Places to visit - USA

On the other end of the spectrum - and the continent - New England states like Massachussets (which I've never learned to spell properly) - particularly near the coast. Rockport, Salem, Gloucester - all fabulous, and Boston is close by.

I adore New England, and Salem is a beautiful town, but I must say it was not what I expected and I spent one of the most boring days of my entire life there. If you go, find a reason other than the witch trial stuff.

You should have stopped into the Peabody Essex Museum while walking around downtown. Wonderful museum. I agree the witch stuff gets a little boring particularly since most of the places don't have anything unique that seperates them from the half a million old houses up and down the east coast. But Salem is a fun little city to go out in at night. The waterfront isn't bad either.

I like the Savannah, GA idea, though if you do that, I'd pair it with nearby Charleston, SC. I did Savannah earlier this year and didn't think there was much more to last me more than a weekend. Charleston is just as fun, with some similiarities but definitiely a different feel than Savannah.

I am surprised noone has mentioned Vermont. Amazing place to get away from everything, and plenty of little sidetrips nearby like hitting up Saratoga, NY.

Saratoga is a very cool little town.

There were a few things I missed seeing in Salem because by the time we realized they were there (the House of the Seven Gables, for instance), they were closed. Every "witch trial" thing was the same thing over and over and SO not interesting. The people in that town still feel guilty all these years later, though. That was quite clear!

I'll echo Niagara Falls, both sides of the border. If you're on the NY side, take a look at some of the other stuff in Western NY as well, like Letchworth Park or the Adirondacks... absolutely beautiful in the summer and fall! If you stay around the Great Lakes, hit up Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (right on Lake Erie) - it's the best amusement park EVER. Other great spots in the Northeast/East Coast are Boston, the area north of Boston (Salem, for example) and DC. Tons of culture, great food, unique experiences all around. A little farther south will get you to North Carolina, which is also a pretty great place - particularly the coastal areas.

Alternatively, head to the West Coast. The Bay Area/Northern California area rocks for some really great music, food, wine and culture. San Francisco is awesome - but it's not as warm as you might anticipate! SoCal might be fun, too, and I really want to hit San Diego myself... but haven't been there.

If you'd like something in-between, Chicago! Nothing like live blues music and authentic Chicago pizza... not to mention a Cubs game at Wrigley. Even if you're not a baseball person, it's a really cool experience.

[qoute]
hit up Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (right on Lake Erie)


Shhh!!!! It's already too busy!!!

>.>

Yes, point taken... but it is rather amazeballs. :laugh:

Yosemite National Park...in the central california foothills....beautiful waterfalls, wonderful weather almost year round and tons of wildlife to see!!!

Chicago! Great shopping, restaurants, bars, museums, and a gorgeous lakefront.

I only really know about the South. If you wanna see Texas, San Antonio is the prettiest city & Austin is where the nightlife is. Also, Savannah, Georgia is awesome! Go to Arizona & New Mexico if you wanna see the Old West...cowboys & Native Americans and such.

Also, I wanted to add that the California Coast is a great vacation if you're up for renting a car and driving in the US. If you fly in LA you can drive up to Malibu for the afternoon (very pretty beaches), then drive up to Santa Barbara and take a beautiful hike in the Botanical Gardens, then on up to wine tasting in Buellton/Los Olivos/Paso Robles (tons of great vineyards there - I have a list for that too!), a visit to historic Hearst Castle, and drive up to Monterrey and see the awesome aquarium, into Carmel for a day, then up to San Fran for a couple of days and then up to Sonoma for more wine tasting if you have time. You could easily do this in a week and see all the highlights on the coast.

Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin (sorry I'm from Texas so I'm a bit biased), Atlanta, Washington D.C., Boston (my personal fave up north), Denver.... We have such a diverse landscape.... both physically and culturally.... what would you like to see/experience?

I am from Texas too. Dallas. I recently took a trip to Chicago. I would recommend visiting there. It is so full of history and culture. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I have been to NYC, San Francisco, and Honolulu. But Chicago is my favorite. There is so much to do there. If you choose Chicago, make sure you go on a tour of the city and have a Chicago Dog at Portillo's. The tour bus stops right at it and lets you off there.
Then there is San Francisco. Pier 39. Fisherman's Wharf. Street Cars. Ghiradelli Square. Alcatraz. Golden Gate. So much to do there.

I've been to New Orleans a few times and I felt it was not as safe. That is just my opinion, others will disagree. But I wouldn't go back.

I think it somewhat depends on where you go in NO, but even before Katrina, it had an extremely high crime rate. People may disagree with you on principle, but facts are facts. I have a friend who grew up there and refused to even visit because of the crime.

BUT ... while I haven't visited personally, I do have a lot of friends who have and none have been crime victims. My advice is stick to well-populated tourist areas and don't go off "the beaten path."

New Orleans has always been one of my favorite trips. Take the chance and Hotwire a room (hotwire.com) I've used it several times and always had a great experience. The last time I spent $75us a night, stayed in a 4-star hotel a block away from Bourbon Street. There is a lot to do there. French Market, casino, tour the cathedral, and on and on.

Atlanta, Ga (where I live now) is a great place to visit. A lot to see and do. (I've used Hotwire here too)

Never thought of hotwire! Cheers for the heads up! The flight seems to be really cheap too Wayhey!

When is your trip? It's a bit hot now!

Gonna look at October time?

October is a great time. Great weather that time of the year. Don't forget to eat a Muffaletta!

Charleston SC. You will not regret it. Lots of history, food, clubs, and great beaches! EVERYBODY I know loves Charleston!!

CHICAGO.
obviously.

Stay away from Kansas. This place sucks. :explode:

Rent an RV, and do a tour of some National Parks.

WE did Southern Utah one summer, and it was amazing. And because you have an RV, the heat doesn't bother you too much.

(The bottom edge of Utah has a line of National and State parks featuring enough stunning scenery, adventure hooning, and jumping into waterfalls to keep you going for 2-4 weeks.)

Additionally, if you're a cheap Brit like me, you'll have the added excitement of brake failure in mountainous territory.

Feel free to msg me for more details.

Enjoy.