The Vine: September 17, 2010
Dear Sarah,
I will be spending a month in the States shortly, flying into New York on the third of October and out of San Francisco third November. Those flights are pretty much my only parameters. I need to start formulating a plan. I have a vague idea of the places I definitely want to go (as well as the cities I am coming in and out of; that list looks something like: Miami, New Orleans, “the south”…and yes, am aware how hugely broad that is!, Palm Springs, Vegas).
Beyond this…well, understatement time — it’s a pretty big country, that one you’ve got there! I would love some advice or recommendations, not just on where I should go but also best way to get there. Ye Olde Great American Road Trip is hugely appealing and I definitely want to drive for at least part of the time. However, I’d also love to not spend an entire month in the car, and truly get to spend some time in A and B rather than just on the road getting between them.
I thought maybe I should give you a little about me just in that it might make it easier for you or readers to make suggestions. I will be travelling with my boyfriend, who is a very practical and useful creature and can look after directions, changing tires and things where I tend to just flap and be all hopeless, we are both in our early 20s and both from Australia.
Also things we are most interested in doing/seeing on a dream list would be: getting to see or be a part of crazy or distinctly American things, be that getting a photo with the world’s biggest ball of yarn, doing something special for Halloween (we totally don’t celebrate this in Australia so I am quite excited to be there for it!), and of course “just” meeting interesting people, plus experiencing all different types of food and music.
I’d also add doing Into the Wild from a safe distance, if that makes any sense — I’m not hugely outdoorsy and don’t mean to insult that fellow’s experiences by comparison but, well, with some of your national parks and animals and things…how could we come to the U.S. and miss that?
As a general plan for the trip, I have vaguely been thinking we could fly to NYC, fly to Miami, pick up a car there and do a sort of (rose-coloured glasses firmly in place) BBQ/bourbon/jazz/blues-soaked trundle across the south, maybe through Nashville, Memphis and so on, over and up to the West Coast, if that’s any help, too.
Okay, well, as most of the people who write in seem to say, that was longer than I thought it would be! I am just trying to get across how excited we both are about this trip, how open we are to ideas and ultimately how much I would value the input from a like-minded community of people as well as the lovely Sars herself, who has certainly road-tripped it in her time (!).
Thank you Sars and all your readers —
From The Probably Green and Overly Idealistic Girl Who Still Thinks “A Month In A Car? Sure, I Want Fried Green Tomatoes, Waffles and Awesome Memories — Let’s Do It”
Dear Green,
I will let the readers fill in the blanks here, mostly, because I’ve lived in the States my whole life and driven around a good portion of it, and I have still only seen and experienced a small fraction of it.
Some general advice: 1) The independent bookstore wherever you are is a great place to get inspired. Head for the local-history section and see what the area obsessions are — a nearby prison, a long-ago battle, whatever. Then let yourself be overheard speaking in a faraway accent. This doesn’t tend to work in a metropolis like New York City, which is where all the faraway accents come to hang out, but Mississippi can spot a Yankee in about six words, and the next thing you know, you’ve got reading material for a month and two maps to the best po-boy sandwiches in the state.
1b) While you’re in there, try to grab a copy of Roadside America and/or Weird U.S. Lots of hilarious ideas, and even if you don’t see any of the things covered therein, it makes great reading-aloud material for those long stretches of interstate.
2) Get off the interstate. Set your GPS to “no expressways” and take the long way; get lost a few times. In my experience, the interstates go over the country while the smaller state roads and so-called blue highways go through it, and if you plan to spend that much time on the road anyway, you should get a real sense of the place.
3) Have a plan for each day, but one that’s broad and general. In each city I went to on BCLC Tour, I had, like, one thing I definitely wanted to see, so I would see that thing in a leisurely way, and then I would let other things suggest themselves — or let the locals suggest them.
4) It’s your trip. If there’s super-famous Must-See stuff that you just don’t care about, don’t go. If you’d rather see a ball of twine than a battlefield, do that. All touristy stuff, no touristy stuff — it’s your money.
5) If you get out to Brooklyn, we can meet here for a pint.
Readers, hit it — but please cap your recs at three per comment. Thanks!
Tags: Ask The Readers Big Country Little Car Tour city living travel
Having not gone around the country much, I do want to put in a vote for upstate NY and Western Massachusetts.
Head up and see Niagra Falls, it’s fantastic; and on the way there or back you will probably run into some town somewhere having an Apple Festival of some form (you’ll have just missed my favorite in Ithaca), and you can do some leaf peeping there.
Western Massachusetts is for more leaf peeping, but also you can make your way to Salem, and October is Salem Witch Trial time, something very specifically American, and I am told they do it up right.
It doesn’t sound like you’ll be in the midwest much, but Cincinnati is one of my favorite cities to drive through, and if you like zoos, it has a great one. North of Cincy is Dayton–not a ton to do, but it is home of the Wright brothers, so there is some first flight stuff there. Just outside of Dayton is Beavercreek, with the best Indian food I’ve ever had at Jeet India.
If you’ll be in northwest Ohio, I recommend Chagrin Falls. It’s small and quaint and has a great little popcorn and ice cream shop over a small creek and waterfall.
I second the recommendation for the Sedona area in AZ–absolutely beautiful scenery through there. Plan carefully, though, if you’re considering driving through the South and Southwest on your way to California. I have to agree with Beth–I live in Austin, and it’s nice (and really lovely in the fall), but I don’t think I would drive through Texas just for Austin–this state is friggin’ big. Interstate 10 through west Texas, in particular, kind of makes me want to jab my eyes out. There are places where there are no exits for a hundred miles, and the land is flat enough that you can clearly see that there is no exit for a hundred miles, and it can make the journey overwhelmingly boring. The wind farms are neat, but there is a lot of nothing through west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona along I-10.
Midwesterner here: I will make a plug for Chicago as a major city I love very much, and if you’re looking for something side-of-the-road nutty, the House On the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin is your bag.
There is nothing crazier in the USA. I promise.
I thought leaf peeping was a funny aside about a typo on The West Wing. I never dreamed it was a real thing.
I second Sarah’s rec of going to a Waffle House. You hear them referenced in books and movies all the time, it’s definatly very “American,” just like Dunkin’ Donuts. Just be sure to do both on the East Cost or in the Mid West. We don’t really have them on the West Coast.
My only suggestion (which probably won’t help much) is realize, as you said, this country is BIG, and a month really isn’t that long if you want to both drive and stay somewhere for more than a day. There may be a point where you want to stop in a city and jump a plane to your next locale. Again, it’s up to you to decide where is important. Texas may not be high on your ‘must see list’ (no offense, Texas, I just need an example) so after Memphis, you may want to hop a plane to Chicago or Minneapolis and head west from there. The challenge is that we’re big east to west AND north to south and it’s hard to go both the northern and southern route in a car in anything resembling a timely fashion.
I recommend staying at bed & breakfasts, especially in New Orleans. There are tons of wonderful restaurants in New Orleans, but two of my favorites are the Gumbo Shop and Deanie’s Seafood. Someone mentioned ghost tours; there are several in New Orleans as well as vampire and cemetery tours. Don’t just confine yourself to the French Quarter.
Definitely Memphis for some barbecue.
Several years ago, I visited Yellowstone and the surrounding area at the end of October/beginning of November. It was beautiful, but because it was the off-season some of the things that we wanted to do weren’t available at the time (i.e., too late to hot air balloon and too early to snowmobile).
@Beth: Not if you’re a Jersey driver it ain’t. Heh.
As someone who lives in Atlanta and has driven all over the country on a number of road trips, I need to agree with Lar and Penguinlady- that Florida drive is boring and LONG. I think Lar’s itinerary is a great one that will hit a bunch of your high points and flights into Atlanta are easy to get.
I agree with the idea to get off the interstates, but I would note that they can chew up large amounts of miles far more quickly than taking the whistle-stop highways, so if you are set on getting from Point A to point B in a certain amount of time, they will be your best bet. Also, the country is HUGE- you probably won’t get to see everything, so you should probably make peace with that before you get on the plane. I’ve taken two weeks to drive from Boston to Seattle (spent large chunks of time on I-90, but that is still a FABULOUS trip with lots of cool stuff), a week to drive from Los Angeles to Charlotte, NC, and two weeks around California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, and each time I’ve had to cut stuff that I really wanted to see.
If you get up that way, I highly recommend the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Informative (really!) but with a huge sense of humor about itself. Also in a very pretty part of Minnesota.
Finally, when in the tiny towns throughout- OBEY THE SPEED LIMIT! Little towns LOVE being speed traps for unsuspecting driver. That said, people are NICE. Almost uniformly everywhere, people are nice. Have a great time! So excited for you guys!
I’m in L. A. and I will second the Halloween street bash on October 31st in West Hollywood. If you’re in San Francisco, I’d go to the Castro district, which is where any Halloween hi-jinks will be. I would also recommend getting Fieri’s book Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. http://tinyurl.com/2erfawq Love him or hate him, he eats at some good places. I know, I’ve eaten at some of them.
Oh, also, in California, eat at an In-N-Out Burger. Look up the “secret” menu before you go (widely available on the Internet).
Also, add me to the list hoping for an update!
1) I’m so jealous – it sounds like a fantastic trip.
2) Yellowstone, Yellowstone, Yellowstone. There is just nothing like it. Yes, you will be there in cooler weather, and some roads/services may be closed, but the area around Old Faithful will be open, and it’s really beautiful in cooler weather – the whole place gets all steamy and mysterious. Try to stay in the historic lodge if you go. I was there in October and have some fabulous photos of light snow in Yellowstone Canyon.
3) I’m a huge fan of our National Parks and Monuments – pick any one and you will not be disappointed. Other favorites besides Yellowstone are Rocky Mtn. NP, Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion (the latter three all in southern Utah). Yosemite would probably make this list if I hadn’t been 3 years old last time I was there. Grand Canyon is great for a drive-by – you can go to a couple of the overlooks for some awesome views, and move on.
4) As a native Coloradan, I have to put in a plug for Mesa Verde National Park – amazing ruins from the early residents of the area.
A word of caution – if you drive through the Rockies, that late in the year you could in fact run into some pretty nasty weather. Just be aware of the forecast before you head into high country.
On the off chance you do backtrack into New England, make a stop in little Rhode Island. We’re small, but there’s a lot here!
I would recommend driving up U.S. Route 1. In South Kingstown, you’ll find an exit for Rhode Island Route 138 East, Jamestown/Newport. Take that exit. Drive over the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (there is no toll). When you get to Jamestown, take the first exit into town, and turn right on North Road. Drive all the way down. Keep going. No, keep going. You’ll eventually (the whole island is like nine miles top to bottom, no big deal) drive into Beavertail State Park. Park at the second or third parking lot, get out, and go look at the Atlantic Ocean. Walk around, enjoy the lighthouse — unfortunately the museum is only open in the summer — take some pictures of the foliage. It’s a beautiful little place and the drive is really nice. And on your way back up to the bridge, turn right onto Narragansett Avenue and go have some clamcakes at Chopmist Charlie’s.
It sounds like you have plenty to do without retracing your steps at all, though. Have a good time, and do update us!
The Blue Ridge Parkway is gorgeous, so I’m quadrillioning that suggestion. Also, if you end up anywhere in the Northeast for leafwatching, make sure you try the apple cider. I think that’s an exclusively American drink. (It’s not alcoholic.)
If you’re not afraid of debauchery, aim for a college town on Halloween. Chapel Hill, NC has a fun concatenation of drunken teenagers if you’re in the area. Plus, college kids always have the best costumes (expect for the “sexy bunny” and “sexy kitty” types).
As a Floridian, I feel entitled to tell you that if you are set on Miami, you may want to do as suggested above and just fly from there to your next destination. It will take FOREVER to drive north through all of Florida and southern Georgia, and there’s not a ton on the way that’s worth seeing, unless you want to do a really tourist-y stop in Disney World or something. A flight into Atlanta might be a good jumping-off point for your tour of “the South.” (A reasonable drive from Tennessee and Kentucky, especially if you stop overnight in a cute country bed & breakfast.) I agree with the Waffle House recommendation, and Waffle House was created in Decatur, GA (right next to Atlanta). North Georgia in the fall also offers opportunities for hiking, apple picking, and leaf-peeping, though none of it quite lives up to the New England version of those activities. I also agree with the college football game / tailgating suggestions above.
I also agree that Boston is worth visiting. You can take the Amtrak up from New York and take in a ton of local New England flavor as well as big city stuff (museums, etc.) without having to rent a car. You can learn a lot of American history on the Freedom Trail, although I would suggest taking a tour of one of the old cemeteries (Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, or Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain). Visiting the graves of legendary American figures makes them seem more real, and the tour guides are always knowledgeable.
And as general travel advice — think about how much time you want to spend driving and how much time you want to explore individual cities. I personally find that when I’m trying to do EVERYTHING in my travel destination, the trip becomes exhausting and not fun. I’d rather skip some destinations in favor of having days with no concrete agenda, so I can sleep in, find a peaceful spot in the park and read a book, or do whatever else I need to recharge.
Keep us posted about your plans! I hope you have a great trip!
My daughter and I spent a few years working through a book called 101 Places You’ve Gotta See Before You’re 12. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get through the whole book in time due to my health issues, but we got a lot done! (And plan on doing the rest over time.) I definitely recommend Natural Bridge, VA (and Foamhenge if that’s still there), DC (so much to do, so many free museums), Hershey/York PA for all the free food (there are tours through the chip factories, pretzel factories, and chocolate factories), the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame (but only if you’re a big fan of American music or are interest in music history), seconding the Penitentiary in Philadelphia along with about 700 other things like the medical museum, the art museum, Atlantic City, Lucy the Elephant..
Grand Canyon! Don’t miss it! Definitely one of those “Seven Wonders of the World”/life bucket list sights. While it’s a bit more out of the way to get to, I recommend the North Rim vs. the South Rim – because it’s less convenient it has way fewer bus tours just disgorging a bunch of people to walk over to the edge and gape – it’s quiet and lovely.
And when you’re at the national parks, don’t skip the rangers’ educational presentations, as dorky as that sounds. These are people who are truly passionate about where they work and what they do. I’ll never forget an astronomy presentation at the Grand Canyon where we got to use powerful telescopes to see stars that you can’t see unless you’re that far away from cities, or a talk on Native American flutes at this little park called Hovenweep on the Colorado/Utah border where we all got musical instruments to play and improvised a song together.
My other piece of advice is to keep in mind that the U.S. is indeed a big place and a month is less time than you think. I did a 2 week road trip just Denver – Los Angeles – Grand Canyon – Four Corners – back up to Denver and we could have gone so much longer. Figure out what you most want to see, figure out how much driving you can tolerate/how much is a core part of your experience vs. just A to B, and don’t be hesitant to hop a plane to skip over the A to B parts. Check out kayak.com for comparing fares.
Have fun!!!
1) Drive from Yellowstone to Las Vegas or vice versa. You’ll be able to hit many great National Parks on the way(or be near enough to make small detours). Craters of the Moon, Bryce Canyon, Zion(if you make here I recommend going to the Kolob Canyons which you have to access from a seperate entrance), Grand Canyon. There is also Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and some others that I haven’t been to personally. You can even add Mesa Verde(love it!) and stop in Durango, CO for a day and take the Narrow Gauge railroad up to Silverton. (www.durangotrain.com)
2) The Atlantic City Boardwalk.
3) I think whoever mentioned state fairs is brilliant. Find one somewhere while you are here. The games, rides, shopping and various contests/exhibits are always interesting, but the food is the best part.
Washington D.C. is a great place to visit. It’s on the way from New England to Florida if you are driving. The monuments and mall are beautiful, especially at night.
There are various festivals and events that you could attend, depending on when you are there.
I would recommend stopping at a Civil War battlefield somewhere and at least seeing the visitor’s center museum. There are a lot in Virginia near D.C. and on the way South.
I grew up near Yorktown battlefield and the Jamestown settlement and had lots of fun there. There is a National Park and a Virginia State Park for each. The National Parks are preserved and the State parks have the re-enactments and re-construction things.
If you like seafood, the Chesapeake Bay area is great! Fried crabcakes and hushpuppies are so good.
Out west, I love New Mexico. It lives up to it’s slogan, “The Land of Enchantment”. The Gila cliff dwellings are interesting and the walk/gentle hike to see them is beautiful.
I do want to second some of the other posters that driving in the western US can be long and tedious. There are many wonderful places but they are quite far apart. Looking into short flights would be a good idea.
I hope you have a wonderful trip.
Welcome, Ozzies! We’ll try to do right by you. I find Jane and Michael Stern’s Road Food a useful starting point for identifying the off-the-beaten-path home food for each state. The quest to find the pie shop they recommend in town A can also lead you to the town’s strange and tiny museum of What Grandpa Had in the Attic, which is often hilarious and cool and that you might otherwise overlook.
I’m torn about recommending that you visit Arizona, thanks to their recent “arrest the suspicious browns!” legislation (not a fan, here), but I like Tucson, and the Saguaro National Forest is really worth the drive if you’re in that area.
No matter what you do, you won’t be able to take everyone’s recommendations, but whatever you do sounds like it’ll be a great adventure. Take lots of photos!
I forgot the Blue Ridge Parkway! Fall is the best time to drive it. And it’s apple season, so there is a lot of fresh cider at the local orchards. And pie.
@HLM: Nice rec; the Sterns’ books are fantastic (“The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste” actually has a lot of fun travel ideas).
When you’re in Memphis, unless you’re a huge Elvis fan, I’d skip Graceland and go to Sun Studios and the Stax Museum instead. You’ll get a better overall picture of music history in Memphis, and you still get Elvis, albeit in a smaller dose. Plus, it’ll cost you less to get into both Stax and Sun than it would for one adult “basic tour package” at Graceland.
Also, I’ve gotta plug Savannah, especially since you want to get out of the car for a while. My husband and I spent four days there for our honeymoon a few years ago, and the only time we were in a car was when we took the taxi to and from the airport. The historic district is totally walkable and pretty easy to navigate. It’s also one of the most gorgeous cities I’ve been to.
Your trip sounds exciting.
Here are my three thoughts:
1) I don’t know if you have already booked ‘the car’ as a specific rental that is taking you from point A to point B, but you may be better off taking some flights instead of driving your entire trip. It’s not always cheaper to drive, due to cost of gas, with or without toll roads, and you can wind up spending 3 hours flying for what would be multiple days spent in a car. With only 1 month here, you’d want to mix up flights and car for better coverage of stuff worth seeing. I like road tripping, and I’m a strong driver. Sometimes, it really does make sense to fly, though.
2) Take rush hour in many major US cities seriously (e.g., NY, Miami, all of california, etc). I don’t know very much about Australia, but you can lose hours of your day by getting stuck heading out at the wrong time of day. The hours that are bad vary by city/region, so find out from someone who knows the locality.
3) Research road construction in the areas you plan to travel by car. September through November are prime road construction season in many regions of this country, as the goal is to finish major projects before winter. You can find this information online. Note that construction typically happens in non-rush hours (middle of night or middle of day). Heh.
As a longtime resident of the state I’m going to put in my plug for South Dakota. You may not know this, being a furriner, but it’s not actually in the south. If you draw a mental line straight north of Texas, and stop just short of Canada, there we are.
Be warned, there is a whooole lot of nothing on the way there. I would very strongly recommend flying in unless you really like spending 8 to 12 hours driving across featureless plains enlivened only by Wall Drug billboards. From Denver to Rapid City is just a short jaunt by airplane.
Rapid is a great base for all the classic tourist stuff. Within about an hour radius you’ve got:
-Mount Rushmore: next to the Statue of Liberty, it’s THE classic American icon
-Custer State Park
-Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Rushmore Cave, Bethlehem Cave–more caves than you can shake a stick at (all with guided tours!)
-Crazy Horse Memorial
-Wall Drug, the home of kitschy Americana!
-Bear Country USA, which is a drive-through wildlife park
-the Badlands
-great scenic drives through the Black Hills, such as the Needles Highway or Iron Mountain Road with its switchback pigtail bridges and tunnels
There’s lots of other little gems to find; the School of Mines in Rapid has a nifty dinosaur museum full of locally-found fossils, for example.
…ok I’ll stop now.
@Beth: Not if you’re a Jersey driver it ain’t. Heh.
When I drove cross country, moving from Jersey to Oregon, those yellow plates were awesome! Jersey drivers have such a reputation that other cars were really cautious of me, and I got away with going faster – people got out of my way. I didn’t have to drive aggressively, they just assumed I would.
I’ll second Emma’s call for South Dakota. It was definitely the state that had the most “Americana.” You have to see the Corn Palace in Mitchell. Seriously – look it up, I can’t describe it.
A great circle tour of the Southwest and West Coast would be a great drive. Nothing – NOTHING – can prepare you for the Grand Canyon. There isn’t a picture on the planet that does it justice. And if you drive From Flagstaff to Vegas to LA (or visa versa) you’ll hit the Amazing Arizona desert, Hoover Dam, the Canyon, all the weirdness that is Vegas and gold mining country, and then end up at Disneyland (which you are under no obligation to see). From LA you can take a trip up the Pacific Coast Highway and hit the artist colonies and vineyards until you reach San Fran, then head up to Seattle through Oregon.
If you’re going to spend a couple weeks in a car, make it count. And as interesting as Texas is, every where you want to be is at least four hours from where you are, and most points in between are flat and brown.
If you’re interested in BBQ and the Blues I recommend The Shack Up Inn in northern Mississippi:
http://www.shackupinn.com/
You get to stay in your own shack or cotton bin, and you’re right in the heart of delta blues country:
http://www.visitthedelta.com/explore_our_region/clarksdale/
And it’s just over an hour away from Memphis if you’re headed that way.
It sounds like the end of your trip will be on the West Coast, so this might not be possible, but if you can be in New Orleans on Halloween, do. Visit the above-ground cemeteries if you can, and have a potato-onion-cheese omelet at the Camellia Grill while you’re there.
I’m totally jealous of this trip! I love driving cross-country, and I haven’t been able to take a long drive for ages.
I’m not very familiar with the South, but I would echo many of the recommendations regarding the western US. I grew up in Arizona, and live in San Francisco now – my family visited just about every national park, monument, or natural destination in the Southwest, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful and interesting areas in the world.
The Grand Canyon, is well, amazing. If you can take a trip to the North Rim of the Canyon, there are many fewer visitors than the South Rim. Northern Arizona also includes Meteor Crater, the Painted Desert, and Petrified Forest National Monument. (Plus all kinds of Native American sites, including Montezuma’s Castle, which is even more impressive when you learn it was built 1,000 years ago. In October, the weather should be comfortable to cool, but not freezing cold. You also can drive through Monument Valley, and discover that yes, it really does look like it did in the John Ford movies. Zion is also great, and you can do a drive through Zion, and then head to Vegas the next day.
Assuming you will be going to a bunch of National Parks, I’d suggest that you buy a one year pass – this will cover your admission to all national parks in the US for an entire year. Basicallly, if you hit more than two parks in a month, the pass will more than pay for itself.
I second the comment that don’t come to San Francisco for a wild Halloween in the Castro. It’s fun here at Halloween, but big street parties are no more.
Keep us posted!
I hate to do it, but I have to suggest ixnaying Atlantic City for a trip like this. I like it there, but the boardwalk is still kinda grody. The cats under the piers and the street names you know from Monopoly are cool, in theory, but in practice, given that “Ace” is not really on the way to anything else per se, I’d skip it.
With that said, it isn’t called the Garden State for no reason. You can find some beautiful drives and parks in Morris County; there’s the Pine Barrens; the Delaware Water Gap is pretty, and there’s some low-impact camping there. There’s also some weird, fun shit that you can look up on WeirdNJ.com (the one that started it all), and if you’re going to have disco fries, do it in Jersey. (But not at the Summit Diner, which is inept at everything except soup. Maddening.)
Welcome! My parents loved road trips, and here’s a couple of thoughts:
1) Stay *on* interstates in the southwest… those states are freakin’ huge! Make detours/stops for local color, then move along, otherwise you’ll spend half your trip crossing deserts. (Also, be prepared for emergencies in Nevada/Arizona/etc… it may be fall, but it’s still the desert and even the interstates are very VERY remote sometimes.)
2) Walk whenever you can. Maybe this does not hold true for everyone, but I’ve logged 19,000 miles or so of road time and the places that stand out were the ones I walked in. (That held true when I toured Ireland as well.)
3) Crazy American stuff? Random roadside stops! My Dad nearly flipped the car spontaneously following a sign that said “Box Canyon Falls” in Colorado and it was the most awe-inspiring natural wonder I’ve even seen. Walk all the way down to the bottom of the falls and see what I mean. (I highly recommend it if CO is on your itinerary, ditto any scenic drive through the Rockies or Sierras, weather permitting.)
OK, I’m sneaking in a fourth, but consider renting a satellite phone if they aren’t stupidly expensive… You’d be surprised how much of America does NOT have cell coverage, and getting stranded without it is a bitch. Been there… but then, the friendly people who helped pull my truck out of the snowy ditch are one of my fondest travel memories.
@Av0gadro: I LOVE the Corn Palace! Excellent rec!!
If you decide you’d like to see a handful of National Parks, think about buying a National Parks Pass. It’ll set you back $80, but it’s good for a year, and it gets you into all the parks. Because each park has an entrance fee, it doesn’t take long to pay for itself.
Also, if you get a chance to visit the Grand Canyon, go for it. I went last year, and felt sort of “meh” about it beforehand. It’s just a big hole, right? How cool could it be? Yeah, no. It’s amazing and jaw-dropping. I wasn’t feeling “meh” at the end of the day.
Since I’m a Seattleite, I’ll put in a plug for the Emerald City. Bring a raincoat. Also, skip the Space Needle. The best view of the city, the bay, and Mt. Ranier (if visible) is from a small park at the top of Queene Anne hill. It’s called Kinnear Park, it’s free and it’s easy to get to.
I think it’s a great idea to fly from New York to somewhere else after you’ve seen the city. I’ve driven the corridor between New York and Virginia more times than I like to think about, and entirely too much of my time and money has been spent sitting in traffic in Delaware. Ugh.
If you want a real Halloween, I’d definitely try to be in San Francisco before then. Otherwise you risk being in the middle of nowhere.
I’m don’t think this will fit your plans so well, but if you find yourself in the Midwest, both Madison and Iowa City are great college towns if you’d like to give yourself a break from the wilderness and see a whole lot of people around the same age as yourself.
It might be interesting to drive from Miami to New Orleans, more or less follow the Mississippi up for a while, and approach the West Coast from the north, hitting Yellowstone on the way, then drive down to SF, rather than up. Haven’t done it myself, though I’ve always wanted to. Taking that route puts you in relative proximity to Branson, Missouri, which may provide all your heart desires in terms of tacky, all-American crap.
Only other thing I can really think of of note from personal experience is that Fairfield, Iowa is quite possibly the strangest small town in America. It’s not so far away from Riverside, which is the self-proclaimed future home of Captain Kirk. Iowa is weirder than most people would guess.
I’ll also put in a plug for the southern Utah region around Moab.
1) Go to Arches National Park. There is literally nothing else like it on earth. Eerily beautiful and otherworldly. Make the short hike out to Delicate Arch, and make a point of seeing the Double Arch.
2) Go to Dead Horse Point. I actually find it more dramatic than the Grand Canyon. It’s much smaller, but you can see then entire sweep of it and get a true sense of the canyon’s depth.
3) Go to Canyonlands National Park. Also totally beautiful, and much larger than Arches National Park.
Because of the time of year that you’ll be coming, these places may work better for you than the more mountainous regions in Colorado. I love the Rockies dearly, but a lot of the most scenic byways are impassable in the winter without a 4×4, and you never know when a storm may come through and drop a boatload of snow. The snow is beautiful, but I don’t recommend driving in that region in a non-AWD rental car unless it’s summer.
And if the weather says that a snowstorm or flash flood is coming in Southern Utah, you still need to pay attention. It’s a beautiful region, but you have to treat the weather and terrain with respect or it can kill you. Don’t let that discourage you, though – use a little common sense and you’ll be perfectly fine.
I would suggest taking the train from New Orleans to Tucson. (Or Chicago to Flagstaff, if you decide to hit Chicago on this trip.) Then rent a car in AZ, see the Grand Canyon, Vegas, hit a national park or two, drive on to LA. There’s plenty that’s worth seeing and doing between the Mississippi and the Rockies, but by god there’s a lot of blank empty road in between. I find that stretch of country more attractive when someone else is doing the driving. I’d also suggest getting a roomette if you’ll be on the train overnight. Roomettes are about the size of a walk-in closet, but you get private space, flat beds, use of the showers, and meals included.
**Note: Amtrak has a lousy on-time performance record. Do not schedule any tight connections with Amtrak.
I live in San Francisco, and I agree with the suggestion that you do Halloween in West Hollywood.
Folks upthread recommended driving Highway 1 up the California coast, and I agree – very pretty stretch of road. I’d add that Highway 101 between Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz is also pretty, though less dramatic, and much faster than sticking to the coast the whole way.
If at all possible, stop at Anderson’s in Buellton (just north of Santa Barbara) and have the pea soup. It’s very good.
Woot Woot! USA, represent!
Please do come up to the Great Northwest! We tend to be a little neglected, what with California right there, but there’s lots of keen stuff here! I grew up in Oregon and now live in Seattle, Washington, so if you’re heading this way give a ring and we can hit the town.
Keep in mind that there are really two versions of the Pacific Northwest: Western Oregon/Washington, and Eastern. The Western side is the side you may have heard of–rain, trees, green, whales, fleece. The Eastern side is the High Desert. Yep, desert in the northwest. It’s one of the more beautiful and least populated areas of the US and well worth a look, but it depends on the time you have. You think driving across Nebraska is bad–we are talking six hour stretches to get to a town that consists of three houses and a gas station. It’s awesome in an extetential way but time consuming as well.
Here on the Western shore, there’s whale watching, tours of Astoria, Oregon (where Goonies was filmed) and of course my town of Seattle. Pike Place Market, the International District, Fremont-Center Of The Universe And Has A Statue Of Lenin–you name it. You can even see the first Starbucks, if you have a minute.
Two recommendations:
1)If you can, check out Stephen Fry’s six part series, Fry In America. He travels to each state and looks at little, out of the way places/things that don’t usually get mentioned in the official literature. He’s wonderful: doesn’t pull any punches when a region isn’t to his taste, but always tries to find something to like.
2)If you go camping/hiking, particularly at the National Parks, for the love of God and all His little angels, listen to and obey the Park Rangers. They are hardworking and terrific sources of help and information, and they spend a lot of their time hunting down/rescuing people who attempted to climb a mountain in shorts and sneakers, who tried to perch their toddler on the back of a bison for a photo, whose last roll of film in the camera contained snaps of a speculating hungry bear, etc. You do not want to become a Darwin Award nominee on your dream vacation.
I would highly recommend the Redwood Highway on Highway 101 in California. Huge redwoods and Giant Sequoias and little logging and camping towns full of history. It also has plenty of fun Americana things, like the drive-thru tree and the world’s largest treehouse. There’s a mix of hikes, from paved, easy ones to more intense ones, and at Elk Prairie there are herds of enormous elk just hanging out all over the place as you get gas or lunch. The Humboldt area also offers some really good food, and offers a fun, young and hip nightlife/artsy scene.
Much as I love Yellowstone, your travel dates are in the absolute most dodgy time for “the Park” as we locals call it, to be open and accessable. Yellowstone closes to car traffic no later than early November and October is open only as weather permits. If you were a month earlier I would say that Yellowstone/Grand Teton would be a do not miss, but in late October you are way too likely to drive all the way out here and then have to detour. Not that the rest of Montana and Wyoming aren’t beautiful, but it’s not Old Faithful.
I would suggest you look at Amtrak’s route atlas. A) it may be a great idea for at least one segment that, by road, is “miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles”. They also have rail passes that are good for a certain number of travel segments over 15, 30, or 45 days that might turn out to be a good deal for you.
One caveat: Many Amtrak routes run 1 train/day, or 3 trains/week, so connections are sometimes difficult. If you’re connecting in a city that you want to see anyway, 22 hours until the next train isn’t necessarily bad news. If, however, you just want to get to your next destination, 22 hours in (for example) Buffalo, NY, may be more than you want to invest. Also, some of the Amtrak stations are not in the very best areas of town and/or the departures are at awkward times (Cleveland, I’m looking at you! At 3 AM!), so a certain amount of due caution is advised.
Basically, look at the route atlas, and then look at the timetable to make sure the train(s) you’re looking for run at a useful time for you.
I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard that taking the train cross-country through the Rockies is absolutely gorgeous.
Sounds so fun!
Have to chime in to correct someone upthread–Charleston is in South Carolina, not North, but it is really charming, historical, etc.
Also, while we’re talking about North Carolina, you might try Asheville, NC–our fab city is very walkable, fun, cool, has great restaurants and independent bookstores and art galleries and live music and theatre. Plus the Blue Ridge Parkway (totally breathtakingly gorgeous, especially in October) is right here!
I forgot to mention the most important thing of all: Make sure to come back and tell us all about your trip afterwards!
There’s nothing in Austin, no joke. It’s the most overrated city in Texas. I’d suggest avoiding Texas simply because in the time you have you’ll never see it properly — NASA, best bbq in the country, the beauty of San Antonio. Best to leave it for another trip.
Just two quick tips from me:
1) Check out chowhound.com for local recommendations all around the country. It takes a bit of work because there’s so much info, but for mine it’s heaps more reliable than yelp or any other similar sites.
2) Avoid the Pepperidge Farm version of Tim Tams. They use high-fructose corn syrup and taste all wrong. :)
@Sars: I didn’t know about the Encyclopedia and will have to hunt it down. My one quibble about Road Food is that, while I understand that there are a limited number of synonyms for “hot dogs,” using “tube steaks” every third iteration just ain’t right.
There is enough in San Francisco to keep anyone busy for a week, but I’m obligated by forces beyond anyone’s control to point out that the Christopher Elbow shop in Hayes Valley serves hot chocolate with additives like curry powder, ginger, Chinese five-spice, and Venezuelan chili peppers. There’s a reason the place is furnished with fainting couches, and it’s not just the price tags. Ridiculously good, and since you’ll save buckets of money on cheap dim sum, you can afford the indulgence.
Ooh, I have to endorse the recs for New Orleans, too. It is a wacky gumbo of American history in itself.
A lot of the kitschy tours with paranormal themes are full of worthwhile, colorful history. I’ve been on the French Quarter Haunted History ghost tour a half dozen times and still love it, but I agree if you do visit the Big Easy on your trip, venture beyond the French Quarter (but do, of course, take a stumble down Bourbon Street at night). Camellia Grill is a great greasy diner that doesn’t look like one, and you can take the historic street cars through town to get there. Also in the Uptown area is Jacques-Imo’s cafe that has excellent New Orleans food for great prices. It is always tempting to go to some of the fancier, big name restaurants (like all of Emeril Lagasse’s places), but Jacques-Imo’s I think is a better bet.
And it is fascinating to see the still too-present aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in many parts of the city, and the uplifting displays of dedication and resilience of the rebuilding efforts.
If you swing by Arizona (which I don’t necessarily recommend right now due to the political climate) definitely check out Kartchner Caverns. It’s a living cave system, which means it’s still growing and changing. Most caves people visit are dead caves — dried out and stagnant. Kartchner is still a “wet” cave because before it was opened to the public it got a high-tech system installed to seal it off from the outside air and help keep the moisture that grows the cave inside.
Arizona also has the Grand Canyon and the petrified forest. I’ve only been to the GC, and it’s pretty incredible.
For Halloween Seattle’s gay neighborhood, Capitol Hill, really does it up. Actually all of Seattle gets very excited about Halloween, but Cap Hill does it best. If you’re flying out of SF on November 3 you could easily hit Seattle for Halloween, see some other Seattle sights and then head on down to SF on one of the many daily SEA-SFO flights.
One fun day would be to go to Discovery Park which has bluffs, huge trees and a very ‘into the wild’ feel right in the city, then walk over to the locks via a very cool suspension bridge, cross the locks and into Ballard, which is a very fun neighborhood (old-school Norweigan meets low-level hipsterism) for dinner.
There is a light rail from the airport and decent bus service around the city. You would need to rent a car to get to places outside the city like Mount Rainier, Northwest Trek, Snoqualmie Falls, etc.
Have a great trip!
Since you mentioned the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, I strongly suggest you read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods for ideas and inspiration! Harper Collins even published the 1st 3 chapters online :http://tinyurl.com/2846kf
I second West Hollywood for Halloween. Totally. nuts. party.