Need road trip advice - Moving from LA to Baltimore (amusement parks, crime)

[waimei]

I have lived in LA for a year but am returning to Baltimore. I resigned from my job here in LA because I don't think it is a right place for my 6 years old to grow up. I want to move back to Baltimore because I will have more support to bring up my child. Always want to do a road trip cross country. Any advice will be appreciated. My pre-requisites are stopping at Grand Canyon and visiting friends in Cleveland, Ohio.

[uptown_urbanist]

Leave lots of time; Cleveland is a big detour out of the way, but I'm sure you know that. What general route are you thinking of taking, and are you mostly looking for places to stop at along the way, or do you want other advice, too? We did the DC to LA cross-country trip about four years ago, but took it in a more straight shot. It was fun to see the scenery change each day. We also listened to the local radio stations a lot (instead of just CDs) to get a flavor of each area we traveled through. We didn't book motels in advance, just found places as we went (stayed in local places, no chains) and had a good time. We were moving and had pets, so didn't have the luxury of taking too much time, but it was still a fun experience. Tiring, but fun.

[Daytonnatian]

Aw, Cleveland's not that far out of the way, just take the Turnpike out of town to 76 in Youngstown and take that until you hit 70 in Breezewood, PA, (again, not looking up names here, so that PA town could be completely off, but I am sure it starts with the same letter and sounds similar to what I listed). From there, it's a straight shot to Baltimore.


Anyways, give us some requirements. Do you want to go sightseeing on the way there or do you just want the most direct route? If you want the former, do this:

1. Take I-15 out of LA and swing by Las Vegas. Drive down the strip, see a casino or two like the Bellagio, New York New York or Caesar's Palace, and drive across the Hoover Dam on US rt 93 until you hit I-40.

2. Take I-40 to Williams, AZ and hop the train there to head up to the Grand Canyon. This will be a day trip, but you might consider swinging by nearby Flagstaff instead for lodging.

3. If you must go skiing, take 40 to Albequerke, turn off at I-25, go to Colorado Springs, and then take US rt. 24 over to I-70 and out to KC (make sure you have some BBQ) and then on to St Louis. If not, make sure you still take some time to check out the Painted Desert and Cool and Quirky Albequerke while staying on I-40.

4. Continue on through TX's Panhandle through Armarillo to Oklahoma City, and see the sights (I'm sure Oklahoma posters can help me out here). Then, switch off to I-44.

5. Take I-44 through Tulsa (again, OK posters help) and up to Springfield, Missouri, which is right by.... BRANSON!!!![/fake enthusiasm, but I've never been there, so it could be cooler than I think]. If you like amusement parks, swing by Silver Dollar city, and catch a couple of the many shows. You might also want to see Hot Springs National park and enjoy the natural beauty of the Ozarks.

6. Continue on I-44 to St. Louis, home of the arch, which you cannot miss (really, please go see it). There's other stuff to see, too, but please refer to MO posters for more.

7. Switch off to I-55 to Springfield, IL, and visit the Land of Lincoln. Continue on to Chicago, which although is slightly out of the way, would be a crime to miss. Make sure you see the Sears tower (or Hancock for a better view), get a hot dog at Navy Pier and ride the ferris wheel, see the museum campus, take a trolley tour, and walk around the great downtown parks like Grant and Millenium, along with the Magnificent Mile and maybe even swinging by the Financial district if you're a financial nerd like myself (the Fed is really cool, though).

8. After you have had enough of the second city, take the Dan Ryan out to I-80 and Indiana. If you like the Amish, swing by Amish country by Elkhart and also swing by the great auto museums in the area. The Indiana Dunes are really nice, as well.

9. As bizarre as this sounds, make sure you turn off at Toledo and do the hour drive into Detroit to see the Henry Ford attractions and the Auto Barons' homes. They really are spectacular.

10. After this diversion, you'll be in... Cleveland!!!!!. Let your friends show you around.

11. Take 80 out to Youngstown and switch off onto I-76, which will take you into Pittsburgh. Station Square is really cool here, along with the city itself and the carnegie museums. Take a day to absorb it all.

12. Leave on I-76, which will shoot you back to I-70 at Breezewood (yes, I checked a map) If you want to swing by Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, Johnstown PA and its great flood, or Gettysburg, they are not too far off.

13. Go To Baltimore. Enjoy your life and good luck!!!!!

[uptown_urbanist]

The drive through PA to Baltimore is a nice one, too, at least from the point of view of having interesting scenery to look at.

[crazyfacedjenkins]

I'm assuming you'll be taking the southern route (40), in which case you should check out a lot of the stuff in AZ and NM. Along this route, in Arizona, you could see the Petrified Forest and Meteor Crater.

East of Crater and the forest, there's a state road (name escapes my mind) that goes nice and parallel to 40 but runs through the Navajo Reservation. There are a few towns, but for the most part it's much more scenic than 40. Massive buttes and giant rock formations all along the way, also the speed limit is the same, so you don't have to worry about it taking too long.

Edit: Scratch the Reservation idea, the road is a bit more out of the way than I remembered.