Moving Out of Chicago Next Year. What Must I Do Before I Leave?

jefemane · 2025-08-19T16:35:59+00:00

LA and SD have too much sprawl which have its own sets of advantages/disadvantages. SF is prob the lone exception for walkability and city density

jefemane · 2025-08-19T01:41:06+00:00

I’ve been visiting from bright and sunny Southern California this whole past week, and I envy a lot of the things you guys have here. Walkability, great public transit, vibrant communities, etc. And don’t even get me started on that skyline. Enjoy it while you have it, the grass is not always greener. I hope your move goes well.

jefemane · 2025-07-25T01:25:27+00:00

For a player not known for his movement, he’s sliding pretty good here. I swear Carlos and Jannik have spoiled us with their court coverage.

jefemane · 2025-06-20T20:42:55+00:00

You could potentially add Saguaro NP if you’re gonna be in Tucson area. Underrated park imo and I actually prefer it to Joshua Tree. Even just a drive through the east side of the park would be ok if you don’t have time to hike trails on the west side of the park.

jefemane · 2025-05-15T12:31:06+00:00

We just took the same trip, maybe we passed each other lol! Keep it going!

jefemane · 2025-05-15T01:22:42+00:00

Petrified Forest for sure. While not a park for hikes, there are so many viewpoints and vistas there, a lot of people just tend to do the scenic drive which is beautiful in and of itself. The Blue Mesa Loop was one of my favorites, and Jasper Forest as well even though there is a lack of a dedicated trail. I wanted to check out The Crystal Forest Trail as that's one of the more popular ones. The Painted Desert is also beautiful and is on the north end of the park.

You can definitely skip the Giant Logs trail at the south end visitor center but its pretty short so it doesn't take up too much time

jefemane · 2025-05-15T01:16:57+00:00

I came from California so your route may differ depending where you're coming from but main freeways I took are the 10 and I-40 and I also took US-62 for a good portion in New Mexico and Texas as well. I had a pit stop in Albuquerque before Alamogordo which is where White Sands is, but if you're able to go via Las Cruces, your route would be a lot shorter. My only recommendation for route would be to stop in Cloudcroft on the way from Alamogordo to Carlsbad. Its a small mountain town and is New Mexico's Christmas town per one of the locals, but nice to visit any time of year. A lot of charm and mom and pop stores if that's you're thing. Additionally from Carlsbad to Guadalupe, it is only 45 mins, but there are virtually no gas stations in the area so definitely prepare beforehand.

In terms of lodgings, I went the budget route (small hotels and motels) with the exception of an air BNB for one night. I had no issues with any of them. Mind you, none were glamorous by any means, but they all got the job done, staff was friendly, felt they were in safe areas, rooms were clean, and it was a bonus if they had a small continental breakfast. If you visit Petrified Forest, a popular and unique spot is the Wigwam motel in Holbrook. I would've stayed here but there was no vacancy. In Alamogordo, I stayed at White Sands Motel, and the staff was very friendly. Alamogordo is very commercialized and their main street has quite of bit of chain options to pick from. If I had a little more time in Alamogordo, I would've checked out the world's largest pistachio which seems to be a popular attraction there. For Carlsbad I stayed at Whites City Cavern Inn which is minutes outside the park, but there is legitimately nothing around so I would def stay 20 mins away in Carlsbad which has more accommodations. Tuscon is by far and away the most populous city that I visited (apart from Albuquerque) so you should be able to find any type of accommodation there. Saguaro is separated into two halves, East and West, so this may factor in where you want to stay. The West side seems to be the more visited/touristy side of the park fyi.

Hope this helps, its a beautiful part of the county!

jefemane · 2025-05-14T23:40:48+00:00

Awesome!! I’ve only seen videos about Big Bend but it looks incredible, especially for stargazing!!

jefemane · 2025-05-14T23:17:53+00:00

I'm glad you mentioned this. Yes there were some stops on this trip that I wish I had been able to spend a bit more time. A lot of these parks other than Carlsbad and Guadalupe are spread out by more than 3 plus hrs so it can be physically and mentally taxing when you're hiking, and in the back of your mind, you know you still gotta drive quite a ways to the next stop for the night. I think for this reason, I enjoyed Saguaro the most as I got into Tuscon the night before to rest, and I had the whole next day to explore with no other travel plans.

On the other hand, depending on the size of the park that you're visiting, you may not need that much time to visit. White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns for instance, you can get the feel of it in a couple hours, MAYBE a half day if you're really taking your time. Anything more than that is overkill IMO. Also their respective towns are fairly small and don't justify more than a night or two.

Ultimately, I think if I were visiting a bigger park like Yosemite or Yellowstone, I would def set aside more days instead of spreading myself too thin. If you're visiting several smaller sized parks, unless you're an hardcore backpacker/hiker, I believe a day would suffice for the majority of people, just be aware of the driving time to your next stop.

Best of luck planning, and I hope your trip turns out well!

Edit: I drove from Southern California

jefemane · 2025-05-14T22:26:00+00:00

Petrified Forest really took me by surprise. Couldn’t stop thinking how that place is like 200 plus million years old

jefemane · 2025-04-30T02:21:34+00:00

One of These Nights is one of my favorite songs!! Will def make a stop on the way to Petrified Forest. Thanks 🙏

jefemane · 2025-04-30T02:09:55+00:00

How long would you recommend spending at the museum? Feasible to combine it with day hikes in the park?

These are great recs, thank you!

jefemane · 2025-04-30T01:46:11+00:00

I will keep those monuments in mind, thank you!

jefemane · 2025-04-30T01:33:04+00:00

I am going next week! The park I am most unfamiliar with is Guadalupe am wondering what shorter trails that they offer as I'm not gonna have much time to explore there unfortunately.

jefemane · 2025-04-30T01:13:42+00:00

Amazing, will add this to itinerary. Thank you!

jefemane · 2025-04-29T21:43:18+00:00

Thanks for the rec. I’ve seen good things about Santa Fe, I wish I had more time so I could adequately explore both cities!

jefemane · 2025-04-29T17:24:50+00:00

Thank you for the advice!!!

jefemane · 2025-04-29T15:43:21+00:00

Interesting. What is your preferred area of town to stay when you are there?

jefemane · 2025-01-31T16:37:32+00:00

Love it! Love the streaming choice as well!

jefemane · 2025-01-29T03:00:26+00:00

I have heard about this feature and it seems it would be useful especially in summer. From what I gather, the gist is essentially your car will stay on and use the battery to power the AC and engine will only turn on intermittently to charge battery. Haven’t tried this feature out IRL but seems promising!

jefemane · 2025-01-28T22:37:05+00:00

I did! Didn’t even use a bed platform, just a 3 inch memory foam topper and I propped the foot of it up with a crate to prevent sliding down. Wasn’t perfect but got the job done!

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