Traveling the US

[PonyGirl93]

Amtrak has a 30 day pass for $500. There is also a 15% student discount. Don't know if they can be combined. Amtrak forum here 30 day Rail Pass & Segments - Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Recommendation State Parks and natural beauty - America is beautiful, diverse and awe inspiring

Grand Canyon (consider river running with the Hualapai Tribe)
Yosemite, Redwood National Forest, Glacier National Park, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone...if you go north of the border Banff and Lake Louise.

Amtrak's pass is sold in segments, so a 15 segment pass is $500, good for 30 days. I'd have to research how long segments are to see how feasible that is for where I want to go.

Tentative stops:
Chicago
Portland
San Diego
Phoenix and Grand Canyon
possibly TX
possibly crash at brother's in DC
Boston
NYC
somewhere in Maine

I need to figure out how long of a ride between places to figure out how many of these places I can viably see. I may need to split it up as a West trip this time and an East trip later, although that would break my heart

[mrs.b]

For west coast, I 2nd/3rd/10th spending some quality time at both the north and south ridges, and like Geezer said, don't miss Supai Village (Havasupai Tribe - helicopter tours, nice hiking - see The Havasupai Tribe, Guardians of the Grand Canyon )

If you'll be going north enough, Cour d'Alene, Idaho is gorgeous...or was. It's been a while since I've been there, but it had decent skiing nearby, fishing, mountains, golf, and fair shopping, and not far from Spokane.

I have seen a fair amount of the Midwest/Central South US, so I'm mainly looking at west of IL and east of PA.

I need advice.

Sights to see? Costs to be aware of aside from the obvious transportation, lodging, food, sights? Recommended budget? Any wisdom, advice, knowledge, etc. that you want to impart is welcome :hurray:

I agree with Chicago. I miss it so much. If you can, visit Buddy Guy's Legends (blues club, and not as tourist'y as some of the others in town) on a Tuesday jam night. Great food, great music. The museums and/or aquarium are good additions, too.

Baltimore, MD - Inner Harbor, and if you like a bit of barhopping, add James Joyce Irish Pub to the list.

For east coast, I haven't been there in a while so can't say if it's changed much, but New Hope, PA -was- an adorable little town with fun shops, more than a few good restaurants, and a cute playhouse where you could catch an inexpensive but fairly decent play or two at Bucks County Playhouse. As I understand it, the playhouse is shut down now, but it was a very artsy community with a fun atmosphere. (I'd check around before scheduling a trip, though. It's been 10+ years since I traveled that direction to see if anything has changed and the only friends/family left up there that I could ask are my parents who always hated the town...though that had something to do with the fact my friends and I would skip school in high school and drive out there to shop. Still, their opinion is tainted.)

P.S. (I so need a vacation - I'm living vicariously through those of you planning.) If you're looking for a nice rest-stop for a little while on the east coast, check out North Georgia Cabin Rentals – Blue Ridge Luxury Cabins My husband, son, and I stayed with them this past summer for a week, and it was one of the best vacations I've ever taken. Hubby and I were long overdue for some peace and quiet which we got, but the cabin we rented also came with wireless internet, pool table, and cable to keep the kiddo happy when we weren't lounging on the deck or in the hot tub. Nothing (NOTHING) beats waking up slowly, pouring a cup of coffee, and sipping it in PJs on the deck in front of one of the best views I've seen. Great hiking nearby...and not a whole lot else. But that was perfect for us. The cabin was perfect - clean, spacious, etc. Nice people. We're going back as soon as we can, but thought I'd share another nice vacation spot.

[Lyanne]

@Lyanne: Ahh, that's helpful, thanks! NYC is absolutely in the plans. Boltbus is still around, and Boston is definitely a yes! Do you happen to know if it is easy to get to Harvard via public transport? I would think it would have to be for all the poor (cough, oh yeah, it's Harvard) students :coolgleam:

Oh yes, it's on the MBTA route, Harvard Square Station. But you can buy sweatshirts in Quincy market/Faneuil Hall. If you like history, there's lots to see. Site of the Boston Tea Party, Old North Church (where the lanterns "one if by land, 2 if by sea" were hung), Freedom Trail, Memorial commemorating the black regiment from the Civil War, on and on. I liked the hop on hop off trolley.

[skyfall123]

Amtrak's pass is sold in segments, so a 15 segment pass is $500, good for 30 days. I'd have to research how long segments are to see how feasible that is for where I want to go.

Tentative stops:
Chicago
Portland
San Diego
Phoenix and Grand Canyon
possibly TX
possibly crash at brother's in DC
Boston
NYC
somewhere in Maine

I need to figure out how long of a ride between places to figure out how many of these places I can viably see. I may need to split it up as a West trip this time and an East trip later, although that would break my heart

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right???....but if you go to the schedule and put in the cities, Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder it will show if the route is a direct route (1 segment) or multiple segments. Chicago to Portland (Empire Builder) is direct or 1 segment. Similarly you can go from Flagstaff Az (close to Grand Canyon)all the way to New York in 2 segments (via Chicago). So it looks like you could get pretty far with proper planning.

[OE800_85]

Hostels Worldwide - Online Hostel Bookings, Ratings and Reviews
CouchSurfing - Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time

Hostelworld's fairly established around the world, but is much bigger in Europe and Asia (they have a bigger hostel/traveller culture). Read the reviews, usually you don't need to book through them, you can contact the hostel directly (sometimes it's cheaper). If you're cool with staying in a dorm bed, it's a great, really cheap option.

Couchsurfing may be a little controversial, but I've done it, know lots of people who've done it, and I think it's safe. They have a pretty good monitoring system, but I'm not sure if as a single girl travelling you would be comfortable with it. At least, there's lots of people (some probably your age) who like to go out for coffee, and they can always tell you something about their town and give you a "local" feel, instead of always being a tourst.

[LaterBloomer]

Back again. The hostels I spoke of were all members of the International Youth Hostel. My bias is that way as they have certain rules. (I woke up one morning in Rome, and saw the head of the woman across the room from me while she was asleep in her bunk. "Gee, she has a big head." I thought. Then, I climbed down the ladder from my bunk [I was on the top], and thought about the woman beneath my bunk, "Gee, she's got lots of muscles." Needless to say, they were both men and I was in a co-ed room. At first, it freaked me out. I got used to it.) IYH doesn't have co-ed rooms. (At least, I don't think that they do.) If you join, they give you one night free. The hostels sometimes have free guided tours, or discount tickets to local museums or shows.

There is also a bus system called megabus. Go to Welcome to megabus to check out its routes. Who knows? You may be able to combine it with a cheaper Greyhound ticket. There is also Bolt Bus. It's owned by Greyhound, and was created to "combat" buslines like Megabus. Check out their routes and ticket prices, too. Do you have an account with Bank of America? I don't know how long they'll be doing it, but, for now, lots of museums are free the first weekend of the month if you have an account with them. Check out their web site. As I think of more, I'll write. What a great gift you're giving yourself.

[PonyGirl93]

@mrs.b Those cabins look lovely, completely and utterly out of my price range, though :[ New Hope sounds so cute, unfortunately there's no bus stop there Feel free to live vicariously to your heart's content

@Lyanne: I have Boston and New England travel guides from the library and am overwhelmed by all the stuff I want to see! I might have to make it a 4/5 day stay... I'm planning to stay in Boston and make one or two day trips to NYC, as that makes me less nervous than staying there, is that practical?

@OE800: I'm already giving my mother cardiac arrest over this trip, I think couch surfing would be too much for her :p

@LaterBloomer: Same goes ^ for coed dorms, I will definitely be staying in female dorms So far I think I will be staying in hostels in Portland, San Diego, and possibly Boston and Chicago. I don't have a Bank of America card, but I am thinking of starting a specific checking account- that has rewards- for the trip at some point; damn 5/3 for getting rid of debit card rewards!

[Lyanne]

@Lyanne: I have Boston and New England travel guides from the library and am overwhelmed by all the stuff I want to see! I might have to make it a 4/5 day stay... I'm planning to stay in Boston and make one or two day trips to NYC, as that makes me less nervous than staying there, is that practical?

Ummm....it would be impractical to me. It's a long drive to make more than one day, so I would stay in the city. But I grew up in central Jersey, and used to go to the city often, so it doesn't make me nervous. I live in California now and I never go to LA alone because it scares me, (I think it's just unfamiliarity) so I think I get your nervousness. If you won't be alone, and if you stay in tourist areas, you will be fine. I read once that some ridiculous figure like 95% of all crime in NYC is between people who know each other. They're not mugging and killing tourists or it would be all over the news.

[PonyGirl93]

Ummm....it would be impractical to me. It's a long drive to make more than one day, so I would stay in the city. But I grew up in central Jersey, and used to go to the city often, so it doesn't make me nervous. I live in California now and I never go to LA alone because it scares me, (I think it's just unfamiliarity) so I think I get your nervousness. If you won't be alone, and if you stay in tourist areas, you will be fine. I read once that some ridiculous figure like 95% of all crime in NYC is between people who know each other. They're not mugging and killing tourists or it would be all over the news.

*kicks into CJ statistics mode* that's true all over the country, crimes like assault and murder are almost always between acquaintances/friends.... Anyway, back on track The trouble is that I may be alone for my New England jog. Well anyway, plenty of time to figure out that leg of the journey. I'm so enamored by the rest of New England (which is very well served by Greyhound, I might add,) I'm already wondering how I will fit everything in.

[rebel100]

Remember that in DC all of the various Smithsonian Museums are free....lodging can be pricey, but its overall a very economical city to check out.

You could spend half your time in NYC and not see it all...but it is very expensive. Try a hotel outside of Manhattan and get a multi day subway ticket and just take the train into the city. If you've never been spend at least a couple days in NYC.

Tripadvisor has some fantastic forums for all sorts of destinations....great place to get some research done, United States Forums - TripAdvisor

Have fun!

Reb