Coming to the US

Where exactly are you, Tony? My wife's parents are from Aus (dad's from Sydney and mum's from Ipswich, is it?). Sorry I can't help you as I'm from Vancouver, British Columbia (waaay up the coast from Santa Monica), but WELCOME TO THE MADNESS! Al

Hi Al,

Many thanks for the welcome!! We are in Maroochydore, about 1 hr north of Brisbane and 2hrs from Ipswich. Before moving to the Sunny Coast I actually lived and worked in Ipswich for over 14 years and still have many good friends there. We are looking forward to our trip but not enough time to see Canada as well....maybe next trip!!

Kind Regards, Tony

Welcome Tony.

 

My daughter is spending a semester at UQ in Brisbane. Visited her in March. Loved the area!

 

With all due respect to my west coast friends...three weeks in CA, and only one week to cover NYC & DC?  What are your plans for the NY area?

Five posts in 13 years of membership?? And I thought Aussies were chatty!

Tony - that's great that you're going to spend time in USA! I'm sure you & family will enjoy yourselves.

 

I will post a cruise event for that Saturday morning and see if other SoCal SOCers will be available. If that doesn't work out, there is a Cars & Coffee meet in Malibu (Sunday June 21st) just a few miles up PCH from your Santa Monica location.

 

http://www.malibucarsandcoffee.com

 

 - MUSBJIM 

Jim.
Maybe you could take him by Vintage on Saturday morning if the cruise doesn't come together.

Tuna Canyon, Tuna Canyon,Tuna Canyon,Tuna Canyon,Tuna Canyon,Tuna Canyon,Tuna Canyon.

 

6/20 or 6/21 is good, the Dr. lets me out.

Hi Paul,

UQ has a great reputation. Hope your daughter is enjoying her stay!! Glad you did!!

Yes….so much to see and so little time!! We arrive in NY on the 7^th July and have 5 nights booked in Manhattan before catching the train to DC for two nights. Our plans are actually pretty open on the east coast. Any suggestions??

Hahaha…..yes I could be a bit of a throw-back. I’m making amends now though right?? Might even push my post count to double digits by the end of the week. I’ll likely smash records when I finally bag my own speedster and you won’t get rid of me!!

Hi Jim,

 

Yes we are counting down the days till we fly out!!

 

Many, many thanks for putting out the call. I really appreciate your efforts. It will be fantastic to meet any SOCers that can find the time. Malibu C&C would be a great alternative. I’ll keep an eye on the thread!!

 

Kind Regards, Tony

Hi Troy, thanks for the suggestion. I’m open to any options!! I heard a whisper Tuna Canyon is good this time of year....hahaha...thanks labull ;-)

Lived in DC Area 30+ years.  Get Gray Line Hop On/Hop Off Trolley tickets.  It's open air trolley that gets you around all the sights with expert fact narration.  You can get on/off whenever you like.  Think ticket is good for 2 days. See Arlington Cemetery (see changing of guard at tomb of unknown soldiers), Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting pond, Vietnam & WW2 Memorials, Jefferson Memorial via it. Subway easy & good to get around too. When trolley tickets expire do the museums - Smithsonian Air and Natural History.  Teary memorial at Pentagon to 189 who lost lives in 9-11 there (not sure if they do interior tours any longer due to 9-11).  If you fly out of Dulles - there is large extension of Smithsonian Air near airport. Nice thing about DC is near everything is FREE (ok tax payers paid for it - so FREE to you).

 

http://www.grayline.com/things...tates/washington-dc/ 

 

NYC has similar Gray Line tour that is well worth cost for seeing the city.

The subway in DC is about the cleanest and nicest you will find the the world too.

> On Jun 3, 2015, at 8:45 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Hi Tony,

 

Yes. Lauren is loving UQ and Australia. Literally havign a once in a lifetime experience.

 

For NYC:

 

A visit to the 9/11 Memorial at the Trade Center site, http://www.911memorial.org/ followed by a trip to the observation deck in the new One World Trade Center tower are musts. https://oneworldobservatory.com/ 

 

You need tickets for both, which you must buy in advance. Tickets are avaiable at the sites I linked to above.

 

It may be cliche, but take the Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan Island. Yes. It's touristy. But the views of the city are fabulous. https://www.circleline42.com/

 

The Gray Line tours are a nice way to see a lot of the city. http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/ Pick one of the tours that uses the open air double decker bus. And sit up top!

 

But ask any Mahattan resident, and they'll tell you...to experience the city, you need to walk it 

 

One great walk is the High Line Park. They've converted what used to be the elevated West Side Highway into a beautiful park that stratches for 2.3 km. http://www.thehighline.org/visit

 

Or pick a neighborhood, and just hit the streets. The Theater District is terrific.

 

But if I only had one day, I'd wander the financial district and downtown, mostly for the history. Lower Manhattan has marked walking tours. Stand where Washington stood for his inauguration, view the pew where he sat for church services, visit Fraunce's tavern and stand in the room where he gave his farewell address. Visit the New York Stock Exchange. Battery Park and Castle Clinton (an old fort).

 

And all that is just a start!

For evening stuff in NYC, Check who's playing in the lounge at the Hotel Carlisle and see if anyone looks good.

 

You could always spring for a Broadway show.....I recommend "The Lion King" or "Mama Mia!" but order your tickets NOW!

 

Tea Time at the Ritz Central Park (or at the Mandarin Oriental)  $$ but worth it for decent tea.

 

Hang out after-hours at the Duplex Piano Bar  - it seems to be over-run with Broadway actors and musicians after their shows are over (Don't get there before 10PM)....Yes, it's a ways from Broadway.  They like it that way.

 

 

Wolfgang, Tom, Paul and Gordon,

 

Thanks so much for all your suggestions for us in the NY/DC areas. We have added your comments to our list. Looks like there will be heaps of fantastic things for us to do and see!!

 

We'll keep you posted on our travels!!

 

Kindest Regards, Tony

Hi Folks,

 

Wow, the past two weeks went soooo quickly!! Work is now done and dusted (hooray), and gearing up to head off!!!

 

Looks like the West Coast meet weekend was a great success!! Good time had by all…..and sooo many speedsters in one place.

 

Here’s a bump up the page for this thread on the off-chance I can interest any of you LA SOC’ers in a quick catch-up on Saturday morning (20^th June).

 

As I mentioned previously, we are staying in Santa Monica. We won’t have a car until mid next week but am happy to find my way elsewhere if there is a more convenient place to meet.

 

Many thanks in advance to anyone interested. Kind Regards, Tony

Hi Tony,

 

Wow the dates are just not good for me. I will be flying out on 6/19 close to your neck of the wood  for a couple of weeks, otherwise I would like to offer you a ride. I have families in the land down under, so the folks there is close to my heart.

 

Hope Jim can entice some folks to get together for a drive. Go to the Santa Monica mountain roads like Mulholland Highway, Topanga Canyon, Latigo Canyon etc.

 

Hope you enjoy your stay in the US.

 

Eddy Karyadi

Hi Eddy,

 

No probs at all!! Hope you have a great trip yourself. We are certainly looking forward to ours!! If a catch-up with SOC’ers doesn’t work out it’s no problem, I know how busy things get. I’ll keep on the thread in case anyone’s up for it!! All the best, Tony

Tony - I'm disappointed to tell you that I won't be able to catch up with you on Saturday morning (a last minute family event). I would have loved to pick you up and cruise along the coast on Highway 1. If you are going to be back in the area (SoCal) on your return trip home, let me know.

 

With your free time on Saturday morning, I highly recommend an attempt to check out this early morning meet. Lots of cool cars and occasional celebrity sighting!

 

http://www.malibucarsandcoffee.com

 

Here's wishing you & family a great adventure during your visit in the U.S.! 

Hi Jim,

 

Absolutely no problems at all mate!! I greatly appreciate you trying to fit me in all the same. I will definitely aim to get up to Malibu C&C Saturday morning. I’ll let you know how I go.

 

We will actually be back in LA on the 15^th July & flying back to Aust. on the night of the 16^th. We don’t have much planned (just breaking up the flights back home) so I’ll keep in touch just in case we can line something up!

 

Kind Regards, Tony

Hi All,

 

Thought I'd touch base and say hi with our trip now winding up. It has been fantastic. Everyone we have met has been super nice and helpful and we have seen some amazing sights!!

 

The kids loved Disneyland/Cal Adventures, Grand Canyon was....grand, Las Vegas was hot!!! (115deg plus), Yosemite was amazingly beautiful (even saw bears), San Fran for 4th July was good fun (even with the crowds at Fisherman's Wharf), New York was busy but really enjoyed the time there.....and we are currently in Washington DC. Heaps of great experiences inbetween the places mentioned above. It has been an awesome experience!!.....no speedsters spotted!!

 

We hop onto the train back to New York this afternoon and will be flying back into LA tomorrow mid-day, staying in Manhattan Beach. We fly back to Aust. very late on the 16th.

 

Musbjim, would love to catch up if you have time but completely understand if times don't suit being mid-week. I'll keep an eye on this thread just in case.

 

Kind Regards,

Tony