Public Transport in America

mrlazy1967

I had no problem getting around California back before I could drive, used city buses, greyhound and amtrak.. it was slow but fine, just need a clue where the stations are

KimmieBrie

My boyfriend and I are toying with visiting America if we can afford it but I've heard a lot of people saying that in America it is really hard to get around without a car and neither of us drive. Admittedly, most of the people who say this have only ever been to Florida and I would imagine that Florida is maybe a bit of an exception to the rule since all the amusement parks would need to be in more out of the way locations due to their size.

I'm guessing New York would be easy enough to get around but he's already been there, so I don't think that would be an option for us.

I really fancy Washington DC but all the hotels that seem to be available on all the cheapest flights+hotel deals are quite out the way eg. next to Quantico. I don't mind having to travel on public transport into the city every day but I'd hate to book it, get there and then realise public transport wasn't very frequent or reliable and that without a car, we were stranded.

The other option, at some point, would be to visit Florida. We're both total space geeks so would want to visit the Kennedy Space Centre if we ever went and I'd love to visit DisneyWorld and Universal Studios (not sure he'd be so keen on them, though!). I know a lot of the hotels do shuttle buses to and from the parks so I guess we could probably get to them OK but would the Space centre be an option if we were relying on public transport?

Anyway, I know a lot of you guys are from the states so I thought I'd throw it out there and get your advice.

I live outside Boston MA and work in the city - I LOVE public transportation and use it almost every day (subway). Easy to get around and Boston is small so you can really walk the entire city anyway, but the transportation is great.

I have used the Metro in DC as well and it was also cheap and convenient.

Florida - have stayed at the Disney hotels and they have buses to the parks. Not sure on the space center though, think you'd have to take a taxi there.

cheri0627

The other option, at some point, would be to visit Florida. We're both total space geeks so would want to visit the Kennedy Space Centre if we ever went and I'd love to visit DisneyWorld and Universal Studios (not sure he'd be so keen on them, though!). I know a lot of the hotels do shuttle buses to and from the parks so I guess we could probably get to them OK but would the Space centre be an option if we were relying on public transport?

If you want to go to the Kennedy Space Center, you will most likely need to rent a car. I do highly recommend KSC if you are space geeks. My husband and I did that this year. It's worth it to go on the Kennedy Space Center Up-Close tour, especially right now. The Vehicle Assembly Building is open to the public for the first time in 30 years, and these tours actually go into the building. (I found it just amazing.) We had a wonderful time when we went there.

Other than that you wouldn't need to rent a car, if you stay at a hotel in Orlando that does transport to the parks. Most of the mid level and up ones seem to have shuttles, but for us it just wasn't convenient for us. They left the hotel at like 7am and got back at 9pm. We wanted to be able to relax and sleep in. Plus, we had more freedom when it came to dining instead of being stuck in the parks (food is crazy expensive in the parks).

psychopiglet

I've only been to Orlando, Florida and we got around just fine without a car. The buses were frequent and pretty cheap and the cabs were cheap to when we needed them. Our hotel was visited by shuttle buses to all the theme parks, I can't remember what that cost though. I have no idea what people are talking about when they say you can't do Florida without a car when we found it so easy.

We visited the Space Centre while we were there too, we went on a coach. I can't remember whether it was booked through the hotel or if there was some other way we did it. There were a lot of day trips you can book there where they pick you up in a coach.

My sister went to a few places in the US a couple of years ago with her ex and neither of them drove. They did Washington DC, Virginia Beach and NYC with no transport problems. The bigger cities mostly have an OK transport system but the smaller cities and towns sometimes don't have any at all. Just do some research before you go anywhere and plan to visit places that are easy to get around.

Tennessee2019

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Thanks for the help guys. Now I just need to convince the fella that a long flight is worth it even thought he's scared of flying! Lol.
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When we fly on Hawaiian Airlines, you can rent a DigE players & watch different movies, listen to music, etc.,. It makes the time go by so fast!! Plus a little medication or a few drinks also help - one or the other, not both.