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General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: Frugali on June 16, 2017, 07:18:18 PM

Title: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: Frugali on June 16, 2017, 07:18:18 PM
We are travelling to the US (Los Angeles) for a couple of weeks at the end of June.  4th July is my son's 5th birthday, so we're thinking of travelling down to San Diego to go to a theme park or similar.  Firstly, is it a good idea to travel on 4th July, or is it likely to be absolute chaos??  I know this is obviously a big day over there but honestly I have no real idea what that means in terms of travel!  Secondly, is visiting SD that day a good plan, or would we be better off saying in LA for the celebrations and travelling to SD another day (which is an option)?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: redbird on June 16, 2017, 10:30:19 PM
July 4th is one of the US' major holidays. Everything will be way busier than usual, but you'll be OK. Just keep in mind that it will probably take you longer to get from place to place than you might expect.

I really wouldn't suggest going to any sort of theme park on the 4th though. Or the weekend before that, as people will probably take a long weekend off of work. It will be utter chaos at any theme park you go to. It always is around major holidays, as more people have off of work and go then. Going somewhere on the 5th or 6th probably should be fine though.
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: Noodle on June 16, 2017, 10:44:22 PM
It really depends. In the areas around where the big urban Fourth of July events are being held, or places like theme parks, it is likely to be pretty crazy. Beaches and parks will probably be pretty busy. Most businesses will be closed (including a lot of restaurants) or have limited hours, although tourist areas will probably have more open. On the other hand, traffic is likely to be a lot better than usual in areas where people would normally be commuting. If there's somewhere you want to go that's open but not holiday themed, there's a good chance it will be calmer than usual.

If I had the opportunity and were a tourist to the US, I would look around for a smaller city's Fourth of July celebration. Those are the really fun ones, with the local parades, and sometimes there are other festival-type activities. The big city events are glitzy, but more typical of professionally run festivals everywhere. The smaller cities would give you a taste of typical America. And most every community has some kind of fireworks show!
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: Capsu78 on June 17, 2017, 10:24:28 AM
With this July 4th falling on a Tuesday, many celebrations may occur Monday July 3.  The difference is that the traffic you may want to avoid is more likely the Tuesday night combination of fireworks in some localities in addition to folks traveling home to be at work July 5.
We are actually flying out on July 4th night overseas but will get our family time in on Monday.
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: Monkey Uncle on June 17, 2017, 04:03:02 PM
The San Diego zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park are absolutely wonderful places to take a kid.  Unfortunately, they are likely to be a..ahem..."zoo" on July 4.
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: calimom on June 17, 2017, 04:12:55 PM
Is your son into Lego? If so, highly recommend Legoland in San Diego. After July 4, it should be fine. I took my son there when he was 5 and he absolutely loved it.
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: MrsPete on June 18, 2017, 06:45:12 PM
My personal opinion:  We never travel on the 4th of July because  1) anywhere we'd go is always so crowded.  2) prices are always high. 
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: Frugali on June 19, 2017, 08:08:34 AM
Thanks all for the input, largely in line with expectations!  Thanks for the suggestions also, definitely considering both Legoland and SD Zoo!
Title: Re: Travelling on 4th July
Post by: Laserjet3051 on June 19, 2017, 10:07:12 AM
I've lived in San Diego and currently live in OC. I make it a hard rule to never drive anywhere outside my immediate local area on holidays, especially big ones like July 4. The I5 between LA and SD gets insanely impacted around the Camp Pendleton base and there is NO workaround. That said, I did drive home from SD last year on July 4 at ~11:00 pm and the traffic was manageable.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst. I despise sitting in traffic. YMMV.