USA in June Things to See.

[Bundy Bear]

I am planning a trip to the USA for June; I have a schedule on paper but want to run it past a group of people before I start booking some flights

From the other board I thought about basing a 2 week US trip around it.

The idea of flying to the USA(New York) for the weekend doesn't interest me so trying to include a few sight seeing parts on the way and actually spend a few days in New York itself.

The schedule I am looking at is as follows.

Saturday Brisbane-Sydney Qantas
Sydney-Honolulu on Jetstar
Saturday visit Pearl Harbor (how long any suggestions, where to book)
Sunday visit a volcano on the big island(any suggestions where to find a tour)
Sunday night Hawaii-LAX-Dallas Fort Worth; in economy the YUP fares are ridiculous. EVIP
Monday overnight Dallas (relative lives there)
Tuesday (Southwest to Detroit via Chicago)
Wednesday (Henry Ford museum)
Thursday (Northwest Airlines DC9 to NYC) airport doesn't matter, trying to get Delta to keep to their schedule is the problem here.
Thursday-Monday nights in NYC.
Tuesday fly down to Dulles on Jetblue. E190
Tuesday National Air and Space Museum
Tuesday MARC to Baltimore Washington Airport.
Wednesday American Airlines from BWI to LA area via Dallas
Wednesday Alaska Airlines from LA area to Seattle
Wednesday overnight Seattle
Thursday Alaska Airlines to LA connecting to AA to SFO.
Thursday SFO to LAX on Virgin America
Thursday V Australia LAX to Brisbane.

Suggestions, hints, ideas, I am really after stuff to do in Hawaii, am I trying to fit in to much flying, maybe just going to NYC for the weekend is a much easier idea.

 

[Mal]

Some points:

-Pearl Harbour itself is only about 90 mins at max as long as you get there early. If you're late you'll be there for hours.
- A drive around Oahu is quite pleasant.
-HNL-OGG/ITO, Volcano, OGG/ITO-HNL-LAX is a big day with little room for error or delays. Can you overnight on the Big Island (note ITO isn't really a pleasant town to stay in...) or ITO/OGG-LAX it?
- HFM. Make sure you do the Ford Factory tour. I really enjoyed it and thought it was well done. Rest of the museum etc wasn't that special, but was ok. Didn't visit Greenfield Village.
- Seattle and not visiting the Boeing Factory and/or Museum of flight???? (Assuming you haven't been to either or both before)
- See if you can get a "Crown" pass to Statue of Liberty for when you're in NYC. They're pretty limited and are in demand, but if you book early you will probably get one.

 

[wywk]

2 Weeks in the US is great but itinerary looks very crammed and busy and I doubt you would have much time to visit if you are only spending 1 day in each place. However you definitely need to spend at least 4-5 days in NYC to fully enjoy it.

You need to remember to set aside time to Check in and out of the aiports, even if it's domestic flight, it will take at least 2 hrs to check in and 1hr to get out...and account for possible delays.

I did 3 days in Las Vegas and 2 Days in LA in January and I found it very hectic, I wish I spent more days in Las Vegas and our time in LA was VERY Rushed and we had to be very selective in what we did and be on schedule all the time, which is not very fun.

However if I had to pick between LA and SFO, I would suggest SFO, as there is much more to see. My best suggestion, is to pick max 4 places to see...Maybe Hawaii, Dallas, NYC and SFO?

Any reason you are travelling Qantas one way and Virgin America the other? Just curious

 

[MissBurrill]

Saturday visit Pearl Harbor (how long any suggestions, where to book)
Sunday visit a volcano on the big island(any suggestions where to find a tour)

If you're feeling adventerous catch a public bus to Pearl Harbour quite early. Last time I was in Hawaii the bus was $3. Entry to Pearl Harbour is free but remember don't take a bag. Just your wallet in your pocket and your camera in your hand. Nothing else. No bum bag, enviro bag, school bag or any other sort of bag. After Pearl Harbour you might like to head down to the swap meet (markets) at the Aloha Stadium. Once you're done catch the bus back to your accom. I know you can catch the bus to Pearl Harbour from outside the Ala Moana shopping centre. Or you can pay for a company to pick you up and drop you back but I enjoyed catching the bus and doing it cheaply.

Re the volcano the lava if the lava is flowing tours can be booked out a few days in advance. I booked through the travel desk at the hotel but others probably know better ways to book.

Mum and I did a food tour which was great fun. Search Hawaii Food Tour and you should find it.

 

[drron]

Well I am an old geezer but that seems far too rushed.Virtually no matter where you go there will be something of interest.Personally I feel the best way to see the USA is drive.
however in Hawaii-Pearl Harbour isnt just the Arizona memorial.you can visit the Mighty Mo-USS Missouri.driving around the Island is worth it if not been before.If there is a shopper going with you there is a factory outlet there-though much better ones on the mainland.
As to the continental USA it really does depend on your likes.I would visit online the States tourist offices of those states that you want to visit.Most will still send free to Australia their tourist brochures and map.Recently California,Arkansas,Tennessee and Texas all got their stuff back to us before Tasmania and everything was ordered on the same day.:shock:

 

[HardieBoys]

I'm a middle-aged fogey, but the schedule is extremely busy, and doesn't leave much room for any errors, such as delayed or cancelled flights, missing bags, or illness.

Domestic plane travel in the US is more complicated and time-consuming than in Oz. Everything takes longer.

Personally, I'd skip Seattle, and choose one of LA or SF, and do a separate West Coast trip at a later date. Also, I'd recommend just taking Amtrak from NY to DC. From a door-to-door (Penn St Station in Manhattan - Union Station in DC) perspective, it's probably a little quicker, and much less hassle.

My $0.02.

 

[Grooba]

Some points:

...


- See if you can get a "Crown" pass to Statue of Liberty for when you're in NYC. They're pretty limited and are in demand, but if you book early you will probably get one.

Thank Mal! I'm heading to NYC for the first time in May and had had a bit of a scout around looking for the best way to secure tickets to the Statue Of Liberty. That "Crown" pass was what was needed in google to point me in the right direction - tickets booked!

Thanks again.

 

[BAM1748]

am I trying to fit in to much flying

In a word. Yes.

 

[mosanator]

+ 1 for the train between NYC and DC.

Too easy, compared with all the to and from, check in, security etc at US airports.

I reckon from the look of that schedule, a train ride would be a nice break from all those airports.

 

[Mal]

In a word. Yes.

Not unusual for this site

 

[TimB]

Hi,

The schedule I am looking at is as follows.

Saturday Brisbane-Sydney Qantas
Sydney-Honolulu on Jetstar
Saturday visit Pearl Harbor (how long any suggestions, where to book)

As others have said, you don't need to book, but get there early, and don't carry a bag. And if you can, choose seat A on your SYD-HNL flight, and you should get a good view of Pearl Harbour as you come in to land.

Sunday visit a volcano on the big island(any suggestions where to find a tour)

I've been to Big Island twice, and visited both kinds of volcano (the big extinct kind and the smaller active kind). See this for some more specific tips: http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...awaiis-big-island-1-day-19702.html#post268010

If you're prepared to commit to some tight schedules, I think you could see Pearl Harbour on Sat morning, fly to Kailua-Kona, do a sunset tour to Mauna Kea, and then drive to Volcano National Park on Sunday, and get back to Honolulu in time for an evening flight to the mainland. But really, you'd be better off allowing an extra day if you can -- Hawaii is such a fantastic place, and that's not even counting the beaches (which don't do that much for me).

Sunday night Hawaii-LAX-Dallas Fort Worth; in economy the YUP fares are ridiculous. EVIP
Monday overnight Dallas (relative lives there)

YUPP fares ex-HNL are expensive -- except ones to Florida, which are better value considering the extra miles/SC, but still a fair few $$$. So it may seem odd, but look into doing HNL-LAX-DFW-PBI-DFW (stopover to visit relative). You'd then need to take DFW-LAX later on in your trip on the same ticket, and then return via HNL (e.g. Jetstar again HNL-SYD).

I'm contemplating doing something like this for my next US trip.

Thursday-Monday nights in NYC.

Despite what others have said, you could sacrifice a day or two in NY for other places if necessary. NYC is indeed a fantastic place, but you can't hope to see it all in 4 days, so there's not that much difference if you only spend 3.

You should definitely try to see the USS Intrepid, a carrier turned into an aircraft museum, which has a Concorde and Lockheed A-12 (precursor to SR-71 Blackbird, and as used as a golf tee in "I Am Legend") on its deck, amongst other planes.

Wednesday Alaska Airlines from LA area to Seattle
Wednesday overnight Seattle

I'm sure you meant to say "Take Boeing factory tour at Everett" here, right???

Thursday Alaska Airlines to LA connecting to AA to SFO.
Thursday SFO to LAX on Virgin America
Thursday V Australia LAX to Brisbane.

As I suggested above, if you want to take the YUPP HNL-PBI fare, you'd need to take LAX-HNL and then HNL-SYD-BNE instead of the V Australia direct flight. Of course, if you don't care about Qantas or AA status, your original plan may make more sense.

Suggestions, hints, ideas, I am really after stuff to do in Hawaii, am I trying to fit in to much flying, maybe just going to NYC for the weekend is a much easier idea.

"Too much flying" is very subjective. Yes, you can spend a lot of time in the air and at either end, but if you enjoy the experience, then why not. Conversely, you'll never run out of things to do on the ground, so you may want to cut down on the flights a bit to allow more ground time. But you'll have to judge what the best balance is for yourself.

More ideas for Hawaii (if you can spend extra time) include hiking to the top of Diamond Head, going to Kauai and doing a cruise along the Na Pali coast, and doing the downhill bike tour from the top of Haleakala on Maui. Plus endless beaches for swimming, surfing and sunbathing, if that's your thing. Plus my special tip for buying Hawaiian shirts at HNL airport, if you neglected to get any from the ABC stores in Waikiki: the cheapest shirts are in a little store near gate 21 in the central concourse; otherwise you'll be paying for the expensive (~$60-70) designer shirts in the main concourse near the food court.

 

[Blackadder]

Defintly recommend the train from NYC-DC, about 3.2hrs on the NE Regional services or around 2.45hrs on the Acela Express.

Prices from
$49 (economy Regional Express only)
$86 (Business Regional Express only)
$133 (Business Acela Express)
$233 (First Class Acela Express)

Note some services have higher prices especially from around 3pm from NYC

 

[Bundy Bear]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I am about to pull the trigger on a revised schedule.

BNE-LAX-DFW skip Hawaii QF/AA
DAL-MDW-DTW on Southwest
DTW-EWR on DL
? train could be a possibility but I really want to see the Air & Space Museum at Dulles.
the run home.
JFK-IAD on B6 for $59 USD is not too bad.
MARC to BWI from Washington DC
BWI-DFW-ONT-SEA in AA & AS F.
Have been to Seattle before and done all those tours so nothing really new to see.
SEA-SFO-LAX does this get the same SCs as SEA-LAX-SFO
LAX-SYD-BNE on Qantas

Where to stay in NYC is still a consideration.

 

[oldbackpacker]

hi there.
i have been to hawaii twice-last time october 2009.
do you really need to see a volcano on this trip? i ask this as if i were you i would just spend my 2 days on oahu-it is a amazingly beautiful beautiful island and often doesnt get the credit it deserves!-waikiki is really touristy and built up-but fun and very different to aussie city beach with the beautiful mountain backdrops!
we also went to kauai for 1 week in october and also found this amazing but still impressed with oahu (we have also rented a private condo on the north shore as we loved this area)
i would spend 1 day in waikiki and the second i would rent a car and drive around the island-along the east coast up to the north shore and back through the centre of oahu to pearl harbour-do the free tour-no need to book! and then back to a waikiki hotel. parking rates in waikiki are ridiculous so renting for one day very economical!-the drive around the island is very easy and you will have plenty of time to stop off for a swim, photo etc on the way-make sure you call into kailua beach (hope spelling is correct!) on the east coast.
look at hotwire.com when booking accommodation in waikiki-last year we got sheraton waikiki-a fantastic hotel for US$120 per night-we looked for a 4 star beach area hotel (aparently all 4 star hotels in usa on the hotwire website are all v good name hotels-i have used hotwire many times now and always very happy!
hope this helps!
enjoy your trip!

 

[Blackadder]

For accom check out the Hilton Garden Inn at Times Square (around us$200per night), staff are very friendly and helpful and just across the road to the Subway station that will get you to Jamaica and onto JFK via airtrain.
If you can get a high floor room, even better to get away from a bit of the noise.

 

[Alanslegal]

With that amount of flying BB, I think squeezing in Hawaii at the end of the trip would be a good thing, just to relax and rejuvenate yourself after a jam packed two weeks on the mainland.

 

[ranger]

Google Tripadvisor Honolulu Forum...................you will get lots of helpful advice there & can also search their forms.
For that matter they have forums for every big city, so might help you for Seattle & los Angeles.

Pearl Harbour is on one island, whereas volcanoes are on other islands.
You are planning on going to too many cities without really seeing anything.

We had 10 days in Seattle last year & loved it...........does tend to rain a fair bit there......hopefully June should be OK.

Tripadvisor is the way to go for help.

 

[Voyages]

For accom check out the Hilton Garden Inn at Times Square (around us$200per night), staff are very friendly and helpful and just across the road to the Subway station that will get you to Jamaica and onto JFK via airtrain.
If you can get a high floor room, even better to get away from a bit of the noise.

+ 1.

Or closeby, the Hampton Inn Times Square North - Similar price range plus breakfast. You can earn HHonors credits for this.

Or if you'd like it a bit cheaper.. head to Soho village... the Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan SoHo Village is also a good one, around 150USD per night plus tax. Very close to the subway.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Thanks for all the hints and suggestions.

I flew the following schedule.

BNE-LAX-DFW QF/AA Y
DFW-MDW-DTW WN Y
DTW-EWR DL Y (I got my DC9)
EWR-ORD-TPA-MIA-DCA AA FIRST(I ditched Seattle and instead went to Tampa for a mileage run)
BWI-DFW-LAX AA First another mileage run but this started the trip home.
LAX-SYD-BNE on QF

Some points:

- HFM(Henry Ford Museum). Make sure you do the Ford Factory tour. I really enjoyed it and thought it was well done. Rest of the museum etc wasn't that special, but was ok. Didn't visit Greenfield Village.

Yep did the Henry Ford Museum and the Ford Factory tour, some really interesting stuff at the museum.

am I trying to fit in to much flying, maybe just going to NYC for the weekend is a much easier idea.

In a word. Yes.

Hey this is AFF; and you may have noticed the Qantas platinum status. also managed a bunch of Hilton stays so now have Hilton Gold.

Hi,


You should definitely try to see the USS Intrepid, a carrier turned into an aircraft museum, which has a Concorde and Lockheed A-12 (precursor to SR-71 Blackbird, and as used as a golf tee in "I Am Legend") on its deck, amongst other planes.

Completely missed this the first time around and it was just lucky that someone else wanted to see this.

Some photos from Tom911. 2010 Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, New York City - tom911's Photos

Next up trip report.