Amuricah

[Bedlam 0-0-0]

Damn, I missed the boat on this one. I would have recommended flying into Albuquerque and driving to Vegas. It is 8 hours and you can divide it up in some neat places. In abq there is a lot of stuff including self guided "Breaking Bad" tours if you are into that kind of thing. Santa Fe is 30 mintues away and can be pretty fun. Next up on I40 is Holbrook AZ has some awesome route 66 stuff including a great "retro" Tipi Hotel. Near there is the Petrified National Forest which is tip top. After that stop at Meteor Crater which is the largest crater in North America (all this on I40!). I think it is a mile wide in the middle of nothingness. People used to find diamonds in surrounding area due to the heat and pressure from the impact. Then head to Flagstaff and go to the Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings. Hang in Flag for a day. Good food and a fun place in general. Then go all Grand Canyon. After that, cool your heels in Vegas, then roll to Joshua Tree which will also bend your brain with beauty. While there check out Pioneer Town which was an old cowboy movie set that is now a bar with a lot of live music, a restaurant with decent bbq and some other shops. In the 70's it was a motorcycle hangout (1%er style). A woman showed me an old picture of a shotgun double wedding there that was featured in Easy Rider magazine. Then palm springs and if you decide that after all that fun you want to punish yourself a bit, end in LA (alternatively go to Salvation Mountain/Slab City/Bombay Beach for some weirdness. But hey...California is ok too ;)

In Vegas I would stay somewhere on Fremont street. I'm not really into the strip. Fremont st seems to be the up and coming area with some hip bars etc. There is a small business incubator that is built out of old shipping containers. I went just as it was closing and it looked really great. Check out the Mob Museum (one of the best laid out Museums I have been to). You can buy a double pass which gets you into the Mob Museum and the Neon Museum if I remember correctly. The Neon Museum tour is fun and loaded with weird old history. Also don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame! That is a must for me when I visit Vegas.

Have fun! No matter where you go, there will be something to see!

[nafod]

Agree with The Donk on everything. In DC, if you are staying at a hotel near a subway stop, it is too easy to get around. I like to stay in Old Town Alexandria, in Virginia, where there are a bunch of excellent restaurants and hotels, and a super convenient subway stop. Go into the city for touristing, then relax back at the casa.

Consider driving through Death Valley on your way to Yosemite, going up route 395. Hit it at sunrise so you don't fry. Whitney Portal is a super cool stop too.

Book your Yosemite lodging now.

Definitely do Rt 1 down the coast if possible. Insane beauty.

I'm not a LA fan.

[Beer Jew]

Yosemite is already proving fucking difficult to find lodging in.

I'm currently looking around the Valley, Foresta, Grovelands etc.. Anywhere where I'm inside the park and don't have to queue everyday to get in.

[nafod]

Obviously Yosemite is awesome, but the valley is clogged with thousands of people each day.

Consider Kings Canyon National Park, if you are interested in getting out into the high Sierra mountains and hiking. It's mountains are every bit as awesome, huge freaking chunks of clean granite. But very few people. Has lodging in the park, but it is not luxury stuff like Yosemite valley. Sequoia ?National Park is next door, with its insanely huge trees.

[DrDonkeyLove]

Obviously Yosemite is awesome, but the valley is clogged with thousands of people each day.

Consider Kings Canyon National Park, if you are interested in getting out into the high Sierra mountains and hiking. It's mountains are every bit as awesome, huge freaking chunks of clean granite. But very few people. Has lodging in the park, but it is not luxury stuff like Yosemite valley. Sequoia ?National Park is next door, with its insanely huge trees.

x2

[Andy83]

If you try to do even 1/10 of what is suggested here, 4 grand ain't gonna cover even part of it. Stay home and watch some documentaries on Netflix.
Secondly if you and the wife are arguing about what to do now, you'll know doubt be divorced after any vacation you take together.
Just sayin'