New York to Los Angeles in 10 nights

[jtenan]

My girlfriend an I are going from NY to LA this August, and trying to nail down the route/places to see and stop. We are trying to get a nice mix of scenic places, parks, hikes and urban centers and baseball stadiums, museums etc. If anyone has words of wisdom in terms of route, parks, cool stops, must see locales we are missing, etc. please let me know! As of now, the tentative plan is:

NY to Cleveland
Cleveland to Chicago
Chicago to Omaha
Omaha to Denver
Denver to Moab
Moab to Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon to Phoenix
Phoenix to Los Angeles

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The route you've laid out is one of several that you could take from New York to Los Angeles, so I will presume that you have chosen it over others for reasons that appeal to you. The most obvious reason seems to be the number of MLB cities it goes through. Have you checked to see if the relevant teams are going to be at home as you drive through their city and that tickets are available? Also, you'll be going through or near a number of AAA minor league cities where the games can be cheaper and more up close and friendly, so check those as well. You probably won't have time to see more than 2 or 3 games in any case if you also want to explore some of the other sites on your way. Some of those on your current route would include the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA; historic sites of the Oregon Trail across Nebraska; Rocky Mountain National Park north of Denver; Arches National park near Moab; Oak Creek Canyon between the Grand Canyon and Phoenix; and Joshua Tree National Park on the way to Los Angeles.

AZBuck

[jtenan]

Really appreciate the input! I have made a few revision given your ideas, including a stop at Field of Dreams. I really like the idea of checking out a minor league park or two (think I'm changing Cleveland for Toledo). Also, to spare my girlfriend seeing 10 consecutive nights of baseball, there is now a little more time devoted to the outdoors in Moab and the Grand Canyon, and Denver should be a nice mix...

I'm pretty set on Chicago, Denver, Moab, the Grand Canyon (think I'm gonna skip Phoenix and go straight home), but could use some suggestions for between Chi and Denver. Right now that's Omaha, and I am not really sure what there is to do there. Any ideas? Or alternate stopover locales? Also, I would love to fill in the drive with stopovers at places like the Field of Dreams, or fun diners that people know of. Thanks again AZ Buck, much appreciated!

[glc]

Let's see - between Chicago and Denver, here's my take on baseball (and artery clogging food). About 30 miles west of Chicago in Geneva, there's the Kane County Cougars, the low A affiliate of the A's. They are a prime example of a successful low minors team. Their stadium was built in 1991 and recently renovated. They generally have good size crowds in August and the 2 best items on the menu are grilled BBQ pork chop sandwiches and carved prime rib sandwiches. Buy a general admission ticket ("lawn seats") and essentially go where you want, the ushers don't hassle you unless a seatholder shows up. Field of Dreams is just about mandatory. There's low A ball in Clinton, Davenport, and Cedar Rapids. The Clinton stadium is a 1930's era building, the food specialty is the Garbage Pail - it's a pot luck of whatever deep fried finger foods they have that night. The stadium in Davenport is also from the 30's but recently reconstructed, sit behind 3rd base up high and you get a spectacular view of the river and the Centennial Bridge. The Cedar Rapids stadium is brand new, excellent breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. There's AAA ball in Des Moines and Omaha, Omaha plays in Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series. You can get an easy major league fix in Kansas City, they never sell out these days.