US whole month of January where to

Old Mar 27th, 2017, 03:58 PM
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US whole month of January where to

Hello, After spending a year planning our trip to NYC, Miami and the Caribbean in April, unavoidable medical circumstances have resulted in our holiday being postponed. The chance we have to travel is from end of December to end January. We have accepted things can't be how we planned and so are now going back to the drawing board to plan a different holiday.

We have five days in NYC from 28 December and are now looking for ideas and advice about where to go next. We have previously been to California and Washington DC for long trips and not casino fans so Las Vegas does not appeal. Any ideas gratefully received.

We do not ski or do other sports activities but enjoy being in the snow. We prefer not to drive if possible. We love good food, beautiful scenery and hopefully can include a week somewhere in the Caribbean where it warmest at the time of year.

Thank you for your help.
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Old Mar 27th, 2017, 04:12 PM
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Dog sledding all the way around Lake Superior should just about eat up a month.
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Old Mar 27th, 2017, 04:15 PM
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Florida and the rest of the Caribbean will still be warm. (Jamaica will be even warmer) You've already been to Miami but the Tampa/St. Petersburg area is a very vibrant spot rich with Cuban food and culture, Ybor City for nightlife, Salvador Dali museum, and sunsets over the ocean.

If you're looking for a romantic sleepy city in the mountains with a huge craft beer scene try Asheville NC. For a better chance of snow/ice you may want to head further north.

Chicago is a neat place to visit if you haven't been before but might pale in comparison a bit after spending 5 days in NYC. You can rely entirely on public transportation. Boston and Philly are ideas that won't require a car as well.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 01:30 AM
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After NYC, consider flying to Charleston, then driving US highway 17 to Beaufort-Savannah-Amelia Island-St Augustine. All are interesting and attractive places with potentially Spring-like weather. Yes, you have to drive but this is pretty easy driving, non-motorway with most large vehicles on the parallel I-95.

Drop your car in Orlando and fly to Puerto Rico. You could easily spend ten days there touring or you can book a cruise departing from there into the Virgin Islands. This is not yet high cruise season (tends to be windy and the freezing hordes in Northern cities are not yet desperate) so you ought to get a good price.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 05:48 AM
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Washington DC into the mix. It is always amazing to me that us "Amuricans" don't value our nation's capital any more than we seem to in recommending to visitors. It is like no other capital in the world and with MUCH to do and see. Take the train from NYC. Fly to Charleston.
Then to Ack's idea of a shortish drive (and it is a WONDERFUL part of the US), fly from Jacksonville to somewhere in the Caribbean.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 10:55 AM
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OP stated, with no ambiguity, that they'd been to DC. Thus, the absence of DC suggestions. Any other parts of the OP's post that you'd like to ignore?
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 11:05 AM
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The only way to avoid driving in the US is to either stay in the Northeast (or Chicago) where the cities are older and public transport options are better, or take cabs (or uber/lyft). Chicago is a brutal frozen hell - straight Ninth Circle Inferno type stuff (remember, it was called "Inferno" but Satan resided in an icy chamber) - in the winter. Only Siberians would find it habitable in January.

The Northeast may be snowy, may be just wet and gray. Places you'll definitely get snow include Vermont, New Hampshire, central New York, western Massachusetts.

Boston, NYC, and Philly all have good urban transportation options. They also have some suitable options for exploring nearby suburban areas. But once you're off the Boston-DC Amtrak corridor, you're not going to have reliable public transportation.

The fact is you cannot go to a large country like the US, leave the urban enclaves and avoid driving altogether. In fact, you cannot go to a small country and get outside of major cities and avoid driving if you want to see interesting sites.

Ultimately the most beautiful scenery (non-coastal) in the US is in the Rocky Mountains and up to Alaska (which you wouldn't want to visit in winter either). You need a car in the mountains too, even if you eschew the Rockies and just visit the Appalachians, the Ozarks or the Poconos.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 12:01 PM
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Your replies have cheered me up and it is taking my mind off the not such fun treatment. The explanations about driving has made a difference and we are now keen to give it a go.

I will spend today researching all the suggestions and will come back with more questions I am sure.

Thank you so much everyone.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 01:20 PM
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I am SO SO sorry Big Russ to have, as usual and with almost everyone, offended your sensibilities, such as they may be--I DID overlook that--just glided over it to agree about Las Vegas.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 02:47 PM
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Hello, I am back again with some questions.

Would this be a good plan time, distance and variety wise.

1. Arrive 28 December - 5 days in NYC (we have been before so it is just a chance to be there for New Year - no jet lag as we have a 2 day stop-over in Hong Kong on the way from New Zealand)

2. Fly to Jackson, Wyoming. 3 full days in Jackson and then travel to Yellowstone Park for 3 days for snow and the chance to see elk, tram ride to top of mountain (days exclude flying days)

3. Fly to Charleston - spend 3 full days in Charleston

4. Pick up car- Road trip to Orlando - 5 days including seeing Orlando?

5. Road trip to Miami - 1 day

6. Miami area - 7 days (drop off car at Miami airport so we can use car to go through Everglades - Tampa, etc)

7. Fly to Caribbean out of Miami

8. Ten days in Caribbean

Other things that might be important - cost of internal flights not an issue as we have so many credit vouchers from our cancellations.
One way drop off fee for car hire not as bad as we thought and worth not having to do round trip
We usually like to do the cold bits first and then we post back our winter gear and travel light for rest of trip.
GETTING VERY EXCITED

Thank you
PS BigRuss we have a friend from Chicago who says your description of January is spot on!
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 05:45 PM
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With climate change there is no guarantee of snow or bitter cold in Chicago in January.

There's no tram in Yellowstone, do you mean the one outside Jackson at Teton Village? Of course you will be with skiers on the tram, are you skiing also?

Are you renting a car to explore Grand Teton NP and is it completely open in the winter? I suppose it is. FYI: There are no mountains visible from Jackson town proper, and it's always expensive. Staying in the park would be nicer, if the lodges are open, not sure.

Yellowstone is only mechanized entry in the winter, I suppose you know that.

The Everglades is primarily a marsh with some treed bits and a lot of birds. I was not wowed, but maybe you will be.
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Old Mar 28th, 2017, 05:52 PM
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Yellowstone: the north entrance is open in the winter but this is hours by road from Jackson via Bozeman and I-90.
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 03:11 AM
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Your trip sounds very doable to me if you don't mind that much travel. I think New Zealanders get used to it!

The idea of doing the winter travel first is an excellent one.

There is little or nothing to see or do (IMHO) in Orlando if you are not doing theme parks, so I would go directly on to Miami after your road trip days. It is a fascinating city. Like Quebec City and perhaps San Juan, Puerto Rico, it is like being abroad without the hassles.

It's easy to get to the Caribbean from Miami, either by air or on a cruise.
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 03:42 AM
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Lodges in Grand Teton NP are not open in winter, and the internal park road is not open to vehicles. The highway that goes thru the edge of the park is plowed and open,


https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/winter.htm
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 04:10 AM
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Agree with Ack.
To see snow and have an easier drive, you could fly to Denver or even Aspen and spend some time there. The roads will definitely be open and the mountains and snow also. You can get around by shuttle if you want in Aspen.
On the way from Charleston see Beaufort, Savannah and then on to St. Augustine and down to Miami. Nix Orlando.
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 07:44 AM
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Whatever. Keep your climate alarmism to yourself - it's just as likely we'll get an anti-warming trend that freezes the place like the snowstorm that wiped out most of the cherry blossoms in DC this year. I'd never suggest to a foreign traveler that they visit Chicago in winter and risk the weather. Good gosh.

To the OP:

Florida is shot through with toll roads and the Miami area is rife with them. Florida car rental outposts have the necessary electronic tags on their cars and offer various deals for toll road access (there's a comparison site that I used before, Enterprise had the best cost then - thinking it was https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar). The problem with renting in South Carolina and then keeping that car through your Florida travels is that you won't have the toll tags.

To remedy that, you may want to investigate dropping the South Carolina car in Jacksonville (which is close to the Georgia border and colloquially known as the "largest city in South Georgia") and obtain a new rental car that is equipped (for want of a better term) for Florida roads. The cost shouldn't be prohibitive if you exchange vehicles IN Jacksonville, not at an airport rental counter (those all have additional facility and reclamation fees that cities use to take money from tourists instead of taxing their residents). Also check if the SC cars have similar toll tag passes (doubtful).

PS - Gretchen: you didn't "offend" my sensibilities. But if you're going to take out your soapbox and natter on about how Americans don't visit their capital and suggest same to foreign travelers, you could do the minimum amount of looking at the OP post to see why DC wasn't mentioned. SMH.
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 08:46 AM
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I didn't realize officially recorded temperatures and snow depths were fake news! Who knew?
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 05:40 PM
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I think 7 days in Miami is too much unless you want to drive to Key West, which is what I would do. Go to Everglades, I think you will like it and it is very different. Or, skip Everglades, shorten Miami, and fly to New Orleans before hopping to the Caribbean.

For the snow part if you find Yellowstone/Grand Teton not doable, the Denver idea is a good one. You could go to Rocky Mountain NP. There is probably a local shuttle company, at least there are to the ski areas. Use Uber or Lift to get around where you go or take local sight seeing tours.

With so many options and so much time you will have a wonderful trip whatever you choose!
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 06:07 PM
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I suggest you look at a cruise departure from Puerto Rico. You could fly directly to Puerto Rico from NYC, (look at SW airlines - don't know what they have out of NY, but a good airline), stay a few days to explore PR, do the cruise, then fly to Miami

I recommend the Departure from PR because the weather is great then, Old San Juan is charming, and cruises from there have much, much better itineraries (Barbados, St Lucia, St Kitts, etc.), IMHO, than those from Miami or Ft Lauderdale. It is worth the extra short flight. Look at vacationstogo for a quick view of ships and itineraries in Jan, 2018.

Three days in Puerto Rico followed by a seven day Caribbean cruise - perfection!
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Old Mar 29th, 2017, 07:11 PM
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I think Tetons/Yellowstone would be a great trip if prepared with proper clothes (warmth varies dramatically from different brands and styles of jackets and boots) and you cross country ski (would have to rent ski clothes and equipment) or are willing to snowmobile.

I think Santa Fe makes more sense than Denver for January snow access, much smaller and more interesting city.

FYI: there's an astonishing number of cruises now from Mobile, Galvaston, Tampa and New Orleans to Mexico.

Southwest to PR from Baltimore, Ft Lauderdale and Orlando. New York is JetBlue and others.
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