What would you/wouldn’t you do?

[Floridaobsessed]

Originally Posted by duchy

I'd suggest ditching the bus tour and switching it to thesightseeing plane which isn't much more, the coach is endless to the GC and back.
You land after some awesome views and are driven into the Canyon, are fed and then return . Plenty of time for photos and you won't be wiped out the next day.

See more...

Thanks I did look at the flight but what I liked about the bus tour was the added stop at hoover dam, also the tour I’ve seen includes a hike around the Canyon which I will definitely need after almost a week of US food portions!

[Floridaobsessed]

Originally Posted by Alices Aunt

Hi I had one night in New York a few years ago. The usual sights like Empire State Building etc can take some time to I wandered from my hotel to Central Park via 5th Ave then went shopping, and at some point had a look at the UN. It was my second visit and I’d been before but I enjoyed it. With one day I would decide on one area and see that.

LA you would need a car, I think the quickest we have gone from Anaheim to LA was an hour but I think we were lucky that time. That said we would not stay in 2 locations ( in 3 visits we haven’t) and just avoid rush hour where we can. That said the first time my husband drove in LA he was a nervous wreck but has got better. We tend to cluster our LA day into a long day so he can minimise the driving. Our first trip we stayed in the Sheraton Anaheim and I know they did trips to universal studios so there is something instead of driving but the subway is really just in downtown.

See more...

Thanks. We land into JFK at 4:40 pm so after going through immigration etc we hope to be at our hotel by 7? From there we are 5 minutes from Times Square so plan is to see Times Square at night and maybe the top of the rock before hitting the hay!
Then next day I was thinking get up early, get subway to world trade centre and walk back to our hotel. We need to be picked up to get back to the airport by 3. This seems doable to me but having never been I’m not sure?

As for LA we will definitely hire a car. Now I know what to expect I will aim for early starts and early nights to compensate! Is the driving there worse than Florida as we both drove there not a problem?

[KarenG]

The driving in LA is significantly tougher than Orlando.

It’s quite a long walk from downtown NYC back up to Times Square area but if you start to run out of time you could jump back on the subway. NYC is a brilliant city to walk around!

[Mrs Red C]

Regarding LA, you'll definitely need a car. We stayed in Anaheim for Disneyland and Knottsberry Farm. Burbank for Universal and Warner Brothers and Gordon Biersch Brewery for their brilliant garlic fries!
( I know they're in SF too) Also Griffiths Park and Observatory. We had Tammy our Satnav to get us through LA, great job! Checkout Red Cuillen's trip report and Mrs Red C for more info.

[daytonababe]

LA traffic is nothing like Orlando and rush hour seems to last for hours at both ends of the day .

The only time we’ve got across LA in a sensible time was a Saturday evening .

[Jules32]

Just stumbled on your post whilst looking for something else
just wanted to give you some tips for vegas:
definately go see a cirque show i've seen 3 and all of them blew me away
the zip line is fab also wandering around downtown whilst you are there is fab to,
each hotel has its own unique attraction so just exploring them can take days but id say definately do the little gondolas at the venetian and try to time going up the Eiffel tower in time for the Bellagio fountains you get a great view from up there, but also watch them from street level so you get the music too.
if you like cars the Wynn has a fabulous display of Maserati's etc
luxor for its Egyptian theming
manadaly bay for the aquariam
Caesars palace shopping is pretty spectacular, and the outlets at either end of the strip are pretty good too the ones next to the vegas sign were definitely better than the opposite end.
there's a café in front of the venetian I forget the name of it but the breakfast there is lovely and the view is great.

hope that helps a bit there's so much to see in vegas

[cornishfrogboy]

A great trip in the making.

Can't argue with NY, now that I know that part is fixed. We saw plenty on our 1st night of 3 in NY last time. We stayed in Times Sq and walked up Broadway and on to Central Park for a quick look, down 5th and onwards. You could probably get the Rockefeller in also.
Another option is across to the Westside and a Ferry down, round the bottom and up under the Brooklyn bridge before returning for a drop by One World. You could see the twin tower memorial etc in the area.

Can't tell you about Las Vegas.

Re San Francisco, I would cut to 3 and pick up a car on leaving You don't need it in SF and in any case, parking fees are horrendous. 3 is more than enough. I would use up the saved days in Monterey (whale watch) and driving down the PCH, possibly breaking the journey at the fantastic Madonna Inn near Pismo Beach, all good prep for tackling LA traffic.
I really think that you need a car in Annaheim etc for reasons already covered .

It might help to view my trip review 'California N to South at Easter'. It covers much of what I am suggesting and with images. There are many other, very good reviews that will help you refine your plans!

[Floridaobsessed]

Plans have changed slightly... we are now staying at The Georgian in Santa Monica and will also be getting a hire car... lots to do there so figured we may as well. As for SF I do like the idea of a trip to Monterey not sure I want to add another hotel stay to my trip though so might see if we can make it there and back in a day... there seems to be lots of bus trips that take you there so might look into that too?

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Floridaobsessed

Plans have changed slightly... we are now staying at The Georgian in Santa Monica and will also be getting a hire car... lots to do there so figured we may as well. As for SF I do like the idea of a trip to Monterey not sure I want to add another hotel stay to my trip though so might see if we can make it there and back in a day... there seems to be lots of bus trips that take you there so might look into that too?

See more...

I love it when a loose plan begins to harden into a firm one.

[alysond]

For your San Francisco part I`d really recommend booking a Dylan's Tour. We got picked up about 10 and dropped off about 4, and saw so much in that time. The driver/ guides are all locals and can recommend loads of fab places to eat (the House of Nan King is my fave Chinese place ever! ) and you see so much off the beaten track. You also go to Muir Woods, over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a highlight of our trip. Check them out on Trip Advisor