Sunshine In USA In Early June

gaillimh

Hi.

Where would be a good location to go in the US for some sunshine for around 5 days in either the last week of May or first week of June?

We are considering a 13 night trip spanning the last week of May and first week of June.
For 8 of those nights we are going to go to Chicago and one or both of NYC and San Francisco.

For the remaining 5 nights herself would love to relax in the sun somewhere. It doesn't necessarily have to be a beach area just so long as it's sunny and there is somewhere to catch some rays (a hotel pool would suffice).

I understand a lot of coastal California is not ideal at this time of year due to coastal fog/May grey/June gloom effect so would be interested in hearing alternatives.
Vegas is one option we are considering & Florida another (not sure about Florida weather in June).

Any help in deciding on somewhere much appreciated.

iusedtoknow

not san francisco

June, July and August are the coldest, foggiest months there. It's a fun city (i live there and love it) but for heat, it's not the time to go. You need to head south in California (LA, San Diego) or

InTheTrees

Florida or Las Vegas sounds right. I'd go for Vegas.

I wouldnt even guarantee southern california as being fog free., while Vegas will be Hot and every one of the big hotels have extensive pool facilities.

If she just wants to get some sun, relax by a pool, and do some shopping, then Id say Vegas (especially if you've never been there?) . Florida is more of a family/beach thing and seeing as you're going between Chicago and SF, its a little out of your way.

rockonollie

If it's sunshine you're looking for.....then Chicago and NYC would be better (it's also logistically better than doing east and west coast in 1 trip)......from either location you could easily reach good sunshine spots for a relaxing few days......

From chicago, you could go north to wisconsin, or east into ohio and spend some time on the lake shore.

Or you could go south from New York to Ocean city for more or a beach stop......or if you really wanted to, further south to the carolinas

Gandhi

Memorial Day is on Monday May 26th this year. That's the 3-day weekend that traditionally marks the start of the summer in the US, and it is when most of the schools and colleges start their summer holidays. The beach resorts are absolutely thronged that weekend and the following week (and jack up their prices accordingly), as families will have the kids done with school but still have a week or two before they start summer camp.

So I'd stay away from the beaches, and stick with Vegas or the like, unless you can get there before the weekend of May 26th.

InTheTrees

Gandhi wrote: »

Memorial Day is on Monday May 26th this year.

:eek:

Good point.

Book in advance too.

Poiteen

If you're going to be in SF right before, there's lots of lovely small beach towns along the coast in California. June gloom shouldn't be too much of a problem on the central coast, and any morning fog, people call it the 'marine layer' usually burns off by 10 or so anyway. I wouldn't let it put you off spending some time in Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Opisbo etc.

If you guys don't necessarily want beach, you should check out Lake Tahoe and the wine regions. Should be lovely there in June

gaillimh

Thanks a million for your responses so far.
Just wondering what do ye make of Palm Springs? I don't know anyone personally who has been there. I would probably opt for Vegas if we hadn't been there before (which we were 3 years ago & loved it).
i guess it would make sense to look for somewhere in California as we would be staying in SF for the previous few nights.In saying that I have always found internal flights in the US to be very reasonably priced so that's not a deal breaker and if there was somewhere more suitable on the East Coast we could always switch the order of the cities we visit.
I'm sort of being put off the idea of San Diego area & Santa Barbara due to the chance of not great weather.
At least with Vegas you know you're going to get a bit of heat.

Anyway thanks again for the suggestions so far and keep them coming :-)

Absolutely love the US.brilliant country to holiday in

gaillimh

PS Also I meant to ask in my previous post - would anybody have a recommendation for somewhere on the East Coast at that time of year?
I've heard of places like the Hamptons,Myrtle Beach in SC etc but again don't personally know anybody who has stayed in any of these areas so would be good to get info from people who have first hand knowledge of these places.
Thanks again

endofrainbow

Myrtle Beach would be warm and sunny early June and only about 2 hours from Charleston which is a beautiful southern city.

rossie1977

san francisco is impossible to predict. i was there in early june 2000 when the city experienced its hottest day in history...and the next day temperatures fell massively.

vegas will be warm in early june but can be windy that time of year. florida should be warm (and humid ) but its also prone to alot of heavy thunder-storms

MadsL

gaillimh wrote: »

Thanks a million for your responses so far.
Just wondering what do ye make of Palm Springs?

I have camped at the Coachella festival two years in a row in April. One year's temps hit 109F (42C) in the shade, 127F (52C) in my tent and 147F (63C) in the truck. A coke can left on my tailgate exploded with 7/8ths of the top of it ripped completely off.

You'll get sun alright in Palm Springs in June. :pac: Like it will be sunny in Death Valley.

It is also a palm tree fringed hell hole as far as I am concerned, pretty location with the mountains around it, but most people simply have lots of money for AC and pools.

Lake Tahoe is a great suggestion, but a very small town. imho your best bet is to find somewhere with elevation so that you get sun, but not the extreme temps. Colorado maybe?

MadsL

gaillimh wrote: »

At least with Vegas you know you're going to get a bit of heat.

Any time I have been in Vegas in June/July - monsoon rains. Last trip it started raining as I got the car out of valet parking and didn't quit until we made it to Seligman AZ for the night. I couldn't see **** driving out of town towards I95.

They got an equivalent of one years rainfall that day.

Poiteen

palm springs is where a lot of people in LA go in the winter (nov-apr) because it's warmer than LA. In the summer it's more scorching hot than I would be comfortable walking around in. I honestly don't know why you'd be wary of the weather in San Diego in May or June, it will likely be beautiful, and with more things to see, beautiful beaches, etc.

MadYaker

We rented a house in Del Mar near San Diego for 2 weeks a few years back. It was lovely. Nice beaches within walking distance, plenty of shops and restaurants. Its also easy to go into San Diego which is a lovely city. Sun shined every day and I don't think it rained once.

Dave1442397

gaillimh wrote: »

PS Also I meant to ask in my previous post - would anybody have a recommendation for somewhere on the East Coast at that time of year?
I've heard of places like the Hamptons,Myrtle Beach in SC etc but again don't personally know anybody who has stayed in any of these areas so would be good to get info from people who have first hand knowledge of these places.
Thanks again

We spent a week in Myrtle Beach last May (last week of the month). It's nice, but not a place I'd go given the options you have. It rained every morning (torrential thunderstorms) and one day we had steady rain all day. It's a family resort area, so there is plenty to do both indoors and outside. We did enjoy it, but now that we've seen it I wouldn't go back.

The Hamptons will be mobbed for Memorial Day, and the traffic is insane. I find it boring as far as scenery goes. It's nice, but doesn't do much for me.

Other nice places on the East Coast are Hilton Head and the Outer Banks region. Hilton Head is upscale, with lots of golfing. The Outer Banks is large enough that you can stay close to a town, or head somewhere off the beaten track.

Florida would be nice, but if you want somewhere quiet you're probably better off heading to the Gulf coast and going to a place like Sanibel Island. It does typically rain every day in Florida at that time of the year, but it's generally just a brief shower, and it's warm.



For out west, seeing as you're already in the SF area, I would head to Lake Tahoe. It's probably my favorite place to go. They get around 300 days of sunshine per year, and most of the non-sunny days are when they have winter snowstorms. They get so little rain that houses don't even have gutters and drainpipes.

If you want quiet Lake Tahoe, head to the Hyatt Regency at Incline Village on the North shore. It's right on the lake, has it's own private catamaran for sightseeing, and has a really nice pool/spa area.
If you like more nightlife, head to South Lake Tahoe where there are plenty of clubs and casinos.

You can rent a car and drive (clockwise for best views) around the lake - it's just over 70 miles, and there are lots of places to pull in and enjoy the views. I rented a road bike for $35 from a local bike shop and cycled around the lake, which was a great way to see it.

Lake Tahoe has beautiful beaches - one of my favorites is Sand Harbor - http://parks.nv.gov/parks/sand-harbor/
You have to get there early to get a parking spot, but there are bathrooms and they have a burger place called The Char Pit that has decent food.

If you like rafting, you can rent a raft and go down the Truckee River, depending on the water levels - might be too low this year, as there hasn't been much snow.

If you do head to Tahoe, be aware that the sun will burn you in no time at that altitude. 15-20 minutes on areas not used to sun will have you looking like the proverbial lobster. I need sunscreen if I'm out for any length of time.

Paul_Hacket

I'd consider taking a flight from New York down to Charleston or Savannah. Both beautiful cities (look them up in Google Images), nice weather at that time of year and very different culturally from the Northern cities you'll have visited earlier. The South has a different pace of life, great food and accents. There are also some nice beaches near both cities which will be very swimmable in May/June.

CaliforniaDream

MadsL wrote: »

Any time I have been in Vegas in June/July - monsoon rains. Last trip it started raining as I got the car out of valet parking and didn't quit until we made it to Seligman AZ for the night. I couldn't see **** driving out of town towards I95.

They got an equivalent of one years rainfall that day.

Las Vegas has, on average, 26 days of rain per year. Average rainfall for an entire year is 4 inches.
Yes, you may get unlucky and be here when it rains but the chances are so small I wouldn't even consider it.
First year I moved here I didn't see rain for 3 months.

San Diego is a great city and I recommend going there. Might not be as hot as Vegas and you may have more cloud cover but you'll have a great time.

I hated Palm Springs. Nothing to do there in my opinion.

InTheTrees

If the wife wants reliable sunshine to get a good Tan to impress people at home then I'd pick Vegas.

You cant get much more reliable for Sun in June/July than somewhere in the Desert. And most vegas hotels have extensive pool facilities. There's other desert cities of course but Vegas is usually good value, and if you're just hanging out by the pool, it has what you want.

scottmcb04

I've been to both San Diego and Denver and I would definitely recommend both of them!

They are no 1 & 2 on America's sunniest cities respectively! Both pretty laid back, seem pretty laid back as well!