Road tripping from Dallas to SF. Advice?
August 20, 2006 1:45 PM   Subscribe

Road tripping from Dallas to San Francisco. Possibly stopping in Vegas. What should I expect? What should I do in SF?

My friend accepted a job in San Francisco and needs to get his car there.

Next Monday I'm flying to Dallas (from New Orleans), driving with him to San Francisco, then flying back to New Orleans possibly Tuesday of the next week.

I'd really just like to know how long we should expect it to take, what should we see/do along the way, and would it be way out the way to stop by in Vegas?

When we get to SF, what should we do / see?

Also, one MAJOR thing I'm concerned about is this: on Sunday night 9/3 (day before labor day), is our Fantasy Football draft. How hard will it be to find an internet connection in SF?
posted by andrewdunn to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)
 
You can probably do the drive in two semi-long days or three not-too-bad days. So you have lots of extra time. Looking at google maps, Vegas will only add on an extra hour or two of drive time.

It's easy to find internet in San Francisco. Lots of coffee shops offer it; if you don't have a computer with wifi, you'll have to look a little harder, but it's still not too difficult. Where I would recommend you go depends on the neighborhood you'd be staying in. Do you need to do your internet stuff at night?

What there is to see depends on what kind of things you like doing. If you like pretty nature stuff I would advise you to go up to Muir Woods; depending on where in San Francisco you're staying it's 25-60 minutes away and it's a very pleasant redwood forest to hike around in.

Be warned: Traffic in San Francisco will probably be all kinds of messed up on Labor Day weekend; they are closing the Bay Bridge out of the city (you won't have trouble getting into the city).
posted by aubilenon at 2:27 PM on August 20, 2006


Response by poster: Thanks that could be a critical piece of info (about the bridge).

For the first several days we'd probably staying in a hotel outside of SF while he searches for an apartment.
posted by andrewdunn at 2:31 PM on August 20, 2006


If you could I'd make the Dallas to say Albuquerque leg in one day. It's kind of long, but totally doable. The next day you could do Albuquerque to Vegas no problem.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:20 PM on August 20, 2006


Well, you'll be passing right by the Grand Canyon -- I promise you, if you haven't been there before, you don't want to miss the chance. Hoover Dam and Death Valley are both worthwhile stops near LV. And if you're almost to SF with a day to spare, why not skip the boring I-5, cut across to the coast at San Luis Obispo or so, and drive up glorious highway 1 to Big Sur?
posted by escabeche at 3:50 PM on August 20, 2006


Unless you're a big fan of theme parks and shopping malls, I'd avoid Vegas like the plague. I second the skip I-5 and go to Big Sur suggestion, beautiful drive.
posted by doctor_negative at 4:44 PM on August 20, 2006


Expect to leave at least $500 in Vegas, unless you have a lot more self control than most people do.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 4:50 PM on August 20, 2006


No, stick with Vegas! The Grand Canyon is among the most majestic expressions of America's natural environment, and the Las Vegas Strip is among the most majestic expressions of America's artifical environment. They go together!

(And: I can't prove I'm not most people, but it was quite easy for me to bet $20 at a table, lose it, realize I'd just lost $20 in about half a second, and move on. Las Vegas is really about the spectacle, not the gambling.)
posted by escabeche at 5:09 PM on August 20, 2006


How hard will it be to find an internet connection in SF? Breathe in. Now breathe out. That's the difficulty level of finding an open wifi network in San Francisco.

From my couch along I can see eight that are broadcasting their SSIDs. They not all open, but some are.

Basically the city is blanketed in wifi networks, and if you can't find a free one then you're not trying. :)
posted by smallerdemon at 6:20 PM on August 20, 2006


I say go to Vegas as well. I second escabeche that the spectacle is definitely worth it if you've never been. When I drove from Missouri to Seattle (via Albuquerque and Vegas, don't ask) it was a bit too early for the Grand Canyon so I went to Meteor Crater. There will be signs off the interstate telling you which exit to take. I thought it was cool. It's maybe 2 hrs max unless you take one of the hikes around it.
posted by sevenless at 10:43 PM on August 20, 2006


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