Coast to coast in USA
Discussion
Bucket list thing to drive coast to coast in the USA. I'm semi retired so have the time and money to entertain this.
Starting from NY. Don't want to get straight in the car at JFK so 1 night in Manhattan. I like country music so have to go to Nashville but that's 900 miles, we'd need at least 1 overnight on the way down. Used to live in Dallas so want there to look up some old mates, couple of nights with appropriate beers. Want to see Las Vegas and Mrs wants Grand Canyon. Open to offers for anything else interesting en route. Then onward to LA, never been there so couple of night then home from LAX. Mrs is fascinated by the movie stars etc so presumably we can do some kind of tour. The high end hotels in Beverly Hills aren't too unreasonable so I can see that.
Then I'm thinking of a suitable car. To do it right think it needs a convertible but couldn't find one and don't think we need an SUV. Found Sixt that offers a 3 Series for not unreasonable money, thinking that should do us for 2 people + luggage. My daily's an M3 so I could jump right into a 3 Series.
One problem is the Mrs has just got herself a totting up ban so the driving's down to me. Could wait for her ban to end but not sure if she could be a driver just coming off a ban. Or do the trip in 2 seperate stages, east and west.
Has anyone done this, any way viable in say 2 weeks (possibly 3) with 1 driver?
Starting from NY. Don't want to get straight in the car at JFK so 1 night in Manhattan. I like country music so have to go to Nashville but that's 900 miles, we'd need at least 1 overnight on the way down. Used to live in Dallas so want there to look up some old mates, couple of nights with appropriate beers. Want to see Las Vegas and Mrs wants Grand Canyon. Open to offers for anything else interesting en route. Then onward to LA, never been there so couple of night then home from LAX. Mrs is fascinated by the movie stars etc so presumably we can do some kind of tour. The high end hotels in Beverly Hills aren't too unreasonable so I can see that.
Then I'm thinking of a suitable car. To do it right think it needs a convertible but couldn't find one and don't think we need an SUV. Found Sixt that offers a 3 Series for not unreasonable money, thinking that should do us for 2 people + luggage. My daily's an M3 so I could jump right into a 3 Series.
One problem is the Mrs has just got herself a totting up ban so the driving's down to me. Could wait for her ban to end but not sure if she could be a driver just coming off a ban. Or do the trip in 2 seperate stages, east and west.
Has anyone done this, any way viable in say 2 weeks (possibly 3) with 1 driver?
Concur with the others, you state yourself that a 900 mile drive will require at least one overnight stop which seems wildly optimistic. To do 900 miles will take about 14 hours of non stop driving, so 7 hours each day plus toilet stops, lunch stop and general rest breaks if the missus can't do any driving so probably closer to 10 hours each day of just driving which, honestly, sounds like hell.
We did a coast to coast, Washington to L.A. via Chicago and Route 66 two years ago. It took us nearly 4 weeks to complete although 5 days of that was on a side trip to Zion, Bryce and Arches NPs with a stop at the Grand Canyon on the way back to R66. We did 5k miles.
The one thing I'd recommend to anyone is to have a clear plan of what your route is, where you want to spend time to see things and where you want to stay. Doing 400-500 miles each day is possible but you'll soon start to feel it and unless you plan a few rest days where you can have a wander around a city or NP with a chill out in the afternoon you'll likely start to see the trip as a bit of chore.
We made this mistake on the middle section of R66 between St Louis and Albuquerque which I had planned to complete over 3 days and on one of those ended up in the car for 12 hours which was really not pleasant. I don't even remember the hotel we stayed at I was so tired. We actually ended up going back last year to do that section again over more than a week and saw so much more that we'd missed the year before.
The other thing I'd recommend is to go West, that way you'll gain an hour every few days as you cross time zones, but I think that's what you're planning anyway.
Car wise, we got lucky in 2024 and had a Dodge Challenger which was perfect for the trip asa it added a bit of nostalgia. Last year we had an Audi A4 which was perfectly fine but a bit boring. I've had a really poor experience with Sixt so my preference would be elsewhere but know that your choice will be whatever they have in the compound when you pick up regardless of what you think you've booked and what you paid for.
Don't forget that you'll likely have a one way drop off charge for the car, ours was $500 although if you rent from Chicago and drop off in L.A. they seem to waive that. Car rental is often cheaper if you pick up in N.J. as opposed to N.Y. and Newark is a short taxi ride away from Manhattan or you can get a PATH subway from 33rd St or WTC.
If you're into cars and heading to Nashville from NYC the Corvette museum in Bowling Green is worth a few hours of your time and the Petersen Museum in Beverly Hills is an absolute must, get tickets for The Vault as well.
If your missus is into movies I'd highly recommend doing tours of the studios. Universal is the most famous in Universal City and they do a great VIP tour for a day which takes you on a more in depth back lot tour which you can get out and see various locations. We've done this a few times and while it's not cheap it does include a really good lunch it's worth it since it includes front of line access to most of the rides.
Warner Bros is just up the road from there and is very good but without the theme park add ons, Paramount is pretty good as well with a lot of historical sets and stages and lastly Sony Studios is worth a visit if you have time. Paramount also do a night tour which includes a visit to the cemetery next door but that's only on certain nights of the week but you will see where quite a few famous people are buried.
Finally if you want a great view of the Hollywood Sign go up to Griffiths Park Observatory which is worth a visit on it's own or take a horse back ride from Sunset Ranch.
There is a huge choice when it comes to hotels, we've tended to stay in the Fairmont in Santa Monica as we like to have a walk up third street in the evening to get something to eat and it's fairly easy to get to the rest of L.A. from there.
If you have any other questions let me know.
P.S.
We finished last year's trip off by driving from Albuquerque to San Antonio and then onto New Orleans via Dallas. You could easily do this in reverse and go up to the Grand Canyon. I would highly recommend staying in the El Tovar hotel on the south rim so you can get up early in the morning and see sunrise followed by a very civilised breakfast. Spectacular. And if it a clear moonless night you'll see more stars and maybe the Milky Way, even more spectacular.
The one thing I'd recommend to anyone is to have a clear plan of what your route is, where you want to spend time to see things and where you want to stay. Doing 400-500 miles each day is possible but you'll soon start to feel it and unless you plan a few rest days where you can have a wander around a city or NP with a chill out in the afternoon you'll likely start to see the trip as a bit of chore.
We made this mistake on the middle section of R66 between St Louis and Albuquerque which I had planned to complete over 3 days and on one of those ended up in the car for 12 hours which was really not pleasant. I don't even remember the hotel we stayed at I was so tired. We actually ended up going back last year to do that section again over more than a week and saw so much more that we'd missed the year before.
The other thing I'd recommend is to go West, that way you'll gain an hour every few days as you cross time zones, but I think that's what you're planning anyway.
Car wise, we got lucky in 2024 and had a Dodge Challenger which was perfect for the trip asa it added a bit of nostalgia. Last year we had an Audi A4 which was perfectly fine but a bit boring. I've had a really poor experience with Sixt so my preference would be elsewhere but know that your choice will be whatever they have in the compound when you pick up regardless of what you think you've booked and what you paid for.
Don't forget that you'll likely have a one way drop off charge for the car, ours was $500 although if you rent from Chicago and drop off in L.A. they seem to waive that. Car rental is often cheaper if you pick up in N.J. as opposed to N.Y. and Newark is a short taxi ride away from Manhattan or you can get a PATH subway from 33rd St or WTC.
If you're into cars and heading to Nashville from NYC the Corvette museum in Bowling Green is worth a few hours of your time and the Petersen Museum in Beverly Hills is an absolute must, get tickets for The Vault as well.
If your missus is into movies I'd highly recommend doing tours of the studios. Universal is the most famous in Universal City and they do a great VIP tour for a day which takes you on a more in depth back lot tour which you can get out and see various locations. We've done this a few times and while it's not cheap it does include a really good lunch it's worth it since it includes front of line access to most of the rides.
Warner Bros is just up the road from there and is very good but without the theme park add ons, Paramount is pretty good as well with a lot of historical sets and stages and lastly Sony Studios is worth a visit if you have time. Paramount also do a night tour which includes a visit to the cemetery next door but that's only on certain nights of the week but you will see where quite a few famous people are buried.
Finally if you want a great view of the Hollywood Sign go up to Griffiths Park Observatory which is worth a visit on it's own or take a horse back ride from Sunset Ranch.
There is a huge choice when it comes to hotels, we've tended to stay in the Fairmont in Santa Monica as we like to have a walk up third street in the evening to get something to eat and it's fairly easy to get to the rest of L.A. from there.
If you have any other questions let me know.
P.S.
We finished last year's trip off by driving from Albuquerque to San Antonio and then onto New Orleans via Dallas. You could easily do this in reverse and go up to the Grand Canyon. I would highly recommend staying in the El Tovar hotel on the south rim so you can get up early in the morning and see sunrise followed by a very civilised breakfast. Spectacular. And if it a clear moonless night you'll see more stars and maybe the Milky Way, even more spectacular.
Edited by Voodoo Blue on Monday 4th May 12:11
jonsp said:
Bucket list thing to drive coast to coast in the USA. I'm semi retired so have the time and money to entertain this.
Starting from NY. Don't want to get straight in the car at JFK so 1 night in Manhattan. I like country music so have to go to Nashville but that's 900 miles, we'd need at least 1 overnight on the way down. Used to live in Dallas so want there to look up some old mates, couple of nights with appropriate beers. Want to see Las Vegas and Mrs wants Grand Canyon. Open to offers for anything else interesting en route. Then onward to LA, never been there so couple of night then home from LAX. Mrs is fascinated by the movie stars etc so presumably we can do some kind of tour. The high end hotels in Beverly Hills aren't too unreasonable so I can see that.
Then I'm thinking of a suitable car. To do it right think it needs a convertible but couldn't find one and don't think we need an SUV. Found Sixt that offers a 3 Series for not unreasonable money, thinking that should do us for 2 people + luggage. My daily's an M3 so I could jump right into a 3 Series.
One problem is the Mrs has just got herself a totting up ban so the driving's down to me. Could wait for her ban to end but not sure if she could be a driver just coming off a ban. Or do the trip in 2 seperate stages, east and west.
Has anyone done this, any way viable in say 2 weeks (possibly 3) with 1 driver?
I did coast to coast on my own in 9 days in 2024. It was all about the drive for me, stayed with friends in Mississippi but other than that not much beyond a quick lap around Joshua Tree and Chiricahua. Two weeks won’t be much different because your route is longer than mine.Starting from NY. Don't want to get straight in the car at JFK so 1 night in Manhattan. I like country music so have to go to Nashville but that's 900 miles, we'd need at least 1 overnight on the way down. Used to live in Dallas so want there to look up some old mates, couple of nights with appropriate beers. Want to see Las Vegas and Mrs wants Grand Canyon. Open to offers for anything else interesting en route. Then onward to LA, never been there so couple of night then home from LAX. Mrs is fascinated by the movie stars etc so presumably we can do some kind of tour. The high end hotels in Beverly Hills aren't too unreasonable so I can see that.
Then I'm thinking of a suitable car. To do it right think it needs a convertible but couldn't find one and don't think we need an SUV. Found Sixt that offers a 3 Series for not unreasonable money, thinking that should do us for 2 people + luggage. My daily's an M3 so I could jump right into a 3 Series.
One problem is the Mrs has just got herself a totting up ban so the driving's down to me. Could wait for her ban to end but not sure if she could be a driver just coming off a ban. Or do the trip in 2 seperate stages, east and west.
Has anyone done this, any way viable in say 2 weeks (possibly 3) with 1 driver?
I chose an SUV because they can handle everything the US can throw at you from torrential storms to woeful concrete roads and debris without picking up damage or punctures.
From NY I’d probably choose Philly and then into Appalachia, further south there are some great roads around the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood if you’re so inclined before you get to Nashville. From Nashville over to Memphis and then straight to Dallas. West Texas is several hundred miles of not very much unless you find somewhere with a rodeo.
I spent two weeks driving from Key West to Vegas in 2012 in a Mustang convertible by myself. Stopped in Valdosta, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas, Amarillo, Santa Fe, Grand Junction then finished in Vegas. The guy at Planet Hollywood in Vegas said he'd never had a rental returned after 5000 miles on one hire. I was driving mostly in the morning and getting where I wanted to be by lunchtime or mid afternoon. The only difficult day was Key West to Valdosta, 16 hours driving the most boring roads.
Writhing said:
I fly out to NY on Sunday for the start of my coast-to-coast.
I did RT66 last year and quite enjoyed it. When I got home, I realised I enjoyed the driving as much as the places I visited so decided to do something with a few more miles.
I can see enjoying the driving but there has to be an suitable car.Doing 3k miles in a 3 Series doesn't sound much fun. What car did you have?. I did RT66 last year and quite enjoyed it. When I got home, I realised I enjoyed the driving as much as the places I visited so decided to do something with a few more miles.
From the responses I need to re-think this, it just isn't viable. Doing 2 weeks NY -> Nashville with interesting points en route. I'd probably get into the music in Nashville so want to stay there. PLus down there we may as well see Graceland. Looking at the map DC looks like it might be interesting
Then a 2nd trip LA -> LV -> Dallas.
Please keep us updated on your trip. Daily photos and comments would be useful
It's a long way (with the Texas / Tennessee detours), so definitely stretch it beyond 2 weeks or you'll just be driving hundreds of miles each day for the sake of getting there.
When you dismissed the Grand Canyon as something your wife wanted to see, I realised I probably wouldn't have anything you would consider interesting to recommend.
I would throw in Zion and Yosemite, personally, but if you're seeing Vegas and LA as highlights, you may not enjoy them.
M
When you dismissed the Grand Canyon as something your wife wanted to see, I realised I probably wouldn't have anything you would consider interesting to recommend.
I would throw in Zion and Yosemite, personally, but if you're seeing Vegas and LA as highlights, you may not enjoy them.
M
marcosgt said:
It's a long way (with the Texas / Tennessee detours), so definitely stretch it beyond 2 weeks or you'll just be driving hundreds of miles each day for the sake of getting there.
When you dismissed the Grand Canyon as something your wife wanted to see, I realised I probably wouldn't have anything you would consider interesting to recommend.
I would throw in Zion and Yosemite, personally, but if you're seeing Vegas and LA as highlights, you may not enjoy them.
M
Add Canyon de Chelly, Meteor Crater. Always get a 4x4, once you turn off it's gonna be a dirt Rd and when she rains, she gets kinda slippy. Oh and Canyon of the God's.When you dismissed the Grand Canyon as something your wife wanted to see, I realised I probably wouldn't have anything you would consider interesting to recommend.
I would throw in Zion and Yosemite, personally, but if you're seeing Vegas and LA as highlights, you may not enjoy them.
M
And Mesa Verde.
s
t, it's pretty much all good. Ceptin that thar Vegas, darn waxwork with a pulse. Why in the sweet lords name anyone wants to go to that hellhole in the desert. Git you down to Mesa country, go see the real 'mericaGassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff