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US Holiday

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donsman4eva said:
Love this thread! So helpful.

I'm flying out 27th Dec, staying with a friend in Colorado for a few days, then hitting Seattle and San Fran for 3 days each before doing the Contiki Grand Southern tour, which runs from LA, across southern USA to Miami, then up the east coast to NYC. Staying in NYC for 8 days, then Chicago for 4 days, flying back to LA for a few nights then home.

I'm so excited, and the NYC info has been so helpful. If anyone has any tips on my other non tour destinations I'd love to hear them, especially for Seattle and Chicago.
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i recently spent 5 days in seattle (after 5 days in san fran).. its a great city.. but the weather will be pretty shit when youre there! we had 5 days of 25 deg and cloudless sky which is a rareity.

in seattle, we did a walking tour (takes a couple hours in a morning for $15), you can spend a day (or more) in pikes place markets. theres some cool coffee shops as you head out to capitol hill, where you can get more of a taste of local life. bruce lees grace is out there too, somewhere.. you can try and catch a show at either showbox or the croc... or the symphony at benaroya hall if that's your thing. we took a trip to the boeing factory in everett (which takes a whole morning and needs a booked tour bus or hire car to get out there.. but was worth it). the football (and baseball) stadia are right in the city so could try and catch a seahawks game if theyre in town. locals told me to head out to fremont for some cool bars/food, but we didnt get time to. i loved the emp museum as it is currently running a nirvana exhibit... theres plenty to do. great city. oh and take a train from seatac aiport for $2.50 instead of a $40 cab.
 
nicky said:
I've heard Seattle is amazing, damn, i've not ever been there.

I want to live in NY - i really love it.
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Been! I went to Seattle to do stuff rather than sightseeing

Strange fact is how Seattle closes quite early on their weekend evenings..
 

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Hey guys flying into LAX on a Thursday morning at 9:30am. Last time I was able to get through customs very quickly, was around 40 mins or so but that was at around 6am in the morning. What kind of delay should I expect at 9:30? I'm looking at booking flights to San Fran but I want to give myself a good amount of time to transfer from the International terminal to domestic.
 
how long is a piece of string? It all depends on how many other flights are scheduled to lanmd at the time. I landed there at 8am and had to wait 90mins. Always better to give your self heaps of time than risk missing the connecting flight especially in the worlds crappiest airport!
 
Rory said:
Hey guys flying into LAX on a Thursday morning at 9:30am. Last time I was able to get through customs very quickly, was around 40 mins or so but that was at around 6am in the morning. What kind of delay should I expect at 9:30? I'm looking at booking flights to San Fran but I want to give myself a good amount of time to transfer from the International terminal to domestic.
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I'd be looking at mid afternoon at least. You might be waiting around for 3 hours or you might make it by the skin of your teeth. I have heard waits of 2-3 hours just to come through immigration but got through in about 30 minutes mid afternoon on a Wednesday late September last year. Who knows? Then you have to get to another terminal and go through check in and security again, and worse case scenario that may take you 90 mins or so.

Prepare yourself to sit in the airport and eat crappy or overpriced food for lunch.
 
Think I have posted this before, I would allow a fair bit of time 2-3 hours. Customs took forever for us in LA, after being delayed on takeoff on Melbourne and we only just got our connecting flight to NYC.

I'd rather a boring hour or two in an airport waiting for a flight than the stress we endured thinking we would miss out flight!
 
Rory said:
Hey guys flying into LAX on a Thursday morning at 9:30am. Last time I was able to get through customs very quickly, was around 40 mins or so but that was at around 6am in the morning. What kind of delay should I expect at 9:30? I'm looking at booking flights to San Fran but I want to give myself a good amount of time to transfer from the International terminal to domestic.
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exactly.. depends on how many other flights are coming in, and which line you choose for fingerprinting.. then which line you choose after collecting your baggage. we somehow ended up in the shittiest slow line first up and took a solid hour first thing in the morning. made our san fran connection with about 5-10min to spare.

oh that was after running from tom bradley to terminal 3. then waiting another 20-30min at the domestic security check.

moral to the story, allow plenty of time at lax (3hrs+). nothin like stressing like a bastard after no sleep.
 
I had a 2 hour stop over in Dallas which was pretty busy but still made it to my connecting with time to spare.

As others have said I would give yourself 3 hours, even if it's to avoid the worry of missing a flight.

Last time I came here I flew into washington with a 1.5 hour stop over and missed my flight to ithacca. Had to get another flight five hours later to cincinatti then another one to syracuse. I was supposed to get in at noon and finally made it to another airport an hour away a 9pm.

You don't want that.

Then I flew from NYC to san fran and only one bag made it. They blamed it on me for checking in too late, but hang on, it's not like I checked my bags in separately.

This trip has been fine so far, fingers crossed.
 
Just booked my own

8/3 - 14/3 in LA
14/3 - 28/3 in New York
28/3 - 4/4 in Buffalo
29/4 - 29/4 in Ottawa
29/4 - 29/5 in Toronto
29/5 - 27/6 in Nashville
27/6 - 2/7 in Miami


Intentionally leaving before july 4th (to ensure i dont get my head bashed in, i tend to be very outspoken about that holiday :p)

Really looking forward to Nashville, the home of Modern Day music (not just country) and will spend a fair chunk of my time down Music Row.


Intentionally booked longer times then recomended, to give me a few rest days (lets face it, weeks on the town, im gonna need some down time)


Anyone know what time of the sporting season it is then? I really only follow the NFL (which i understand it is not the NFL season), however, all sports, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS etc....
 

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MLB will be on then. They start around March/April. NBA (if its on) and NHL move in to playoffs around April.

Not sure about MLS.

Definitly go to a hockey game. Awesome sport live.
 
nicky said:
Wiiliamsburg but going to stay on the upper east side as of tonight.
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I just spent a week in Williamsburg, and a week in Manhatten.

Devastated I've found myself back in Melbourne. Williamsburg is one of my favourite places on earth. I can't wait to go back.

Enjoy your trip!
 
Thanks WTL. I need to spend more time there as I only stayed 2 nights. I booked accommodation through airbnb - if you don't already have a profile on that site then I recommend getting one and getting references - you have the potential to meet some incredible people, plus get good accommodation without paying hotel prices. You also have the option of renting whole apartments, it's so much better than a hotel or hostel.

I went out with the guys i was staying with - Yale and NYU uni students, a bit young but super fun. They took me out in Williamsburg and we had the best time. We went to quite a few great bars.

This is the best holiday I've had, so much so that i'm extending it a week :)

I want to move here! Everyone has tattoos, everyone.
 
Yeah, I noticed a tonne of awesome tatts in Brooklyn. A lot of them really abstract as well; I saw one woman with a shopping list on her arm. Much more interesting than the usual dime-a-dozen sleeves & southern crosses you see in Melbs.

All up I was in NYC for 20 days, and for most of it... I was using Airbnb accomodation.

Stay safe ;)
 
WinmarToLockett said:
Yeah, I noticed a tonne of awesome tatts in Brooklyn. A lot of them really abstract as well; I saw one woman with a shopping list on her arm. Much more interesting than the usual dime-a-dozen sleeves & southern crosses you see in Melbs.
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Admittedly I have a tattoo that I HATE and regret - i got it when i was 19, it's only small but i have contemplated going to this guy (in williamsburg) who is supposed to be a genius, and collaborate with him on a new design, one that i like.

By the time i regret that too i can move here and be with 9 million others living in the land of tattoo regret.
WinmarToLockett said:
All up I was in NYC for 20 days, and for most of it... I was using Airbnb accomodation.

Stay safe ;)
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Always :thumbsu:
 

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Hard Ball Get said:
I love NY as well but there is no way in hell I could ever live there.
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Just interested in why you say this ?

have you visited any of the residential areas of NYC? ie anything between 14th street and canal or Brooklyn heights?

Not having a go just saying that if your NYC experience has only been staying in midtown then don't paint the whole town by that brush.
 
Anybody done a road trip across the States? My mates are keen to drive from LA to New York next year, but I'm a little more pessimistic about the idea. It would be about a 4-6 week trip all up I think, looking at spending a night in each of the minor stops, and 2-3 nights in the main cities.

If anyone has any tips about that it would be a great help.
 
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