road trip from LA to Chicago

[c33]

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I'm planning on moving from LA to Chicago for school in July, so I figured I might as well make it a road trip. What are some sights/cities that i should definitely hit? Or are there any resources/books that are helpful in planning the trip?

any help appreciated! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[zealous]

If you or anyone you know has AAA they can give you free maps and tour guides/books. They also have a trip planning service that will help you pick the route you take depending on what you want to see. Best part is, it's free with your membership. If you don't have membership just tag along with someone who does. Have fun!!

 

[Vdawg]

there are a ton of great places you can hit... but be careful about leaving your stuff unattended, it could get stolen and then you would be real pissed when med school starts!!

 

[johnM]

From someone who has made about a half dozen cross-country road trips...

Hopefully you are a member of AAA. Go to the office near you and ask them to make you a trip-tik for you trip. They will make is for you, and help you pick which way you want to go if you need any help. it will list mileage, note cities, campsites, hotels, food, gas, etc.
Also get a map of the US, and of cities that you are planning to spend any time in, as well as their "Tourbooks" for each of the states that you may pass through, and Campbooks if you are planning on any camping. all of this is free, and will have descriptions of restaurants, hotels, campsite, sites, etc.

 

[steiner19er]

if you are in southern illinois go to Metropolis. The only claim to fame (besides high unemployment) is the gigantic superman statue. U can't miss it, there are signs all over town pointing u in the right direction. Metroplois is on the Ohio river, and the bottom of Illinois, just over the river from Paducah, KY

 

[LBJeffries]

Great idea! I would go to the Grand Canyon; Telluride, CO; and of course the world's largest ball of twine in Kansas. That thing is HUUUUUGE! Yeeeehaw! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[johnM]

if you are interested in the fastest way from LA to chicago, without going too far out of your way:

your gonna take the 15 all the way out past vegas (party!!) to the 70, which will take you to denver. in my experience, denver sucks, and I wouldn't bother wasting too much time here, but colorado is beautiful on the whole and has a lot of great camping. anyway, in denver, you take 76 up to I-80, which brings you to the southern outskirts of Chicago. I got this far in 2 days of hard driving once (i think about 30 hours total), but that's cause i was in a hurry to get to NY in 3 days. this route is really fast, but it can be pretty boring since you spend a lot of time in utah and nebraska

 

[trying2becomeMD]

This thread is very useful for me because I'll be making the same trip in July, from LA to Chicago. Keep your ideas coming guys!

 

[girl99]

this is such a coincidence--i just saw a coffee-table book on the historic Route 66 the other day. i would love to be in your shoes!! the route starts in chicago and ends in LA (or vice versa for you). of course it'd probably be the longest way but there's so much to see, and with a book like that in hand i bet you'd have a blast!

 

[otter]

All the cool spots are west of Denver. Beyond Denver, there's nothing.

My suggestions:

itinerary 1:
Las Vegas
Zion NP
Grand Canyon North Rim
Bryce Canyon NP
Moab/Canyonlands/Arches NP (go mtn biking)
Vail
Rocky Mountain NP
Colorado Springs (Pikes Peak, Garden of Gods, Royal Gorge)
then on to Chicago

itinerary 2:
Las Vegas
Hoover Dam
Sedona
Grand Canyon South Rim
Lake Powell
Monument Valley
Durango (tons of outdoor stuff)
Colorado Springs(Pikes Peak, Garden of Gods, Royal Gorge)
then on to Chicago

Have a great trip! I'm so jealous!
Send me a PM if you have questions.

 

[sternrower]

I took a cross-country trip last summer. All you need is 2 books!

-Rand-McNally Road Atlas (duhh)
-Let's Go USA

This one's really important. Tells you all the must sees, must eats, cheapest places to stay, best bars, museums, EVERYTHING, for like $20! Definitely worth it, if it weren't for this book I would have missed a lot...

I had a whole box full of AAA stuff that we never even looked at. You just don't need it. Get Let's Go...

 

[WaitingImpatiently]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by steiner19er:
•if you are in southern illinois go to Metropolis. The only claim to fame (besides high unemployment) is the gigantic superman statue. U can't miss it, there are signs all over town pointing u in the right direction. Metroplois is on the Ohio river, and the bottom of Illinois, just over the river from Paducah, KY•••••I didn't know Metropolis was a real city! Is there such a city as Smallville, too?