What to Do in America – According to Qantas Frequent Flyers
East, west coast or somewhere in between? No matter where you’re headed to in the USA, you’re bound to uncover incredible adventures. Qantas Frequent Flyers share the highlights of their recent holidays, including living out their Downtown dreams in New York City, hiking scenic canyons in Los Angeles and taking a bucket-list road trip halfway across the country.
“At a Williamsburg skate park party, I danced in a half-pipe. It was such a good vibe.” – Audrey Michelin, Gold Frequent Flyer
“A free weekend during a two-week work trip gave me the chance to live like a New Yorker, and I took it. I began at Colonia Verde in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, where I ate the spectacular Aguachile Negro – shrimp, habanero and lime wrapped in a tortilla – it was delicious. A Besos de Fuego tequila and cachaça cocktail got me in the mood for the next stop.
At a party in a Williamsburg skate park, I danced in a half-pipe. It was such a good vibe. Then I stayed at citizenM New York Bowery, which has the comfiest beds and is a great hotel for anyone travelling solo. There’s a living area where guests can mingle as well as a spectacular rooftop bar; look left and you can see the East river and Brooklyn Bridge, look right and there’s the Financial District and the Empire State Building.
After breakfast, I took the subway to the Chelsea Market food hall for coffee. Then I walked to the beautiful Chelsea Waterside Park, where there was still snow on the ground. After a stroll across The High Line, I warmed up with a tea-based cocktail at Hotel Chelsea’s famous Lobby Bar – it was exactly what I needed. At my final destination, MoMA, I couldn’t decide which was better: the art or the pasta at Cafe 2.”
Audrey flew Sydney to New York via Auckland.
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“A free bus took us to Presidio, a national park which has San Francisco’s best views over the Golden Gate strait.” – Paul Hansen, Silver Frequent Flyer
“San Francisco was the jumping-off point for a once-in-a-lifetime road trip on a Harley-Davidson to the 84th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. With only four days to explore the city, we stayed at the centrally located Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf.
A free bus took us to Presidio, a former military outpost for the Spanish Empire, the Mexican Republic and the United States Army dating back to 1776. It’s now a national park site and National Historic Landmark District and it offers the city’s best views over the Golden Gate strait. Locals gather daily on the Main Parade Lawn for the Presidio Pop Up, where rotating food trucks sell everything from coffee and doughnuts to Hawaiian shave ice and Ukrainian borscht.
On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, we explored the ancient redwoods of the Muir Woods National Monument, stopping at the cute waterfront promenade in Sausalito for ice-cream before heading back. We had such an amazing time and did so much in the short time we were in the city.”
Paul flew from Canberra to San Francisco via Sydney.
“In LA, you’ve got canyons, mountains, beaches – there’s even snow an hour’s drive away during the cooler months.” – Annita Katee, Bronze Frequent Flyer
“As a regular visitor to LA, I’ve discovered the natural beauty of the city is every bit as amazing as its urban sprawl. There are so many opportunities to spend time outside in LA: you’ve got canyons, mountains, beaches and there’s even snow at Mount Baldy, about an hour’s drive away.
I hiked every day when I visited in late spring. Runyon Canyon was within walking distance of my West Hollywood base and the views of Downtown and the Hollywood Sign never get old. Further afield, I love the Temescal Canyon Trail near Pacific Palisades for its waterfall and ocean views.
There are plenty of places to watch the vivid LA sunsets – Santa Monica Pier gives you a front-row seat as the sun sinks over the Pacific and there’s also Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park on Mount Hollywood. It’s free to enter the park and the panoramic vistas are amazing. If hunger strikes, Cara hotel in nearby Los Feliz has the most beautiful patio surrounding a huge water feature. It’s the ideal place for a glass of local biodynamic wine and the restaurant’s black truffle pappardelle is out of this world.”
Annita flew Sydney to LA.
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“It was one of those ‘only in New York’ moments” – Jarrod Blusztein, Bronze Frequent Flyer
“My brother lives in New York and during the lockdowns, my niece was born. My partner Hamish and I decided to go for a three-week holiday so I could finally go and meet her before travelling around the States.
“Our trip started in NYC, which was incredible. A highlight was seeing Chicago on Broadway and Pamela Anderson, who played the lead role of Roxie Hart, came out at the end of the show. She signed everyone’s playbooks and we got pictures with her. It was such a cool moment. The celebrity sightings continued when we went to a live taping of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. It’s free but it’s really hard to get tickets, and there were only 20 people in the crowd. It was one of those ‘only in New York’ moments.
“We then flew to Los Angeles where we stayed at the Beverly Hills Marriott. Hiring a car is crucial and it meant we could travel around easily. We hiked Runyon Canyon (a must-do), spent way too much money for a smoothie at Erewhon Market and cruised through the Hollywood Hills checking out the ridiculous mega mansions.
“Our trip finished in Waikiki in Hawaii, which was a complete change of pace; there’s so much happening but it’s still so stunning. We did a helicopter ride that took us over Pearl Harbor and the main island of Oahu – that was a standout for sure.
“Flying home with Qantas was great; there were no delays, it was a quick flight and the service was wonderful.”
“We ate at some of the best restaurants across the States” – Brendon Hill, Silver Frequent Flyer
“My wife and I had a wedding to go to in Dallas so we used that as an excuse for an American holiday. We flew to Los Angeles with Qantas which is always a great experience. We stayed at the Kimpton La Peer Hotel and ate at some really cool restaurants and bars. I had the most decadent breakfast at Bravo Toast: salmon and capers on bagel bread that’s fried in butter. My wife and I had to share one because it was so filling. It was delicious.
“We then flew across the country to New York where we averaged two dinners and at least three lunches a day; we love eating! The best cocktail I had was a Grasshopper at Dante: it’s like a 1980s cocktail but they do it with a cognac float; it tastes like a mint slice. Order the fish tacos from Los Tacos No.1, the smores cookie pies from Posh Pop Bakeshop and the vegan chorizo from Charley St, which is run by Aussie chef Dan Churchill. Hands-down my favourite restaurant in NYC though is Cosme: the tostados taste like popcorn, it’s amazing.
“The wedding in Dallas was next and we really made the most of our time there. We saw an NBA game (Dallas Mavericks played Orlando Magic) and we went to a honky-tonk which is essentially a cowboy bar where you go line dancing. You have to wear cowboy boots and a hat and there’s peanuts all over the floor. I didn’t know what to expect but it was so much fun. If you want a cool Dallas experience, you should absolutely go.”
“Yellowstone National Park is one of the best places in the world” – Brian Maguire, Bronze Frequent Flyer
“In May, my wife, two friends and I hired a four-wheel drive and did a six-week road trip from Salt Lake City through Idaho, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado and Utah.
“Yellowstone was absolutely the highlight for me, even though this was my third time there. We love national parks and there’s just so much wildlife there. We saw bears (grizzly, black and cinnamon black bears), wolves, coyotes, moose, bison and bald eagles – and that’s only what I can remember! The scenery is so spectacular; it’s one of the best places in the world.
“There were so many standouts on the road trip but Devils Tower was great, we saw Mount Rushmore and visited the Grand Canyon. We also visited the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center where we did the Meet & Greet Encounter. You get to go into the enclosure of some of the wolves and pet them. It was a really incredible experience.
“Arches National Park and Monument Valley are also spectacular. We did a walk down into Bryce Canyon and it’s such an incredible view. It's probably one of, if not the, most striking national parks to look at, canyon-wise.”
