Our Cross-Country Road Trip Story

I finally did it. I took a road trip across the United States. And it was awesome. Now I know this is something most of us want to do at some point in our lives but let me say, you will never see this country the way you see it by car. We can visit all the cities and hike all the trails (which is another incredible way to see it) but there is definitely something to be said for driving across the crazy terrain that is this country. Everything was so…unexpected.

We took the south route, or A south route I should say, starting in Richmond, VA stopping in Asheville, New Orleans, Austin, Tucson, to San Diego. Now this was really my sister’s trip, she was moving to San Diego (thus the inspiration for the trip) so she made the ultimate decision when it came to the route but other than Tucson (where our mom was living at the time) I hadn’t been to any of these cities so naturally I was super excited. Heads up, this was a city based roadtrip, we had a bunch of American cities we wanted to see so that was the basis for this particular trip.

This also came right when I had moved back to Richmond from Brooklyn in order to go for the things I really wanted. I had decided I’ve always been a photographer and it was time to embrace that and I was ready to start working toward a location free lifestyle focused on travel. That being said, I had just invested in my first real camera lens (other than the starter lenses that come with the camera) so I could shoot the kind of photos I wanted and get this travel blog thing going! 

This was my first trip where I was focused on making my dreams of being a travel writer a reality so its a very special trip for me. Not to mention it was an amazing experience for me and my sister. I am very close with both of my sisters but with this one, my younger sister Cara, we hadn’t been talking as much as we used to and we hadn’t felt as close in recent years. We were in the car, just the two of us, from anywhere between 5-14 hours at a time and we never ran out of things to talk about. Big things, little things, funny things, it was seriously incredible. Now she’s farther than ever and we talk almost everyday! It’s amazing what travel can do for us and our relationships.

Although my main goal is international travel and experiencing different cultures, I have never felt so in love with this country. The vast differences just between Virginia and Mississippi are amazing not to mention between there, Texas, Arizona, and the many faces of the Southern California landscape, it’s seriously crazy. And beautiful. 

We stayed in Airbnb’s the whole trip and I could not recommend this more. I swear you see a city for what it really is when you stay in an actual home as opposed to a hotel that not only makes you feel like you’re only visiting in and of itself, but it can actually keep you from seeing new, interesting parts of town, meeting locals and, in a way, diminish your confidence in exploring places on your own (ya know, places not recommended by the hotel). And don’t get me wrong, I love a good hotel, but if you haven’t used Airbnb or HomeAway yet, do it on your next trip, you won’t be disappointed. 

First stop Asheville:

Asheville is quite the cool, funky place. People compare it to other cities (like Richmond or a small Austin) but I have never been anywhere quite like this place. It’s real eclectic, lots of drifter types around town (at least in the summer), it’s the kind of place you see guys playing guitars in trees, it’s amazing. The city itself is pretty small in nature but there is SO MUCH to do here. The bar and restaurant scene is super unique, they have a bustling brewery scene, and there is a ton of amazing hiking (well, so I hear). Unfortunately we only had one full day here so I did not get to see and do nearly as much as I would like but I did get a feel for the place and now I only want to get back to explore more. Due to the limited time here, we kinda focused on breweries. I mean Asheville for 24 hours in the summer?? What could be better than checking out the coveted beer scene.

We got in late on a Friday and went straight to the Phantogram show at Highland Brewing’s outdoor music venue. Incredible. Go see a show there as soon as possible. They have an outdoor food truck court in the venue, an indoor event space and a super cool rooftop, as you will see below. The next day we wandered around downtown, stopping at Wicked Weed and Asheville Brewing, both awesome spots. Definitely eat at Wicked Weed, their food is delicious.

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We wandered down Broadway, catching some funky street music, stopping in a few shops. Definitely check out Mayfel’s for a drink, they have the CUTEST back patio, hidden between buildings, surrounded by brick and strung with charming string lights. Don’t know what it was about it, but it was quite delightful. (sorry for the lack of pics of that one, this was my first trip with the camera! I am realizing that as I go back through them. 😉)

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We used HomeAway for this stop and actually stayed in Black Mountain (about a 10 minute drive from downtown Asheville). I highly recommend this if you are looking for something a little more reasonably priced. Plus the town of Black Mountain is adorable.

From here we took our first long drive, about 10 hours, to New Orleans. 

Next Stop, New Orleans:

We stayed in an Airbnb here, in the South Seventh Ward District, on North Villere Street, for 3 nights so we could get 2 full days. This was the coolest place to stay, it was off the beaten path in a REAL New Orleans neighborhood and we were surrounded by locals. Everyone was friendly and so proud of their city, they want to show it off. We could walk (about 15 minutes) to the main drag at Decatur Street in the French Quarter. This, of course, is a more touristy area but has a nice mix with the locals. We walked all around, checking out the scene, exploring the art in Jackson Square and eventually wandering over to Royal Street. This is an awesome street to walk down and check out the architecture, be sure to stop in Cafe Beignet for some coffee and, of course, beignets. They are as incredible as you hear. 

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So we were obviously not there during Mardi Gras, which really wouldn’t be my scene these days anyway, but Bourbon Street was still a must. We gave ourselves the day to have some drinks and check out the party scene a little. Plus we got caught in the rain so we stayed and had some tacky drinks before moving on, I mean why not, am I right? Our last stop of the day was Emeril’s famous restaurant, Nola, absolutely incredible (I mean, as you’d expect). We wanted to have at least one fancy dinner on the trip!

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The second day we went to the Garden District, wandered around (I love wandering around), saw the amazing houses and beautiful greenery in the area. You MUST take the trolley here, its super iconic and a fun way to experience the area. Also not to be missed here, the Lafayette Cemetery. The cemetery is famous and super unique with above ground tombs, reflective of the 19th century style. Once you’ve had your fill of the area, be sure to stop by Hot Tin at the top of the Pontchartrain Hotel on St. Charles Ave for the best view of the city.

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On our last night we went to the west side of town, Carrollton, near Tulane University, and had dinner at Jacque-Imo’s, a creole gem, crowded and loud, with AMAZING food in a casual atmosphere. It’s located on Oak Street in a super cute area, I wish we would have known about it sooner so we could spend some more time here. Afterwards we made it over to Frenchman Street for the nightly jazz festival that is this street. Every bar has some kind of live jazz music and there is SO much dancing, this is a necessary experience.

The culture really does run thick around here, and although 2 days is not nearly enough time to really dig in, we still got to feel it on the surface.

The next morning we headed out, 7.5 hours to Austin

On to Austin:

My VERY first time in Texas! I was so excited to check this place out. We stayed in East Austin on Ulit Ave in an adorable Airbnb with two bedrooms, full kitchen, cute yard, the whole shebang. This whole area was so quaint, a small suburban are lined with unique, colorful houses, right outside of the city. 

We started out stopping by Rainey Street, a historic street of old houses that have been converted into funky bars and restaurants. Its a super unique street and concept, plus it has MULTIPLE food truck parks. We stopped by a few places- Banger’s, Lucille’s, and Half Step, but I don’ think anywhere on this street would disappoint. There is even a circus themed bar with a slide called Un Bar Lievable, its real funky in there. This is a great place to hang in Austin, day or night.

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We also spent a day exploring South Congress, lots of shopping and restaurants here We started up by Torchy’s Tacos and made our way down, of course making a pit stop at the ‘I love you so much.’ wall at Jo’s coffee shop. There are all kinds of shops here, clothing, art, you can even get your own pair of custom cowboy boots (I mean we are still in Texas, right?). On Saturdays they have a free local artisan market that you should definitely check out if you get the chance, right across the street from South Congress Cafe (which I HIGHLY recommend for brunch). Another fun pit-stop we made on this Street was Guero’s for some margaritas, super funky spot that give you serious plant envy.

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If you’re looking for a casual, exploratory time like ours, definitely head down to Congress Avenue Kayaks, rent a kayak and paddle down the river, right through the city. There are all kinds of people out and about, paddle boarders, peddle boaters in funny animal boats, and fellow kayakers of course, it’s a blast. Plus you’ll get to see Ai Weiwei’s Forever Bicycles at Waller Creek Delta on the way.

With the expansive array of options for somewhere awesome to eat in this town, I can tell you you can’t go wrong at El Alma for dinner. Awesome higher end Tex Mex, with a creative menu and an even more creative cocktail menu. Afterwards, we did hurry over to catch the bats from under the Congress Bridge. This wasn’t at the top of my list as I’m not into touristy things in general but its a pretty cool phenomenon, so we checked it out. We had a pretty leisurely time here and if you want more specific ideas for a trip to Austin, check out my post The Ultimate Guide to a low-maintenance bachelorette in Austin. I outline some AWESOME things you gotta do whether you’re on a bachelorette or not 😉

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Now comes the longest leg of our trip, 13 hours straight to Tucson .

Last pit stop, Tucson:

This was an easy no-brainer for us as our mom was living here at the time of our trip. She was staying in Green Valley where we stayed for two days. This is where landscapes really started to blow me away. Arizona was like nothing I’d ever seen. (If you’ve been following me, you know I have a weird love for Arizona.) We did all kinds of fun things here, shopped around La Entrada de Tubac, had an incredible dinner at Wisdom’s (and Arizona’s best margarita 😉), checked out the Saguaros at Saguaro National Park, visited the Mission San Xavier del Bac and had some nice family time 🙂.

Don’t worry, I have a more specific list of things to do in Tucson- check it out here.

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The least painful drive, about 6 hours to San Diego

Our final destination, San Diego:

Let me start by saying, this drive is crazy. You start out in barren cactus land and go through what feels like video game levels until you find yourself in San Diego. You go through a grassy, almost Nordic like area full of giant wind turbines, then you hit windy mountains made entirely of boulders, to open out over a serene land of green hills with a waterfall or two, if I remember correctly. At some point in there you go through Yuma, which is straight sand dunes for miles. You have to take this drive to understand what I mean, it’s wild.

I got to spend a few days with my sister here until I flew back home and I tell you what, it was not enough time. This city is huge with so many different areas to see! We stayed in an Airbnb in the Allied Gardens neighborhood which was super charming. We headed to La Jolla on our first day, took in the scene, walked down Avenida de la Playa, and attempted to paddle board in the ocean for the first time (and failed). It was fun though! A little piece of advice, if you have not paddle boarded before, don’t do it on the ocean and don’t rent the “blow up” boards. They don’t actually feel blown up, they are just lighter and thicker than the regular ones, which, in my experience, is MUCH harder to stand on. They also have kayaks and guided kayak tours if you want to get in the cove, check it out at La Jolla Kayaks. 

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In general, we spent those few days checking out the different neighborhoods. We spent some time in North Park, where you should definitely brunch at West Coast Tavern, and South Park, where you MUST have dinner at Buono Forchetta (they also opened a new spot in Liberty Station), best Italian I’ve ever had in the United States. Also be sure to check out the brewery scene in North Park, we hit up Eppig and Pariah, right next to each other, both awesome. San Diego Brewing used to be right next door as well but they moved and were replaced by June Shine, a Hard Kombucha spot, which has got to be pretty rad.

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We got some sun at Pacific Beach which has such a great energy (beware it’s a popular place), its fun for some shopping too. One of my favorite things was our day at Coronado beach. Highly recommend driving out to Coronado Island for what feels like a mini “getaway”. There are incredible houses, an adorable town and some GORGEOUS beaches, it’s a really cool spot. On your way back stop by Ballast Point in Little Italy, they have over 50 home brewed beers on draft at any given time. Get a flight, hang on the patio and definitely try at least one variety of the Sour Wench. 😉

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If you are reading this before May 2019, be on the lookout for a more comprehensive guide to unique things to do in San Diego when I go to spend 10 days with my sis who’s been living there for almost 2 years now! She knows all the good stuff. 

So there it is, our road trip story (without too much rambling). I definitely recommend this route if you are trying to pick a path across the US and want to get a wide variety of experiences and hit up some cool cities. We were on a bit of a timeline so I also recommend leaving some time for pit stops and little detours. As a photographer, I would have loved to stop in Marfa, TX but it was a little too out of the way for our plan. So yeah, if you can, give yourself some extra time 😉 

Otherwise, just enjoy seeing a new side to this country that I think you can only see by car. There’s a lot out there that we don’t see otherwise, so go, have fun.

xx,

Hannah

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