Month Long Usa Trip - Itinerary - comments?
 

We have a month trip planned and I would be interested for suggestions of places to see or stay. The basic theme will become clear, and the structure of the first 20 days is fairly fixed already, but there are a lot of blanks left to fill in. <BR>Days 1-2-3 Arrive San Francisco stay with friend. <BR>Days 4- 10 Travel by Hire Car to Tucson. <BR>Day 4 - stay ? <BR>Day 5 booked to stay at Madonna Inn - San Luis Obispo. <BR>Day 6 - LA <BR>Days 7,8 - San Diego <BR>Day 9, enroute to Tucson - Possible Calexico? <BR>Day 10 - Tucson <BR>Day 11-12 - Amtrak rail pass starts- train to Austin <BR>Days 12-15 Stay in Austin (yes we know we missed SXSW) <BR>Day 16 - go to New orleans <BR>Days 17,18,19 stay in New orleans <BR>Day 20 - go to Memphis <BR>Days 20,21,22,- stay in Memphis (with friends) <BR>Day 23- 27 go from Memphis to New York. Have train pass - any good route? (is it possible to include a good town for live music on the way? maybe Chicago?) <BR>Days 27,28,29 - New York, current thinking is Chelsea Hotel (but I'm trying for the Washington Square Hotel). <BR> <BR>At this stage we have very little accomodation booked but the basic route is sorted out. I have a big pile of guide books but little guidance. We need some cheap and cheerful nights (the exchange rate is dreadful right now)- so I think motel chains for the one night stops would be good, and better selections for San Diego and Austin. <BR>What do you think?

I don't see any inclusion of beaches of florida or southeast at all, pick at least a day to relax here. Also a must is Washington D.C. the nation's capitol, as for a good city for music, I vote St.Louis (the blues) It it were my choice, I would spend more time in in the eastern part of country maybe visit Georgia (especially Atlanta), South Carolina (Charleston) and a beach. To each his own though. Have fun!

Okay, I'll take a shot at some of it. <BR> <BR>We stopped at the Madonna Inn to take a look. Looks like a a lot of kitschy fun. Have you decided which style room you will be taking? <BR> <BR>You obviously have your reasons for going to Tucson and Austin. But are you sure you want to drive that part? You may want to check out Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) and America West Airlines www.americawest.com) which have very cheap fares for short hops in that area. You may find you save yourself a lot of time and money by doing some legs by air. For example, you could go from San Diego to Las Vegas for a relatively low price. They have many other routes and destinations. They also fly to the east coast and have lower prices than other airlines to their hubs, one of which is Baltimore for South West. <BR> <BR>Have you also checked into something like a Delta Pass with which you could fly around the country with a certain number of stops. (I have forgotten all the details, but I think there is something like that available to tourists. <BR> <BR> Do you have your country's equivalent of AAA (American Automoble Association) membership. It is usually reciprocal with AAA membership)YOu can get discounts on hotels and attractions. On arrival in the States, find a AAA office. You can get state maps and guides for free. These guides have great listings for hotels with short descriptions and prices. <BR> <BR>There are many very decent and low priced hotel chains. You'll find a lot in these AAA guides.Even in San Diego. <BR> <BR>Good luck

Amtrak service is not the most reliable in America (outside the DC to Boston market). Often delayed for several hours for no reason. <BR> <BR>If this is your first trip to USA, go from Memphis to DC and spend a few days in our Nation's capital. Then take the train to New York. <BR> <BR>Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your trip!

Although there are sometimes delays oif an hour or two in departure and arrival times on Amtrak I still think it's a great experience and a good way to travel. If possible pack your own snacks and bottled water. The meals available on the trains are much betetr than you might expect. If traveling overnight I strongly suggest paying the extra charge to get a sleeper - it's next to impossible to sleep in the seats although they are quite comfortable. I vote for Vhicago as a stop enroute to NYC. St. Louis does have some blues and a fascinating train station designed by Louis Sullivan (if I recall correctly but I might be thinking of Cincinatti). Chicago has more bliues including some really authentic south side clubs like the New Checkerboard Lounge. They also have great architecural history boat tours, the Art institute and good shopping. The Chelsea certainly has a colorful history but I'm not sure it's well ranked as a comfortable hotel. Can't really comment but would advise checking options carefully before committing.

It sounds almost like the reverse of what we did this past summer, only we started in the East. Austin was a bit of a disappointment to us--to be fair we were there on a Sunday. But it was mostly frat boy bars and piercing places. San Antonio was far cooler--the RiverWalk is a nice afternoon type thing. <BR>In N'Orleans, check out the Hotel St. Charles--it's either a Quality or Days Inn, but relatively cheap and VERY BEAUTIFUL. Brick walkways, wrought iron with wildflowers trailing through, pool a stone's throw away from an elegant bar. Lovely. We're staying there again over Easter. And take a cab to MidCity Rock N Bowl for great music (and bowling, if you're interested). I'm serious. We saw Rebirth Brass Band there and it was amazing. <BR>While in Memphis, if you're a music lover--which you must be to go--don't miss the Sun Studios tour. It looks like a hole in the wall, but there's so much amazing history in that tiny spot. And most definitely SKIP B.B.King's restaurant on the main strip--dreadfully overrated. Le Rendevous, which is off a back alley, has 2 things on the menu--a small order of ribs and a large order--all terrific. <BR>And in New York? Well there's far too much to even mention... but I'd hit the Village, and a couple of the amazing museums, Central Park and Lincoln Center. And take the Staten Island Ferry to relax, or even over to Ellis Island, but do not bother to go into the Statue of Liberty--it's much more impressive from the outside. Really. Sidewalk.com or any Time Out New York Guide could be helpful for other tips and restaurant recommendations. Have a great trip!

I live in N.O., my only comment is that it is pretty far to drive from Austin to N.O., I would consider a one-night stop in Houston or Lafayette to break up the trip.

Just got back from San Antonio and it would get my vote also over Austin. Didn't visit Austin so I guess I'm biased but I do think you would enjoy the Riverwalk. If you like Jazz go to Jim Cullum's Riverwalk Landing. They were great! They have a nationally syndicated radio show from there. Also agree that you might want to check out air flights. Driving and the train will take up an awfully lot of your time.Washington,DC really should be a must also. Good luck and hope you enjoy your trip!

hi, welcome to the US. i have to agree with some of the other posters about the train, esp. considering distances you are covering _ it is nowhere near as efficient as UK//other european systems and delays can be terrible. Southwest is a good airline to check into; they sometimes run specials for each leg of a trip (tucson-austin, for ex.) for $30. <BR>I disagree with others about San Antonio, it's a nice city but more family oriented and if you want music I think you'll find more interesting stuff in austin, especially if you get away from sixth street, which HAS become a frat-boy hangout as previous poster mentioned. In Austin, try to get a room at the Austin Motel on South Congress, just south of downtown. It is a refurbished 40s style motor court, very cool, great pool, great part of town for funky boutiques, restaurants and clubs. (continental club is right across the street.) And you ought to be able to book a room for $60 a night or less, same as a cheap chain. If you want something a little nicer, try the San Jose, which is right next door, rehabbed boutiquey property, probably $100-120 per night.

Being that music seems to be a major consideration, I would consider visiting Nashville on your way out of Memphis. Chicago is also great for music. But with New Orleans, Austin, SF, and NYC you are probably hitting the best of the USA music scene. <BR>

I stayed at the Washington Square Hotel last year. Good price, clean, basic New York hotel room (small). Don't expect too much from any hotel in New York for less than $300 a night. It's basic accommodation. I liked the location, as we were just off, obviously, Washington Square, and could easily walk to the subway. I would stay there again. <BR> <BR>Memphis is as good a place as any to listen to live music.

Hey! There is no better music town than Memphis! In cities from Miami to New Orleans to Chicago, Memphis music is popular and played in clubs, so don't miss the real thing. <BR>Don't miss Beale Street, and Rum Boogie Cafe in particular.

Julia, <BR>Here are a few sights you may want to work into your plans. Check out www.hearstcastle.org to see the Hearst Castle, north of San Luis Obispo. If you like beautiful scenery, your drive to San Diego could be by way of Death Valley - a real experience, especially in the summer. The Grand Canyon isn't far away from Tucson. Memphis, Nashville & Chicago are all known for their music. Kingston Mine (club) in Chicago has great "blues."

If you're travelling by train, your route from Memphis to NY is pretty well determined for you. You will go to Chicago. (You could stop off in St. Louis if you like, but you won't be going to Nashville.) <BR>Anyway, just in case you haven't found the website for Amtrak, it's www.amtrak.com

Nothing personal, but this is a pretty aggressive schedule. Are you realistic about how far apart some of these places are? <BR> <BR>(P.S. I love the California coast; hope you will, too!) <BR>