NationWide Road trip

[DavidGartner]

Hello,

 

Im getting a new car in September, but im getting it in Toronto, Canada. My uncle is going to Co-sign so i have to fly up there and get it and drive it back down to California.

 

I was thinking though, I should make it a major road trip and use it to see the coolest major cities across the US.

 

Through, Detroit, CHicago, Idianapolis, NYC, New Jersey, down through Florida.. miami, orlando, ft. lauderdale, through Lousianna, Texas, arizona etc etc.

 

I will have a laptop with me with wireless internet, posting on m4m the estimated times of arrival so I could take time and see clients that have always asked if id be in there city.

 

How cool is this Idea, Im so excited!! what a road trip and an excuse to see and experience different cities!

[Guest fukamarine]

>I was thinking though, I should make it a major road trip and

>use it to see the coolest major cities across the US.

>

>Through, Detroit, CHicago, Idianapolis, NYC, New Jersey, down

>through Florida.. miami, orlando, ft. lauderdale, through

>Lousianna, Texas, arizona etc etc.

 

Don't want to sound picky but........... I don't think I'd include Detroit on a list of America's coolest cities.

 

And if you are starting from Toronto and intend to hit Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis - then back to NYC - it's a rather roundabout route. If you're on the east coast, it would be a shame to miss Washington DC and Boston!

 

fukamarine

 

 

>

>I will have a laptop with me with wireless internet, posting

>on m4m the estimated times of arrival so I could take time and

>see clients that have always asked if id be in there city.

>

>How cool is this Idea, Im so excited!! what a road trip and an

>excuse to see and experience different cities!

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Are We There Yet?

 

That is actually a great idea, David.

 

You might want to check out this link and this video tape (and everyone else may want to as well, it is by the same film makers who did Common Threads, the Times of Harvey Milk and some other great films): http://www.tellingpictures.com/films/3.html

 

If you are not already a member of AAA, I would join before you leave, for the piece of mind of the roadside assistance, but also because they will, for free, send you maps and plan your trip for you, telling you the best ways to travel, the quickest, how to get to particular places of interest, and more importantly, they find out if there is planned road construction and how to avoid it. When I moved to Atlanta from California and when I drove back in 2001, I drove and AAA was a great help.

 

One other thing: if the car has a CD player or a tape deck, bring plenty of music to listen to, radio stations in vast parts of this nation can be limited to religious, country or bad talk radio.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

http://www.gaydar.co.uk/francodisantis

[DavidGartner]

yea, i jus forgot to mention Washington DC , but that was also on the agenda. Yea.. maybe you're right about Detroit.. its just a rough idea .. still working it out etc. but im excited

[DavidGartner]

RE: Are We There Yet?

 

Hey,

 

Well that is definitely good advice.. Ive done that before, forgot to bring music.. and was hoping to rely on radio. In some areas I was noticing there wasnt even any signals. I also am trying to find a friend that would drive down with me.. maybe even 2. Extra drivers are never turned away. Its gonna add about 10, 000 miles to the car but all and all well worth it.

 

Keep the opinions coming, I find it interesting to listen to. Thanks for keeping with my enthusiasm

 

David xo

[Huey]

RE: Are We There Yet?

 

David forget the extra CDs ... purchase XM Radio. In fact, many new cars come XM ready now. Here is their website

http://www.xmradio.com

[larbord]

I don't mean to take exception to what you say, and I agree that Detroit may not be the coolest city, but the people who live here in the Detroit area are very cool. I would give it a try.

[VaHawk]

RE: Are We There Yet?

 

Well, I think your idea is a good one, and that you will have an experience that you will always treasure in later years. How much time did you have in mind for your journey as that would have an impact on which routes, etc you will need to follow?

 

If you can find a friend to share the driving that would be excellent! as driving alone can lead to monotony which leads to drowsiness which leads to a more dangerous journey in regards to safety. It also will allow you to make better time between cities you want to visit, as you can take turns resting and driving.

 

You sound like you have a roundabout journey in mind, but if you have the time, why not go for it, including Detroit if it interests you, as you may never be back that way again. Once you leave Chicago you can easily hook down to I70 which will take you thru Indianapolis and Columbus OH thru Wheeling WV into Pennsylvania and western Maryland and you could stop at DC first and then go up to NYC or you may want to opt to go up thru Cleveland into Pittsburgh and across to NYC and then work south.

 

The AAA trip ticket that Franco suggested is a good idea. In addition to that, when you are approaching one of the cities on your to do list and especially if you have a hotel destination in mind, I would suggest that you logon to http://www.mapquest.com and they will give you very detailed directions to your destination plus estimated travel time.

 

I have driven coast to coast across the USA 7 times, so for what its worth:

1. You will feel the pain (no matter how young you are) after the

first day, which also seems like the longest, but by the 3rd

day it is a breeze

2. Unless you're in a big hurry, especially if alone, I would

suggest that 10 hrs driving per day be the limit

3. Make sure your spare tire is inflated to the correct pressure

4. Buy a good first aid kit and a good roadside emergency kit

that includes flares, have jumper cables as you never know

5. A credit card/cell phone are great to have in case of

emergencies

6. Pack a blanket, flashlight, a thermos for coffee and a good

cooler to hold cold drinks, water, and food

7. If you have just a little need, but not urgent need to

go, then stop and use the rest area, as some of the

states have several miles between rest stops

8. Definitely have your own music - don't rely on the radio

some of those states have very poor reception and you

find that you have to listen to hillbilly or gospel

or even worse just static

9. If there is a parallel route (e.g. I95 and US 1) and

you have the time take the parallel route at times as

it is more interesting than the interstates that all

look the same

 

As far as great cities you might want to consider:

1. NYC as I know you will do

2. NJ Turnpike - stop in Philadelphia

3. 95S - definitely stop in Baltimore - if you get a chance

spend some time at the inner harbor, especially the National

Aquarium - it is awesome

4. I would suggest 95S/US 1 the rest of the way to Florida as

that will take you thru DC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA,

Ft. Lauderdale/Miami - the Florida Keys are great if you have

the time

5. I would then go across Florida to pick up I10 as that will

take you thru Mobile AL, Meridian MS, New Orleans, Houston,

San Antonio, El Paso, Las Cruces NM, Phoenix AZ into LA

 

Didn't mean to be so windy, but I hope you got some pointers and HAVE A GREAT TIME!!

 

BTW: DUH, if you stop in DC, I would love to get with you!

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Are We There Yet?

 

>3. Make sure your spare tire is inflated

>to the correct pressure

 

Haven't you seen his pics? He hasn't got one.

[Matt_Vancouver]

what about the Canadian cities?

 

Since you are coming up here to get your car, why not see some of our country as well? I know we ain't got much, but there are some gems.

Montreal.... a must, Quebec city, one of the oldest cities in North America and truely a site to behold. Toronto... well you'll already be there, and it's basically an American style city anyways.

West coast... Vancouver... hello, have you seen it??

now between toronto and Vancouver... well a lot of wheat fields, then some amazing mountains a few cities with about a thousand miles between them, but not much else... so my suggestion: ) Like you asked.

start in Toronto, go through Ottawa (our version of DC) then on to Montreal, Quebec City, down the eastern coast to Boston, NY Dc if you like, then head west young man, Chicago(love it) then your on your own through the square states, then Seattle, Vancouver then wherever it is you live; )

Just a suggestion

Matt(AAA 5 star rating)

[Guest gentle guy]

David,

 

That sounds like a really great idea! :9

 

I also agree that you should get a membership in AAA or CAA--the maps, tourbooks, and emergency services will be invaluable!

 

One other suggestion. Depending on how and where one accesses information about you, there is a different email address. I think I have come across at least three. If you're going to be on the road, you need to use--and advertise--only one. Otherwise, you might miss some important (or interesting) emails.

 

Good luck!

[DavidGartner]

Deleted message

 

No message

[DavidGartner]

RE: what about the Canadian cities?

 

>Since you are coming up here to get your car, why not see

>some of our country as well? I know we ain't got much, but

>there are some gems.

>Montreal.... a must, Quebec city, one of the oldest cities in

>North America and truely a site to behold. Toronto...

 

 

 

Well Actually I never thought about that, yea I might do that, ive been to montreal etc, but hey hey it is a really amazing city. Definitely will give that some thought now, thanks for the advice

[Funseeker 22]

Hey David,

Don`t want to sound like a wet blanket but remember that cars have to meet the Calif emissions standards criteria in order to be registered.

Hopefully this won`t present a problem but you might want to confirm it first.

If it all works your trip sounds great.

[JamesK840]

I don't think that emissions are a big thing anymore. Used to be you'd have to pay a big fine, but they were forced to refund all those.

 

That's not to say there will not be significant customs and tax problems though! I hope you're looking into this already David.

[Matt_Vancouver]

California Emission standards

 

I think all passenger vehicles sold in Canada, must meet California emission standards by law. So that shouldn't be a concern.

But taxes and duties on a major purchase will be a concern.

Matt(no taxes or duty charged)

[Guest soccerstud]

RE: California Emission standards

 

And I can testify from personal experience that Matt knows all about California emissions.

 

(Great time with Matt last week in Palm Springs. Review to follow!)

[Matt_Vancouver]

RE: California Emission standards

 

>And I can testify from personal experience that Matt knows

>all about California emissions.

 

yeah I seem to remember having to examine your tailpipe, a few times: )

Matt(nocturnal emission generator)

[Guest soccerstud]

RE: California Emission standards

 

Yeah, Matt--

Your dipstick was incredible.

 

Can't wait to pull the car in for another lube job.

[DavidGartner]

RE: California Emission standards

 

Hey about emissions.. yea it might pose a problem to me.. lets say IF i was registering the car IN California.. remember here.. im just visiting the USA.. *wink* not living here hehe

[Guest Utopia]

RE: California Emission standards

 

David if you take delivery of a vehicle in another state you do not have to pay tax again in California. I am not certain about from another Country. You can simply call the DMV to find out the specifics. Regarding emissions California used to charge a 300. fee. The courts found this was illegal and therefore they no longer can charge this "out of state smog fee." In fact they had to refund hundreds of millions of dollars during the past 3 years to those who filed a claim.

[JamesK840]

RE: California Emission standards

 

That's true, you can just leave it registered 'out of state' (country, if that Canada thing really is a separate country... ;o) but you'll probably also have to keep your insurance and license out of state as well. This can get annoying.

 

Also, an out of state tag will get you more attention from the cops, an out of country tag even more so. And there may come a point when they insist you prove you're 'just visiting', which can be very hard if any of the above things are from in-state providers, you have an in-state address on file, an in-state employer, or you've been stopped a second time.

 

Then again, no tag at all doesn't attract much attention in California, as long as it is a new car. It's not unusual for it to take 3 to 6 months to get your tags. Just make sure your registration is taped to the front window... maybe they won't notice it's Canadian...

 

Yeah, I think the refund of the $300 environmental impact fee was the end of emissions requirements for new cars.

[Flower]

RE: California Emission standards

 

The best advise here is to call DMV rather than take as fact all that we are saying--if you are even concerned about what California law is:+

 

HOWEVER, you need to own the vehicle in the other state or foreign country at least 90 days while you were a RESIDENT of that state or country, to avoid Sales or use tax--otherwise you are legally required to pay USE (same as Sales tax, but meant to get you when you bought it out of state:( tax when you bring it in; and regardless, will have to pay California's newly inflated License fees IF registered here.

 

If you don't register it here, you will be taking a chance on fines and penalties if caught, but probaby won't be unless you get at least 2 tickets several months apart :+

[Huey]

RE: California Emission standards

 

Flower do you happen to have the VC for the tax liability? My understanding has been, as mentioned elsewhere, there is none if you do not register the vehicle in California . And once you do you'll only be subject to the license fee and need to present a smog certificate.

[DavidGartner]

RE: California Emission standards

 

Hey, hmm, well Here is what im exactly planning to do. Buy the car in Canada.. and im giving my friends address using it as my own for insurance purposes.. I already have my Ontario License.. and honestly between you and me guys.. I have had 4 tickets already in california driving a friends car.. and well they .. it didnt affect my Ontario License.. but it did affect the CALI ID card I had.. they were like ohh.. you're a resident.. so they attached the tickets on to the cali ID card.. and so IF i decided to get the License I would already have tickets.. thats why im getting the car in canada.. casue it would be too hard trying to take care of all that with no car at hand.. I couldnt get to the courts etc.. but if i get it in canada.. my driving record is perfect

 

OH and im sticking to my original statement of "im just visiting officer" lol but you're right I better not get pulled over in Cali... becasue i was renting a car for a bit on my ONT license. and the cops pulled me over and took the car from me. lol yea yea shh im doing my best! im a racer what can i say *blush*