Trip suggestions please (Texas, California, Grand Canyon?)

jojotravels · Sep 14, 2024

Hello all,
After deciding to take a sleeper from Texas to Los Angeles I’ve now thrown a spanner in my own works by considering Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon instead.
And to further complicate matters I can’t drive so shall have to rely on Uber or buses to get around too.
I’m not even sure which way around to do it, whether to start or end in California.
So, what would you all do if Amtrak was your oyster?
Somewhere in Texas to somewhere in California?
Or California to the Grand Canyon (and beyond?) or vice versa?
Thank you for any input and suggestions.

zephyr17 · Sep 14, 2024

jojotravels said:
Hello all,
After deciding to take a sleeper from Texas to Los Angeles I’ve now thrown a spanner in my own works by considering Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon instead.
And to further complicate matters I can’t drive so shall have to rely on Uber or buses to get around too.
I’m not even sure which way around to do it, whether to start or end in California.
So, what would you all do if Amtrak was your oyster?
Somewhere in Texas to somewhere in California?
Or California to the Grand Canyon (and beyond?) or vice versa?
Thank you for any input and suggestions.

Well, Texas to "somewhere in California" will get you to the greater LA area, Ontario and Pomona being LA suburbs. I'd take the train to LA itself. Despite its reputation, LA has pretty decent public transit these days and it is centered on downtown LA. You can get to SoCal tourist points easily from there. I'd stay downtown unless you want to change trains in LA and take a Surfliner to San Diego, Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. San Diego and Santa Barbara are also easy day trips if you want to stay based in LA.

The Grand Canyon is well worth seeing, more so than LA itself which in many ways is just another big city. Why not both? Take the train to LA, fool around Southern California for a few days, then take the SW Chief to Flagstaff, catch the shuttle to Williams and the GCRy to the South Rim. Note you can get from LA to the South Rim on one Amtrak reservation, Amtrak sells tickets on both the Williams shuttle and GCRy.

Trollopian · Sep 14, 2024

Of course, though, you'll want to beware that not everybody is impressed with the Grand Canyon. "A hole. A very, very large hole,” Read this and other hilarious one-star reviews (Yellowstone: "Smells like rotten eggs") of America's national parks at https://wapo.st/47pB644. (Shared using my subscription, so you won't encounter a paywall, but you might have to register.)

Willbridge · Sep 14, 2024

jojotravels said:
Hello all,
After deciding to take a sleeper from Texas to Los Angeles I’ve now thrown a spanner in my own works by considering Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon instead.
And to further complicate matters I can’t drive so shall have to rely on Uber or buses to get around too.
I’m not even sure which way around to do it, whether to start or end in California.
So, what would you all do if Amtrak was your oyster?
Somewhere in Texas to somewhere in California?
Or California to the Grand Canyon (and beyond?) or vice versa?
Thank you for any input and suggestions.

If you plan ahead, there are a lot of things to do and see in the LA area. And there are a lot of things to do and see if you don't plan ahead.

Plan ahead for this volunteer-run walking tour which runs Saturdays only:
https://www.laconservancy.org/tours-events/walking-tours/
A look into the grand movie palaces.

Or stop by during business hours to look at central L.A. architecture that may look vaguely familiar from multiple movies and television shows:

jojotravels · Sep 14, 2024

Thank you Zephyr17, I was in LA last month but just had four days there, four days Anaheim. There is a lot more I’d like to see and do in LA which is why I’m so keen to return.
Coming from the UK btw so am also hoping flight prices will be reasonable

.
I’m wondering, if I begin in South California then travel as you advise, where would I fly back to the uk from? Or shall I go further afield to another city and end there? So much to consider!

Thank you Trollopiian that is so funny! Darn, people are hard to please! Grand Teton - the mountains were blocking the sunset

Wow, Willbridge, thank you too, I didn’t see any of those places, though I did watch a movie at the iconic Chinese theatre. Really looking forward to seeing more.

zephyr17 · Sep 14, 2024

jojotravels said:
I’m wondering, if I begin in South California then travel as you advise, where would I fly back to the uk from? Or shall I go further afield to another city and end there? So much to consider!

Well, since, based on your post I had no idea whatsoever where you from or had to return to, though I doubted you were from Texas by your use of the term "spanner".

You can connect to the UK from almost any mid size or larger US city. Nonstops would tend to be only from larger cities. You could continue to Albuquerque on the SW Chief and catch a flight from there, though you'd have to connect at a larger hub such as Chicago, Dallas, or Atlanta. If you really wanted a nonstop, you could backtrack to Las Vegas, NV (note Las Vegas, NM on the SW Chief route is a very different place). There are plenty of nonstops to the UK from there.

Of course, you could always just go to Chicago on the SW Chief. That's a train I particularly enjoy, though some of that is due to my own history, having been lucky enough to have ridden the Super Chief. Chicago is a great city to visit with much to see and do. I particularly recommend the architecture tours.

diodotos · Sep 15, 2024

About visiting the Grand Canyon -- the North Rim is much less congested with tourists,vso something to consider would be arriving at the South Rim and taking the shuttle to the North Rim, and then staying at the North Rim. Shuttle rides to the North Rim and back would take you through amazing scenery for hours. The North Rim is closed several months from late fall through spring https://kaibablodge.com/rim-to-rim-...orth Rim Grand Canyon,the South and North Rim.

jojotravels · Sep 15, 2024

Thank you again, Zephyr17, how interesting that the word spanner gave me away!
I do really want to visit Chicago so shall look into including that, though I think time will very easily get away from me, this trip is wanting to be longer and longer.
Thank you Diodotos, I am planning a summer trip so that should work out well.

anilou · Sep 15, 2024

From LA you can go north or south on the Pacific Surfliner. San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, even Grover Beach are scenic spots.

Palmland · Sep 15, 2024

The options are endless so this may be more complicated than you want- Fly into Houston and catch the evening departure of the Sunset Limited (operates 3 days a week). Next day travel across the remote scenic southwest of NM and AZ to Tucson.

Spend the night at the older but nice Hotel Congress across from the station. The next day use Groome Transportation to plan your Arizona travel from Tucson to the red rocks of Sedona, Flagstaff, and Grand Canyon (you may have to change shuttles at PHX). Head for LA on the overnight Southwest Chief.

Alice · Sep 15, 2024

Lots of good answers above. If you want to see Yosemite, take the San Joaquin to Merced then catch the shuttle into the park. I recommend spending at least one night there. Besides several lodges, there are tents already set up. You can rent camping gear in the park. You can also stay outside the park at a hostel, Yosemite Bug. That is also a shuttle stop for both Amtrak and YARTS, the local transit.

A plus to the hostel is other visitors will talk with you and you can glean info about what to do and how to get there. Yosemite Bug also has a top notch cook, you can eat there or they'll pack a lunch to eat in the park. Food service in the park is ok, not particularly good. I sometimes stop at Yosemite Bug just for a good meal. Oh, one other thing. Food at the Ahwahnee is exceptional, priced high, and has a dress code. If you are planning on a Xmas trip, then look into their special meals. They vary, but there is a feast that Ansel Adam's started, and cooking classes with high end chefs

I'm biased so take my priority with a large helping of salt. Of the places on your list, I'd put Yosemite on top.

To get between southern and northern CA, the coast daylight is your train. Connect to a San Joaquin in Sac. In Northern CA, you'd catch the Zepher back to Chicago. There is a whole lot more to CA then LA and SF. There are numerous ways to do it in any direction. For clockwise vs counter clockwise, check time tables to get the best scenery during daylight.

Have fun?

MARC Rider · Sep 16, 2024

jojotravels said:
I’m wondering, if I begin in South California then travel as you advise, where would I fly back to the uk from? Or shall I go further afield to another city and end there? So much to consider!

If you can't drive or can'r get someone to drive for you, the places you can visit in North America are somewhat limited. Our dense, walkable cities with decent public transportation are:

Seattle, WA
Portland, CA
San Fransisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Denver, CO
Chicago, IL
New Orleans, LA
Washington, DC
Philadelphia, PA
New York, NY
Boston, MA

In Canada:
Vancouver, BC
Toronto, ON
Montreal, QC
Quebec City, QC

Even so, in most of these cities someone without a car is restricted to the older inner city. There are some cities with a good tourism business where day tours by bus or van might be available. For example, in San Fransisco, there are van tours that take one to Muir Woods to see the redwoods or the Napa Valley to see and sample from the wineries.

Also, remember that in most American cities, transit service is spotty at night, so be prepared to use Uber/Lyft/taxis on occasion.

Another alternative to see all of America between the cities is to take a group bus tour. It's not something that I've done a lot of, but, then I live here and have a car.

Trollopian · Sep 16, 2024

MARC Rider said:
If you can't drive or can'r get someone to drive for you, the places you can visit in North America are somewhat limited. Our dense, walkable cities with decent public transportation are:

Seattle, WA
Portland, CA
San Fransisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Denver, CO
Chicago, IL
New Orleans, LA
Washington, DC
Philadelphia, PA
New York, NY
Boston, MA

In Canada:
Vancouver, BC
Toronto, ON
Montreal, QC
Quebec City, QC

Even so, in most of these cities someone without a car is restricted to the older inner city. There are some cities with a good tourism business where day tours by bus or van might be available. For example, in San Fransisco, there are van tours that take one to Muir Woods to see the redwoods or the Napa Valley to see and sample from the wineries.

Also, remember that in most American cities, transit service is spotty at night, so be prepared to use Uber/Lyft/taxis on occasion.

Another alternative to see all of America between the cities is to take a group bus tour. It's not something that I've done a lot of, but, then I live here and have a car.

Loyal Yinzer here, adding Pittsburgh to your list! Compact, walkable, culturally and architecturally rich, and served by Amtrak's Capitol Limited (DC to Chicago) and Pennsylvanian (from Philadelphia). See https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/survey-the-10-most-beautiful-cities-in-the-us.80585/post-934702.

BlackDiamond · Sep 17, 2024

Portland Maine is a smaller walkable city and worth visiting. There is bus service available between the Transportation Center where Amtrak stops and the downtown area. There are probably other smaller cities that fit into this category.

railiner · Sep 17, 2024

MARC Rider said:
If you can't drive or can'r get someone to drive for you, the places you can visit in North America are somewhat limited. Our dense, walkable cities with decent public transportation are:

Seattle, WA
Portland, CA
San Fransisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Denver, CO
Chicago, IL
New Orleans, LA
Washington, DC
Philadelphia, PA
New York, NY
Boston, MA

In Canada:
Vancouver, BC
Toronto, ON
Montreal, QC
Quebec City, QC

Even so, in most of these cities someone without a car is restricted to the older inner city. There are some cities with a good tourism business where day tours by bus or van might be available. For example, in San Fransisco, there are van tours that take one to Muir Woods to see the redwoods or the Napa Valley to see and sample from the wineries.

Also, remember that in most American cities, transit service is spotty at night, so be prepared to use Uber/Lyft/taxis on occasion.

Another alternative to see all of America between the cities is to take a group bus tour. It's not something that I've done a lot of, but, then I live here and have a car.

You’re not including Baltimore?

Or Cleveland? Cincinnati? St. Louis? Miami?
Salt Lake City? Kansas City?
And many more…

Willbridge · Sep 18, 2024

railiner said:
You’re not including Baltimore?
Or Cleveland? Cincinnati? St. Louis? Miami?
Salt Lake City? Kansas City?
And many more…

I'd skip Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City on a first time visit due to the scheduled times in and out of those cities.

2017 - Cincinnati.

Bob Dylan · Sep 18, 2024

railiner said:
You’re not including Baltimore?
Or Cleveland? Cincinnati? St. Louis? Miami?
Salt Lake City? Kansas City?
And many more…

The Dallas/ Ft Worth Metroplex!

MARC Rider · Sep 18, 2024

railiner said:
You’re not including Baltimore?

I live there, and I would think that if you don't have a car, Baltimore is only good for a couple of days -- Walk around the Harbor/Fells Point/Canton, visit Fort McHenry, there are a few good museums (B&O Railroad, Walters Gallery, Baltimore Museum of Art, which does have the Cone Collection, if you like Matisse.), you can also take the light rail to Lake Roland (get off at Falls Road) if you want an outdoor adventure.

MARC Rider · Sep 18, 2024

As far as Miami, if you stay on the beach, you can get along pretty well without a car, but if you want to see more, the area really sprawls, and most of the transit is buses, so you're stuck in the same horrible traffic as everybody else with the added "bonus" of having to rely on their schedules, which may not always be convenient. Also, the Amtrak station is not located in a very convenient area, so you're stuck with a cab ride to get you where you're going, even if it's only to the rental car center at the airport.

zephyr17 · Sep 18, 2024

Bob Dylan said:
The Dallas/ Ft Worth Metroplex!

I used to have to travel on business to Dallas. The best I have to say about the place is "no comment".

Bob Dylan · Sep 18, 2024

zephyr17 said:
I used to have to travel on business to Dallas. The best I have to say about the place is "no comment".

Wouldn't want to live there, but they've done a great job with their Rail transit including DART,TRE and Texrail Express.

Traffic is horrible, so buses aren't the way to roll, but rail will take you all over the Metroplex.( except for Arlington thanks to Jerry Jones and the Texas Rangers raking in Parking Revenye!)

MARC Rider · Sep 19, 2024

Bob Dylan said:
The Dallas/ Ft Worth Metroplex!

There's really not much touristic to see in the Metroplex, unless you are from a foreign country and want to experience UberSprawl, but you really need a car to drive around for the authentic experience. Sure, we had a fun AU Gathering there riding the extensive rail transit, but we didn't see much else. If you're a tourist and want a good Urban Texas Experience, I highly recommend San Antonio, which actually has stuff you can do in the downtown like the Riverwalk, the Alamo and the urban Texas experience. But to really see the place, you're going to need a car, and San Antonio has lots of good Texas sprawl, so one doesn't need to go to Dallas. Also with a car, you can see the interesting rural stuff in that state, including the Hill Country, the Luling/Lockhart BBQ Corridor, the borderlands, and Big Bend. Or just drive through miles and miles of empty desert with not traffic at all.

Mary Stackhouse · Sep 19, 2024

anilou said:
From LA you can go north or south on the Pacific Surfliner. San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, even Grover Beach are scenic spots.

We live in the Pacific Surfliner country that runs through the tri-county area, known as the Gold Coast. It includes Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo (SLO) Counties. It gets more rural as you go north into wine country (Salinas is the agricultural center of the state) and SLO was named one of the happiest places on earth a few years back. We have mild weather, scenic beaches and friendly people. Highly recommend it and would love to meet you if you decide to take the trip. #rescuedpits4patriots on Instagram

DetroitTed · Sep 19, 2024

MARC Rider said:
I live there, and I would think that if you don't have a car, Baltimore is only good for a couple of days -- Walk around the Harbor/Fells Point/Canton, visit Fort McHenry, there are a few good museums (B&O Railroad, Walters Gallery, Baltimore Museum of Art, which does have the Cone Collection, if you like Matisse.), you can also take the light rail to Lake Roland (get off at Falls Road) if you want an outdoor adventure.

Depending on how many days you spend in Baltimore, you can always take a full day trip to DC and see many of the great sights/museums there ( and not have to pay DC hotel prices)

zetharion · Oct 6, 2024

Bob Dylan said:
The Dallas/ Ft Worth Metroplex!

As a North Texan, DFW was rightfully left off the list. DART isn't public transportation, its a mobile homeless motel. Texas is about as anti public transport as you can get in the U.S. in my experience. Anything touristy you would want to see basically requires a car to get there and that's by design unfortunately. I REALLY wish Texas city designers would do more dense cities versus the massive sprawl that is preferred at the moment.

Trip suggestions please (Texas, California, Grand Canyon?)

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