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USA travel from NY to LAX in car 2 months to do it

Fatcat
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Thanks thanks , start to compile the information , looks like some internal flights can be a solution , will start to plan something and let you know .

I know well some US cities due to my work and Canada specially Quebec , the north states are closer to a home i have but i keep you posted of the ride plan and see what you think

Paul
 
Tony C.
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
If you come down to SE Florida, I would also avoid South Beach like the plague, unless you like getting gouged for parking and overpriced food for tourists.

One small nit to pick. While expensive, and a tourist favorite, Joe's Stone Crab is worth a visit. Yes, with careful research, one can find other less expensive and crowded places to eat stone crabs (which are, by the way, delicious), but Joe's is extraordinary in many respects. Virtually all of the food, including side dishes, are of very high quality. The rolls served at the beginning of the meal, the sweet potato fries, salads, Key Lime pie, etc., are all first-rate.

Like Gator, I am not a fan of South Beach, but when visiting Miami, I would argue that a trip to Joe's should be high on the list - if you can afford it!
 
MRC
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Fatcat Fatcat
Thanks thanks , start to compile the information , looks like some internal flights can be a solution , will start to plan something and let you know .

I know well some US cities due to my work and Canada specially Quebec , #

Paul
Fatcat Fatcat
Yes forgot form Switzerland

Ah bien, vous parlez Français? In the USA with my English accent that I was careful to preserve I was often asked if I were French, or sometimes Australian. I expect you will be asked if you are English. After a few months in Montreal I was told by a young lady from Orléans that I spoke French with a peasant accent. Not an English schoolboy accent but with a French peasant accent! How good could could it get?
 
Fatcat
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Tabernacle biensur 😀)))) mais je suis pas un maudit français 😀))))
 
gatorcpa
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Tony C. Tony C.
Like Gator, I am not a fan of South Beach, but when visiting Miami, I would argue that a trip to Joe's should be high on the list - if you can afford it!
You are correct about this. I almost don't count Joe's as South Beach, because it is place where locals (like me) will take visitors.

However, if one goes there, you need to learn the art of the handshake tip to the Maitre D'. Although I understand that they are now taking limited reservations online. That is a real change from the old days, where it would take anywhere from $40 to $100 (or more! 😲) to secure a table.

Also, stone crab season runs from October to April. That's when you get the best stuff.
gatorcpa
 
Archer
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Fatcat Fatcat
Tabernacle biensur 😀)))) mais je suis pas un maudit français 😀))))

You are familiar with the local Quebecois vernacular, it seems...😁
 
MRC
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Fatcat Fatcat
Tabernacle biensur 😀)))) mais je suis pas un maudit français 😀))))
Ooof, I never got to grips with Québécois slang, wasn't there long enough -- and in Montreal in the early 1970s English was the most common language. Perhaps I could coach you in the English Black Country dialect that I used to clear over-staying guests when I was in the USA.
 
krogerfoot
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You are correct to make this primarily a car trip. The US highway system shaped the country and culture and it's the best way to experience the sheer vastness of that part of the world. Take flights as necessary to avoid wearing yourself out, but definitely, absolutely, plan to make some of the drives suggested in this thread. I would especially recommend driving to the Grand Tetons, around whatever parts of western Colorado are not on fire, and to the Grand Canyon.

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway between LA and SF is the most surreally beautiful trip I have ever taken, but I'm not sure what kind of shape the road is in anymore. Be aware that some of these locales are extremely remote, so it's important to be well provisioned. I certainly hope I'll be able to visit some of these places again sometime.

Edit: A lot of the routes I recommended will easily exceed 4-5 hours, so maybe I'm overdoing it. A trip from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Sedona, Arizona is about six hours of spectacular driving. Sedona is an easy 2-3 hours from the Grand Canyon.
Edited:
 
Syzygy
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And to add to the Grand Canyon to Sedona suggestion, don't take 17 South of Flagstaff...hop over to 89A for a stunning drive through Oak Creek Canyon. If you happen to have time to explore and do a beautiful hike, West Fork Trail is a wonderful day hike, easy, but be prepared to cross the creek at times.

Our major highways are a bit boring, meant to get you from place to place as quickly as possible. What we call the 'Blue Highways'...that's where you'll see the good stuff!
 
M
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BlackTalon BlackTalon
Grand Canyon is worth a visit. Maybe the redwood forest in northern CA. And x2 on the CA coast -- very nice scenery. Can combine that with a drive through Sonoma and/ or Napa valleys.

New Orleans is a fun place to visit, but not sure if summertime is the best time to go.

Definitely grand canyon, awe inspiring


Check NO before any trips. Covid still has things pretty shut down. They even canceled Mardi Gras this year
 
Evitzee
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Personally, I don't think the soul of America is found in its large cities on the coasts. Hit the road and discover some historic and less well known places that will educate and interest you. Promontory Point in UT, Little Big Horn in MT, Mt Rushmore in SD are three places that illustrate how America was developed over the last 150+ years. National Parks are great but increasingly over visited and crowded. Presidential museums are another good place to visit, I particularity like the Reagan, Eisenhower and Truman museums. Going to cities like LA, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York are now an effort in many ways and often an unpleasant experience.
 
wagudc
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Fatcat Fatcat
We are not a familly of museums of big historical stuff of course a couple of days ,and some big cities ( chicago, washington, nashville, Florida ( orlando) , we will drive easely in beetween 4 to 5 hours every day.

Sounds like fun. Can you give us more to go on here? Not big into historical museums is good info, but what else? Into cities, fine dining, shopping? Art museums? Or more into outdoors, beautiful nature, taking in the local culture, mom -n- pop shops? Do you have kids, little or big? Are you up for hiking? Do you like being on the water, in the mountains, or wide open plains? How do you feel about heat and high humidity? The US is huge and diverse. Also, if you want to drive out west, you are going to have some long days of driving. Think more like 10-12hrs or more a day.

I would love to give you some ideas, but I don't know where to start without more info
 
Evitzee
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MRC MRC
Further sugestions -- avoid hotel chains and restaurant chains. Yes you'll know exactly what you'll be getting but worse you'll be getting almost the same wherever you go. When exploring I always tried to find local places to stay or eat.

Yes, I hear the Bates Motel in Fairvale, CA, on the 'old highway' is particularly interesting. Odd proprietor, though.
 
wagudc
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Evitzee Evitzee
Yes, I hear the Bates Motel in Fairvale, CA, on the 'old highway' is particularly interesting. Odd proprietor, though.

I know of a quaint little place in Bodega Bay, CA, but avoid the seagulls!
 
BlackTalon
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
You are correct about this. I almost don't count Joe's as South Beach, because it is place where locals (like me) will take visitors.

However, if one goes there, you need to learn the art of the handshake tip to the Maitre D'. Although I understand that they are now taking limited reservations online. That is a real change from the old days, where it would take anywhere from $40 to $100 (or more! 😲) to secure a table.

Also, stone crab season runs from October to April. That's when you get the best stuff.
gatorcpa
Maybe their expansion has made it a little less of a destination? They have a location in DC, and I think one in Las Vegas as well. The one here in DC gets pretty favorable talk.

One strong point for the DC area the last few years is an explosion in the number of really great restaurants. Many need reservations a couple weeks out if for a Friday for Saturday night, but as one who has spent many decades around here it is nice to finally have a lot of great food choices. It really improves the 'visit DC' experience.
 
Syzygy
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@Fatcat, we're about a year from this thread beginning...have you had a chance to explore, or is this trip still pending? I'm sure we'd be happy to hear how it worked out, or how your plans have evolved.
 
gbesq
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IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY DONE THE TRIP, I’m surprised that no one has mentioned one of America’s must sees - the National Seashore. Don’t miss Cape Cod and take the ferries to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Block Island if you can. Further south, the Outer Banks in North Carolina is worth a visit. Drive Route 12 south down Hatteras Island, take the ferry over to Ocracoke Island, and then take the ferry from Ocracoke Island back to the mainland - that’s a beautiful trip. And I second the suggestion to do the drive to Key West. There’s nothing like it, it’s the southernmost point in the US, there’s interesting history there, and it’s impossible to have a bad meal.
 
Walrus
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I would just ignore and skip the entire east coast. The water is good in the northeast though. As mentioned above cape cod and the vineyard are nice I have family in Martha’s Vineyard (started a hedge fund) but getting over the bridge into cape cod is annoying. Unless you go during the winter just bring a shovel. Come to think of it the whole country is pretty lame these days. Check out Mexico or something.
 
Fatcat
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Hi not yet i postponed it for next summer, i start to travel for business in the US a few weeks ago only , still planning ass my wife watch too many TV they told me the RV can be a good way ( to evaluate also ) , as the goal was to make a maximum of states and places , travel light with low cost airlines to do some Point to Point is also goo but more expensive but definitively much more places , also i have some fix dates for different conferences that i want to attend and from those dates making all the trip.

But starting with SFO next week what a relief after more than 2 years without visiting the US
 
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