Originally Posted by
emailkid
Glad you brought that up. Having to rent a car will add to the overall cost.
Right, but you're going to be renting the car in these cities anyway, since public transit in the U.S. is virtually worthless unless you are on the utmost of tiny budgets.
Originally Posted by
emailkid
I've seen a lot of this country over the last couple of years, and not too many Motel 6 franchises charge $30 anymore. Even mom and pop motels don't charge $30 anymore around major cities. Sure, out in the country you can still find them, along the interstates in the middle of nowhere, but around big cities, not so much. Saw lots of $30, even $25 motels in Amarillo, Texas, but really, that's a city you pass through, not visit
Last time I visited Key West (two or three years ago), the nasty IYH was charging about $30 for a shared room
Got lucky, and found a private room for a few nights for about the same price, but that was sheer good fortune.
Having said all that, Priceline can be your friend - it's been my friend
Especially on weekends when those who travel for work (like I used to) are at home and hotels / motels will slash prices via Priceline to get some money rather than let the rooms go empty.
EmailKid
All right, you've got me there. For all the traveling in the U.S. I've done (all 50 states), I've actually spent relatively little time in major cities, having mostly done road trips to sight-see the scenery or historical sites of our great country.
The few times I've done a big city, I've either done it as a day trip/in transit or done it car-free. (Whenever I've done the BOS-WAS corridor, I've always done it car-free and therefore accepted the higher prices of places convenient to public transit. I spent more than I wanted in DEN at a junky Ramada, but that was car-free, too, since I was overnighting there before departing by Amtrak. The hotel I splurged at in SEA was because I needed to be near the SEA DO activities.
Otherwise, I have family or friends in both cities in Washington state, Portland, the Bay Area, L.A., Chicago, and Orlando. Outside of these and the BOS-WAS corridor, I've only just driven through medium/major cities (perhaps stopping for the day), like Charlotte or Salt Lake City. I've never tried to find affordable accommodations in or near them.