3 weeks in USA in February -- final post before booking hotels
Dec 25th, 2014, 08:16 PM
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3 weeks in USA in February -- final post before booking hotels
Well.. I have posted about this before, but I have changed and excluded few things and destinations (specifically Hawaii and Los Angeles.... and possibly Highway 1 drive).. so maybe creating a fresh topic is better. I believe this is my final decision making before I will book everything up (I do technically have booking for SF, but that I can cancel or change).
We will be traveling for 3 weeks in USA in February. And from the two precious posts, we have actually decided to stick with New York, even if it will be cold. We will make it
.
My itinerary as it stands now:
1. San Francisco -- 5 days (3 if we will do the drive below) [ From Feb 3rd ]
2. Drive Highway 1 -- Not sure if i need to skip it or keep it (take 2 days from above)
3. New York -- 7-8 days (this is 100% decided)
4. Florida (Key West / Everglade) (5-6 days)
If I will keep Highway 1 drive, I will spend 3 days in San Francisco, and spend 2-3 for the drive. However, I am considering to skip it for later.. based on concerns for weather (rain), the difficulty of the drive (especially Big Sur). Maybe if we stay for 5 days in San Francisco, we could replace complete drive with mini-day trip to Monterey (aquarium, Cannery Row.. etc). (Of course.. for day trip, we would still rent a car, but we could simply get on Highway 101 to get there quicker).
Having 5 days in San Francisco will also let us see Point Bonita lighthouse which open on Saturday.
We have also decided to skip LA, and just use it to get to New York on a direct 5 hours flight (if we will do the drive). If we skip the drive, we will simply fly from SFO.
How can we distribute time in Florida? Simply spend majority of time in Key West? From where do we get on tours of Everglade?
We will be traveling for 3 weeks in USA in February. And from the two precious posts, we have actually decided to stick with New York, even if it will be cold. We will make it
.My itinerary as it stands now:
1. San Francisco -- 5 days (3 if we will do the drive below) [ From Feb 3rd ]
2. Drive Highway 1 -- Not sure if i need to skip it or keep it (take 2 days from above)
3. New York -- 7-8 days (this is 100% decided)
4. Florida (Key West / Everglade) (5-6 days)
If I will keep Highway 1 drive, I will spend 3 days in San Francisco, and spend 2-3 for the drive. However, I am considering to skip it for later.. based on concerns for weather (rain), the difficulty of the drive (especially Big Sur). Maybe if we stay for 5 days in San Francisco, we could replace complete drive with mini-day trip to Monterey (aquarium, Cannery Row.. etc). (Of course.. for day trip, we would still rent a car, but we could simply get on Highway 101 to get there quicker).
Having 5 days in San Francisco will also let us see Point Bonita lighthouse which open on Saturday.
We have also decided to skip LA, and just use it to get to New York on a direct 5 hours flight (if we will do the drive). If we skip the drive, we will simply fly from SFO.
How can we distribute time in Florida? Simply spend majority of time in Key West? From where do we get on tours of Everglade?
Dec 26th, 2014, 10:13 AM
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I would definitely do the Highway 1 drive--one of the most spectacular in the USA.
NYC is a fascinating place, but, if I were you, before deciding to spend the best part of a week in Florida I would explore if it were better to spend some of that time in California and neighboring states. Many of our great national parks (such as Yosemite, Death Valley, and Zion) and state parks (such as Valley of Fire, near Las Vegas) are located in the West and Southwest.
HTtY
NYC is a fascinating place, but, if I were you, before deciding to spend the best part of a week in Florida I would explore if it were better to spend some of that time in California and neighboring states. Many of our great national parks (such as Yosemite, Death Valley, and Zion) and state parks (such as Valley of Fire, near Las Vegas) are located in the West and Southwest.
HTtY
Dec 26th, 2014, 10:28 AM
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I agree with HTTY about doing the Highway 1 drive, just book reservations that you can cancel (in other words do not prepay for the hotel), most places let you do that 48 hours in advance, some as little as same day by 6pm.
Check the Caltrans website, dot.ca.gov and they also have a tollfree number you can call, just input the number of the highway, in this case '1' to get the latest update on road conditions and closures.
Check the Caltrans website, dot.ca.gov and they also have a tollfree number you can call, just input the number of the highway, in this case '1' to get the latest update on road conditions and closures.
Dec 26th, 2014, 10:54 AM
#4
Are you INTERESTED in state parks? Doesn't sound like you are but correct me if I am wrong.
As to Florida and Key West. Are you really REALLY familiar with the town and what does and does not happen there? I, for one, would not spend five full days there; 3 maybe.
As to Florida and Key West. Are you really REALLY familiar with the town and what does and does not happen there? I, for one, would not spend five full days there; 3 maybe.
Dec 27th, 2014, 06:18 AM
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We also had our thought on reducing number of days in Florida, or possibly replace it with something else.
And I might actually do the complete drive anyways. I probably can add extra day or two and do the drive before flying to NYC.
What do you think would be best to visit after New York? I guess we would have two options.. either stay longer in NYC.. or go somewhere else. I guess since we will have all those layers in NYC, it would not be very comfortable to go all the way south with 70F temperatures.
And I might actually do the complete drive anyways. I probably can add extra day or two and do the drive before flying to NYC.
What do you think would be best to visit after New York? I guess we would have two options.. either stay longer in NYC.. or go somewhere else. I guess since we will have all those layers in NYC, it would not be very comfortable to go all the way south with 70F temperatures.
Dec 27th, 2014, 06:46 AM
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Are you INTERESTED in state parks? Doesn't sound like you are but correct me if I am wrong.
Why are you SCREAMING?
Some state parks are very much worth a visit. Dead Horse Point in Utah, Valley of Fire in Arizona, Ecola in Oregon, and Pfeiffer Big Sur in California are some that come to mind. Often travelers speed past state parks that might give them great satisfaction. For instance, they may drive past Dead Horse Point in a rush to get to Canyonland NP or past Ecola because they have a six-hour drive to Crater Lake NP.
I was providing the OP with the kind of advice I give my friends who visit here from foreign lands. The national and state parks of the West and Southwest are great treasures which I am eager to share with those who visit here. I regret that enraged you.
HTtY
Why are you SCREAMING?
Some state parks are very much worth a visit. Dead Horse Point in Utah, Valley of Fire in Arizona, Ecola in Oregon, and Pfeiffer Big Sur in California are some that come to mind. Often travelers speed past state parks that might give them great satisfaction. For instance, they may drive past Dead Horse Point in a rush to get to Canyonland NP or past Ecola because they have a six-hour drive to Crater Lake NP.
I was providing the OP with the kind of advice I give my friends who visit here from foreign lands. The national and state parks of the West and Southwest are great treasures which I am eager to share with those who visit here. I regret that enraged you.
HTtY
Dec 27th, 2014, 06:47 AM
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I might even ask, why Florida. It's a great state, but for instance, New Orleans is a LOT more interesting. Chicago is a great city, since you sort of seem interested in cities.
Highway 1 is a beautiful drive.
And Washington DC is SO overlooked by travelers to the US. It is always a puzzlement to me.
Highway 1 is a beautiful drive.
And Washington DC is SO overlooked by travelers to the US. It is always a puzzlement to me.
Dec 27th, 2014, 06:53 AM
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Well. If we extend our time in California by few days (to cover highway 1)... and then either fly out from LA or drive back by Hwy 101 to SFO. We could probably get to Washington DC on train from NYC.. and then fly out from there to my city (which has direct connection to).
Dec 28th, 2014, 02:54 AM
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While Mardi Gras IS a party, it is also a spectacle you couldn't see anywhere else. You can be a spectator. However, it could be difficult to get hotel rooms and it will be crowded. You don't have to spend 5 days there!! Decide where you are (now) going and allocate the time for the destinations.
Dec 28th, 2014, 03:09 PM
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You can't make DC a day trip from NYC, it's about 3 hours each way by train. The weather in DC is a little warmer than NYC usually, maybe 5-10 degrees. You can't predict the rest in Frebruary (precipitation, winds) as it depends on trajectories of storms.
I do like the Highway 1 drive in California, but it's not clear to me where you would go then (what city south). If you don't want to see another big city (LA), you could stop off in Santa Barbara and then drive to Burbank airport from there fairly easily. It's a lot easier than having to leave from LAX. Southwest flies from Burbank to Laguardia or Newark with one stop in Denver. JetBlue flies nonstop from Burbank to JFK.
I have never driven highway 1 in February, so don't know what the weather would be like, actually. It can be closed occasionally in winter due to storms or rock/mud slides. It is most likely to be closed just north and south of Big Sur. But it isn't a given, it can be fine in February with moderate temps. But you shouldn't drive that entire length in one day, you must stop somewhere in the middle (like Cambria or so). If it's the scariness of it that bothers you, it is actually less scary driving up than down, because you are on the inside. So in that case, if you planned for that, it would make more sense to start in LA, then drive up to SF, then fly to NY from there. But since you don't want to spend time in LA, that doesn't really work very well, as you aren't going to want to get in a rental car and start driving north if you are arriving from a very long distance. And I wold presume LA and SF are the only two major cities logical for you to fly into.
I do like the Highway 1 drive in California, but it's not clear to me where you would go then (what city south). If you don't want to see another big city (LA), you could stop off in Santa Barbara and then drive to Burbank airport from there fairly easily. It's a lot easier than having to leave from LAX. Southwest flies from Burbank to Laguardia or Newark with one stop in Denver. JetBlue flies nonstop from Burbank to JFK.
I have never driven highway 1 in February, so don't know what the weather would be like, actually. It can be closed occasionally in winter due to storms or rock/mud slides. It is most likely to be closed just north and south of Big Sur. But it isn't a given, it can be fine in February with moderate temps. But you shouldn't drive that entire length in one day, you must stop somewhere in the middle (like Cambria or so). If it's the scariness of it that bothers you, it is actually less scary driving up than down, because you are on the inside. So in that case, if you planned for that, it would make more sense to start in LA, then drive up to SF, then fly to NY from there. But since you don't want to spend time in LA, that doesn't really work very well, as you aren't going to want to get in a rental car and start driving north if you are arriving from a very long distance. And I wold presume LA and SF are the only two major cities logical for you to fly into.
