non touristy outlet.

Check which outlet carries the brand your wife is interested.
If u like branded items such as Tumi, tag heuer, Kate spade, Hugo, Burberry etc u have to visit desert hills.

Other wise gilroy etc are ok. Check the website for the list of stores.

U could get a SIM card and use google maps. Google maps offer offline mode u can use that to save a little data.

If u ok with the surcharge on 1 way car rental great otherwise consider other companies. Try booking on dollar.co.uk. U have to realize 1 way drop off has high surcharge. If u worry about the upsell in insurance etc, those numbers usually lower than the 1 way surcharge

 

[Shiny Things]

ok, I signed up with Southwest Airlines to get their email and they say every Tuesday send out email on promotion, so wait for next Tuesday to check their prices.

Even if they don't have a special, I'm seeing one-way SAN-LAS for only about $80, so you might as well jump on it anyway.

At the Alamo website after I chose the car, it asks me for "Trip Enhancements" and "Protection Products". Under "Trip Enhancements", I don't think I will take the GPS and as advised will just download the app. But is Google Maps useful enough to not get the app? And a related question is whether this prepaid card (see below) offered by another forumer is good enough?

Nah. The difference between the two is that Google Maps has limited offline caching, but Navigon lets you download the maps onto your phone, so you don't actually need the data service to use it.

I wouldn't get some prepaid card from some random forum dude. It's worth dropping into a phone store - AT&T or T-Mobile - and getting them to hook you up with a prepaid SIM card when you get there.

It is under "Protection Products" that I need advice on which 1 is the third party liability insurance. https://www.alamo.com/en_US/car-rental/reservation/chooseAddOn.html

The one you want is "extended protection"; everything else is bullshït.

Thanks for the confidence booster. I will plan the drive along Highway 1.

Great stuff. You won't regret it.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will plan Penn and Teller into the trip, as for Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil, it does not have the dates we are there. How abt David Copperfield, is he worth catching a show? Celine Dion has a show on 1 of the days we will be there and I am also wondering is it worth the pricey ticket?

Penn and Teller: YES OH GOD YES. David Cop-a-feel isn't worth it if you're already doing Penn and Teller.

Celine Dion: YES OH GOD YES. It's not at all cheap, but I've seen her show at Caesars and it is pretty epic. Also your wife will love you: "oh honey I got you tickets to CELINE DION, am I not the best husband ever?".

A question from my wife, which outlet mall is the best in terms of price and range and is in the places we are going, ie LA, Anaheim, San Diego, LV and SFO?

IDK. Outlet malls are a waste of time as far as I'm concerned: if you're in downtown SF, you might as well get the real thing (though I hear there's nice stuff in the Nordstrom Rack on Fifth and Market).

 

[charcoal3256]

Hi Shiny Things, dun mind me asking a question as I will be renting a car in the USA too

The excess reduction is pretty expensive, almost the cost of the rental of the car.
If we do not take up the excess reduction for car rental and if an accident happens (touch wood), what's the cost we are looking at in paying the rental company?
Does renting of the car already has a basic insurance which comes with it?
Both my gf and I have driving licenses but are not very experienced drivers.

Thanks

 

[wayfinder2012]

I will not tell u experience and memories are better than material goods. Singaporean come to states with shopping high on their list, some it's number 1 on their list.

All premium outlet prices same same, diff is tax.
Clearance item will diff from outlet to outlet in terms of selection. U often find better priced clearance items in non touristy outlet.

Check which outlet carries the brand your wife is interested.
If u like branded items such as Tumi, tag heuer, Kate spade, Hugo, Burberry etc u have to visit desert hills.

Other wise gilroy etc are ok. Check the website for the list of stores.

U could get a SIM card and use google maps. Google maps offer offline mode u can use that to save a little data.

If u ok with the surcharge on 1 way car rental great otherwise consider other companies. Try booking on dollar.co.uk. U have to realize 1 way drop off has high surcharge. If u worry about the upsell in insurance etc, those numbers usually lower than the 1 way surcharge

IDK. Outlet malls are a waste of time as far as I'm concerned: if you're in downtown SF, you might as well get the real thing (though I hear there's nice stuff in the Nordstrom Rack on Fifth and Market).

Shopping is not high on our to-do list in USA, instead gaining experience and memories from this trip is the No. 1. However, our friends, colleagues and relatives upon hearing we are going to the States, started giving us their requests of "cheap" branded products such as Coach, Kate Spade, etc to help them buy. Of course, we can't fulfill all their requests but there are some that we have to fulfill due to the "power" they have over us, eg an immediate superior, in-laws.

Penn and Teller: YES OH GOD YES. David Cop-a-feel isn't worth it if you're already doing Penn and Teller.

Celine Dion: YES OH GOD YES. It's not at all cheap, but I've seen her show at Caesars and it is pretty epic. Also your wife will love you: "oh honey I got you tickets to CELINE DION, am I not the best husband ever?".

Btw, we won't be staying at Aria becos although it is ave US$124 per nite, with the resort fee of US$28 added in, it came up to a total of US$333 (with taxes) and we don't want to pay so much for a room which we just sleep at night. I should be booking Mirage, it came up to a total of US$228 (with taxes) for 2 nights.

 

[patryn33]

Hi Shiny Things, dun mind me asking a question as I will be renting a car in the USA too

The excess reduction is pretty expensive, almost the cost of the rental of the car.
If we do not take up the excess reduction for car rental and if an accident happens (touch wood), what's the cost we are looking at in paying the rental company?
Does renting of the car already has a basic insurance which comes with it?
Both my gf and I have driving licenses but are not very experienced drivers.

Thanks

If u get into accident and u are not covered by the insurance.
They will certainly bill u for the damages plus make u pay the cost of rental the car is out in the shop.

The damage will depends on collision shop, often time if change regular customer a lower rate and insurance company like 2-3x of that. If u damn unlucky then too bad expect to pay a lot of money. If car need to be totaled u are paying for the car. A small dent on my compact car logo and that body work insurance claim is usd$1-2k

Insurance it's to pay for the peace of mind. If u want a peace of mind just pay up the extra $$ per day.