After 6 months of preparation, indecision about managing to leave work for 2 weeks, guilt about leaving our baby at home (but it would have been an impossible trip for her), in March DH and I finally decided to make use of FREE air travel from Italy to the US and back (airmiles expiring in June!), and to spend 12 days on a second honey moon. Right, FREE was the magic word! 
So I, the obsessive planner of the family, had only 1 month to book it all! But I had done my research, also thanks to all you folks on the boards, and I managed to book nearly everything I needed in 1 week missed only Sequoia Park and Death Valley hotels but more on that to come.
Our plans were:
Fly from Milan to NYC (for me actually to Boston, to pick up my sister whos studying there, and then to NY by train) and spend 2 days there
Say goodbye to sister and take a plane to San Francisco, staying there for another couple of days and starting our second honeymoon
Drive down the coast to Cambria, to see Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Hearst Castle
From Cambria, driving up to Sequoia Park: we wanted to see as much California as we could!
Then a day on the road to Death Valley, and a nice discovery tour there
A couple of days in Vegas to recover from endless driving (I dont drive my poor DH had to manage all on his own!)
Finally, down to Disneyland!
A quick look at Hollywood and Santa Monica and back home, with a LAX JFK Milan flight which took 19 hours and was the scariest part of the trip
Well, if you are thinking that thats quite a lot to do in 13 days (including flights) youre right, but research was useful and we managed nearly everything!
I tried to do as much as possible, keeping costs down (with some splurging exceptions); I must say that strong Euro helped us there, but if any of you plans a similar trip and is interested in money-saving tips let me know!
So get ready for take off!
DAY 1 (SAT APRIL 19): Milan Rome Boston New York
Our trip began a few hours before it was intended, as the airline changed its flight schedules moving my flight departure from Milan to Rome. They paid a ticket to Rome for me, but this meant that my plane from Milan departed at 7am rather than at noon Milan is not close to us, so our alarm clock rang at 3.30 am!
But DH and I were excited and ready to go; we got to the airport, checked in no time and then separated. We would have met in NYC in the evening!
The flight was nice and uneventful, and at 3pm local time (45 minutes earlier than expected) I landed in Boston and ran in my sisters arms: we hadnt seen each other for 3 months!
We took a regional Amtrak to Penn Station, and it wasnt bad: the countryside was quite monotonous, but interesting for a foreigner who had never seed Victorian wooden houses or Massachussets little lakes.
We got at our hotel at 9.30pm (my body thought it was 3.30 am and I was exhausted) and found my husband already sleeping. The hotel is Herald Sq. Hotel, famous among budget travellers, and I must say that it wasnt bad: the first night cost us as much as Bellagio in Vegas (that is, 100$ per person per night) but that was a Saturday and we had booked too late. Normal rates are lower, rooms are clean and beds are good, bathrooms are not exciting but acceptable it really depends on the room. We changed after the first night and it got much better, so if you get an old, depressed looking (but clean) bathroom you can try to do the same.
And it is steps away from the Empire State Building! (and Macys, and the underground)
DAY 2 (SUN APR 20): Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwich Village, Empire State Building
We woke up before 7, due to jet lag (my poor sister had to adapt), and we immediately had the first Starbucks coffee of our lives! Then we took the underground to Wall Street and had a short look at the Stock Exchange and at the bull, but we were in a hurry because we had booked a trip to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at 9. It was a great idea to buy tickets in advance, as the no reservation queue was really long I cant imagine what it is like in summer! Security is quite annoying here, worse than in airports: I suggest not to carry multiple metallic items sparse in your pockets, belts, purse
We could not reserve a tour in the Statue of Liberty monument (they are limited) and we decided not to get on the island: if you cant get inside you get a much better view of the statue from the ferry, and wed have lost an hour disembarking the ship and waiting for the next. So we took a few pictures of the statue and of NY skyline (unfortunately the weather wasnt good, and it was COLD on the ferry! Bring something warm!) and proceeded to Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Well, I think small children could find it boring, but in my opinion it is really interesting and moving; we spent there 2,5 hours, but could have stayed longer.
We then went back to Fort Clinton Park, where we had our first meeting with squirrels, who will be a constant presence in our trip, had a sandwich and a second look at Wall Street (DH is an Economics freak), where we noticed JP Morgan house, then walked to Ground Zero. We found it accidentally, looking for an underground station, and found it impressive: so big and empty, with mighty foundations still to be seen in the hole, and the small moving fire brigade memorial beside.
After a short walk on Brooklyn Bridge, we finally stopped walking and took the underground to Washington Square, in Greenwich Village. We liked much more than I expected!
There was a little colourful market along the square, the sun was shining, and the small ancient houses in the allies behind (like Washington Mews) are beautiful: it is difficult to believe that you are in New York!
But we were tired and it was time to go back to the hotel for a rest, we passed by Jefferson Market Courthouse (5th most beautiful building in the US, my guidebook says) and took the underground.
After a rest, we went to climb the Empire State Building (actually, we climbed only the last 6 flights of stairs to avoid a looong queue for the elevator, and that was enough). We were so lucky to get there at dusk, when they start to turn lights on, and the view was really wonderful a pity that it was incredibly windy and cold! I had brought a pullover and a waterproof jacket, but it wasnt enough! Anyway, it was definitely worth it.
When we got back on 5th Avenue, we were too tired to do anything but finding something fast to eat (a small Tacos place on the way to the hotel) and collapsing on our beds: it was 9.30 pm. And tomorrow: Central Park, a very small boat and a too big airport!
To be continued
So I, the obsessive planner of the family, had only 1 month to book it all! But I had done my research, also thanks to all you folks on the boards, and I managed to book nearly everything I needed in 1 week missed only Sequoia Park and Death Valley hotels but more on that to come.
Our plans were:
Fly from Milan to NYC (for me actually to Boston, to pick up my sister whos studying there, and then to NY by train) and spend 2 days there
Say goodbye to sister and take a plane to San Francisco, staying there for another couple of days and starting our second honeymoon
Drive down the coast to Cambria, to see Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Hearst Castle
From Cambria, driving up to Sequoia Park: we wanted to see as much California as we could!
Then a day on the road to Death Valley, and a nice discovery tour there
A couple of days in Vegas to recover from endless driving (I dont drive my poor DH had to manage all on his own!)
Finally, down to Disneyland!
A quick look at Hollywood and Santa Monica and back home, with a LAX JFK Milan flight which took 19 hours and was the scariest part of the trip
Well, if you are thinking that thats quite a lot to do in 13 days (including flights) youre right, but research was useful and we managed nearly everything!
I tried to do as much as possible, keeping costs down (with some splurging exceptions); I must say that strong Euro helped us there, but if any of you plans a similar trip and is interested in money-saving tips let me know!
So get ready for take off!
DAY 1 (SAT APRIL 19): Milan Rome Boston New York
Our trip began a few hours before it was intended, as the airline changed its flight schedules moving my flight departure from Milan to Rome. They paid a ticket to Rome for me, but this meant that my plane from Milan departed at 7am rather than at noon Milan is not close to us, so our alarm clock rang at 3.30 am!
But DH and I were excited and ready to go; we got to the airport, checked in no time and then separated. We would have met in NYC in the evening!
The flight was nice and uneventful, and at 3pm local time (45 minutes earlier than expected) I landed in Boston and ran in my sisters arms: we hadnt seen each other for 3 months!
We took a regional Amtrak to Penn Station, and it wasnt bad: the countryside was quite monotonous, but interesting for a foreigner who had never seed Victorian wooden houses or Massachussets little lakes.
We got at our hotel at 9.30pm (my body thought it was 3.30 am and I was exhausted) and found my husband already sleeping. The hotel is Herald Sq. Hotel, famous among budget travellers, and I must say that it wasnt bad: the first night cost us as much as Bellagio in Vegas (that is, 100$ per person per night) but that was a Saturday and we had booked too late. Normal rates are lower, rooms are clean and beds are good, bathrooms are not exciting but acceptable it really depends on the room. We changed after the first night and it got much better, so if you get an old, depressed looking (but clean) bathroom you can try to do the same.
And it is steps away from the Empire State Building! (and Macys, and the underground)
DAY 2 (SUN APR 20): Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwich Village, Empire State Building
We woke up before 7, due to jet lag (my poor sister had to adapt), and we immediately had the first Starbucks coffee of our lives! Then we took the underground to Wall Street and had a short look at the Stock Exchange and at the bull, but we were in a hurry because we had booked a trip to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at 9. It was a great idea to buy tickets in advance, as the no reservation queue was really long I cant imagine what it is like in summer! Security is quite annoying here, worse than in airports: I suggest not to carry multiple metallic items sparse in your pockets, belts, purse
We could not reserve a tour in the Statue of Liberty monument (they are limited) and we decided not to get on the island: if you cant get inside you get a much better view of the statue from the ferry, and wed have lost an hour disembarking the ship and waiting for the next. So we took a few pictures of the statue and of NY skyline (unfortunately the weather wasnt good, and it was COLD on the ferry! Bring something warm!) and proceeded to Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Well, I think small children could find it boring, but in my opinion it is really interesting and moving; we spent there 2,5 hours, but could have stayed longer.
We then went back to Fort Clinton Park, where we had our first meeting with squirrels, who will be a constant presence in our trip, had a sandwich and a second look at Wall Street (DH is an Economics freak), where we noticed JP Morgan house, then walked to Ground Zero. We found it accidentally, looking for an underground station, and found it impressive: so big and empty, with mighty foundations still to be seen in the hole, and the small moving fire brigade memorial beside.
After a short walk on Brooklyn Bridge, we finally stopped walking and took the underground to Washington Square, in Greenwich Village. We liked much more than I expected!
There was a little colourful market along the square, the sun was shining, and the small ancient houses in the allies behind (like Washington Mews) are beautiful: it is difficult to believe that you are in New York!
But we were tired and it was time to go back to the hotel for a rest, we passed by Jefferson Market Courthouse (5th most beautiful building in the US, my guidebook says) and took the underground.
After a rest, we went to climb the Empire State Building (actually, we climbed only the last 6 flights of stairs to avoid a looong queue for the elevator, and that was enough). We were so lucky to get there at dusk, when they start to turn lights on, and the view was really wonderful a pity that it was incredibly windy and cold! I had brought a pullover and a waterproof jacket, but it wasnt enough! Anyway, it was definitely worth it.
When we got back on 5th Avenue, we were too tired to do anything but finding something fast to eat (a small Tacos place on the way to the hotel) and collapsing on our beds: it was 9.30 pm. And tomorrow: Central Park, a very small boat and a too big airport!
To be continued
) along the Dairy, Strawberry fields, the Lake
very relaxing. After this, my sister had to leave us to catch a train to Boston, and DH and I decided to take a small boat and row on the lake.
Enough said.
I sat at the front and DH stood beside me on the external step, and we had a wonderful view on San Franciscos up and downs, on Chinatown and Lombard Street and finally of the sea in front of us. It was really funny when we went down to the sea on a particularly steep downhill
looked like a roller coaster!
