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North America, West Coast Drive

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Doing the west coast drive starting in LA, down to San Diego, across to Las Vegas (incl a visit to Grand Canyon), over to San Francisco, and back to LA...all in 3 weeks.
13 years ago, July 15th 2010 No: 1 Msg: #115745  
N Posts: 7
Hello to all that read this.

I am planning on completing a road trip known to us as the west coast drive. Starting in LA, down to San Diego, across to Las Vegas (incl a visit to Grand Canyon), over to San Francisco, and back to LA...all in 3 weeks.

I am hoping to do this with a few friends within 3 weeks from the start of September. However, having never been to this part of America, I have no idea how long road trips take between destinations, or what key stop offs to do on the way. Are there any places we should definitely avoid? HOw long should we plan to stay at each place etc etc.

Also if anyone knows any good, cheap car rentals from LAX airport, let me know. I'm 24, so am finding most quotes pretty expensive at the moment.

All recommendations welcome.

Thanks in advance,
Kat
Essex, England. Reply to this

13 years ago, July 16th 2010 No: 2 Msg: #115802  
Hi Kat in Essex,

First, your itinerary sounds reasonable, but you might check maps.yahoo.com for estimated driving times between the cities you list.

As for car rentals I'm surprised that they will rent to you at all since you are under 25. I was also unaware that they charged different rates by age. My only suggestion is that you look into renting a small RV -- reason being that whatever you have to pay for car rental will be surpassed by what you have to pay for lodging. That's a lesson I learned from my summer road trip in 2004 going to all 30 Major League Baseball parks when I spent more on lodging that all other costs combined.

You sound like a city girl. Are you a sports fan? If so you might want to see a couple of sports you can't find back in England -- baseball and American football. Both sports play in early September, which is about the only time of year they overlap. Baseball is great for the intimate ballpark atmosphere -- food, ambiance and sunshine (if its an afternoon game). I'd recommend either the ballpark in San Diego (Petco Field) or the one in San Francisco (AT & T Park). Both are in their respective city's downtown areas. San Diego's ballpark is a few blocks from the "gaslight" district which is full of restaurants and nightlife. You can check schedules and such at www.mlb.com. If you want to try an American football game instead check schedules at www.nfl.com. Games are played usually once a week on a Sunday afternoon. Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco are good places to see a game.

Whenever I run into Brits on holiday in America they all seem to especially love the deserts in the Southwest. You will drive through or around Death Valley as you go from Las Vegas to San Francisco. But the best desert scenery is in extreme southern California and western Arizona. As you drive from San Diego eastward into Arizona to get to the Grand Canyon you can stop at Anza Borrega State Park in California for some desert views (no lodging nearby, very remote). The best drives will be in Arizona. Consider going from San Diego east to Yuma, Arizona and then north toward the Grand Canyon. You'll go through some very stark desert and mountain terrain on sturdy 2-line highways that still support 65 mph speeds. You might stop along the way at either Prescott or Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is more famous as an artists colony; it also sits in a fantastic red rock valley. My personal preference is Prescott, partly because too many artists make me nauseous, partly because Sedona is expensive, and finally because Prescott is a comfortable resort town that looks just like it did back in the Old West days of the late 19th Century. Try the old Hotel St. Michael right downtown -- refurbished from its Old West days and cheap as well. There is a row of bars along the same street called "Whiskey Row" where you can have a decent meal and a few pints. Check out the photos on the walls from the Old West days (Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday and company) -- these folks actually lived there for a time. The rest of Prescott is full of antique shops and art galleries, so there's plenty to do. Finally, it's at a higher elevation that most of southern Arizona so it won't be as hot as the country you've driven through.

That's as much as I have to say right now. I hope you enjoy your trip.

Tim Reply to this

13 years ago, July 20th 2010 No: 3 Msg: #116056  
That is actually a good plan and yes, you can visit all of those states in 3 weeks. LA, San Francisco and Las Vegas has their own top rated attractions that you will surely love. If you are a star fanatic and enjoys some museum attractions then LA will give you its best as you get to taste what's in Hollywood and in Mann Museum. You can enjoy riding into cable cars and observe some scenic sites in Chinatown in San Francisco. La Vegas obviously is the place for clubbing, casino and shopping. There are also some amusement parks in Las Vegas state.

Renting an RV is the most convenient way of visiting these states without having major stress. You can drive and stay wherever you want. There are different kinds of RVs suited for every customers from 6 berth RVs to 2 berth RVs. You can do a research online for your reference. I advice you to search for My Drive Holiday site for your RV inquiries and bookings.

Good luck to your trip and let us know how it went!

Cheers! Reply to this

13 years ago, July 26th 2010 No: 4 Msg: #116486  
Now that's a road trip!

I found this website: https://www.usatourist.com/english/destinations/california/california-driving-tour.html. Don't know if you've seen it, but I definitely think you should hit all of the attractions listed there. Highlights you can't miss are:

- Hoover Dam (half an hour SE of Las Vegas)
- The Pacific Coast Highway and all the beach towns there along (special mentions for Monterrey and Santa Barbera)
- All the free stuff to do in both Los Angeles (The Getty Museum, Venice Beach, The Griffeth Observatory, walking Hollywood, walking Downtown, driving Mulholland Drive, etc.) and Las Vegas (The Bellagio Fountain, the Mirage volcano, The Sirens of Treasure Island, the Fremont Street Experience, etc.)
- The Arizona Desert (I second TheTimMan's suggestion of detouring to Prescott; I've been there, it's beautiful)
- A National Park besides the Grand Canyon. It lists Yosemite, but there are four of them in that general area: Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoia and King's Canyon.

Also...make sure you budget for PARKING FEES! I hope this trip works out well for you!
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