so i am thinking about doing the grand southern NY - LA in late 2010 oct/nov and i was wondering how many people actually do the new york and la explorers before and after the tour?
and is it worth doing the LA explorer if i have been to LA already?

mel

Probably not if you've already been. LA is very easy to get around once you are downtown and relatively safe during the day. Also, come the end of your GS tour you will have made a bunch of friends on board, most of which will also hang around for a few days to see the sights so, you could go with them!

On the NY side of things I would say not to bother either because, NY is really easy to get around. Most things are within walking distance when you get to the city area.

Another thing, if you post in the meeting place section of this site, you may well find others planning to travel at the same time as you so, you could explore the city with them.