7 replies to this topic

[ChrisDabbs]

Hi there guys,

We (4 of us, me in a chair) are off to Cali v soon, landing in LA, then working our way up to SF via Sequoia NP and Monterey and we'd appreciate any sort of steer on accessible hotels, or organisations who can provide reliable information for hotel booking etc. Is there a recognised national standard for access in the States? Like level one for fully accessible, level 2, one step etc, etc??

Thanks for any help you can give,

Chris

[ZEN12many]

My experience is it is best to call each motel/hotel/inn that you are going to stay in and ask specific questions. If you just say "wheelchair accessible", each motel/hotel manager makes his/her own decision regarding what that means (e.g., you might get a roll-in shower or just a tub). There are laws but they are not uniformily enforced.

[wheeliebear75]

There is ADA (American Disability Act) but enforcement is hit or miss. Same as the above said but I'd add that sometimes we've found that the larger rooms can be more accessible than the "accessible rooms" are, you just have to ask if you can see each one BEFORE you make your decision as to which one & if you choose the larger non-ADA room tell the hotel staff what it was about the "ADA room" it was that you did not like.

Edited by wheeliebear75, 25 June 2011 - 05:21 AM.

[jscott92064]

I would stay with well-known hotel chains. I found out in going to Santa Barbara that smaller historical hotels do not have to be ada compliant at all.

[ChrisDabbs]

Thanks all, I must admit I thought the US would be further along the awareness route than the UK, but it seems that the ADA came in so long ago that it is a bit toothless. Ho hum, it will be an adventure.....


Chris

[mephibosheth]

Hi Chris!

I'm writing this from our hotel in Santa Monica, CA. Coincidentally, my bro & I are doing the same trip at the moment! I can't tell you much about accessibility elsewhere, but here's the Santa Monica blurb:

From LAX we took a SuperShuttle (blue van) which dropped us at our hotel. The vans aren't accessible but if you have someone to help (or are able yourself to) get into the front seat it's a good & cheapish ($35) option if you have luggage. I guess there's bus services too but that's not fun with bags.

Initially we were at the Holiday Inn which has an excellent location but wasn't really great inside. The room was crowded just with the 2 of us & the bathroom sink/mirror was good for standing only. We've just moved to the Doubletree Suites a few streets away & the room is much better: 1 king bed, 1 fold-out double, big rooms, good bathroom & an option for interconnecting with the room adjacent. Just be sure to specify a roll-in shower (1st attempt was a tub).

The streets around aren't flat, but they're not stupidly steep. As a C5/6 with a power assisted manual chair I can push around locally & only need help with a few bumpy curbs & the ramp-of-death (see later). Most (all?) street crossings are a decent gradient, there's obviously been some thought put in to designing the streetscape. Footpaths are generally wide, flat & well maintained.
The metro rapid (red) buses loop to Hollywood, Downtown LA, Venice Beach & a few others. They have a pneumatic ramps to the front door & 2 spaces for chairs (with anchors if you need them). It's a bit of a rollercoaster ride but an easy & very cheap (free? I've not been charged yet... $1.50 saving) to get around.

In Santa Monica itself, there's a new shopping complex on Broadway & 2nd with a big food court on top.
3rd street promenade is fantastic, especially at night. There's buskers galore & plenty of food & shopping. It's all good paving & only a gentle slope.
The Pier is horrible for access; big old wooden planks which almost bounced me out even going slow. Velcro your feet to your footplate if you plan on going here or they'll bounce off every few planks. Seriously, it's horrid.
Just South from the entrance to the pier you'll find some steep streets leading down to the beach. There's a less steep ramp-of-death, but it's massively long & arduous, & pretty narrow too. Once you're at the bottom though, there's a concrete path along the whole beach. We followed it all the way to Venice Beach (go here on a Saturday if you like markets). People everywhere & much to see.

The coffee is feral pretty much everywhere here
Streets can be very crowded at night - BYO Cattle prod.
Many homeless about - harmless, but be prepared to handle begging.

Alright, got a bit long-winded there sorry! There's Santa Monica for you, if you decide to visit/stay

[WheelGamer]

For San Francisco you can try looking at this site: http://www.sanfranci...cess-Guide.html
Just be ready for a lot of hills!

Also, I took a trip to Monterey my first year in the wheelchair and stayed at the Portola Hotel(http://www.portolahotel.com/). It was beautiful but the beds of the room we stayed in were too high for me to transfer to independently. They also told us that they had a shower bench when really it was a rickety shower chair, quite the scary transfer for a new para! If you're more accustomed to traveling and lots of transferring this hotel may work for you. It's definitely in a great area for shopping and close to the water.

[Andrew Meddings]

im currently in san diego. ive been la, to san fran, yosemite, death valley, vegas, arizona.i only book a few hrs before booking in to a room. i have found all the accessable rooms exelent. nearly all the attractions are accessable with the exception of the cable cars. i will also be in santa monica tomorow