Working in Thermal (just outside Palm Springs)

[brums evil twin]

Heading there in September and myself and a colleague are flying in from London for a weeks work. BUT do not want to take a hop (to many issues last time with delays and missed connections)

So we think we have two options

Option 1 - London to LAX and drive, if no traffic its around 2 1/2 hours. But we have to cross LA and traffic is and can be hours and hours

Option 2 - London to Phoenix and again drive, its a straight run of around 250 miles along I10 which might be 4 - 4 1/2 hours but could be quite interesting

So thoughts.....
Any experience in the area, any experience of the drive

[shirt]

I’d drive from LA. If the city is snarled then head along the coast to Laguna Beach then straight up to Palm Springs. even if that still takes 4.5hrs it’s a much nicer drive than from phoenix. The beach communities south of LA are very nice.

[x5tuu]

brums evil twin said:

if no traffic

Its LA there is ALWAYS traffic. Regardless, I would absolutely do the Option 1 scenario personally as the trip in Cali from AZ can be equally awful and unpredictable

[Truckosaurus]

If it were me, I'd stay in LA the night you arrive, then you aren't rushing anywhere after a long flight and/or delays.

Then head out the next morning, and just accept there will be crawling traffic while you're in the city.

If you don't have the time for that, then Phoenix does look the better option, a nice easy cruise down the Interstate even though it is an hour longer than the drive from LAX.

[ShortBeardy]

SAN?
Palm Springs air museum while you are there...

[Chucklehead]

Driving anywhere from LA is a pain in the hoop, and Palm Springs airport is really quite a lovely experience.. departing more than arriving, but still. I'd want to fly there.

[djc206]

I drove from LA to Palm Springs at lunchtime on a weekday in January. It was fine, little bit busy at times but smooth run along the I-10 taking about 3 hours. I actually drove nearly the whole I-10 coast to coast. The Phoenix to Palm Springs leg is pretty boring and Phoenix airport is ste, but so is LAX I guess.

I’m not sure you can win doing that journey. I would probably base it on flight times tbh.

[brums evil twin]

Still not decided what I am going to do - hotel is booked for the work but now to decide how to get there.

I really don't fancy the second flight as my last trip to South Carolina had a small hop and we almost missed connections both ways. Not doing that stress again. Hence the thought on driving

The desert I thought could be fun with a couple of stops along the way.

[djc206]

From Phoenix it’s genuinely close to featureless. There’s the general Patton museum and Joshua Tree National Park but both are easily accessed from where you’re staying anyway.