Camminatore, on the acclimation subject, let me throw in some advice from a fellow flatlander. AMS is one of the leading causes of failure to summit Whitney. I've been there, and it's no damn fun. Just go ahead and shoot me. You're making quite an effort to travel most of the way across the country to get your crack at this mountain, so you want to do everything possible to avoid AMS and give yourself the best chance to summit.
If at all possible, find a way to sleep reasonably high. The more time at elevation, the better your body acclimates to the reduced oxygen levels. Pre-hiking high is good (11,000 to 12,000 ft if possible), but if you're bringing camping gear make it a point to spend a couple of nights before your entry date at either the Portal campground (8300 ft) or, even better, nearby Horseshoe Meadow campground (10,000 ft).
If you don't have camping gear, your options are limited. You can, however, sleep in your vehicle at the Portal if push comes to shove.
The one and only time I've ever suffered AMS was on Whitney in 2009. It surprised me since I had hit summits of 13K' and 14K' several times prior with zero issues. Eventually I realized that it was likely due to the fact that all my successful higher summits had also been accompanied by sleeping in the 7K' to 8K' range beforehand. The '09 Whitney trip, where I suffered my one and only bout with AMS, I had hiked to around 12K' several days prior to Whitney, but I was sleeping in Lone Pine (3700 ft). I corrected that last year by sleeping at 8K' ft several nights before Whitney, and felt just fine on the summit.
Enjoy the experience - you'll have a blast!
