9-Day Free & Easy West USA Itinerary

This May, my family traveled across the American West — flying into San Francisco and out of Los Angeles, with a stop in Las Vegas to visit the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon. We didn’t drive or join tours — instead, we hired private cars in each city and flew between destinations. Total trip: 9 days, cost per person: ¥24,000 (excluding shopping), with a focus on safety + savings. More detailed guides on hotels and activities coming later! 💰 Cost Breakdown (per person) International flights (round trip): ¥5,600 (Korean Air via Seoul) U.S. domestic flights (2 segments): ¥750 (Southwest Airlines — SFO→LAS & LAS→LAX, ~$50 each) Accommodation: ¥10,000 (~¥1,250/night × 8 nights — a bit more for safety & comfort) Private car hires: ¥4,700 (covers: 1-day Pacific Coast Highway half-route, 2 days in LA, 2 days for Grand Canyon & Antelope Canyon including tickets) Food: ¥3,200 (sit-down meals ~¥200–300/person, fast food ~¥80, cheaper options at Costco for semi-prepared meals) 📍 Itinerary D1–D3｜San Francisco 🏨 Stay: InterContinental Mark Hopkins (right by the “Inception” clock tower — highly recommended!) D1 (Half-day): Took the cable car from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf (Pier 39) to see sea lions → Treasure Island for skyline views → Palace of Fine Arts. D2 (PCH half-route by car): Half Moon Bay → 17-Mile Drive → Monterey → Bixby Creek Bridge → back to SF. D3: Golden Gate Bridge — started at Langdon Ct parking (hilltop overlook), walked down toward the bridge; visited Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center & gift shop. D3 afternoon & D6 morning｜Las Vegas 🏨 Stay: New York New York Hotel (poor soundproofing, smoky lobby — not recommended) ✅ Buffet at Aria — affordable, tasty, with seafood, crawfish, and sashimi! ✅ ABC Stores — limited-edition Hello Kitty merch 🐱 ✅ The Sphere — iconic giant LED ball 🎡 D4–D5｜Arizona (2-day round trip from Vegas by car) 🏨 Stay: Holiday Inn Page (free breakfast — highly recommended!) D4: Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim) → Mather Point → Hopi Point (skipped) → Horseshoe Bend. D5: Lower Antelope Canyon → Lake Powell (Wahweap Viewpoint) → Historic Route 66 in Seligman → Hoover Dam. D6 afternoon – D9｜Los Angeles 🏨 Stay: Korean-district Airbnb (with security & washer — recommended!) D6 (Half-day, taxi): Bradbury Building → Angels Flight Railway. D7 (Full-day car hire): Hollywood Walk of Fame → Beverly Hills → Getty Center → Griffith Observatory → LACM → Santa Monica Beach. #US #Florida #Las Vegas