Fi_UK

We?ve been to NYC twice now, but have not been anywhere else in the US.

We like a little arts and shopping, like to walk and see nice architecture and also love parks and on an evening love to sit in a neighbourhood bar and get to know the locals.

What are your recommendations for a 5-7 day US City break other than NYC?

Brian_in_Charlotte

I guess the obvious East Coast choices are Boston, Philadelphia or Washington, DC. All have what you're looking for, but for some reason when I read your post, Philadelphia sprung to mind. We're really enjoyed our visits there.

Or if you're willing to fly a bit further, Chicago is a wonderful city - we go as often as we can.

bardo

San Francisco or New Orleans depending on the time of year(avoid New Orleans in the hottest months: June/July/Aug/Sept). Either of these cities will more than meet all of your requirements. These are both "must visit". After you've been to both, consider also DC, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia - in that order. Philadelphia and DC would make a good two-city combo for a one-week visit and are 2 hours apart by train (though DC could also be done for a whole week).

Gardyloo

Many choices obviously but I'd think about Boston, Washington DC, or especially Chicago.

Flying from the UK to the west coast takes much longer (9 hours v. 6) and jetlag is more of a problem, but if you can manage it, San Francisco is an excellent idea, or, not US but well worth the effort, Vancouver BC.

Ryan

I'd suggest San Francisco for a 5 to 7 day visit. Plenty of nice restaurants, public areas, and neighborhoods to explore that vary from one another. A day trip to the wine country of either Napa or Sonoma also adds a nice change from the city environment.

However, you might want to read the post about SF weather before deciding when to go as August can be fairly cold.

New Orleans is a great place to visit and one of my favorite spots in the US. However, 5 to 7 days might seem like a long time there as the French Quarter is relatively small and frankly anyone who isn't native, could suffer serious physical consequences from prolonged exposure to rich food and plentiful alcohol!

If you had the ability, a trip of say 3 nights in New Orleans and 4 in San Franciso would make for a pleasant holiday. But, that would require taking part of your time away from being a tourist to being a traveler.

vacationdreamer

Best choice would be San Francisco.

Good alternate is Chicago.

seahatch

Another vote for boston!
We stayed in an apartment on Beacon Hill it was a great location.
Very walkable city and easy to get to outlying attractions by public transport. The J.F.K. Museum was a must. Wherever you go I'm sure you will enjoy it , such a big country so many places!

elle

Philadelphia. Direct flights, plus world-class culture, five centuries of interesting architecture, good shopping, awesome dining, lovely parks, plenty of neighborhood bars (be careful of the "locals" though).

It's a very walkable city, although you may want to rent a car and venture out to some of the suburban sights like the incredible concentration of Impressionist art at the Barnes Foundation or the du Pont family homes and gardens in the Brandywine Valley.

The Philadelphia Art Museum and nearby Rodin Museum are exceptional; somewhat less traditional is a tour of the massive, early 19th century Eastern State Penitentiary, which Charles Dickens condemned as one of the worst hellholes (my words, I'm sure his were more eloquent) of its day, but it is an architectural and engineering marvel (you can also see Al Capone's cell).

Philadelphia also has a new performing arts center, the Kimmel Center, designed by Rafael Vinoly. The Loew's Hotel at 12th and Market is in a building that's an icon of the International Style, designed by Lescaze and Howe in 1929.

There are neighborhood walking tours. One can also rent bikes or rollerblades to explore Fairmount Park.

I'd be happy to help with specific questions. It's a little hard for me to be objective about the city as a tourist attraction because I live there, but some other posters (I'm thinking of Scarlett) have recently visited and posted very appreciative reports. If you do a search, those posts may give you some ideas.

vacationmom

Another vote for Chicago!!! Great shopping, museums and food. We love to walk too and it is fantastic for that. Chicago is great for a couple or a family. Plenty of things to do. In case you can't tell..... I just LOVE Chicago......Vacationmom

yk

Another vote for Philadelphia. It has lots of little boutiques for shopping (and clothes are tax free!), and great architecture. It is very walkable and you don't really need a car in Philadelphia unless you go out of town. Lots of great restaurants (and lower prices than NYC).

5-7 day may be a bit too many to be in just Philadelphia, but you can either: take a side trip to NYC or Washington DC (both short train ride from Philadelphia), or rent a car and head out to the Amish Country.

vacationdreamer

I think 5-7 days is way too long for Philly (I lived there 3 years for school). It is more of a nice weekend getaway. However, a Philly to DC trip could work. Boston is a nice smaller city, and very walkable, but I don't think of as a full week trip.

I should note that I live in NYC, so those trips are inherently weekend trips for me, so I don't know if that affects my view.

In the end, I just think that San Fran and Chicago have more of what the OP talked about, and are more "full week" destinations.

Veronica

San Francisco. It's consistently been one of the world's top destinations.

mona

My vote is for Chicago. Great city -- nice hotels, lots of shopping, architecture (they have excellent tours you can take), world-class museums, etc.

GBelle

Boston is great as indicated by other posters. But it's also a short drive to Cape Cod or Cape Ann if you feel the need to walk in the sand and gaze at the ocean.

cfc

Boston can easily be a week if you include Cambridge/Harvard and then some of the sights up on the North Shore (Marblehead, Gloucester, Rockport) or in the western suburbs (the DeCordova Museum, Lexington-Concord, Wayside Inn).

shannon44

Sounds to me like Boston fits all of your criteria the best. You might try a few nights in the city and a few nights in surrounding areas (North Shore!) San Francisco is my 2nd favorite City in the USA. Again, I would suggest a couple of days out of the city - maybe wine country. Have fun.

obxgirl

All of the suggestions you've received are great but I think Chicago best fits the bill. You'll have no trouble filling your time there. What a fantastic city.

>Message: Philadelphia. Direct flights, plus world-class culture, five centuries of interesting architecture....<

500 years of architecture in Philly??

Amy

Hmmm, specifically that said five centuries of architecture, so from the 1600's to the 2000's...five centuries are covered. (And, of course, at the wonderful U of PA Museum of Archaelogy and Anthropology and the Art Museum, you have bits of many more centuries.)

I was going to suggest Philadelphia as well; I'm not sure when "vacationdreams" came to school here, but 5 to 7 days is not too long at all to experience the history and living culture of Philadelphia and its surroundings.
From the bizarre (Mutter Museum, South Street) to the beautiful (Fairmount Park, the Wissahickon, Society Hill, and so on) there's a lot to see and do.

Flyboy

Since you're accustomed to New York, my initial response is that Chicago has the mass, the class and the amenities. Washington DC and San Francisco are two of my favorite cities, but I've never tried visits of 5-7 days.

FauxSteMarie

San Francisco has ambiance that many people like but, personally, I think Washington, DC, is the most interesting US city. I prefer it to New York, by the way.

DC has a thriving theater scene. While it cannot rival New York, there is still plenty going on to keep anyone interested in the arts very busy.

If you can get a ticket to any play directed by Michael Kahn at The Shakespeare Theatre, go! Kahn's company is the premier Shakespeare Company in the US and it is in DC! In Faux's opinion, it's only rival is the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. The Royal Shakespeare Company in England has funding problems and is not what it once was.

While Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia are interesting, I would still pick DC. Strange to say, Faux has never been to New Orleans (but it is on the list).

If you want to consider Canada, I would think about Toronto. Toronto has a thriving theater scene and you can even take day trips to the Shaw and Stratford Drama Festivals during the summer.