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Post by asmith on Dec 27, 2012 10:36:02 GMT -5
From January to April I want to travel 90 days in the USA -- the maximum I can without a specialist visa -- down the NE coast from Boston to Washington, and then across, through Cleveland and Chicago, to Seattle and Portland.
If you're happy to meet up and share a drink and a story or a jam, please let me know -- in this thread, or send me a pm or email.
Also, please feel free to suggest places to visit.
(Also if you're happy to let me sleep under your roof for a night or two, I'd be very appreciative! But don't feel any pressure.)
Thanks.
Al
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Post by cynical1 on Dec 27, 2012 13:56:25 GMT -5
... I hear American hostel girls are real suckers for blue-eyed six-foot British men... A vicious lie perpetrated by the unscrupulous owners of American Hostels. In actual fact, what you refer to as "American Hostels" are better known as Homeless Shelters over here... If you make it through Chicago let me know. I can introduce you to any number of American girls who fail to meet your aforementioned criteria... Bon Voyage HTC1 |
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Post by long813 on Dec 27, 2012 15:38:13 GMT -5
Yeah, I think you meant to spell Eastern European Hostels  |
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Post by ashcatlt on Dec 27, 2012 16:27:13 GMT -5
I'm about a day's drive from Chicago and sort of on the way to Seattle, and would be glad to hang out. I can probably hook you up a place to stay. My work is scheduled 6 wks out and all over the place, so I might need some notice.
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Post by sumgai on Dec 28, 2012 1:11:15 GMT -5
Ace, As you know, there's no real reason to visit Seattle unless it's to visit with moi. ;D If you're homesick for a pint o' bitters by the time you get here, there's a joint about 10 minutes from my place called The Lion's Pub. Owned and run by a genuine Englishman, his rendition of a drinking establishment is almost illegal, it's so 'veddy proper, don't you know?".  Otherwise we can hit the backwater stuff that tourists don't usually get to hear about, let alone get to see. Come to think of it, we can make it a trio with JFrankParnell, he's about an a hour's drive from me, give or take a few moments. And there's a very large music store between us (Hugo Helmer Music) that we could meet at for an impromptu jam, I'm sure. I don't know what you have planned for Portland OR, but we do have long-time member teleblooz 'down' there, he might be able to spare some time for you/us/whatever. And I do have a spare guestroom, no problem there.  We've even managed to keep it fully operational during the remodel, if you can imagine that!  And no, we won't make you share a room with the cats - they have their own bedroom. Good luck planning all this out. You picked a good time to visit, but the weather not only can be, but will be fickle, so pack accordingly. sumgai |
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Post by JohnH on Dec 28, 2012 2:07:01 GMT -5
Speaking as a British ex resident-alien, (Greetings! I am Hewitt from the planet Blighty!), a few of the things that impressed me greatly from our time in the States:
The awesome desert landscapes that stretch out under huge skies in the western states
The Grand Canyon in a snowy winter
How stupendously cold it can be in the midwest
in LA - Sunday morning on the boardwalk at Venice beach - amid endless lyrcra-clad roller-babes and characters such as Crazy Eddie, the famous turban-wearing electric guitarist on wheels.
John
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Post by newey on Dec 28, 2012 7:10:47 GMT -5
al- I'm available in the Cleveland area for a pint (or three). I might even have an extra room, if my ongoing 4-year campaign to persuade my 24 year old son to move out is successful between now and then . . .  |
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Post by sumgai on Dec 28, 2012 11:59:55 GMT -5
newey, What, the Ban Hammer isn't available for use in your own home?  ;D
John, I don't think Ace should try for California with only 3 months to make his tour - he'd likely 'jump ship' and apply for asylum, citing persecution by way of being denied good looking girls in his home country! Better to let him pass this time around, and avoid any unpleasant international incidents...... sumgai |
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Post by asmith on Dec 28, 2012 12:36:51 GMT -5
Thank you very much for the hospitality gents. I'm about a day's drive from Chicago and sort of on the way to Seattle, and would be glad to hang out. I can probably hook you up a place to stay. My work is scheduled 6 wks out and all over the place, so I might need some notice. Sounds ace. I'll give you as much notice as I can. I'll pm you my webmail address to avoid relying on GN2 as our method of communication. As you know, there's no real reason to visit Seattle unless it's to visit with moi. ;D Busted. Er... Smashing. Thanks! Although I was looking forward to staying up with the cats until the early hours talking about the meaning of life. John, I doubt I'll get to see the Grand Canyon or much of the midwest desert. But depending on time I might push myself down to CA to treat the lycra rollerbabes with an appearance.
EDIT:I don't think Ace should try for California with only 3 months to make his tour - he'd likely 'jump ship' and apply for asylum, citing persecution by way of being denied good looking girls in his home country! Better to let him pass this time around, and avoid any unpleasant international incidents...... Damnit, don't dangle those kind of carrots in front of my nose. Defection is a dirty word...
I'm available in the Cleveland area for a pint (or three). I might even have an extra room, if my ongoing 4-year campaign to persuade my 24 year old son to move out is successful between now and then . . . Looking forward to those pints mate! I understand about your son. He who takes on impossible tasks learns much from his failures. |
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Post by JohnH on Dec 28, 2012 14:49:53 GMT -5
Yes, i'd say two drops of that in a gin and tonic is plenty. But Id like to see sumgai down a pint of it.
Anyway, on a journey like that, there'll have to be a significant road trip involved right? Spend some time off the interstate freeways, passing through those parts where the radio stations play both kinds of music (country, and western). Find that old diner with the neon sign thats on the frizt, and the waitress in the gingham dress with the beehive and horn-rims, who's still just as beautiful as she was in 1963. Order the 'Blue plate special' and the apple pie - she made it hoping you'd come. I reckon the best thing about travelling through the US is not exactly where you go, but the journey itself and the people who you meet along the way. As a personable young englishman, you will be considered extremely interesting - especially by the ladies of all ages, though they will probably just want to sit and listen to you speaking. I really loved living in the US and wherever you go I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip. cheers John |
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Post by sumgai on Dec 28, 2012 16:20:03 GMT -5
Actually, we've all missed the most important question, so let's ask it right now.... Ace, just how are you planning on getting around? Renting a motorcar for the entire escapade will cost you a King's Ransom, you may as well buy a used jalopy and sell it at the end. Fortunately for newey, c1 and I, Amtrak rolls right through our respective towns. An Amtrak Rail Pass might be worth considering, they're pretty much the same thing as a EuRail Pass. Other options abound, I'm certain. Hell, you might even scare up some young bird who's driving across the country to see her dear old mum, and needs a relief driver who can share the costs, who knows. |
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Post by gumbo on Dec 28, 2012 17:44:09 GMT -5
Hey! Can I buy this script? I can see the movie now... is Tom Hanks too old to play the lead??? |
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Post by newey on Dec 28, 2012 20:00:54 GMT -5
Well, I can certainly supply a billet for a few days if needed, it just may not be in an actual bed . . . Seriously, I'd like to meet you for those pints, we could take in some of the local talent (musical, feminine and otherwise). Well, the feminine talent I'd have leave to you anyway. I'm married and don't have that British accent. Plus . . .well, you see my avatar. Now, as to suggestions made, you should not miss the Southwest desert. Whether you actually go to the Grand Canyon or not, make sure you see some of the Southwest. There is a certain beauty in desolation, one that touches the spirit as well as the eye. Plus, if you're coming from January to April, you ought to plan for some places with a chance for decent weather. sg said: That's a great suggestion. I'm sure asmith saw that episode of "Top Gear". Just make sure the AC works and don't paint "NASCAR Sucks" on the boot lid while driving through Alabama. The respective rail passes may be similar, but you should not be under any illusions that passenger rail service in the US is similar to Britain or Europe. That's not to say that you shouldn't consider traveling via Amtrak, just don't expect much if you're used to European Rail Services. |
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Post by ashcatlt on Dec 28, 2012 20:46:09 GMT -5
JohnH, I don't know when was the last time you were in the states. I'm afraid that waitress died from a bad batch of bathtub meth about a decade ago.  newey kinda beat me to it, but I think you're 6 months early for the trip you've got planned. Now is not the best time to visit MN. I'm sure we can find some way to keep warm, but then you've got the Dakotas to look forward to... I would start in FL and cross I10 to San Diego or (at most) I20 to LA. Course, you'd have to go through TX (a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone), and you wouldn't understand a word anybody said till you got AZ or so, but at least you won't freeze your bangers and mash off! |
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Post by JFrankParnell on Dec 29, 2012 1:56:03 GMT -5
So, Seattle is lastish? in April? Well, I can think of better times to visit the upper left corner, but you might luck out. I'd be up for a meet in Seattle with you and sumgai. Or if you might be traveling even north, here's a little something our tourist dept put together: ... ...actually, screw that cheezy s  t. But, you might catch some good music, usually something doing down at the bars, like Anacortes, WA heroes, Spoonshine |
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Post by newey on Dec 29, 2012 11:03:08 GMT -5
Cyn1 and I have been promising each other a "meeting of the mindless" in Chi-Town for quite a while, so maybe this is the time to make it happen. Get to Cleveland, and we can head to Chicago.
Provided, of course, enough advance warning so's I can pry myself away from gainful employment for a time.
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Post by cynical1 on Dec 29, 2012 12:03:37 GMT -5
The city will never be the same again...
SG mentioned an Amtrak Rail Pass. That's actually a pretty good idea...provided you are a patient man. Amtrak is a great way to get around the US, but schedules are merely estimations at best, suggestions at worse. Provided you book far enough in advance you can get around pretty cheap.
From experience, if you're not going to spring for the roomette on the Amtrak Empire Builder out to points West (as in Ash and SG), then ALWAYS book for the lower level. The cost is the same, it's quieter and you don't have to deal with the rabble commonly encountered on the upper levels. Don't expect the same experience you would on European rail systems, but you can justify it with the money saved.
Another warning I would offer is steer clear of American bus travel. Unless you enjoy Redneck Reality TV it's an experience that will scar you for life. You will encounter things that fly in the face of natural selection.
Ash does make a good point on timing to certain parts of the US. Granted, when looking for a comparison for Brits as to where Ash lives you need to look at Norway...in the winter... Anything North of Kentucky is going to be colder then what you're probably used to. This probably accounts for why Steven Fry made his sojourn after May...
Either way, it'll be an experience.
Happy Trails
Cynical One
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Post by asmith on Dec 29, 2012 17:51:50 GMT -5
Early 2013 is my time-frame before I move base to Copenhagen around mid-year (not a fixed date). I can either waste six months answering calls in a bank in Manchester -- assuming I pass the interview -- or somesuch, or travel the United States. No-brainer. I can do February to May instead of January to April -- if the extra month would make that much difference to the weather. Travel: Amtrak is an option -- anything is an upgrade from British Rail -- as is used-car buying, as is hitchhiking if it comes to it. This isn't an all-expenses paid holiday. A friend of mine did something similar to my plans last year and did the whole thing on Greyhound buses. He isn't scarred for life, but then again he's capable of laughing at things I pity/revile. This is a personality trait I'm unsure whether I'd like to share. I haven't plotted out the journey in any sort of detail other than this rough illustration from Boston to Chicago. Giving five days maximum in each location including travel time -- I'm not stopping long anywhere -- that only takes up 35 days of my 90 allowance. If I'm only picking Newey up in Cleveland instead of stopping there for a little, that takes even less time. From then on it's free game. I've got two recommendations so far from the wise elders of the board Newey and JohnH ( ;D ) to see the desert, so that's chalked up to the list. It's also a salient point to make that if I finish up in Seattle after 90 days, I can nip into Canada and wander around a bit, see some Vancouver. Being of the Queen's stock gives me an easy visa-free in -- Canada's "the commonwealth" -- and I'm allowed to busk without getting chucked out the country for working! With Seattle as an end destination in mind... Perhaps travelling across the desert to Denver would be a smarter next move than running along the top of the country. Ash is in Duluth. I could nip up there and then head down through Minneapolis to travel through Des Moines and on to Denver -- Omaha and Lincoln, or Kansas City? After a long journey I'd have to look at my day-allowance left before deciding between Salt Lake City -> Boise -> Portland and Vegas -> LA -> San Francisco -> Portland. (As I type this, my levels of overambition are becoming ever-apparent to me.)Spoonshine sound great! |
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Post by newey on Dec 30, 2012 0:52:07 GMT -5
February to May would be better. May is a great month in the Midwest, usually. But it sounds like you're going to be here in the winter anyway. Whoever analogized to Norway had it right, bring yer mittens.
Hitching isn't what it once was. In the winter, you could spend a lot of time in the cold. It's somewhat more accepted along the Boston-NYC corrider, lots of students along there, as well as in the Northwest. But I can't remember the last time I saw anyone hitchhiking in Ohio.
If your route takes you through Pittsburgh, I can meet you there as well. I'm usually there a few times a month for work anyway.
Buying a car, and then selling it at the end, should have some appeal. You'd need to budget about $3K USD to get something that would run halfway decently and give you a fighting chance of getting across country with it. If you start in the South, you'll have better pickings in the used car market than in the North, where road salt takes a toll over time.
Get a pickup with a cap over the bed, and you could camp out in it, using an air mattress and bedroll. Weather permitting, of course. . .
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Post by JFrankParnell on Dec 30, 2012 15:05:13 GMT -5
A month will definitely make a difference, more so april vs may than jan vs feb. But seeings how the NW is the end of the line, I'd say May is often really beautiful here and April... it's probly just going to rain. The hitchiking...in populated areas, it can work, but it's a slow mode. Lots of waiting. And man, Texas thru the SW, that is a long, long way, with not much in the way of anything along the way. A hitchiker could get stuck. Heh, yes, I'm not sure you have a clear idea of the scale of this land You mentioned Salt Lake City, which is nothing much, really, but the deserts south and west, either Canyonlands National Pk or Zion NP are truly amazing. And those are kinda near the aforementioned Grand Canyon. Seattle has the Experience Music Project, which is a neat music/rock museum www.empmuseum.org/ |
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Post by asmith on Jan 5, 2013 16:44:35 GMT -5
I booked my ticket to Boston before the cheap ones ran out.
I'm calling the US Embassy in London on Monday to discuss whether they'd like me to have a flight / train / bus ticket from Seattle to Vancouver before I enter the US.
All things going well, I will arrive in the US on the 1st of February.
Newey, I expect to leave Washington D.C. anywhere from the 25th of February to the 1st of March. I can meet you in Pittsburgh or Cleveland. Is Pittsburgh worth spending a day or two in? Supposing you want to go to Chicago with my to see Cyn, is Cleveland worth a few days beforehand or do you want to set off straightaway?
I'll also update you folks on Monday. The results of my conversation with the embassy will determine when I get into Seattle.
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Post by newey on Jan 5, 2013 23:58:38 GMT -5
Pittsburgh is worth a day or two, as is Cleveland. But I'm slave to a schedule, so let me check it on Monday and we'll plan it out.
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 6, 2013 2:43:29 GMT -5
I'm kinda tempted to invite myself to this party in Chicago.
I have an erratic schedule, but it's set 6 weeks out and I refuse to give those bastards any more of my time than absolutely necessary, which right now means I usually have four day weekends.
And yes, my email address has been the same since 1998. I've had several others on domains which no longer exist, but microsoft's free version which was the first I could check from anywhere in the world without proprietary software is the one I use.
Heck I'm half tempted to meet you in DC and escort you across this fine land of theirs! I am a professional driver...
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Post by asmith on Jan 6, 2013 10:50:26 GMT -5
I'm kinda tempted to invite myself to this party in Chicago. Come on down! This would be incredible. Anything I can do to raise that temptation, besides the obvious gas money? |
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Post by cynical1 on Jan 6, 2013 13:21:37 GMT -5
I agree that Pittsburgh may be worth a day or two. Cleveland...I don't know...I really think Ian Hunter was being sarcastic...
As long as you're going to be in Washington, let me suggest a day just running down the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland. I used to travel that way for business and always found it to be an interesting place with people more than willing to strike up a conversation on just about anything. Stick to the inland towns, though, as the coast is just a gaggle on yuppies and old money.
If you're flush, make the circle across the Bridge\Tunnel. The toll is stiff, but it's a unique drive across and under the bay.
With a little effort we can turn this into a real first rate second rate travelogue...
Happy Trails
Cynical One
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Post by gumbo on Jan 6, 2013 18:17:40 GMT -5
...can't wait to see the video!!! ;D
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 6, 2013 19:31:04 GMT -5
I'm kinda tempted to invite myself to this party in Chicago. Come on down! This would be incredible. Anything I can do to raise that temptation, besides the obvious gas money? Oh if only... We're a little too late for me to get a three month LOA and still have a job to come back to. Then, I'd have to replace that income. You'd probably be surprised at how little that would take, but then I've got these short people who depend on me. It would be a great experience for them, but that's a whole different trip... Definitely keep me in the loop, though. Chicago is a little more than a "day trip", but I should be able to swing it given a little notice. |
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Post by asmith on Feb 2, 2013 9:41:30 GMT -5
The eagle has landed.
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Post by newey on Feb 2, 2013 11:57:25 GMT -5
Keep us posted on your whereabouts, ETA, and so forth. |
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Post by asmith on Feb 8, 2013 12:04:50 GMT -5
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Otherwise we can hit the backwater stuff that tourists don't usually get to hear about, let alone get to see.
We've even managed to keep it fully operational during the remodel, if you can imagine that! 
And no, we won't make you share a room with the cats - they have their own bedroom.
