The Top USA Road Trip Travel Tips

USA Road Travel Tips

Phones
Make sure that your mobile is unlocked before you travel, otherwise you have to buy a cheap phone for $20. Get a AT&T contract, NOT a TMobile one. The coverage of TMobile is a bit crap. You can't buy a SIM card the same way you can in the UK. It's called Prepay and you have to spend between $30 - 40 in total for a month.

Driving
Crossroads: In towns and cities there are crossroads where there are no lights but you HAVE to stop at the line. The first person who get's to the crossroad has right of way. If two or more cars arrive at the same time, the car to the right has the right of way first. If you see blinking red lights hanging over a crossroad, the same rules apply.

Highways: Slower traffic is supposed to keep to the right BUT a lot of drivers don't really care where they drive. There's no use of bullying them from behind with a honking horn into getting over to the right lane (especially if you can see a gun rack at the back of the pickup driver cabin). Just overtake them on the right like everybody else. It's not the official law but everybody is doing it.

Don't get into 'road fights' with trucks. They are big and mean.

Speed limits vary from state to state. There is no rhyme or reason. Don't speed in towns, as there is always the possibility of a sheriff lurking in a side street. On the big roads most of the cars go a bit faster than the limits. After a while we did the same and got away with it. But we certainly don't recommend it to you ; )

Navigation: A GPS is a must have if you don't know any of the roads that you want to drive - but back it up with a proper detailed road map, as the GPS sometimes gets a fit and doesn't know it's arse from it's elbow. Having a map will also allow you to take different routes, especially when you want to get off interstates and use 2 lane highways instead.

Licence: Have your driving license and ID card with you in the front of the car in case you get stopped. Don't keep it in the boot at the bottom of a suitcase.

Food
Sometimes it pays to go to cheap chains like Coco's or Wafflehouse for breakfast. The food will (should) not be below a certain standard and you save time. We tried to find local cafes but you spend a lot of time searching around and if you cant find one you go back to Wafflehouse having spent half an hour searching for an alternative. We went to McDonalds once to buy a 'Rancher salad' each. It was ok.

If you can't live without burgers: All roadside restaurants have them on their menu. They are between $7 and $9, come with fries and salad and taste ten times better than the McDonalds ones.

Check out micro breweries. The are everywhere now, popping up like mushrooms. They sell quality beer in great variety and we had the best food in terms of quality and price in a lot of them.

Tipping: The official rule is to tip between 15 and 20%. Most Americans generally tip 20%. That's what keeps the American service industry (and you as a customer) happy. Also take into account that on top of the price on the menu you get charged between 7 and 10% tax, depending on what state you are in. Everything is a third more expensive than you think ; )

Alcohol: Also depending on what state you are in, you have to show ID when ordering a beer or a glas of wine in a restaurant with your meal. It doesn't make a difference if you look like 85 - you HAVE to show ID. Best thing is to always carry your ID and driving livence on you.

Generally, the quality of food is as good as your quality of choice. Yes, some portions are big but you don't have to stuff your face just to finish the plate.

Money
We took a Currency Card with us that we got here in the UK. They count as credit cards and you can use them nearly everywhere except from paying directly at the pump at petrol stations. As with all things, shop around for the best deal on excange rates and charges. We used FX but this may not suit everyone.

Ask for a receipt for everything that you buy because you don't have to sign aything when paying by card. They just take your card away in a restaurant and smile when they bring it back.
We didn't have any prolems but it's always good to keep track of what you are spending.

Anything clever to add? Please leave your tips in the comments : ) NO SPAM AMIGOS!!

Intro

Howdy! Or maybe we should say Hello! as we are not yet in America. So here we go!

The Great American Road Trip.. across the USA by car. 

We decided to go from San Francisco to New York in four weeks. That should give us enough time to see a few of the things along the way. We got very cheap flights from American Airlines from London to New York and even cheaper flights from New York to San Francisco. We will also save a bit of money by doing CouchSurfing where possible. It's actually the best way to discover interesting stuff because you stay with locals - and only the locals know what the locals know ; ) Plus, you meet some interesting people along the way.

Are you ready? Ok, let's go. Vollgas!

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Verse 1: Falmouth - New York

New Year’s Day 2010 and we’re off on our honeymoon, one month of road tripping across the USA ahead of us, San Francisco to New York City via the southern states so we’re calling it the Big Smile – even if it is a little crooked.

That's us on the left by the way.. Sharmila & Ingo.





First step is to get to Heathrow airport from Falmouth – easy right? Well think again. Our lovely plan to spend New Year’s Day lunch in Sunningdale with my cousin Sue’s family, my brother Adrian and his girlfriend Jess and then get a lift to Heathrow started to become just a distant fantasy when our trusty (?) VW Sharan broke down at Okehampton. After waiting over 2 hours at a Little Chef (rank food) for the AA we had lost our healthy journey cushion and could feel the ‘will we get to the airport in time’ panic set it. After a bit of faffing and several calls to regional control, the AA man dropped us off at Exeter Airport (and arranged for our car to be towed back to Falmouth) as he was not allowed to take us all the way to Heathrow. We had only one choice… pay 240 quid for a taxi from Exeter to Heathrow and hope that the driver was a friend of speed.

Sometime later, with our nerves jangling and no nails left we finally made it to Heathrow at 5.45pm with time to spare. Here we go! Security was no big deal, apart from the extra frisking with latex gloves and bag turn out at the boarding gate.

7.5 hour flight. Middle aisle seats on the plane, American Airlines, basic but did the job. Tried to watch movies but we both fell asleep, waking only to munch the dry chicken and soggy pasta presented to us as food. Uneventful flight as it was dark so nothing to look at. Good landing in NYC just ahead of schedule. Sharmila’s legs had expanded so much on the plane that she couldn’t get her boots back on. TIP: Don't wear knee-high boots on a plane ; )

10.30pm local time. NYC – JFK airport, cold and snowy. After the trauma of nearly missing the flight we decided not to crash out with our blankets at JFKfor the connecting flight to San Fran at 10.30am the next day and sought out some cheap accommodation near the airport – everything booked up apart from JFK Inn, a free shuttle bus ferried us to a tired pit-stop kind of brick building in an industrial estate near the airport, classic half the letters on the sign didn’t light up kind of thing. Huge room but very utilitarian. Watched David Letterman, he was a very detached interviewer and the interviewees were equally dull. We were left wondering how come he managed not to vilified about being an adulterer when Tiger Woods is being lambasted left right and centre? Just because he confessed on TV, sounds a bit fishy to me – double standards, embedded racism? Anyway whatever. Then fell asleep watching The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Scottish and funny. Good night..

Verse 2: New York - San Francisco (by air)

Good sleep, woke early at 6.30am so we could get the 7.30am shuttle back to JFK but it left without us. No worries though as the very helpful man at the desk (from same area in India as Sharmila’s Mum) sorted it out for us so we grabbed a complimentary croissant and a coffee while we waited for the shuttle. This was out first experience of breakfast options in the USA… stacked up in the food counter was piles of sugary delight, icing covered doughnuts, chocolate buns, muffins smothered in sugar, giant croissants and endless coffee in polystyrene cups. Unfortunately the camera was buried in our bags so we couldn’t record the belt busting counter (yes, many more photos later). More snow on the ground this morning.

Flight to San Fran seemed really long although it was only 5 hours. American Airlines again, no food this time and shared entertainment rather than a personal system. It was really sunny outside as we flew over the USA, again we had aisle seats so we didn’t see much which was a shame but we checked out the view from the back next to the restrooms, which is always a little awkward when someone comes out of the loo and you’re standing right there to greet them. Hello stranger!

The whole of the US seemed to be frozen, covered in a blanket of snow and white billowing cloud. Another smooth landing and we were swiftly spewed out to luggage reclaim. Always a nervous wait after a flight transfer, ‘will my luggage get here’ – answer: Ingo – yes, Sharmila – no. Fear not, after initial cussing it transpired that Sharmila’s luggage came in on an earlier flight and was waiting at the AA office. Then on the Air Train, followed by a ride with the Bay Area Rapid Transport System (BART) into downtown San Francisco, Mission district to meet up with Aaron, our first Couchsurfing host. We will meet at the Revolution cafe. And we will also finally start shooting some photos.

Please continue reading here: Road Trip San Francisco Part 1

Verse 3: San Francisco Day 1 - Meeting our CouchSurfing host

Up out of the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport – like the Underground/subway/metro/U- and S-Bahn etc.) onto 24th and Mission, straight into the centre of the Mission district of SF. It was warm, balmy even. A veritable melting pot of Mexican culture, bohemians, graffiti, murals, food stops, dollar stores, colour and noise, but also strangely familiar. It kind of reminded us of Kreuzberg in Berlin but with the Turkish influence replaced by Mexican. Spanish language everywhere, signs, voices, music. Sauntered down Mission past phone shops and enticing eateries, dragging our suitcases behind us, noting the smell of the place – everywhere in the world has such a distinct smell. Here it’s Mexican spices and an underlying funky aroma that popped up every now and then, as yet unidentified – the stench of a city wafting around us.

So our CouchSurfing host Aaron was at the Revolution Café on 22nd St, between Mission and Valencia. We managed to find it thanks to the wonderfully easy grid structure that nearly all US cities and towns share – so hard to get lost, just turn left and left again. So Revolution, on the corner, wouldn’t have looked (or smelt) out of place in Amsterdam… a rag tag assortment of bohos, dudes with dreads, skaters,  all drinking, some smoking sport cigarettes, spilling out onto the pavement, jazzy beats in the background, good beer. Almost a cliché ..and we almost believed it was summer.

Aaron was really sweet – hugs all round. He picked us up in his car and took us to his place on 21st St, a typical artist, boho house share on the first floor of a Mission townhouse, painted wooden boards and steep stairs. Inside was a jumble of bikes, throws, incense, the smell of cooking lentils, records, unidentified boxes, half dead plants, cushions, home made artwork, discarded knitting. Turns out that Aaron lives with four girls, all students or artists or performers – could this be anymore typical of SF?!  He informs us that one of his housemates is known as Calypso and that apparently it’s common that people have alternative names in SF. Ingo from this moment on is Igloo and Sharmila is Minx.

 

 

We dumped our stuff and walked to a Mexican place on Mission called Taquería Cancún. There’re loads of Mexican places to eat but Aaron recommended this place. It’s open late, it’s buzzing, it was packed at 3.30pm on a Saturday, its very yellow and there’s a very low solid door frame to the restrooms, as Igloo discovered when he clonked his head on it heading to the back of the counter queue, which stretched into the back to the restrooms – yes it was that busy.

Confusion at the counter as we had no idea what to order and it was one of those fast, order at the counter and grab a seat on a big bench table places. Despite warnings that even normal US portions are BIG, Igloo in his hungered desire for food ordered a Super Burrito, Minx went for enchiladas and a carrot and fresh squeeze orange juice. Free tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa and sour cream dips while we waited for our number to be called. When it arrived Igloo soon realised that reports of portion sizes were not exaggerated – his Super Burrito turned out to be a Super Jumbo Massive Mega Giga Burrito of which he managed to eat half, just about, with a little help from Aaron and Minx. Food was tasty, spicy, cheap and flavoursome. A bit saltier than we are used to but what the heck it was lip smacking and generous. For all three of us it was around $20. Life stories exchanged, love and politics dipped into along with the guacamole to a soundtrack of tinny Mexican pop and a background of lurid jungle and parrot murals. The carrot juice on top of the jetlag made us hyper.

 

We wandered back to the flat, gawping at the murals, especially a particularly freaky one on the side of an old people’s home (see above pic of tower block), the congregation of guys hanging out at the fenced basketball court just down the block from Aaron’s place, sitting on old crates and quaffing out of brown paper bagged bottles. Got back to Aaron’s and there it was: Calypso was sitting at the table dressed as a clown.

HELP! THERE’S A CLOWN IN THE ROOM!!!!! (hehehe..)

After a bit of chit chat with the lovely clown and other flatmates, the discovery of mice in the cupboards, Igloo helping to set a trap (that was later at night in an act of mercy removed) with some peanut butter and a nice cup of herbal tea we decided to have a nap before heading out to see Aaron playing with some friends at the aforementioned Revolution Café. We retired to the back workroom, rickety platform bed that our hosts had kindly provided for us and drifted into a slumber… the quick nap turned into a jet lagged 10 hour deep sleep, not even the partying in the adjacent kitchen that went on till 2 in the morning woke us! So we missed the gig : (

Please continue reading here: Road Trip San Fracisco Part 2

Verse 4: San Francisco Day 2 - The Streets of San Francisco

Sunday 3rd Jan. Woke at 4am and dozed in and out of dreams as the sun rose and a golden glow swathed the wooden boards and wonky back stairs of the surrounding houses.

Left the house in the sunny morning light before anyone was up and headed into Mission district on a mission for a good breakfast. Found Boogaloos (open 8am-3pm) on the corner of 22nd and Valencia, a really cool pink, burgundy, gold and black diner specialising in amazing breakfast and it didn’t disappoint. It was packed already at 8.30am on a Sunday morning, mainly wih families and couples, but gradually as the morning wore on, red eyed revellers chasing away their hangovers with Huevos Rancheros and stacks of buttermilk panckes joined the party. Amazing breakfast selection, moderately priced (under $30 for 2 massive breakfasts and drinks), endless coffee (The Minx downed 6 mugs) served by very friendly staff – loads of stuff on the table, various sauces, jug of maple syrup, jar of strawberry jam. Really nice décor apart from the bizarre art the walls, which was temporary and for sale.

 

Wandered up Valencia St with its selection of thrift and vintage stores, books shops, a really cool Pirate Shop at 826 Valencia - being a Sunday lots of stuff only opened at midday or was closed but window shopping is always fun and kinder to the wallet.

 

 

 

Crossed over onto Market Street and Mr. Igloo received a quip from a chirpy worker that felt as though it was straight out of a movie; “Excuse me sir, excuse me but you dropped something, sir, you dropped something…

…your smile” 

Delivered with perfect timing and a smile. What a lovely smartarse/philosopher ; )

Wandering impressions: Market Street and the Mission - Lots of rubbish (or trash) on the streets, a lot of people mashed in the head on booze or drugs, staring eyes, shouting, mumbling, piss-heads and bums exchanging pleasantries and insults in equal measure. Between 6th and 5th there were tables laid out for games of chess, a tall black transvestite in a white dress, old dudes pushing pieces round the boards.

Into Chinatown with its noise and colour and smells, tacky shops full of cheap plastic merchandise, shops full of expensive stone, marble and glass work, throngs of people.

 

Into Jackson Square historic district, nestled in the shadows of the towering downtown skyscrapers, and the only part of SF not razed to the ground during the great earthquake and fire of 1906. Low brick buildings and tree lined streets, deadly quiet, not a soul around on this sunny weekend day (must be more of a work area). Out onto The Embarcadero and the sea front overlooking the Bay Bridge. We wandered round the back of building with benches looking out to sea and across to the bridge.

 It was really quiet out on the modern pier, just a couple of people dozing on the benches or leaning on the railings. A seal bobbed about next to the harbour wall. Back into the melee and a big undercover food market full just opposite the Embarcadero Plaza (near Pier 1) of speciality stalls and delicious looking pricey food, cheeses, beers, meats, breads, ice cream, oils, olives.

Being a sunny day we decided to head over to Golden Gate Park the other side of town. Hopped on the number 5 Fulton trolley bus from the Mission bus depot.

Back down Market Street, past the Civic Centre and it’s grand buildings and open spaces, on to a run down residential area, which gave way to the gorgeous and very individual townhouses of Haight-Ashbury (pronounced Hate-Ashbury) area, all meticulously painted wooden boards, sumptuous colours, hanging baskets, front porches, wide bay windows, three storey loveliness. Lots of men with small dogs and ladies on bikes with black rimmed glasses and brightly coloured tights.

A friendly man sitting in front of us told us when to get off and we ambled into Golden Gate park on a gloriously sunny Californian Sunday afternoon. Like all beautifully kept and well loved parks in every city the world over it was thronging with people on Sunday strolls, lying on the grass, riding bikes, jogging, children wobbling on two wheels, parents pushing buggies, hot salty pretzels being munched and the general sound of relaxed and happy people. Wending our way through the tall trees to the white framed, domed Conservatory of Flowers, a must for horticulture lovers.

 

 

 

I went in and oohed and ahhed at the plants while Mr. Igloo sat out on a bench and watched a Japanese family having a professional photo done, it took a good hour to arrange the group, not least because it took granny half an hour to walk from her chair to her designated spot and even then more family member turned up late.

Meanwhile back in the Conservatory of Flowers, Minx was still oohing and ahhing at flowers but had also discovered the amazing automated model of San Francisco made out of various household and tech/sound junk.

 

 

 

 More wandering, people playing Frisbee, pitching baseballs, munched a hot Pretzel and stumbled across the roller disco area, nodded to the tunes for a bit, watched a middle aged lady throw some shapes and children weave their way expertly through the white cones.

Found the California Academy of Sciences with it’s incredible living roof, the huge banners for the aquarium and planetarium grabbed us and led us though the doors. It was a great place although for the entrance fee you were left feeling that there could have been a little more in terms of exhibits – more dinosaur bones. However what was there was brilliant and really well executed, fascinating research and well laid out information. The Aquarium was good but without the draw of really BIG SCARY SHARKS, but other stuff more than made up for that, in particular the Albino Alligator, the unbelievably giant Sea Bass (over 100 years old), spotted jelly fish billowing gracefully in their cylindrical tank, the Leafy Seadragon which has to be seen to be believed – gets our vote as the coolest looking animal in the world, luminescent Sea Nettles glowing orange against the deeply coloured turquoise water of their tank, the Giant Sea Pens looking like voluminous feathers discarded by a burlesque troupe, all the very cool frogs and toads and the astoundingly colourful Philippine Coral Reef.

 

 

After a wander round the other exhibits we went out onto the living roof and marveled at it and the surrounding park – asking ourselves why more buildings in cities don’t have living roofs when they make so much sense environmentally and don’t take that much maintenance once set up… insert answers here please!

Our ticket for the Planetarium show as was 6.30pm so we watched some of the vidoes and explored the education room and then excitedly joined the queue for the show. Word of warning: If you have vertigo don’t sit up the top in a Planetarium especially when it’s the biggest one on the world. We sat at the top in the middle for for the best view and the best chance to vomit. So the show began after a bit of animated preamble by a headset wearing host who stood with his legs too far apart and waved his hands a lot.

Darkness… and then Whoopie Goldberg’s voice boomed out across the auditorium and off we went on a journey to the stars as Whoopie very kindly explained the whole Universe to us. It was very impressive and we were both completely transported, zooming round the stars, nice one Whoopie.

The sun had set by the time we left the Academy and we headed back to the Mission for an overpriced Indian meal at Dosa, which blew the Minx's head off. It was tasty but way too expensive for what it was. It was so hot and expesive that we had to drink lots of beer to forget the price and that led to us forgetting to take a photograph of the meal. In retrospect we should have gone to the Burmese/Thai that Aaron recommended, Yamo on 18th and Mission, cheap, home cooking style and very tasty apparently. A lesson there, always listen to locals and not the Rough Guide. We make mistakes so you don't have to.

Back home to sleep off the jetlag but not before being serenaded by Calypso The Clown using a very loud sewing machine right under our bed until nearly midnight and the fourth flatmate returning from Copenhagen and getting jiggy with it in the garden just outside our window with a guy she met a few weeks ago. And that’s why couch surfing is just brilliant – what hotel is going to give you that authentic SF experience, eh?

Please continue reading here: Road Trip San Francisco Part 3

Verse 5: San Francisco Day 2 - The Streets of San Francisco Part 2

Monday 4th January. Awoke early again thanks to the remnants of jet lag and 7am feeling more like 3pm. Aaron’s "getting jiggy with it" housemate recommended we try out breakfast at St Francis Fountain diner on York St and 24th in the Mission area, they also recommended Boogaloo’s but we’d already been there so went for St Francisco Fountains.

 

Very cool original retro, slightly rough round the edges classic diner with booths and tables in the window and staffed by the Kings of Leon. More expensive and not as much choice as Boogaloo’s, good if you want that classic American city diner vibe though – you can tell it’s an institution with locals and it was fun to watch the world wake up and start going about its working day. We even came up with a name for our future band – The GoGo Bats, inspired by some graffiti in the toilets.

 

 

 

Igloo spotted a cheap hairdresser across the road and decided to get his barnet chopped as the Hitler Youth Franz Ferdinand fringe he was sporting was pissing him off. So we popped across the road and were accosted by the friendliest, most healthy glowing homeless person we’ve ever seen. Happy and sprightly he was. Igloo bought a SF version of The Big Issue from him and he gave us a bottle of sparkling white wine (?!!) and waltzed off.  We ducked into the hairdresser and entered an episode of Ugly Betty, a speedy $10 haircut later and Igloo was a new man. Adios hair!

The matriarch of the salon didn’t speak English, only Spanish and gleefully told the Minx that she had a 'pico pico moustache', great thanks for that! She was surely hawking for more business. The Minx bought some Veet hair remover instead and did it herself. Can’t beat a bit of direct honesty, especially when it’s delivered with sucha winning smile and a throaty laugh!

 

 

 

 

After wandering round the Mission for another couple of hours soaking up the atmosphere we decided that the lure of the famed Big Sur coastline was just too much. We decided to see if we get the car earlier and head out by evening time and spend the night at a hostel down the coast so that we could start Big Sur early and catch a sunrise over the sea. Not that we didn’t like San Francisco but this is a road trip and the urge to move on to the next sight and the next adventure is impossible to resist.

We booked our car in the UK with Alamo. The [reasonable] plan was to go for a mid-price Pointiac G5 but when we picked up the car in San Francisco a day earlier than planned they only had a small ugly Pointiac Vibe or a big fast Nissan Maxima. We got the Nissan for an extra $300. It has a 3,5 liter V6, 290 hp and drives like a dream. A unreasonable dream, but if you are about to spend four weeks in a car, you don't want to spend them in a shitty car. No way José.

We packed our bags and said good bye to our hosts, apart from Aaron – after our Mexican meal on the first day we had managed to completely miss him everyday and we never saw him again as he headed off to Europe for a tour with his band Rupa and the April Fishes, good luck and best wishes to him as he’s a lovely man.

Before driving out of the city we popped into a pizza place (Escape from New York) next to Revolution Café on 22nd. The kind of place with two tables and a counter with slices of dripping, hot, tasty pizza calling out to you, it’s a chain but it’s pretty good, big slices but not to cheap. We just wanted something quick and on the run and it was that in between time when cafes are closing and evening food joints are not yet open so it was perfect and filled a hole.

After swearing at my English mobile for a while and not being able to work out how to dial American numbers, a really friendly behind the counter guy in a coffee shop on Harrison and 24th, sporting sky blue nail varnish and a beard, helped us out by lending us his phone and explaining how to dial US numbers – rocket science!

As the sun was setting, Igloo popped into a T Mobile shop and purchased a T Mobile phone. We couldn’t just get the SIM card as our phones weren’t fully unlocked, although I swear they both are – anyway we had to buy a basic handset for $10 and a prepay contract for $30, still cheaper than using our UK phone.

We set the GPS for as near to Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel as we could get it and then set off. Bye bye San Francisco, good fun for a couple of days. Maybe a summer time trip next time and more hanging out rather than just scratching the surface. An easy drive out of SF in the dark and along the coats road with the sea to our right, not that we could see anything apart from darkness punctuated by stars.

After an hour of driving in the darkness along the apparently picturesque Highway 1 we arrived at Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, the tang of salty sea air in our nostrils and the hypnotic beams of light from the towering lighthouse.. What a contrast to an hour before. Let the road trip begin. Arriving in the dark is quite exciting, as you have no idea what you will be waking up to the next morning.

We managed to blag a whole dorm room to ourselves, complete with bunk beds and an en-suite bathroom. Better than the private doubles as they didn’t have en-suite facilities. The bungalow that the dorm was in was really well equipped with a big kitchen, dining area and cosy lounge. The lovely lady at the desk was really friendly and after a long and heartfelt conversation about death and love and moving, booked us a slot in the hot tub for 8.30pm. And what an experience that was, the tub was out on a private deck, hidden from view to all but the stars and the sea, the waves tumbling onto the rocks at the bottom of cliffs below us and the powerful beams from the lighthouse reaching far out to sea, the stars  put on a good show and we wallowed in the steaming hot water as the wind whipped around out heads. We emerged glowing some 50 minutes later and fell into our bunk beds and a deep, deep sleep…

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