American Holiday?
 

The girlfriend and I are thinking of popping over the water to America later this year... probiably for 2 weeks....

being as this forum is probiably 50% American can anyone suggest some decent places to see...?

(I dont want to end up in some redneck bar with Cletus the slack jawed yokal !)

are you sure? it's quite an experience ... :)

Don't worry about Cletus, he's busy signing bills into laws :)

What part of the US did you intend to visit? Geographically (if not socially) your question scales like "Hey, I was thinking of crossing the pond for a bit. Some of you Europeans could maybe tell me some things I might want to see while I'm there?"

The US is sprawlingly huge. Juxtapose it onto a map of Europe and see what I mean. There's a beautiful wilderness area in New Mexico with no roads or electricity, no commercial or residential buildings, roughly the size of Luxembourg. Atlanta and Miami, two major southern cities in adjoining states, are a 10-hour drive on the highway apart from each other.

You may get lots of interesting suggestions ("Be sure to see the Okefenokee in Georgia" / "Take a tour of the Amish country while you're in the Pennsylvania region" / "Don't miss Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico" / "Yellowstone Park in Montana" / "You'd really love New Orleans" / "Obviously you want to see San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge" / "Come visit us and we'll take you up into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee" / etc).

You can't do that in two weeks. Not if you want to sleep occasionally. Not if you don't want to spend 95% of your time in transit from place to place, stopping only long enough to say "Wow. OK, next?"

YellowStone National Park is beautiful. Maybe you should pop into Cupertino and say hello to Steve.... ;)

If you go in the fall, New England is famous for its foliage. In winter, Vermont an New Hampshire have good skiing, but probably not as good as out west. Like scuba? Florida is probably the best place in the 48 contiguous states. Want to see glaciers and whales? Alaska is bigger than Texas. The Great lakes should be seen from the air as well as the ground/water. I've never seen the Mississippi river, but they say it's impressive. New York City is a world unto itself. So is Washington, D.C. although it is smaller. Boston is a cool city with a great history. Mardi Gras isn't till near spring, but New Orleans would still be a good place to see. How can I forget Disney World? I only live about an hour away! Like the desert? I suggest seeing the Grand Canyon, but hike into it. You can't really see it well from the rim. Where the heck is Mount Rushmore? Las Vegas is great if you like gambling, but Connecticut has the world's largest casino. The mansions in Newport, Rhode Island are nice, but try to go before fall, so it will be warm enough to go in the water. Hmm, maybe you'd better pick an area and narrow down your choices.

Oops..sorry for not being more specific... My GF still pokes fun at me for asking 'is it much of a drive from South Africa up to Egypt?' Last time we were in Cape Town.

The thing I don't want to do is fall into the tourist trap like alot of people do when coming on Holiday to the UK, alot of people go directly to London and actually miss the really great bits the UK has to offer. It would be nice to get a feel for America, but avoiding all the usual places everyone has been to, and probiably aren't that representitive of the whole of the US.

I think I would like to do 4 days somewhere nice (not to touristy) then do a road trip accross country for 8 days then spend another 4 chillin before flying home.

Yellowstone, sounds good... aint Yogi bear from there? Grand canion sounds good too, I have family in.. Maine?! but I might avoid them. I think I might do a google search on some of AHunter3's suggestions (thanks) cwtnospam's too.. but I might avoid Las Vegas.. i might end up in a lot of debt!
And Pantherman..... I think if I went to see Steve.... my GF might dis-own me!

Photek,

Well, I just read that in super-sized America, you could choose to visit between eighteen Bostons and New Bostons, or nineteen Bristols, twenty-eight Newports, and twenty-two Londons and New Londons.

Or feeling adventurous you could visit:

Fredricksburg, New Braunfels, Bergheim, Boerne, Drenthe, Swanwyck, Tallahassee, Susquehanna, Allegheny, Kennebec, Patuxent or Kalamazoo, without forgetting that the American map bristles with Berlins, Bremens, Hamburgs, Warsaws and Leipzigs, and also it shows some Stockholms, Venices, Belgrades and Christianias and many Carthages, Uticas, Syracuses, Romes, Alexandrias, Ninevehs and Troys.

Other interesting places to visit:

Bald Knob, French Lick, Sucker Branch, Fraziers Bottom, Sleepy Eye, Noodle, Number Four, Wide Mouth, Kill van Kull, Spuyten Duyvel, Skidoo, Uno, Stumptown, Chemquassabamticook lake, Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky or the Shawangunk mountains.

If you're feeling religious there are no less than eleven Beulahs, nine Canaans, eleven Jordans and twenty-one Sharons, besides four Trinities, a town and a lake named Moses, many St. Pauls and St. Josephs, two St. Patricks, a village in Maryland named Gott, Gotts Island in Maine and Gottville in California.

Or visit the funny little town of 'Hell' in Michigan where you could stay at the friendly Dam Site Inn, but before heading that way, ask about the condition of the bridge (on the main road) leading to the town because the road suffers damage each year when Hell freezes over.

Personally, I would recommend you the very enjoyable drive between 3 very small towns, 'Climax', 'Result' and 'Surprise' in Greene County, New York, Catskill Mountains.

Happy Travels! :)

.

HA! thats the best post I have ever seen!

I want to go them all... especially Bald Knob!

I think it really depends on exactly what month you plan on being here, and what you really want to see... Geographic "Wow" sites? Coastlines? Culture? Big cities? Small towns? Flora, fauna? Architecture? Tarmac? What's your passion?

I've made the drive across country 10 times and seen lots, but there's still a ridiculously huge amount that I have yet to explore. You can make the drive from Maine to California in 4 days or less if you really wanted to, but if you want to rest daily and see stuff on your way, then I would recommend doing it in no less than 8 days. Two weeks is actually a very comfortable time to do the journey. That's if you go from New England to the Pacific... but if you start out somewhere in the southern east coast, midwest, or the deep south and drive to the Pacific, then it might be more comfortable to do in your 8 day allotment.

As was mentioned, Maine is a great place to come in the fall (around mid October) for the foliage. If you enjoy the ocean or the water, you can't beat it here. Maine's Coastline is longer than our entire country is wide, and it gradually transitions from sandy beaches in the south to rocky shores mid-coast to rugged maritime cliffs in the north. There are also over 6000 lakes and ponds and tons of rivers to be explored (though I would recommend picking only one on such a short trip). You mentioned your trip would be "later this year"... it gets cold pretty quickly up here.

I found the south west (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico) to be absolutely fantastic in the later pats of the year (or even in the winter) because fewer people are at the National Parks and often you'll find a light blanket of snow accentuating all the features. That region is absolutely stunning geographically! Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyons... Arches NP, Great Sand Dunes, Taos, Oak Creek Canyon, Red Rocks, Grand Staircase. Pick a National Park out there (look at any map and randomly point to a green part) and you won't go wrong. Joshua Tree in California is awesome and great for rock climbing. I would also recommend driving up the eastern side of the sierras along route 395 past Bishop, into the Mono lake region. Dip into some hot springs, maybe rent your "plank" of choice and slide down a few big snowy hills.

This is making me want to do it again! Once a travel junkie, always a travel junkie! ;)

I think you'd need to be in Maine a little earlier. The foliage peaks at different times in New England, starting earlier in the north and gradually moving south. By mid October it's usually peaking in Connecticut. ;)

Good choice, I understand that the name Bald Knob would puzzle an Englishman, but I read that the name is so common in the United States that the Geographic Board has had to take measures against it.

If feeling tired of facing too many choices, maybe you just spend your time in Nothing, Arizona, visit the beautiful No Name Canyon in Colorado or else you could choose to take the long road to 'Truth or Consequences' in New Mexico. :)

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Being that I was born and raised in Mid Coast Maine, I've lived here long enough to know that you can't pin-point the exact dates of peak foliage. It changes every year depending on the previous spring and summer weather and early autumn temps.

Mid Coast Maine is a micro climate of milder temps, so our peak usually occurs later than most of inland and certainly northern and western Maine. Last year it was peaking around the 10th of October in Farmington. Mid Coast was about a week later.

When you look carefully at foliage maps, you'll see that Connecticut and most of coastal Maine experience their foliage at the same time.

:)

What exactly does it mean to "take measures against Bald Knob"? :D

That's why I keep coming back to this site! You learn something new almost every time. I had always thought of Maine as a giant ice box, since I had only been there in the summer and the ocean was so much colder than Long Island Sound. BTW, I wouldn't travel from England just to see Long Island Sound.

It is... inland... from November to March. :)
it's a giant slush box everywhere else!!

If It Were Me...
 

If it was me (I do not like touristy spots either) and I wanted to experience the gradeur that is America, I would suggest staying in the northeast coast for several reasons, first, there is a deeper sense of American history with many battlegrounds of the revolutionary and civil war, the states are smaller so you can get more for your 8 day drive than, say, 2 days to get across flat Texas.

For example, I would start in Maine, eat some Clam Chowder and Lobster, then make my way south along the coast. Enjoy Cape Cod in Massachusettes and take a quick gander at New York (maybe get a nice corned beef sandwich or pastrami on rye there). Continue on down and stop in at Independance Hall in Philly, maybe have a Philly Steak Sandwich. Continue on down to Washington D.C. and take it all in. Spend an entire day at the Smithsonian.

Do these sound too touristy? Probably. OK, for the nature spots, some have made made good suggestions with Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. I would also suggest here in my native California, Yosemite and a wine tour of Napa Valley. I would also suggest a drive up highway 1. I can suggest some great Bed and Breakfast places, but you need to make reservations 6 months in advance.

I would highly suggest Mendocino on the California coast as well as Big Sur and Point Lobos.

So my suggestion would be, 1 week on the east coast, 1 week on the west.

And don't flame me for suggesting it, but one really ought to take in Disneyland for a real bit of Americana. Not only is it fun, it also gives you a sense of American with Main Street, New Orleans Square and Frontier town.

If California interests you at all, let me know. I am quite familiar with all the hideaways, nooks and crannies. If you are interested in movies, let me know. I can tell you where they are made and many spots that were used for movie filming. There are great small towns to visit and some cities worth stopping in at such as San Francisco if you like good architecture. The gammut is there, just need to know what interests you.

Having, over a long life, been all over the USA, all over Canada, to the middle east, the far east, five or six countries in Europe, GB, and Africa, my wife and I look for contrast. Given your roots in England, I think the greatest contrast for you would be the American Southwest.

Starting in Tucson, Arizona, for example, around which there is a fascinating desert full of enormous cacti, and driving north to Sedona, Flagstaff then the Grand Canyon, then up to the Painted Desert, Glen Canyon, then back to Flagstaff over the mountains to the California coast and up to San Francisco along the Big Sur, then returning from there to England would provide a trip entirely different from anything you'll see in England or Europe.

That's a dynamite itinerary NovaScotian, may I also add Monument Valley?

Yes! Both the West's Coastal route 1 and the East's Coastal route 1 are extremely beautiful and extremely different. That would be a great trip. I agree with both schneb and NovaScotian. Taking in the East and West coasts would be great and so would the south west - though I would suggest starting in Albuquerque NM and making your way west to Globe and Show Low in Arizona (off the beaten track a bit, and beautiful), then onto Tucson or Phoenix and up through Sedona etc.

It's difficult making suggestions though without knowing Photek's preferences. Want to see a beautiful city? Go to Chicago. Have a desire for endless miles of Corn? Land yourself anywhere between the Mississippi River and the Rockies!

Sure. From there you could go to Salt Lake City to see the Great Salt Lake and then home from there, but it would be a long run to San Francisco or back to Flagstaff.

I can attest to that, having spent 3 years in Bethel.

Funny thing is, I TOTALLY miss Maine having now lived in North Carolina for 15 years.

What took you so long? ;) Actually, it's beautiful over there. I love Grafton Notch.

Yeah, every time I move away, or travel, I get anxious to return. Maine has that effect on people. That's why it's turning into New Jersey. :mad:

I think schneb has me sold on his holiday plan! The Clam Chowder and Lobster, then a Philly Steak Sandwich sounds good.. I am not up for Disneyland though, I am already a grumpy old git at the age of 28 and the thought of people dressed up as cartoon figures does little for me.

Some of the other suggestions look good to, I have a whole bookmark folder in safari on the places people have mentioned...

I am still laughing about bald knob!

Let me know when you get here, I'll point out some really great restaurants. :cool:

I was only in Maine once, for a week (Bar harbor) and I still can't wait to go back.

Oh yeah, what's wrong with New Jersey ?

Baa Haaba is beautiful. Amazingly beautiful.

My wife is from Oregon and I'm dying to take her to Maine so she can get a feel for the similarities.

Hey, try 49 (counting down a few months until I hit 50). You want to talk about grumpy gits. ;)

Disneyland is was more than a touristy, cartoon figury place. Going to California Adventure and riding "Soarin'" is a fantastic California experience (especially hang gliding over an aircraft carrier while a copter is taking off below you!), going to New Orlean's Square and listening to the street Dixiland Jazz bands is priceless, Pirates of the Carribean is a fantastic ride, Main Street is a recreation of Walt Disney's turn of the century hometown etc. There is so much fantastic technology and set-building, it is an experience like no other. But again, to each his own. Just didn't want you to shortchange your trip. If Disneyland were just another "ride" park (we have several here) I would not have recommended it. It is truly a bit of Americana.

If you go with my East Coast Itenarary, I would suggest the book 1776 by David McCullough. It will enhance your visit considerably.

Don't forget about Intercourse Pennsylvania! One plug about DC is that if you are the least bit interested in Museums aobut anything (art, air and space, natural, american etc) Just about all of them are free. Unlike other cities the museums in DC are supported by the Feds so there is no admission fee. I would also recommend Bryce Canyon in Utah.

Well if you're a Simpson's fan you might want to stop by
Lego Land

I know I came in a little late, but the California coast is a great roadtrip. Being born and raised in the Bay Area I've done it many times. Highway 1 is a road that will either scare the crap out of you, or make you fall in love with it (depends if you rent a SUV or sports car). Pebble Beach is home to one of the greatest golf communities in the world.

What, you want to get sued? It's Blocko Land, BLOCKO Land. ;)

I am as much a die-hard simpsons fan as I am a die-hard Mac user, so it goes without saying that I love that episode. I feel that the simpsons are losing their touch. They were really funny in the middle years, but now, I don't know....

Anyway, the fear of legal action is implied in that episode where they go to blockoland.

Please note that I don't know the exact lines, so I'm going by memory.

As the simpsons are leaving BLOCKOLAND...

Bart is wearing a shirt made out of "blockoes"

Bart: This stupid Lego shirt is so itchy! Why did I buy it?
Marge: Don't you mean BLOCKO shirt?

Bart looks around suspiciously as he speaks: Right, Right, BLOCKO shirt.

;)

So your coming to Philly, is that correct?

Welcome! Be sure to visit the Liberty Bell, Franklin Institute, Art Museum, Acadamey of Natural Sciences, and The Philadelphia Zoo, which I have been told is the nations first Zoo. There is a new Constitution Center too, but I have yet to see it. And hey, while your here visit the new NJ Aquarium, and there is a giant one in Baltimore, but thats a bit of a commute on the train.

All this and more in Philadelphia!

There is a place on South Street called Jim's Steaks...

Best Philly Cheese Steaks EVER.

F.Y.I.

I don't mean to make fun of the way you speak, your not from around here, but we call 'em Cheese Steaks, not Steak sandwiches. ;)

Anyway, we also have some great fine dining, most of it in center city.

Enjoy Philly!

You are right, Pantherman, I was thinking of " The Shinnin' "

Willy: Boy, you can read my thoughts! You've got the shinning!
Bart: Don't you mean the "shining"?
Willy: Quiet boy, do you want to get sued?!

Homer: I have a bladder the size of a Brazil nut.

Brazillian Taxi Driver: We just call them nuts here.

Simpsons in Brazil

Bart: Hey look its the Stripper from the kids show!