USA Visit 2006. LA, NYC, DC & SF

Old Sep 17th, 2005, 04:29 AM
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USA Visit 2006. LA, NYC, DC & SF

I'm planning on visiting the USA in 2006 and am tossing up between September and October, as the 'better' month to visit.
I'm planning on visiting Los Angeles, NYC, Washington DC, Las Vegas, San Francisco, back to LA and then back to Australia. Spending about 4 nights in each city.
When looking at some hotel rates, there were huge differences from one week to another in September. Unfortunately, I can't remember which city and which week.

So my initial questions are,
1. Which is the better month (for all cities) to visit?.
2. Is there any annual event, that would push room rates up?

I've done searches on NYC hotels and Washington DC hotels and LA hotels and am now totally confused, so have decided that Holiday Inn's are the way to go, although I have never stayed at one.
Any comments from anyone about Holiday Inn Hollywood Walk of Fame, Midtown 57th St. NYC, Washington Capitol and Holiday Inn Select Downtown SF.

Any and all comments will be gratefully appreciated


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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 04:42 AM
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I think September is probably the best month.

Quick question to you...
You are missing our heartland! Why are you only seeing our coastal areas? What about Chicago or St Louis or Nashville, for example?
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 05:07 AM
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Time & money, mainly. Ideally, I'd like to spend a minimum of 3 months travelling the US of A.

This trip is mainly to meet email friends, that I have been chatting to for the past 5 years or so and to visit the cities that are closest to where they live.
I am spending 1 (possibly 2) nights in Memphis, staying with a friend that I met on a Europe tour, back in 2002. He already has an itinerary planned for my stay there.

A friend who lives in BC, Canada, has agreed to meet me in Las Vegas.
ciao
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 05:49 AM
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I'd choose October. Las Vegas is often still dreadfully hot (100+ F) in Sept. For the rest, it shouldn't much matter, though there still can be some hot/humid days in NYC and Wash DC in Sept.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 05:51 AM
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St. Louis or Nashville? Clearly, second or third tier for international visitors, I'd say. It's hard to call Las Vegas coastal ... I love the heartland (was born there), but I wouldn't skip any of the cities on your route for St. Louis (zzzzzzzzzzzz) or Nashville.

September is a great time to visit. Send some specifics on your dates and a rough range of your nightly budget and plenty of folks will try to help. And I'll try to repay some of the debt I have to Aussies for the kindness received when I spent a month there in 2000.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 06:01 AM
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Spider-

Early and mid September in DC can be either beautiful or really hot and muggy (as it has been all week.) October here is gorgeous, and a great time to do day or overnight trips from the area to:

the nearby mountains of West Virginia (I recommend Shepherdstown, Harper's Ferry or just driving along the Blue Ridge for the views),

Williamsburg, Virginia (a little far for a day trip, but great if you are a history buff), or

the Chesapeake Bay area (Annapolis or St Michael's (both in Maryland on the Bay) are both historic and beautiful.

I haven't stayed at the Holiday Inn Capitol, but it will put you right near the Smithsonian and other tourist sites, although it will be generic.

I hope you have a great trip!
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 06:21 AM
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Dates are still open, hence my question.
My LA friend heads to Laughlin the 2nd week in October for a week, every year. My MD friend heads to Ocean Beach the 1st week in September, for a week every year.

My tentative plan is to fly to Sydney and depart there on Tuesday 5th Sept.
Arrive in LA on the 5th and depart on the 9th.
Arrive NYC on the 9th Sept and depart on the 13th.
Arrive in DC on the 13th and depart on the 17th.
Overnight in Memphis and arrive in LV on the 18th. Depart LV on the 22nd and arrive in San Fransisco.
Depart SF on the 26th, overnight in LA and fly out to Aust on the 27th.

As for nightly budget, I'm thinking somewhere around USD200 to 250.00. I would like cheaper but from reading that I have done, that is a dream.
As I have no idea what the bed taxes and city taxes and county taxes and state taxes are for each state, it makes it hard, for budget purposes......
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 06:23 AM
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If you spend enough time on the web to have friends in all these areas, you should invest some time in picking hotels. Staying in HIs in every city is....lazy. That said, there's nothing wrong with the HI on 57th st in NYC other than you can do better elsewhere. The only thing to recommend it imo is a little known rooftop swimming pool but it's unlikely to still be open unless you come the first week in Sept.

The Salisbury has larger rooms that are mostly suites like apartments with kitchenettes, a slightly nicer location (although nearby) and may be cheaper. They also offer a $3 breakfast. nycsalisbury.com

The Michelangelo is a very nice hotel closer to the theater district and is sometimes well priced.

If you tell us more about you (budget, age, interests) and repost for hotel help for each city separately, people will be only too helpful to offer suggestions.

The weakness of the dollar against the euro and GBP along with several NYC hotels being converted to apartments with little or no replacement has caused hotel prices in NYC to skyrocket. This year there seem to be much higher prices in October than Sept.

Make yourself familiar with the dates of our bank holidays. The biggest during your intended visit window is the first Monday in September (Labor Day).

I would say given your proposed itinerary, there's no better month. There will be pros and cons of each. You're less likely to have unpleasantly hot weather in Oct. but I think hotel prices will be higher in Oct.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 06:47 AM
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All good advice above. Labor Day weekend pushes prices up. Late September - early October would be best.

I would definately change one thing: I would not spend more than two days in Las Vegas - which is small and can experienced in one day, IMO. Ideally, I would add the extra two days to NYC although they would be better spent at any of your other destinations besides LV.

Thanks for clearing up why you choose cities (and those in particular). There is no better reason than freinds. Enjoy visiting your email freinds and enjoy the USA.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 07:20 AM
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Blue Swimmer,
I'm not planning on doing any day trips out of Washington, although my MD friend might take me to visit her home town. My main reason for looking at the Holiday Inn Capitol, was because of it's closeness to the Smithsonian's and other memorials. I won't be driving anywhere on this trip. I usually walk everywhere (depending on distance) or take hop-on hop-off tourist buses or local public transport

mclaurie
I have spent many hours, over many weeks (I started this research back in June this year) and in the end got myself totally confused about what, where , and how much.
As an aside, I met these friends on one BB back in 2000

As for hotels, I like downtown (or walkable to downtown) locations. I don't need 5 star but I do like clean & tidy. I don't need a huge room but I do prefer a bit of room to move in. Pools don't interest me and a gym isn't a necessity.
I'll check out nycsalisbury.com and The Michelangelo tomorrow. Thanks for those suggestions.
As for my age....I was born in 1949, so I'm currently 44 Next year I'll be 43....

bardo1
I was planning only 2 days in LV and travelling to Vancouver to meet my BC friend but when she said that we should meet in LV, I decided to add an extra day. Not all days will be spent in LV. A Grand Canyon flight is on the plan for one day. I'm still checking out other options. for other days.

As it's after 1am here, I'm off to bed. Thanks for the comments/suggestions so far. Very much appeciated...
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 07:26 AM
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For that hotel budget you can do much better than Holiday Inns. You have plenty of time before the trip to do reseach once your dates are final.

You might ask your friends in each city to reco a couple of places. Or come back here when you have dates. You might even be able to do Priceline and get quite nice places for your budget. But it's too early to know what rates are going to be for next Oct. yet.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 09:39 AM
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I'll agree with everyone that, in large cities in the US, choosing a Holiday Inn will get you a lower-tier property in not-great locations. People from outside southern California may think that Hollywood is a vogue and chic place to stay in the greater LA area, but they are wrong. It's now a gritty urban neighborhood, not the glamorous slice of fantasy from those 50s newreels.

For $200 a night, you can find pretty nice hotels in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica, to name cities popular with tourists that have lots to do, are more attractive vis-à-vis restaurants, shopping, sights, etc., and are relatively walkable. By the way, "southern California" and "walkable" are unrelated concepts. This is an extremely spread-out region, and we live and die by the automobile.

Now, if your friends live in Hollywood, there is a far better hotel in that neighborhood called the Renaissance Hollywood. In fact, it's the only hotels I'd stay at in Hollywood. But if your friends DON'T live in Hollywood, I'd search for a hotel near them, otherwise you'll spend all your time commuting between the hotel and their house/apartment.

Las Vegas? Do NOT bother staying at a Holiday Inn. For god's sake, find a nice hotel on the Strip and have some fun!! You could get a room at the Mirage for that rate-- and that's a very nice hotel indeed. Your choices are wide-open. Note that it's still quite hot in Vegas in September.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 07:40 PM
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nytraveler
I haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn, so have no idea what they are like. Nice to know that I can do better for those $$$'s.

rjw_lgb_ca
Had to laugh at your comment "southern California" and "walkable" are unrelated concepts. My CA friend lives in Valencia and she keeps stressing that point to me.
Don't worry, I'm not staying at a HI in LV. My BC friend and I, are still discussing "which hotel".

Does anyone know what the additional bed taxes are, for any of those cities??

Thanks for the comments and suggestions so far.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 08:24 PM
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I recommend waiting until at least mid-September to begin your trip. Cooler weather usually starts to reach most places by then - it's even a little cooler in hot Texas by then.

$200-$250 USD is certainly doable in these cities in decent hotels with character and near the city center -- or at least in areas that are convenient to tourist attractions.

The first Monday in September is Labor Day, so that would push up all the rates. In 2006, Labor Day is on September 4th. You can expect rates to be higher possibly September 1st through the 10th.

Holiday Inn does have some nicer budget type hotels in some cities, but they generally have no character and are just expensive motels. Since you are wanting to stay near the most touristy areas, you are going to pay top dollar for rooms, especially in these large cities...but with a little research and planning, you should be able to find some nice places within your budget. I would recommend staying in at least 3 star hotels - 4 star in the cities where hotel costs are more affordable. Have you tried any websites like expedia.com, travelocity.com, or travelzoo.com? I recommend using these sites to find out what's available in the area you are looking for -- they will provide a price that you will get if you book through their site -- BUT before you do, find the website for that hotel and make sure you won't get a better deal booking directly with the hotel.

Expedia.com will bring up several hotel options and you can click on the "Hotel Map View" tab to see all the hotels labeled on a map of the area. I'm sure travelocity has the same thing.

Here are some ideas that I got just by looking at Expedia. I have never stayed in any of these places, but if you are really interested in one, go to tripadvisor.com, type in the name of the hotel, and read the reviews posted by other travelers. Keep in mind the state of mind of the reviewer though (some are looking for luxury at non-luxurious prices and complain when they don't get it -- some are out to purposely bash a property for some personal or business reason - they are usually easy to spot).

My recommendations for hotels that are likely to be in your price range, have some character, and be convenient to tourist activities.

Washington, DC:
-Doubletree Hotel
-Wyndham Washington, DC
-Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC Franklin Square
-The George Washington University Inn (sounds interesting - a boutique hotel near Georgetown, which is only a few subway (Metro) stops away from the Capitol - it's actually walkable, but a long walk)
-Hilton Alexandria Old Town (this one is actually in Alexandria, VA, which is just across the Potomac River from DC.)
-Hotel Madera (also a boutique hotel)

In DC and NY, the thing to remember is that the subway systems are great, intricate, and very reliable, so as long as you stay fairly close to the center, you'll be fine as long as you are also close to a subway station!!!

Websites for the subway systems:
In Washington, DC, the subway is called "the Metro" - www.wmata.com
NYC - www.mta.nyc.ny.us

Los Angeles (at $200/nt, you should expect a 4-star hotel). Also, I don't think there is any way to be close to everything. Pick one of the touristy areas and just know that you'll have to commute to everywhere else:
-Le Meridien Beverly Hills
-Huntley Santa Monica Beach
-Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club
-Sofitel Los Angeles

NYC:
What I really recommend you do for NYC is wait until August/Sept of 2006 and start checking travelzoo.com for travel specials in NYC.
For instance, right now, these are the differences in prices:
Hotel/ Expedia cost / Travelzoo cost:
NY Helmsley (4 star) / $350 / $250
Park Central (3 star) / $370 / $235-300
Novotel NY (4 star) / $260 / $220
Doubletree Metro (4 star) / $370 / $275
Travelzoo ALWAYS has good deals on nice NYC hotels.

Las Vegas
- My recommendation would be for the Paris hotel, which I believe is just across the street from the Bellagio, but about half the price of the Bellagio. (www.caesars.com/Paris/LasVegas)

San Francisco
-Renaissance Stanford Court Hotel
-Hotel Nikko San Francisco
-Prescott Hotel
-Nob Hill Lambourne Hotel (a boutique hotel)

As for hotel taxes (these are approximate based on a Google search):
Los Angeles - 9-14% depending on the area you are in.
NYC - 15%
Washington DC - 14.5%
Las Vegas - 9%
San Francisco - 14%
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 09:55 PM
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mrkindallas

Gracias. I have been checking the weather for the past month or so for those cities and a mid to late Sept start is looking more and more likely.
No, I haven't checked out expedia or travelcity yet (duh) but will be doing so, after what you have said. I have been looking directly at the hotel websites. Thanks also for the tax rates, that will be a great help for my budgetting.
Back to the drawing board for me and thanks again for all those comments and suggestions. Very much appreciated.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 10:17 PM
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No problem...I had typed something else, but I guess I typed over it at some point.

Travelzoo.com will probably have great deals on hotels in all the cities on your list. They ALWAYS have great deals on nice NYC hotels.

This is what I recommend - Make reservations as much as possible at hotels where you aren't charged anything up front (you just give a card number as a guarantee, but it's not charged until the date of your reservation - unless you cancel - in which case it's not charged at all if you complied with the hotels cancellation timelines). Then, watch Travelzoo.com. If you see a better rate and you don't mind changing hotels, then purchase the better rate and call the original hotel to cancel. That way, you are guaranteed a room that you can live with even if the travelzoo gods don't smile down on you next year.
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Old Sep 17th, 2005, 11:43 PM
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Also try quikbook.com or it may be quikbooks.com for hotel deals in each city listed. In NYC, for around your budget, we like the affinia hotel chain because they are suite hotels, very clean and usually near public transportation. The affinia dumont is our favorite for new york.

In D.C. we just stayed at the Madison and really loved it. We paid $229 and got a full breakfast, parking, movies with snack, cocktails and other food for that rate, hotel was about 3 blocks from a metro.

Be sure to check out hotels on tripadvisor.com since people's review of hotels are very helpful and usually accurate. If you want to do the chain, then try a better chain like marriot or sheraton.

hope this is helpful, itsv
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Old Sep 18th, 2005, 02:48 AM
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mrkindallas & itsv, thanks for the additional info. I'll start researching again, in more detail, next weekend.
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Old Sep 18th, 2005, 04:13 AM
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In DC, look for places on the NORTH side of the National Mall.

Proximity to the museums not withstanding, the area south of the Mall (especially the L'Enfant Plaza area where the Holiday Inn Capitol is located) is a boring, dull, wasteland - especially anytime other than 9am-5pm M-F. The area is just behemoth gov't agency office buildings (which are restricted to you anyway) and after office hours feels like a ghost town.

The area north of the Mall has some offices too, but also many residents, restaurants, cafes, movies, theaters, clubs, bars, museums, etc.

There are a plethora of good, convenient, central choices north of the Mall, so I'll just recommend one - Tabard Inn.

www.tabardinn.com
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Old Sep 18th, 2005, 04:31 AM
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Why not enjoy the states east or west of the Mississippi? Plenty of them and it wouldn't be so taxing on you to drive coast to coast. The best parts of the USA aren't the major cities but the regular folks who live outside it.

September is still hot in most of the country so anywhere you go it wouldn't be that cool, you'd just need a light jacket.
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