First Trip to the USA: Help with Itinerary and FF Point Redemptions

[Pumbaa]

Hi guys,

Just an update.
I've booked all my internal flights with Virgin America. They have a sale at the moment until the 13th of June.

I managed to snag:
JFK-LAX and Vegas-JFK for $169 each
LAX-San Fran and San Fran-Vegas for $69 each
I thought it was a bargain!

I'm still looking for a hotel recommendation for Frankfurt. I'm a bit stuck on where we should stay. I want somewhere relatively close to the airport and train lines.

The accommodation we're planning on staying at in the US:
Intercontinental New York Time Square (7 nights)
Sofitel Los Angeles (2 nights)
Ayres Hotel Anaheim (2 nights)
Sheraton Fishermans Wharf (3 nights)
Bellagio (3 nights)

What is the go with transfers from the US airports to the hotels. Do you guys recommend a shuttle / cab / public transport?

Thanks for all the advice so far, it has been so helpful!

 

[Skyring]

I generally prefer shuttles when I'm travelling by myself. The chance of some extra travel and delay while other passengers are picked up or dropped off is worth the saving. But for two or three people it becomes marginal - might as well get a cab if you've got three.

Public transport only if you are intent on saving money in buckets. It can work out well if you get the right lines, find the right platforms and so on.

Those look like very good internal airfares, BTW. You may wish to check on baggage rules, if you have been buying souvenirs and things. US airlines can get cranky on overweight bags.

Frankfurt has a train service from the airport to the Hauptbahnhof (central station). I'd recommend taking it into a hotel in town. It may be a little chilly in October, but the historic city centre (beautifully rebuilt) is a delightful place for strolling. The Romer has many restaurants and quaint buildings. A plaque outside the Rathaus marks where books may be burnt. The river has parks and paths and bridges and floating restaurants. There's a precinct to the west composed entirely of skyscrapers, known as Bankfurt. Do not bother with it.

Or hire a car and explore the surrounding area. There are castles and quaint villages and stuff aplenty. With the American bases in the area, the local hospitality industry will generally speak English.

 

[cove]

Is your Ayres Hotel the one on Katella that is walking distance into Angels Stadium?
My sons think that hotel is a dream come true if baseball is on (check mlb.com).
We use shuttles as they share the cost in airport to hotels in Los Angeles and new York and a taxi in Las Vegas.
By the way you cannot hail a taxi on the streets of Las Vegas as there is a law preventing this. The hotel or restaurant can get you a taxi.
We have used Primetime shuttles and there is Bluevan and others.

 

[Blackadder]

Definitly look at the shuttles esp @ LAX.
In NYC , easy and inexpensive to get to JFK, just take the Long Island RailRoad from Penn Station, to Jamacia and follow the signs to transfer to the train to JFK.

 

[Alanslegal]

The accommodation we're planning on staying at in the US:
Intercontinental New York Time Square (7 nights)
Sofitel Los Angeles (2 nights)
Ayres Hotel Anaheim (2 nights)
Sheraton Fishermans Wharf (3 nights)
Bellagio (3 nights)

IC NYC TS - a new'ish property and one of my choice if I wasn't a SPG platinum. Having been to NYC quite a few times now I would have no hesitation in catching the subway from JFK .... the IC TS is like right on top of a A,C,E line at 42nd, and the A train goes all the way to the JFK shuttle train station. Will take you 40minutes and 20% the cost of a cab

Sheraton Fishermans Wharf - I'd personally wouldn't stay at Fishermans Wharf, but look for a hotel near Union Square - at least your closer to more restaurants,bars,shopping etc. Just catch the traim to FW if you really want to go there and explore.

Bellagio - make sure you get at least a lakeview room, then you can see the watershow and the Eiffel Tower opposite you. Bellagio has the name and somewhat grand to it, but there are much newer properties including the ARIA next door.

 

[Blackadder]

JFK - John F. Kennedy International Airport

Will give you all the transport options etc to/from JFK

 

[Shelf]

Shuttles have worked well for me.

 

[Blackadder]

At LAX, I use SuperShuttle who seem to have a good service albeit a little annoying doing multiple laps of LAX picking up passengers until the van is full, I assume primetime shuttles also do a similar service.

www.supershuttle.com or www.primetimeshuttle.com

 

[Maca44]

I stayed at Sheraton Fishermans Wharf a couple of years ago and thought it was great, with really great beds. I also stayed at a small boutique hotel on Post Street (can't remember the name), however, it was very handy to Union Square, restaurants etc.

Don't worry about driving in the US. It's easy, just remember the interstate highways are numbered so that the even number are horizontal and the odd numbers vertical (sort of anyway). You won't go wrong with Bellagio, but most of them in that area of LAS are quite good.

Apart from business trips, I have been to the USA/Canada 19 times for pleasure; now spend a month there every 18 months or so, and have only touched the surface of places to see. Everywhere is different, really liked New Orleans and the south, but also enjoyed driving through places such as Wyoming. The country is really pretty when you get out of the big cities.

 

[kiwitripper64]

If you want to see the statue of liberty, look at booking as early as possible.

 

[Blackadder]

If you want to see the statue of liberty, look at booking as early as possible.

For the statue of liberty, you have a couple of options either a cruise to the island itself and walk around the base of the staute, or a trip to the Island and climb to the crown of statue or just a regulat commuter run on the Statten Island ferry will take you past there.
Whatever you do book well in advance, as most likely won't get a ticket to climb the statue on the day, and the queue for just the Island tickets are very lengthy.

 

[Pumbaa]

Hi guys,

Just an update.
I've changed some of my hotels based on recommendations.
I'm not staying at all Intercontinental properties bar the one in Anaheim.
Frankfurt
New York - Times Square
San Fran - Mark Hopkins
Las Vegas - Venetian
LA - Century City
Anaheim - Ayres Hotel

Now that I've booked my accommodation and all flights, its time to organise what I need to do and see while I'm there! I was hoping you guys can give me some suggestions

So far I have:
Disneyland and Universal studios
Statue of liberty, Empire state building
Alcatraz, Goldern gate bridge, Fisherman's wharf, Union square
Watching some shows in vegas

Thanks in advance!

 

[cove]

For sporting events start with Stubhub.comFor shopping google Outlet malls Caiifornia or Las Vegas or New York Beaches /bike ride Santa Monica to Redondo in California.Shopping Walmart,Costco,Macy's ,Nordstrom,South Coast Plaza,Beverley Center are all worthwhile.Costco membership is about $50 and it works in Australia.Hamburgers inn N Out Burger and RubysSteak chains Mortons,Flemings,HoustonsDo shows in Las Vegas and New York. Las Vegas is subsidized by gambling so a lot of shows are reasonably priced.Buy most larger things closer to when you are close to leaving America as the airlines charge for baggage if you give them a chance.That covers my thoughts from a person who lives part time in Marina Del Rey.I left out museums,art galleries and historical stuff as that is a personal taste thingy. Hearst Castle,Pebble Beach,Yosemite are pretty good to see.

 

[Blackadder]

Hi guys,

Just an update.
I've changed some of my hotels based on recommendations.
I'm not staying at all Intercontinental properties bar the one in Anaheim.
Frankfurt
New York - Times Square
San Fran - Mark Hopkins
Las Vegas - Venetian
LA - Century City
Anaheim - Ayres Hotel

Now that I've booked my accommodation and all flights, its time to organise what I need to do and see while I'm there! I was hoping you guys can give me some suggestions

So far I have:
Disneyland and Universal studios
Statue of liberty, Empire state building
Alcatraz, Goldern gate bridge, Fisherman's wharf, Union square
Watching some shows in vegas

Thanks in advance!

Some tips from my experiences

For Disneyland you can pick up express passes at various rides, that allow you to come back to at a set time and use the express queue.
At Universal you can pick up a VIP Pass on entry that gives you access you express queues for attractions (very handy on the backlot tour esp), plus other benefits through the park.

Statue of Liberty, what ever you decide..book early!!!(note tickets to the crown of the statue are booked out until late September), Also include a trip to the top of the Rockerfeller Centre in NY (better than the Empire State Building IMHO), also at least one show on Broadway is a must IMHO, visit www.broadwaybox.com for discounted tickets to Broadway shows.

San Fransisco, pick up a San Fransisco Attraction pass that gives you a variety of discounts etc , Visit Lombard St (along the Cable Car Route to Fishermans Wharf), also with the Cable car you can avoid the queues at Union Square by heading up one block and getting on the next stop (they save room on the cable car so people can do this), if you or your partner have a sweet tooth a visit to Ghirardelli Chocolate Co is a must.

 

[mbeder]

Having visited the 1-2 a year for the past 5 or so years, I'd recommend the following:

SF: Caffe Trieste in North Beach for the best espresso-style coffee.
SF: Be prepared to walk everywhere and you'll love this fantastic city and its eclectic collection of neighbourhoods, despite the proliferation of homeless people
SF (Berkeley): Accessible via the underground rail - Book a dinner at Chez Panisse - the upstairs cafe (white tablecloths/silver service) is a cheaper option and more likely to have space as the downstairs restaurant is booked out way in advance.
SF: The $2 Tickets on the MUNI (Municipal trams) last for a few hours so you can hop on and off and don't need to pay as long as you show the ticket.
SF: Visit MOMA if you can.

Any Starbucks/Seattle Best Coffee/Borders: For the free wireless access, not the coffee! In fact you can generally just stand outside any Starbucks and access their wireless connection - great for sending/receiving emails between meetings. If you do buy coffee at these outlets - ask for a 'short' cup (ie an Australian small/regular size), otherwise the sizes are all huge.

LA: Hire a car with GPS and you'll be fine - be prepared to go from 0-60mph (and back down again) very quickly on the highways and preferably don't hire a small car as you'll be dwarfed on the highways - it's advisable to at least have a 4-door sided sedan (or similar). In LA, Cabs can be difficult to find once you're away from hotels and are expensive compared to the daily rate for a rental car.
LA: Visit any of Venice Beach/Manhattan Beach/Santa Monica for one of the world's best beachside boardwalks and for great people-watching.

If you get a chance to see Arizona (which I think you're missing) - a trip to Sedona ('Red Rock Country') is a must - breathtaking scenery well worthwhile visiting. Alternatively, ensure you fly to the Grand Canyon from Vegas as it will give you a taste of amazing scenery.

Food 1: You will experience LARGE portions of food and while it's tempting to just eat what is put in front of you, you'll regret it later - a good method is simple to buy one main meal for two plus a couple of starters
Food 2: They seem to serve cheese in everything! Also, look out for the potato crips and pickles which seem to be served with all sandwiches.

Money: Make sure that you have lots of $1 notes to hand out as tips - pretty much everyone in a restaurant/hotel/service industry relies on their tips to supplement their income (typically minimum wage) - tipping in restaurants is around 17.5%.


Enjoy the trip...very envious! :shock:

 

[Allegro Vivace]

I have visited the US on several occasions and would strongly recommend -

New York city - stayed at the Library Hotel on 45th and Madison - strongly recommended - especially the junior suite, great staff, good location, breakfast included in room tariff- Cheese and wine in the alte afternoon - complimentary. You could easily spend a month in NYC but we found 10 days a good length of time. You can see the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry - at no cost. The Brooklyn bridge walk is a must as is the Metropolitan Museum.
If you plan to visit the Empire state building book tickets ahead by going to the Empire Building web site.
Travel around NYC is best done by subway - cheap, clean and safe

Chicago - A beautiful clean city - an architectural wonder, the Chicago Art Institute is worth a visit - stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue - room in the tower provides great vies of the city . A walk around Lake Michigan is a worthwhile way to spend a few hours. Millenium park, and a river cruise with the Chicago Architecture Foundation is a must. Take arideon the L - elevated raliway in the loop in downtown Chicago

San Francisco One of my favourite US cities, so diffreent to LA. Hotel accommodation ahs always been a problem for me and am planning to tvisit again in August and am looking at the W HOTEL
The Mission district, Pacific Heights, The Golden Gate Park. Walk over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausilito and catch a ferry back. Muir Woods visit is a worthwhile visit - old Californian redwoods. The Fairmont and Hopkins hotels on Nob hill are worth looking at but they are somewaht isolated from downtown SFO

I stayed in New Orleans before Katrina wrecked the city and found it to be one of the most interesting cities in the US - have no idea how it is now post Katrina.

Boston - an elegant and somewhat British City

Depending on the weather - Seattle

 

[Dougo]

!

Hi guys,

Just an update.
I've changed some of my hotels based on recommendations.
I'm not staying at all Intercontinental properties bar the one in Anaheim.
Frankfurt
New York - Times Square
San Fran - Mark Hopkins
Las Vegas - Venetian
LA - Century City
Anaheim - Ayres Hotel

Now that I've booked my accommodation and all flights, its time to organise what I need to do and see while I'm there! I was hoping you guys can give me some suggestions

So far I have:
Disneyland and Universal studios
Statue of liberty, Empire state building
Alcatraz, Goldern gate bridge, Fisherman's wharf, Union square
Watching some shows in vegas

Thanks in advance!

Re: New York
Apart from the great advice you have already got here - you can get the New Yorker's perspective if you go to TripAdvisor's New York City forum where there is a ton of advice - the FAQs on the right hand side of the screen are useful as are the Trip Reports that visitors have posted - New York City Forum, Travel Discussion for New York City - TripAdvisor

Getting to and from the airport by train is perhaps the cheapest way and quite easy however after a long hall flight, you may not feel like lugging cases around. The taxi services to / from the airport have a set fee so you're not going to be ripped off and taken the long way around.

As you like shopping, there are tons of places to shop in Manhattem and also an outlet called Woodbury Common about an hour out of NYC but the Destination Experts would recommend that you shop in Manhatten as you get bargain priced items, particularly at places like Century 21. I've read mixed reviews about Woodbury Common but would be willing to test drive it !! If you are interested in outlet shopping and saving $$$, then google "outlets" and look for outlets near the places you'll be visiting. Subscribe to the different outlet sites if you like to see what specials are available. It's very easy to spend your entire holiday shopping and not see any of the sites. You'll find a couple of outlets in Las Vegas too.

The Empire State building is iconic and worth it (IMO) but some will say that the Rockefeller Centre offers much better views over Central Park which is also not to be missed.

If you like the theatre and don't mind queuing, go to the cut price ticket outlet (TKTS) in Times Square - there is another outlet down near the seaport area near the Brooklyn Bridge - again the FAQs on the right hand side of the NYC forum are great for that kind of info.

We were in NYC for 7 nights and 7 full days and didn't get time to see the Statue of Liberty up close and personal so we took the free Statten Island ferry and got some great shots - stand outside on the right hand side of the ferry when you board.

You can do lots of things quite cheaply in NYC if you know what's available. For example, to get into the Guggenheim, the normal entry fee is around $15 however on Saturday nights after 5.45pm, you can pay what you wish and many only pay $1 !!! - see this link for details of similar venues where you can "pay what you wish" - New York City Museums Free and Discounted Admission - Free Admission and Discount Days for New York City Museums

I'd also recommend the HOHO buses as this allows you to get to places you may not otherwise have time to see. We got a good deal on a third party site when we went and used it our pass for about 2 days I think as there were about 4 different routes plus the night route.

And the World Trade Centre and the little church nearby may be of interest to you.

I would recommend a good guide book but in particular, one that allows you to work out where the different districts / boroughs are in NYC. The book I found really helpful and took with me and will be taking with me again next May, is called "The New York Mapguide" by Michael Middlemitch - $14.95 at Dymocks about 2 years ago.

I found the subway system was very good and used it quite a bit - ask the ticket office for a little pocket guide (complimentary).

We found New Yorkers to be really helpful and only too willing to help - I think they like our Aussie accent and can't believe that we travelled so far to visit.

And one more thing - wear comfortable walking shoes / trainers as you'll probably find that you walk quite a bit - the only way to take in the sites IMO. Manhatten is constructed on a grid system - the Avenues run along the length of Manhatten parallel to the Hudson River and the "streets" go from "east" to "west". This may sound confusing, the block widths (between each "street") are basically normal sized blocks you'd find in Aussie cities, however the length of the blocks between each Avenue is huge.

Las Vegas
The shows are cheaper here than NYC (unless you get a show at half price). If you like Cirque de Soleil shows, LV has a range of different Cirque shows that will probably never make it to Australia. Last time we were there, "O" was showing in the Bellagio. There's also a place on the Strip where you can buy reduced price tickets for some Las Vegas shows.

In LV, the shuttle from the airport is cheaper than a taxi, but going from the hotel to the airport, we found it cheaper in a taxi than a shuttle !!

Regardless of whether you are staying at the Bellagio or elsewhere, the Bellagio's display between the front desk and the restaurant (not the buffet) is something of a drawcard for locals and tourists ... and check out the Dale Chihully glass in the Bellagio too.

While I haven't stayed at the Venetian (I've visited it) I do agree that a "lake view" room at the Bellagio is worth it - my hotel of choice in LV ... turn the TV on to Channel 22 (?) and watch the water "dance" to the music - the "shows" change all the time ...

Tipping
I agree with mbeder - wait staff are reliant upon tips as part of their income - many earn a few dollars an hour and some only get tips as their wage. Apparently the Inland Revenue tax them for what they think they've earned based on the takings of the restaurant so the wait staff pay tax even if you don't tip them - and I would also agree that 17% - 20% of a restaurant bill is considered "the norm". Apparently you don't have to tip for takeaway.

 

[howiesue]

Recent trips to the US have been enhanced, for me at least, by using the services of hotwire.com for amazingly cheap car hire deals (they appear to be a bucket shop where all the big guys, eg Hertz, Avis, Europecar, etc off-load excess capacity). I rented a 4 month old (4000 miles on clock) Chev Impala from Avis recently in San Francisco for US13 per day - yes, that is thirteen dollars a day. I also got 2 nights at the Intercon Hotel in Manhatten for US100 per night from Hotwire! (Coffee in the foyer coffee shop made up for it though!) :shock: They are a must to try and I have never had a problem with them. With hotel bookings it's true you don't always know which hotel you are going to get until it's confirmed but if you select 4 or 5 star when looking, you generally can't go wrong, especially if you also select the area carefully and cross relate it to where you want to be.

One other thing when flying in the US on FF points. If you select One World and fly AA, any flight sector regardless of class or sector distance, the taxes are only US2.50 per person. Whilst AA are not the best to fly with from a service perspective, that US2.50 pp is a good way to save money and use it elsewhere!

Safe travels!

 

[Baysider]

Not sure if it still applies but last year when I transferred 20,000 points from Amex into an empty Velocity account they were counted towards status and I was elevated to Silver. A good benefit for transferring if they still do this, especially if you can get to Gold or better.

New York accommodation: We stayed at a great little hotel in upper Manhattan (a couple of blocks from Central Park and the Natural History Museum). Its called the Newton and we stayed in a "Queen Queen Deluxe" room with private ensuite. The room was spacious and included a reasonable sized refrigerator and a handy microwave. Tasty microwaveable meals could be bought diagonally opposite at "Gourmet Garage". There are plenty of reasonably priced restaurants nearby. Although there was no breakfast, the refrigerator made it easy for us to have some cereal and milk in the room, and we could microwave frozen pancakes etc for something more substantial.

The hotel is just 50m to the 1, 2 , 3 subway line (96th Street subway stop), and the 2 and 3 express trains stop there. On the express you can get from the hotel to Times Square in under 10 minutes (2 stops).

Wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Uptown Manhattan, New York Hotels - The Newton, New York, NY

 

[Dougo]

We stayed at a great little hotel in upper Manhattan (a couple of blocks from Central Park and the Natural History Museum). Its called the Newton and we stayed in a "Queen Queen Deluxe" room with private ensuite. The room was spacious and included a reasonable sized refrigerator and a handy microwave.

Sounds good - do you mind sharing the cost? And did you book well in advance ?