USA - never been before

[ChrisJ]

1 hour ago, Tony K said:

By Uni of Ohio, do you mean Ohio University, in Athens?

Yes, planning on two nights in each university town and then a couple of days meandering between them. 

Did notice that there is a University of Miami in Ohio - did it get lost

 

[ChrisJ]

Right, flights booked with BA - LHR to BWI. Used up one of my Executive Club Vouchers, bought 20000 Avios points and it then cost me 55000 points plus £200.

First night booked close to the airport, and a Dodge Challenger (or similar) booked for the duration of the trip. My car hire insurance is world wide.

ETSA approved - thought that there might be an issue with this as my daughter was not born in the UK - but it took a couple of hours.

My daughter has added a couple of universities onto the list, so we are going for slightly longer, and there won't be many extra nights - however, the maximum distance is from Bellamine back to Washington, and I've allowed a couple of days for this.

I think the route is going to be

1. Baltimore
2. Lock Haven
3. Niagara Falls (tourist)
4. Kent State
5. University of Ohio - Athens
6. University of Miami in Ohio 
7. Ballamine University, Louisville Kentucky
8. Washington DC (tourist)
9. Baltimore

Due to the shortish (US standards) distances to travel between each place, I'd like to avoid the interstates if possible, also the cities. I've got Route 555 down do to for 4 to 5. Any other suggestions would be more than welcome.

Got to up my Travel Insurance as I removed the USA from it at last renewal 🤦‍♂️ That will be on tomorrow's list.

 

[Tony K]

If you want to see something eerie and cool, check out the near ghost town of Rendville, a little north of Athens, when you leave Athens to head for Univ. of Miami.   As a coal mining town, at its peak more than 100 years ago, Rendville had a population of over 800 people; today, only about 28 people live there.  Most of the buildings still stand, empty, silently decaying.  A ghost town in the making. 

A bit to the west is another near ghost town, Shawnee.   Another coal mining town with a tiny fraction of its former population, but probably not as "intact" as Rendville, as I think many of the structures in Shawnee have been torn down.  Any of the routes you take from Athens to Oxford (Miami Univ.) are going to be enjoyable and scenic.  But also watch out for deer.

[Tony K]

Better yet, if you like nature, check out Old Man's Cave at Hocking Hills State Park.  For scale, look at the people in the first and last photos below.  Once again, any of the roads you can take between Ohio Univ. and Miami Univ. are a scenic treat.  Here is the official website for the park so you can check the hours, etc.:  https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/hocking-hills-state-park

[Tony K]

Follow up to the post above:  Really, you can't go wrong with Hocking Hills State Park;  you practically drive right past it on your way from Athens to Oxford, and the roads are great: 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ohio+University,+Athens,+OH/Old+Man's+Cave,+Logan,+OH/Miami+University,+East+High+Street,+Oxford,+OH/@39.3352188,-84.6974385,8z/data=!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x884873b8be8408b3:0x6bb364a37449e7f6!2m2!1d-82.1013889!2d39.324358!1m5!1m1!1s0x8847eb863357459d:0x7db0a623870bde68!2m2!1d-82.5429533!2d39.4331726!1m5!1m1!1s0x884022c4d025ec71:0xfce7a4ae2c12bf0f!2m2!1d-84.7344915!2d39.5087485!3e0?entry=ttu

 

[ChrisJ]

Great info thanks 

The route has had to have a huge change as we need to go visit Long Island University and La Salle as well - both added on yesterday. However open days & times don't make this a simple change - i.e. I pick up a car at BWI @ 10:00, the only time La Salle has is at 12:00 - then nothing for 4 days, so instead of being an easy 1st stop, it is now having to be last, and Long Island is 1st - we will visit NYC which wasn't initially planned - so not all bad.

Still managing to fit in Niagara and Washington DC, but it is more rushed now with very little slack, one long drive from NYC to Niagara, and the Miami to Lock Haven being split into a two day drive. 

Which is the bit of Route 555 were you recommending in an earlier post?

We can definitely Include all of the above, which look like great places to visit and as you say are on the route - which looks like this now - not the simple circle I was initially envisaging. Ohio & La Salle were both PITA as regards open days.

[Timbotucker]

Nothing wrong with using Interstates, just occasionally you’ll get road works and bottlenecks, just like our motorway system, just don’t use the truck stops 😬.

Double down on that health/travel insurance, I can’t stress enough how important that is in the US. From personal experience with using it numerous times, make sure the policy is from a known company and if possible from a recommendation.

Like previously mentioned, stay away from big city centres, if you want to do the tourist thing in a city, stop in a good hotel, in a known location.

Overall the US isn’t hard to navigate, the language issue helps, unless you have a strong accent 😁, and talk quickly like my wife……she gets mistaken for an Oz all the time.

[ChrisJ]

Well the route has all changed again, and is a much simpler route as we have knocked 3 unis on the head. It is now fixed as:

• Baltimore
• University of Ohio, Athens
• Niagara Falls
• Lock Haven University
• Long Island University
• La Salle University
• Washington DC

3 nights at Niagara, 4 nights on Long Island - and have just booked to go and see Spamalot and an NBA game while in NY.

Unfortunately I only discovered late last week that there is a full eclipse over Niagara a week after we are there ... damn. Everything is now booked, so too late to rearrange ... double damn. Will get a 90% while on Long Island, but it would have been nice to experience a full one though. Annoyingly, my daughter knew, but didn't mention it.

[ChrisJ]

Not got a Dodge Challenger

Alamo tried to palm me off with a luxury car, so an Audi. I held out for a Sporty car as paid for. Ended up with a Mustang - but not the V8, which is very annoying. Seen a couple of Challengers so far, much better looking car.

[ChrisJ]

This being advertised on TV here

https://www.buildsubmarines.com/aukus

Don't hear anything about it in the UK.

 

 

[stevensr34]

It's been huge news in Australia for two years now... most consider it costing far too much, with benefits only apparent in decades to come...by which time priorities will have changed.

[ChrisJ]

We heard about it right at the start, since then nothing. There have been TV ads about it on every night during the NCAA basketball while we have been here in the USA.