[Adwetyren]

Quote, originally posted by zwei Biere bitte »Oh yes, one more very cool thing. From what I understand, San Francisco has the most restaurants per capita out of any major U.S city. And the variety of food is pretty good, too.
I heard that once before and found it difficult to beleive. Tons of Cafe's and restaurants, that's true. I guess in a per capita basis it's true (SF proper is not very big). I guess I'm just used to seeing the sheer numbers of restaurants in NYC.
Quote, originally posted by zwei Biere bitte »You know main street of Chinatown (I forget its name)? All that is there are tourist hawkers, expensive food, and junk for sale. Walk up 2 streets however, and you will reach the "locals" Chinatown. It is a COMPLETE change. When I was there a few weeks ago, I didn't hear a word of English spoken there, and the stuff for sale was amazing (Think whole dogfish for sale, along with various sea critters I never imagined one could eat!). Oh yeah, no tourist junk for sale in sight. Next time, you'll know
Again, true and thanks for the tip. will have to check it out next time. Like with the restaurants, I have this bad habit of measuring every place against new york (in this case, new york's china town and flushing which are massive and mostly not touristy).

[Sukadrukanga]

Have a safe flight, Superfresa~!

[sarasaraseda]

Hey guys. Thanks HEAPS for all the tips. Andre, I'll seriously consider your advice, sounds good, and thanks for clearing up that I cant rent a car up there. Kinda imagined it but I can down here so...
I have made an extra little research and found out that whatever I do, I have to land in Miami before heading down, so Miami is now thrown in to the equation. (BTW Miami can be either a short airport stop or a couple of days travell so I dk if its worth spending a few days in SF, a few days in miami, or just go SF this time... or even better, SF on my way there, Miami on my way back )
Quote, originally posted by zwei Biere bitte »
If you have any questions about SF or the Bay Area, don't hesitate to ask me. Possibly another CSS meet up?

Deffinitely would look forward for that

[Adwetyren]

Quote, originally posted by Superfresa »if its worth spending a few days in SF, a few days in miami, or just go SF this time... or even better, SF on my way there, Miami on my way back
If you can (assuming it;s financially feasible) I would recomend hitting one city in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. Be warned however that unless you're staing in south beach (or in you case have someone drive you around), in miami having a car is a must. There is lots to see there and even more fun to be had.

[sarasaraseda]

Thanks for that Santeño... Damn There's so much of USA I want to see... NY, Detroit (of course), SF, LA, The Rockies, TX, Miami and so on.... but I have to limit myself on time and money unfortunately, hehe.
OK so SF deffinitely this time arround... Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll get investigating a little more and I might revive this thread later (Though If anyone still wants to advice anything, please do )

[WumibBesowe]

Come to the Big Apple buddy!!! You can crash at my place

[sarasaraseda]

Quote, originally posted by SHEPO »Come to the Big Apple buddy!!! You can crash at my place
Lol thanks for the offer but this time arround I'll stick to SF

[Imagimifouxum]

Quote, originally posted by Superfresa »I have made an extra little research and found out that whatever I do, I have to land in Miami before heading down, so Miami is now thrown in to the equation. (BTW Miami can be either a short airport stop or a couple of days travell so I dk if its worth spending a few days in SF, a few days in miami, or just go SF this time... or even better, SF on my way there, Miami on my way back )
Well, what you could do, given that you have to land on the west coast and head for miami, you could stop and spend some time in the S.F. area and then spend some time in the Miami area, go to Colombia, stop in Miami, and then spend some time in L.A. before going home. XD Or you could even throw in New York between Miami and L.A. (or SF and Miami).

[Nifoziyfar]

I remember Miami like the back of my hand, if you are going to stay there for a few days, i suggest going to the Millionaire Islands, you can take a boat trip, its real fun seeing where all the famous people live!
And also, if you wanna take a night time stroll, go to South Beach, it has beautiful Art Deco Buildings, but to see night-life just walk down Ocean Drive at night, theres a lot of things going on....
When i stayed there i ate a t 'Sir Pizza', they have very good pizza, but it can be slightly out of the way....I cant remember all of it, as i went on a cruise, but its definetly fun!

I cant really remember SF, i was only like 5 or 6 when i went there, but im sure there a plenty of things to see.

[sarasaraseda]

Quote, originally posted by butterfly0fdoom »
Well, what you could do, given that you have to land on the west coast and head for miami, you could stop and spend some time in the S.F. area and then spend some time in the Miami area, go to Colombia, stop in Miami, and then spend some time in L.A. before going home. XD Or you could even throw in New York between Miami and L.A. (or SF and Miami).
Say what now?
USA was meant to be the Sidetrip on the way to Colombia, not the other way arround y'know! I'll just stick to SF and perhaps on the way back stay overnight at Miami rather than the usuall couple of hours at the airport, just because its funner than waiting.

[Adwetyren]

Fresa, Miami (aka, the capital city of Latin America) is a very fun town, but it is very spread out. Aside from small areas, such as parts of south beach; downtown; and parts of hialeah, miami is not a walking city. Like LA, public transportation is terrible. There is a commuter trains (like an eleveated subway), which runs along A1A and takes you almost to kendall (out by UofM), but that's about it. You will need a way to get around once you are there.

[sarasaraseda]

Yeah thanks Santeño... The passing by Miami is only because I have to (I could go through Buenos Aires Argentina again, but for some strange reason I fear the transpolar flight from there and would rather go through USA. I've decided that I will only tour arround SF this time. I dont plan to get arround in Miami

[sarasaraseda]

Hey guys,
I will most likely be visiting USA in either June or towards December, since I'm heading back to Colombia for a visit but there are only flights through USA so I thought I'd take a couple of days there rather than a couple of hours at the airport.
Thought I'd ask you guys, what are the recommended places in USA to visit in USA and in particular near L.A, San Francisco and along that area (though certainly other parts of US interest me, flights go to LA and S.F mainly and it would cost extra to get arround to other places this time arround). I would like to spend not too much money but I reckon the best way to know abit about the area is to rent a car and get out of the cities, travell along great roads and visit natural parks etc. The Hollywood and L.V. touristic stops dont really attract me because I'm more of an outback and/or city out and about kinda guy rather than the party/night life kinda guy.
Thought I'd ask for tips and suggestions, about the places to go, the places to stay, the stuff to be aware of and any sort of info you can give me. And of course if anyone's in the area, its a good enough excuse to meet up if you want

[Kayakeenemeds]

Well I've never been to the west coast, but I can offer you help of a different kind!
LoveMySeat.com lets you see what your airline seat is rated as, and if it has any disadvantages or advantages that the airline won't tell you about.

[pimbertiemoft]

Hey Fresa-
Sounds like a fun little side trip. I'm at school in Los Angeles, so perhaps I can help with suggestions... as far as scenery goes, a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway and maybe a trip up to Santa Barbara would be beautiful. You can hike in the hills of Malibu or hit the beaches in Santa Monica (meh...), Manhattan, Redondo, Hermosa, and Laguna. If you're into culture, there's some spectacular museums including both Getty properties and being a car guy, I don't think you should miss Beverly Hills . Also, let me know if you want some restaurant suggestions. There's so much out in L.A. that it's impossible to see in a couple days... you have to prioritize, haha. If you do end up renting a car, you'll find it much easier, but how old are you? Not sure if you'll be able to...

[Adwetyren]

I'm more of a city-lubber, so I would say, go to San francisco. The city core is fairly compact and highly walkable. Also it has the trolleys and the Bart trains to get around, so you should not really need a car. Then of course are the obvious things to see, such as the Golden Gate bridge; Alctarass Island; the presidio; AT&T Park - where the San Francisco Giants play (the outfield faces the bay and people in Kayaks are always ready to catch home runs); fisherman's warf (which is no longer cut off by the highway); the gardens at Golden Gate Park; chinatown (which is pretty touristy, but cute); Lombard street (the so called world's most crooked street - were tons of commercials are filmed) and of course the tons of coffee houses and cafe's peppered around town. That should do you well for 3 days or so.

[pimbertiemoft]

I'd have to agree that San Francisco is much more manageable for a few-days-long sightseeing trip. And the Bay Area is gorgeous. L.A. public transportation is for all intents and purposes nonexistent; a car is a must here.

[sarasaraseda]

Thanks for the suggestions guys - Domino, I will certainly get back to you later on when I have sorted air tickets and where to stay to get from you some recomendations for restaurants and stuff
How far is LA from SF?
Any good national parks in the area? Or you know, any rural areas that are well worth the visit?
How expensive do you guys reckon it is? Staying maybe at backpackers or similar and of course, if possible in one of the national parks...
I am 19, so I can rent a car though I pay a little extra. At least down here I can, can't I up there?
Cheers guys.

[pimbertiemoft]

Quote, originally posted by Superfresa »
How far is LA from SF?

On the 5 freeway (the quicker, uglier drive) it's under 400 miles (~640km) and in light traffic about 5 and a half hours of driving time. The coastal route, which would give you a much prettier drive, is about 500 miles (~800km). If you stayed on the coast you'd go through Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur (BEAUTIFUL), San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara, all neat and naturally beautiful places.
I can't think of any national parks, per se, on the route from SF to LA, but in San Francisco (as Santeno mentioned) has the Golden Gate National something-or-another... which aside from the bridge is essentially a big park. Also, the above-mentioned Big Sur wilderness is supposed to be absolutely amazing. For info on the cool stuff to see on the coast, check out this site I Googled http://www.bitrot.de/bike_sfla.html. It's someone's bike tour journal and also mentions some hostels and stuff, I believe.
As far as expense, it's hard to say, because I don't know relatively how expensive Australia is... Santeno?
Good luck on the car rental, though, as very few agencies will rent that young.

[N9NACzws]

I'd say do San Francisco of the two. Of all the cities I visited as a kid, SF was one of my favorites. Just across the Golden Gate into Marin county are some very nice redwood forests to check out. Pier 45 at the Wharf has Musse Mechanique with all kinds of mechanically operated musical instruments and antique arcade machines. About an hour and a half away is the Santa Cruz Boardwalk which is an awesome nostalgic amusement park on the beach. Either way, there is plenty to do in either city, but I'd say San Fran. And as for the rental car, I wouldn't count on it. Most places in the US require you to be 25. Most places say "exceptions apply" but be prepared to jump through all kinds of hoops, sign away your soul, and pay with your first born child to get one at 19.


Modified by Nodnarb at 8:10 PM 4/12/2006