Brainstorming - city to visit for disabled young man
 

I've been in conversation with a young man in his 20s who is looking for a city for his first solo visit. He would fly to the city alone and travel it alone, depending on public transportation. This is a trip that he will spend about a year to save for and plan for.

His first idea was San Francisco, but I pointed out that may be too hilly for his first trip.
I recommended NYC for ease of public transportation via buses, but that may be too overwhelming for a first visit.
He lives in Florida so I suggested Miami or St. Augustine as a weekend trip to "try out" closer to home.

He is building up his stamina and walked today 1.8 miles, using his wheelchair and sitting in it as needed. He would rely on public transportation perhaps supplemented by taxis and/or Uber.

I thought I'd ask US experts for their opinions as well. Any thoughts or similar experiences?

tomfuller, I'm wondering if train travel would be a good option.

Personally, I find NYC an extremely handicapped unfriendly city.

Boston or Philadelphia, maybe?

DC would be a great fit too. Buses and Metro would work great for him. Agree with Boston and Philly too.

I thought of DC. All the free museums would be a great plus!

I think DC is a very good idea, also. Having been to St Augustine, I can't imagine why that would be a good one. I don't remember any public transportation at all to speak of, certainly not to get around those narrow small old streets with cobblestones in the center which is historic. I'm sure there is a bus system on the bigger surrounding streets, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I think Denver might be a good choice, also, although it's farther and doesn't have the immediate appeal of things to see you know about in Washington. http://www.denvergov.org/accessibled...2/Default.aspx

The type of wheelchair is somewhat important. A manual w/c can be folded and put into vehicles - so taxis and Uber would work. Electric w/c, scooter or even power assist wheelchairs do not.

I would skip hilly cities. Older cities can be more of a problem, especially if there are cobblestones or narrow sidewalks.

I think DC would be perfect (although in spring or fall - not in snow or heat). It is kept in better repair than many cities. And most of the Metro stations I have been in have elevators that actually work.

When he is doing his research and ultimately booking things, hotels and restaurants call all sorts of things "handicapped" accessible. Depending on his individual mobility needs, he should ask what the logistics are (such as "are there grab bars in the bathroom") and how a place is accessed (such as "are there any stairs at the entrance or to get to the bathroom").

Thanks for the excellent advice.

I've stayed in handicapped accessible hotel rooms and I agree that he should request those.

gail, I think you've been to Miami/South Beach recently. What are your thoughts on that for a "try out" weekend trip for him? Something fairly close to home before taking a trip via plane, etc.

Easy Access, an advocacy group in Chicago has published a guide that's a bit more comprehensive than Denver's and lists hotels, restaurants, attractions, and transportation that is friendly to folks with mobility, vision and hearing limiations. It's available in print or online at: http://easyaccesschicago.org/

Other cities may also have something similar.

While most people seem to focus on the hotel bathroom, other parts of the property are just as important such as the height of elevator buttons; are floors in rooms and lobbies deep carpet or hard surfaces; and what emergency/evacuation procedures are in place for guests with disabilities. Also, what nearby restaurants able to accommodate him and his chair.

I don't think Boston is a very good place for so person with mobility limitations.

The T is marginally accessible especially downtown, though the Green Line has added ramps and lifts above ground. The buses are okay, they dip down, but they don't go everywhere a visitor would want to go, at least not easily.

I like the idea of DC a lot, and if memory serves, South Beach has promise. Except right in front of the Art Deco hotels, sidewalks were broad and in good repair last time I was there.

" South Beach has promise. Except right in front of the Art Deco hotels, sidewalks were broad and in good repair last time I was there."

I'm thinking so too. Fairly inexpensive hotels can be found. Wide sidewalks. Plenty of restaurants. Lots of people watching. That may be enough for a first weekend away.

Google wheelchair friendly cities and start there. I tried to do it but I'm on my phone and its a bit cumbersome.

The cities I saw pop up on several lists were Seattle, Chicago and Denver. I would think you would want a smaller, more compact downtown area to minimize the distance to travel via wheelchair or walking. In that regards I think Denver fits well. And their light rail is at street level unlike the El in Chicago so that would be a plus.

DC is great but I wonder if things are just so spread out that it would get tiring very quickly. It was tiring enough just walking around, I can't imagine using a wheelchair and public transit to visit all that it has to offer. That's why I'm thinking smaller/compact like Denver or similar would be ideal.

Sending a disabled person in their 20's with little travel experience on a solo trip to NYC could turn them into an agoraphobic. That's great that he can walk and uses the wheelchair as an aid.

Hi inuk! No one is "sending" another adult anywhere. He asked for suggestions. Actually, he asked if I thought San Francisco was a good choice for a first solo trip. I do not. He said he wanted a big city and good public transportation. We talked about NYC and the buses that easily convert for wheelchair access, but I shared that NYC would probably be too big of a city for a first solo trip. Hence, bringing the topic here for brainstorming by others.

Who the heck would "send" anyone anywhere? What a weird thing to say.

another advantage to washington is he would have amtrack accessibility to go check out places like phillidelphia, boston or nyc. saw this list as best wheelchair accessible cities
1. Seattle, Wash.
2. Albuquerque, N.M.
3. Reno, Nev.
4. Denver, Colo.
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Chicago, Ill.
7. Birmingham, Ala.
8. Winston-Salem, N.C.
9. Orlando, Fla.
10. Lubbock, Texas
11. Miami, Fla.
12. Tampa, Fla.
13. Durham, N.C.
14. Fort Worth, Texas
15. Virginia Beach, Va.
16. Arlington, Texas
17. Baltimore, Md.
18. New Orleans, La.
19. Arlington, Va.
20. Atlanta, Ga.

Durham is considered wheelchair accessible? I'll have to have another look. There are buses, and they may be accessible, but that's not how most people get around. And it's not exactly overflowing with sights. There's the Duke campus, which has some nice gardens and the Nasher Art Museum, and the Museum of Life and Science (would have to check that for accessibility), but otherwise it's not a place I would send anyone (sorry, suggest to anyone, sheesh) as a destination.

Have somewhat similar thoughts about Winston-Salem. The main reason to go is Old Salem, and I'm not sure I'd want to tackle that in a wheelchair.

ltt, thanks for the list!

thursdaysd, I wonder the same thing. About Birmingham too. That's a really weird one.

Offline, I mentioned that Orlando may be a good "try out" location. Even going to Disney = going to the head of the line via the wheelchair. A fun weekend plus plenty of opportunity to try out public transportation, taxis and Uber.

It occurs to me that Montreal has good public transport and would be a lot more fun, but I have no idea how accessible it would be. I know the place I stay is up a bunch of steps. Vancouver has good public transport, too.

Hello, all! I've just made an account and would like to thank you all for your insightful and knowledgeable input! And thank you so much, starrs, for starting this thread on my behalf! I'd be that young man looking to travel, and although I use a wheelchair, I am not bound to it, I can also walk up a decent amount stairs (but let's be reasonable, lol.) I noticed someone mentioned type of wheelchair. I have both a manual folding one, and a heavy-duty electric one that weighs probably somewhere around 100+ pounds. It should be noted that I am not small, so when my manual chair is open it's probably 2ish feet wide, plus or minus the push wheels. It should also be noted that I've lived all of my life at home, as I was disabled young and only until recent years been able to gain back some independence. Let's just put it lightly by saying I've lived a life of very few things experienced on my own. And again, thank you all so much!

Yes either of the Silver service trains from Florida to Washington DC would work well.
The fare for an overnight coach seat is about $130. You can bring food onboard (no alcohol).
Washington would be my choice. The HI Hostel works well for a young solo traveler . http://hiwashingtondc.org/
Most of DC is quite handicapped friendly. For several years a group has been bringing WWII vets to Washington DC to see the WWII Memorial and other sights. More than half of the vets are now coming by plane and then using a rental wheelchair.
If you wanted to go farther up the rails, check on Baltimore. The Inner Harbor, Camden Yards, National Aquarium and Fort McHenry are good visits.

Good to see you here, JollyTimGiant! I'm going to call you JTG to save keystrokes. :-)

tomfuller is our resident train expert. I think the train ride would be a great way to get up to DC. The plane ride would be faster, but you'd see scenery along the way. I agree that DC would be a good "real" trip away.

Ride the train up to DC. Get a hotel room. See the varied museums along the Mall. It would be as busy as a trip as you'd want and you would not get bored - at all.


tomfuller, I'll be accompanying my father on an Honor Flight this fall. He planned to go this spring but changed his plans to the fall trip.