6 Weeks in the U.S./ London with Two 60ish Young At Heart
Aug 22nd, 2014, 05:35 AM
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6 Weeks in the U.S./ London with Two 60ish Young At Heart
After 7 flights, 12 hotels and one airbnb apartment, we finally landed at home. I knew I had to write a post on Fodor’s after all the help I got from Fodorites in planning this trip. I thought I’d give some highlights. I just didn’t think it would take me two and a half months to get around to doing it.
Be Prepared….
I began planning this trip 9 months before we set foot in an airport. First of all, that’s me! I love to research travel sites on the Internet, read what other people say and have all the information at my fingertips. But there was another reason why I had to do my “homework”. My husband had a severe stroke two years ago which he recovered from. But he still has physical limitations and I had to make sure that we would go places where he could manage. Just to skip ahead briefly, he managed wonderfully, walked and hiked and split the driving with me. But we weren’t sure what his capabilities would be until we started travelling.
We had to break up the 12 hour flight to New York because his doctors recommended not flying more than 6 – 7 hours and having at least 12 hour breaks between flights. So we stayed over in London, then flew to New York. A couple of days in New York and then we flew to Las Vegas. We drove to Zion Park and Bryce Canyon and ended with 3 and a half days in Las Vegas. From there, we flew to SF and spent 3 weeks in California, alternating between the Bay Area (where our daughters live) and trips to Monterey and Yosemite. Back to New York for an overnight stay and then to London, where we stayed for 4 days before heading home. Yes, it was a lot of unpacking and packing…… but it was worth it.
A Modern Truth: Internet All the Way
There’s no way you can travel abroad without a computer or tablet, even if you’re Internetphobic (well, if you’re reading this, you aren’t!). For example, our flight was changed while we were in London and we needed ASAP to arrange a car service in two days because we had to leave for the airport before the Tube started running. I posted on the Great Britain forum late at night and the next morning 9 people answered and solved my problem. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Expect the Unexpected
Case Number 1: Lightening Doesn’t Strike Twice??????
We landed at Heathrow at 8:30 p.m. the first evening. I had reserved a hotel within the airport area since we had a morning flight. Luckily, we didn’t have to pick our suitcases because the flight to NY was a connection. With our two backpacks, we arrived at the hotel quite tired and a little hungry. I sent my husband to order some coffee and sandwiches at the coffee shop before it closed and I went to check in, pleased that everything was going smoothly…. until I opened my wallet to take out my credit card and it wasn’t there! There was a moment of panic because I couldn’t understand what happened. After all, I hadn’t used the card at all that day. Suddenly I realized that my credit card was sitting safely at home! Before we left in the morning, I had carefully put away all important documents, extra keys and extra credit cards in a safe place at home, including the card I wanted to take. As my step daughter wrote later: “take it easy and laugh at the oh-so-funny absurd: this happening to the MOST organized person on earth!!!”
Yeah, I’m chuckling now, but I wasn’t then when I realized that we were at the start of a 6 week trip with one lonely credit card. We immediately called the credit card company to arrange for a new card to be sent to one of our daughters in California. My husband felt confident that we’d manage just fine with one card during the two weeks.
But fate had another plan for us. A week later, we arrived at Ruby’s Inn at Bryce Canyon in Utah – the most remote place we got to - and when we went to check in, the reception clerk told us that the card was blocked. That moment was definitely the low point of the whole trip! I think my mouth fell open from shock and my husband actually looked worried. Again, an urgent call to the credit card company. It turned out that hackers had begun shopping with his card three hours earlier and the company blocked the card. There we were, in the middle of nowhere without any way of paying anything!
Well, the credit card company came up with some creative solutions and until we got to SF, we had to pay for everything with cash. And we learned a lesson after years of travelling abroad. Take an extra credit card. It doesn’t take up any room.
Case Number 2: The Impossible Can Happen
Bryce might have been the low point but it was also the high point – it snowed. Yep, in the middle of May, there was a “rarely but does happen” snowstorm. (Well, the elevation there is over 2,500 meters (8000 feet)). We woke up to see the whole area covered with snow and it continued to snow. For me, it was a wonderful déjà vu of my childhood in the United States. For my husband, it was a shock (His snow experience amounted to movies and television.) He was worried how we’d drive to Las Vegas that morning. Because the roads weren’t iced over – they were just slushy so I knew that I could handle the road. The problem was finding the car under 20 cm. (8 inches) of snow. We ended up buying a snow/ice scraper in the general store which we later left in our hotel room in Las Vegas (I’m sure the maid had no idea what that plastic pole with a squeegee was!) After an hour of slow and careful driving in a beautiful wonderland of snow, we safely descended to the point where there was no snow. Fantastic experience that wasn’t planned.
Case Number 3: Believe What You see
We’re used to urban trips abroad but this trip was all about nature. Each place we went was wonderful in its own way. I don’t have to go into details of our visits. Whoever has been there, knows and whoever hasn’t, go! We went to Zion and Bryce in Utah, Big Sur, Point Lobos Nature Reserve and Yosemite in California.
Yosemite is by far the most magnificent place. We were there the last week of May when the waterfalls and lakes are full from the melting snow and ice in the mountains.
We wanted to walk to Mirror Lake which is one of the accessible trails for my husband according to the map. I saw that there were two possibilities – one was a paved road and the other a trail through the forest. If you’re at Yosemite, of course you want to walk through the forest. I thought that we could walk through the forest along the river and then cross the river to get to the road and the lake. It wasn’t exactly marked that way on the map but it made sense that there would be some kind of bridge along the way. My advice – never “think”. We started the path which began easily and then became more difficult and steep with lots of rocks. We also discovered that it was a horse trail and the horses had left plenty of “presents” for us to dodge. We reached a point where we could see Mirror Lake(about 1.5 kilometers/1 mile walk) but we discovered that there was no way to cross the water to the other side. We slogged on with the path getting harder and harder for my husband. I suddenly realized that we might end up walking the entire loop trail which was 8 kilometers (5 miles) or more. That wasn’t an option so we desperately looked for a way to cross over. We finally reached a shallower part of the river in an open flat area. The river here was about 25 meters wide (about 30 yards). We were joined by other hikers in our situation. The only solution was to wade across. We took off our shoes, rolled up our pants (the water came to our knees) and took a step. It was like walking in a freezer! The river was melted snow and ice from the mountains and when I finished crossing (once to get the backpacks across and then again to help my husband), I felt like my feet were frostbitten! In a month or two, there wouldn’t have been any problems crossing over at any point because most of the river would have dried up. Okay – I learned my lesson. If it’s not on the map, it ain’t there.
Case Number 4: Sorry U.S., London is better
¬The London Underground wins hands down on public transportation. New York subway gets last place – no elevators or escalators anywhere. And if there are, you can’t find them or they’re out of order (Penn Station) when you need them. Once we used a pedestrian tunnel to get from one subway line to another. We walked 10-15 minutes in the tunnel and at the end there were something like 50 steps to reach the next station level. There was no way for us poor tourists to know that. Big thumbs down.
Kudos to Zion National Park
Maybe it didn’t have the majesty of Yosemite, the fauna of Point Lobos or the uniqueness of Bryce, but Zion was the best organized park we visited. First of all, we stayed in the town of Springdale where there were many restaurants to choose from and other amenities. A shuttle to the park was right outside our hotel. The shuttle in the park is fantastic. It runs every 15 minutes, gets to every point in the park and was super convenient. It was also accessible to wheelchairs and people with limited mobility which was very important for us. Scattered through the park buildings are faucets to fill your water bottles. We didn’t see this at any other park. Because Zion is an arid area, the visitors were encouraged to drink enough. The rangers at the visitor’s center also gave us the best information than the other parks as far as trails that would be appropriate for my husband. The map and the signs at the head of the trails were also the most informative.
Final Thoughts on the Trip
Too short. We ate too much. Clean hotels. Thank goodness for Internet and Wifi. Can’t wait for our next trip.
Be Prepared….
I began planning this trip 9 months before we set foot in an airport. First of all, that’s me! I love to research travel sites on the Internet, read what other people say and have all the information at my fingertips. But there was another reason why I had to do my “homework”. My husband had a severe stroke two years ago which he recovered from. But he still has physical limitations and I had to make sure that we would go places where he could manage. Just to skip ahead briefly, he managed wonderfully, walked and hiked and split the driving with me. But we weren’t sure what his capabilities would be until we started travelling.
We had to break up the 12 hour flight to New York because his doctors recommended not flying more than 6 – 7 hours and having at least 12 hour breaks between flights. So we stayed over in London, then flew to New York. A couple of days in New York and then we flew to Las Vegas. We drove to Zion Park and Bryce Canyon and ended with 3 and a half days in Las Vegas. From there, we flew to SF and spent 3 weeks in California, alternating between the Bay Area (where our daughters live) and trips to Monterey and Yosemite. Back to New York for an overnight stay and then to London, where we stayed for 4 days before heading home. Yes, it was a lot of unpacking and packing…… but it was worth it.
A Modern Truth: Internet All the Way
There’s no way you can travel abroad without a computer or tablet, even if you’re Internetphobic (well, if you’re reading this, you aren’t!). For example, our flight was changed while we were in London and we needed ASAP to arrange a car service in two days because we had to leave for the airport before the Tube started running. I posted on the Great Britain forum late at night and the next morning 9 people answered and solved my problem. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Expect the Unexpected
Case Number 1: Lightening Doesn’t Strike Twice??????
We landed at Heathrow at 8:30 p.m. the first evening. I had reserved a hotel within the airport area since we had a morning flight. Luckily, we didn’t have to pick our suitcases because the flight to NY was a connection. With our two backpacks, we arrived at the hotel quite tired and a little hungry. I sent my husband to order some coffee and sandwiches at the coffee shop before it closed and I went to check in, pleased that everything was going smoothly…. until I opened my wallet to take out my credit card and it wasn’t there! There was a moment of panic because I couldn’t understand what happened. After all, I hadn’t used the card at all that day. Suddenly I realized that my credit card was sitting safely at home! Before we left in the morning, I had carefully put away all important documents, extra keys and extra credit cards in a safe place at home, including the card I wanted to take. As my step daughter wrote later: “take it easy and laugh at the oh-so-funny absurd: this happening to the MOST organized person on earth!!!”
Yeah, I’m chuckling now, but I wasn’t then when I realized that we were at the start of a 6 week trip with one lonely credit card. We immediately called the credit card company to arrange for a new card to be sent to one of our daughters in California. My husband felt confident that we’d manage just fine with one card during the two weeks.
But fate had another plan for us. A week later, we arrived at Ruby’s Inn at Bryce Canyon in Utah – the most remote place we got to - and when we went to check in, the reception clerk told us that the card was blocked. That moment was definitely the low point of the whole trip! I think my mouth fell open from shock and my husband actually looked worried. Again, an urgent call to the credit card company. It turned out that hackers had begun shopping with his card three hours earlier and the company blocked the card. There we were, in the middle of nowhere without any way of paying anything!
Well, the credit card company came up with some creative solutions and until we got to SF, we had to pay for everything with cash. And we learned a lesson after years of travelling abroad. Take an extra credit card. It doesn’t take up any room.
Case Number 2: The Impossible Can Happen
Bryce might have been the low point but it was also the high point – it snowed. Yep, in the middle of May, there was a “rarely but does happen” snowstorm. (Well, the elevation there is over 2,500 meters (8000 feet)). We woke up to see the whole area covered with snow and it continued to snow. For me, it was a wonderful déjà vu of my childhood in the United States. For my husband, it was a shock (His snow experience amounted to movies and television.) He was worried how we’d drive to Las Vegas that morning. Because the roads weren’t iced over – they were just slushy so I knew that I could handle the road. The problem was finding the car under 20 cm. (8 inches) of snow. We ended up buying a snow/ice scraper in the general store which we later left in our hotel room in Las Vegas (I’m sure the maid had no idea what that plastic pole with a squeegee was!) After an hour of slow and careful driving in a beautiful wonderland of snow, we safely descended to the point where there was no snow. Fantastic experience that wasn’t planned.
Case Number 3: Believe What You see
We’re used to urban trips abroad but this trip was all about nature. Each place we went was wonderful in its own way. I don’t have to go into details of our visits. Whoever has been there, knows and whoever hasn’t, go! We went to Zion and Bryce in Utah, Big Sur, Point Lobos Nature Reserve and Yosemite in California.
Yosemite is by far the most magnificent place. We were there the last week of May when the waterfalls and lakes are full from the melting snow and ice in the mountains.
We wanted to walk to Mirror Lake which is one of the accessible trails for my husband according to the map. I saw that there were two possibilities – one was a paved road and the other a trail through the forest. If you’re at Yosemite, of course you want to walk through the forest. I thought that we could walk through the forest along the river and then cross the river to get to the road and the lake. It wasn’t exactly marked that way on the map but it made sense that there would be some kind of bridge along the way. My advice – never “think”. We started the path which began easily and then became more difficult and steep with lots of rocks. We also discovered that it was a horse trail and the horses had left plenty of “presents” for us to dodge. We reached a point where we could see Mirror Lake(about 1.5 kilometers/1 mile walk) but we discovered that there was no way to cross the water to the other side. We slogged on with the path getting harder and harder for my husband. I suddenly realized that we might end up walking the entire loop trail which was 8 kilometers (5 miles) or more. That wasn’t an option so we desperately looked for a way to cross over. We finally reached a shallower part of the river in an open flat area. The river here was about 25 meters wide (about 30 yards). We were joined by other hikers in our situation. The only solution was to wade across. We took off our shoes, rolled up our pants (the water came to our knees) and took a step. It was like walking in a freezer! The river was melted snow and ice from the mountains and when I finished crossing (once to get the backpacks across and then again to help my husband), I felt like my feet were frostbitten! In a month or two, there wouldn’t have been any problems crossing over at any point because most of the river would have dried up. Okay – I learned my lesson. If it’s not on the map, it ain’t there.
Case Number 4: Sorry U.S., London is better
¬The London Underground wins hands down on public transportation. New York subway gets last place – no elevators or escalators anywhere. And if there are, you can’t find them or they’re out of order (Penn Station) when you need them. Once we used a pedestrian tunnel to get from one subway line to another. We walked 10-15 minutes in the tunnel and at the end there were something like 50 steps to reach the next station level. There was no way for us poor tourists to know that. Big thumbs down.
Kudos to Zion National Park
Maybe it didn’t have the majesty of Yosemite, the fauna of Point Lobos or the uniqueness of Bryce, but Zion was the best organized park we visited. First of all, we stayed in the town of Springdale where there were many restaurants to choose from and other amenities. A shuttle to the park was right outside our hotel. The shuttle in the park is fantastic. It runs every 15 minutes, gets to every point in the park and was super convenient. It was also accessible to wheelchairs and people with limited mobility which was very important for us. Scattered through the park buildings are faucets to fill your water bottles. We didn’t see this at any other park. Because Zion is an arid area, the visitors were encouraged to drink enough. The rangers at the visitor’s center also gave us the best information than the other parks as far as trails that would be appropriate for my husband. The map and the signs at the head of the trails were also the most informative.
Final Thoughts on the Trip
Too short. We ate too much. Clean hotels. Thank goodness for Internet and Wifi. Can’t wait for our next trip.
Aug 22nd, 2014, 07:22 AM
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We started in New York. Which cities/places are you specifically interested in. 12 hotels is a lot (10 hotels were in the US, 2 in England) to begin detailing here.
I booked the hotels online after checking tripadvisor, booking.com, this forum and other sites. I did a lot of crosschecking and booked months in advance to get the best prices (except for two hotels, it was pay when you stay). Cleanliness, price(what we had decided but we weren't looking for budget hotels) and location were the criteria. Most of the time the hotels were fine. Some places you have to see to know that it's not for you (because of other factors). The airbnb was in Berkeley where we visited our daughters. The apartment was fine but we could have chosen a more suitable location for us.
I booked the hotels online after checking tripadvisor, booking.com, this forum and other sites. I did a lot of crosschecking and booked months in advance to get the best prices (except for two hotels, it was pay when you stay). Cleanliness, price(what we had decided but we weren't looking for budget hotels) and location were the criteria. Most of the time the hotels were fine. Some places you have to see to know that it's not for you (because of other factors). The airbnb was in Berkeley where we visited our daughters. The apartment was fine but we could have chosen a more suitable location for us.
Aug 22nd, 2014, 09:26 AM
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We stayed in El Portal at Yosemite View Lodge only because I wanted to be as close to the park as possible. Meaning as little extra driving as possible (lots of driving in the park - it's enormous). We were 7-8 miles to the entrance. Then it's a 20 minute + drive to get to Yosemite Valley. But you pay for that. The hotel wasn't cheap, the only restaurant(s) were at the hotel or at one or two hotels farther away in El Portal and there was no breakfast included. This was also the only hotel in the U.S. that we had to pay for Wifi and we needed it because our cellphones had no reception! On the other hand, we got an enormous room with a kitchenette and a dining area. So we bought breakfast supplies and ate in. Evening meal at the restaurant. We always eat one hot meal in the evening. There was also a pizza joint (the other "restaurant") where many hotel guests preferred to pay less. But you can't beat the location. And the hotel which is enormous has 3 separate swimming pools (one indoors) with jacuzzi hot tubs. Of course we forgot to take our bathing suits. We left them in the other suitcase in Berkeley. We were really sorry!
In Monterey, we stayed at a motel/hotel called Americas Best Value Inn Stage Coach Lodge. It was clean, a large room (if dated decor) and in a good location. I got a great deal on it because I reserved months in advance. But I'd prefer someplace a little better the next time around. Can't complain but can't say I loved it.
This was our third visit to London (we were there last summer). We didn't plan on going back but our travel agent was able get the best deal (including all the U.S. domestic flights) through BA. So we did some laid back siteseeing but it was really to get over the jet lag - especially for my husband. We filled in the touristy "gaps" we hadn't done before and chilled out. London is a great place to chill out.
In Monterey, we stayed at a motel/hotel called Americas Best Value Inn Stage Coach Lodge. It was clean, a large room (if dated decor) and in a good location. I got a great deal on it because I reserved months in advance. But I'd prefer someplace a little better the next time around. Can't complain but can't say I loved it.
This was our third visit to London (we were there last summer). We didn't plan on going back but our travel agent was able get the best deal (including all the U.S. domestic flights) through BA. So we did some laid back siteseeing but it was really to get over the jet lag - especially for my husband. We filled in the touristy "gaps" we hadn't done before and chilled out. London is a great place to chill out.
Aug 22nd, 2014, 10:16 AM
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I'm from Israel.
We stayed at Premier Inn Heathrow flying to New York (3 minutes bus ride from Terminal 5) and Premier Inn Kensington (Earl's Court) on the way back. We stayed at Earl's Court last year and were so pleased (the staff, the hotel, the location etc...) that we went back. Still pleased even though there is no in room safe and we paid for Wifi. It's a really pleasant place to stay.
We stayed at Premier Inn Heathrow flying to New York (3 minutes bus ride from Terminal 5) and Premier Inn Kensington (Earl's Court) on the way back. We stayed at Earl's Court last year and were so pleased (the staff, the hotel, the location etc...) that we went back. Still pleased even though there is no in room safe and we paid for Wifi. It's a really pleasant place to stay.
