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legalquestions
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:58 pm Post subject: which "western" USA vacation to take? |
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I'm going on a 14 day trip to the western USA next month and I can't decide which trip to take. Which would you do? Please give me the benefit of your knowledge/experience..............
#1) LA/Hollywood/Venice Beach/Santa Barbara/Pacific coast highway/Malibu/Big Sur/Carmel/Monterey/San Fran/Yosemite
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#2) Phoenix/Sedona/Grand Canyon/Havasupai/Lake Powell/Monument Valley/Bryce Canyon/Zion/Moab/Arches |
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JustJohn

Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Location: Your computer screen
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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I'd say number one, but just because I'm partial to Yosemite |
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Dukey77777

Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Location: Chungcheongbuk-do
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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#2 seems incredibly lame in comparison to #1. Unless you like being by yourself and without human contact much. |
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Bigfeet

Joined: 29 May 2008 Location: Grrrrr.....
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, #1 if you want to see cities, #2 if you want to see natural sites. |
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raclos234
Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Location: korea
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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take the weather into consideration...go with #1 |
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R-Seoul

Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Location: your place
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:40 am Post subject: |
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I've done most of #2 and i think it covers some of the most beautiful areas in the US and possibly the world. American cities are overrated, the national parks are the real highlight of the country...
Oh, but I should add I did #2 with a bunch of friends in a camper van. If you're not driving yourself won't be as good.
Please don't tell me this is a shudder Korean tour operator? |
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Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:39 am Post subject: Re: which "western" USA vacation to take? |
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legalquestions wrote: |
I'm going on a 14 day trip to the western USA next month and I can't decide which trip to take. Which would you do? Please give me the benefit of your knowledge/experience..............
#1) LA/Hollywood/Venice Beach/Santa Barbara/Pacific coast highway/Malibu/Big Sur/Carmel/Monterey/San Fran/Yosemite
or,
#2) Phoenix/Sedona/Grand Canyon/Havasupai/Lake Powell/Monument Valley/Bryce Canyon/Zion/Moab/Arches |
I like #1. Is this is a tour package?
I've been to all of those places listed.
Moab is probably the coolest one on the list by far. But Sedona is VERY SIMILAR. If you are just going to see them, without extensive bike riding, you might save your time focusing on Sedona which keeps you closer to California.
Also Lake Powell and Monument Valley could be eliminated. It's mostly just A LOT of DRIVING, and once you get there, it's not incredibly more interesting any more than the other places you're going.
Also, #1 is pretty easy to do, and 14 days would be way too much time to do it. It is basically hanging out in L.A. and driving northward to S.F. and over to Yosemite. 14 days is A LOT of time to do that. I'd say you could do that and pretty easily add parts of #2. Maybe even avoid Arizona altogether. Phoenix is the worst on the list, and you could eliminate it. Sedona is pretty cool, but Moab is similar but cooler. You can also see the Grand Canyon from the North Rim (closer to Zion and Southern utah). So you could technically do a triangle-forumation with L.A., S.F, and Moab (and skip AZ altogether). That's my take on it anyways. |
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Mr. BlackCat

Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Location: Insert witty remark HERE
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:23 am Post subject: |
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I did #1 a few years back and it was fantastic. Only advice: you really don't need that much time in LA. It's a city of sites, not a city for being in. Get a car and you can easily do Hollywood/Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, West Hollywood and most everywhere else in a day. Malibu could be the second day. Yosemite was super. I went in May when all the snow was melting from the peaks and coming out through dozens of amazing waterfalls. *sigh*. I think of that when it hurts.
Oh, and SF is also really cool. |
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bossface

Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:20 am Post subject: |
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If you aren't on a tour and driving, the best 14-day West Coast tour, in my opinion, would be Seattle/Redwoods/SF/PCH-Big Sur-Santa Barbara OR Yosemite/LA/Vegas/Sedona or Grand Canyon, then I assume fly out of Phoenix, since it's the closest to Sedona, but don't hang out there unless you like golf or retirees. The roads are all reasonably interesting, and if you go through Yosemite or take PCH, you avoid the horribly boring California central valley.
I'd go with option 1 given these choices, better urban/nature mix. SF and LA are great cities, not overrated. |
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Colorado
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Location: Public School with too much time on my hands.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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I'm a west coast person and I say choose trip #1. Trip #2 will be hotter than hell in July. The Pacific Coast is much cooler all around and Yosemite is fine in Summer. Have a good time. |
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Shredd

Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: Pusan, South Korea
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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Mr. BlackCat wrote: |
I did #1 a few years back and it was fantastic. Only advice: you really don't need that much time in LA. It's a city of sites, not a city for being in. Get a car and you can easily do Hollywood/Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, West Hollywood and most everywhere else in a day. Malibu could be the second day. Yosemite was super. I went in May when all the snow was melting from the peaks and coming out through dozens of amazing waterfalls. *sigh*. I think of that when it hurts.
Oh, and SF is also really cool. |
Yeah, LA sucks. It's the a$$hole of California IMO. I lived there for a brief stint. |
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Mr. BlackCat

Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Location: Insert witty remark HERE
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:53 am Post subject: |
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^^
I wouldn't go out and say LA is *beep*. Is just isn't as good as the rest of California that I saw. I didn't have a car while there which made it that much worse, but it is sort of cool walking around Hollywood and Rodeo Drive just for the recognition factor. I just made the mistake of staying too long and not having as much time as I would have liked for Yosemite. That place was awesome, literally. It inspired awe in me. May was the perfect time to go, I'm sure July will be hotter and more crowded, though. |
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