Super! Where are you staying in SF?
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Super! Where are you staying in SF?
Just a tad off Fisherman's Wharf - The Suites its called.Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...alifornia.html
Good reviews and a garage!
Good location. We stayed at the Hotel Caza last year and are going back there again for a couple of nights this summer as it was one of the nicer neighbourhoods. You'll be a block or so away from there. We ate at this place and I'd recommend checking it out whilst you are there if you want something decent and tasty at a fraction of the price of the waterfront: Cafe De Casa
Loving your food recommends!! will definitely try them!!
Have taken a bit of a risk with The Suites- we went for the non refundable price and is £262 for a 1 king bedroom, 1 living room sofa bed suite - nothing in the area could come close so thought we should risk it. That's the fixed point I was talking about earlier - because we have already paid. Now we have other "fixed points" that simply help the planning come together!!
Just hoping we won't miss not having a pool considering how warm it will likely be.
It does not get that warm in downtown SF. Historical highs in August are only 70F, lows 55F.
8 weeks to go - now getting mega excited!!
Looks like a great trip! I'm sure you're looking forward to it.
Here's a link to a really good New Mexico food blog. If you have any questions about the Albuquerque part of your trip, feel free to ask - I'll try to help.
Thanks Howard - definitely going to be a foodie trip!!Quote:
Originally Posted by howard
Albuquerque is mainly about Breaking Bad - definitely going for some Los Pollos Hermanos and with luck the car will need a wash!!
Have you booked your Alcatraz tickets ? It's highly recommended you do so, and well in advance to avoid long queues and the possibility of then not getting on as the boat is full! This is the only official booking office partnered to the National park service.
As Craig said, you're in a good location, near Ghirardelli square, the Piers, Coit tower and the 'Crooked street' section of Lombard St. You can get some great seafood on Pier 39, or for something more fun and casual try 'Bubba Gumps'. If you want to see the Sea Lions, just follow your nose!
Not yet - well reminded thank you. On my list now for tomorrow
ha ha. Plenty of dust and tumbleweeds between Amarillo and ABQ - you just might need that carwash.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyn1
Have an A1 Day! 😎
All booked now! Thanks for reminding me!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Southwest Dave
Have a question regarding the America the Beautiful NP Pass - does anyone know if it is something I can get in Chicago?
Stand down everyone - see it - can get it in the Lincoln Visitor Center!
For a 35-night road trip with four adults, budgeting $100 per person per day for food and drinks might be cutting it close, especially if you're planning on dining at places like Big Texan Ranch. I'd suggest increasing your budget to around $125-$150 per person per day to cover all your meals and drinks comfortably. This should give you a bit more flexibility for those nicer dinners without stressing about overspending.
I was going to say that whichever national park or monument you get to, first, that's where you should purchase your AtB pass. In most cases, if an NP or NM charges for entrance, they will have the AtB Pass available for purchase there at the Visitor Center or even the Entrance Station.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyn1
Also, on budgeting, we budget $120/day for food, $4.25/gal (and we do the math for our vehicle's average fuel mileage and how many miles we expect to drive), and when you make hotel reservations, you'll know how much those will cost. Here is the final expense log from our recent 18 day trip. There are only 2 of us, though, and 3 days of our meals were with friends who fed us.
Donna
Yes. Budgeting food is the most difficult, because so many things are involved: type of restaurant you choose, whether or not you partake of alcohol-appetizers-dessert, and how much each person eats. Also whether you partake of the hotel's breakfast (if available), and how many meals you need. We are usually 2-meals per day when we're on the road.Quote:
Is that for the both of you Donna? (I imagine so, but just for clarity as the OP budgeted per person.)
Dave
Donna
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantRiddle
With only three of us going the budget is £100 per person per day, but have sneaked in a contingency of £40 per person per day in case of those unexpected expenses.
Am one of those people that will track expenditure throughout the trip, so when I report back, could give a good indication of how accurate the plan was!
Do you mean the Lincoln Home in Springfield?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyn1
I believe all the National Park Sites in Springfield are free, so they may not actually sell the pass there. But as Donna mentioned, there's really no advantage to buying it in advance, you can just pick it up at the first park that actually charges a fee.
That said, not all of the Lincoln Sites in Springfield are NPS run - the Lincoln Library and Museum, for example, is separate and does charge a fee, but is well worth it.
If you want to hit an NPS site in Chicago, the Pullman National Historic Site is right in the city. That one is also free.
Here is where you can get passes:
https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/pi...-locations.htm
Have another question re Toll Roads.
My car hire is through Hertz - we intend on avoiding toll roads as much as we can, but will no doubt encounter them somewhere (SF to LA? GG Bridge?) - will I need cash in the car to pay at the booth (if so how much would you recommend keeping close by), or is the system cashless and payable by CC? Or do I need a tag thing in the car that will get scanned by the toll?
Hertz and other major car rental firms have open accounts for tolls around the USA. Typically, you will receive a bill sent to the email address you used to rent the car about 30 days after your rental is ended. There is often a small surcharge added to the bill -- a couple of dollars per toll.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyn1
Most toll booths don't even accept cash payments anymore.
Mark
Correct. We weren't able to go over the Golden Gate Bridge last summer as I'd rejected the toll tag thing (they ripped me off instead by adding a $10 a day 'premium breakdown cover' or some other BS so beware!!) Going back this year so we'll have to take the kids across the bridge this time - maybe we'll pay the extra for the tag or maybe we'll just see if there's some sort of bus. Either way definitely no cash!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyn1
Not sure if they are still doing it that way (or it may depend on different areas of the country) - the last couple times I had a rental here (NY State), they had a pass in the vehicle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
It was inside a small box that kept the readers from sensing it unless you opened the box.
That way, you could choose to pay cash yourself (if the road/bridge accepted that), use your own existing EZ Pass (which is what most places in the northern/eastern US use) that you brought along, or have it done by the license plate (which is what Mark was describing).
If you used their pass, they added a small fee (but only per day, no matter how many tolls you passed through), while using the bill by plate would add a fee to each toll.
Also to note - I don't know if there are any out in the areas where you are going, but at least last I knew there were still a few places on this side of the US that do take cash payments (though they mostly take the passes as well - seems there was one (maybe 2) small private bridge that only did cash, just can't find it at the moment), so not necessarily bad to have a little money on hand (if not for that, for other small purchases, rather than using a card repeatedly).
As Mark suggested in a prior post, you can just drive across and the rental company will get the toll by the license plate (which they will then pass along to you with an extra fee, you'd have to ask them what it would be).Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
Though it does say (on the bridge site) you can call them and give them the dates you rented the car and a credit card and they will charge the tolls directly to your card (which would save the rental company fee). Other groups may do the same, but not certain if all offer this option.
EZ Pass is good in Delaware, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
SunPass is good in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, parts of Texas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia.
California uses FasTrak.
Toll Guru, what toll pass is used in what state
Donna
Two weeks to go now - getting nervously excited - wondering what I have forgotten to plan for!
Only thing that is a hinderance at the moment is the seemingly still closed PCH (or rather just a small section of it). It might be open in the next six weeks I suppose...!!
Oh yes, the anticipation and excitement stage! The time seems to fly by, and departure day will be upon you! If you have any last minute questions, just ask. I for one look forward to hearing all about your trip on your return! Have a great time!
Dave.
Thanks Dave
I think, apart from the concern I have bitten off more than I can chew for the first few days the biggest concern (or rather bugbear) is the closure on part of CA-1.
I have 2 days to drive from SF to LA - it seems I can get as far as just before Dolan Creek Bridge and thus will be diverted at Monterey down the 101 to get back on the coast road at Cambria. I know I can do very little about it but just frustrated considering the closure seems to be only about 12 miles of CA-1 (between Dolan and Limekiln).
I can see one possibility coming off 101 at Pine Canyon and heading through Jolon and on to Placket - but google mentions a restricted road - some sort of military place maybe? However it also seems to say doing that x-country bit takes twice as long than staying on 101 to get to Cambria.
At least that is what Goggle maps is telling me!! I just cannot see a better diversion - I have been using this - is this the best link? https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/hig...onditions.html
Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd is closed.Quote:
I can see one possibility coming off 101 at Pine Canyon and heading through Jolon and on to Placket - but google mentions a restricted road - some sort of military place maybe?
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lpnf/...telprdb5347980
I will keep my eye on what's what but it does look risky with road closures and that x-country bit will take ages!
The 101 looks reasonably picturesque though so that will have to be what it is! At least south of San Simeon it is still open.
I wouldn't worry to much. As scenic as Big Sur is, you will still have the chance to drive South of San Simeon, through seaside towns like Pismo beach and Santa Barbara. Perhaps visit one of the lesser known Redwood parks south of SF, or head to Monterey. Then there is Hearst castle near San Simeon that you could tour. Stroll along Santa Monica pier and see the 'End of route 66' sign. There is certainly lots of alternative ways to spend your time.
Just realised where Laguna Seca is… happy with that little detour now!!
We were really disappointed to miss out on the coast road last year as I'd done it years ago and really wanted the kids to enjoy the drive now they were with us. We planned to try again this year and added three days to our upcoming trip and flew to San Francisco rather than Las Vegas in order to be able to do it this year. No such luck and we had to re-plan a little. Instead we will take the coast road from San Francisco through Half Moon Bay area down to Monterey and then cut inland to Kings Canyon and Sequoia before picking up as planned at Death Valley. It is indeed a shame to miss out on that section but not the end of the world given the amount of other spectacle we will see along the way... just would have liked to have had a little more time with the coastal air in our lungs. If you've not driven the route before you can drive south for a little way from Monterey and, likewise, north from San Simeon a fair way. You just can't drive all the way through and, in many ways, the reduced traffic along the route is quite a bonus and the opportunity to see the route from both directions could be considered a positive.
Monterey is a great place to visit and the perfect place for whale watching if you'd like to do that. Not been to the aquarium there (far too expensive to justify) but people rave about it so worth consideration. As you say Laguna Seca is just inland from there too and worth a visit if your trip coincides with a raceday. I went there some years ago for the historic and that was a really enjoyable trip. Last summer we were in Monterey in the week leading up to the same event and, whilst this made the hotels crazy expensive, there was a lot going on in town. I get the impression that there often is a lot of events going on there.
What dates are you in Grand Canyon NP by the way?
South Rim - PM on 8 Aug, and we have a plane ride/hummer trip booked. Staying at the GC Plaza. Then we are headed to Page the next day, but hit North Rim Lodge on 10 Aug.
Ah, we'll miss you by a day! We're staying at Maswik Lodge on 6th and 7th and then heading north (sadly not to Page but straight to Monument Valley) on the 8th. Have a great trip!
Just looked that up - looks a decent place. We have bagged a cabin at The View MV on 6 Aug.
I'm not sure if it's been mentioned previously, but just outside the East entrance of the Grand canyon (Desert view drive) on US89 between GC and MV is the Cameron Trading post. If you have a little spare time, the shops are quite interesting, or if you're wanting a place to eat. Who knows, you might bump into each other!
Thanks for the heads up - these little nuggets are awesome. Already starting to think of the next trip and have not even got on the plane for this one yet. Looking at that TP on Google maps - another RV on the road. That is definitely on the agenda next time!!
Only a couple days to go and hopefully the airports will be back to normal by Tuesday!
Blog here if you wish to follow!
Hope that everything goes smoothly for you.
Enjoy your trip!