I'm so excited!!!! Thanks so much for your advice guys.

I've done lots of research since my last post and have decided to go to New York for most of december and then to Portland for Christmas and New Year with my family. I have friends in sacramento so thought I might fly home out of San Fransisco rather than LA, see them and go to the Napa Valley. Sounds heavenly.

Thanks so much for the tip of using tripadvisor - I haven't used that site before and it is really helpful.

Re hiring a car? It hadn't really occurred to me and the 'driving on the wrong side of the road part' would be a little weird. Would be pretty cool to experience that though so I'll look into it.

America here I come!!! WOO HOO!!!