Seeking tips re: USA travel itinerary :)

[awilcockson]

If you would like to book a climb to the Statue of Liberty crown or up the Washington Monument, you have to do so months ahead like 6 months or so, so would start lookign at that if your dates are comfirmed...

That's not entirely true. I've been up the Washington Monument a couple of times, just picked up tickets on the day. I'm not saying that reserving tickets isn't a bad idea, but saying you need to book 6 months in advance isn't necessarily mandatory.

 

[parsonstrish]

I found hilton garden inn time square quite nice. i find most areas central in nyc, just need to enjoy walking or subways. there is a great grocery store and hot food to take away on the first floor plus made-up sandwiches, etc. a block from hotel. there are other places but I can't think what they are called, something like pret-a-manger that sell soups, sandwiches, etc. Plenty around NYC. Also 5 guys h/burgers, really good old fashioned burgers. Not that fussed on the fries though. Virgils bar-b-que place if you like that yummy hickory taste of bar-b-que. Macys and Bloomingdales give either 5 or 10% discount to o/seas tourists. The food court at Grand Central station is good place to purchase take-away food and in the other section lots of fast food outlets.

If you stay near Union Sq. in SFO, there is a great food place to purchase food to take away in downstairs area of Union Sq. building. If you enjoy the outdoors, I enjoyed the muir wood half day trip. I stayed at Fairmont and got a good price for a lovely room with bay view. A grocery store just couple of blocks away to buy take away salads, sandwiches and yummy cakes.

The planning is half the fun, at least to me., enjoy.

 

[parsonstrish]

I also stay in Alexandria, Va., about a 8-10 min. metro ride into downtown d.c. cute little main street, right on potomac river. stayed at the main hilton one trip and embassy suites last yr., breakfast was good at embassy but disaster with thin walls and teenagers having a party other side of my bedroom, wouldn't stay there again. both of the hotels are just across road from metro.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Mobile phone: Get a USA sim card asap on arrival as it's handy when booking tours, shuttles etc so they can call you if need be. We got ours from T-Mobile in SFO which was our first stop & I couldn't have done without it particularly when it came to tracking down my passport which fell out of my handbag on an Alaska Airlines flight SFO/SEA - yes I did get it back 6 days later in NYC.

Airport transfers: Supershuttle: 1 800 258 3826 (1 800 blue van) or www.supershuttle.com I called this number from Australia used a Global Gossip phone card (0011 1 800 etc) to prebook airport shuttles wherever we went which was invaluable as you can prepay taxes, driver tip etc so you don't have to muck around looking for change when you get to the airport. Arriving at JFK 2250 was handy as we just went to the meeting point near the tourist info & the driver came in & got us.

San Francisco: We did a Segway tour of San Fran through the SF Electric Tour Company San Francisco and Sausalito Segway Tours - The 1st Segway Sightseeing Tours of the San Francisco Waterfront, Fisherman's Wharf and Sausalito. which was a brilliant way to get a feel for the city. Another tour worth doing is a double decker bus tour in any city as a lot of the time the pass is valid 24 hours so you can do a pm tour one day then an am one the next. They have local people doing the commentary which is full of history & interesting facts on places you're seeing.

Las Vegas: I note that you are there on a Fri & Sat night. It's best to avoid weekends if possible as midweek hotel rates are much cheaper. We stayed at New York New York Hotel & Casino which was handy to a lot of places we went. We saw Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian which had a purpose built theatre worth $40M & massive chandelier that drops from the ceiling in spectcular fashion during the show. We booked these tickets through www.vegas.com as well as tickets to Purple Reign - the Ultimate Prince tribute show. Another place you can buy half price tickets for shows is through www.tix4tonight.com which has 11 locations in Vegas - we went to the one opposite NYNY next to the Giant Coke Bottle at Showcase Mall.

New York: We saw the musical West Side Story at the Palace Theater on Broadway & purchased our tickets through www.ticketmaster.com/americanexpress as they had some upgrade offer for tickets if you paid on Amex. We had a a pre-theater dinner at Cafe Iguana 240 West 54th St which is Mexican cuisine.

There's also another website where you can book not only Broadway Shows but tapings of tv shows such as David Letterman, Martha Stewart, Nate Berkus, Inside the Actors Studio (ITAS) on www.nytix.com which costs USD7.00 for 30 days access plus you also get discount coupons for parking, comedy clubs & NYC attractions.

Fly BNE/MEL the night before: Is it possible on the fare you have booked to fly BNE/MEL the night prior as I really wouldn't have to wake up at 0200 :shock: & leave for the airport at 0300 particularly when you are flying all the way to NYC - you'd be jet lagged before you even left Australia! Stay overnight at MEL Airport then you can get a good nights sleep before the long journey ahead.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Again, a big thank-you to those who have generously given quantities of extremely helpful information!!! My apologies for being slow to respond - things have been a bit hectic lately! As a bit of an update, I'm also looking to include Toronto and Vancouver into the itinerary (Toronto probably after NYC, and Vancouver before the west-coast USA cities - most likely extending the itinerary as opposed to cutting other cities)... though this does mean I'll officially be entering the US 3 times on the one visa waiver (once from AUS, twice from Canada)... I'll just be sure to keep my full flight itineraries with me to show that I am actually headed back to AUS before the 90 days is up!

Also, now that Hilton Gold Elite status is free with Velocity, the majority of my hotel stays over there will be in their properties (primarily to use Skype and email on the free wi-fi to cut down my roaming bill, and also for the free b/fast)... I'd still prefer to stay in the Bellagio in Vegas though, as opposed to the Hilton hotel there!

malmacdowall & tuapekastar - Are Segways easy to operate for a first-timer? I can ride a bike, but have never tried a Segway (lol)! Thanks also malmacdowall for your Alcatraz tip - I'll research that in more detail once we have dates 100% confirmed, although from a quick Google search, the night tour does seem quite nice!

Maca44 - it seems that their YUPP fares on this route (and a few others I checked) are at least 5x the price of economy. Although they earn points and status credits as First, I'm not sure I can justify the additional expenditure, when on BA you can purchase confirmed business upgrades online, with the upgrade cost generally being less than the fare charged for a discount Y ticket... if I get lucky and find a YUPP fare isn't 5x Y, I'll certainly consider it (on other carriers too)

drron - I don't *have* to fly at that time, it just suits my schedule the best ... I'm by no means a morning person, so I don't want to get up early for the 7:40 departure, but the later flights don't leave as much time in SFO on that day... though the more I think about it, I think I'd prefer to get one of those afternoon flights on a 738, as opposed to being stuck on an aircraft with no IFE!

DC3 - thanks for that! Do they charge your card in $USD to perfectly match the original fare quoted, or is the charge in GBP (my only concern would be them converting the amount to GBP themselves, and then my card issuer converting GBP to AUD - the amount lost on FX in this case could reduce the benefit)... I have no problem calling a UK number for payments though - international calls are 'free' on my mobile cap PS: given your username, have you had the chance to fly a DC3 recently? I haven't been on one in at least 10 years!

casanovawa - cheers - I'll definitely look into booking everything in advance, although unfortunately the Statue of Liberty will be closed for renovations when we're there... at least we'll be able to see it from the outside I suppose! I wouldn't mind seeing a game at Madison Square Garden, so I'll peruse Google to see if I can find the discount ticket service you speak of! I also didn't think of checking for artists touring - that will certainly keep me busy!!!

RB - The greeter service in Chicago sounds quite beneficial! Although it's advertised as 'free', I'm assuming that a tip is customary at the end of the tour? That being the case, any suggestions of a decent and fair amount to tip for 2 people? ... I have visited countries where tipping has been customary, although the majority of our expenses were pre-paid and organised by someone else, so I didn't have to worry about it (I therefore have a bit of research to do before departing!)

parsonstrish - Wow, very detailed!! Regarding the O/S tourist discounts at Macy's/Bloomingdales, do I just have to mention that I'm a foreigner when paying, or do they request a foreign passport for verification (or will they just accept my non-US accent as proof)? Also, how did you find the Hilton in/near DC? I'm most likely going to stay there for the Gold Elite perks

ozbeachbabe - Thank-you for the time you put into writing all of that! I'm considering either getting a USA SIM or using my existing TravelSIM - I'll just have to look into the call prices for both a bit more closely (I will have my Vodafone iPhone, and my TravelSIM/US SIM will be used in my Nokia E72). Your airport transfers tip is invaluable - I'll definitely give them a call! With regards to your Vegas tips, is the price difference for weekday vs. weekend stays in Vegas considerably different to the same pricing fluctiation in other major cities? At this stage I hadn't paid attention to the day of the week that I'd be in a city, as I'd just assumed they would all go up and down... If the difference is great however, I might see what I can do with the scheduling! I've had a look at the NY Tix website - it will come in handy! I have also downloaded the TheatreMania app for iPhone, which shows all musicals and plays currently showing and upcoming in NYC - though I would never buy tickets through the links in the app, as I've found it's always cheaper to book direct with the ticketing company responsible (and some have the nice Amex perks, as you mentioned). Regarding the hotel stay in MEL, it's possible, so I'll ask my partner... if all else fails, I can sleep on the plane (it is a morning US arrival), though we might also consider spending a night in LAX before heading onto NYC (so long as QF will still ticket us on QF107LAX-JFK the next day if booked as a multi-city)

 

[Blackadder]

I found hilton garden inn time square quite nice. i find most areas central in nyc, just need to enjoy walking or subways. there is a great grocery store and hot food to take away on the first floor plus made-up sandwiches, etc. a block from hotel. there are other places but I can't think what they are called, something like pret-a-manger that sell soups, sandwiches, etc. Plenty around NYC. Also 5 guys h/burgers, really good old fashioned burgers. Not that fussed on the fries though. Virgils bar-b-que place if you like that yummy hickory taste of bar-b-que. Macys and Bloomingdales give either 5 or 10% discount to o/seas tourists. The food court at Grand Central station is good place to purchase take-away food and in the other section lots of fast food outlets.

If you stay near Union Sq. in SFO, there is a great food place to purchase food to take away in downstairs area of Union Sq. building. If you enjoy the outdoors, I enjoyed the muir wood half day trip. I stayed at Fairmont and got a good price for a lovely room with bay view. A grocery store just couple of blocks away to buy take away salads, sandwiches and yummy cakes.

The planning is half the fun, at least to me., enjoy.

Second that for the HGI at Times Square, the rooms are smallish but a couple of blocks and you are at Times Square/Broadway for a very reasonable price.
Try and get one of the higher level floors just to get away from the street noise.
Also HGI have free in room wifi, and free net access/printing in the business centre

 

[drron]

The Hilton Las vegas is actually being dumped by Hilton at the end of the year so definitely go for Bellagio.

 

[BVT]

not really knowing what your budget contarints are, here are some of my favourite things in new york..breakfast at pastis in the meatpacking district or balthazar in soho(google) , can get very busy...have a look at the new highline park, and as for drinks, the gansevoort hotel has a great rooftop coughtail bar (14th floor) as does the standard hotel-both in the meatpacking district..check out the green markets on union square if you are there on a saturday morning..enjoy!!

This sounds like my ideal NYC itinerary. I have done everthing suggested and recommend it all.

An early morning stroll along the Highline Park followed by breakfast at Pastis! +++1 Fabulous way to start th day.

 

[parsonstrish]

hi chris,
alexandria: i stayed at hilton alex. old town and also embassy suites in alexandria. both are just across from the amtrak and metro station. the hilton alex. i had a jnr. cnr. suite as other family with me. i found the hotel clean, a few comedy of errors but not enough to turn it into a disaster. used room service, remember meal being ok. had a starbucks in hotel that the lemonade was nicer than the marquerita i had at bar. (no liquour but tastier and cheaper). at embassy there is free breaky, hot and cold food. i had a cnr. room with separate bedroom. disaster one night with occupants on other side of bedroom wall, security sorted it out but early hrs. in a.m. and effected my sleep. next time new occupants but could hear their tv. in alexandria there is a trolly bus that is free to go up and down the main street but not necessary as only abt. 15-20 min. walk one end to river.

i see there is another hilton in alexandria that offers complimentary shuttle to metro and a/port. i like alexandria for its small downtown look and plenty of variety of eating. also historical area and just a couple of blocks from main st. historical homes, cobble streets. i generally find something to buy at the christmas shop.

i usually book a corner room in any hotel and preferably no connecting rooms as noise can be sometimes heard through the connecting door.

beautiful interior of union station, dc which houses amtrak and the metro, variety of eating and some stores.

variety of tours to book that go around the historical sites in dc. last trip we ate in one of the restaurants in dc that lots of the locals used, wish i could remember the name, i sensed all the political deals being made over lunch, but then i'm a romantic, we soaked up the atmosphere. the smithsonian is a must do, housed in different bldgs.

at macys, bloomys just show p/port. i'm sure you know to pre-book empire state bldg. and other things, saves standing in a line to book and then another line to enter.

you may want to think of amtrak bet. nyc and d.c., not a long trip and nice way to travel. i book business for this, more comfortable seating and it's one less a/port to worry abt.
cheers

 

[Meggsy]

With regards to your Vegas tips, is the price difference for weekday vs. weekend stays in Vegas considerably different to the same pricing fluctiation in other major cities? At this stage I hadn't paid attention to the day of the week that I'd be in a city, as I'd just assumed they would all go up and down... If the difference is great however, I might see what I can do with the scheduling!

ChrisCh

As a rule of thumb the areas with a greater demand for business related accommodation, i.e. Lower Manhattan, will be more expensive from Monday to Thursday and conversely places with high demand for tourism related accommodation will be more expensive on Friday and Saturday nights. You can find some real bargains in Las Vegas mid week. Late last year for example I stayed at the New York New York Casino on a 3 night midweek deal for US$40 per night. As
parsonstrish said, the planning is half the fun. Good luck

 

[RB]

RB - The greeter service in Chicago sounds quite beneficial! Although it's advertised as 'free', I'm assuming that a tip is customary at the end of the tour? That being the case, any suggestions of a decent and fair amount to tip for 2 people? ... I have visited countries where tipping has been customary, although the majority of our expenses were pre-paid and organised by someone else, so I didn't have to worry about it (I therefore have a bit of research to do before departing!)

I think something like the offer of a simple lunch goes well. Our guide was from the burbs & wanted to get home so that didn't happen in our case. When we got home we put together a small parcel of typical Aust & local area tourisy things & some photos & that went down really well. Got an email at Xmas etc since.
On reflection I think taking something from home is pretty effective.
We nominated sport & Chinatown as interests. The guide met us with free transport passes for a half day, took us to Chinatown, we saw the Stanley Cup parade, the jewish sector where our guides grandfather grew up & then out to see Wrigley field where the Cubs & White Sox were playing-you could say we jagged a pretty good time to be in Chicago

 

[serfty]

The Hilton Las vegas is actually being dumped by Hilton at the end of the year so definitely go for Bellagio.

Maybe not yet ...

They are now taking bookings (including rewards) through to end of march March.

 

[tuapekastar]

malmacdowall & tuapekastar - Are Segways easy to operate for a first-timer? I can ride a bike, but have never tried a Segway (lol)! Thanks also malmacdowall for your Alcatraz tip - I'll research that in more detail once we have dates 100% confirmed, although from a quick Google search, the night tour does seem quite nice!

Included in the Segway tour I took was a short instruction session at the start and was dead easy. After a few minutes instruction and practice it was no problem.

The surpershuttle suggestion by obb is a good one, but just a cautionary note. I booked one in the morning from a LAX hotel for arrival at JFK later that day. I got an e-mail with a confirmation number. didn't have a printer, figured the confirmation number would be fine. As we (it was chockers) were travelling from JFK in to Manhattan the driver asked for my printout. When I said I just had the confirmaton number he said I was going to have to pay him cash - he had to have the printout in order to be able to collect his money. Well I wasn't going to fork over, so with the kind agreement of the other pax, and the great service from the checkin guy at my hotel, he waited outside the 5 or so minutes it took me to get on the net and get a printout of the e-mail.

When I followed up with the company, they said the driver should be easily able to tell via his 'device' (sort of like a mobile phone, but not) that I had paid and he would be able to get his money. I still don't know whether he was genuinely ignorant or trying to rip me off.

 

[rrian]

In November 2010 while passing through the security check at Los Angeles Airport to board a flight to Las Vegas, my cabin bag was searched by an official of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and returned to me after a second check with a comment that I could proceed to the aircraft.

I did not discover until I was at Las Vegas Airport that all of my toiletries, vitamin pills and prescribed medications had been removed without my knowledge. Attempts to recover them failed. So far as I could ascertain, all of these items complied with US security requirements and I was not told otherwise.

Subsequently I entered into correspondence with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which sent me some booklets published by the Australian government for travellers to the United States. These publications and relative websites of the departments concerned are totally inadequate in warning vulnerable tourists of the risks associated with carrying liquids, aerosols and gels on to an aircraft in the United States.

In my case, Australian Customs officials on my departure from Sydney Airport the previous day had routinely checked the contents of my cabin bag and evidently had no problem with the items concerned including the size of containers and the clear plastic bags containing them.

I would advise travellers to the United States, especially those with a need for prescribed medications, intending further domestic air travel in the United States to carry prescriptions separately from the medications and to check directly before departure on the TSA website concerning US requirements for liquids, aerosols and gels as well as medications.

 

[harriaj]

Again, a big thank-you to those who have generously given quantities of extremely helpful information!!! My apologies for being slow to respond - things have been a bit hectic lately! As a bit of an update, I'm also looking to include Toronto and Vancouver into the itinerary (Toronto probably after NYC, and Vancouver before the west-coast USA cities - most likely extending the itinerary as opposed to cutting other cities)... though this does mean I'll officially be entering the US 3 times on the one visa waiver (once from AUS, twice from Canada)... I'll just be sure to keep my full flight itineraries with me to show that I am actually headed back to AUS before the 90 days is up!

Just a thought, but instead of Toronto, have you considered Montreal? French Canada is something a little bit different (and Quebec City, a bus ride away, is quite beautiful).

 

[Bad Seed]

Just spent all of July in the US and although my travel plans would be different to yours (travelling with two kids LOL), here are a couple of my thoughts (PS I don't understand all your travel codes in your inital post and don't have the time to look then all up so forgive me if I mention places you aren't going to.

An absolute highlight for us was a flight over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter. This cost a fortune (almost $500 a person) but was awesome. You have to go to the South rim - the North rim, which is the one closest to Las Vegas is not considered the "real" GC. We went with Maverick and they pick you up at your hotel then you catch a small plane to the Grand Canyon airport, then a heli flight over the GC, then a bus to the vistors centre then the whole journey in reverse - a once in a lifetime experience.

Also from the GC, make sure you visit the outlet shopping malls - fantastic shopping, one at each end of town and take a drive out to Hoover Dam.

If you go to San Diego, go out to the USS Midway. I really didn't think visiting an aircraft carrier would be my thing but I was so surprised and how interesting the 3 hours we spent there was.

In Chicago, we did an architecture boat tour which was a fun way to get a perspective on the city and my dh went out to a ball game.

In DC, we stayed at the Liaison hotel which I can recommend. Its 5 minutes walk from Union station which is a great place to eat and as someone else said, consider doing the DC/ NYC trip by train - its a really nice way to travel. The Liaison is also within walking distance of most attractions.

Personally, the Air and Space didn't do it for me apart from seeing the "big things" (space shuttle, Wright brothers' plane) but I loved the Natural History Museum but I suppose it depends on your taste.

Make sure you get to Chinatown for a feed. We did pre order tickets for the Washington monument and its good we did becasue there were certainly none available on the day but I suppose it depends on the season.

NYC - well, theres just so much and what interests me probably won't interest you but we did do a food tour of NY tour of Greenwich Village with Foods of NYwhich I can highly recommend. I personally didn't feel the need to climb Lady Liberty - take the Staten Island ferry - its free and you can sail around it and see it. We took in the view of the city from the top of the Rockerfeller Centre which is supposed to be better than the Empire State. I don't know but the view was fabulous. We went first thing in the morning, about 8.30 so no queues.

We also did a private Volcano tour on the big island of Hawaii, again expensive but it was another highlight - we had out own guide and he just tailored it to our wants and needs and I learned so much and it was just fantastic - and we saw the glow of lava and walked on a volcano so that was cool.

Oh, and as has already been said, be prepared to remove belt, shoes, hat, everywhere and queue at every airport for security -factor it in to your travel time.

 

[Julesmac]

Chrisch you are so lucky - my fave things in NYC - Barney Greengrass (the Sturgeon King) on the Upper West Side for a real taste of 'Noo Yoik' - dozens of different kinds of salmon, wait staff are like the soup naz_ out of Seinfeld!

A morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stop for a breather in the sculpture garden for a snack or drink and a marvellous view of Central Park. United Nations tour is interesting.

The WTC memorial is terribly moving as is the small church down there which was used as a refuge. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station.

View the city from Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Centre) is a good view and often less crowded than the Empire State. Hire a boat and row on the lake in Central Park.

Carnegie Deli to eat the most enormous serves of deli food. I could go on and on!

In Washington, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is the coolest place I have ever seen - certainly in my top 3 of world sights. I concur, Segway tours are a standout - and if I can do one at 62 asnd not break a leg you sure can! We have always stayed in the Elliot Suites Hotels thru out the US and without exception found them excellent.

A bit of space and somewhere to make a sandwich or snack can save you heaps when travelling. Have a wonderful time and update us on your experiences

 

[rrian]

hi Chris

I see that you will be in San Francisco and Vegas. If you are into museums and art don't miss the Legion of Honor near the Golden Gate. Everything from Egyptian mummies and artifacts to Rodin and other art. It's sister museum, the de Young, is covered by the same entry ticket but sadly, I didn't have time for both.

In Vegas, you have booked at the Bellagio. Haven't stayed there but it is well located, opposite Paris Las Vegas which I can recommend. In Paris try the $40 plus tax 24 hour bistro entry, good in around 8 casino/hotels. The food in the Paris bistro is excellent. The best view of the waterworks at the Bellagio is from the Eiffel Tower. Don't pay full price for shows and tours. There is a kiosk near McDonalds and Harrahs on the Strip that sells last minute tickets quite cheaply at times. If you are into interesting cars don't miss the car collections at the Imperial Palace. Hotel books often have vouchers for free entry. For 50s nostalgia, visit Roxys Diner in the Stratosphere. All red leatherette and chrome and the waiters burst into song regularly. They do a great banana split for $8. Use the Deuce bus up and down the Strip to Fremont Street, the original Strip. No change given on the buses, so have plenty. An excellent steak house in New York New York.

In the US carry a wad of $1 bills in a separate pocket for tips. US bills look pretty much the same. In Vegas you can get a supply at bill breaker machines in any casino. For hotel and other bookings, I have found www.booking.com very good. For Vegas, check out www.vegas.com for anything. I can also recommend Look Tours. Take the Hummer tour to Hoover Dam.

Enjoy
Ian

 

[farawaymum]

NEW YORK
Another vote for the Greenwich Village walking tour by Food Tours of New York- fantastic way to enjoy a "local" experience, good value- lots of interesting food included. Book a broadway show before you go via Broadwaybox- have seen lots of shows in great seats , cheap too.You just take your receipt to the ticket box before the show- must better than lining up at the Halftix in Times Square.

Supershuttle is dreadful as you have to circle the airport to fill up the van- book Carmel Limo for the same price as a taxi. You can find coupons on line for a discount before you book.

Be confident and use the subway in NY- it is the fastest ,cheapest and most efficient way to get from A to B.There are plenty of people about (crowded in rush hour as they call it) and I always feel safe.Take a trip to Mulberry Street in Little Italy and enjoy some authentic italian pastry and proper expresso coffee.

CHICAGO
Do the river cruise run by the Chicago Architecture Foundation -amazing intro to the fantastic buildings-book online as they run every half hour but are popular. The foundation runs lots of walking tours too, and bus tours. If you have even the slightest interest in buildings, cities, architecture or Frank Lloyd Wright these are a must do.

BOSTON
Another walking city- full of history. Favourite hotel is the Omni Parker - oozing character and often great special offers. Lots of beautiful parks and civic spaces. A modern art gallery like no other called the ICA in the Seaport district. Harvard University and Cambridge also worth a look. Travel around on the T (tram/train system)- cheap passes are available for unlimited travel.

 

[brickmark]

That would have been useful information on monday night, and would have saved me around $100. US site had the flight for roughly $300 while the AU site was roughly $400.

Alskain Airlines allows you to book using Australian cc and they are a great airline to fly with