New Orleans - San Francisco
 

<BR>My friend and I from Norway are going to drive from New Orleans - San Antonio - Santa Fe - Durango - Grand Canyon - Las Vegas - Yosemite - San Fransisco. If any of you out there have suggestions on what to see on that route or other opinions (good or bad) please give them to us. We are plannig to drive most scenic byways and use time on that. We are not interested in hiking. We also want good advices on where to sleep (nice and not to expensive B&B's) and best resturants on the way. We are also interested in shopping for art, curiosities, things and stuff :-) <BR>

Don't pick up hitchhikers; it's not a safe thing to do in the U.S.

You do not mention how long you have to make this trip. Everyplace that you have metioned is worthy of at least a day or so. I would allow at least 3 days each for Las Vegas and San Francsico. <BR> <BR>I would have to write a book to describe what to see, wheter to eat, etc. just for Las Vegas and San Francisco.

<BR>I know my posting is very general, I realize that it is 1000's of restaurants and hotels to choose from. But if anyone have a special memory of somewhere or a favourite place to eat, stay, shop etc. I'd like to hear about that. <BR>Also if there is a nice town on or way that we should not miss I'd like to know about that. <BR>I forgot to write that we have planned to stay a month. (We know that there is going to be a lot of milage, but we enjoy driving)

San Antonio is a very beautiful city with lots of history and good restaurants. The missions are very beautiful if you have time to visit them! One of our favorite restuarants is Mi Tierra, near the Mercado. (Be sure and go to the Mercado to buy local and Mexican stuff!) <BR> <BR>Email me if you need specifics on the best route from San Antonio to Santa Fe, including places to stay or things to do. Although the western part of Texas can be a lonely place, it also has some great people and neat things to see! <BR> <BR>Christie

Kaja: Sounds like quite a road trip. Since each area is so distinct I would concentrate on the "feel" of the locale rather than the specifics. <BR>= New Orleans - walk through the French Quarter, beixnets (sp?) & chicory coffee for breakfast and etoufee for dinner. Theres great walking tours of the town, bayou tours & cemetery tours. <BR>=San Antonio - stroll through the Riverwalk area, boat trip down the river - great Mexican food. <BR>=Santa Fe - beautiful Southwestern architecture, art galleries, and THE place to get silver jewelry. Theres always Native Americans selling jewelry on the main square. The Coyote Cafe is famous for their SW food but theres often a line to get in. If you sit on the balcony, you can usually get in faster. I always get Indian bread at a stand in the square. Its fried dough with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. I've never seen it anywhere else. <BR>=Durango is known for its scenic beauty - the Durango-Silverton railroad is famous but again is very hard to get a seat on it. Theres a Ralph Lauren outlet there if you're interested. <BR>=Probably the best bet in the Grand Canyon is to go to the visitors center and get some info on scenic drives of the area. We always camp and hike so I'm not sure what do if you're not into it. I've always wanted to do the white water rafting but have never had the time. Same thing with Yosemite - stop by the visitor center for info. <BR>=Vegas - Where else can you stroll thru Manhattan (New York New York), kiss Ceasar (Ceasars Palace) go to the Pyramids, watch a circus act (Circus Circus) and a pirate battle (Treasure Island) in a day and have dinner surrounded by knights in armour (Excalibur) Ceasars Palace has an interesting little shopping mall - check out the ceiling and the talking statues. Food - anything for any price. $5.99 all you can eat (long lines) to fine dining. Most restaurants are in the casinos. <BR>=San Francisco - Fisherman Wharf, touristy but great seafood. Pier 39 cute little shopping area - theres sea lions (wild) there as well. Rollerblading thru Golden Gate Park. Exploratorium - cool hands on museum. Unbelievable Chinese and Italian food in China Town and North Beach. <BR> <BR>Sorry such a long posting - but its a long trip. If you want exact names of restaurants etc. I can prob dig them up - just e-mail me directly. Have fun B <BR> <BR>

Kaja- <BR>1 other thing you did not mention is WHEN you will make this trip. <BR>I grew up in Santa Fe and now live in the Bay Area. So for what it's worth (it'll be long)... <BR>Except for Carlsbad Caverns Southern NM is BORING, I wouldn't call it scenic, I'd call it flat and brown. Once you get up to near Albuquerque it gets more interesting. There are a number of Indian Pueblos located along the Rio Grande. The website www.indianpueblo.org has a calendar of events at the pueblos. I would check and see if there are any dances scheduled for the dates when you will be in the area. They are great way to see part of pueblo life. <BR>Santa Fe is the 3rd largest art market in the USA. There is a some good art and lots of bad art. It used to be that there was a Friday evening stroll on Canyon road where visit the galleries and they served wine and hors d'oevres. <BR>DO NOT GO TO SANTA FE 3RD WEEKEND IN AUGUST!!! It's too expensive and overcrowded. North of Santa Fe you may want to visit Abiquiu, a beautiful landscape which inspired Georgia O'Keefe's most beautiful and famous paintings. Also, Taos has both a nice pueblo and is also an artist colony. It is less developed and touristy than Santa Fe. <BR>After you leave Durango, you can drive by Mesa Verde. There are fantastic ruins of Anasazi cliff dwellings here. <BR>I haven't been to the Gand Canyon. I have been to Las Vegas several times and each time I hate it more. IMO it is an ugly sprawling mess featuring Americans on their worst behavior. It is very authentically USA. <BR> <BR>On your way to Yosemite you have two route options. 1 is going up highway 99, and entering Yosemite from Wawona. The other option is heading up highway 395. I prefer the second choice because there is more to see on the way. You can see Mount Whitney and Death Valley. You can visit Devil's postpile and Mono Lake. It is less developed and more natural. <BR> <BR>Yosemite is very crowded. If you plan on staying overnight you need to make your reservations several months in advance. Otherwise you can stay outside the park. <BR> <BR>There is a recent post on Budget hotels in San Francisco, it had good information. For food, the following are some of my favorites <BR>Caffe Sport - Sicilian - North Beach <BR>Harbor Village - Dim Sum (Chinese brunch)- Downtown <BR>Delancey Street - downtown <BR>Plouf -French Seafood - Downtown <BR>Ebisu - Sushi - Sunset <BR>Cafe Chez Panisse - California - Berkeley <BR>Hope that helps

CP: <BR> <BR>Why on earth would you go to Las Vegas if you dislike it so much? Actually Las vegas is one of my favorite places. <BR> <BR>I certainly agree with you on southern New Mexico. Extemely boring as most of Texas is.