TRIP'S USA TRIP

[Triple Zero]

TRIP'S USA TRIP

Yeah that's right! Your favourite Dutchspag is coming to you, this summer!

My girlfriend and I have both wanted to visit the USA for quite a while.

We only just started planning, though my gf's been reading books about the USA for a couple of weeks. We would really appreciate it if you guys could perhaps help us out a bit with advice on where to go, when to go and what do to, etc.

We both agree that it's important to try and meet as many of you spags as possible, because the best holidays are had by hanging out with the locals

Currently, we're thinking of going near the end of May or in June, for THREE WHOLE WEEKS (quite long for me, I usually prefer shorter trips, but then I usually don't go that far and your country is so big ). However this date is still quite flexible, if for instance it turns out you all are terribly busy during that time

Digging through Google Maps to check some distances (I really suck at topography, gf's rather good at it, though), we came up with a couple of options/ideas, so far:

(BTW we're thinking of renting a car to get around. Good idea yes/no?)

(Just for clarity, we're NOT planning to drive from the East to the West Coast, but indeed to pick a region in the USA and travel around a bit there. We're just not yet entirely sure which region, but probably the East Coast.)

EAST COAST

BOSTON - 90% certain we're going there, because so many of you spags live there. I would really like it if we could arrange a big meetup there (as you've done a couple of times before), and perhaps hang around for some more days with a couple of people.

NEW YORK CITY - If we're on the East Coast, we have to go to NYC. I know some of you don't like it very much, but my girlfriend really wants to see (part of) it, and we're tourists, after all Personally I think that most big cities are as good as any and it depends on the people you're with and the places you go (theoretically we could spend 3 weeks in Boston, see a lot of stuff, and have a good time, right? I know I'd have no trouble doing that in Berlin for instance. But we're on holiday so we should see as much stuff as possible). It's also not that far from Boston (about 4 hours by car?) and IIRC somewhere along the road lives Cramulus [so, Cram, depending on where we start, we could probably give you a ride if a Boston meetup is going to happen]. Additionally my gf found a car rental company called "Rent A Wreck", which we thought is a funny name, though perhaps a bit ominous.

FRED LAND - It wasn't entirely clear if she's in Columbus Ohio during that time. However, our idea is that from the East Coast (Boston or NYC), we might be able to plan a real proper ROAD TRIP, driving westward, to Ohio, see some of the big forests and nature stuff along the way, then meet up with Fred and check out Columbus. My girlfriend also got excited about the idea of seeing a real proper American college campus, as everything in the USA is supposed to be just like in the movies, right?

ANYWHERE ELSE? - Please, we're open to suggestions!

WEST COAST

Due to my lack of topographic skills, my idea of who exactly live on the West Coast, and where they are is really kind of blurry (East Coast people are mostly in or near Boston, easier to remember). So maybe somebody could help me out there (who/where), as well as how feasible it would be to visit them (distances).

We're unsure if it would be possible for us to visit both coasts. It really depends on how much a plane ticket would cost (where can we get a good deal for this?). There is one thing, my girlfriend read in one of the books, that it might be possible to book a trip to the USA that includes national flights to three locations in the US, but we haven't been able to get any details on this yet (anyone ever heard of such an offer?), again it depends on what it would cost.

PORTLAND OREGON - As far as I've come to understand, if there's one place on (or near) the West Coast we should go, it's here. Not only because a lot of PD spags live there (Nigel,Net,Sigmatic,Telarus,... more?), but also because it seems to be quite an awesome place to visit

CALIFORNIA - Jenne and Lizzy live here. That's about all I know.

TUCSON - Roger and Freeky live here!! Not really on the West Coast, and also quite far away from everywhere ... Even though I'd love to go, I've never seen a real desert in my life.

ANYWHERE ELSE? - As I said, my knowledge of the West Coast is kind of limited

FLORIDA - Squiddy lives here! But nobody else, really? The only way we could visit here is if we find that three-location-flights deal thingy.


Okay. Well as you can see, everything is still quite vague, only the East Coast option is kind of fleshed out so far.

We would really appreciate it if you could give us as much feedback as possible on this trip, so that we can make the most of it!! Also, if there's people that could offer us a place to stay for a couple of days, that would be truly awesome. In return I can offer my cooking skills (which are quite good even though it's been a while since I posted in the recipes subforum).

[Salty]

Come to Alaska. It's more west than the 'west coast' AND as the tip of the Aleutian Chain crosses a hemisphere, it's also more east than the 'east coast'. Think of all the savings in travel expenses.

Plus, BEARS!

[hooplala]

All I will say is that it is a long-ass way from the East Coast to the West Coast. 

[Adios]

Kansas is still open as of now.

[AFK]

Yeah, if you plan on only getting around by car, you are best of picking one area and, generally, sticking to it.  You'll waste half your trip driving from the East Coast to the West Coast.  

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I'm still here in St. Louis!  Charley and I are a few hours apart!

[Triple Zero]

Yeah we're going to pick a side, and probably going to pick the East Coast. The only way around that is if we can get a really really good deal on a plane ticket, no way we're going to drive it (sorry if you got that impression?)

BTW I forgot to mention one other option that sort of crossed my mind

TORONTO (which is where Hoopla's at, correct?) if we happen to end up driving from Boston to Ohio, somewhere not too far north is Canada already, right? Except what I remember from Googlemaps is there's a big chunk of water in the way making it hard to plan it into a nice roundtrip without backing up a part.

[Cramulus]

Trip, I will TOTALLY come hang out with you guys in NY. My place is just outside of the city, only a ~30 minute train ride from grand central station. And HELL YES we could carpool to Boston.

[AFK]

Yeah we're going to pick a side, and probably going to pick the East Coast. The only way around that is if we can get a really really good deal on a plane ticket, no way we're going to drive it (sorry if you got that impression?)

BTW I forgot to mention one other option that sort of crossed my mind

TORONTO (which is where Hoopla's at, correct?) if we happen to end up driving from Boston to Ohio, somewhere not too far north is Canada already, right? Except what I remember from Googlemaps is there's a big chunk of water in the way making it hard to plan it into a nice roundtrip without backing up a part.

I think that is LHX's homebase too IIRC. 

[AFK]

Also, make sure you put a trip to Saratoga Springs on your itinerary. 

[Adios]

I'm still here in St. Louis!  Charley and I are a few hours apart!

*sigh*

Stuck in the middle again.

[Eater of Clowns]

It's totally understandable to want to see as much as possible, Trip, but what Hoopla said.  That's a huge drive, you're talking spending the better part of a week driving on flat, open nothingness instead of actually seeing anything.

I'd highly recommend breaking the US up into sections - Northeast, South, West Coast, Southwest, and Mid-west.  Focus on one, MAYBE two for the three week period.

Visiting cities, your best bet is the Northeast - we have Boston, NYC, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Providence.  Hopping from one to the other I think your longest streak in the car is probably 5 hours.

If you want landscape, though, the Southwest or the West Coast are probably the ways to go.  We have a lot of beautiful spots here in the NE, but they have way more national parks and just incredible views.

AND it looks like while I was typing this it was already addressed.

[hooplala]

Yeah we're going to pick a side, and probably going to pick the East Coast. The only way around that is if we can get a really really good deal on a plane ticket, no way we're going to drive it (sorry if you got that impression?)

BTW I forgot to mention one other option that sort of crossed my mind

TORONTO (which is where Hoopla's at, correct?) if we happen to end up driving from Boston to Ohio, somewhere not too far north is Canada already, right? Except what I remember from Googlemaps is there's a big chunk of water in the way making it hard to plan it into a nice roundtrip without backing up a part.

I think that is LHX's homebase too IIRC. 

Correct.  If you're going to Ohio from Boston you could always swing north around Lake Ontario to do so, though the scenery in that stretch leaves something to be desired...  Toronto is thankfully not too far away from the USA.

[AFK]

Hey, we have incredible views here in New England.

Though, my wife might get creeped out if you stare at her too long.  

[Adios]

Yeah we're going to pick a side, and probably going to pick the East Coast. The only way around that is if we can get a really really good deal on a plane ticket, no way we're going to drive it (sorry if you got that impression?)

BTW I forgot to mention one other option that sort of crossed my mind

TORONTO (which is where Hoopla's at, correct?) if we happen to end up driving from Boston to Ohio, somewhere not too far north is Canada already, right? Except what I remember from Googlemaps is there's a big chunk of water in the way making it hard to plan it into a nice roundtrip without backing up a part.

I think that is LHX's homebase too IIRC. 

Correct.  If you're going to Ohio from Boston you could always swing north around Lake Ontario to do so, though the scenery in that stretch leaves something to be desired...  Toronto is thankfully not too far away from the USA.

Says you.