The US of A

[eastaugh36]

Heading over early November until Xmas time. Only my second trip overseas and the first time I've done it off my own bat. I had planned on the World Cup this year but that fell through so this is something I am really keen to do, and need to do!

Flying into LA, bus to Vegas, flight to Memphis, flight to Washington, train to NYC, train to Boston, flight back to LA then home.

Staying in mostly reasonable hotels, using expedia specials etc helped keep costs down. Not expecting much but will be interested to see what New York New York in Vegas is like. Got an apartment in NYC where we will be staying the longest.

Booked tickets to NHL and NHL matches so far. Jets v Bengals on Thanksgiving and Rangers v Penguins. Hoping the NBA fixture is kind. Would love to see some college ball as well if the opportunity arises. Even a high school football game would be interesting for me. Just want to see their sports at different levels.

Bought a New York pass on advice of a friend who said it was a good idea to help get your way through all the major tourist sites. I really want to check out a few places, for some obscure reasons I suppose - stuff relating to comic books I read as a kid, bands I like, movies etc. NYC for whatever reason feels like somewhere I have to visit.

Graceland, Disneyland etc plenty of well worn sites I suppose but I am genuinely pumped.

We went at a similar time of year in 2007. Went to LA,Memphis and New York. Saw a hockey game and a couple of NBA games.
Memphis was bloody cold! Never felt cold like that before. Suprisingly thought it was colder there than New York which we went to last in December. Maybe it was because we were acclimatised by the time we got to NY.
You have to go to Graceland. Amazing experience. Memphis is a great place to get around by car. Its good to go somewhere more slow paced than the big cities toop. Its such a different taste of America.
Am heading back in February and am eagerly awaiting the NBA schedule release in early August.

 

[Copernicus]

Heading to NYC for christmas and then Vegas for new years. Doing the canyon then as well.

Will also be heading to san Diego, San Fran, San Antonio and Boston.

New York will be cold, but not horribly so. Wear 'layers' as they say- probably no need for a fur coat. So some t-shirts, jumpers, maybe a couple of warm jackets and scarves/beanies should be okay. Vegas could be anything - being in the desert it can be quite cold but also can warm up quite a bit during the day. Might be an idea to check the long term forecast before you go there to get a general idea of how cold it will be.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

New York will be cold, but not horribly so. Wear 'layers' as they say- probably no need for a fur coat. So some t-shirts, jumpers, maybe a couple of warm jackets and scarves/beanies should be okay. Vegas could be anything - being in the desert it can be quite cold but also can warm up quite a bit during the day. Might be an idea to check the long term forecast before you go there to get a general idea of how cold it will be.

Thanks mate.
I wear layers here so I am going to have to wear double over there!

I'll probably get around in skins 24/7

 

[camsmith]

Thanks Camsmith.

After a fair bit of research i think we will stay @ signature at MGM while in Vegas, then in LA looking to stay somewhere in Santa Monica/ Beverly Hills area and then stay somewhere around the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. I am having some serious trouble deciding which Grand Canyon tour to do though. I have narrowed it down to 3 though which include

http://www.alllasvegastours.com/body.asp?tour=LAS-B0001&page=TourDetails&WishListSource=WEB

http://www.alllasvegastours.com/body.asp?tour=LAS-H0029&page=TourDetails&WishListSource=WEB

http://www.alllasvegastours.com/body.asp?tour=LAS-H0008&page=TourDetails&WishListSource=WEB

Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Also the reason where are doing Universal studios and not Disneyland is because we will be going back when our 2 children are alot older.

Thanks again for your help.

So so lucky!

For LA if you like the beach scene Santa Monica is great although im sure Venice Beach or somewhere near by would be good too. if you like the city scene then I guess Beverly Hills would be ok. Not too sure about it though, we only went through that part of town on the back of the tour bus (recommend doing that btw for a general perspective of the city - greyhound tours I think)

As for the Grand Canyon. Like I said on the other thread it depends which part of it you want to see. The touristy most impressive part of the Canyon (deepest etc...) is the south rim and the first link you provided goes there. Sounds a lot like the tour I went on. I did that and went the helicopter upgrade and I thought it was a good but long day.

TBH I only did it that way because my mate isn't keen on flying.. so we went by bus. I probably would have taken up the 4-5 helicopter flight if it was my choice especially if time is an issue (like it was for us).

superfreak's link of the Wind Dancer sunset tour looks very good. So do the the other two links you provide. However remember they go to the West Rim of the Canyon which is the Indian Territory part and not the more popular, deeper and probably more impressive South Rim.

It's a tough choice. I always wanted to go to the South Rim but would also like to go to the West Rim. Maybe next time...

Sorry I couldn't give you much info.. but it all depends on your personal choice. Check out sites like tripadvisor for a general idea of how good specific tour/hotel/attraction is.

 

[Copernicus]

Thanks mate.
I wear layers here so I am going to have to wear double over there!

I'll probably get around in skins 24/7

No worries. That's all the help I can be -never been to Vegas and spent all of five days in NYC. I think 5 months might not be enough.

 

[doppleganger]

New York will be cold, but not horribly so.

New York very cold around Xmas.

Went to NY for Xmas/NY in 08/09 festive period. Arrived from London, and found it to be much colder than London was.

Averages for NY in December are max 5, min -1
Averages for NY in January are max 4, min -3

Get some good quality gloves!

 

[Hard Ball Get]

New York very cold around Xmas.

Went to NY for Xmas/NY in 08/09 festive period. Arrived from London, and found it to be much colder than London was.

Averages for NY in December are max 5, min -1
Averages for NY in January are max 4, min -3

Get some good quality gloves!

Yeah, I'm tossing up whether I should get all that stuff before or after I get to the US

 

[SonOfScray]

No shorts in NYC early Dec then... bummer.

 

[doppleganger]

Yeah, I'm tossing up whether I should get all that stuff before or after I get to the US

Get your stuff in the States.

Much cheaper, especially with the AUD buying 0.90 USD

 

[camsmith]

Yeah im spewing I didn't save up more money dedicated to buying new clothes..

Very cheap over there.

 

[Renegade]

Hello guys, I'm heading to the USA for the first time on our delayed honeymoon. We are leaving for Vegas on the 5 November. We are staying in Vegas for 5 nights, then heading to LA for 4 nights and then finishing off with 3 nights in San Francisco.

We are looking to stay at MGM signature while in Vegas and we will be doing the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, in LA we are doing Universal Studios with not much else planned just yet. In San Francisco we will be doing the night time Alcatraz tour.

So if anyone has some suggestions of things to do or stay in any of the above place then they would be appreciated.

In Vegas I stayed at Imperial Palace, was very reasonably priced and right in the heart of it all. Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam are pretty cool. Went to the South Rim of the Canyon...but that was a LONG trip, maybe one of the other rims might be a good idea if you're pressed for time.
Universal Studios in Hollywood is awesome. I went there between Christmas and new years and it was pretty packed. Used a 'front of the lines' pass which was an absolute gem for busy periods. There would be 45 minute waits for most attractions but with the pass you walk straight in. You really do get VIP treatment everywhere in the park with it.

San Fran is a wonderful city. Night tour at Alcatraz sounds pretty cool. I saw it in the day and loved it, it would only be better at night.

Definitely dress warm...or buy clothes over there, always pretty cheap.
Some other cool things to do. Lots of shows in Vegas, saw Jerry Seinfeld last time, and there will always be big names with a standup show or concert.

L.A - Lakers games will just be starting up in November. Farmers Market in West Hollywood. It's amazing how celebrities will be walking around there and many other places in Hollywood...Venice Beach etc. Last time at the market i met Vince Vaughn and he was happy to talk.

San Fran has alot going down at the piers. Pier 39 is where alot of things are always going on. The Golden Gate Bridge is a nice drive across as well.
All of the places have alot to keep you busy.

 

[Bucks Boy Jett]

In Vegas I stayed at Imperial Palace, was very reasonably priced and right in the heart of it all. Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam are pretty cool. Went to the South Rim of the Canyon...but that was a LONG trip, maybe one of the other rims might be a good idea if you're pressed for time.
Universal Studios in Hollywood is awesome. I went there between Christmas and new years and it was pretty packed. Used a 'front of the lines' pass which was an absolute gem for busy periods. There would be 45 minute waits for most attractions but with the pass you walk straight in. You really do get VIP treatment everywhere in the park with it.

San Fran is a wonderful city. Night tour at Alcatraz sounds pretty cool. I saw it in the day and loved it, it would only be better at night.

Definitely dress warm...or buy clothes over there, always pretty cheap.
Some other cool things to do. Lots of shows in Vegas, saw Jerry Seinfeld last time, and there will always be big names with a standup show or concert.

L.A - Lakers games will just be starting up in November. Farmers Market in West Hollywood. It's amazing how celebrities will be walking around there and many other places in Hollywood...Venice Beach etc. Last time at the market i met Vince Vaughn and he was happy to talk.

San Fran has alot going down at the piers. Pier 39 is where alot of things are always going on. The Golden Gate Bridge is a nice drive across as well.
All of the places have alot to keep you busy.

Thanks for the tips Renegade. I would really love to go to a Lakers game any tips on the best way to get tickets?

 

[eastaugh36]

Thanks for the tips Renegade. I would really love to go to a Lakers game any tips on the best way to get tickets?

www.ticketsnow.com

Yes it is expensive but 1. their postage is very quick 2. you have the tickets in your hands before you leave australia and know you are 100% going to the game. Couldnt think of anything worse than getting over there and trying to get tickets and missing out.

 

[camsmith]

We purchased our tickets to two baseball games via stubhub. Had no issues at all, great seats. Only negative is that you pay a bit extra but we wanted to get it organised before we left. For Lakers games you'll probably have to do the same.

 

[Bucks Boy Jett]

Would anyone be able to tell me when to start looking for tickets for a Lakers game? And how much should I be looking at paying for 2 tickets?

 

[ben_09]

Been over here for awhile now, the people are just as nice us back home I think.

 

[eastaugh36]

Would anyone be able to tell me when to start looking for tickets for a Lakers game? And how much should I be looking at paying for 2 tickets?

The schedule is out next Monday so I'd say pretty much from then or else a few weeks later. I can't remember exactly how much we paid but it was about $200-$250 for 2 tickets. It's one of those things where you just have to do it. It might be costly but the memories last longer than it takes to pay off the credit card!

 

[doppleganger]

Agree wit sentiment re lakers game.

We missed out unfort, the Lakers were not in town when we were there.

Booked tix to Heat v Bucks....back when Shaq and Wade were playing for the Heat and Bogut for the Bucks.......all three were out injured. Absolute flop of a game with less than a half full stadium. Oh well thems the breaks.

 

[SonOfScray]

I've bought tickets to Jets v Bengals and Penguins v Rangers via StubHub. Probabl have paid over the odds but I wanted to have it sorted before I left. Fairly easy site to navigate and get plenty of good reviews.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Get your stuff in the States.

Much cheaper, especially with the AUD buying 0.90 USD

Yeah I know, but the problem is I can't handle cold. I'm a bit of a wuss in that respect. I'd need to tough out the first part of the trip if I did that.

 

[doppleganger]

Yeah I know, but the problem is I can't handle cold. I'm a bit of a wuss in that respect. I'd need to tough out the first part of the trip if I did that.

Another note, I found that jacket that would suffice a winters day in Melbourne was not quite up to a sub-zero day in New York, or a mid December evening in Liverpool.

Had to get myself some more winter gear over there which was more suited to the harsher conditions.

Anyway, things are much cheaper in the states, not just clothes,.....especially with the dollar pushing towards parity.

 

[Bucks Boy Jett]

Just an update on how are trip plans are coming together. So far we have booked as follows

Las Vegas: 5/11/10 - 10/11/10

2 nights @ the Signature followed by 3 nights @ Encore

Still looking at Grand Canyon Tours.
Also does anyone have any experience with the Las Vegas power pass? And if its worth it?

Los Angeles: 10/11/10 - 14/11/10

4 Nights @ Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

VIP tour Universal Studios 12/11/10

2010 Chevy Camaro booked for 1 day on the 13/11/10

Waiting to see the NBA schedule to see if i can squeeze in a Lakers match.

San Francisco: 14/11/10 - 17/11/10

3 nights @ Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf

Alcatraz night tour 15/11/10 will book in a week or so when they go on sale.

Might even hire a car for 1 day in San Francisco.

If you have anymore advice would love to hear it.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Another note, I found that jacket that would suffice a winters day in Melbourne was not quite up to a sub-zero day in New York, or a mid December evening in Liverpool.

Had to get myself some more winter gear over there which was more suited to the harsher conditions.

Anyway, things are much cheaper in the states, not just clothes,.....especially with the dollar pushing towards parity.

Yea I will get a new jacket over there 100%
I'll need to get some decent shoes too.

 

[Bucks Boy Jett]

Hello again, Well the NBA schedule is out unfortunately we miss out on a Lakers game by a day either way. We can however go to LA Clippers vs Detroit or Golden State vs Detroit. At the moment think that we will go to the Staples Centre. Also we just booked our Grand Canyon tour we ended up going with Maverick Helicopters Dream Catcher Sunset Tour.

http://www.maverickhelicopter.com/tour-dream-catcher.aspx

 

[Falchoon]

Might even hire a car for 1 day in San Francisco.

Jump on one of those double decker tourist buses, they'll drop you off close enough to most places you'll want to go, there's nothing wrong with driving but bear in mind their peak hours are horrendous.

Have a drive down towards Monterey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_17

I like my driving, but I swear I shat myself the whole way, it was an experience.

Sausalito is worth a trip for lunch.