What and where is good to go and see and experience in the USA?

I lived in Michigan 20 years ago and enjoyed the fact that you could still get out in the wilderness, the Great Lakes are freshwater seas, and I enjoyed the trout and salmon fishing. Traverse city and up into the upper peninsula of Michigan is a great car journey, perhaps up into Canada, down to Toronto, onto Niagara Falls, down to New York.

Touring Lake Tahoe in Nevada and then over to California side and down into Sacramento and the more well known tourist hotspots of San Francisco etc is worth considering. But all the states are huge compared to the U.K, and have something special to offer.

New York City, DC, Florida, Chicago, Grand Canyon, SF. There are of course many, many more, but those would be the places I would hit first.

This would be a more museum and culturally oriented agenda, with the Grand Canyon and FL beach as breaks from that. If you are more into nature, there are plenty of other choices, and I am sure I have forgotten something else that is worth recommending.

My other half has family over in Portland Oregon. And have spent some time visiting a few times.    Northwest Pacific area is just awesome if your into huge green mountainous vistas that just keeps going on and on.   Lots of vineyards to explore, Bigfoots to discover and if your into food, Portland is THE place right now that the whole of The States is watching.

All major metropolitans in the US have something interesting to offer. I have been living here in  San Francisco for more than 20 years and NYC for 10 years, but I feel that I only touch 10 % of what are being offered here in the US, so 2 or 3 week vacation here probably can give you only the general feel of this country.

If I were you, my top of the list of places to visit would be NYC/NY state, San Francisco Bay Area + nearby Wine growing areas + Lake Tahoe, Seattle, Austin in Texas. I would skip LA unless you want to see the Big Sur.

The North West States and Alaska.

Why ? Beautiful scenery and wildlife. History of the westward migration of Europeans.

Washington State and the Grand Coulee Dam in the Okanagon valley. Idaho, Montana, Wyoming with Yellowstone and Little Big Horn and other historic sites. Camping under the stars and listening to the howl of wolves and coyotes.

Wild, open spaces.

For me Grand Canyon and Monument Valley are pretty hard to beat - pretty unique in the world... as far as cities I agree I love San Francisco - a little biased as I worked near Stanford for a while - lots of good memories and been back with family to stay with friends since. Los Angeles has to be visited - it is an immense city by European standards - but has many villages and districts  - some of which you definitely don't want to go to - but Hollywood and Venice Beach are great to absorb the atmosphere.   Seattle is also a great city to visit - very beautiful. I also really like North Carolina - very very different from the western states and a very different culture and feel... its more a USA off the tourist trail. In land California i enjoy - ok a fair amount of desert - but you have Death Valley - which is awe inspiring after rain with all the flowers that appear for a tiny short time.. and cities like Bakersfield are great to visit - again really off the tourist path and not particularly pretty - but great people to meet.

Simon

Do you want to travel afar, and see unique national parks?  If yes, I would recommend Yellowstone and Grand Teton. If you want to explore a city, then it is hard to beat New York for things to see and do.

To state the obvious, it's a big country. You will get better recommendations by telling us how long of a trip you would plan, and what you would like to see and do. Also, when would you take this trip? The desert southwest is lovely, but not in mid-summer!

The trip is hypothetical at present: What I am wondering is whether anyone can excite me enough to make me want to visit a country that so far over the years has been rather a turn off for me - so far whilst I welcome and appreciate the contributions, nothing has come across as a real wow, must go!

Of course even if they fail to excite me,  contributions hopefully will be interesting to some other members. 

I don't have a fixed idea of what a holiday must be, though I tend to like moderately active holidays, but those range from city breaks with tens of miles of walking and seeing museums and art galleries and architecture, to enjoying natural beauty again with walking, or more actively skiing, snorkelling, diving, sailing, kayaking, to, though rarely, organised sightseeing trips in countries otherwise difficult or dangerous to access.  However, good food is essential! I am presently getting to three or four other parts of the world a year, generally two or three nearby (Europe), and one or two further afield.

Innocent Bystander posted:

The trip is hypothetical at present: What I am wondering is whether anyone can excite me enough to make me want to visit a country that so far over the years has been rather a turn off for me - so far whilst I welcome and appreciate the contributions, nothing has come across as a real wow, must go!

Of course even if they fail to excite me,  contributions hopefully will be interesting to some other members. 

I don't have a fixed idea of what a holiday must be, though I tend to like moderately active holidays, but those range from city breaks with tens of miles of walking and seeing museums and art galleries and architecture, to enjoying natural beauty again with walking, or more actively skiing, snorkelling, diving, sailing, kayaking, to, though rarely, organised sightseeing trips in countries otherwise difficult or dangerous to access.  However, good food is essential! I am presently getting to three or four other parts of the world a year, generally two or three nearby (Europe), and one or two further afield.

Seattle, Washington State, Pacific Northwest ......and since you are from "A very British isle" you can head up to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada if you feel a little homesick.

Walking: (1) Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) manages a 6,414-acre park system of over 485 parks and extensive natural areas. SPR provides athletic fields, tennis courts, play areas, specialty gardens, and more than 25 miles of boulevards and 120 miles of trails. The system comprises about 12% of the city's land area.  (2) You want exercise combined with some of the most scenic views in Seattle then you can take some of the Seattle Stairway Walks. Information found here. You will see on the web page a link to a book with describes the trails along with maps.

Skiing: We do have quite a bit of skiing available in the Pacific NorthWest as well as in British Columbia a few hours drive to the north. 

Fly into SeaTac International Airport in Seattle, Wash., on a clear winter day surrounded by mountains of white. Oversized dormant volcanoes hover above seas of glacier-carved peaks. The Washington Cascades stretch as far as the eye can see with the Olympic Mountains jutting up across Puget Sound.

Here six ski resorts within a one- to three-hour drive run chairlifts to haul you up the slopes. They range from large, crowded ski areas with the latest in six-pack lifts to family-friendly smaller hills. You won't find large luxury condos at these resorts, but rather, small independent inns, hotels, condos, chalets, cabins, and B & Bs. Two additional small ski hills are serviced by rope tows.

Snorkelling & diving: There is plenty of diving in the Pacific Northwest. You can find information here on diving in the Seattle area and a internet search you can find a lot more. The water is pretty clear and cold.

Sailing: There is plenty of sailing available in the Seattle area. One of the largest marina on the west coast is Shilshole Bay Marina along with Elliot Bay Marina. There are a number of rental opportunities. You can even check out the Center for Wooden Boats which offer hourly rentals for there small fleet. (you will have to pass a competency test on the water to skipper a boat however)  I sailed for a number of years here in Seattle, I found the fall, winter and spring were best for having good strong breezes. In the summer we spent more time up in the San Juan Islands especially on the Haro Straight between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island.

Kayaking: There are unlimited opportunities for kayaking in the greater Seattle area and Pacific Northwest. Both white water and seakayaking. An internet search will uncover all the information you need. 

Restaurants: There are a lot of very good eating opportunities in Seattle and Pacific Northwest. Lots of fresh seafood, abundant fruits and vegetables are produced in Washington State as well wheat, hops, and other grains, not to mention the large cattle ranches in Central Washington.

Museums, Opera, & Theater: There is the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Asian Museum, Seattle Opera, and a number of Theater in Seattle as well as a number of smaller museums and theaters in the greater Seattle area. The Boeing Flight Museum in Seattle is nice as well as the Boeing Museum in Everett where you tour the plants where many of the larger Boeing aircraft are built. (as far as museums and theater, this is not New York or London)

I wasn't raised in Seattle or the Pacific Northwest. I arrived in January 1996 for a job opportunity and have never left. The year round climate suits me fine. Can sail year round, can seakayak year round, can ride a motorcycle year round, those three thing along with the beauty of the area have kept me here.

I have lived all around the USA. There is good people and interesting places everyplace I've been. Of course there are idiots and dull places everywhere as well. I find ones own attitude can make or break a vacation or even the hometown you live in.

Good luck finding the place of your dreams!

I've been to 43 of the 50 states and my recommendation would be to visit the West. The states there are bigger there for a reason. Cities are easy enough to find anywhere you go. Vast open landscapes and true wilderness are rare. Yellowstone is a gem, in many ways other wordly, and you'll see more geologic diversity and wildlife travelling 30 miles there than you can find in most other countries. The Tetons are basically included.

We visited New York over Christmas and new year it was magical. The Rockefeller centre with its Christmas tree and ice skaters was delightful. Central Park with it squirrels and lunch on the lake on Christmas Day at Loebs boat house was so special. Caught a show, ( Mormon) saw CBS live show with Steve Colbert, went up One World centre. Surrounded by lovely, smart New Yorkers. Lovely people, a trip of a lifetime. Also Joes Pizza at Williamsburg was great. If you spent just 3 weeks in New York City and New York State you would see much of what America has to offer. I love the positivity of the Americans, and their inherent decency. Just go!

Fly into Las Vegas and spend a night or two.   Rent the nicest car you can afford.   See Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Red Rocks, Garden of Fire State Park. Take a helicopter to the Grand Canyon.  Find time to visit the International Scouting Museum, drive a fast car on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and shoot the rental machine guns.  Drive West through Death Valley, the lowest point in North America. Exit Death Valley on CA 395.   Go North.  This route sees a lot of snow in Winter so plan accordingly.   See Lone Pine Film Museum commemorating the Westerns they made in the nearby Alabama Hills.   Go out to Whitney Portal/Alabama Hills and see the Sierras and Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 just 90 miles West of Death Valley.    Good place for a hike if you are feeling so inclined.   Continue North on 395 through Bishop and Mono Lake.   You can then go North to Lake Tahoe or West through Yosemite.  Yosemite is quite a spot.  Fly home from San Francisco.  This is a 2 day drive that you could take two years to complete with everything there is to see and do. 

1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Trump International Hotel!

Nice Place.

Gorgeous Rooms!

Allante93!

PS. The White House ain't Bad Either!

Lake Shore Drive 

Chicago Illinois, powerful scenic drive along the Great Lake, Downtown Chicago!

Allante93!

PS. Stop in Pro musica Audio Naim Dealer while you're there!

Google Key West!

90 mile from Cuba!

The South tip of Florida!

Peaceful, Laid back, Nice Place to relax!

Expensive Hotels!

Allante93!

PS.

Politics is Local

Globalization Shrinks The World!

Enjoy Your Music!

A lot depends on how much time you have, as well. The USA is a BIG place, and you can piddle away a lot of time just getting from place to place. Choose a region and work it intensively. Most of the above assumes that you are doing just that.

As this is a music site, then it has to be New Orleans for at least three or four days. Forget Las Vegas unless you're an inveterate gambler or show freak. San Francisco and the Coast Road are lovely as you can visit the likes of Yosemite as well. Chicago for the Blues. Denver for access to Winter sports and mountain sports. 

Don Atkinson posted:

The North West States and Alaska.

Why ? Beautiful scenery and wildlife. History of the westward migration of Europeans.

Washington State and the Grand Coulee Dam in the Okanagon valley. Idaho, Montana, Wyoming with Yellowstone and Little Big Horn and other historic sites. Camping under the stars and listening to the howl of wolves and coyotes.

Wild, open spaces.

Agree...Living in Seattle most of my life, what you'll find is so much beauty....and plenty of trees, mountains and water.

Obviously the US is huge so you can only do so much. We did the following trip which we managed comfortably in 4 weeks.
Fly into Calgary, take in the Canadian Rockies, Banff and Jasper parks and Lake Louise then head South into Montana to the Glacier International Peace Park. Back into Canada on the border between British Columbia and Alberta on the Continental Divide lies the Columbia Icefields, the source of 8 major glaciers. From there, head along the Frazer River valley, which will take you all the way to Vancouver. From there head south into the US. Interstate I5 runs all the way from Northernmost Washington to Southernmost California. Along the way visit;

• Bend, in Oregon's high desert
• Columbia River Gorge
• Crater Lake
• Friday Harbour
• Joshua Tree
• Mt Hood
• Lake Tahoe
• Olympic National Park
• Sonoma and the Napa Valley (esp. if you love wine)
• Giant Redwood Forests
• All the sights of San Francisco including dinner in China Town and Sausalito (overlooking the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge....on Sundays you can enjoy lunch while watching yachts with their colourful spinnakers sail by the windows)
• Big Sur coastline
• Yosemite National Park
• In LA you have Disney World and Universal Studios, which are great if you have kids then all the way down to San Diego.  Make you way back up the coast and fly home from LAX

Geographically the US is absolutely spectacular and in general if you avoid the junk, the food is pretty good too, especially if you like seafood and good wine.  The shopping is good (if that's what you like), especially for sports gear and gas and rental cars are fairly cheap so you can take a car for the whole trip. There's plenty of hotel and motel accommodation out of season and that's all fairly reasonable.  Personally I couldn't think of a better holiday (given that I'm not keen on lying on beaches or cooking in the sun) 

Definitely the Grand Canyon. Visited it for the first time this year with my eight year old son and it blew me away, and I've been to some pretty grand places. New Orleans was a first for me last year as well, and it's like visiting a different country. SF, Seattle, NYC, all hard to go wrong. I love LA, but its definitely an acquired taste and not for everyone and best if you have friends or work there. I'd love to visit the Blue Hills and Appalachians someday too. Big country, lots of things to do and really depends on what time of year you're visiting. 

And don't forget Hawaii, our favorite here in the gloomy winter of the Pacific NW! 

West coast loop - LA, SF, Tahoe, Yosemite, Death Valley and back to LA is a great driving loop with lots to see. But me, I hate driving holidays, so I'd fly into somewhere and go for an epic hike, kayak, ski or bicycle tour. You could lose yourself for weeks in the San Juan and/or Gulf Islands in a kayak. Pat some whales. Chat to some eagles. Give a bear a neck scratch. Share meal of freshly caught salmon with a sea otter. Chase a seal-or-two. That would be epic.

Seeing the country through the window of a car? Meh.

Blackmorec posted:

Obviously the US is huge so you can only do so much. We did the following trip which we managed comfortably in 4 weeks.
Fly into Calgary, take in the Canadian Rockies, Banff and Jasper parks and Lake Louise then head South into Montana to the Glacier International Peace Park. Back into Canada on the border between British Columbia and Alberta on the Continental Divide lies the Columbia Icefields, the source of 8 major glaciers. From there, head along the Frazer River valley, which will take you all the way to Vancouver. From there head south into the US. Interstate I5 runs all the way from Northernmost Washington to Southernmost California. Along the way visit;

• Bend, in Oregon's high desert
• Columbia River Gorge
• Crater Lake
• Friday Harbour
• Joshua Tree
• Mt Hood
• Lake Tahoe
• Olympic National Park
• Sonoma and the Napa Valley (esp. if you love wine)
• Giant Redwood Forests
• All the sights of San Francisco including dinner in China Town and Sausalito (overlooking the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge....on Sundays you can enjoy lunch while watching yachts with their colourful spinnakers sail by the windows)
• Big Sur coastline
• Yosemite National Park
• In LA you have Disney World and Universal Studios, which are great if you have kids then all the way down to San Diego.  Make you way back up the coast and fly home from LAX

Geographically the US is absolutely spectacular and in general if you avoid the junk, the food is pretty good too, especially if you like seafood and good wine.  The shopping is good (if that's what you like), especially for sports gear and gas and rental cars are fairly cheap so you can take a car for the whole trip. There's plenty of hotel and motel accommodation out of season and that's all fairly reasonable.  Personally I couldn't think of a better holiday (given that I'm not keen on lying on beaches or cooking in the sun) 

Whow !

If we are including western Canada in the Itinerary then Lake O'Hara and its satellites is a must ! No cars (or bikes !!!!), just pure hiking.

And now that you mention Glacier Peace Park (and Waterton and Crypt Lake by implication) then the Going-to-the-Sun Road is also a must IMHO (yes, it's a drive-see route, but with a few good side-hikes on the way)

charlesphoto posted:

And don't forget Hawaii, our favorite here in the gloomy winter of the Pacific NW! 

 

One of the greatest one-day bicycle trips on earth is the loop around Haleakala on Maui. 160km of pure awesomeness.