An American Honeymoon - East and West Coast
Replies: 40 - Last Post: Sep 20, 2012 4:05 PM Last Post By: kenko
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... honestly I think I'd rather be anywhere BUT Yosemite Valley between Memorial Day and Labor Day.Fair enough ... not experienced it at peak times.
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When it comes to food I'm kind of a red neck, much more in the vein of Guy Fieri than haute cuisine, but if I went looking for fine food in NYC the terms I'd google first would be- Emeril Lagasse
- Bobby Flay
- Kobe Beef
As for fine hotels in NYC my first thought is Times Square because it's so close to the shows and not terribly far from the artsy cinemas of Greenwhich village.
If you are going to be there on July 4th you might prefer to book something where you can see the fireworks (very precisely coordinated to classical music btw.)
You said you love the ocean. Despite NYC's coastal location it's not really an ocean town. You could venture to Coney Island or whatever but that's kid of off the beaten path for 4-5 day visitors.
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If you're going the celebrity chef route, in xNYC stop at Craft.For romance, take a look at this thread.
Since you can't make it to the xSouth, stop at either Daisy May's or Dinosaur for barbecue.
Oh, and while you're contemplating all that wine you'll drink out west, consider stopping into Takara in xBerkeley for sake.
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Congratulations!For your 3 California destinations I'd suggest taking a look at:
(for Napa Valley) Relais du Soleil; Vintage Inn; Harvest Inn; Hotel Yountville.
(for The City) Hotel Drisco; Hotel Vitale; Mandarin Oriental.
(for Big Sur) The Post Ranch Inn. (Go for it!)
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Guys, thank you so much for the spirited responses! All of them have been incredibly helpful. There seems to be some differences of opinion on the whole Napa Vs. The Other Wine Regions. Is it safe to assume that Napa tends to be far more expensive than the other, lesser known places?From what everyone has said it looks like we're better off weighting our 14-16 day trip in favour of the West Coast, with 4 nights in NY plenty of time to get everything done.
We're going to rent a car, and would lik to get something kinda fun, either an American Classic or a top of the range sports car (im thinking a Maserati). Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to look for these, and how much we can expect to pay?
Lastly, if we look at driving from San Fran to LA (with breaks inbetween), how many days should we be looking at setting aside simply for driving?
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Is it safe to assume that Napa tends to be far more expensive than the other, lesser known places?
Yes.But xNapa is also a big foodie place, so I don't think you should skip it.
would lik to get something kinda fun, either an American Classic or a top of the range sports car
how much we can expect to pay?
"Through the nose."how much we can expect to pay?
$150 per day would not be unusual.
(Plus, added fees for mandatory insurance, etc. See FAQ 146.)
if we look at driving from San Fran to LA (with breaks inbetween), how many days should we be looking at setting aside simply for driving?
The coastal drive is usually done in about 2-3 days.
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Hey kenko - can you please stop using the "The City" conceit to describe San Francisco? Not everybody who lives outside that tawdry little peninsula will know what you mean, cute as it is!And OP - not top of the range - but Americana. A friend of mine rented a Mustang Convertible from LA to Vancouver BC, and he thought the price was very reasonable - cheaper than some straight sedans. Can't provide a reference however. And yes - two nights on the road between SF and LA is pretty good.
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I just did a quick search for top-end sports cars for rates next July for about 10-11 random days. The cheapest rate for a sports car was about $250/day. It's about the same here.25
And a maserati will run in excess of $500 a day at Club Sportiva in San Francisco. You can also take a look at the menu of Exotic Car Rentals, or your hotel concierge can help you out.As a wine region, Napa is more expensive than some of California's other wine regions due to the
influence of the San Francisco Bay Area's high-paying tech industry. However, I think any serious
epicurean should not miss dining at some of the restaurants in the Napa Valley-- they are some of the
best in California. I don't know if you are aware of the Zagat Guidebooks to restaurants and hotels.
You really should have them to help plan your honeymoon.
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Napa is very expensive, I would skip it, tasting fees start at about $15. Sonoma is nice, but I really like some of the reds they are doing at a few of the wineries in the Paso Robles area.For driving the coast, yes at least two nights, I prefer 3 staying in Monterey or Carmel (Carmel is more romantic), Cambria or Pismo Beach, and Santa Barbara.
Have a great trip and best wishes to you both.
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If you want a fun car that wont break the bank, then get a Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro or Dodge Challenger, thought the Dodge is not very comfy IMO for hours on a road trip. A Chrysler 300 or a Caddy XTS is also fun, or even a Dodge Charger. Hertz has a premium collection that rents all sorts of nice cars from Range Rovers to BMW's. But not all location have the prestige collection cars, usually the airports are best, city agencies tend to be cramped for space.A Ford Mustang V6 is $65, the GT with the V8 is $150, as is the Challenger and the Caddy.
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Ian, my friend- I've lived in California most of my life- now in the Sierra Nevada. Because so many peoplein "NorCal" call San Francisco "The City" I use the local lingo. Contextually, I think people can infer what
the term means. It's even in Wikipedia. Sometimes I use it just cause it's quicker to type. So, I hope you
can overlook this transgression.
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If wine tasting were the only consideration, I'd agree with skipping Napa. But it's not.I think any serious epicurean should not miss dining at some of the restaurants in the Napa Valley-- they are some of the best in California.
In the country.Sonoma, for the most part, is like Napa. Tastings are still expensive, and there are just as likely to be large crowds at the better known places.
