britishfrutripping!

okie. i've talked about this on my lj a bit (well, okay, a lot). siobhan and i are coming over to the states about this time next year. *dance* :)�we've decided to spend about a month travelling around mostly the east coast but might do chicago and toronto�and we'll definitely be rounding off the trip with FRFF 2004 (so we'll need a british flag for the budgiedome, yo).

here's where you guys come in. we need to book flights�in september in order to get the best deals. so we need to figure out an itinerary. we're a bit stuck at the moment as to where specifically we're going to go and what we're going to do for a month. :) we need ideas! suggestions! be as vague or as specific as you like. what would you include on a dream itinerary in the USA? are there any places you feel are unmissable? on the other hand, are there any places we should stay away from? :D do you know of any good cheap hostels? have experience of greyhound buses? pleeeease. we're really desperate. post post post. all feedback will be welcomed, er, greatly (my grammar is failing me now). *^_^*

Yes help is good..we are staying in youth hostels, lots of my friends have done similar things as i live with gap year kids (kids who take a year out to travel between scholl and uni) but really need ideas for where to go as the more we can organise now the easier it will be and the less I will have to do when i am supposed to be studying and working hard to earn money for this thing

also approximate prices and things would be great if you have them, just because we need to make an estimated guess of how much money we'll need to raise in the next year or so.

For Hostelling Info in NY (and other cities) you can check out Hostel New York�or go straight to the Cadillac (or Mercedes) of Hostels, Hostelling International.� Okay, well I don't know�much about the HI Hostels in general.���I have only stayed in the HI Hostel in London by St. Pancras/Kings Cross on Euston Road, and I was very impressed overall with the facilities.� The HI Hostel in NY looked pretty neat when I wandered around...but it is up a ways in Northern Manhattan (103th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, I believe), which is close to Columbia University and�the northern part of Central Park.� It's somewhat far from the main attractions, but you do have the amazing Cathedral of St. John the Divine a short 8 blocks away.� Overall, It's an okay neighborhood though I would use discretion at night (but then again I would say that about pretty much about�anywhere in NYC at night if you're not familiar with where you're going).

One thing you may consider if you're planning to primarily�hit major cities is a USA Rail Pass offered by Amtrak for international travellers.� While the train system in the US isn't as great as those in Britain or Europe (well, we're such a car dependent, gas-guzzling nation), it's far nicer traveling by train than on a greyhound bus (I have rode on many buses and really do prefer rail).� Amtrak offers a 15 day or 30 day rail pass with several options depending on various regions of the country.� If you want to go as far west as Chicago, Amtrak offers an EAST Rail pass (you can go as far south as Florida as well) for about $320US.� Check out Amtrak's site for more info.�� The main disadvantage is that Amtrak's coverage is somewhat limited once you get out of the Northeast, so check out their route map to see if they hit many of the places you want to go.

More on suggestions of locations later....though I would suggest a stop in NYC�(but then again it wouldn't be on my dream iternary since I already live there).� Back to work now.

Only Toronto? *CRIES*

Well, if you're going to be around the eastern states and Toronto, you should definitely go by Niagara Falls.� :)� Lots of Fruheads fairly nearby (Buffalo/Rochester, NY) to chill with, as well.

If you're in Chicago and you like relatively cheap spicy food, you should go to Mama Desta's restaurant on Clark Street (just north of Belmont) for Ethiopan food. Grab a copy of the Chicago Reader and check out what shows are going on for the time you're there. Also, head up to the top of the Sears tower so you can say you did. Other reasons to go to Chicago: Carey, of course! Frum me if you'll definitely be in Chicago, because I'm only three hours away, and I've been thinking about going there sometime this summer.

If you're in Washington, D.C., go to the Smithsonian. There are, I don't remember how many branches, and they're all chock full o' stuff. Word has it that the Eastern Market is a place for good cheap food, but be careful on the street.

You can't miss Boston. They have walking and bus tours already planned out for you. Plus, I know friendly Bostonians who would show you around.

If you're in Buffalo, New York (and you should go, because there are lots of Fruheads), check out Rust Belt Books (little indie shop on Allen near Elmwood). In general, Allentown was one of my favorite places when I lived in Buffalo.

If you're in Toronto, you could do a Fruvous landmark crawl (Queen and Bloor, Lee's Palace, a quick trip to Thornhill--there should be more ideas on fhc). (Note: This is the 34% geek of my personality speaking.)

Other than that, I'm partial to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, which at this time of the year is quite pleasant. If you fancy hiking, take a walk in Minnehaha Park-- you get a nice view of the falls and some woods. The Dakota Bar & Grill has good jazz shows, and First Avenue has rock shows-- pick up a copy of City Pages and see what's going on.

Re: Greyhound-- I've gone. It's not bad, though it's slow. If you're on the short side, it might be easier for you to sleep on a Greyhound than on an Amtrak train (the headrests on those trains are made for tall people).

That's all I can think of right now.

Unless you are there to see fruheads, skip Buffalo. It isn't a particularly special city (Think Birmingham, UK).

The best US cities east of the Mississippi to see for a first time trip would be New York, Chicago, Boston, Philledelphia, Washington DC. and New Orleans. Cincinnati is nice too for a brief stop. For nice countryside outdoor experience you might want to look at Virginia, Upstate New York, or Tennissee (Nashville would also be on the city list if you are into country music).

Of course out west there is lots more to see, much of it NOT in cities, (amazing mountains and deserts) but you probably don't have the time and money to cover that much distance.

No you don't. Niagrara, NY has that. Buffalo has... um... um... um... That big old building in the middle.

yaaay, i'm a reason to visit chicago!! rachel, let me and neal know when you're gonna be in town; we'll have to get together.

I vote Quebec City.� And you get free crash space and tour guide :D

Quebec city is touristy, but fun. If you go there, you might as well also go to Montreal.

��MLE!� I get to meet MLE!� Ok If you want I can take you to a baseball game where in the background you see the NYC skyline and the statue of Liberty!� Just make sure whille you are traveling around this country you make sure people don't know you are half french.� Americans hate the french right now!� You get to meet Russell!� Wheee!

Andy

The Staten Island Yankees?� That's the only�stadium I can think of where you could see both.

Yeah, it's a great way to see a baseball game and it's right near my sister's place!

i SO have to see a baseball game! *dance* and eat hot dogs! and wave a big foam finger about! (no, wait, is that football?...) :D

Big Foam fingers have pretty much transcended to�most of�the major team spectator sports here in the US including baseball, so yes you can wave one a baseball game.� If you go to a game, don't forget to also get a soft pretzel and a baseball helment sundae.

oooooh, i've never had a soft pretzel before. i had those little chocolate-covered snack kinds they used to sell a couple years ago but they were a bit pants, really :D

and what the hell is a baseball helment sundae?? :D

It's a sundae served in a baseball helmut!� Inother words you can wear the boal!

If you have a really teeny head!!!

Mmmmm soft pretzels are my favorites. Hard ones are ick.

Anyone ever tracelled Icelandair?� I think it would be cool if we went through them as we go through Iceland and I studied a bit of Icelandic.... I think they only fly to Washington though but will look it up in more detail.�� The amtrack 30 day pass looks quite good for travelling North America so we may try this but if anyone has any othe suggestions they would be very welcome.

i have no idea about iceland air but if they're like most airlines then the layovers are probably not really long enough for you to get out of the airport and wander around. i know on the major carriers here, anything over like 4 hours is considered a separate flight (they probably aren't as anal though). seeing as though you want to stay on the cheap, you should note that iceland is one of the most expensive places you can travel to.. of course, coming from england (another pretty expensive place) this may not be that bad. I just know that when a british friend of mine went there a couple of years ago, he had sticker shock.

I think that Icelandair is the exception to what Bill is saying. Check out their website to make sure, but I believe that what they do is give you a one day layover in Reykjavik so that you can see a little bit. This is what they market themselves on, I believe, along with low prices.

As for Amtrak passes, I LOVE traveling by train through the US, but you need to remember how totally HUGE this country is. It isn't like taking trains in Europe. There is usually only one train per day to any given destination and the routes are very limited. Many stops are in the middle of the night. Sleepers are VERY VERY expensive. The track is not always in the best of shape, so the ride can be bumpy at times. If you are sure a train pass will allow you to do what you want to do, then you might want to go that route, but if you aren't sure, then a combination of planes and rental cars (assuming you have a driving license) might be better.

No driving license or we would do the fly-drive thing...we have checked out Amtrack and the main major cities we want to hit are Chicago, New York and Boston so we can visit them on our $300 45 day pass and we get student discount too which helps...We know it is huge� and also that the public transport we are used to is different.� hough some things are likely to be similar, when�I use National Express (our version of Greyhound) it takes me nine hours to get home from University but when i get a train it takes 3.� A plane also takes three after check in and the like but I know whtta could easily be different depending on the distance (When I go London to Edinburgh it is quicker and sometimes cheaper to go by plane) Thank- you for all the suggestions we still elcome any mor that come our way, we have a lot of planning to do!

Well, New York, Boston, and Chicago all have pretty extensive transit sistems. You will find them more or less similar to London (except NYC and Chicago run all night!) Most of our other cities don't have such good transit. Those three are the three best for transit hands down.

Washington DC has the Metro, which has fairly decent coverage of the main DC area and goes out to some of the burbs in Virginia and Maryland.���The train and bus system is�pretty good to get out to most places, but they do stop running after a certain hour. �For NYC, you pretty much can get�most anywhere you want to in Manhattan via�the Subway.�

Manhattan AND a lot of the rest of the city. DC's metro is ok, but Boston, NYC and Chicago are better in my opinion.

Need I tell you that you have to come to New York, the greatest city in the world? Not only that you can stay at the world famous Hotel Gordondon.

new york? pah. london�is way better. like, duh. ;)

They Might Be Giants said they will probably return to England soon.� Psyched?

yes that would be very cool but I doubt they will play Leeds.� A dj played one of their songs the other day and I had not heard it in years.� I turned up the radio and danced round my kitchen.

London has its nice little pleasantries and a certain quaintness to it.� It�is a pretty great city (and West End theater tickets are actually reasonably priced compared to what they charge for Broadway these days).� Speaking of which,�I�would love to go back to�the UK�again soon.� But New York City will always have a place in my heart as the greatest city in the world.� Not that I'm biased or anything.� :)

Speaking of which, I'll be more than happy to do�a culinary tour of NY with you guys as well as be a general tour guide should you two decide to�come to NYC. :)

i just thought i'd post this - it made me laugh last night at 1am when i was reading it:

(from the virgin student travellers' handbook)
New York's conventional attractions shouldn't be missed, but the best thing about it is the life, speed, diversity, people, delis, bars, taxis, skyscrapers, Broadway, Chinatown, Tiffany's, SoHo, and Greenwich Village... Then there's the Met, MOMA and the Guggenheim.

note: the best thing about it is - just *one* best thing, then? ;)

...that maybe Tyco and I will have to plan a trip for when Emilie is on this side of the ocean, if she's not going to be going far west. *nods* :D

ooOOOohh! you mustmustmust! *huggggs* :) i'd love to get across to edmonton but it's so far away, and we only have about 6 weeks. then again, you never know how things might turn out. :)

and i'm expecting everyone (yes, EVERYONE) to be at FRFF 2004. or i will scream and scream and scream till i'm sick. :D you have been warned. ;)

It'd be nice to try and make it to the festival, but I'm not sure how it'll work. Flying from Edmonton to the New York area is usually in the neighborhood of a thousand dollars, which is a full month's pay for me right now, and there are a lot of other expenses on top of it. But I'll mention it to Tyco and see what he thinks.

The most feasible thing would likely be if we shoot to be in Toronto at the time you're there, it would probably be about half of the price of the trip to FRFF.

yay! :) i wasn't suggesting that you'd have to come down for FRFF, i know the planes can be a bit pricey over there. but hopefully�siobhan and i will�be able to hop over to toronto at some point�to see a >play show or something. *dance* :)

anyone know anything about cleveland, ohio? reckon it' worth stopping off there on the way across to chicago?�:)

Only good thing about Cleveland is the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame.� That's all I know, and Ohioans want to shed some light?

what's cedar point?

ohhhh, cool! :)

see that would be nice!

Cedar Point now has the world's tallest roller coaster.� So tall some die-hard coaster fans even say it's too tall.

the rock and roll hall of fame and museum is *sooo* much fun. both times i've been there, i arrived as soon as it opened, and didn't leave til it closed, and i *still* didn't see everything. it's a music geek's heaven.

methinks siobhan would probably enjoy that, then ;)

Not really worth stopping off there, no.
hehe

oh, right. i see. so, nate, do you have any *better* ideas? ;)

Yup!
NOHO!!!!
:D

*sigh* well, okay then, if we *must*.

*grumblegrumble*

;)

And it's not too far from Falcon Ridge

we maybe can slot it in to our journey then.� we really need to organise a set itinery but that would be a lot easier if we lived in the same town....

emilie?�� I have just announced (accidentally) that we will both be wearing short skirts when we go....and if roman is around when i do my clothes shopping i will probably have short shorts too as after th new beyonce video he is obsessed with hot pants....oh dear no!� I will avoid him but he generally has good taste in clothes....I'm wearing his belt as i type!

Hubba hubba!

Roman says "hotpants are the 8th wonder of the world" he doesnot have anything else to say as he is stressed about his student loan at the moment and singing along with the radio

in my next life i want to be reborn as a pair of y-fronts.

y-fronts?

yeah. y-fronts.

:D

i was going to say hotpants, but then that would be a lie. :D

I'll try... What are y-fronts?�

oh, right, thought it was just nate being stunned :D

you don't have y-fronts in america?? :D

y-fronts: mens' underwear that have a y-seam down the front. hence the name 'y-fronts'. ;)

Heh... yeah.... you replied right at the same time I did (post-googling)

Never heard the british term, tho.

ah... now I understand.� I guess that does make sense.

see... they should be called y-fronts in the US too.

maybe me and siobhan could make it our little campaign. yeah. ...or not. :D

Y-Fronts Across America!! Hrm...that may be interesting, if not hilarious to see. :)

Ahh... did a google search.

She's talking about tightie-whities.

Men's briefs.

yeah i hatetighty wighties on a man must be must be must be boxers but this is such a tangent

FUNKYPANTS!!

okay, i'll shut up now. :D

FUNKYPANTS!!!

er, what's in boston? :D

A better question is: What ISN'T in boston?

;)

Seriously, Boston is the most fun city ever (other than toronto) to just wander around and go into random shops and stuff.
Lots of good clubs and bars as well.

yeah, but like, what is there to *see*? like landmarks, museums, touristy stuff. that kind of�thing. (yes, i am a blatant tourist. so what.) :D

Oh man... for that you'd have to ask someone else.

I know there are some really cool museums and stuff... but... I dont know what they're called.

Umm...a 24 hour mass transit system? :)

To be honest, Boston is definitely one of those walkable cities.� I enjoy wandering aimlessly around checking out various shops, the historical sites, a really cool science museum and a fine arts museum, and a really neat fireworks display along the�Charles River on the Fourth of July with the Boston Pops�accompanying them among many other things.� �The T (Boston's mass transit system) really isn't that bad..it just shuts down for the night.� And it is the oldest subway system in the United States.� So at least it has that going for it! :)

what about chicago? what's there?

Michael!

wha? oh. :D

what about me? *sniffle*

yeah, well, we know about *you*.

;)

Ohhh!
Sorry, I always forget that you moved out there.

suuuuure. it's because no one loves me, isn't it. :)
but yeah, there are lots of fun people out here. me and neal, and michael, and andrew, and angel...everyone should move out to chicago. word.

Not that I've ever been, but Chicago has the Art Insititue of Chicago, which is home to one of my favorite paintings A Sunday in La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.� Chicago also has the tallest building in the US (Sears Tower) and is home to two major league baseball teams (the White Sox and the Cubs, who play in historic Wrigley Field) and has a football team (Da Bears) who play at Soldier's Field (which apparently is getting a very�aesthetically unpleasing�facelift).� I definitely need to go there for a visit.

OMG is that painting there??

*packs bags and leaves for chicago*

mmmmmmmmmmimpressionism. *sigh* :D

The Art Institute is great! When I was there (2 yrs ago) they had this fantastic impressionist exhibit.
Hmm... there's this area with lots of funky shops, I think it's near the theatre district. And the symphony is the best! If I remember right you can get $10 lawn tickets for Ravinia (outdoor amphitheatre-ish place where they play in the summer) with a student ID. People bring picnics and there's speakers everywhere so you don't have to see the symphony to hear them.