USA.... Here I come!

[AussieAngel]

So on 20th August, my BF and I are flying from Australia, and heading to the USA! Yayyyy! We've been planning this trip for over a year... and now it's just over 3 months away! Yahoooo!

We're staying in the US for 6 weeks, and heading to...

* San Francisco (4 nights)
* Los Angeles (4 nights)
* San Diego (4 nights)
* Las Vegas (4 nights)
* Disney World (7 nights - yay!)
* Savannah (3 nights)
* Washington DC (3 nights)
* New York (5 nights)

And then heading to Canada for...

* Toronto (3 nights)
* Montreal (3 nights)

Now, because we're going for 6 weeks, we can't do everything! We would have loved to do Chicago, Hawaii, and some other places, but we can't do everything! Some places we just had to chop out due to time, unfortunately.

So... this board has been SO fantastic when it comes to our Disney planning, I wonder if any suggestions can be made about other places we're staying!

We've booked our accommodation at each place, and have a rough idea of what we want to do (including day trips, like Grand Canyon from Vegas, and Yosemite from San Fran), but if anybody has some other hints about things to do, places to eat, shops to go to, hints about visiting the USA.... anything!! That would be fabulous!!

Thankyou!!

 

[Charade]

6 weeks!! WOWZERS!! Have a great time!

 

[kimkarli]

Not really in tips (don't live near any of the areas) BUT congrats on your awesome trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will have a great time, and welcome to the U.S.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I'm not sure if you did this already, but post over at the Canadian board regarding Toronto and Montreal. There are some locals there that can help you out.

Sounds like a great trip!

Enjoy!

 

[mamajoan]

Your trip sounds AMAZING!
You will love California. We lived there for many years. Today I was having a lonely space for California in my heart.

I am sure you have many, many hotspots to see. I suggest you take time to breathe and people watch. Talk to lots of people you meet along the way. ...
Best wishes!

 

[Microcell]

I see you appear to have missed the very hub of activity here in the good ole US of A...

Kansas City!!!!

I made myself laugh outloud!

Really though, the food is great here in the middle! Too bad you won't be coming to Missouri, Walt Disney's childhood home (and Wishing Tree) are in Marceline Missouri.

Also in San Francisco is Fishermans Warf, China Town, Gheradelli- chocolate lovers dream! Also I really liked Alcatraz. Nice ferry ride and history lesson. If you like Wine, Napa is close to San Francisco.

Washington DC- You need two weeks for the Smithsonian alone! Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument, you can check into tours of the White House, but those book up a year out I believe. There are many shops and places to eat in Georgetown.

New York- My Dh says you have to see Times Square.

Savannah is the birthplace of Juilette Low (founder of Girl Scouts). That is all I know about that.

Hints about being in the US- Drive on the right side of the road... Right turns are allowed on red unless a sign is posted to the contrary. In large cities, try to avoid driving toward downtown in morning rush hour and away from downtown in evening rush hour.

There are few Americans who don't enjoy a hearty "G'day Mate" from time to time. Remember, though that "Pissed" does not mean drunk here! It means you are mad!

Have fun and enjoy our fine country! Looks like you will be seeing it from sea to shining sea!

 

[Princess4Eeyore]

Just wanted to say HI! Wow, thats quite the trip! We live about 90 minutes from downtown Toronto, so if you have any questions, I'll be glad to help. We'll be in Disney in September, when will you be there? Hope your trip is magical!!!

 

[AussieAngel]

Thanks for all your nice words and tips, everybody!

We'll be at Disney from September 5th to the 12th, staying at Pop.

Speaking of which, I'm a tiiiiny bit worried about being in the US (and Disney!?) on September 11. Not because I think anything bad will happen, but because ... it's September 11! Even in Australia it's a bit of a taboo subject, so I can't imagine being in the USA on the five year anniversary. It's not like I'm going to walk around chatting to everybody at Disney about 9/11, but will the general feeling at Disney change, do you think? Or will it just be a normal day?

Anyhoo, thanks for your driving tips, Microcell! You won't believe it, but the only place we're actually hiring a car is Los Angeles. I know that's kinda crazy - we've already been warned about driving in LA, but that's just the way it worked out! Hehheee.

There's other funny things that are different between USA and Australia, that I have already noticed. Like, when I called Disney once, I had to press the "pound" key on the phone. I was like, "Huh!?" It turns that we call the pound key, the "hash" key instead.

And also, you say "fanny", when fanny in Australia means, ahem, a female private part! So it kinda disturbs me when I hear people talking about their fanny pack. Tehehehee.

All part of the adventure!!

 

[barkley]

sounds great, but a word of caution on your "day trips"-san francisco to yosemite takes (good lord willing and the traffic cooperates) over 3 1/2 hours of driving each way (so figure 8 hours for driving). las vegas to grand canyon about 5 hours each way (so almost 10 hours for driving).

a nice reasonable day trip from san francisco is to napa. it's an easy drive or there are companies that do tours. you could do the wineries or the "wine train"-it leaves from downtown napa and travels up through the vine yards (you don't get out but during the round trip you have a gormet lunch or brunch with plenty of regional wines). not cheap but not bad for a major trip like yours.

make sure you do some research on time zones as well-depending on where in the states you are, depending on where you start out you can lose or gain hours (traveling from california or nevada to florida or new york we lose 3 hours). also be prepared for a vast difference in weather. august in san francisco will be nice but it can still be cool enough that you want to wear long pants and a sweatshirt (gotta love that year round fog)-an hour down the road in napa it will be shorts and tank top weather. southern california and vegas will be HOT with dry heat-but disney world will be HOT with wet heat (being a native californian it's much worse to me-feels like at least 20 degrees hotter than what the thermometer sez).

i would'nt worry about wdw on 9/11-we were on a disney cruise immediatly following the actual event, and while everyone was still in a state of shock it was buisness as usual (though if you turn on the news you will probably see mention and footage of it). i havent heard about anything being planned for the anniversary, but maybe someone from the east coast would be more aware.

have a great time-sounds like an awsome trip (don't envy you all the time in airports, but hey-that comes with good traveling).

 

[AussieAngel]

Thanks Barkley!

We had a big choice to make between our day trips from San Francisco - it was between a Napa winery tour, or a LONG day to Yosemite. We'd be going with a tour company either way. We eventually decided on Yosemite, because I'll probably never get the chance to go there again, and I think I'd love it! Australia has nothing like it!

Although I love my wine as well, Australia (especially where I grew up) has lots of nice wineries, and I've done a squillion winery tours over the years. So we decided on Yosemite, going by train. It's a long day (about a 12 hour day trip all up), but we just figure, why not! We want to see as much as we can.

We do have rest days planned though, so we're not going too overboard!

Ooh, and we're doing a flight tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon. It's expensive, but we've budgeted for it. Definitely a must-see for us!!

Thanks again!

 

[Maggi May]

What a trip of a lifetime! Most Americans probably won't visit all of the places on your itinerary in their lifetimes.

Savannah is a great place to tour in the South. Were you able to book a hotel or bed and breakfast downtown or near the river? There are so many great places to walk you won't need your car. The squares and old houses are just beautiful. If you haven't had a chance to read the book or see the movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" really conveys the feel of Savannah (it's also just a great read!). Taking a carriage tour is also a fun way to see the city, especially on your first day.

If you're into the arts there are several museums. The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has lots of locations around town and there are usually some interesting gallery shows.

The Lady and Sons is a very popular restaurant -- it's owner, Paula Deen, has a show on the Food Network. We went there and loved it a few years ago (even met the Lady herself) but last time we were there we couldn't get reservations. Other places to enjoy southern style cooking are Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House and Nitas Place on Broughton Street. There's a great Italian-style Gelato (ice cream) store on RiverWalk. My DH swears it's just as good as the gelato in Florence.

Here's a link to the convention bureau which has good info about touring the area.

 

[poohandwendy]

Wow, that sounds like an awesome trip.


Can I stay in your house while you are gone?

 

[Viking]

Have a great vacation.
I have a tip for Montreal - That is, if you're into Lord of the Rings: They have LotR as a musical running there. Reviews are great. Here's a link

 

[luckywife]

You're going to have a blast! Enjoy!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Wow! Sounds like a great trip planned. Just curious -- are you flying from city to city or are you going to do any long distance driving? I didn't think there were direct flights from Savannah to Orlando (I could be mistaken, though).

There is NO way to see everything possible in DC in 3 days so definitely plan that one accordingly. All the memorials on the Mall are easy walks between each other. For the Smithsonian, I'd definitely do American History, Air & Space, and Natural History. Air & Space also has their new Dulles Center facility that's out by Dulles Airport, about 20+ miles from DC. I haven't been but it's supposed to be spectacular, with a Concorde, the Enterprise space shuttle, and the Enola Gay on display. Considering the distance (and DC traffic) that would be a day trip.

There's also a tour called DC Ducks that uses a bus/boat combo vehicle and goes out onto the river after driving around the city.

I don't know if you were thinking of any of the homes of former Presidents, but Washington's home of Mount Vernon is the only one that's close for a decent day trip. Jefferson's, Madison's, and Monroe's are all near Charlottesville, which is a good 1.5 hours from DC. Arlington Cemetary and the Pentagon could all be easily reached using the Metro.

 

[AussieAngel]

Wow, that sounds like an awesome trip.


Can I stay in your house while you are gone?

Ha! I live in Canberra, Australia's capital... and also the most boring place in Australia! You really wouldn't want to!

Maggi May - we're going to Savannah because of 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'! I LOVED the movie, and I'm in the middle of the book. The old houses and stories in the movie charmed me so much, I just had to go! We're planning on doing a 'Midnight' tour while we're there!

And yes, we booked a cute little bed and breakfast place to stay, which is on one of the historic district squares. Thanks for your restaurant recommendation!

 

[AussieAngel]

Wow! Sounds like a great trip planned. Just curious -- are you flying from city to city or are you going to do any long distance driving? I didn't think there were direct flights from Savannah to Orlando (I could be mistaken, though).

There is NO way to see everything possible in DC in 3 days so definitely plan that one accordingly. All the memorials on the Mall are easy walks between each other. For the Smithsonian, I'd definitely do American History, Air & Space, and Natural History. Air & Space also has their new Dulles Center facility that's out by Dulles Airport, about 20+ miles from DC. I haven't been but it's supposed to be spectacular, with a Concorde, the Enterprise space shuttle, and the Enola Gay on display. Considering the distance (and DC traffic) that would be a day trip.

There's also a tour called DC Ducks that uses a bus/boat combo vehicle and goes out onto the river after driving around the city.

I don't know if you were thinking of any of the homes of former Presidents, but Washington's home of Mount Vernon is the only one that's close for a decent day trip. Jefferson's, Madison's, and Monroe's are all near Charlottesville, which is a good 1.5 hours from DC. Arlington Cemetary and the Pentagon could all be easily reached using the Metro.

Obi-Wan, we're flying most places, but hiring a car for the California section (thought Highway 1 would be a fun place to drive, along the coast!). We're getting a train from Orlando to Savannah, just for something different! Plus we thought the scenery might be nice around the Savannah area... and that way we can say we tried planes, trains, and automobiles!!

Washington bamboozles me a little bit, to be honest. That's kinda my boyfriend's part of the trip to plan, and Savannah is my part! We're staying in Georgetown... All I know about that is Scully lived there, in The X-Files.

We've really only got 2 full days in Washington, so we won't get time for a day trip. We're planning to be really touristy and jump on one of those red hop on / hop off buses, to see the major sights in Washington! (Mostly memorials and monuments... and museums if we have time!)

 

[Microcell]

About 9/11 I wouldn't worry about it at all. I think the majority of us think about it that day, and remember. At worst I think you might just run into a few introspective people, but doubtful because you will be in the happiest place on earth! Really I think we all wander around the country that day knowing it isn't right, it is somehow strange, but we all know what everyone else is thinking about and we sort of bond more if that makes any sense.

We were all hurt that day, in some way or another, but it is through adversity that we are stronger.

I know there are negative impressions of Americans all over the world, but really the vast majority of us are very friendly and willing to help out if you need anything... Directions, medical help, obviously advice! There are parts of any city where you might want to lock your doors, but overall I hope you feel safe here and have fun!

For your information: When you get to LA you want to look for "Car Rental" not Hire! Everytime I see that someone is "hiring a car" I imagine a little compact car whizzing around without a driver! I so enjoy the little language differences those of us English speakers have!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Sounds like a super trip, AA!! Enjoy the States. And welcome to the DIS.

 

[SeeDisney]

WOW and WOW and WOW!!


Lucky Lucky Lucky you and your BF. What a great time you're going to have!!!

I can recommend one for Empire State Building. Go to the top of it during night time. It's just beautiful seeing the city when it's dark. Also, if you like the American Girl dolls, check out the American Girl Place on Fifth Avenue, near Rockerfeller Plaza. It's a store and a museum, theatre, restaurant.

For WDW, do Magic Kingdom twice.

Have a good trip and please give us a trip report. Would love to read it!