Mrs. Floydy now wants to see Niagara Falls…they are in Canada! 
They are in both Canada and America Floydy but the Canadian side is good. There is great a viewing tower there with a restaurant at the top which takes in spectacular views. I’ll see if I can dig out a pic.
Both? I thought there was just one Niagara Falls, in Ontario 
We could maybe go there from Chicago for a day trip?
Is that the CN tower mate?
New York is about an hours drive nearer…Its still a 6 hour drive
Hi Galty.
No mate, I did stress we will be doing no driving.
Chicago definitely looks closer to Ontario than New York does? 
I always thought they were in the US but looks like the border is bang through the middle of the river. The Cave of the Winds is on the US side. Isn’t that where Marilyn Monroe is filmed in the movie? I know my American childhood friend visited when they first emigrated and they didn’t go to the Canadian side, so you don’t have to cross the border unless you want to. Might be hassle with passports etc. Spectacular place to visit. I’ve never been but it’s so iconic because of the film. It was definitely one of Marilyn’s best performances.
I know you did BUT take a plane or a Bus you still have to get back from the place you started from.
To my mind both of those points of call make no sense if you wanted to see the N/F
Look at it this way.
You fly there then check in
You take in the view for an hour or maybe four hours
You see it and you fly back.
You should do a google search and find the best deals from the two points you are going from.
I’m not fussed about going there mate. I’ll work on Mrs. F 
Please trust me on this; don’t go to Long Beach. It is a terribly depressing industrial city where the refineries are located. You would be very disappointed.
Santa Monica and Venice would be better, it would be much, much better than Long Beach. Look up Muscle Beach; you would love it!
Look at taking a day trip on the ferry to the Catalina Islands.
I can’t emphasize this enough; don’t spend your whole time in cities, Floydy! Grand Canyon - Yes! Yosemite - Yes! Pacific Coast Highway from San Fransisco down to Monterey and Carmel (Big Sur, Point Lobos, Monterey Aquarium)- Yes!
Floydy, if you are interested in waterfalls, some of the most beautiful in the world are at Yosemite.
Niagra Falls, is beautiful but just too far away. It would be farther than than flying to Moscow.
Consider this when planning:
https://i.ibb.co/74WP6c7/us-europe.jpg
Yes Surfermom, Niagara Falls isn’t going to be possible. Mrs. F hasn’t looked into it at all, just that it’s a nice place to visit! The logistics are ridiculous.
We’re doing the Grand Canyon as mentioned. I also mentioned that my wife cannot do much walking so Yosemite is out of the question, it is not possible with a broken foot, so that’s not on the agenda as I previously noted.
I know you’re all just giving me advice about this trip but it’s getting very confusing. Some say some places must be seen, others say those are crap. Maybe it’s best if I trust my instincts a little more. I will do my research believe me.
S’Mom - The place that doves keep coming back to me is Santa Monica and after FIVE revisions of my itinerary, I do think that it would be a cert if we kept that in. Maybe not Long beach after all then?
We only have three weeks and maybe, just maybe we would like to visit the cities. We don’t come from America and there are so many sights to see in SF, New York, Chicago and Vegas - all those visitors that do go there enjoy it as far as I know and we WANT to go there. Perhaps we have different tastes, I dunno?
One thing is certain though. As soon as I can get hold of my pension, the trip is being booked. It will be finalised and finalised correctly, believe me.
I’ll keep you posted. Thanks
This looks like a near-finished agenda (version 6):
Manchester 1 night
San Francisco 5 nights
San Diego 4 nights
Las Vegas 3 nights
Chicago* 2 nights
New York 6 nights
We may swap Chicago for Boston?
Hi
To each their own Floydy, if it works for you, that is what matters.
To start the holiday off properly why not book a lounge at Manchester Airport, far better than sitting around in the main bit.
Enjoy your trip.
Hi Swimmy.
Yes, the Manchester one is an additional day really.
With me working nights (that is, if I still am next May?!), we will actually be able to leave a day earlier. We are booking a hotel at Manchester Airport so that we can take our time and freshen up for the long flight to San Francisco.
The lounge option is a good one and we’ll probably take advantage of that, thanks
Sounds lovely Floydy…I’m getting excited for you both…what an adventure 
Boston and Chicago are wonderful cities. You won’t go wrong with either. I think you might like Boston for the proximity to New York, history and waterfront.
Yes, I chose Chicago basically to have a break as it’s a long flight from Las Vegas to New York. Would Vegas to Boston be much longer? I did think about having a ‘day trip’ from New York to Boston instead, I’m not sure the best way to do this?