I haven't been hun but in LA my Uncle lives in Newport Beach which is close to Orange County, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Fashion Island etc. Mum went over last year and said it was absolutely amazing. She said they have gorgeous markets and fantastic shopping. So now sure if you want an action packed holiday but this could be nice for a few days downtime. They do have a lot of water sports and activities in those areas if you guys are into that too
In San Francisco we spent 3 nights at Hotel Fushion. (You can look it up on Tripadvisor). It is a small boutique hotel. The room was very small even with just 2 of us staying there but it was super clean and close to everything that we needed. Our hotel was in Union Square and that means it was close to shopping and places to eat. It was a couple of steps to the cable-car station which means it was really easy to get down to Fishermans Wharf and other places we wanted to see. I highly reccommend it if you are on a budget and want somewhere cosy to stay. They also include a free continental brekky every day too.
Any suggestions for NY? It's SO expensive!!! We're staying with friends in San Diego so we'll use that as a base for that area. Also, any recommendations for LA?
Nothing for NY. We always have it on our list and take it off because it's too expensive. Next time we'll have to just suck it up and pay the money.
When we were in LA we stayed close to Disneyland. That is actually all we went to LA for so I'm not really much help with that one. We just picked a cheap motel that was walking distance to the park. Too easy. Are you going to Disneyland? We had the best time it was just the 2 of us and we had as much fun as any child in the park. It's a great place for all ages! That trip was about 5 years ago so I can't really suggest anything current.
I think I will just have to cough up and pay extra for NY - I really want to go more than any other place in the US!
In LA we want to go the whole movie thing so Walk of Fame, Universal Studios etc. We also want to spend a day at Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach and a day doing the Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive thing.
We're going to do Disneyland while we're in San Diego (we're there for a week). I've been 6 times as a kid and CANNOT WAIT to do it again as an adult! DH and I love all that stuff - we're big kids
I backpaked from the east to west coast by myself when I was there in 94.
I didn't stay in LA when I was there - I stayed in Venice Beach, hired a bike and rode up and down the bike paths for a day - it was great. I did end up in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills for a few days which was a blast.
New York - I loved! The museums, the park, the shows on broadway!!!
New York is AMAZING!!! Do the Circle Line 3hr round island cruise, it's great and in my opinion an absolute MUST DO. Try to catch some sort of sport (not sure what's on in Sep think it's too early for Basketball). We also got tickets to see live recording of the Late Show with David Letterman at the Ed Sullivan Theatre (it's free and was soooo much fun). The Grayline All loops hop on hop off (valid 48hrs) is a good way to get around especially for your first 2 days (otherwise use buses or the subway - taxis are a death wish and expensive). We also had alot of fun in FAO Schwarz (has that big piano on the floor from the Tom Hanks movie Big) and the quality of the toys is amazing - we bought a bear for our Bub as we were ttc at the time. Have a walk around Times Square and get your picture taken with the Naked Cowboy - he's a scream. Empire State Building is great too but it's like airport security to get to the top so allow plenty of time. We went up at dusk and the view was breathtaking. One thing I wish we'd done was a helicopter tour over Manhattan and I also would have liked the sex and the city tour but DH wasn't keen so we didn't do it. Grab a lonely planet New York 'condensed' book, it's small and has excellent maps and info for getting around on your own. It's personally choice - I don't like museums I like to get out there and blend in amongst the cafes & restaurants. A walk through Central Park is good too, we visited 'Strawberry Fields'. Oh - and the shopping is also AMAZING. Make sure your DH takes you to Tiffany's and spoils you (even if it's just something small - it was one of my highlights too). We stayed at a place mid town called 'The Lucerne', not too expensive for NY standards and about 20mins walk to times square (or bus stop right across the road and subway around the corner).
Just one thing about Tijuana, I went there back in '98 and it was so much fun but when I went there 2 years ago it was crap. No-one goes there anymore and there was no atmosphere at all, the day was totally boring and the shopping nowhere near as good as it used to be. I've heard that Ensenada is much better.
In LA I really enjoyed the Farmers Market, I could spend a whole day there. Night time at Third St Promenade Santa Monica is also pretty cool (heaps of street performers and lots of shops & restaurants open). And well I'm a HUGE DIsneyland Fan so I would never go to LA without a few nights in Anaheim so I could spend a few days at Disneyland. In my opinion Disneyland is one of those places that just keeps getting better as time passes.
San Fran my highlight was a cable car ride (from Union Square to Fishermans' wharf) and Alcatraz (do the audio tour).
Anyway - I could babble on forever I love the US but NY is my favourite city anywhere in the world.
I'll give you a list of what I have for New York - let me know if I should add or subtract anything... We will arrive in New York on the evening of September 11th so our first stop will be Ground Zero for the memorial.
Day 1
Battery Park/Statue of Liberty
Soho/Greenwich Village (cannot WAIT to get to the Marc Jacobs store )
Washington Square Park
Joe's Pub
Day 2 (which is also our 2nd Wedding Anniversary - I've made it SOOO romantic!)
Central Park:
Bethesda Terrace
Carousel Ride
Strawberry Fields
Alice In Wonderland
Belvedere Castle
Bow Bridge/Lake
Shakespeare Garden
Horse and Cart Ride
5th Avenue (FAO Schwarz, Tiffany’s etc)
Day 3
Rockefeller Centre (NBC Studio Tour, Top of the Rock)
Radio City Music Hall
Times Square
Broadway Show
We will fly out for San Diego the next day and I am contemplating whether or not to have the day in NY and then fly out or just leave in the morning. If there is anything I am missing that would require an extra day (I'm hopeful ) then please let me know!
I would still try to do the 3hr Circle Line Cruise, it goes past Yankee Stadium & also statue of Liberty. Honestly, it's not expensive (from memory around $23 USD) and we found it to be the most relaxing and enjoyable way of seeing some of the big sights. It gives you a really good opportunity to see the NY skyline. It also lets you get up close to the Brooklyn Bridge as you sail under it. Just at least look into it, I thought it sounded a tad boring but my boss insisted I do it (as I'm a travel agent & hard to impress as I've had so many fab travel experiences) but I did it and loved it. The man who does the commentary is absolutely amazing (lots about the history of NY too), I've never seen anyone get so many tips as what this guy got when everyone disembarked.
We had 5 days and it still wasn't enough so if you can get an extra day in then do it. We found that we stumbled across so many things that we wanted to do that were unexpected (like seeing Paul McCartney in the flesh at the big Virgin Mega store in Times Square).
If you want Letterman tickets then don't apply online - we went to the Ed Sullivan Theatre on our first day and registered with the crew. Take your Aussie passports (you need to show ID) if you have AU passports as I think that really helped us win some seats as they saw how far we'd travelled to be there.
Also if you are after an airport shuttle I would recommend NY Airlink over Supershuttle.
Oh - and take plenty of tissues to the WTC site, we went on just an ordinary day and I cried and cried (They had these collages up of paintings that children who had lost loved ones had made 'Miss you Daddy' etc, VERY emotional stuff. I still get tears in my eyes when I look at the photos).
I would still recommend doing Empire State Bldg too.
I don't want to say to take anything off your list because sightseeing is such a personal thing and we all have different opinions. Some people travel and visit every museum going but I like to get out there and soak up just being there and blending in with everyday life (but with the major sights of course).
In New York we stayed at the West Side YMCA at 5 West 63rd St. - not flash but very cheap and half a block from Central Park - it was awesome! For a double room it is about $70 a night each from memory.
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