Real America

freddie1970

Im looking to book a road trip for myself and my 13 year old son next year ..Initially i want to do the west coast taking in LA , San fran and los vegas but have heard bad things about LA and San fran recently ...Ideally would love to see real parts of the states.not just the tourist traps ..anyone recommend a good off the beaten track road trip there ?

SweetSand

We drove from SF to LA to San Diego to Vegas few years ago. It’s a very beautiful drive (most of it, not so much SD to LV). We did all the touristy stuff and really enjoyed them. I might be totally wrong but “real” America can be very boring. You ll have to really go out of your way/route to find something worth diverting to. It’s not a case of small pretty towns on your way but a case of driving an extra hour in a wrong direction (I am exaggerating a bit but you get a picture). You don’t have to do all the touristy things but some of them are really nice, like stopping in Carmel or multiple viewing points along the way. I really liked San Diego. Can’t remember the exact amount of hours it took us to get to LV, but that was a very boring drive, nothing around at all, just desert 🤪 Anyway, it will be interesting to see other people thoughts.

freddie1970

Thanks yeah it will be just me and my 13 year old son so i will have to keep him entertained as well...I would hope to be driving about 3 hours a day and do airbnb along the way ..

I know most of the trip would be sight seeing so i will have to fit in a number of things for him as well ...he isnt into rollorcoasters and stuff so think this would suit him more than orlando and that ...

Jim2007

Take a train trip, something like the Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA. I did it with my son over thirty years ago and it is still talked about today.

The sleeper price includes three excellent meals per day plus all the snacks you want. It was the excitement of being on the train, sleeping in the top bunk, the meals, the observation car with its big dome windows. Of course a lot depends on the weather, but the sun rise, sun sets and changing scenery were breath taking.

Not alone will you see the real America, you’ll meet it! At dining times the staff try to ensure you share a table with different people for each meal. I remember a restaurant owner from NY, an arms dealer, a gogo dancer, to Texas oil men, a teacher and an LA policeman who took us out on the beat in LA at the end of our trip.

But the one I will remember to my grave was a little old black lady in her late 80s whom I had coffee with one evening. She lived in the Deep South in the early 60s. She pointed out that drinking coffee with a white man in the dome car of a train back then was beyond her imagination, never mind having a room in a wagon where white people slept!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H-9c8th7lEc

Agent Coulson

I'd second the train journy across America I did this one in 2018 and it was an amazing experience meeting tourist like myself and day to day Americans who use the train.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1gRPEZdKyI&ab_channel=JebBrooks

A good write up here as well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/18/travel/amtrak-california-zephyr-train.html

I've been to San Francisco a number of times in the last few years (mostly work related) and on my last two trips I felt it declined a lot. There is still plenty to see and do there if you haven't been before but I found its gotten very expensive for everything. They have huge issues with homelessness and drugs. The last time I was there I got the BART into the city center, a man undressed in the carriage and started shouting at people we all had to get off at the next stop. I was staying in the city center and the streets were lined with homeless outside, they each had 4 or 5 suitcases with all the contents tipped out on the footpath the receptionist at the hotel informed me that they were robbing tourists at night as they were getting off public transport and are trading the items they had taken.

I have driven down the west coast a few times to Vegas, the drive is lovely. Carmel, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Diego were lovely spots and Yosemite and Death Valley are also worth a look. LA and Vegas were OK nice to see them once but I wouldn't be drawn back to them. The studios and Disney land are also around LA.

freddie1970

That amtrak chicago trip looks really good ..think u would get to see a lot of the country ...can you get off and on when u want ?

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119694952#Comment_119694952

It depends on the type of ticket you buy…. When we were there, we had the equivalent of an interrail ticket. So you just paid for reservations and overnights separately.

Passenger trains are often very late as goods trains have priority, so as long as you don’t plan to connect with other trains on the same day, it should work out fine.

It really is first class service though. Each wagon has its own attendant, so everything is kept in great shape. They will turn down your bed in the evening while you are at dinner, do room service if you don’t fancy going to the dining car and so on.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119694652#Comment_119694652

Actually I don’t think you can go too far wrong if you take one out of Chicago heading for the west coast in terms of scenery. There are a few down the east coast that don’t look so interesting, but that is about it.

Even the train stations themselves are impressive buildings.

Wompa1

It is easy for me to say since I lived there and got to spend a lot of time around the states so I got the bad and the good and don't feel like I missed out by not having to choose one or the other but if it was me, I would just go from San Diego up Monterey/Carmel area and plan to spend more time in Monterey and Carmel than other places. San Francisco is a bit rough. Worth a day trip but don't waste too much time there. In the past, I would fly into Monterey for a holiday and just drive down to San Francisco for the day. It is an easy drive.

If I was you, I wouldn't spend much time in San Diego or downtown LA either. There are nice parts of LA but it is a dump in general. La Jolla is nice in San Diego, as is Santa Barbara further north of LA but you'll see for yourself that the nicer parts of California are Monterey and Carmel area. Not only is the scenery much nicer but the towns have a chilled-out vibe. You don't get hustled like in SD, LA and SF.

Vegas is a cool experience but wouldn't waste the time driving out there.

BailMeOut

USA Cities all tend to be the same now so I'd recommend seeing the proper American country and maybe visiting places like the Joshua Tree National Park, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Badlands, etc.... (google 'national parks the United States). Personally, I think the whole North West parts of Arizona are fantastic and you can drive there from LA through Joshua Tree National Park.

freddie1970

for myself i really want to see all the scenic stuff.but i have to keep the young fella in and have a few things for him to do

odyssey06

In San Diego you can do a harbor cruise, see a lot of US navy activity usually.

The Nal

You can drive from San Fran to San Diego in about 11 hours. So you could space that out over a couple of weeks.

Id be bored senseless sitting in a car looking at endless desert tbh never mind if I was 13. Theres a load of stuff to do in all the cities. Surfing, Alcatraz, Universal studios, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood sign, Big Sur, USS Midway, Venice Beach, Whale watching et al.

My favourite US was trip was through the south - Nashville, Memphis, down through Mississippi to New Orleans. But unless your kid is into blues and bourbon its probably a few years too soon for him.

wingnut32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119695137#Comment_119695137

Ive been looking at Monterey/Carmel and a visit to Joshua Tree National park. How much time would you give to both Monetery and Carmel with maybe a day/night at Joshua Tree? Is a car absolutely necessary while staying there? I have no real interest in any of the big cities either.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119696523#Comment_119696523

I went to Carmel for breakfast, had a walk around the town and a few shops, stroll on the beach and was kinda ok with that. Was gone before lunchtime. Its lovely, but tiny.

Wompa1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119696523#Comment_119696523

Probably depends on what you're into. I have spent over half a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium itself. If there is a track day, you could head over to Laguna Sec. There's a few very nice cafes and restaurants around Monterey and a lovely walk from out by the pier to past the aquarium and along the coastline. I usually setup base in Monterey and spent another half day usually from the morning in Carmel hanging out at the beach, walking along the shore and go into the town. Clint Eastwood's fancy restaurant is out around there too, which was very good. You can also drive to Big Sur and Santa Cruz fairly handy from there for another day. Then another day, I would drive up to San Francisco. So that is 4 days on just that.

mfceiling

I did the San Francisco to San Diego holiday this year and I'd echo most of what was said here. SF was ok but somewhat rundown. Didn't really see many homeless there but was assured they were close by (major amount of them 2 blocks from our hotel).

Enjoyed the big Sur drive. Monterey and Carmel both were lovely. Really enjoyed Santa Barbara. Such a nice place to hang out for a few days.

Just a side note that it is expensive for food, drink and lodging.

northknife

I'd leave out Vegas if I was you and do it again in about 5 years time if that's possible.

Did something similar few years back with younger children and Vegas just isn't suitable for anyone under 18.

First of all, any hotels on the strip if you are staying in them you have to go through all the gambling/slots areas just to get to reception. Then on the streets, they are giving out fliers all day for the 'night time' activities and where to find them.