Traveling to the USA

[Roberts]

Hey guys.

My brother and I are currently in the early planning stages for a trip to the USA. Neither of us have been before so we are, understandably, both excited and well... a bit uh, overwhelmed. That is to say, the US seems a lot larger when you start planning to go there.

So therefore, I have a few questions for those who either live in the US or have traveled there before, and could spare a few moments to help me out:


1. If you theoretically had only one chance to visit America, and could only visit a handful of places, where would you go?

2. For the areas you listed in question 1, would you travel with a tour/guide of some kind, or would you travel on wit and a wad of cash alone?

3. Any places you would purposely avoid?


Thanks a bunch.

[Fish and Chips]

Seriously though, it depends on where you want to go. There's a lot of historic sites on the East Coast, but also a lot of cultural attractions and tourism draws in the West and South East, and some scenic natural beauty salted and peppered across the central states I suppose. That's not even touching on the big cities, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. What are your priorities?

Also, I'm curious as to where you're traveling from.

[Ingemar]

Oh Halibut and Spuds, I'd think that Nate would be deeply offended that you left out Virginia, spawning pool of the Founding Fathers.


I guess it all depends on what you want to see, oh Dread Pirate. I can list categories--

1. Scenery--Desert/Chaparral: Visit Southern California (inland), New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and (parts) of Texas. Utah specifically has impressive rock formations and Arizona has big holes that charm the pants off of tourists.

2. Scenery--Evergreen Forest: Oregon, Northern California (Redwood Forest) Washington State, Southern Alaska.

3. Scenery--Coastal: California's entire coastline, Florida, Hawaii. Um... parts of New England (the thirteen states that comprise the original colonies)?

4. Urban--I'm sure you could already think of a bunch of examples already (NYC, LA, Chicago... maybe Boston, San Francisco and Seattle) but in my jaded opinion every city in the USA is just like every other <modsnip> city in the USA. Only the buildings change. LA, for instance, has shorter buildings than NYC due to being situated near a fault line. However they are the same in substance in that they are both places populated partially by people with more money than sense and mostly by craven lunatics with no regard for human decency. There is, of course, some overlap between the two.

5. Historical--just do a tour of New England. Notable places--NYC (of course), Philadelphia, Washington DC (of course), Boston, and almost any place in [West] Virginia.

[Paul]

Don't leave out Kansas City and the mid-west. It is also rich in history.

What I would do is work with a little bit of a tour guide, but the best way about touring the US. is to use the advice others here have given you as a base location and to go to the chamber's of commerce in every town and city you stop in and ask, "Hey, where can I go around here and check things out. What kind of history does this place have." In short, don't really worry about a tour guide, just ask around, you'll get more out of it if you do it yourself and will walk away more satisfied.

One of the major attractions in the Kansas City area is a little town called Weston. It's a farming community, people raise all kinds of wierd stuff there. Corn, soybeans, tobacco, cattle, sheep, and God only knows what else. It is also known for it's liqour history (not the drinking part), and at one time it was the major shipping hub for the entire Kansas City area and at the height of it's day, larger than Kansas City. Then when the Missouri River changed direction and began flowing down a different channel. Weston's time of being the center of commerce had ended. Yet it still thrives as a major farming industry.

There's a plug for you to start with. (Since I drive a school bus in Weston, I thought I would throw out a place for you to come.) My major point is that when you are in the U.S., don't over look small towns. Most people who live there want you to come and visit, hoping you will spend money and help them to make a living, but more importantly to appreciate their small communities. They will always steer you in the right direction, tell you where to go and how to get there, what they do for fun, and you may even walk away hearing some of their great personal stories. They have tiny trinket stores everywhere, that you can buy pieces of real things that came from that area, and not products produced to sell to tourists.

That said, enjoy your stay in the U.S.

[Technomancer]

I've travelled in the States a bit, so here are my own answers

1. If you theoretically had only one chance to visit America, and could only visit a handful of places, where would you go?

It really depends on the sort of things you'd like most to see, and how much time you have. There are a lot of great places, but geographic distribution can be a problem.

A few good places:
Yellowstone Park and environs (Wyoming)
Lake Tahoe, California (skip the Nevada side)
The Alleghanies (especially in the autumn). You could make that part of a larger trip to visit some of the northeastern states.

2. For the areas you listed in question 1, would you travel with a tour/guide of some kind, or would you travel on wit and a wad of cash alone?

Go by yourselves.

3. Any places you would purposely avoid?

Detroit for starters. I can't say I cared for Orlando either.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

If you want some AWESOME Museum attractions, definitely check out Washington D.C. The area is confusing to navigate around, but they have tons of awesome museums. The Smithsonian Air and Space museum and the National Spy Museum are my personal favorites.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/

http://www.spymuseum.org/

[Roy Mustang]

If you do plan to go to DC, you should take the Washington DC Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour. I took it in May and it was worth the money and it drop you off right by everything or close walk to the Museums in DC. Park at Arlington Cemetery and paid there to ride the trolley. It much easier to ride that, then drive around and park.

Trolley tour

Also, the The Smithsonian Air and Space museum is not broken into two parts now. The The National Air and Space Museum National Mall building and The National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall. A lot of people don't really go to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and maybe your best bet.

link to the site

Just a note about DC, plan to wait a bit in lines for Museums. Now if your planning to go in the Fall or Winter here, then the lines shouldn't be too bad as it will be mostly school groups going.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[xblack_x_rosesx]

The only place I'd have the desire to go if I ever traveled to the US would be either New York or Florida.

[goldenspines]

I second what MSP and Roy said. Washington DC is a pretty rad place to visit and fairly easy to navigate with just some guide books to help you. There are tons of places to go in DC (and the surrounding areas) though, so make sure to pick and choose what you want to do before you go. ^_^
Also, Boston, Massachusetts is a rather nice place to visit as well.



And unless you want to go to Disney Land or San Francisco, I'd avoid California. That's only my own personal opinion though. ^_^;

[bigsleepj]

If I took a trip to the US, then there would be one place I'd go.

Monument Valley.

[Makachop^^128]

ah well I would go to Seattle, and Portland and Montana and new Mexico

[F.M Disciple]

Where to visit To visit in the U.S.A ? Well that depends on the amount of time you have.

Since I mostly reside in the West Coast of America my I can only recommend destinations that I'm familiar with

1. Muir woods, Outside of San Francisco California, has beautiful scenery and a great chance to see some Redwood trees that are still alive and have been around since Christ's time on earth. And will have you straining your neck while staring at the top of the trees.
There is a beach nearby, "Muir Beach" the beach has a picnic area. there is a nice and short flat dirt path. So you don't have to scale down a steep hill stairs to get to the sand like some of the other beaches around the area.

2. Lake Tahoe,California/Nevada. During my vacation I stayed on the Californian side of the lake. one of the places I recommend is Pope Beach. great water and you get a good view of the Sierra Nevada mountains

3. And Of Course San Francisco California, Although I would recommend just staying in a hotel in one of the San Francisco Bay areas suburbs to save money and just take a train to San Francisco and walk around. Driving In the city can sometimes be a chore and its not always easy to find parking.(But still doable.) A lot of the usual tourist destinations like Fishermans warf are on the Embarcaderro. So its just easier to rent a bike and ride around that area to visit the hot spots.

Traveling with a tour guide has its advantages, if you want to travel by your self than I recommend finding a good guide book. "Lonely Planet" is one of them.

Places to avoid?
well I would suggest researching the climate of the area you want to visit first. If you don't like the heat, than Death Valley or Arizona are not the places you want to be in. Just remember to research your desired destination to see if your worst pet peeves reside there, like heavy traffic, noise and so on and make your plans based on that is my advice.

But also have fun! America is a fun place for a vacation So I hope you enjoy your stay in the U.S

[ShiroiHikari]

Oklahoma's boring, so I don't recommend coming here. >_>

If I could go anywhere in the US, I think I'd like to go to New York City, or Sacramento, California (I have a sister out there). In a place like NYC, I think I personally would go on a guided tour, because I had a hard enough time navigating Dallas. XD

[Song_of_Storms]

[SIZE="1"]Okay, I feel a tinge of neglect here. What's wrong with the southern states?

Not trying to *cough* throw out some self-state praise here, but if you just happen to land in the vicinity of Alabama I suggest...

* Birmingham has some wonderful sites! Like the Vulcan. (Has nothing to do with Star Trek) Lots of lush, green hills. (I think it might even be on a hill) You can ride in a hot-air balloon... I think Desoto (I have no idea how you spell it) caverns is nearby. You could visit the Alabama Theatre for performing arts. You could walk downtown Birmingham and get mugged. 8D [This is a sad, sad, but true, joke] Lots of great food and shopping.

* Go to Six Points to get ice cream. -.-

* If you like gardens, then you should check out Bellingrath Gardens.

* Alabama has some wonderful beaches.

* You could check out Fort Gaines at Dauphin Island.

* -and loads more!

Really, though. It all depends on what you're looking for. You'll basically find shopping, food, music and fun no matter where you go. ( Cedar Point in Ohio! W00T! )
I've been all across the US, and never really felt bored anywhere. (within reason. There's not a whole lot you can do in a cramped car)
So, not matter what, have fun. ^^
((and don't believe a thing Yankees say about the south. D8< )) [/SIZE]

[Dante]

There are a lot of places to "see" in the United States, but ultimately if I was going to come to the US once I don't I'd want to hear our hyped up patriotic history. It really makes little difference on an international scale to learn about microscopic US history, and I would imagine that to someone from a foreign country it would be equivalent to watching a care bear get high on sweets.

That stated, if you want to see neat things... timing is crucial.

For instance:
You might not want to visit Phoenix Arizona during the summer when temperatures can reach 115-125 degrees... Of course, this can be good for water parks or as mentioned slide rock.

You do not want to visit Montana During the winter... It is currently competing with Siberia for the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere.

Some places on the East coast are particularly beautiful I hear in fall when the trees turn bright shades of orange, red and yellow.

I really hate tooting Arizona's horn, but I figure I may well state what I know exists here simply because I have lived here my whole life.

AZ is a big state and it can take a whole day just to get from one end to the other on non-stop freeways (going about 70 m.p.h. unfortunately we've yet to switch to metric). Most of the cool stuff is in the northern part though unless you want to see the Sonoran Dessert which is nothing but dead rocks, brush and some cacti thrown around (If you are unfortunate to go to lower Arizona during the summer though, their water parks may be open).

Water Parks (Wet'n wild)
http://themeparks.about.com/od/waterparksphotogallery/ig/Waterworld-in-Phoenix--AZ-/We-Can-Ride-the-Boogie.htm

Out of Africa (Cool "zoo?" the owners actually slept and raised the tiger cubs, neat sometimes for animal lovers. Haven't been there since they were forced to move):
http://www.outofafricapark.com/

Slide Rock (Fun if you're younger or have younger siblings... and it's not closed)
http://www.dreamsedona.com/slide-rock-state-park.html

Meteor Crater (Cool to see, but perhaps a little boring once you've spent time there)
http://www.meteorcrater.com/

and of course, the ever present
Grand Canyon
(I'm not providing a hyped up link for this)

Now... Monument valley is a ways out there and hard to get to from my understanding. It is here, but it's not the easiest thing to see. That's why I didn't list it.

Also in the south are some exhibits from the "old west" but I have never been to any.

To the east of AZ is New Mexico, which is also pretty cool in it's own right, perhaps even COOLER then AZ (Arizona).

Carlsbad Caverns
http://www.americansouthwest.net/new_mexico/carlsbad_caverns/national_park.html
(Even more epic then the Grand Canyon because you can get up close and personal to them)

White Sands
http://www.nps.gov/whsa/

And a variety of other stuff you can find in other states.

If you prefer to see a more thick foresty feel you can check out Oregon and Washington on the Northeast coast. Very peaceful scenery to sit back and think with.

That is scenery and stuff to remember in terms of visuals. But if you come to the United States and just look at stuff you're going to starve. One thing is for certain, if you're coming to the US you might want to acclimate to grease. We don't live to see things over here, we live to EAT. There are people here who eat three plates full of phood the size of your torso for lunch. Just don't get yourself sick on the copious quantities .

If you hit a place like the southwest try out some Mexican food (yum) which is hot but flavorful. Mostly the best eateries are on the East Coast I hear though, so if you go through New York or something, do leave without trying a real New York style bakery or pizzaria. Best prices are generally around lunch when most places have lunch specials.

Grocery stores are also full of food, but you'll be annoyed to find they all have discounts if you signed up for some stupid card when a phone number will happily do. Once again though, don't get sick from over-eating. We abuse sugar, grease and fat till our eyes roll back behind our sockets.

[shooraijin]

[quote="goldenspines (post: 1336373)"]And unless you want to go to Disney Land or San Francisco, I'd avoid California. That's only my own personal opinion though. ^_^]

[goldenspines]

:banned:

I'll admit, I did set myself up for that one.

Luckily, Mith's not in here yet. XD

[Roy Mustang]

[quote="goldenspines"]And unless you want to go to Disney Land or San Francisco, I'd avoid California. That's only my own personal opinion though. ^_^]


That's the same way that I feel about Florida. XD

As for California. I like to go to North California, since it has some very beautiful scenery and I want to see three places up in that area, Yosemite National Parl, Feather River Route and the Keddie Wye!


In Southern California. I want to visit San Diego and before I die, I want to see Cajon Pass and the Tehachapi Loop.



[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang [/color][/font]

[shooraijin]

The Tehachapi Loop is indeed very cool. I have some pictures of the Cajon Pass up here:

http://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/395/old/u18/

[Roy Mustang]

Now... Monument valley is a ways out there and hard to get to from my understanding. It is here, but it's not the easiest thing to see. That's why I didn't list it.

That will change after Dec of this year. The Navajo Parks & Recreation - Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is building a Hotel right at the site at Monument valley, Utah.

Link to the site

The hotel will be the only thing near Monument Valley within 15 or 20 miles.

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[mechana2015]

In Southern California. I want to visit San Diego and before I die, I want to see Cajon Pass and the Tehachapi Loop.
[/font]

Huh... I always thought of Cajon pass as something to get through as fast as possible before there was an accident...

[Paul]

I'm in all the way with Shooraijin, California is a fabulous place to visit. I've lived both in Northern California and Southern. In southern California, I would also recommend visiting Joshua Tree National Monument. That place is so cool. They got rocks everywhere, and if your into rock climbing, that's the place. I've met people there who came from Europe, Russia, and France, just to spend the summer at the monument.

[Roy Mustang]

Huh... I always thought of Cajon pass as something to get through as fast as possible before there was an accident...

Well, I want to go there as railfaning and not to drive on the highway up there.


Tunnel 2 at Alray.

Swarthout Canyon in El Cajon, California


[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[shooraijin]

Well, I want to go there as railfaning and not to drive on the highway up there.


Tunnel 2 at Alray.

Swarthout Canyon in El Cajon, California


[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

There are a lot of railfans who love Cajon Pass. Myself I've always been a roadgeek though.

[WhiteMage212]

I you do California, see lake tahoe. it is extremely beutiful and the lake is refreshing. Also, Washington D.C. is one of the best city experences I have had by far. Better then LA in my opinion.

[Roberts]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I very much appreciate it. Bit low on spare time at the moment, but I'll be making sure to come back and read each and every post as soon as I can.

Thanks for all the advice and opinions given. Helps a lot.

[EricTheFred]

Seriously though, it depends on where you want to go. There's a lot of historic sites on the East Coast, but also a lot of cultural attractions and tourism draws in the West and South East, and some scenic natural beauty salted and peppered across the central states I suppose. That's not even touching on the big cities, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. What are your priorities?

Also, I'm curious as to where you're traveling from.

Sigh. I nearly agreed with you until I noticed you left Colorado out. And, (unlike most Texans,) I'm rather fond of Oklahoma

Here's my .02

If I had only one state to visit, I would go to Colorado. I would visit Rocky Mountain National Park (especially on foot! but also driving the Trail Ridge Road) and then I would make my way down through the state.

On my way, I would catch at least one of the several train rides in the state. The cog railway up Pike's Peak may be the best, but I also recommend both the train up to Leadville (highest organized community in the US) and the Durango-Silverton Railway. I would try to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, go through Ouray and Silverton on the 'Million Dollar Highway', and for my big finish I would go see how truly amazing Native Americans can be by visiting Mesa Verde National Park, home of the Ancestral Pueblan Cliff Dwellings. I would make sure to go on a tour of at least one of the dwellings where you have to be escorted by a ranger and do lots of climbing.

By the way, I would avoid Denver at all costs. I apologize to anyone who lives there, but I'm just not fond of the place. Colorado Springs is nice, and Fort Collins FTW, but I take the toll roads around Denver.

[shooraijin]

Yeah, Denver is really bad on I-25. If I hadn't been following US 6 I would have simply done the E-470.

[Roy Mustang]

Sigh. I nearly agreed with you until I noticed you left Colorado out. And, (unlike most Texans,) I'm rather fond of Oklahoma

Here's my .02

If I had only one state to visit, I would go to Colorado. I would visit Rocky Mountain National Park (especially on foot! but also driving the Trail Ridge Road) and then I would make my way down through the state.

On my way, I would catch at least one of the several train rides in the state. The cog railway up Pike's Peak may be the best, but I also recommend both the train up to Leadville (highest organized community in the US) and the Durango-Silverton Railway. I would try to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, go through Ouray and Silverton on the 'Million Dollar Highway', and for my big finish I would go see how truly amazing Native Americans can be by visiting Mesa Verde National Park, home of the Ancestral Pueblan Cliff Dwellings. I would make sure to go on a tour of at least one of the dwellings where you have to be escorted by a ranger and do lots of climbing.

By the way, I would avoid Denver at all costs. I apologize to anyone who lives there, but I'm just not fond of the place. Colorado Springs is nice, and Fort Collins FTW, but I take the toll roads around Denver.

Since Colorado has been brought up.

As for train rides,

The Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad is must to see the historic mining town of Leadville, Colorado that is tucked away in a magnificent alpine valley at the base of the state's highest peak.

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is another one. Its base in Alamosa, Co. The railroad is part of San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad. A very friendly bunch of people that run both freight and excursion trains over scenic La Veta Pass and through the San Luis Valley to connect with the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad May through October. Went there last year and had a blast in the area. Also 32 miles northeast of Alamosa, is one of Colorado's most spectacular, constantly shifting, natural formations, of the The Great Sand Dunes National Park, the dunes rise to 700' and are the tallest in America. The scenic Los Caminos Antiguos Byway passes Alamosa on its way to Antonito. Bird watchers should be sure to visit the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge and the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge.


Royal Gorge Route in Canon City Colorado. You ride the scenic and historic train ride through the breathtaking Royal Gorge. Its a must to see.

Now for Narrow Gauge railroads

The Historic Georgetown Loop Railroad, which is just minutes from Denver, Colorado. Sightseeing the scenic Rocky Mountains on a historic narrow gauge steam train & mine. The Georgetown Loop Railroad is not too far from the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad.

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in, Durango, Colorado. I can say that is a very nice and very very scenic train ride. If you go, you need to be seated on the right side and in one of the far back cars.

Because this what your going to see, when you get to the High Line.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=37602&nseq=345

My all time favorite Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Now the railroad is in part of New Mexico, but goes to Antonito, Co.

You can ride the train at Antonito, Co or ride it at Chama, New Mexico. If I was you, I would ride it from Chama to Antonito as you get to watch the train fight its way up to Cumbres Pass. As you leave Chama, the grade is 4% and after you enter Cumbres Pass, it changes to a of grade 2.5%. IMO, I like this railroad better then the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, but still the D&SNGR is a must to see as well.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the finest and most spectacular example of a steam-era mountain railroad in North America. The railroad's equipment and structures, and the vast landscape of the Colorado and New Mexico border, exist today as if they were frozen in the first half of the twentieth century. The railroad is own by both the state of New Mexico and Colorado and they try to keep its as historic as they can.

Now for the bad news, if you plan were to plan to go to Colorado and do this stuff as ride the trains, you need to do it ASAP. Since the winters are hard up there and they start to get snow as early as October.

Most of these railroads run only from May to October each year.


I have been to New Mexico and Colorado many times and its one of my favorite place to go. I have got to ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Royal Gorge Route. Visit Mesa Verde National Park to see the Anasazi cliff dwellings, Angel Rock, Battle Ship Rock, The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Abo Canyon in New Mexico.

There is a lot to see and do in Colorado and New Mexico.


My last trip was in Sept of 2008 and here is a few pictures from the trip.

First pictures are from the The Great Sand Dunes National Park.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/2987983824/in/set-72157614358128452/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/3048246827/in/set-72157614358128452/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/3410353155/in/set-72157614358128452/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/3048247591/in/set-72157614358128452/

Royal Gorge Route Railroad

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/2916639965/in/set-72157608058042038/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/2916638749/in/set-72157608058042038/

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/2967557889/in/set-72157608058042038/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/2971155592/in/set-72157608058042038/

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the area of Cumbres, Co.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/3048248277/in/set-72157614358128452/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/3066467598/in/set-72157608058042038/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buraduri/2950608134/in/set-72157608058042038/

[font="Book Antiqua"]
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Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Kerri]

If you value your sanity do not come to Missouri. It sounds like Misery for a very good reason. vv()

I don't know about the other side of the state but the eastern side is nothing special at all. Branson is ok, but it is what you could call a serious tourist trap and the traffic can be a nightmare.

(Unless you love country music and old timey, sheppard of the hills type culture, there's not much in Missouri for you... Why am I here again? vv())