Going to the States

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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

Twiztid Elf wrote:Wow, you picked a great NFL game to go to Agony.
Tell us all about it then. :)
Fucking amazeballs! What a great bloody game :up:

If you watched the game, you'll know how good the GAME was. But the atmosphere and crowd was phenomenal. I honestly had my doubts going to Candlestick Park (built as a baseball stadium afterall), we were seated in the lower box section 2, on an angle but still a great view of the field. The crowd was excellent, full of people happy to be there, making lots of noise getting behind the 49ers. It was electric and i kept getting goose bumps throughout the game. Management of the event was smooth as butter and everything was simply 'easy'.

I've been to a rugby league grand final where my team won, but it has nothing on the game today. The vibe around San Fran regarding the team is excellent, so much for those laughing when I mentioned 49ers & playoffs :lol:

I did get some photos and a couple of short vids, will share when I get back. Its a shame our sporting events weren't put together this well.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by mech »

Did everyone see how cheap Qantas is to go to the US atm?

I scored a $1436 return flight to San Fran from Melbourne - $1349 to LA.

Sale's on for another couple of days or so.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by westical »

Yeah. It sucks.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by mech »

I'd actually bought a more expensive flight a couple of days beforehand, but because I was using a voucher towards it, it hadn't gone through yet. Rang up and asked if they could adjust the credit card charge before it went through - and they did! Kudos to you Qantas.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

On the way back, at LAX now sitting in the Alaska Airlines Boardroom enjoying some drinks. Nice way to spend a connection :D
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

So what's everyones thoughts on the NFC divisional playoffs? Just got tickets for the 1st game in SF :up:
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Re: Going to the States

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Nobody will beat the Packers.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

Completely agree, but the atmosphere was so intense at the 49ers v Giants I can't wait to be at their first playoff game!
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

Uuuggggghhhhhh......so full. Just had my first experience of traditional Chicago Deep Dish pizz at Lou Malnati's. So good. but so full.

Oh yeah, anyone else here been to Chicago? People are just so damn nice :up:
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Mavy »

So going to be in the states in August after going through Peru and Central America on some tours.

Headng to Orlando from Cancun so I can check out Disney World and Universal for a few days, then to Washington DC, Toronto (for Niagra Falls) and will then fly to Vegas.

I'm thinking about renting a car and driving through death valley and Yosemite to San Francisco.

Is there anything I should know about renting a car over there. Should I make sure my travel insurance has the right inclusions? Any recommendations on who I should rent with? I'm an RACV member not sure if they provide any discounts or not.

Will do the trip over 4 or 5 days and will have a couple days in San Francisco before flying home.

Looking forward to it. Only 5 more months till I fly out!
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Talez »

Mavy wrote:I'm thinking about renting a car and driving through death valley and Yosemite to San Francisco.
Las Vegas to SF is a 9 and a half hour drive. Taking a detour to Death Valley will be 11 and a half hours. Yosemite will take it up to 13. It'll cost you more in fuel (about $75-80) than it will to fly (~$59) and if there's a clusterfuck on I-5 you'll be there even longer. BART runs all the way from SFO to the city or you can take a cab or rent a car from SFO.
Is there anything I should know about renting a car over there. Should I make sure my travel insurance has the right inclusions? Any recommendations on who I should rent with? I'm an RACV member not sure if they provide any discounts or not.
Hotwire is a good place to find absolute lowest price. Parking in SF is an absolute pain in the ass and often costs money. You probably need CDW and TPP for insurance at the very least. Using your travel insurance sometimes is possible (and will include excess coverage) but you will need to pay the money on the spot and claim it back later (minus the excess). Think about using Zipcar if you want to get around SF cheaper than renting a car and easier than taking BART/MUNI. They come with insurance and don't require you to have CDW/TPP.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Mavy »

Um you did read where I said I would do it over 4 or 5 days didn't you? :)
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Talez »

Missed that.

That being said, book your hotels for the CA state parks now. August is peak camping/vacation season and the parks get extraordinarily busy along with nearby hotels and lodges.

But doing it over 4-5 days is a good idea. You might want to also pencil in Big Sur as well which would be a smallish detour from 101 which you'll probably be going along heading to SF when you swap over from I-5.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Kangawallaby »

Hey gents,

Just wondering if anyone can give me a tip on which part of town on New York to actually stay at ?
The City is massive I know, but anyone had any good experinces in any specific part of town ?

The wife and I are planning a 4 week trip at the end of October.
I have a work conference in Orlando for a week and then we will continue on for 4 more after that starting in New York for 7 nights.

Thanks
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Re: Going to the States

Post by KillKen »

Lucky son of a...
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Re: Going to the States

Post by mech »

I stayed in mid-town and found it was great - quiet, but close to everything.

Stayed here - it was cheap, big rooms, great view out to the water, and near a subway station.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review ... _York.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

Kangawallaby wrote:Hey gents,

Just wondering if anyone can give me a tip on which part of town on New York to actually stay at ?
The City is massive I know, but anyone had any good experinces in any specific part of town ?

The wife and I are planning a 4 week trip at the end of October.
I have a work conference in Orlando for a week and then we will continue on for 4 more after that starting in New York for 7 nights.

Thanks
I've stayed in both Times Square (in a hotel for a week) and Chelsea (in a studio apartment for 2 weeks). If you're going for awhile, checkout http://www.airbnb.com/. You can find apartments in great locations all around Manhattan and better value than a hotel.

We stayed on 20th Street in Chelsea, between 7th & 8th Ave. Personally, I preferred it over the hotel. Felt much more ingrained with the NYC community and almost like a resident :up:. Also placed close to 2 major subway lines (make use of the subway if you really want to see the city) and Chelsea & West Village hav heaps of eateries, cafes and bars.

Here's another link for Manhattan.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Mavy »

I booked some ratfest a couple blocks from Penn Station and the Empire State Building. Looking at that airbnb site I wonder if I should cancel it and book a room with someone?

Would probably save about $100 but I wonder how much extra hassle it would be for just two nights.

I've rented a car to drive between Las Vegas and San Francisco via death valley and Yosemite. Still not sure about the whole left hand drive thing though.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by Talez »

Mavy wrote:Still not sure about the whole left hand drive thing though.
It's a bit disconcerting at first but all of the Interstates and major state routes (At least LV to SF, I-10, SR-58 and I-5, I-580, I-80) are dual carriageways. Unless you go driving across medians you're not going to end up on the wrong side of the road on a long trip.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by pilonv1 »

It's not that big a deal since everyone is doing it, with traffic around you'll be fine.. It only becomes a problem when you're on empty roads. Twice when I was in Hawaii I turned out of a park onto the wrong side of the road. Luckily there was no one else around and I noticed it after a second or so.
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

Driven 2 times in the US. Feel iffy for the first few hours (but that's probably because I was driving in LA), but fine with no problem afterwards. Also, get a GPS!
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Re: Going to the States

Post by General Chaos »

Flying out on a whim to San Fran on the 28th.

Got tix to 49ers v Chargers, final pre season game which should be pretty Rad (49ers away at Greenbay for 1st round thus have to settle for pre season).
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Re: Going to the States

Post by AgOnNy »

Awesome :up: Let me know if you need any tips!
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mech
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Re: Going to the States

Post by mech »

How long are you here for?

Catching up with me and/or Talez for a drink? :D
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Re: Going to the States

Post by mech »

Also, whim, wtf? :)
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