Washington to Arizona - 2 weeks
Hi,
I'm an Aussie, planning a two-week road trip from Washington to Arizona in late May. We've never been to the US before, so desperately need some tips as to the best way to go. Two ideas that have occurred to us are
1) head south through N&S Carolina to Georgia, then across the "Deep South", Texas, etc to Arizona (we are going to Yuma actually. Why? Because that's where my daughter is moving to.) Is New Orleans worth visiting yet? Is it all still a mess down there from the hurricanes? What would be the top places to visit?
2) go up to Chicago and down "Route 66" - have no idea about what to see - my husband thinks it would be cool because of the song...
or 3) is there a better way?
We don't like tourist tat, but prefer "off the beaten track" interesting places, love history and old buildings, gardens, nice restaurants, and meeting people. I realise 2 weeks is probably cutting it fine for such a large area, but it's all we have. We don't mind driving long distances, it's part of life in Australia.
Any help appreciated ! Oh, also - how warm/cold will it be in May? My daughter reckons pretty warm, but she only moved to the US last June, she hasn't had a US spring yet !
;-)
I take it's D.C. to Arizona
Welcome to the Forum!
I haven't been out east yet, I know a lot of people have, so I won't comment on routes, but the two you've mentioned both seem like they would hold good prospects of things to do.
To comment on New Orleans, is really hard. Frankly, it's a double edged sword. I know they want/need tourists to come back, but making a judgement on whether it's the right thing to do is hard. Personally, I would stay clear of the city and let them get some things back in order, but that is just my perosonal judgement call. Like I said, they do want and need tourists and the money they bring to visit the area. You might check with their chamber of commerce (I think I will as well sometime this week, just to get a personal idea of what they recommend).
Also, on the topic of weather... It depends on what route you take. In the northern states it will be milder, cooler nights (usually). The states in the Great Plains region might be a bit warmer than the more eastern states. If you go south, I would expect warmer days the further south you go, but nights might still be cool.
Out in Arizona, expect some heat. In may we should at least be hitting 80's to 90's in the Central desert areas during the day. Nights are tough, though. I live in the city so it's always warmer than the frontier lands and open desert. Desert nights can get chilly, so do prepare to potentially have to wear a thin jacket depending on the night.
Other than that, that's all I can think of.
Enjoy your visit to the Grand Canyon State!
-Brad.
