Cross Country

"Geoff Pedder" wrote in message
...
I'm planning a trip driving from Los Angeles to New York City, I live in
the UK. I've checked out flights and car hire but I could do with some
advice.

How long would a fairly relaxed journey with time enough to detour
slightly take? I was planning on three weeks. Has anyone done a similar
journey?


3 weeks would be fine, I took that long to drive Route 66 from
Chicago to LA and that included side trips in New Mexico and
to the Grand Canyon

I don't know what I should check out in particular. I would like to see
some sights that are a little different that the usual tourist traps.
Any advice?


I'll give you some suggestions

Blue Ridge parkway in Virginia
Great Smoky Mountains NP , Tennessee
Nashville and Memphis, TN
The Ozarks , Arkansas
Santa Fe New Mexico
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Grand Canyon


Any survival tips would be cool, like how easy is it to navigate US
cities in a car, how expensive is a gallon of gas, should I book hotels
in advance or just turn up at motels, basically anything like that.


The worst are the first and last , New York City and LA

NYC is heavily congested and so is LA. The thing to watch
for in LA is that road signs more often refer to the road name
such as 'The Haror Freeway' than the Interstate Number that
your map shows.

Get good city maps, I prefer the laminated variety, and you
should be fine.

Gas Prices are available on line at
http://www.discover-net.net/~mlana/webgas.html

You only need to book motels on public holidays and
in holiday areas during school holidays. The school summer
holidays start earlier in the USA than Britain. I'd also
book ahead in remote areas such as the Grand Canyon

If you plan on visiting Las Vegas try and time it for mid week
Room rates triple Friday and Saturday nights

When it comes to car hire watch out for one way fees
and insurance. Basic hire rates dont include adequate
3rd party cover and have np cover at all for damage to the
vehicle. You may well get better rates book through a
UK agency like holiday autos or Trailfinders

www.holidayautos,com
www.trailfinders.com

Keith

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...
"Geoff Pedder" wrote in message
...

3 weeks would be fine, I took that long to drive Route 66 from
Chicago to LA and that included side trips in New Mexico and
to the Grand Canyon


Actually, it would be a lot more scenic to take Route 66 (U.S. Highway 66)
from Los Angeles to Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and then go
North at the Four Corners past Mesa Verde (and Telluride if you want a side
trip) Durango (and Silverton for another side trip) and Ouray into Montrose,
then take U.S. 50 past Black Canyon of the Gunnison and the Blue Mesa
Reservoir, the Collegiate Range (mountains), (and maybe a side trip to Aspen
over Independence Pass), Pikes Peak and on eastward. KM
--
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"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message ...

NYC is heavily congested and so is LA. The thing to watch
for in LA is that road signs more often refer to the road name
such as 'The Haror Freeway' than the Interstate Number that
your map shows.

Typically, it will have both the highway number and the common freeway
name. The trickier part is that sometimes the destination is more
prominent than the direction. So, for example, you might be presented
with a sign that looks something like this:

North South

I-5
GOLDEN STATE FWY
SACRAMENTO SANTA ANA
| | |
\ / \ / \ /


And if all you know is that you want to go north, the choice of which
lane to get in is not obvious [unless you already know that Sacramento
is north and Santa Ana is south]. Look at the sign long enough, and
you'll eventually find the "North" and "South" indicators, but it's
less obvious if you're zipping along at 65 or 70 miles per hour. Of
course, this means that it is not unusual for a lot of sudden lane
changes to occur as you approach a major freeway interchange, so
obviously be on the look out for that.

Some of the offramps will be similar. Near my house, the exit for San
Gabriel Blvd gives you the options of either "San Gabriel" or
"Rosemead." If all you know is that you want to go north, towards
Pasadena, the choice may not be obvious [unless you already know that
the mountains are to the north].

TK