Squeak 17 #1 December 28, 2003 Kas & I are planning on being in the States this time in 2004. The plan is to come in through NY and travel down to Fla. We have a friend in Miami, that we are visiting. So my questions are, which airport to come in thourgh? JFK LaGuardia etc.... Would it be better travelling via Amtrack, Greyhound or Rent a car? (suggestions). Which route would be best? We are only doing the East Coast due to time constraints. Whiuch DZ's are a MUST visit? I also have friends in Barbourville Kentucky, is that a 2 day trip from Fla or should it be done "enroute" Thanks for any assistance.You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZL60 0 #2 December 28, 2003 hey ! I've driven it numerous times but it's booooooring and 24 hours straight.. Airports are always a mess and NYC is certainly no exception but JFK LaG or even Newark have direct flights to Miami. Unless you have a reason to be in NY then why not fly direct to Miami? Or perhaps come here to FL first and then fly to NY. Flight time is 3 hours and that's probably your best option unless your familiar with the east coast.. as for DZ's well, of course I'm gonna tout Sky Dive Miami but you're certainly in the right state to take a grand tour of them all ! PM me if you need any other info on the area if you like. Who said Kiwis can't fly? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee03 0 #3 December 28, 2003 Cool! We'd love for you to drop by ASC, in Cedartown, GA and jump with up. -------- To put your life in danger from time to time ... breeds a saneness in dealing with day-to-day trivialities. --Nevil Shute, Slide Rule Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian425 0 #4 December 28, 2003 If you will be in NYC, I may be able to meet up with you on a weekend. My weekdays are kind of busy with that work thing. If we can work out a schedule, I'd be willing to drive you up to the Ranch in Gardiner NY. I'm just off AFF; but, I know most of the people. The drive from NY to Florida is not very senic. It's just straight down route 95 for 24 hours or so. If you have lots of time, there are many nice places to stop. Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, are all nice places to visit. I'm sure there are 100 more nice place to stop, I just haven't been there yet. The Ranch is a MUST see. It's my home DZ and everyone is very nice. I've heard nice things about Z-Hills in Florida also. The only time you should look down on someone is when you are offering them your hand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 9 #5 December 28, 2003 Whoa Whoa Whoa - Slow down there speedo - I didn't see "Kansas" on your To-see-list!!! Whats up with that?? We got great scenery, you can see the horizion 30 miles away at any point!! We Have a couple Cessna DZ's that fly every weekend to 10K!!! Come On, if you don't make it to Wildcat land then your missing out!!=========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #6 December 28, 2003 The plan is to go from NY down to Fla, but not in one hit. We are going to take about 3 weeks to get Miami, but we are only planning on the EAST. And it's a little premature to plan a meeting with anyone (Xmas 2004 is a ways off)I'm a bit wierd in that I like to start preparing EARLYYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luna 0 #7 December 28, 2003 Well, if you are coming down the East coast, and if you like to do RW a lot, a stop at Skydive the Point in West Point, VA is a good plan. There you will be able to do a jump with Carol Clay, the women's world record holder for most amount of freefall time, I think we added it up to something over 2 weeks of freefall time, and she has now over 14,200 jumps. She is almost always there, on almost every load, and loves to organize RW folks. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Raefordite 0 #8 December 28, 2003 If arriving to NY, I recommend a rental car. No amtrack or Greyhound gets close enough to a DZ to make a walk comfortable. You can be much more flexible with a rental car. Times to travel, changing travel plans due to weather. Evening life in the local town and places to stay. And if all else fails, a great place to crash for the night! I hope you consider stopping through Raeford on your trip! We'd love to see you. www.jumpraeford.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stacy 0 #9 December 28, 2003 I'd recommend doing this trip in the late summer or spring or early fall. If you do it in the winter you may find a lot of places in the northeast have limited hours, etc, or may be closed all together (skydive-wise). Also check witht eh car rental companies about out of state driving and costs for returning at a different location. A lot of the rates have subclauses that will require the car to remain in state. They'll probably work with you, but good not to hide it from them. If you are looking at going to NYC I'd say LGA or JFK. LGA will fly you into Queens (not manhatten), but cabs and trains are readily available. I'm not sure where JFK is. Newark is sort of a hassle for travelling into the city unless you know the city pretty well. Did that this past fall and you end up taking an air train to an amtrak train and then connecting to the local subways, with gear and baggage, not too fun. My vote is to hit cross keys on your way down 95 through PA/Jersey (you can jump a chopper, biplane, skyvan, otter, etc etc etc there) and once in FL hit all the DZs. coming down 95 you can hit JAX first, then deland, cut over to ZHills across I4, the tunnel sits in the middle of ZHills and Deland, then go across 60 to Lake Wales, then Sebastian, Titusville is just north of Seb, then head south on 95 to SoBe then Miami. You can hit all the FL places in less than a week. __ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dumpster 0 #10 December 28, 2003 You might want to look into Philadelphia as a point of entry into the US, also. And do consider making your trip during the warmer months. You'll be able to do more with favorable weather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #11 December 28, 2003 Parkton would also welcome you (The Skydiving Place), and we're right off the I-95. In fact, if you take the I-95 south, you'll see the DZ from the road. PM me if you want to come out and jump or if you just want details. Safe and happy travels, brother. Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustaBill 0 #12 December 28, 2003 As a railroader I must say, if you're short on time, stay away from Amtrak. I don't know about the east coast but in the midwest they are constantly late. It's a decent way to travel if you aren't in a hurry, but you could probably drive it quicker.------------------------------------------------ I've done so much, with so little, for so long I'm now expected to do everything with nothing forever Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masher 1 #13 December 29, 2003 Quoteyou can see the horizion 30 miles away at any point!! Did you know that Kansas is flatter than a pancake?-- Arching is overrated - Marlies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
