First Big US Trip: 5 Cities in 3 Weeks — Looking for Tips
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Day 1: Saturday, 13/03/2027 | 6:00 AM Arrival in Los Angeles |
| Day 2: Sunday, 14/03/2027 | 10:00 PM Los Angeles (Union Station) Departure: Sunset Limited |
| Day 3: Monday, 15/03/2027 | Onboard Sunset Limited |
| Day 4: Tuesday, 16/03/2027 | 9:40 PM Arrival in New Orleans (Union Passenger Terminal) |
| Day 5: Wednesday, 17/03/2027 | |
| Day 6 Thursday, 18/03/2027 | 7:00 PM New Orleans Pelicans vs Charlotte Hornets (Refundable tickets purchased) |
| Day 7 Friday, 19/03/2027 | (New Orleans -> Nashville) |
| Day 8 Saturday, 20/03/2027 | 7:00 AM (Tour) From Nashville: Memphis Tour with Graceland VIP Access |
| Day 9 Sunday, 21/03/2027 | (Nashville) |
| Day 10 Monday, 22/03/2027 | (Nashville -> New York) |
| Day 11 Tuesday, 23/03/2027 | (New York) |
| Day 12 Wednesday, 24/03/2027 | (New York) |
| Day 13 Thursday, 25/03/2027 | (New York) |
| Day 14 Friday, 26/03/2027 | (New York) |
| Day 15 Saturday, 27/03/2027 | (New York -> Chicago) |
| Day 16 Sunday, 28/03/2027 | (Chicago) |
| Day 17 Monday, 29/03/2027 | 2:00 PM Chicago, IL (Union Station) Departure: California Zephyr |
| Day 18 Tuesday, 30/03/2027 | Onboard California Zephyr |
| Day 19 Wednesday, 31/03/2027 | 4:57 PM Arrival in Emeryville, CA |
| Day 20 Thursday, 01/04/2027 | · 8:39 AM Emeryville, CA Departure: Coastal Starlight 9:11 PM Arrival in Los Angeles |
| Day 21 Friday, 02/04/2027 | 10:30 PM Los Angeles take-off |
My partner and I are travelling from Sydney, Australia, to the US in March 2027 for his 60th, mostly because New York is on his bucket list.
We’ll be there for about three weeks (13 March to 2 April), flying in and out of Los Angeles. At first he named four destinations: New York, Nashville, New Orleans and Chicago. He also mentioned Austin, but later backtracked on that. He’s an avid music lover, so the other cities were mainly chosen for their music associations — Chicago for blues, for example.
After booking three train trips to minimise flying, I’ve realised we’ll have only about 12 full days to spend across those four cities. Planning became even more challenging when my partner told me last week that he’d love to see Sun Studio and Graceland when I asked what he wanted to do in Nashville — except they’re in Memphis! So we’ll now have to do a roughly 15-hour day trip from Nashville.
At the moment, here’s what I’m thinking:
- New Orleans (3 nights): My partner is of Irish descent and was born on 17 March, hence his middle name Patrick. I’ve heard St Patrick’s Day is quite festive in New Orleans, with street parades, so I thought we could just enjoy that on the 17th and perhaps do a swamp tour on the 18th.
- Nashville (3 nights): The Memphis day trip will take up all of 20 March. I think he’d love to go to a concert or live show while we’re there, depending on what’s on, and probably visit some music-themed museums.
- New York (5 nights): He has mentioned Hotel Chelsea, because so many rock stars stayed there, plus the Empire State Building observation deck and MoMA. I’m not sure whether he wants to visit Hotel Chelsea or actually stay there, and I’m almost afraid to ask. :)
- Chicago (2 nights): I’m planning to check out Buddy Guy’s Legends one evening.
- Los Angeles (2 nights): I hadn’t originally planned to spend much time there, but because of the train trips we’ll now have about three full days, and I have no idea what to do.
Personally, I want to go to one NBA game and one NHL game. I was a big NBA fan in high school in the 1990s, during the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls dynasty, but stopped following it after university and haven’t watched a game in more than 20 years. I know almost nothing about NHL beyond it being ice hockey — I just want the experience and atmosphere.
I’ve checked the 2026–27 NBA and NHL schedules. Not every team has released single-game tickets yet. For those that have, I bought refundable tickets for the New Orleans Pelicans home game on 18 March, although my favourites are still the Knicks and Bulls, which I know may be harder to get. For NHL, I don’t have a favourite team. I’d prefer an evening game, but Blackhawks vs Kraken currently looks like a good option, although held at 2pm.
So I’m mainly looking for advice on:
- Activities: What would you recommend in each city?
- Domestic flights: How early should I arrive at the airport — about two hours before departure?
- NHL seats: How can I get the best value for money (like, feeling the thrill of the game) if my budget is no more than US$200 per ticket?
- Tipping: This is probably what I feel most apprehensive about. I’m sure there are already good posts or guides on tipping in the US, so links would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!