I'm headed out on a cross-country trip and am looking for advice and sharing with you

[BillSears]

I'll be leaving this Saturday!!!! I have all of my hotel reservations made and I'm very excited.

Im a T8 level paraplegic and I'll be traveling alone. I'm doing this to celebrate turning 50 this year. It's something I've been wanting to do since I was a kid and I figured turning 50 was a good excuse to travel.

If you have any suggestions about things to do in these cities or on the roads between them please let me know. I'm hoping to find some great wheelchair accessible things to do. Quirky and cool is a definate plus.

If you're interested in keeping track of my travels I'll be updating my LiveJournal every day. So just check out http://billsears.livejournal.com/ and you can see how it's going.

Day 1(Saturday, March 28) - Baltimore MD to Knoxville TN, 516 miles

Day 2(Sunday, March 29) - Knoxville TN to Nashville TN, 179 miles.

Day 3(Monday, March 30) - Nashville TN to New Orleans LA, 532 miles.

Day 4(Tuesday, March 31) - New Orleans LA - sightseeing.

Day 5(Wednesday, April 1) - New Orleans LA to Houston TX to Austin TX 505 miles.

Day 6(Thursday, April 2) - Austin TX – sightseeing.

Day 7(Friday, April 3) - . Austin TX to San Antonio TX, 79 miles.

Day 8(Saturday-April 4) - San Antonio TX, to Carlsbad NM, 450 miles.

Day 9(Sunday-April 5) – Carlsbad NM to Flagstaff AZ via Roswell & Albuquerque, 598 miles.

Day 10(Monday-April 6) - Flagstaff AZ to Grand Canyon AZ, 79 or 150 miles, stop at Wupatki/Sunset Crater.

Day 11(Tuesday-April 7) - Grand Canyon AZ to Hoover Dam, 243 miles. Hoover Dam to Las Vegas NV, 33 miles.

Day 12, 13(Wednesday, Thursday-April8&9) – Las Vegas NV – sightseeing.

Day 14(Friday-April 10) – Las Vegas NV to Los Angeles CA, 271 miles.

Day 15, 16, 17, 18(Saturday, Sunday(EASTER), Monday, Tuesday- April 11, 12,13,14) – Los Angeles CA – sightseeing.

Day 19(Wednesday-April 15) – Los Angeles CA to Fresno CA via San Luis Obispo, 341 miles.

Day 20(Thursday-April 16) – Fresno CA to Yosemite Falls CA, 92 miles.

Day 21(Friday-April 17) – Yosemite Falls CA to San Francisco CA 190 miles.

Day 22, 23(Saturday, Sunday- April 18&19) – San Francisco CA – sightseeing.

Day 24(Monday - April 20) – San Francisco CA to Lindy’s(Pioneer CA) 144 miles. Lindy’s to Lake Tahoe(Incline Village) NV 101 miles.

Day 25(Tuesday – April 21) – Lake Tahoe NV to Salt Lake City UT, 552 miles.

Day 26(Wednesday – April 22) – Salt Lake City UT to Manitou Springs CO, 606 miles.

Day 27(Thursday – April 23) – Manitou Springs CO – sightseeing.

Day 28(Friday –April 24) – Manitou Springs CO to Topeka KS, 531 miles.

Day 29(Saturday-April 25) – Topeka KS to St Louis MO, 311 miles.

Day 30(Sunday-April 26) – St Louis MO to Chicago IL, 297 miles.

Day 31, 32(Monday, Tuesday – April 27&28) - Chicago IL – sightseeing.

Day 33(Wednesday April 29) – Chicago IL to Niagara Falls Canada, 526 miles

Day 34(Thursday April 30) – Sightseeing Niagara Falls.

Day 35(Friday May1) - Niagara Falls Canada to Ottawa Canada 359 miles.

Day 36(Saturday May 2) – Ottawa Canada to Montreal Canada, 121 miles.

Day 37(Sunday - May 3) – Montreal Canada sightseeing.

Day 38(Monday - May 4) – Montreal Canada to Bar Harbor ME, 359 miles.

Day 39(Tuesday – May 5) – Bar Harbor/Acadia Park sightseeing.

Day 40(Wednesday – May 6) – Bar Harbor ME to Boston MA, 286 miles.

Day 41(Thursday – May 7) – Boston MA – sightseeing.

Day 42(Friday – May 8) – Boston MA to Home, 417 miles.

 

[debbi801]

Wow, congrats and have a great time! It looks like you have the same trip mapped out that my brother took last year (except he skipped New England on the way home). We're sort of neighbors, BTW (I'm in NW Baltimore County). I'm anxious to follow along on your journal.

 

[pudge the fish]

I don't have any advice on where to stay or what to see- I was 12 the last I ventured anywhere out of state.
(except for a short 12 month stay in CA and a trip to NJ)
But I remember seeing the Grand Canyon at age 10 and going WOW!

I do want to say that I wish the best of luck to you and I am really looking forward to reading your journal!

Have an awesome trip!

Pudge

 

[starrzone]

Bill,

I definitely think that in Montreal, you should go to the Old Port area in Old Montreal. There is a multi-use trail that goes along the water, and from what I remember it is paved (if not entirely, then about 90%) that would be wheelchair-friendly. There are TONS of neat things to see along the way, and since I see you will be there at the beginning of May, the weather will be beautiful and the buskers and street actors may be out! The only negative thing about Old Montreal is that since it is...well, OLD, some of the streets are cobblestoned/rough and quite hilly. The waterfront area is pretty well flat, though, and there is probably accessible parking quite close to the water. Have fun on your trip, and welcome to Canada!

 

[peemagg]

When you are in Montreal and other parts of that area of Canada are majorilly French speaking. Do take the time to check out the Notre Dame Catherderal in Montreal. It is unbelievable! You would be sad to miss seeing it. Have a great trip!

 

[Momelie]

In Knoxville, try to eat at Calhoun's BBQ, there are two locations, one that is floating on a riverboat on the Tennessee River, and one on Kingston Pike, just off the Mabry Hood exit of I-40, which might be slightly more accessible (paved parking lot v. shell). Excellent food, and regional cooking.

 

[mechurchlady]

Bill please stop by and see me when you get to LA. I would love to meet you. I do not know what is going on right now in my life but I would treat you to a cheddarburger.

 

[Earstou]

Wow, that's quite a trip you have planned!
I live near Topeka, and have to say that there aren't a lot of things to see in Kansas. Probably the best attraction is the Cosmoshere in Hutchinson, which is about 65 miles south of the interstate from Salina. It "exhibits the 2nd largest collection of US space artifacts in the world (second only to the National Air and Space Museum), and the largest collection of Soviet space artifacts outside of Moscow". We saw them restoring the Liberty Bell 7 capsule here after it was recovered, very cool!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Cosmosphere_and_Space_Center
http://www.cosmo.org/
If you like Italian, we love Paisano's in Topeka
http://www.paisanoskansas.com/
If you need any help for Topeka, let me know.

I see from your siggy that you spent your 50th at WDW, I did, too! I figured if I had to turn 50, I was going to have a ball doing it! (and I did!!!)

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

The only one of those areas I know anything about is Boston.

In Boston, the Duck Boat Tours (amphibious vehicles that drive along the streets and become a boat in the Charles River) are wheelchair-accessible. I believe ppl who can't transfer have their chairs tied down in the back seating area of the boat (which might not be under cover in case of rain, but check with them about that). Ppl who can't climb stairs for whatever reason are also eligible to use the wheelchair lift to get into the vehicle.

If you like Italian, you must eat in Boston's North End, the real Italian part of the city. Ecclano and Fiore are two of the several good, authentic restaurants there.

If you like history, you can visit the towns of Lexington and Concord, where the Revolutionary War began.

The Museum of Science is aimed at kids, but the Omni Theatre is loved by all. It is a dome-shaped theatre where the movies play out on the dome. It is similar to IMAX, but the screen is larger and dome-shaped and it has been around for a long time.

If you like baseball, you can take a tour of Fenway Park. I don't know how accessible the tour is, as I've never been on it, but I'm sure they've got something.

There's a ton more stuff to do. The state has a tourism Web site you can check out to see all the other stuff.

 

[Earstou]

A few more thoughts, Bill:
(A lot of these apply to traveling at peak summer season, so may not apply to springtime.)
Visited New Orleans as a teen, and the thing I remember the most is the beautiful old cemetery we visited on a guided tour of the city. Because of the water table being so high, the burials were all above ground, so much different that our cemeteries here!
I was in Las Vegas a few years ago. I don't use a wheelchair yet, but have difficulty walking. We tried walking to see the shows in front of the casinos, but gave up as the streets and sidewalks were very congested. Also, my ds and I got headaches from the car fumes, and my asthma flared due to smoke in the casinos.
I was going to suggest driving thru Death Valley, but I see that adds quite a bit.
I enjoy the La Brea Tarpits when I'm in LA.
Yosemite can be quite congested, so it can take longer than you think to get places. Plus speed limits are low.
If you are planning on visiting Alcatraz, get tickets ahead of time, as they can sell out. We missed this 3 years ago since the earliest tickets available were for 3 days after we left!
In St Louis I enjoyed the Museum of Westward Expansion under the arch while my guys went up in the arch (the arch is not wheelchair accessible).
http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/info/act.museum.aspx
Also did a riverboat tour as a child and enjoyed that.
Bar Harbor and Acadia are beautiful! We did a whale watch cruise out of Bar Harbor. You might pick up picnic supplies as places to eat can sometimes be a ways down the road!
Enjoy!

 

[KirstenB]

Bill, other than WDW, we don't get out much! So, no words of experience or wisdom, other than I hope you have a wonderful trip. It sounds very exciting.

 

[scottsod]

bill sounds like fun

try merimac caverns outside st louis
its an awsome cave that jessie james hid out in
there is the largest room underground and 7 story theather down there

and its all handicaped accessable i pushed my then 4 yo all thru it

have fun

scott

 

[BillSears]

...We're sort of neighbors, BTW (I'm in NW Baltimore County)...

Hi Neighbor!

Bill,

I definitely think that in Montreal, you should go to the Old Port area in Old Montreal. There is a multi-use trail that goes along the water, and from what I remember it is paved (if not entirely, then about 90%) that would be wheelchair-friendly. There are TONS of neat things to see along the way, and since I see you will be there at the beginning of May, the weather will be beautiful and the buskers and street actors may be out! The only negative thing about Old Montreal is that since it is...well, OLD, some of the streets are cobblestoned/rough and quite hilly. The waterfront area is pretty well flat, though, and there is probably accessible parking quite close to the water. Have fun on your trip, and welcome to Canada!

I'll be staying at the Spring Hill Suites in Old Montreal. Hopefully I'll be able to make it down to the Old Port area. It sounds great!

When you are in Montreal and other parts of that area of Canada are majorilly French speaking. Do take the time to check out the Notre Dame Catherderal in Montreal. It is unbelievable! You would be sad to miss seeing it. Have a great trip!

The cathedral is on my list of places to see. I hope that they'll take pity on a guy who hasn't taken French since High School.

In Knoxville, try to eat at Calhoun's BBQ, there are two locations, one that is floating on a riverboat on the Tennessee River, and one on Kingston Pike, just off the Mabry Hood exit of I-40, which might be slightly more accessible (paved parking lot v. shell). Excellent food, and regional cooking.

I'll be staying at the Marriott right next to the river. It looks like Calhouns's is within walking(or close drive) so I'll be eating dinner there! Thanks for the suggestion!

Bill please stop by and see me when you get to LA. I would love to meet you. I do not know what is going on right now in my life but I would treat you to a cheddarburger.

I'll be at DL on Friday, Monday and Tuesday...and I may stop in on Saturday and Sunday night. So maybe we can meet up in the park sometime. I'm staying at the HoJo across from DL.

Wow, that's quite a trip you have planned!
I live near Topeka, and have to say that there aren't a lot of things to see in Kansas. Probably the best attraction is the Cosmoshere in Hutchinson, which is about 65 miles south of the interstate from Salina. It "exhibits the 2nd largest collection of US space artifacts in the world (second only to the National Air and Space Museum), and the largest collection of Soviet space artifacts outside of Moscow". We saw them restoring the Liberty Bell 7 capsule here after it was recovered, very cool!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Cosmosphere_and_Space_Center
http://www.cosmo.org/
If you like Italian, we love Paisano's in Topeka
http://www.paisanoskansas.com/
If you need any help for Topeka, let me know.

I see from your siggy that you spent your 50th at WDW, I did, too! I figured if I had to turn 50, I was going to have a ball doing it! (and I did!!!)

Thanks for the suggestions. If you''d like to see some pictures from my 50th birthday trip take a look in my livejournal... I admit turning 50 in WDW made it totally painless!

http://billsears.livejournal.com/

The only one of those areas I know anything about is Boston.

In Boston, the Duck Boat Tours (amphibious vehicles that drive along the streets and become a boat in the Charles River) are wheelchair-accessible. I believe ppl who can't transfer have their chairs tied down in the back seating area of the boat (which might not be under cover in case of rain, but check with them about that). Ppl who can't climb stairs for whatever reason are also eligible to use the wheelchair lift to get into the vehicle.

If you like Italian, you must eat in Boston's North End, the real Italian part of the city. Ecclano and Fiore are two of the several good, authentic restaurants there.

If you like history, you can visit the towns of Lexington and Concord, where the Revolutionary War began.

The Museum of Science is aimed at kids, but the Omni Theatre is loved by all. It is a dome-shaped theatre where the movies play out on the dome. It is similar to IMAX, but the screen is larger and dome-shaped and it has been around for a long time.

If you like baseball, you can take a tour of Fenway Park. I don't know how accessible the tour is, as I've never been on it, but I'm sure they've got something.

There's a ton more stuff to do. The state has a tourism Web site you can check out to see all the other stuff.

I plan on doing th Duck Tour! I'll look into those others too. Thanks!

bill sounds like fun

try merimac caverns outside st louis
its an awsome cave that jessie james hid out in
there is the largest room underground and 7 story theather down there

and its all handicaped accessable i pushed my then 4 yo all thru it

have fun

scott

I might check that out but I think I may be too busy with the downtown stuff to get out there. But thanks.

 

[KPeveler]

in Nashville the Embassy Suites near the airport are quite nice, and there is a BIG breakfast free with the room.
these are not far from the Grand Ole Opry, and right next to Opry Mills - a huge mall of outlets (including a disney character warehouse!) with lots of food.

In St Louis, the downtown hotels are not bad, but expensive - parking can be as much as $10/day. Out by the airport, about 20 minutes from downtown, there are lots of hotels that cost a lot less. the zoo in St Louis is free (as is almost everything in Forest Park) and pretty accessible. try parking at the "back" (i think south entrance) for free parking.

just a few ideas!

 

[starrzone]

The cathedral is on my list of places to see. I hope that they'll take pity on a guy who hasn't taken French since High School.

Bill,

While Quebec IS Canada's only officially French-speaking province, and French exclusively is found on pretty well all of the signs, you will not have a problem with having the people understand English! Believe me, Montreal is a city where dozens of languages are spoken, and you will not be looked down upon or stand out when you speak English, expecially in a tourist area like the Old Port. Ayez un bon voyage à Vieux Montréal (have a good trip to Old Montreal)!

 

[Tiggerish]

I am so envious of your plan.

When you are in Chicago, there are so many things you can do and at that time of year the Grant Park and downtown Michigan Avenue areas will be awash in color as the city has an tremendous flower program.

There is also the free flower show at the Lincoln Park Conservatory - More than 3,000 spring blooming flowers will greet visitors at the annual ChicagoPark District Spring Flower Shows running from now through May 10. Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 N. Stockton Drive, and Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Avenue, will play host to the floral extravaganza featuring some of the season’s favorite flowers.

Another free place is the Cultural Center (used to be the main library). It has had lots of renovations and during the time you will be in Chicago, there is a art exhibit: Inquire Within: Soul Searching and Truth Seeking by Artists with Disabilities

March 21 - May 17
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Rooms
78 E. Washington St.


Project Onward, the Chicago Cultural Center's studio program for artists with special needs, presents an exhibition of paintings, drawings, photography, and mixed media created by visual artists living with mental and developmental disabilities.

Inquire Within seeks to break down barriers between mainstream culture and people with disabilities by focusing on the inner life and everyday experiences of people with special needs from their own perspective, in their own words, and on their own terms. Project Onward, Esperanza Community Services, El Valor, and The Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner Foundation Art Studio at Thresholds South are among the innovative studio art programs whose talented artists are represented in the exhibition.

Also, if you have a handicapped license plate or hang tag, all city of Chicago parking meters are free. You have to observe tany posted restrictions such as no parking between 4 and 6 PM but you do not have to put any money into the meter. There are also free spots reserved for just handicapped but all metered spots are free with plates or a displayed tag.

 

[BillSears]

I'm in New Orleans right now and getting ready to go get some Beignets at Cafe duMonde.

Mini trip reports at:

http://billsears.livejournal.com/

 

[mechurchlady]

I love the reports and pictures. I eagerly await your arrival in my area as you have always been so nice to me. Where is the food porn, got to have food porn, please, you know I love food.

Glad to see you are having fun and have not gotten lost.

hugs
Laurie

 

[swimlib]

You will find the buses in boston are accessible now, along with most of the T stops. I would recommend checking out some of the freedom trail in the city.

Duck tours is an awesome option, but know you will be out in the elements.

Another option is Kelly's Roast Beef in revere. Awesome food and right by the beach but in a paved area so no fighting sand with the chair. You can access it by public transit.

if you're looking for a good beer, there's Sam Adams brewery, but I'm not sure if it is accessible.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

Congratulations on turning "The Big 50"....and treating yourself to something special! It must have taken you quite a while to plan it ...you'll be on the road for over a month.It definitely sounds like a trip of a lifetime !!! I just turned 50 in October and celebrated the occasion in Ogunquit, Maine with my girlfriends for the weekend! This August, I'm continuing my birthday celebration and staying at POP Century for a week with my dd.

If you have the chance while in Maine (on your way down to Mass.),stop by Ogunquit for a quick lunch by the ocean there. There is a nice little pavilion where you can relax and take in the view! Ogunquit is probably half way between Bar Habour and Boston.

I second the Duck Tours in Boston....you'll be there in May ,so the weather should be nice for a tour of the city! Taking in a game at Fenway Park would be awesome...if you're a baseball fan! There is so much to see and do in Boston and May is the best time to go!

Have a fantastic Birthday Trip.