USA trip!

[Slats7]

So i'm off to America next week for the first time!! My father and I are heading over on Monday 9 May in Y+ (we have both requested an upgrade) and will return on Saturday 21 May in Y+ (we have both requested an upgrade).


On Wednesday 11 May we are meeting my uncle who is flying in from Brisbane on QF15 and departing on Saturday 21 May on QF 16.


The main reason for the trip is to see the Planes of Fame Airshow at Chino among other things! My father and I couldn't make it last year to Planes of Fame due to work commitments so only my uncle ended up going. We are keen to make this an annual trip!

I've included a rough itinerary listed below for you to have a look at. Feedback would be much appreicated. If there is some good things that I must see that is not on my itinerary please let me know!!


My uncle is an ex travel agent and has travelled to the states many times so he has a good knowledge of what to see and do but is pretty open so please put forward your suggestions. My father has been to America twice but not for a long time so it will be good for him to get back.



This will be the longest flight i've been on so if anyone who has flown this route before it will be much appreciated. I hear security is going to be pretty full on so people with past experience in America let me know some tips!


PS: Been hearing it from the blokes at work all week - trying to stir me up about a terrorist attack. I'm not worried at all!!



Thanks in advance for any help.




QF93 - B744
Melbourne Dep Monday 9 May
Los Angeles Arr Monday 9 May
//




ACCOMMODATION
Mon 9 May – Wed 11 May
Ayres Hotel
Anaheim

Mon 9 May
Arrive at LAX
Get transfer to Ayres Hotel
Have a look around Anaheim??
MLB: Angels vs White Sox

Tue 10 May
San Diego/Tijuana??
MLB: Angles vs White Sox



ACCOMMODATION
Wed 11 May – Sat 14 May
Sheraton Gateway LAX
6101 West Century Blvde
PH 0011 1 310 6421111
2 x rooms with breakfast for Peter


DOLLAR CAR HIRE
11 May – 21 May
Pick up from 1000
Drop off approx 1900
Ford Fusion or similar


Wed 11 May
Met at the Sheraton approx noon
Pick up hire car (try not to get talked into taking out extra insurance as we don’t need it)
Drive to Gooney bird for afternoon photos and onto
Imperial Ave for photos
(sorry if its boring )
Welcome drinks of course!


Thu 12 May
See how we all feel. Options
Photos around LAX either imperial drive or in and out burger at end of runway.
1100 tour around Van Nuys airport to be confirmed approx 90 min
Look around 94th aero restaurant Van Nuys airport (private jets)
Drive back thru Hollywood and thru LA on to Santa Monica Blvde
Santa Monica airport – Venice beach then
I’d love to get back by afternoon to see the flights in from Europe



Fri 13 May
Lucky for some
Morning around LAX
Drive up to Santa Monica airport via Spitfire grill (small jets and private planes)
Burbank airport by 2-3pm B17 flight till 530pm
Baseball LA dodgers v D Backs 630pm










ACCOMMODATION
Sat 14 May – Mon 16 May
Ayres Hotel & Suites
4785 Chino Hills Parkway
Chino Hills
PH 0011 1 909 6312922
1 X room with breakfast


Sat 14 May
Early start drive to Chino dep approx 630am arrive Chino by 800am
Air show 8 – 5pm
Full Day.

Sun 15 May
After breakfast!
Either back to the air show for a few hours OR
Drive via riverside airport to March AFB approx 45 min – 1 hour
March Field museum. Probably a couple of hours
Options up to San Bernandino airport 30 min and back to hotel another 45 min

ACCOMMODATION
Mon 16 May – 20 May
Hooters Casino
115 east Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas
Ph 0011 1 702 739 9000
2 x Rooms



Mon 16 May
After breakfast drive via Ontario Mills for Victorville airport 90min
Try and get a tour of the graveyard
Continue on to Barstow for lunch
James can bring it on home to Vegas approx 3 hours
A few photo stops along the way and stop at Henderson field airport
First night in Vegas
Minor league baseball is on tonight Las Vegas 51’s 705pm or hit the strip



Accommodation
Mon 16 May – 20 May
Hooters Casino
115 east Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas
Ph 0011 1 702 739 9000
2 x Rooms


Tue 17 May
Early start or late night cab to airport 515am
Passports, Hats and sunscreen. Peter can sleep on the plane
WN176
Las Vegas 0610
Tuscon 0725 B737

Breakfast at airport check in for return flight then cab to
Pima air museum 0900 - 1545
Book in for tour of ARMAG
Cab back to airport 1545

US2835
Tuscon 1650
Phoenix 1740 CRJ900

US507
Phoenix 1835
Las Vegas 1940 A319

Either shower and bed or shower and see what’s happening, we are in Vegas


Wed 18 May
Vegas airport great for photos and get our bearings go for a drive head up to Nellis AFB and Las Vegas Nth
Beatles show today or tomorrow
Roller coaster at NY NY go up the eifell tower at the paris hotel tonight
See the Volcano at the Mirage the pirate show at treasure island the lions and dolphins at MGM or the Mirage, not to mention catching a show or band eat drink, i don’t think we will get bored. Plenty to do after dark.



Thur 19 May
Day of leisure OR
Grand Canyon day tour?
Vegas by night helicopter?
This is vegas.
Drive to hoover dam
Sit by the pool
????????
Do this Do that Do nothing
???????
Have a bet

Fri 20 May
Dep Vegas with all our winnings.
Drive to Ontario with option of going via Mojave desert graveyard and palmdale airports this will add approx 4-5 hours and we may not want to see another plane ever again at this stage.

ACCOMMODATION
Fri 20 May – Sat 21 May
Ayres Suites Ontario at the Mills
4370 Mills cr
Ontario Mills
Ph 0011 1 909 481 0703
1 x room with breakfast


Sat 21 May

After breakfast work out all the things we never did and try and fit it in. We are about an hour out of LA so either back to the mall for shopping if we didn’t get a chance the night before have a nice shower as we wont have another one for a while and head back to LAX . Try and be back at LAX by 6pm to drop off car have a burger (with fries) and drink whats left of the duty free bourbon and beer.
Farwell drinks and goodbyes till Chino 2012


//
QF94 - B744

Los Angeles Dep Saturday 21 May

Melbourne Arr Monday 23 May

 

[cove]

Sounds ok to me.
Is the Ayres hotel the one on Katella where you walk out the back of the hotel and go straight into Angel Stadium? My kids thought that worked great for baseball.
I would avoid going over the border due to the kidnaps.
Santa Monica,Venice Beach,Muscle Beach ,Marina Del Rey and Catalina are all good fun.
Not aware of a Hooters property in Vegas but anything goes in that part of Nevada. I do like your self belief in being a gambler who can win,win,win.

 

[Alanslegal]

I can see you're missing a YUPP type SC run

For the 19th I'd say do a morning Grand Canyon tour where you fly there rather than catch the slow bus It will a light plane - 8 seater was the one I went on - and you get a great view of the canyon and the pilot will also fly over Hoover Dam. They land, have lunch, walk the SkyWalk, and then fly back in time to laze by the pool from mid afternoon to sunset, then hit one of the many good buffets around, before ending the night with a helicopter fly-over over Las Vegas!

 

[Slats7]

I can see you're missing a YUPP type SC run

For the 19th I'd say do a morning Grand Canyon tour where you fly there rather than catch the slow bus It will a light plane - 8 seater was the one I went on - and you get a great view of the canyon and the pilot will also fly over Hoover Dam. They land, have lunch, walk the SkyWalk, and then fly back in time to laze by the pool from mid afternoon to sunset, then hit one of the many good buffets around, before ending the night with a helicopter fly-over over Las Vegas!

I don't get a chance to fly that often as it's purely for leisure so not too worried about SC but I guess it all adds up.

The flight over canyon sounds great!! I will look into - thanks for the heads up.

 

[Timba-Jet]

There are great views of LA from the Griffith Observatory. Worth a visit if you have time

 

[Slats7]

I've just been reading about Tijuana - safety is getting worse and worse according to this site:

Is Tijuana Safe? (San Diego: 2011, restaurants, to eat) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

Maybe I should avoid??

 

[Maca44]

I've just been reading about Tijuana - safety is getting worse and worse according to this site:

Is Tijuana Safe? (San Diego: 2011, restaurants, to eat) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

Maybe I should avoid??

I think San Diego is nice, but avoid Tijuana as its a sleazy dirty place. Plenty of other places to see. The flight to the Grand Canyon is great, and is now only a short drive from LAS to Hoover Dam and the new bridge they have constructed. Used to take hrs previously lined up to drive over the dam.

 

[BAM1748]

Make sure you investigate your $300 free slots credit in Hooters while enjoying your free scotch.

Also, when you're at McCarran airport go for a wander and check out the display of the Ford Thunderbird (I think it's a Thunderbird) convertible which was the first airport fire appliance, it has two large fire extinguishes mounted on the boot lid. A classic. (Also check the photos of the plane refueling from a road truck roaring down the runway while the plane is airborne, a great shot)

Looks like a great trip, the US has plenty for those interested in aviation. (I really like the sign at the entrance to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson - Beware of rattle snakes!)

Matt

 

[TimB]

Have you considered the old Air Force One at Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library | Home?

If you can find a whole day to spare (and don't mind the extra cost), I reckon flying to Seattle to visit the Boeing factory at Everett would be worth it. There's also the Museum of Flight, but I doubt you could fit that in as well as the factory tour in one day.

A friend of mine just got back from a conference at Vegas, and he did a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, which he said was great. I've only ever done it the hard way (drive in, hike to the bottom and back, drive out).

I'm sure you'll have more than enough to do to fill all the available time. The hard thing will be deciding what to leave until next year.

 

[Blackadder]

If you are going to be staying down in Anaheim, try to fit in a evening at either Balboa or Huntington Peir and watch the sunset over the Pacific.

 

[cove]

Don't forget to root for the Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium.That is an American expression!
They have all you can eat seats that one of my sons loves but you would need a hat and sunscreen and to be honest I prefer the shady side with beer and/or icecream.
Lasvegas.com and Latimes.com are for starting research for you.
Yes stay north of the border as San Diego is a great place and Tijuana is the opposite.
Sunsets in California are lovely.
You are on the right track with baseball and you can use Stubhub.com to get great tickets rather than be a mountain goat in the "bleachers" at both Angels and Dodgers games.

 

[Slats7]

It would have been great to get up to Seattle but just didn't have the time to fit everything in - hopefully next year!

Really looking forward to the baseball - will be rooting for both the L.A sides of course!

I am actually a Seattle Mariners fan though

 

[cove]

Suggest you have a spare bag inside your main bag to carry the shopping home as a lot of stuff is half price compared with here.
If you make it to San Diego I strongly recommend going to the baseball at Petco Park as it is a newish stadium that is impressive.
Too bad about Seattle being off the plan this time.

 

[Slats7]

Suggest you have a spare bag inside your main bag to carry the shopping home as a lot of stuff is half price compared with here.
If you make it to San Diego I strongly recommend going to the baseball at Petco Park as it is a newish stadium that is impressive.
Too bad about Seattle being off the plan this time.

I would have enjoyed going to Petco Park - looks very nice on MLB: The Show 11. The Padres are playing in Milwaukee while i'm there though!

Seattle next year hopefully

 

[ozbeachbabe]

So i'm off to America next week for the first time!! My father and I are heading over on Monday 9 May in Y+ (we have both requested an upgrade) and will return on Saturday 21 May in Y+ (we have both requested an upgrade).

Have you pre-allocated your seating on the side of the PE cabin where there's just two seats just in case the upgrade doesn't come through? Remember to get your ESTA (US Visa) if you haven't already done so.

Wed 11 May
Pick up hire car (try not to get talked into taking out extra insurance as we don’t need it)

What insurance do you already have that will cover the cost of damage to a rental car in the USA? Remember there is no such thing as CDW over there, if you have an accident they will charge you the full cost of the damages.


My rule of thumb when renting cars in the USA is ask the rental agent what insurance I need so in the event of an accident I don't pay a cent. I'm certain they receive a commission on the insurance they sell you & we were offered an upgrade to a better vehicle for no extra if we were to take out the insurance so it was a win/win situation for both parties.[/QUOTE]

Tucson
Breakfast at airport check in for return flight then cab to
Pima air museum 0900 - 1545
Book in for tour of ARMAG
Cab back to airport 1545

We had intentions of visiting David Monthan AFB however on the day the base was closed due to mission requirements & we then stumbled upon Pima Air Museum quite by accident which was definitely worth checking out.

Vegas airport great for photos and get our bearings go for a drive head up to Nellis AFB and Las Vegas Nth
Beatles show today or tomorrow
Roller coaster at NY NY go up the eifell tower at the paris hotel tonight
See the Volcano at the Mirage the pirate show at treasure island the lions and dolphins at MGM or the Mirage, not to mention catching a show or band eat drink, i don’t think we will get bored. Plenty to do after dark.

Might be worth checking out the Stratosphere Hotel & Tower which is the highest freestanding tower in the USA - they have a number of thrill rides at level 107 & you can even do a Sky Jump from the top which is a bit like bungey jumping.


If you do want to see a show make sure you allow plenty of time to get there. You need to be at the box office an hour prior to the performance so I'd allow an extra half hour on top of that to actually find it as most hotels are like massive shopping malls with hotel rooms.


I would either walk or take the monorail. Driving a car there is crazy & as for that double decker bus it can sometimes take 40 minutes to go one block so forget it. It took us an hour from the time we walked out of Stratosphere, walked to Harrah's Monorail stop (end of the line), caught the monorail up to the MGM stop made our way through the alleyway of shops to the actual hotel then across the overpass back to NYNY Hotel where we were staying.

Las Vegas Resort Hotels- Best Vegas Resorts On The Strip- Stratosphere Tower

Definitely have a dessert at Denny's which is pretty close to NYNY. There's also one of those cheap ticket booths for shows where you might be able to get half price tickets on the same side of the street as Denny's.

 

[Slats7]

So guess what happens this morning? My dad's uncle who was only 62 unexpectedly has a massive heart attack and dies.

Just unfortunate timing, only a few days before we fly out.

We have decided we are still going to go. Nothing we can do about it.

 

[Slats7]

I am off tomorrow morning everyone! I am pretty excited.

Take care all and I will be back in a couple of weeks to post my trip report

 

[Blackadder]

So guess what happens this morning? My dad's uncle who was only 62 unexpectedly has a massive heart attack and dies.

Just unfortunate timing, only a few days before we fly out.

We have decided we are still going to go. Nothing we can do about it.

Sincerest condonelences to you and your family.
I hope you can enjoy the trip as much as possible.

 

[Slats7]

Sincerest condonelences to you and your family.
I hope you can enjoy the trip as much as possible.

Thanks for your kind words.

 

[cove]

Don't miss Inn N Out burger,Flemings Steakhouse,Disneyland,Venice Beach and Muscle Beach.
You can hire a bike at the beach for a casual ride along the coast.......it may not be a crash hot bike but you will see Californians if you go on the weekend.
The water is really pretty cold so you won't swim in the ocean very long.
Have all the fun and we will await your report.