Our holidays in the United Staates - April 2008

[70RAGTOPR/T]

urgewalt,

I live in Newark, Delaware which is 120 miles south of NYC and 110 miles north of Washington, DC.  So I live right in the middle.  Also, this past July, my daughter and I drove out to San Deigo, CA.  It took us 4 days.  We drove south to Atlanta then west through Dallas.  We have famliy in both places, cuts down on the cost.  I think the cost was around $500 to drive.

My suggestion is to fly into NYC and spend 5 days on the east coast.  Visit NYC, Philly, Baltimore and DC.  To visit the 4 cities you only have to travel on one road.  Also each city is very different from each other.  I would return the car in DC and fly to Dallas using Southwest Airline.  Since Dallas is in the middle of Texas you could visit Houston and San Antonio.  Fly to Houston on Southwest for the day.  It should cost you around $100/pp.  Then drive from Dallas to San Antonio.  Drive is around 5 hours.  Return your car in San Antonio and fly to Vegas.  Spend several days in Vegas and then drive to San Deigo, 6 hour drive.  While in San Deigo visit Mexico, 30 miles from SD.  Alot of sites in SD.  From SD drive north on the 5 to LA.  The drive is 2 hours.  Last drive to San Fran.  If you like wine then go north of San Fran to the wine country if you have time.  I hope this helps.  This gives you one week on the east coast.  One week in Texas and two weeks on the west coast. I would also suggest that you contact someone in the areas you want to visit.  They can give you a list of places to see and stay.  I think Mike lives in the Baltimore area.  I know Philly, DC and Dallas since.  I grew up in Philly and my wife is from Dallas.  I travel to Texas at least once a year.  This year I was in Dallas 4 times.  Again I hope this helps.

Walt

[urgewalt]

Hi,

now I booked the trip.
Here the plan at this time :
- Arrival at 5th on April in Las Vegas
- Stay in Las Vegas for 2 Days
- Visit the Grand Canyon
- Drive from the Grand Canyon towards San Diego
- From San Diego along the coast towards San Francisco
- Stop at some places between San Diego and San Francisco (LA, Santa Barbara and at places we like when we there )
- Stay 6 days ins San Francisco and visit there some places
- Fly back at the 29th of April from San Francisco

So - when someone life at this route, or there is a meeting or something - please let me know.
It would give me great pleasure to meet him/her and maybe see some Challenger and/or `cudas 

[Topcat]

Stop by, you have a PM.

[urgewalt]

Stop by, you have a PM.

Thanks and answered !

[Robert1050]

I don't know if this will help, but I got the dates for the Pomona Swap Meet (in Los Angeles County) and I've listed the ones that are around your timeframe:

March 9, 2008
April 20, 2008
June 1, 2008

It's the West Coast's biggest Auto Swap Meet / Show - I've sold several vehicles there and there is always a good representation of Mopars.

[urgewalt]

I don't know if this will help, but I got the dates for the Pomona Swap Meet (in Los Angeles County) and I've listed the ones that are around your timeframe:

March 9, 2008
April 20, 2008
June 1, 2008

It's the West Coast's biggest Auto Swap Meet / Show - I've sold several vehicles there and there is always a good representation of Mopars.

Hi Robert1050 ,

thanks - the April date was interesting ...
I hope we can visit this meeting.

[Robert1050]

Please keep us updated as you get closer to your departure date.
Robert

[urgewalt]

Hi there,

now we have a more exactly plan :

April 2008 :
05. => Arrival in Las Vegas
06. => Stay in Las Vergas

alternative 1:
07. => Stay in Las Vegas for some job interviews
08. => Stay in Las Vegas for some job interviews
09. => drive through Grand Canyon
10. => Grand Canyon, stay overnight in a Hotel towards Joshua Tree National Park
11. => drive to Joshua Tree National Park, sty there overnight
12. => drive to San Diego
13. => Stay in San Diego
14. => Stay in San Diego
15. => drive to Los Angeles
16. => Stay in Los Angeles
17. => Stay in Los Angeles
18. => Stay in Los Angeles
19. => drive to Santa Barbara and meet my nephew
20. - 25. => drive to San Francisco
26. => we must give back the rental car
27. => Stay in San Francisco
28. => Stay in San Francisco
29. => flight back to Germany ...

alternative 2 :
09. => Back to Las Vegas for some job interviews
10. => Stay again in Las Vegas
12. => Stay again in Las Vegas
13. => drive to Joshua Tree National Park
14. => Joshua Tree National Park, stay overnight there
15. => drive to San Diego
16. => Stay in San Diego
17. => drive to Los Angeles
18. => Stay in Los Angeles
19. => Stay in Los Angeles
20. => Drive to Santa Barabara and meet my nephew
21. - 25. => drive to San Francisco
26. => we must give back the rental car
27. => Stay in San Francisco
28. => Stay in San Francisco
29. => flight back to Germany ...

If anyone is along on these trip and would meet us - it was our pleasure to do that !

[Carlwalski]

Not to be a downer here, but given your ambicious plan of sites to see, you will be spending more time driving, than site seeing. You just can not see all that in 4 weeks by car. Plus, you will be wore out. I would advise a longer stay, or fewer sites to see.

  Mike

That's a lot of driving and is coast to coast in such a small time frame. You may want to eliminate some of the destinations and pick your absolute "must see" destinations. When I planned a trip a few years back I was going to land in LA, go to Las Vegas then road-trip to Carlisle and after that New York. I allowed myself 6-8 weeks to make a good run of it and see members along the way.

Gotta love New York, it's big, it's bad and very American. I could never go to the US without not going to Carlisle so I would plan around that if I were to go. Lots of money to do it properly though and I hate flying (lol) but once the cars are finally done I plan to get there, I'm still young so plenty of time.

[go-fish]

Hey Carl,
That isn't coast to coast. Nevada borders Cali so he will be driving in only two states. It sounds like a good plan, not long driving distances at all. Each destination is less than 5 hours away from the previous one.
UrgeWalt, I urge you to go to Hotel Del Coronado when you are in San Diego. Coronado is a little town on the Island of Coronado which is connected to San Diego by a bridge. This hotel is very famous, Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe was filmed there, when Presidents are in town they stay there, the song Hotel California by the Eagles was written about it, .....
It is a very beautiful place inside and out.
If you want to go out and see the nightlife I would suggest the "Gas Lamp" District. It is downtown and has many pubs and bars. Also for nightlife is Pacific Beach.
Balboa Park should definately be on your list if you want a nice relaxing stroll through the park or to justtake a nap in the grass under a shade tree.
All of this stuff in SD to do is peanuts compared to the cliffs at La Jolla ( La Hoy-ya ). It is a well to do town in San Diego to the north of Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. This is where I proposed to my wife and is truelly romantic. When the tde is out you can climb (or use the stairs) down to the sand and there you are, ocean on one side and a big cliff on the other. It makes it as though it is just you and your wife in the whole world. (I know, I know I am a romantic).
So, the must-do's in SD are Hotel Del Coronado (walk around the whole place, take pics from the beach side, it's magnificent) and La Jolla (go to the cliffs. Very important: don't go down to the beach with all the Sea Lions, go to the the one thar has the steps going down to the water).

Also, Santa Barbara. Very good choice for a stop. It is a beautiful place.

I hope you folks have a wonderful trip and good luck on the job interview.

-John

[urgewalt]

Hey Carl,
That isn't coast to coast. Nevada borders Cali so he will be driving in only two states. It sounds like a good plan, not long driving distances at all. Each destination is less than 5 hours away from the previous one.
UrgeWalt, I urge you to go to Hotel Del Coronado when you are in San Diego. Coronado is a little town on the Island of Coronado which is connected to San Diego by a bridge. This hotel is very famous, Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe was filmed there, when Presidents are in town they stay there, the song Hotel California by the Eagles was written about it, .....
It is a very beautiful place inside and out.
If you want to go out and see the nightlife I would suggest the "Gas Lamp" District. It is downtown and has many pubs and bars. Also for nightlife is Pacific Beach.
Balboa Park should definately be on your list if you want a nice relaxing stroll through the park or to justtake a nap in the grass under a shade tree.
All of this stuff in SD to do is peanuts compared to the cliffs at La Jolla ( La Hoy-ya ). It is a well to do town in San Diego to the north of Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. This is where I proposed to my wife and is truelly romantic. When the tde is out you can climb (or use the stairs) down to the sand and there you are, ocean on one side and a big cliff on the other. It makes it as though it is just you and your wife in the whole world. (I know, I know I am a romantic).
So, the must-do's in SD are Hotel Del Coronado (walk around the whole place, take pics from the beach side, it's magnificent) and La Jolla (go to the cliffs. Very important: don't go down to the beach with all the Sea Lions, go to the the one thar has the steps going down to the water).

Hi John,

you are right - we have canceled out first plan, because we won't drive the hole trip ...
That sounds nice - we will visit Del Coronado - thank you for the tip.
And if we have enough time we will see also the other places.

Also, Santa Barbara. Very good choice for a stop. It is a beautiful place.

I hope you folks have a wonderful trip and good luck on the job interview.

-John

Thank you for your wishes ! We hope so too ...

[Topcat]

Walt,

If you get a chance while in L.A. go and visit the Petersen Hot Rod museum.
http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?DocID=502&ArticleID=200
It's close to the La Brea Tar Pits I believe.

And another really cool place in L.A. to go visit is called the Huntington Library.
Cool place I thought. I'd go there again. It's a giant park, garden and museum place.

But just have fun most of all.

[go-fish]

Also something I forgot to mention, if you like nature, try to go to the Redwood Forest. It is completly awe inspiring. The trees there are something like a thousand years old and at one time you could drive a vehicle through one that had a tunnel cut in it. I believe they do not let you do that anymore.

While California is not my favorite place for living, lived there on two seperate occasions, I love to visit. It is somewhat more expensive as far as cost of living but that is because it is a unique state where you can go surfing in the morning and take a little drive and go snow skiing later. It is a place where everyone wants to live so the demand for real estate and prime housing is extremely high.
With all that I often contemplate moving back. It doesn't help that my wife is from Coronado, near the Hotel Del Coronado actually.
I lived there and Ventura, which is 1/2 way between LA and Santa Barbara.

[urgewalt]

Walt,

If you get a chance while in L.A. go and visit the Petersen Hot Rod museum.
http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?DocID=502&ArticleID=200
It's close to the La Brea Tar Pits I believe.

And another really cool place in L.A. to go visit is called the Huntington Library.
Cool place I thought. I'd go there again. It's a giant park, garden and museum place.

But just have fun most of all.

Hi Mike,

thanks - we will visit the Museum and the Huntington Library too (if we found the time).

Also something I forgot to mention, if you like nature, try to go to the Redwood Forest. It is completly awe inspiring. The trees there are something like a thousand years old and at one time you could drive a vehicle through one that had a tunnel cut in it. I believe they do not let you do that anymore.

While California is not my favorite place for living, lived there on two seperate occasions, I love to visit. It is somewhat more expensive as far as cost of living but that is because it is a unique state where you can go surfing in the morning and take a little drive and go snow skiing later. It is a place where everyone wants to live so the demand for real estate and prime housing is extremely high.
With all that I often contemplate moving back. It doesn't help that my wife is from Coronado, near the Hotel Del Coronado actually.
I lived there and Ventura, which is 1/2 way between LA and Santa Barbara.

Hi John,

yes Redwood stand on the alternative plan if we have enough time - I'am very interested to see this gigantic trees.
I think that California is a nice place - we will see if this is also reality.
We wasn't in the United States before ... So it will be a surprise how it is in reality !

[urgewalt]

@Topcat
Your PM box is full - I can't answer your last PM !