Road Tripping in the USA!

semi-pro waster · 15 Dec 2017 at 07:33

rossk26 said:
Personally I'd drop a day in SF, I didn't enjoy my time there at all. LA and SD were miles better.

That's an interesting one - most people I know who've been to San Francisco/LA would put it the other way round but that's a fairly small sample size. I've been to all three now and while I enjoyed them I'd probably look to spend more time in San Francisco if going back. Was there anything in particular you didn't like about San Francisco?

rossk26 · 15 Dec 2017 at 10:19

semi-pro waster said:
That's an interesting one - most people I know who've been to San Francisco/LA would put it the other way round but that's a fairly small sample size. I've been to all three now and while I enjoyed them I'd probably look to spend more time in San Francisco if going back. Was there anything in particular you didn't like about San Francisco?

When I went, there wasn't much to do. We went across the bridge and to the secret vista point, views were amazing, then went to the national forest which I did also like. Other than that there is just the Pier and Alcatraz. Which you could do all in one day. I found SF itself overpriced, cramped and more seedy/unsafe than LA.

I'd go back to LA and maybe Vegas as major west coast cities. I loved SD but I feel I seen it all, and there's nothing to go back for. SF was the biggest let down, as like you, I'd read and spoke to a lot of people that said it was really good. But on the whole trip Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes, I could happily spend at least a week there.

Rich · 15 Dec 2017 at 11:32

The Alkatraz night tour is awesome btw. Very atmospheric and great views back to the SF Skyline. Would recommend that instead of a day tour.

FishFluff · 18 Dec 2017 at 13:14

Amp34 said:
I’ve already done a SW US trip, with places like Death Valley (spent a few days there), Vegas etc., so other places to see in the area is always a good option. I’m drawn to places with less people and more vastness as well, so towns interest me less than hiking/climbing/camping in places like that. It also looks like a great location for photography as well.

As other have said, Monument Valley is really not worth it. Spend a few days in Zion and Bryce Canyon instead. Zion is absolutely off the charts with how beautiful it is and some of the hikes are amazing. If you get chance, you should definitely rent some waterproof gear and hike the narrows (basically a hike through a narrow canyon, mostly in a river) or if you don't mind heights, walk up to Angel's Landing.

FishFluff · 18 Dec 2017 at 13:15

rossk26 said:
When I went, there wasn't much to do. We went across the bridge and to the secret vista point, views were amazing, then went to the national forest which I did also like. Other than that there is just the Pier and Alcatraz. Which you could do all in one day. I found SF itself overpriced, cramped and more seedy/unsafe than LA.

I had the total opposite experience. I thought SF was full of awesome places to eat/drink and the Exploratorium is cool. LA is just a dump where it takes 50 minutes to travel a couple of miles.

timmeh · 18 Dec 2017 at 15:36

FishFluff said:
I had the total opposite experience. I thought SF was full of awesome places to eat/drink and the Exploratorium is cool. LA is just a dump where it takes 50 minutes to travel a couple of miles.

This was my experience too. I found everything in between SF and LA (Santa Barbara, Carmel, Monterrey has an awesome aquarium and is home to Laguna Seca) to be better than LA.

weringo · 18 Dec 2017 at 19:13

Likewise, I only spent half a day in LA because I heard how much better everywhere else is. I wish I spent that half day somewhere else

Psycho Ned · 18 Dec 2017 at 20:08

The only thing LA is good for is a cheap flight into California, fly in then go somewhere else decent

Pen66 · 18 Dec 2017 at 20:10

Had a similar experience too. Whilst I liked LA, I wouldn't spend much time there if I went back to California as it felt like at least an hours drive to get anywhere and it generally wasn't as nice a place as the other cities below. Vegas was very meh as well once you get over the Hotels/Casinos and nightlife - it's very ordinary during the day.

San Diego, San Fran and the Pacific Coast Highway (and the towns along it) were great. The food was brilliant in SF, the people were great and enjoyed the sights.

Would love to go back again at some point and see other places. Unfortunately had to miss out Yosemite as Tioga Pass shut 12 hours before we were due to be there. An incoming storm closed all the passes and I had to completely change my route. Always knew it was going to be extremely tight at that time of year though (end of Oct going into Nov).

mohawk · 21 Dec 2017 at 12:42

so the wife and i are going on our honeymoon next May/June. we are lucky enough to have about 4 weeks for our trip. our current plan is:

Fly to seattle (1 night)
Train to Vancouver (1 night)
Train back to seattle (1 night)
hire car
drive!
and then 26 days later fly from LAX! managed to book a car for the 26 days for around £850 which im pretty happy with, its also a pay on arrival deal which is nice!

we are in the midst of planning everything out, but we are looking at spending some time in portland, san fran, san diego, and yosemite, along with all the nice place inbetween.

for my birthday we are going to the sierra nevada brewery for a tour!

does anyone have any good recommendations of places to see/stay between seattle and san diego?

[TW]Fox · 21 Dec 2017 at 12:49

mohawk said:
its also a pay on arrival deal which is nice!

Uh oh. Have you checked the one way fee is included in the price? It's very unusual for a deal to be pay on arrival when booked from the UK so you need to double check it includes the correct CDW and the one way fee in the rate..

Joe T · 21 Dec 2017 at 13:44

[TW]Fox said:
Uh oh. Have you checked the one way fee is included in the price? It's very unusual for a deal to be pay on arrival when booked from the UK so you need to double check it includes the correct CDW and the one way fee in the rate..

Worth checking. But Hertz allow all their bookings from the UK to be booked with a paid on arrival setup. Costs a little more, mind.

Roland Butter · 21 Dec 2017 at 15:27

mohawk said:
managed to book a car for the 26 days for around £850 which im pretty happy with, its also a pay on arrival deal which is nice!

Beware. That price you thought was a bargain might not be inclusive of compulsory US local taxes and fees payable at the check-in desk on the day of pick-up.
I got a quote of a full-size car for 14 days at Newark Airport for £340 from a UK based company, however with local taxes and fees the full price expected on arrival is £421, and that's before you add optional extras like sat-nav, personal cover, Etc.

mohawk · 22 Dec 2017 at 08:48

I've got a quote that has all the fee's and insurances included also a free additional driver and with the 1 way included! when speaking with the rep on the phone it was actually cheaper to pay on arrival rather than pre-pay (albeit £20)

Amp34 · 23 Dec 2017 at 04:14

We're thinking of doing a 2-3 week trip somewhere in the US the last week of March/April. Anywhere worth going at that time of year in the west? I'm guessing Oregon/Washington is going to be rather cold and wet, Utah? Changeable? Although with the distance we would need to travel to get there if we did two weeks we would only really have a week if we did two weeks, but at least one way we would be able to stop off at Jackson to ski to break up the journey. Any other suggestions?

Mr^B · 28 Dec 2017 at 20:37

Got back recently from a road trip from Chicago to Green Bay to see the Packers...

...however, the trip got off to a bit of a shaky start, just outside the car rental place...

And here's the car that hit us, after running a red light:

Just a few bruises thankfully. Hire company were great, and the guy who hit us owned up to the cops to running the red. We were in another car and back on the road within the hour.

Joe T · 29 Dec 2017 at 12:50

Rich · 30 Dec 2017 at 09:55

Holy crap! Glad you are alright. I always find it a bit touch and go when I drive in the US. There doesn't seem to be much....discipline of any sort. Maybe its just my imagination!

Roland Butter · 31 Dec 2017 at 12:54

Rich said:
Holy crap! Glad you are alright. I always find it a bit touch and go when I drive in the US. There doesn't seem to be much....discipline of any sort. Maybe its just my imagination!

Have to disagree, in general traffic I find US drivers very courteous and law abiding, however once you get on those 6 lane city interstates you
have to keep your wits about you and use your mirrors, cars whizzing past you on both sides.

timmeh · 2 Jan 2018 at 15:07

Roland Butter said:
Have to disagree, in general traffic I find US drivers very courteous and law abiding, however once you get on those 6 lane city interstates you
have to keep your wits about you and use your mirrors, cars whizzing past you on both sides.

You just need to drive faster so people can't whiz past you

10-15mph over the speed limit is the norm around here. Anyway, the overtaking on both sides is great, it's daft that you can't do it in the UK.

The only issues I've had with the bigger roads are when you get on on the left and have to take an exit on the right in no time at all. Getting across 5 or 6 lanes of rush hour traffic in barely any distance can get a little stressful