Me and my wife went to United States in May this year. It was my 2nd time to United States but it was my wife’s first time there. We took Qatar Airways so we had a layover in Doha before reaching to our first destination in United States which is New York. You can read my flight and lounge experience here.
Once we arrived in JFK Airport, we took the AirTrain redline to Jamaica Station. And then from Jamaica Station using subway to Queens. You can read this comprehensive guide which I refer to. The AirTrain costs USD8.50 and a subway ride is USD2.90 so the total cost would be USD11.40. For subway, I use credit card instead of purchasing an OMNY card since you will get the same 7-day fare cap of USD34 which is 12 rides. Meaning after 12 rides, it’s free subway ride for you within that week. Just remember to use the same card to tap in and out.
New York
We stayed with an Airbnb host which is in Queens. You can check out the listing here.
The location is really good as it is only 5-10 mins walk to the subway station. And from the subway station, it is around 20-30 mins from Manhattan. Most importantly, the price is really good at RM560 per night during my stay which is just slightly above my budget of RM500 per night for accommodation.
Day 1 in New York – adjusting to the time zone
In my plan, we were supposed to go to Times Square and have dinner there. However, we were exhausted with the long flights and layover. After some simple unpacking, we went to bed at 7pm and slept until the next morning.
Day 2 in New York – chasing attractions
One Vanderbilt
We woke up early so that we can avoid the crowd for One Vanderbilt. You can enter via Grand Central Terminal so we alight at this station. There are a few entrance options which you can read the guide here.
When we arrived in New York the day before, it was sunny and the weather is nice. However, the day when we have a lot of things planned, it rained heavily. Good thing is that there is no huge crowd, but the bad thing is this is our view:
Luckily, One Vanderbilt is not just an observation tower but also an art experience center.
Unless you can get really good price online, I would suggest to go early on the day to purchase the ticket on the spot to avoid the same experience like us.
P.S.: If you have The Platinum Card, you can try make a reservation for the Centurion New York which is in One Vanderbilt.
After One Vanderbilt, we went to have a quick bite at Grand Central Terminal:
The banana pudding by the Magnolia Bakery is really good and it’s not very sweet. The Luke’s Lobster is definitely a must try with its generous serving of lobster meat.
Central Park
After getting some energy, we head to the Central Park. As it’s still drizzling, we went there just for a few shots before going to the next destination.
Tiffany Clock, Flatiron Building, Harry Potter Shop, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge
Next, we head to a few places in order as below:
- Tiffany Clock
- Flatiron Building
- Harry Potter Shop New York
I tried the must-try butterbeer and it’s really good. Don’t forget to wash the cup and take home with you as a souvenir after that 🙂
After that, we dropped by Wall Street for the Charging Bull. But the line is too long so I just took a picture from far.
Next, we go to Brooklyn Bridge and we walked across it for some good exercise. The route that we took was from Manhattan to Brooklyn. If you need a guide, you can read this.
Brooklyn
We then stopped by Juliana’s Pizza to replenish some ‘energy’ before continuing with our city walk.
We ordered the Margherita Pizza and Pizza Specials No.1. The special pizza tastes really great on the first piece but it gets less tastier the more you take because it’s so rich of flavors. The Margherita Pizza on the other hand is really good from the first to last piece. However, make sure you eat it while it’s hot/ warm as the flavor diminishes as it gets cooler.
We then grabbed a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory before taking some pictures at the famous photo spot in DUMBO which you can take a look at this guide.
Day 3 in New York – city tour, again
After reheating the pizza from Juliana’s Pizza, we head to Battery Park to take the free ferry to see Statue of Liberty. There are a lot of ferry tours that bring you close to the Statue of Liberty but free is the best! We followed this video as the guide to take the Staten Island Ferry.
We then head to Chinatown for food. First, we ordered Shrimp Party and Yi Ji Special Rice Rolls from Yi Ji Shi Mo Noodle Corp. Although there is no queue, you will have to wait quite a while for your food. And a quick tip if you are going to Chinatown is to bring cash. Because some places like Yi Ji Shi Mo takes only cash.
We head over to Noodle Village for Shrimp and Pork Wonton and Hotpot Rice while waiting.
We then head back our Airbnb to have a quick nap (still recovering from jetlag) before heading out to Times Square at night.
Day 4 to 8 in United States – Walt Disney World Resort
The next day, we flew from JFK to MCO for Disney World. We stayed at Grand Hotel Kissimmee at Celebration which is around 15-20 mins car ride to Disney World. The hotel includes free breakfast and per night we are only paying less than RM300 for 2 pax.
The hotel room is quite big and the toilet is clean. However, the toilet floor is sticky but nothing too much to complain about. The breakfast is the same everyday but fills our stomach before we have fun at the different parks of Disney World.
The hotel also provides free shuttle to the different parks as per the schedule below. However, based on the reviews, we went with Uber/ Lyft instead as you have control over the timing and it’s really convenient. As we are new users to Lyft, there are quite a lot of vouchers that makes it cheaper than Uber.
We bought the 1 park per day ticket and we visited the parks in order as below:
Day 1 – Hollywood Studios
Day 2 – Epcot
Fun tip: you can sample special flavors of Coca-Cola at Club Cool:
Epcot has a section of World Showcase where there are buildings and elements representing 11 countries. They are Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, United States, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, Mexico.
Previously when I work and travel in United States, I wanted to try the turkey leg but end up didn’t. This time I finally get to try it but I regretted it cause it’s very salty. Not something that I enjoy lol.
Epcot is my number 1 park among all the 4 Disney World parks. Each of the countries at the World Showcase lets you experience the different cultures and food besides seeing their iconic buildings. You can also purchase the World Showcase Passport to collect stamps and stickers at the different ‘countries’ from the Cast Members to make it a more fun and enjoyable experience.
Day 3 – Magic Kingdom
Day 4 – Animal Kingdom
Day 9 in United States – start of road trip
From Orlando to Phoenix, we took Frontier Airlines because it is the cheapest with the timing that is convenient for us. You get to bring a free personal item with the size below which can fit in my Hypergear Dry Pac Lite but only if you don’t fill it to the brim.
Once at PHX, you can take the Sky Train to the Rental Car Center Station if you are renting a car like us:
We took Enterprise due to the price and good reviews. Prior to us going to United States, we bought the car insurance from RentalCover cause I couldn’t find the full Enterprise insurance price list online but I know it’s not cheap. However, there are mixed reviews on RentalCover so buy it at your own risk. Anyways, below is the Enterprise insurance price list for your reference.
In United States, how they work for rental cars is somewhat different. In other countries, you will be assigned a specific car. However, in United States, you will be given an area to pick a car that you like based on the car category that you have booked. For us, we booked Economy cars – Mitsubishi Mirage or similar. But there wasn’t any small cars left so ended up I picked a Chevrolet Malibu. Although it has lower fuel economy, but the power you get makes it fun to drive especially for the 1st section of our road trip with mountain roads. When fueling, do make sure to pump with octane rating of at least 87. Or to be safe, check your car manual.
Did I also mention that it has large trunk space? It can fit in a large and medium luggage with ample space left.
Phoenix to Flagstaff via Sedona
The 1st section of our road trip is to Flagstaff. You will be using I-17 route for a direct path to Flagstaff with around 2 hours drive. However, you can detour a bit by taking exit 298 to AZ-170 to pass by Sedona. It will take around 30 mins longer without stops but the scene is worth the extra miles. There are a few scenic drives that you can do as per the guide here but we just make some stops along the way to take photos.
We stayed at GreenTree Inn, Flagstaff for less than RM500 per night which includes breakfast. It’s around 1 hour 30 mins drive from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon.
We braced through the cold winds at night to have yummy lobster nearby our accommodation:
Tipping story #1: In New York, we have no trouble tipping, because the system will have preset numbers in it although you can override it by selecting others/ custom which I always give 15% if we dine-in. However, in non big cities like Flagstaff, tipping works differently. So the waiter brought me the bill with blank spaces for me to fill in the tip amount but without giving me a pen. I gave him my card and he went off to charge the card. I received notification it was charged as per our dinner bill. After that, he came back with the card and receipt with the same blank spaces for tip but this time with a pen. I thought he should have gave me earlier so he can charge the tip together to my card. So ended up we left without giving a tip. To be continued…
Day 10 – 7 wonders of the world – Grand Canyon
The next day, we have breakfast at the inn. You can either have it on the go as per the options below:
Or have it ala buffet style:
After that, off we go to South Rim Grand Canyon. To have parking, it is recommended to reach before 9am. We parked at the Swallowtail section at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Here are some of the majestic views of the Grand Canyon although the pictures don’t do it justice:
We went to Mather Point, Ooh Aah Point, Grand View Point, and Desert View Point. However, the Watchtower at Desert View Point was closed due to construction. You can take a look at this comprehensive Grand Canyon guide. If you are visiting at least 3 national parks, it will be worth to get the America the Beautiful Pass which costs USD80 which you can purchase at the park entrance.
Next, we drive around an hour to Cameron Trading Post to have their Navajo Taco and pear shake (The Cactus Jack).
For us, the pear shake is so-so. However, the Navajo Taco is good but it’s really filling. It’s like Yau Char Kwai with toppings.
Tipping story #2: This time, we observe how others do. So they will pay for the bill first, and then fill up the tipping amount on the receipt. So after our meal, we did the same. And I did receive notification after we left the premise that my card was charged for the tip. In Malaysia, we can only charge when the card is present so it is quite scary as the waiter can just simply change the amount to charge.
We then drive another hour+ to Page and stay at Travelodge by Wyndham Page. It’s also less than RM500 per night with breakfast and it’s very near to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
Day 11 – Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Toadstool Hoodoos
The next day, we get some simple breakfast at the lodge before heading to Horseshoe Bend.
Horseshoe Bend is just 15 mins drive from the lodge and around 15-20 mins hike one way to get to the spot below:
After that, we went to the office of Antelope Slot Canyon Tours which I booked for an Upper Antelope Canyon tour via Trip.com. In fact, most of our accommodation and tours are booked via Trip.com. I managed to get a slot for 12.25pm in hope we can see the iconic light beam. However, Lady Luck was not on our side as it was quite cloudy as you can also see from the Horseshoe Bend photo above. Therefore, not only we don’t get to see the light beam, the photos look dull than what you would see on the internet. But it’s still amazing to be able to visit it and see it in real life.
After that, we had lunch at BirdHouse. Don’t let its plain look deceive you, it’s really a testament to don’t judge a book by its cover.
Next, we stop by Toadstool Hoodoos for a short hike which is on our way towards Kanab. You will be greeted by what I call ‘Tiramisu’ mountain:
It’s around 20-30 mins hike one way to see this:
It’s an interesting natural formation and more interesting is that my wife wanted to kill me to hike almost an hour roundtrip just to see this, hahaha.
Anyways, after that we proceed with our journey to Quality Inn Kanab. It’s also less than RM500 per night with free breakfast. It’s around 40 mins drive to Zion National Park.
Day 12 – Zion National Park and Valley of Fire Park before Sin City
We start off the day with a simple breakfast before heading to Zion National Park.
From Kanab to Zion, you will pass by Checkerboard Mesa and The Great Arch before reaching Canyon Overlook.
 
It was a Monday and we were there before 9am but still the parking flooded until some distance away from the Canyon Overlook entrance so we gave it a pass. In fact, we have to park very far and take the park shuttle if we were to do any hiking.
After that, I dropped my wife at Oscar’s Cafe while I try to search for Court of the Patriarchs. Based on the guide, I was at the 4th stop of the Zion park shuttle.
And there are 2 similar mountain ranges on both sides of the road as below at the 4th stop so I’m not sure which is the correct Court of the Patriarchs. If you know, do let me know in the comment section, thank you in advance 🙂
Next, we drive 2 and a half hour to Valley of Fire State Park. As it’s a state park, the America the Beautiful Pass is not usable here. Oh, and AMEX is not accepted here as well.
I wanted to do the Pink Canyon and Fire Wave trails but unfortunately both were closed during our visit. From Zion National Park, the first point of attraction is Elephant Rock. You can also drive past it a bit and stop at the road side if you choose not to do the short trail.
After that, I went for a hike which I thought was Rainbow Vista trail since there is a sign as below:
However, what greeted me at the end of the trail are the photos below which are different than what I see in the guide here. Not sure if I entered the wrong entrance or hiked the wrong path lol.
After that, we stopped by to take a shot of the Mouse’s Tank Road based on the same guide above. When we first drove past it to Rainbow Vista, there were a lot of people. When we drove past it the 2nd time, it was empty so we are able to get a nice shot below.
Next, we stopped by for some photos of Atlatl Rock, Natural Arch, and Beehives accordingly before continuing our journey to Las Vegas.
Day 13 and 14 – Las Vegas all day err day
We stayed at The LINQ with also less than RM500 (after tax and resort fees) per night, but without breakfast.
If you are staying near Harrah’s Las Vegas, I highly recommend you to visit their Fulton Street Food Hall and this shop called Noodle Bar. We came here for a few times because it’s so good. However, it’s kinda pricey if you convert it back to MYR as it will be almost RM100 per dish.
The first night we were there, we took a helicopter ride with 5 Star Helicopters via Viator.
After that, we visited the famous Welcome to Las Vegas neon sign.
Over the next 2 days, we went to the premium outlets and visiting all the hotels in Las Vegas. But before showing you some of the photos, the next food that I would recommend is Panda Express. It’s the zap fan there and it’s peng leng jeng. We ate this most of the time besides the Harrah’s Noodle Bar. And the portion is so big:
Among all, I like Caesars Palace the most. The interior is done so well as though we were in Rome. For the free shows, Bellagio Fountain Water Show is still my number 1.
If you are also visiting most, if not all the hotels along the Strip, you can make use of their free trams which you can read about it here. Helps to conserve energy for more shopping and also to stay in the cool as it can be quite hot in Las Vegas. And most importantly it’s free!
Day 15 – Journey to the West
As we were not using the car in Las Vegas, we returned it the next day after we visited the premium outlet. So on the 2nd leg of our road trip heading towards California, we have a Nissan Versa with Hertz. The price was really good and it comes with full car insurance.
We dropped by a few attractions during our trip to Los Angeles.
We then stopped by Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner for lunch.
The theme of the restaurant is very unique. The food is good but nothing too much to shout about but the vanilla milkshake is real good. On top of that, we have a very old and pleasant lady to serve us. She was really making us feeling comfortable and making sure everything is ok. It’s the first time I felt we got a good service since the day we landed in United States. It’s also the only time I tip 20% and I was so happy to pay for the tip.
Los Angeles
The first stop after we arrived in Los Angeles is taking a photo of the Hollywood sign.
Then we head over to Santa Monica.
Lastly, we went to the In-N-Out Burger near LAX for plane spotting before calling it a day.
We stayed at Queens Inn Anaheim with less than RM500 per night but without breakfast.
Day 16 and 17 – Disneyland California and Disney California Adventure
For the next 2 days, we will walk around 10 mins to Toy Story Parking Lot to get free shuttle to Disneyland California and Disney California Adventure.
A short story on Hyperion. Previously when I was in United States, Hyperion was showing Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular and it’s the best musical I’ve ever watched. When we were planning our trip, I was so looking forward to the show. However, few days before we reached LA, I was so devastated (slight exaggeration here) to know that it was changed from Aladdin to Frozen and was closed down after that due to Covid.
After the nighttime water show, there is this guy that dressed up like cleaners start painting some Disney characters on the floor using some special ink that dries up after some time:
Day 18 and 19 – San Francisco before Yosemite
Initially I was planning to drive from LA to SF, but 6-7 hours drive is quite tiring and we are quite packed in schedule so ended up we took Delta to San Francisco. Once in SFO, you can take the AirTrain to Garage G and taking BART to town. You can download the virtual Clipper card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet for BART.
We stay in King George Hotel in Union Square. It’s less than RM500 per night with simple breakfast.
Union Square is quite close to Tenderloin which you might want to avoid at night so we always Google Map our way back to the hotel. However, you can still see a lot of homeless in Union Square. Just keep a safe distance and don’t look at them and mind your own business just like the locals do.
The first day we were in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge was hiding behind thick clouds.
So we went to Japantown for some nice Udon and calling it a day.
The next morning, we have a simple breakfast at the hotel before starting the day.
The first stop of the day is watching sea lions at PIER 39.
We then head over to Fisherman’s Wharf.
And we tried the clam chowder at Boudin Bakery. It’s good but nothing too extraordinary. However, they have a lot of interesting looking breads.
Next, we head over to the famous Lombard Street for some photos.
It’s a short city walk as we head back to SFO to rent a car to Merced for a night before heading to Yosemite National Park the next day. There are some car rental option in town but they are all closed as it is United States’ Memorial Day.
We stayed at Days Inn by Wyndham Merced. It’s around RM300 per night without breakfast. This is because we will be leaving very early the next day before the sun rises.
One of the benefits of staying here is that you get 10% off your tab if you eat at Denny’s which is just opposite of the inn which we have our dinner.
Day 20 – Yosemite National Park and back to San Francisco
We woke up at 3.30am and left at 4am to avoid the crowd. It’s an hour and a half drive from Merced to Yosemite. We reached at around 5.45am due to the winding and dark road in the morning so we drive slowly. If you reach before 6am, the entrance to the park is free. And most importantly, you will have the view all to your own as there will be little to no people. This is what greeted us not too long after passing through the entrance:
Our point of attraction goes in this order: Lower Yosemite Falls -> Bridalveil Falls -> Tunnel View -> Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Yosemite National Park is by far our most favorite among the 3 national parks that we visited in United States.
After that, we drive around 3 and a half hours back to SFO which was very tiring for us as we woke up so early. After returning the car, we went to take the historic San Francisco cable car. The famous route is Powell-Hyde line due to the views you can see along the way. Do download the Muni Mobile app as you can purchase different types of passes that you can’t do with the Clipper card.
We also went to see the majestic Golden Gate Bridge and luckily this time, we have a clear full view of it:
We end the day with a sweet ending by having the World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae at Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience:
Day 21 – final destination in United States – Seattle
The next day, we took Delta to Seattle. If you stay nearby the airport, usually there will be free shuttle provided by the hotel. We are staying with Quality Inn SeaTac Airport-Seattle and they do provide such service. Once you arrive, do give them a call. This is where I need to give high recommendation to Trip.com. Most of the SIM/ e-SIM do not have calling service. But with Trip.com, I managed to call the hotel via the app itself for free, you just need internet for it. When you call the front desk, do confirm which island to wait because even though the hotel name is stated in the list for island 1C, they asked us to wait at 1D instead.
As usual, it’s less than RM500 per night and it comes with breakfast.
For convenience of traveling in Seattle, there are 2 things that you need:
- ORCA card for train
- Transit GO Ticket app
If you have an Android phone, congrats, it would be easier as you can buy the virtual card via Google Wallet and top up with your credit card. If you have an iPhone, you will need a physical card and top up at the ticketing machines at the time of writing. For the Transit GO Ticket app, if you already have an account with Muni Mobile, you can sign in with the same credentials.
The first day when we arrive in Seattle, we just went to see Space Needle and have dinner in town.
Day 22 – final day in United States
We start off the day with breakfast at the inn.
Then we head over to Pike Place Market to have chowders at Pike Place Chowder.
We had the eight sampler. Don’t let the size of the chowders deceive you, both of us were so full and were just forcing ourselves to finish all eight of it, haha.
After that, we walk around the area to help burn some of the calories before heading to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
The Whiskey Barrel-Aged is really good. I should have bought some of the beans back.
We then went to Traders Joe’s to buy snacks as souvenirs to our friends and family before going to the airport and ending our United States travel 2025.
Please feel free to share your travel experience to United States in the comments section below.
