I m planing some some friends of mine to make an Coast to Coast in the USA in the near future, starting in NY and finishing in LA!! Because some of you had followed our beloved boys while touring , I wonder if you can tell me some advices, tips etc....Thanks in advance

I landed in LA July 10th, 1994.
Flew back to Germany from JFK NYC August 15th 1994,
5 Stones shows and dozens of great stories later.

jumping kent flash posted a thread about this last year - people gave him tips where to go...maybe i can do a search and find it...kent, did you ever take the trip??

Depending upon what and who you want to see, I can certainly make some suggestions, natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone or Yosemite National Parks, Big cities to see such as Chicago, SF, NYC, historic sites in Philly, D.C. etc.

I can also suggest how to get from here to there and length of travel time and time spent at each location. I'm not a travel agent, but have seen enough of the country, particularly the East to make some suggestions anyway. Just trying to help.

Route 66?

No way! Too slow! I- 80, if you're driving coast to coast.

I know it's a joke, on a good Bobby Troup song, but really, if you're going to drive I-80 does go coast to coast.

You better hitch a trailer to your car so you have somewhere to put your gas money!!!! Seriously, I've driven from NY to CA on I80 . It's pretty straight forward.Also RV'd from NY thru the Blue ridge mountains into Nashville then Memphis and back.If you have time the only suggestion i would make is to take it slow and enjoy the sights and the people. Nashville is great and so is Memphis.For scenery and mountains,Colorodo is a must see.

he wants tips not speed. Is route 66 not an american icon?

One tourists expereiences:

Tip #1: in the US travelers do not enter local taverns/bars. you will be fodder for those who like to kick the hell out of strangers. Buy beer for your motel room or try lounges. Wait a minute...see tip #3. Funny how my freinds have never without cause been beat up in Canuck land, yet find themselves bleeding in a US tavern parking lot. A draft dodger told me once it was one of the best features of Canada, he could go into a bar out of his local (where he was known) and not get beat up...seems it's a sport to scrap with stangers.

Tip #2: do not pronounce the letter "Z" as Zed, they do not understand, say Zeee, I'm cursed with a Z in my last name, drives me crazy down there.

Tip #3: bring your oun beer, it sucks there.

Tip #4: do not smoke pot in public.

Tip #5: check the local drinking laws in regards to drinking in public, they change from county to county and you will be fine one minute and facing charges the next. I dodged an impared in LA for having an open bottle within reaching distance of the driver. It was empty and I was sober, a bottle I was saving for collector friends, did not matter, automatic DWI.

Tip #6: yes you are surrounded by guns, you may not see them, but they are there, just ask they will be proud to roll out some heavy armourment they have stashed in the kids closet for you to look at. A few months after 9/11 I'm in a lineup for the Peter Pan ride in Disneyland with my 8 year old daughter, the conversation between grownups turns to terrorism so the 6'2" guy behind me starts telling the lineup how he can break down his all plastic Glock and smuggle it through security....that what I like, always thinking and as you can see no venue, kids or not, is exempt from the gun issue.

Tip #7: ask directions, and if someone tells you not to drive through that part of town..... Don'T DO IT! I stopped to ask directions from these nice young guys with matching teeshits and hats, as one was coming up to my car window I noticed the others were circling the car including one in front. Hey I'm from Canada how the hell did I know they were not a school glee club and they were a gang, I quickly dropped in gear and waved the guy in front aside with the jesture get out of the way I'm leaving now even if you do not move. And this example is tame compared to some of my friends.

Tip #8: you will want to know about US women, never realy figured this out but I can say that one day crossing a busy street in LA to enter a grocery store a car pulled up just as I walked in front of it, the door swung open as I hit the sidewalk, out jump three punk rock chicks and 'order me' into the car. I politely delcine and they tell I do not understand, 'GET IN THE CAR' as they started towards me, I bolted for the store door and they made a hasty escape.

TIP #9: good luck at the pay-at-the-pump gas stations. It can be hard in some places for staff to deal with a foreign credit card and you may have to leave it sight unseen with the store clerk while you go out and pump...personaly I do not like to separate myself from my Visa this way.

TIP #10: My favorite, my ex and I would laugh at this from diner to diner. Canadians love to say 'thank you', it just kind of runs off the tounge as a nice parting jesture and you will probably get a 'your welcome'. Now if you say thank you to a waitress in the US, the resounding reply is "UH HUH" which to a canadian is equivilant to "what ever", so it looses some of the sincerity, but I think they mean well.

Fact is it sounds like allot of fun. Lots of fine folks. US landmarks are well known, target them. I'm not a city guy as far as traveling goes, I like the countryside. Having driven across Canada and back (about 5x the distance you are going) I can say Canada is comprized of larger similar areas, Rockies, prairies, Canadian Sheild. The US by contrast is much smaller but the terrain (at least out west) changes much quicker and I love that. As a plug I will say spend time in Arizona if driving. But if I had my drothers I would start in NY, down the eastern seaboard (great history) to Florida (gators) , over to LA (hollywood decadence), and up to Seattle (see some great coast line without development), you just miss the flat part in the middle with lots of farms, take in most of the famous places and you can hit the theme parks if that is your thing.

But note....my experiences are real....what you see on TV is fairly acurate.

I politely disagree with everything Dez sez above, especially .....

what you see on TV is fairly acurate.

i've travelled all over the US - in both rural areas (where i guess he felt unwelcome in bars) and inner city areas (where he seemed to feel threatened by gang or drug dealers) - i can't say i've ever experienced what des described, except for many people not saying "thank you" or "you're welcome".

inner-city gangs are usually out to get each other. if they think you're looking for drugs because you pull over to talk to them, just say no thanks with a smile and drive away. no need to be afraid. i do community work in some inner city areas and that's my experience - and i'm a woman who's often alone.

if you're seeing the best sites in the US, you'll not have reason to to pass through "unfriendly" or "scary" areas. but yes, don't drink or smoke pot in public and keep empty bottles of booze in the trunk if you can't recycle them immediately.

I made the trip from Boston to LA once back in the 80's. I did not enjoy it at all. If you stick to the main highways, it's going to be a very boring ride, which I think was part of the reason it was not so fun for me.

New Mexico is a wonder to drive through however. I had never seen scenery like that in my life, I can't believe it's in the same country I live in.

Oh one more thing I remember - the day we were supposed to go to Graceland it was closed! We didn't want to hang around another day, so I missed it, I'll probably never get down that way again, so I lost my chance. I would make sure that if there is someplace you really want to go that you check their website to make sure they're going to be open the day you want to be there. I had the same experience in Florence - it's as though the whole city shuts down on Mondays. WTF! My timing apparently sucks.

Buy a plane ticket!

I have, will edit later with the details

Made it from Georgia to the Grand Canyon, but our camper was stolen while we took a bus tour. Had to rent a car to get back home. This was in 1974.

We looked kinda like this:





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-06-21 01:16 by Elmo Lewis.

as Cindy says, avoid the interstates when you want scenery. There should be ample literature--perhaps best not on the internet--for how to take the "scenic route." However, it does take much more time. Especially as, on local roads, you really need to watch your speed--local cops look for out-of-state plates, and will be particularly suspicious of a carload of buddies having a good time.

Des's tips are far too paranoid, IMO.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-06-21 01:20 by cc.

Try to take a ride thru Yellowstone Park
the most beautiful part of America

Quote
Elmo Lewis
Made it from Georgia to the Grand Canyon, but our camper was stolen while we took a bus tour. Had to rent a car to get back home. This was in 1974.

We looked kinda like this:

Elmo - is that you in between Ellie-Mae and Granny?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-06-21 02:19 by Gazza.

Naw, Gazza, thats ole Duke...

JR

RENO

Quote
Gazza

Quote
Elmo Lewis
Made it from Georgia to the Grand Canyon, but our camper was stolen while we took a bus tour. Had to rent a car to get back home. This was in 1974.

We looked kinda like this:

Elmo - is that you in between Ellie-Mae and Granny?

.

I thought it was Patti Scialfa

Quote
BluzDude
I have, will edit later with the details

In 82/83 - Drove from L.A. to Washington D.C. (Spent New years in Dallas). It took 3 weeks to make the trip because my friend who I went with was a travel agent and we stayed free at Sheriton Hotels throughout the country. So we took it real slow.

In 1985 I drove from L.A. To Arlington VA by myself...did it in 4 days and 3 nights. Made the same time coming home 10 months later.

Click on my name and give me a holler if you plan on visiting New Orleans!

Take the train. Amtrak is an adventure.

Actually, I'm in the back floorboard under Ellie Mae. That's why she's smiling!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-06-21 17:03 by Elmo Lewis.

I've done it four separate times. One of the perks of being a Deadhead. The only route I haven't taken is I-90, the northern most route.

Feel free to ask any questions...here's a clip of my Deadhead days. LOL

Ellie's cousin

Ive taken several different routes the ten or so times Ive crossed...I would recommend I-90 for the bulk of it, across the well named "Plains"..out of Madison Wisconsin a fun town (Mad City used to be called)..Minnesota, the Black Hills...in Westrn South Dakota drop across Nebraska to head to Denver Colorado, then on to Cali....the other routes South of I-90 your looking at day and a half of boring plains, while I-90 is pretty interesting... if you have time you can go all the way over to Washington state on I-90, then come down the beautiful coast..Oregon, N. California

I loved the responces to my experiences. I expected some dissagreement from our freinds to the south and knew the negative ones would come from the slant that they could not appreciate that these are the views from an outsider, not paranoia, just unfamiliar and wary.

cc adds "Especially as, on local roads, you really need to watch your speed--local cops look for out-of-state plates, and will be particularly suspicious of a carload of buddies having a good time." Lets see, out of state targeting of more than two guys in a car.....and I'm paranoid, I've just never heard of Newfoundland RCMP targeting fun loving guys from Alberta.....just a diffrence of the way things work between our fair countries. But what you did was give them the same kind of tip I did?????


Sorry but my experiences are all true.

I'm sorry, I know drug purchace protical but a bunch of guys surrounding my car spells trouble, time to leave. I forgot to mention I was driving a Russian car at the time which drew a little attention (late 80's). And the gang was in Barstow, a small desert town, not a big city. For fun my buddy took me to a biker bar, about thirty bikes all lined up, we opened the door and had a look and left.

But did you notice, a) no one argued about the beer (lol), b) they did not deny the gangs, just more tips, c) agreed with the bar comments but seems not in their back yard (just my point). d) I said ask for directions to avoid the areas you confirm exist and e) no agruments on the Uh Huhhh responces.

One more funny one, for me anyway....I'm parked outside my freinds place in a nice subburb waiting for him to get off work. My wife and I start to notice that folks are going to the touble of looking out cracks in their curtains wondering who is parked on their street....sorry but this is typical of US movie depictions (is that FBI, CIA or canucks invading). A guy across the street, about 55. long grey hair in a ball cap, a longhaul trucker who looks like Willie Nelson is working on a cadilac. As soon as my buddy hits his driveway 'willie' bolts across the street asking my buddy if he knows me, seems he was not working on his car but keeping an eye out us. When my buddy starts exclaiming that I'm his best friend he ignores me and grunts...better be...I was about to run him off with my Winchester, my buddy and I just looked at each other. My buddy later told me that he had been unnerved since gunshots could be heard in the burbs, Willie had told him as long as someone 'qualifys' shooting in the city with something like "if I ever see your stinking dog on my lawn again", he then stated that if there was no qualifying statement yelled out on the streets, then call the cops....just not a distinction I'm used to making (LOL). Are you ready for the punch line....my buddies wife is talking about Willie in a different context later in the day and I ask what am I missing in the conversation...she adds that the woman she is talking about who comes over for tea is that willie guy, seems he's on the hormone therapy, has breasts but hides them, is scheduled for the operation, but in the meantime keeps his beard and dresses up in dresses and heels when he comes over for tea. Not that there is anything wrong with this, it's just in Canada I've never met a cross gender willie nelson who threatens folks he has just met with winchwester tough talk, just me I guess (LOL).

Now if you concentrate on the second part of my resonce you will note I like to travel in the US and I'm not paranoid when I do it....I'm aware and cautious of know potential hazards. I have walked Height/Asbury and Golden Gate park in the summer of love, have done the theme parks, met movie stars. I have both my Canadian and US commercail pilots licences and have rented a plane out of Vegas so the wife and I alone could fly the Grand Canyon. Also watched Mt. St. Helens errupt from a plane. I have rented the same boats in lake Mead as Pamela and Tommy Lee did for their video. I attended Watkins Glenn (check it out, www.SABERFAN). The people and terrain changes are great and I love chatting in motel/campgronnd hot tubs with US travelers and locals...met Chuck Yagers neice in one. Fact is the US is way too diverse to actualy come up with a representative trip without spending a long time and a lot of miles.....I know they will have fun regardless and will want to come back for more as I have for 46 years now.