Chicago-LA Summer 24

[howard]

Albuquerque is mainly about Breaking Bad - definitely going for some Los Pollos Hermanos and with luck the car will need a wash!!

ha ha. Plenty of dust and tumbleweeds between Amarillo and ABQ - you just might need that carwash.

Have an A1 Day! 😎

[Mattyn1]

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!

All booked now! Thanks for reminding me!!

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!

[RadiantRiddle]

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.

[DonnaR57]

Have a question regarding the America the Beautiful NP Pass - does anyone know if it is something I can get in Chicago?

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.

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

[Southwest Dave]

Is that for the both of you Donna? (I imagine so, but just for clarity as the OP budgeted per person.)

Dave

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.


Donna

[Mattyn1]

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.

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!

[Midwest Michael]

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!

Do you mean the Lincoln Home in Springfield?

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.

[glc]

Here is where you can get passes:

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/pi...-locations.htm

[Mattyn1]

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?

[Mark Sedenquist]

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.

Most toll booths don't even accept cash payments anymore.

Mark