swe_Thomas

Hi.

We are two friends (guy and girl in our early thirties) that are going to do a trip from Sweden to USA this August.

The plan so far is to fly to New York, stay there for a couple of days. Then drive along the coast to Miami and further to Key West if there is time.

We have about seventeen days to our disposal (- two days of travel). We thought starting in NY and seeing all the "must seeŽs", experience the everyday life and do some shopping. But we also want to find those sweetspots that other travelers know about.

WeŽd appriciate all tips for the "drive" from NY to Miami.. hotels, restaurants, festivals, concerts etc etc that take place during August and along the way.

Is there any particular place that we shouldŽnt miss? Somethings that are overrated etc etc..

Finally, we plan to end up in Miami and have some relaxing days on the beach, make some day-tours and enjoy some clubbin or nightlife.

We are openminded and very social of us.
Thank you in advance!

/T & S

HowardR

There's no way that you will be able to see "all the 'must sees,' experience the everyday life and do some shopping...[plus] find those sweetspots that other travelers know about" in New York in just two days!
Considering that you are planning 17 days for your trip, with two set aside for travel, you can certainly take at least a couple days away from the Florida part of your trip!

swe_Thomas

Hi Howard.

What I meant with "a couple of days" was 4-6 days..

Sorry, its my bad english that caused this missunderstanding =)

With "all the must seeŽs" I dont mean everything, but some of the major attractions, such as ground zero, Liberty statue, Empire state..

thanks for your reply!
/Thomas

GoTravel

As soon as you get to Jacksonville Florida, hop on over to A1A and take the coastal drive all the way to Miami.

There are some places where you'll have to jump on Federal Highway but most of Florida's coast is undeveloped between Jacksonville and Stuart/Ft. Pierce. Gorgeous state parks.

Stop at a Wal-Mart and buy a couple of beach chairs, some GOOD sunblock (couple of Swedes in South Florida August sun need at least a 45 SPF and buy Bullfrog brand if you can find), a cooler, and maybe some fishing poles and a frisbee.

Drive until you see a beach or a beach town you like and get out and spend the day.

There are tons of inexpensive mom & pop hotels you'll find along the way but also stop at the Florida Welcome Center for the coupon books.

This is a great way to see Florida's coast and a fantastic beach vacation.

I did the same thing a couple of years ago and saw some fantastic beaches I would never have seen otherwise.

swe_Thomas

How is with toll roads through the different states?

Do they take VISA/Mastercard.
If anyone knows.. =)

J62

NJ, Maryland and the bridge into Delaware are tolls. The rest of the way is free highway (if memory serves me).

Do not plan on using visa/MC for tolls - not sure if they take cc, (but even if they do the line of cars behind you won't like it.) Just use $US cash, $10 or at most $20 bill. The highest toll will be NJ, and that is <$10.

Neopolitan

I think you may have a false impression of what this is. Two solid days of 12 hours or more constant driving can get you from New York to Miami, but you will see nothing. Going over to the coast and seeing things along the coast will mean a miminum of 5 days of solid driving. Add stops for "seeing" things and you need well over a week for the drive.

Meanwhile have you found rental car prices? If you're talking about flying home from Miami and leaving a New York car there -- you may faint when you hear the prices. Have you booked airfare to New York and home from Miami?

I'd suggest you fly from New York to Miami so you can really take some time at both ends to enjoy those places. Spend four or five nights in New York, then fly to Miami for 12 days so you can go to the Keys, relax on the beach, visit along the Florida coast. You won't regret it.

Would you consider telling someone from the US who wants to fly to Stockholm to see it and also Rome, to spend most of their trip driving between the two?

ekscrunchy

Is anyone going to mention South of the Border? That will give them an interesting peek at our country! Thomas, this place is on Rte 95 and was traditionally the stopping point for drivers from NYC to Miami as it is more or less halfway along the route. It is a conglomeration of shops selling everything from Elvis slippers to fireworks and gasoline. Something to see..once!

swe_Thomas

Neo:
The flying/car rental is already taken care of. I appriciate your concern though. =)

The plan looks like this (roughly):
New York, 5-6 days
driving incl "nice spots", 5-6 days
Miami with surroundings, 4-5 days


Regarding the Stockholm to Rome trip, Im afraid I cant help you very much there. I live in southern sweden (Malmo) and I haveŽnt driven so much between the two. Never been to Rome either..yet.

The best time to go to sweden if you want sunny and good drivingweather is July-August-(September) (June is often very rainy).

Neopolitan

I'm sorry, but you missed my point about Stockholm to Rome. I was simply saying that if someone wanted to visit Stockholm and Rome as the two cities in Europe, would you advise them to drive between them or to fly? Driving between the two is not much different than driving between NYC and Miami. I would fly between Stockholm and Rome unless I had weeks and weeks to visit the areas between the two. I would also fly between New York and Miami for the same reason.

Scarlett

Hello, swe_Thomas,
When I moved from NY to Florida, we just wanted to get there, so we drove straight through, only stopping halfway there to sleep.
I fear, that as the hours in a car go by, you will start wishing you were in Miami already, and will quicken the pace and skip any "must-sees" along the way..which in my memory are few and far between.
Here is my sketchy idea of some stops to make..I like your idea though, it is a good way to see the NorthEast and South close-up

From NY, you have to go through Washington DC, stop there and try to see as much as you can during the day or 2 days, drive on to Va or as far South as you can, before calling it a night in a hotel along the highway.
I would aim for a day or two in Savannah Georgia, and while I like GoTravels idea of driving A1A...it can also be boring and a bit too long..so I would just do that for a certain amount of time, farther South-Get on I-95 and shoot down to Palm Beach, then drive along the ocean..that will be a hoot ( at least it is to me)...if you like seeing very old men in very big Rolls Royces lol.....but it is very pretty and the homes are worth ogling..
Then you will be in Miami and that is where you will enjoy spending your time and being Out of the car..that does get tedious fast, driving and driving.
Have fun..
As for festivals, you might google specific towns as your trip comes closer and you have more idea of where you will be at a certain time, there is always something going on in the summer

metoo

We recently did this trip the other way around--flew into Miami, spent a delightful 9 days in Miami and other parts of Florida and then drove north up Rt 95 to and past NY and Boston. We didn't do much but drive for two and a half very loooong days and dropping the rental car off over 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) away nearly doubled our cost over the internet discount price we'd prearranged.

The distance is so far that there's no way anyone can see all the interesting stuff in and between NYC and Miami in 17 months, let alone 17 days.

What sorts of things most intrigue you? You need to decide what is most important to you and what memories you want to take home from this trip. Do you like to take the time to experience different cultures? Do you like historical places, clubs, shopping, quiet places to relax, art, music (and if so, what type)?

Let us know what is most important to you and perhaps we can provide some insights in to how best to help you find it.

HowardR

Now that you clarified your proposed schedule, you've gotten some good advice. I'd add this: You've got to do some research and figure out what you want to see and do along the way. Two solid suggestions already given are Washington, DC and Savannah.
Also, in answer to your question, you cannot use a credit card to pay the tolls along the way.

eveningcrane

Hi,

One of my favotite southern cities is Charleston, South Carolina. It would make a nice stop on the way south, just a small detour off 95 and I much prefer it to Savannah (even though I live in Georgia). It has a really pretty waterfront (I love taking strolls down along Battery park), a nice historic section, and very good food.

http://www.funbeaches.com/charleston.html

The above link gives a nice overview of the city.

Have a great trip

Pamela

swe_Thomas

Thank you all for great info!!!

We will sit down and discuss what we want to explore and visit when weŽre driving, and then IŽll post it here. Perhaps anyone has more info to give us

We are really looking forward to our first trip to the US!

regards
T & S

mclaurie

I drove from NY to Fla. once. The problem with your plan is the fastest way to get there is by highway which is reaaaallllly boring. If you veer off the highway to see something more interesting, it will take much longer. While you say your plans are set, I think you could probably cancel the car rental and still get an internal flight which will be CHEAP. Please remember that August is also hurricane season.

If you really want to see some things b/w NYC and Fla. you could take public transport from NYC to Philadelphia and/or Washington DC or anywhere else you choose.

If you are determined to do the drive, stop at the Jersey shore, stop in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Follow GoT's advise for driving the Fla. Coast. Make sure you get a car with good air conditioning!