Best way to travel across USA?

A friend and I are looking to spend4-6 weeks next summer travelling coast to coast from NYC to San francisco, via as many cities and sighta as we can cram in.

What is the best option for transport? So far we think its between either hiring a car and driving, or using the coach network.

Anyone help me out with the pros and cons of each or suggest another option

Any general travel advice or links would be helpful as well; like I said, its very early on in the planning stage

As quickly as possible before you get shot

you could sign up for couchsurfing.com and find some nice people to crash with along the way, for free

i would rent a car

Grayhound bus is quite common for long distance travel in the USA and Canada. Have you thought about the train? Trains can be more comfortable than buses. You should talk to a travel agent (it's free to ask) and figure out what cities/sites you want to definitely see. Then, have the travel agent figure out with you the most direct route of travel for you. You may want to use multiple modes of transportation. Like a bus for one part, rent a car for another, and hop a train for another.

Hire a car, that way way you are not restricted to one route, and you can see everything you desire....
you know you will have to come through Nevada to get to San Francisco... ;-)......you might need a travel guide...... just a thought Phil.....lol

♥

I would not recommend driving as it is different than driving in the UK....different side of the road and all. But, traveling via train (Amtrak) is a good option. I would recommend booking sleepers, otherwise you will have to sleep in the seats in coach. Some of these trains have double decker features with dining cars. There are places to watch movies and play games etc. Like a moving resort. You get to see the countryside, some beautiful, some distasteful...it's all part of it...be aware, however, than Amtrak trains make frequent stops and are not allowed to travel as fast as European trains... Have a safe and happy trip !!!

amtrak

Obviously with bus or train travel, you wouldn't need to drive. You don't need to worry about traffic, or parking and it can be generally more relaxing. If you're going places where there's decent public transportation, you might be okay without a car. However, in the US there are a lot of places you just can't get to conveniently of cheaply without a car. Or when you do arrive, you need a car to get around to see the attractions. The more people you have, the more expensive, the bus will be while the driving cost goes down because you can share expenses.

If you want to see the national parks, get to out of the way places, or just be in control of your own schedule - drive.

You might find these sites useful for bus and train schedules and prices: http://www.greyhound.com/home/ , http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage

renting a car is the way to go...don't forget to stop in Salt Lake City =)

Personally , I am a big fan of no reservations..when I do my motorcycle trip across europe in a couple of years, I will have 2 nights reserved...the first day I fly in, the night before I fly out, and that's it. I will have a general idea of some places I want to go..but no itinerary...best way to go when you have that kind of time I think.

Things great to see/do...nyc, new england beaches, six flags magic mountain in la for the roller coasters, kayak or raft on the payette, zip lining in colorado if you have the money--it's pricey--durango area,bike in moab,reno, vegas,chicago,go to the oldest brewary in america in pennsylvania (their brew is excellent),napa valley,sea world and sailing in san diego/catalina island, grand canyon,washington dc, seattle is a great city!!, alaska if you have time, oregon is gorgeous..I am missing a ton. Don't worry about SLC, got you covered =) Oh, you could check out a couple of music tours..most of the ones I know are a bit hard..but there's Coachella, Burning Man, and Warped tour that might be fun to catch...Warped travels so you could coordinate it with a place you want to go (I am going to be catching some of the famous european festivals myself =)
That sounds like fun!! Oh, and I'd recommend having a hotel reservation for a day (or a few ) when you fly in and one the night before you fly out...

Oh another thing..invaluable..my daughter got me a gps (tom-tom)...I take it everytime I travel..especially for someone like me , it's just great! That way you really don't have to plan too much...

Driving gives you the advantage of almost complete freedom to choose your destinations and travel schedules, but can be both expensive (gas is not as expensive here as it is in the UK, but it's not cheap, either) and unpleasant, depending on how much you enjoy driving. You can drive down a single highway for three or four entire days, which can get quite boring.

The bus system is fairly convenient, and is quicker and cheaper than the train system, but it's a lot less comfortable. Bus stations are often in the ugliest parts of town, and the buses themselves can be fairly grungy.

Train travel is more expensive, and destinations are more limited, but it's easily the most comfortable way to go. Unless you love to drive, and have experience driving on the right-hand side, I'd go by Amtrak.