Traveling America

[Astro]

This is for those of you in the USA or who have travled in it.

I plan to travel in the US this summer, I have one very important meeting in Cincinati (sp?) and am planning to see, San Francisco, NY, Washington DC, Lousinia (sp?). I know these are on different coasts from each other, but I am in no rush!

Can u give me advice on traveling inside the US, routes to take, or things I must see? Inside info on good bars, hostels etc.

Thanks

 

[Weird Harold]

This is for those of you in the USA or who have travled in it.

I plan to travel in the US this summer, I have one very important meeting in Cincinati (sp?) and am planning to see, San Francisco, NY, Washington DC, Lousinia (sp?). I know these are on different coasts from each other, but I am in no rush!

Can u give me advice on traveling inside the US, routes to take, or things I must see? Inside info on good bars, hostels etc.

Thanks

It sounds like you're planning on a driving tour?

Check out Days Inn and Best Western motels on the web. They're both nationwide chains that are consistently clean and inexpensive places to stay while traveling. Both have enough locations that you can easily find one an easy days drive from anywhere in the US.

MapQuest is a good website for trip planning. It can provide you with detailed maps and driving instructions to get around the country.

 

[Astro]

No driving, I'll look like the typical backpacker. Boots, shorts and a big Rucksack carrying everything I need. I know this makes it harder to get around the US but its what I want to do. I was planning to go round Europe but my travel partner dropped out, so I'm heading to the New World instead.

 

[Rambling Rose]

How will you be getting around then, Astro?

 

[kotori]

Astro,

In that case, you'll be looking at travelling by coach--there is no significant rail service (except for certain corridors on the coasts) in the U.S.A. And it's all extememely expensive.

Hitch-hiking on the Interstates (motorways) is mostly illegal, and on the smaller roads impossible to get around.

As you'll be going by coach, check out Greyhound and Trailways--they usually have flat-rate for unlimited tour packages, but be prepared for poor schedules and odd hours.

It's big here. Cincinnati is 12-hours by car (at 70 m.p.h.) from New York City, for example.

And if you go by coach, you'll find yourself most often going from city-center to city-center. Be prepared for wide swings in accommodations levels (and of course prices). Flop-house or pent-house.

I'm sure the many folks here will have more specific info for the areas where they live.

Kotori

 

[Astro]

To get around I'll take coach, walk, lifts whatever. I am in no rush to go anywere my uni ends after three years and I need to take a break. I've flown round the world, but the US is such a big place I could fly across it - but I would miss the stuff I fly over.

I want to go see certain cities, but its the traveling between them that I'm interested in, if u know what I mean.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

The American interior is famous for its weird tourist traps and diversions. If you're travelling the back roads be prepared for a billion billboards exclaiming that just up ahead is the Biggest Ball of Twine in the World, or the Crystal Caves, or a Petrified Forest, or a Meteor Crater Village with Indian Jewlery on Big Sale Today!

Someone wrote a book a while back called "The Blue Lines" or something like that. He walked around the U.S. following only the blue lines on his map, which were the back roads, (though all the blue lines on my map are the Interstates). You might want to try and find it for lots of intersting off-road descriptions.

Just so you know, San Fran to LA to DC is an epic journey on anything but an airplane. You'll definitely need to not be in a hurry.

And if you pass through Arizona or New Mexico, bring a hell of a lot of water.

 

[Marxist]

Astro:

DON'T HITCH AROUND AMERICA.

DON'T!

AMERICA is the home of the serial killer.

Read Capote's In Cold Blood (a true story). By the time you get to the hair plastered on the walls by shotgun pellets you'll be looking for your nearest Greyhound Line.

 

[WhiteRose]

Touring the U.S. is a great idea, but...

I've travelled through Europe and through the U.S., and trying to hitchhike around the U.S. is nothing like travelling in Europe. As Kotori mentioned, walking along Interstates and most freeways is illegal here in the States, and it's almost impossible to get to all the places you want to see any other way by foot. People here are not as hiker-friendly as they are in Europe, as most of our travellers don't go by foot, so we aren't as used to it.

Where Europe has a very rich tradition of hikers/day travellers and bed & breakfasts and stranger-friendly homes to find boarding in, the U.S. is not so friendly to strangers, particularly if you come walking up through someone's field. Not so much in the suburbs, but out in rural America, most homes are protected by guns, dogs, etc., and people don't always ask before they react.

You're also talking about crossing over 3,000 miles of terrain including the Rockies (more since you'll be going north to south as well as east to west to hit all the cities you mentioned), so that's quite a trip you're planning One thought might be to do the trip in segments, like hiking through the northeast then taking a bus or train to the next general area rather than trying to hike EVERYWHERE. If you're going to start in Cincinnati, you could head north east to New York, come south along the East Coast, then head west to California (you might want to ride a bus through Texas rather than walking across )

If you want to camp out (the cheapest route), I'd suggest getting a KOA campground booklet. KOA is one of the largest chains of campgrounds and has reasonable prices along with good facilities (laundry, shower, etc), and can be found all across the U.S. Keep in mind also, that you can't camp out in places that aren't designated campsites, even in National Parks & Forests here.

Another place you'd be able to get good maps, travel & lodging info, etc. is the AAA. Busses would probably be the best way to travel. We don't have a lot of passenger train travel across the country anymore (our loss, because it was a great way to travel!), and there are a lot of wackos out there, so hitchhiking can be deadly, especially if they know you aren't accountable to anyone everyday during your travels. Biking is another great way to see the country if you have the time.

Places I'd want to see along that route:
New York City (museums and shows)
Boston, Massachusetts (eat seafood there!)
Washington, D.C. (if you head south from Massachusetts, you'll have plenty of opportunity to visit historical spots)
the south is really hot during the summer, and very humid with lots of bugs...BIG bugs I think the whole East Coast is a lot prettier in the Fall
Denver, Colorado (big city with a small town feel nestled in the foothills of the Rockies. Yes, you could go west through New Mexico, which is also a great scenic route, but I'm partial to Denver)
Salt Lake City, Utah (if you want to see the Mormon Temple Visitor's Center) ORR you could go through Las Vegas keep in mind it's in the middle of a desert, so taking a bus out of there would be a LOT better than trying to hike out of there.
Then on to California. Depending on how much time you have, you could start at the south end (San Diego), and move your way up through Los Angeles to San Franciso (again, it'd be a lot better to be riding along this stretch rather than attempting to walk it...Californians are crazy I can say that, I was born and mostly raised there and love it still. Seriously though, it's not the safest place to be, although there are long stretches of the coastline that you CAN walk legally. If you're short on time, you might just travel to San Francisco and go a bit inland to the Napa Valley. The wineries are wonderful and the scenery is great. California's a bit odd in that the further south you go, the more casual it becomes, and the further north you travel, the more formal things get, so while you can walk into a restaurant in San Diego with shorts and flipflops on, you can't get away with that in San Francisco.
Seattle's also a beautiful city if you can fit that into your schedule. Rains a lot, but you should be fine during the summer.

Now, if you want to go to Hawai'i instead...that's a trip that would be a lot easier to manage in a summer The people are wonderful (well, they can be if you are!), you can't beat the scenery, it's SO easy to get around there, and there's a lot to see!

Wherever you end up going, just please be careful, watch your back always, and keep in close contact with friends and family...and don't forget to have fun!

Then come back and post pics of your trip

(I just had another thought. How about renting a motorcycle?)

 

[Weird Harold]

To get around I'll take coach, walk, lifts whatever. I am in no rush to go anywere ... I want to go see certain cities, but its the traveling between them that I'm interested in, if u know what I mean.

Check greyhound's website for details on an AmeriPass -- unlimited buss travel anywhere Greyhound goes. I didn't even know that Trailways was even still in business -- I know it isn't anywhere in the western states. Greyhound is the only bus line that covers the entire country.

Amtrak doesn't have many stops between the coasts -- you can't get to Las Vegas by train -- but I think they too have an unlimited travel pass.

A good bicycle might be another option if time is really no object. You could make the Cincinatti, New York, Louisiana, LA to San Francisco route in about one year on a bike. Once you get west of the Mississippi river, walking is NOT a realistic option.

If you do walk/hitchhike across the southern US, make sure you always have LOTS of water with you! Especially in the desert southwest. Dehydration and heatstroke are deadly and will sneak up on you in our "dry heat."

The US is much bigger than you imagine it is. Between the Mississippi and the Rockies, it's not uncommon for towns and their associated services (water/food/lodging) to be 70-80 miles apart.