LA to NY Via Washington DC

[Rodney.AU]

Hi,

My wife and I are heading to LA from Melbourne, Australia, in late July. We are in the US for 3 weeks. We plan to do Disneyland etc in CA and wanted to also visit relatives in NY.

After reading some of the threads on your site I am convinced we would get our best American experience by doing a road trip. Leaving from LA we wanted to stop off at Las Vegas (2 nights) and then head towards NY via Washington. I don't really have anything planned for the middle and would greatly appreciate any ideas that people may have, or places we should visit.

We expect the road trip to take 14 days; is this realistic?

Thanks,
Rodney.

[Mark Sedenquist]

My wife and I are heading to LA from Melbourne, Austalia, in late July. We are in the US for 3 weeks. We plan to do disnesyland etc in CA and wanted to also visit relatives in NY.

Will you fly home from NYC? Or will you need to return to LA?

Leaving from LA we wanted to stop off at Vegas (2 nights) and the head towards NY via Washington. I dont really have anything planned for the middle and would greatly appreciate any ideas that people may have, or places we should visit.

A 14-day road trip will give you a good taste of the American landscape. What kinds of things are you interested in?

Mark

[Rodney.AU]

Hi,

Quick respones! We will be leaving from NY. I have been looking at car rental and Budget (approx $850) for unlimited miles and one-way seems to be the best price so far.

Interests, I enjoy photography but it is not necessarily an interest shared by the wife! We basically are just looking for a good experience soaking in some landmarks.

Thanks,

Rodney.

[Rodney.AU]

Hi all,

any opionions on following the I-40 for this?

[PNW Judy]

I-40 is a great route. It follows somewhat the same route as Old Route 66. You might enjoy picking up a guidebook that tells you where to find parts of that old, famous route that you can enjoy along the way. Because of this, there are tons of neat things to see.

The towns of Gallup and Tucumcari in New Mexico have lots of great architecture, 1950's style signage, etc. Don't miss the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, the hotel of the stars during the 20's-60's or so. Lots of neat pictures in the balcony above the lobby.

Holbrook, Arizona, has a lot of fun things to see, too. You might want to stay in the Wigwam Motel. And enjoy the random dinosaur sightings there. Stewart's Petrified Wood is a rather famous shop to explore with lots of their own dinosaurs.

Meteor Crater new Winslow, Arizona.

Seligman and Kingman in Arizona also have lots of old Route 66 things to see.

I would suggest doing a search on Route 66 and I-40 here to get some more ideas. But a good Route 66 guidebook would also be invaluable. I'm sure there's a lot of good recommendations on this site for the right book.

[Robert Schaller]

I don't see that anyone's mentioned the Grand Canyon. My opinion is that you shouldn't miss it. The best photography opportunities are early morning or late afternoon as an "overhead" sun typically wipes out the contrasts. Even if all you have time for is a couple hours in the afternoon and a sunset, it is well-worth your time. From I-40 at Williams, it's about a one hour drive north on SR64 -- and you can rejoin I-40 by retracing that route or better yet, drive out to Cameron on the East Rim Drive and back to Flagstaff to I-40 via US89. Bob

[Rodney.AU]

Thanks, thats heaps fo rme to start planning. I will post my final trip up for comments on a week or so.

[Mass Tim]

Are you heading to NYCity or Upstate NY? (Upstate is basically anything other than NYC or Long Island) There is a lot to see just in NY alone.

Heed Bob's comments about the Grand Canyon! I have pictures taken during the day, and while they are quite spectacular, I long for the day when I can return there and see a sunrise and/or sunset!

But, after I-40, you may want to work your way up to I-64 through West Virginia, which takes you through breathtaking mountain scenery (and Eastbound, seems to be mostly downhill), drive up I-81 (or even US-11 if you like to meander, though sometimes I-81 and US-11 are the same road) through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, then across I-66 into Washington.

I-44 will get you to St. Louis, which has a very recognizable landmark in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, um, the Gateway Arch.

Keep an eye out for unusual and offbeat sites (often found in city parks!) and try to get off the Interstates when possible. Then you will find the true country.