ROADTRIP!!!! L.A. to N.Y.

[Raskill]

Okay folks, I need some advice from the more well travelled among you.

I am doing a roadtrip from L.A. to N.Y. in a couple of months time. Time alloted is two weeks.

My mate and I are hiring a ford mustang and taking the following general route:

L.A.
Las Vegas
El Paso/Juarez (just for an hour, to say I've been to Mexico)
Over the top of the gulf of Mexico
New Orleans
Georgia, Sth Carolina, Nth Carolina etc etc
then north towards Washington D.C.
N.Y.

The purpose of the trip is the roadtrip itself, rather than sight seeing. Can anyone advise any places that are 'musts' in their opinion. A good eatery in New Orleans is a must!!!

Now, to figure out how this is a business expense as a travel photographer....

[Alpha_7]

Sounds like an awesome trip mate! We are actually planning a US roadtrip as well but to do San Fran, Utah and some of the national parks.

I'm sure Gary can suggest some eateries in New Orleans for you (if they recovered after Katrina). If you haven't been to DC or NYC before I'd try to spend sometime (if your trip allows in one or both).

[gstark]

Alan,

Only two weeks? Won't be nearly enough time.

I'd probably be inclined to drop Juarez from that itinerary; I think you'd be better served to try to find four or five days to spend in the San Diego area, and hop across to Tijuana from there; it's a couple of minutes in a shuttle bus. If you drive into Mexico, you may have some insurance issues to address wrt the rental car, so check that out beforehand.

Apart from Tiujuana, San Diego has the Balboa Park, Old Town, and maritime museum as good places to spend more than a minute or two, but I digress.

Vegas: If you've not been there before, then it's the sort of place that you should visit so that you can say you've been there. Otherwise, it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, IMHO. They have casinos. So do we. They have pokies. So do we.

They have Celine Dion. Thank god we do not!

It's basically a nothing place; lots of fake everything ...

That said, Hoover Dam is nearby and good, but there's also a new roadway that's downstream from the dam. Bypasses the dam and improves travel times, but you don't get the chance to stand in two timezones simultaneously.

Head into Arizona (your Glock will be welcome) and go to Williams. They make great play of the fact that they're on the old Route 66, so spend a night there and enjoy the show.

And from there, you're about 90 minutes from the Grand Canyon. Good for a stay of five minutes, or five days.

Head into New Mexico, take that left turn at Albequerque and spend at least one night in Santa Fe; three would be good. Great food, great sightseeing, great antiquing.

Turn left again at Albequerque, but this time the road will take you to Dallas. Sixth Floor Museum documents the rise and fall of JFK; it's a great museum. Dallas isn't the greatest tourist destination, but the food there is great; take in the atmosphere and fooderies on Lower Greenvile.

If you want more Texas, head to San Antonio and The Riverwalk, or perhaps to Austin, which is the best music town in Texas.

Heading east, your next stop would be N'Awlins. What time of year will you be there? Jazzfest is the last weekend of April (when I hope to be there) and the first weekend of May, and is highly recommended.

For food ... I try to avoid the places that get mentions in the tourist rags. Crescent City Bar on Decatur is a good Brew Pub with good food, Mothers is just wonderful, or just wander around and see what takes your fancy.

For my trip this year I'm thinking of flying in to Memphis, and then taking the Blues Highway (Highway 61, but not revisited, for me, on this trip) in to N'Awlins.

I've not done Georgia or the Carolinas, so I cannot offer too much advice on those areas, but you have choices of heading up to Memphis (Gracelands, STAX), and then east, or heading east towards Florida and then north.

DC is definitely a must, but again, you could take just two weeks and only take in about half of what the Smithsonian has to offer, and you'd still want to visit the Newseum.

To expense this out ... lots of photos, blog extensively ... get yourself some sort of Android phone and a netbook (buy the netbook in LA), and get a T-Mobile SIM before you leave. That should give you good mobile coverage, and a working GPS. Most hotels provide free WiFi, so you should be covered there.

With your local CAMS creds, can you get reciprocal creds at CSTL races in towns you may be passing through? That could be a bit of fun, and help to legitimise what you're doing.

Be prepared to pay for overnight hotel parking for the pony car in N'Awlins, DC and NYNY. Most other places that should be free.

[Reschsmooth]

White Sands National Monument in New Mexico - awesome and you should be able to get some great shots of the 'stang at sunset on the winding roads amongst the dunes.

If you are heading near Utah, Arches National Park is also really good.

I am sure there are some other places in the US worth going to Aparently there is a strip club in DC which is quite good - just ask Kevin.

[sirhc55]

You could always try Area 51 (near Vegas) but the chances of seeing more would be zero

[Oz_Beachside]

My brother has done it about 3 times while I was in NY, allow near on 3 weeks, otherwise it will feel like you have done nothing but drive, sleep, and drink

[ozimax]

Gary, you forgot to mention visiting Bakersfield, CA...

[gstark]

Gary, you forgot to mention visiting Bakersfield, CA...

I did not!

For those who are interested though, from mid May, Qaintarse will be dropping SFO as a primary port, replacing it with DFW. This is part of an expanded arrangement with AA, who's headquartered at DFW.

Will it make flying to the US any cheaper? Who are we talking about again?

[wendellt]

hi

congratulationsnta monica take the historic route 66 through to chicago
lots of old americana along that route

have fu

[Chica]

Hey there

We went to Vegas and NY and San Diego in 2010 so I might be able to help out with some ideas for sightseeing and hotels and things.

Priceline is a bidding website where we got excellent deals on car hire and hotels. (eg a $500/ night room in Times Square for $100). Worth checking out as it needs a bit of researching before you use it.

I know Gary doesnt, but I love Vegas. There are fabulous restaurants and the Cirque Solei shows are breathtaking. I'm not fussed by the pokies (slot machine) at all, but there is far more to Vegas than them. Yep, its glitzy and fake but its also alot of fun. Hotels on the strip are cheap and if you want to save money, hotels off the strip are really cheap.

Allow at least a few days for NY, we spent over a week there and scratched the surface. There are 'free' walking tours (you tip the guide at the end, normally about $10) that are fantastic and are a better intro than bus tours. The link is: http://nycbyfoot.com/midtown.asp . We did a few of these tours and loved them. The guides are really knowledgeable and interesting.

In San Diego you can do Segway tours which were a lot of fun and a good way to see the sights and save your feet Balboa Park is lovely as well. Segway tours can be found at http://anothersideofsandiegotours.com/ (there are other companies too, but this was the one we used)

PM me if you want some more thoughts

Cathy

[Raskill]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I really appreciate them. The ideas will give me something to research. I'll let you all know the final route.

The total distance isnt to great for the time alloted, with many of my on the road gigs covering the same distance in half the time. Unfortunately thats all we have, so will enjoy the trip more than any of the destinations

It's going to be great. Photo wise, considering one body, the 70-200 and 12-24. Should be enough for nearly anything. Maybe get a small travel tripod.

[Raskill]

Heya folks,

A rough route has been determined. The plan of attack will be to spend a couple of hours per day on the interstate, then get off and travel, well, the roads less travelled.

Check out the route here

Will we we pushed for time? No. Only 6000km over 12 days. Will we see everything? No, but that is the sacrifice we must make.

[gstark]

Alan,

Will we we pushed for time?

Actually, in some areas, yes. This is the US, and there is a lot more of interest between many of the points than you'll find here in Oz.

Only 6000km over 12 days.

It's not just about distances. It's also about where you are, and in many cases, the history and heritage of those places.

How long, for instance, do you intend to stay in New Orleans?

San Antonio?

Instead of Jacksonville FL, head a few miles further south to St Augustine. It's the oldest European city on the US mainland, with lots to see and do.

And you're traveling further south than I would choose, which means that you are missing all that New Mexico has to offer. And that's really a lot.

And while you're heading north through Greensboro, I would probably be going through Myrtle Beach and Virginia Beach.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but for the $$$$ that a trip like will be costing, I'd want to be seeing a little more than the dash of a 'stang.

Mebbee I'm just getting old?

[radar]

Alan,

you will be covering a lot of distance in those two weeks!! Certainly do-able. You say that you will be doing the trip in a couple months time. That takes you to mid/late March. Consider that by that time of year, once you get to the north-east of the USA, you could still be facing some nasty winter weather. You may also get some as you go from LA to Vegas depending on what route you want to take.

In the southern states at that time of year, there are a lot of "older" hat drivers from the northern states that travel south for the winter, some with very large Winnabagos and some driving very slowly, something to be aware of. Some are even my relatives from the Great White North, so be careful

Safe travels,

André

[Raskill]

I agree entirely Gary, there is so much I want to see in the US, this is like an appetiser I guess. I will be going back with my son when he is old enough, and then it will be a longer holiday, doing all the fun son & dad things.

This trip is about spending time with my best mate, putting kilometres under the wheels and saying that we have driven from L.A. to N.Y.

Other than Las Vegas, New Orleans, and New York, the other cities are only on the route for the sake of navigation. It is extremely unlikely we will stay in them, preferring to try and stay in smaller communities nearby.

You've piqued my interest in St Augustine though, which would be great to say I've visited, even if just for a short time.

The trip is in May, first 2 weeks, so the weather should be fining up a little.

We will be staying in New Orleans for a night under the current plan... (I can hear you calling me an idiot from here you know ). That being said, we have a back up plan that involves 4 days on the west coast, then fly to new orleans and drive from there to N.Y.

[gstark]

The trip is in May, first 2 weeks, so the weather should be fining up a little.

We will be staying in New Orleans for a night under the current plan... (I can hear you calling me an idiot from here you know ).

What actual dates in N'Awlins?

Serious question: Jazzfest is the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. I'm anticipating being in NO for the first weekend (program gets announced within the next 24 hours) but you need to be aware that accommodation is both at a premium and more expensive during the weekends of jazzfest. And staying out of the downtown, Garden, French Quarter or Warehouse districts is simply not an option.

The dates that may be critical for you will be the nights of Wednesday May 4 through Sunday May 8; JF second weekend runs Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun.

Your proposed itinerary seems, to me, to put you right in that zone.

Also, and this may be stating the bleeding obvious, there will probably be a one-way slug on your rental costs, and your car rental company will probably not guarantee the actual make and model of your vehicle. They will generally guarantee the rental group, but that's it. I'm presuming here that you're using one of the typical car rental mobs, and not some special arrangement.

Finally, and for those who may have an interest, my proposed trip will involve flights into Memphis, visits to the STAX museum and Gracelands, and a drive down the Blues Highway - Highway 61, (re)visited.

St Augustine ... you won't regret passing through there; there''s a great Castillo you can visit, and some very nice eateries as well. Head across the beach, then south (wrong way, I know) and after a few miles there's a little turnout where you'll find a wooden shack of a bar, right on the beach on the Atlantic coast.

Which reminds me .. stay along the gulf coast and head south into Cedar Keys. That's also a great place for a meal stop, although a little more formal than burgers and fries. Dinner at sunset, with a view across the gulf, is nice.

Which further reminds me that there's a few good places on the west coast where you can do a sunset meal, high on a Pacific cliff top, overlooking the Pacific, and they won't break the bank either.

[gstark]

St Augustine ... you won't regret passing through there; there''s a great Castillo you can visit, and some very nice eateries as well. Head across the beach, then south (wrong way, I know) and after a few miles there's a little turnout where you'll find a wooden shack of a bar, right on the beach on the Atlantic coast.

Oh yes ... you've probably already noticed that Daytona is just a few hours' further south?

Probably worth a visit, if only to see the entrance gates. I suspect that they get lots of peoples there, but they can also move them in and out rather efficiently.

[gstark]

What actual dates in N'Awlins?

Serious question: Jazzfest is the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. I'm anticipating being in NO for the first weekend (program gets announced within the next 24 hours) but you need to be aware that accommodation is both at a premium and more expensive during the weekends of jazzfest. And staying out of the downtown, Garden, French Quarter or Warehouse districts is simply not an option.

The dates that may be critical for you will be the nights of Wednesday May 4 through Sunday May 8; JF second weekend runs Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun.

Your proposed itinerary seems, to me, to put you right in that zone.

And the Jazzfest schedule has just been announced.

Parrotheads will converge on N'Awlins for the second weekend. Greg Allman, Cyndi Lauper, Arlo, Willie, Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty (but catch him in Sydney or at Byron), Robert Plant, Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter ... just a few of the people there over the two weekends.

[ozimax]

Just an aside here, but do you plan to book motels ahead or just turn up? I usually stay at Holiday Inn Express around the USA. You can turn up, negotiate a good price. They are inevitably good rooms, (usually huge) with a monstrous free breakky and free wifi.

Just a heads up.

Ozi.

[gstark]

Just an aside here, but do you plan to book motels ahead or just turn up? I usually stay at Holiday Inn Express around the USA. You can turn up, negotiate a good price. They are inevitably good rooms, (usually huge) with a monstrous free breakky and free wifi.

You're not recommending him to go to Motel Sucks?

Alan, I mostly concur with Oz's suggestion; there's several good chains that you stay at; rates are inexpensive, and advance bookings rarely required. The exception to that rule would be where there's a major event happening, sop perhaps pre-book N'awlins (if you accurate figure the dates) and NY, but do the rest on the fly.

[Raskill]

Thanks guys, we are looking to just drive and make it past each major city on the route.

I have taken your much appreciated advice Gary, and we have changed our plan of attack somewhat. We are spending 4 days on the west coast, L.A., Los Vegas, San Diago and Tijuana, then flying from L.A. to New Orleans, leaving us 8 - 9 days to drive to N.Y. I'm looking forward to the Atlantic Coast St Augustine is on the cards also. The birthplace of the U.S. really i suppose.

We should be arriving in N.O. on the morning of the 8th of May (hopefully).

I was wondering about the accommodation side of things, so it's good to hear that just arriving is a good idea. New Orleans will be booked in advance, we are hoping when away from the bigger cities to try and stay in smaller family run hotels in smaller towns. I guess we'll see how it works out.

[Raskill]

WOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

I just purchased tickets to the Yankees Vs Red Sox game at Yankee stadium. Row 1 grandstand, good views judging by the Yankee Stadium website.

It should be a great game, judging by the rivalry.....

[gstark]

Excellent.

It's all happening.

[ozimax]

I'm not sure how Raskill is travelling, but we are at present on Hwy 1, currently staying at Morro Bay, north of San Luis Obispo. Today we are heading to Hearst Castle, should be fun although the weather has closed in rainy and windy.

I didn't bring the 5d this time as I was traveling light, but I have ordered some gear from B&H camera, including a 50mm 1.2. Should be interesting. I have taken a few shots with the Panny TS2, but the iPad is a bit quirky to process photos with.

Should be in San Jose tomorrow, San Fran on Saturday.

Regards,

Ozi & Mrs Ozi

[gstark]

I'm not sure how Raskill is travelling, but we are at present on Hwy 1, currently staying at Morro Bay, north of San Luis Obispo. Today we are heading to Hearst Castle, should be fun although the weather has closed in rainy and windy.

Hi Oz.

Sounds like fun. San Luis Obispo is one of the gems that you find on PCH. Morro Bay is great; Hearst Castle ..... Hopefully the weather will totally close in and obscure it from everyone.

San Jose next? You're heading inland on 101 instead of staying on PCH? Missing Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur?

but the iPad is a bit quirky to process photos with.

That's my expectation. Although I'll have the usual portable computer lab with me when I head over in a couple of months, it'll be one of the computers that'll be doing the (minimal) post-processing that we all know I love to do.

I'm hoping to be close to settling my plans later this week or early next week, and I'm hoping for a couple of very interesting things to occur in both the tech and music realms.

Stay safe, and enjoy your new toys when they arrive. Oh wait, they'll be paperweights for a short time, won't they?

[ozimax]

[/i]San Jose next? You're heading inland on 101 instead of staying on PCH? Missing Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur?

Nah, not quite Gary. We drove the PCH to Monterey, which is where we are staying tonight. Very nice motel with breakfast and wifi....$55. We have had a marvelous day today, including Hearst Castle. We will have a squiz around Monterey tomorrow, then head up the 101 to San Hose-A and then onto Fremont.

Stay safe, and enjoy your new toys when they arrive. Oh wait, they'll be paperweights for a short time, won't they?

They will indeed be paperweights, but nice ones, unless I can somehow attach the 50mm onto the front of my iPhone?

Regards,

Oz & Mrs Oz

[Raskill]

The plans progress slowly. Basically I need to book the cars and everything will be done in advance.

I have 75 days to go.

I had considered an iPad for the trip, but will now travel with my netbook.

If someone can offer advice as to finances.... I'm looking at having about $1000 US cash on me, then a Prepaid Visa with several thousand US on it... At the risk of sounding naive, will a prepaid Visa be a good way to go? From what I understand, I can get two of them, linked to the same funds, so if I lose one, I still have a back up.

I've been interested to see how inexpensive accommodation is compared to here. I was anticipating up to $150 a night...

[ozimax]

I've been interested to see how inexpensive accommodation is compared to here. I was anticipating up to $150 a night...

Depends on the location. Generally USA is tremendous value, unlike Australia which is the land of the ultimate rip-off.
Last Sunday night we stayed in Riverside county at a brand new, spectacular 4star+ hotel for $109. It gets cheaper as you get further into regional areas, especially in the off season.

Unless it is holiday season, I never book hotels/motels and ask for a good deal.

Ozi.

[gstark]

Alan,

I'm looking at having about $1000 US cash on me, then a Prepaid Visa with several thousand US on it... At the risk of sounding naive, will a prepaid Visa be a good way to go?

That's actually a bloody good question. US$1K is a good amount of cash to have; you can always refresh at pretty well any ATM.

Understand that for your car, you may need a proper credit card; many car rental organisations specifically exclude prepaid cards for deposit/payment.

Also remember that for hotel deposits, they will seek an authorisation against your card for the expected total bill, plus about 15% for incidentals. Always check the hotel bill upon departure; I think I see about a 50% accuracy rate.

As Oz says, for most of your hotel accommodation, pre-booking won't be necessary, and an allowance of $150/night will see you in very nice digs. Remember too that US pricing is per room, not the standard Aussie rip-off scheme os per person.

With the exception of New Orleans and the really large cities (NY, LA, SF, DC), I'd be expecting to pay between 75 and 100. Check out the Marriott, Best Western and Choice Hotels websites. That will give you a really good idea of the actual costs, but remember that the quoted prices will not include taxes. Each of those organisations has a couple of budget chains that can be very good value.

[Marvin]

I just returned from a similar trip in the States and got a 28 degrees mastercard for the trip. I preloaded it with some cash and just took out money from it. It was recommended by some people on this forum, although it was called the Wizard card previously. The card has no foreign fees and gives an excellent conversion rate - several times on my trip I got over $1US for my PP, which made me very happy. The other girls on my trip didn't get anywhere near the rates I was getting.

We found hotels very cheap, ranging between $90 and $140 per night. We were on the road and booked as we went although we did splurge and stay in a suite at the Venetian in Vegas (still, it was only around $130 per night per suite).

[ozimax]

One thing that is a surprise is the cost of car rental in USA. On the face of it, they're startlingly cheap, but then you add insurance. Our current vehicle, a small Nissan box, is about $80 a week to hire, but insurance pushes that to $300 a week. Then you add 7-8 different taxes. Our car hire bill for 2 weeks 3 days will be about $1000. However, I don't want to drive around Socal without full insurance.

Taxes here are everywhere, but at least they're out in the open and itemised.

Now, it's time to visit the Monterey fisher mans wharf, maybe the aquarium, then a trip up to the San Jose region. Maybe a stop by Cupertino to see how Steve Jobs is going. (Rumor has it that he is very ill, but that's just rumour.)

I am thinking of driving back down to the Bixby bridge today, but the weather, like last night, is murky. Maybe we'll save that for another day.

Ozi.

[gstark]

Maybe a stop by Cupertino to see how Steve Jobs is going. (Rumor has it that he is very ill, but that's just rumour.)

No, it's a fact.

I actually got an email from him just the other day; he's giving away his fortune, and he needs everyone to to help by ....

[ozimax]

Arrrrrgh...decisions, decisions. Frys have just announced they will meet any online price for this week, including cameras and lens etc. Should I buy some (more) stuff to bring home to Oz on Tuesday, or should I be content with what I have?

[gstark]

There's a good Fry's in Palo Alto, just off El Camino Real. (Yes, I know, everything is just off El Camino Real.)

Just remember your DF limit is Au1K/pp ... give or take.

and we're still at parity.

[ozimax]

There's a good Fry's in Palo Alto, just off El Camino Real. (Yes, I know, everything is just off El Camino Real.)

Just remember your DF limit is Au1K/pp ... give or take.

and we're still at parity.

There's a huge Frys ( they're ALL huge) here at Fremont. Thankfully the missus is with me , so my limit is 2x $1000 = 2K

[ozimax]

Gary, as I type this in the Qantas club at Lax, I thought I must tell you aThat as we drove down the I5 yesterday, we passed the turnoff to Bakersfield. I thought about turning in to visit, for about 0.001 of a second, and then kept going....

Having said that, we did turn in to one of the many truck stops along the way for a coffee from Starbugs (yeah, I know, times are tough) and, being distracted with the mad traffic on President's day holiday, headed up the wrong freeway ramp, back towards SFO. 28kms later we passed where we had been...

Today though was a great day spent at the Getty museum off the 405. A wonderful experience.

Looking forward to a decent coffee in about 17 hours time

[gstark]

we passed the turnoff to Bakersfield.

Passing it is a good decision. Any snow through the Grapevine?

headed up the wrong freeway ramp, back towards SFO. 28kms later we passed where we had been...

On our second trip to the USofA, it was an early morning - very little traffic (they were all driving matchbox cars) - and in leaving SLO I drove onto the road onto the wrong side of the roadway, and then did a u-turn to correct the situation. Then I ended up heading north, which was the correct direction, on 101, which was the wrong road; we were wanting ton travel up PCH (Highway 1) through Big Sur, Monterey, etc. We found a turn-off to the west which took us to a military base. We detoured south of the base, and as we came down from the mountains, were treated to some of the most spectacular views we have ever seen.

We rejoined PCH a little south of Big Sur, but I've not been able to find that road again. Not that I've tried very hard ....

Today though was a great day spent at the Getty museum off the 405. A wonderful experience.

Isn't it a magic place? What's the current exhibition in their west wing?

[ozimax]

Passing it is a good decision. Any snow through the Grapevine?

yes, quite a dusting Gary. SFO is expecting snow this Saturday. It has never before snowed in SFO.

Isn't it a magic place? What's the current exhibition in their west wing?

It was pretty amazing, a Chinese photographic exhibition from the mid 1800s.

I was most struck by the masters though; Renoir, Chezenne, Monet, Van Gogh...incredible that you can be inches from this stuff, with hardly anyone else nearby to interrupt your view. And it's all free.

[Raskill]

Well, the 'Stang is booked for the west coast and now a suite at the Bellagio or MGM Grand beckons for the night in Vegas... (Some things have to be utterly over the top, and Vegas is one of them...)

My mate who I am travelling with lives in Christchurch, and now has a damaged house, so it's going to be good for him to get on the road!