cristine27

Hello All!
I'm from Greece, and i would really like to visit US this September. It will be my first time, so i really have no idea where i should start from ;-)
I was thinking New York but now i have started looking about California too. Rent a car and drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco. (I have 10 days)
What i would like to know, is, does this trip to California really worth all the money (because it will be quite expensive), or should i stick to my first choice, New York? (mind that we don't care about swimming etc, as we will enjoy that fully in the Greek Isles in August)
Any other suggestions?
Thanks a lot ;-)

rjw_lgb_ca

This is a tough one. New York City is incredible, chaotic, wonderful, the whole world on one island (and the outlying boroughs). Think of every capital city in Europe and super-size it.

California is a huge state of incredible natural beauty and a stunning variety of towns and people (full disclosure: I live in California). It's the whole world in one state AND simultaneously like no other place on earth. It requires more than ten days, frankly. You can explore the northern part of the state quite nicely in those ten days OR the southern part.

My advice? Go to New York. It's a life-enriching place, and September is just about the perfect time to visit. California is life-enriching too, but save it for your next US visits. You'll be back!

Judy24

You don't mention when in September you're planning to visit. Keep in mind that if you decide to visit NYC you're better off avoiding the Republican National Convention being held during the first week.

atilla

Hello cristine7
I vote New York also, I have been to both California and New York. For a truly American experience like no other it has to be NY. It would be very easy to fill up 10 days there and as rjw said, September would be a great time of year to go, not too hot out, just comfortable.

J_Correa

I think both are excellent choices and you really can't go wrong with either. I am a native Californian and love it here. I went to NYC for the first time a couple months ago and it was great. I only had 1 day in NYC - I was on a business trip and was able to squeeze in a free day so I went to NYC. I will definitely be going back for a longer visit.

Weatherwise, September is great in California too, esspecially along the coast.

I think what it comes down to is do you want an urban experience or natural beauty? California has urban areas too, but nothing like NYC in terms of density.

If you choose California, I would suggest a SF to LA itinerary (or LA to SF), with several days in each city and several days travelling along the coast between the two cities. You could easily do this in 10 days and have a mix of cites, medium sized and small towns, incredible coastline, beach and surf culture, forests and mountains.

GoTravel

Since Greece is so geographically stunning, I would also opt for NYC. You can easily spend 10 days in NYC and not see everything.

lcuy

I think the drive alone could be a wonderful trip...The US is a huge country and the geography and towns change in such dramatic ways as you move westward...but you only have 10 days!

You won't have time to do anything but drive if you want any time to spend in NYC or LA.

That said, maybe you could rent a car for a few days and drive from NYC to Maine, Chicago, or to Pennsylvania and down the Blue Ridge Parkway.

My European friends are always impressed by the sheer size and variety within this country, especially when they have a chance to drive it.

Whatever you do, don't worry that you have to see it all! You can come back.

dgruzew

You have chosen two great places.
NYC is a very high density major center, very crowded like london or paris but even more crowded. NYC has tons of great things to do and see

California is beautiful and the cities you have chosen are very different from each other(LA and SF) Sepetmber will give you great weather. I love califorina, and think this is a great way to see some of america.

If you choose NYC - don't go during the Republican convention, security will all over and protesters may be also.
Also - if you want to there are lots of great places to go from NYC:

the hamptons on long island
Hudson river valley
Philidelpia
Vermont
New hampshire
Boston
cap cod
atlantic city

Don't stay in NYC for 10 days if this is you first trip to the US - stay 5 days and see some other places

easytraveler

As J-Correa has pointed out, it's really a question of city versus nature.

If you were going to France, would you choose Paris or the South of France?

If you were going to the Great Britain, would you choose London or drive around Wales?

Whichever you choose, it's your adventure! Have a good time!

jor

Cristine, Why are you limiting your choices to New York and California? If you want to experience the real America do a cross country trip. There is this unknown place here called the heart of America, or the middle of America. Visit towns and cities like St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Chicago, or Dallas.

When I visited Athens I am glad that I didn't leave it at that. I also visited small towns (not tourist beach towns). You can do the same here and see the real thing.

crazymina

I live in L.A. I say if you have 10 days, do NYC. If you actually get bored of the place, there are plenty of places you can take trains to that are not far.

But I think you won't get too bored...there really is a lot to see in NYC. I have been there many times and have not gotten much out of manhattan. Shame on me...

cristine27

Lots of thanks to all of you who replied!
I think both will be amazing trips but i have to decide which will be my first. Maybe for California we'll need two full weeks so probably we won't have enought time to enjoy it fully now. (we don't want to be in a car ALL THE TIME
My only concern about New York is:
a. The Republican Convention you told me (i'm coming at 10th September. Will it be over then?)
b. Generally terorism. Such an awful feeling. It's really a pitty that everybody nowadays have this concern.

Anyway... I have to start looking for hotels, so some more help here please!! Any suggestions as to where i should stay in Manhattan? (not names of hotels, but generally which area is best ...and safe! )
Thanks again!!

nytraveler

Terrorism is now something that we all just have to live with. And no one can deny that New York is a major terrorist target. However, you are at risk in any large city and any aiport. So the only truly safe thing is to stay at home (assuming you live outside of any major city). It's up to you to decide your level of comfort on the risk continuun - but just remember that it ends with not leaving the house in case AlQuaida decides to bomb the local Walmart.

AJPeabody

As a New Yorker who has just taken a nice trip to California and has had several trips to Europe, I would recommend 5-6 days in New York City (carefully avoiding the Republican Convention -- half of Manhattan will be on security lockdown) then taking the fast train to Washington, DC, possibly with a one day stopover in Philadelphia. You'll get a broader range of cities and sights, and there will be far too much to do to see it all, so you'll have to come back again!

Truthfully, the idea that you can rent a car and spend a day in Maine or Chicago or a trip to the Hamptons is laugh out loud impractical (impossible really, for all but the Hamptons) given the distances involved and the extraordinary expense of renting a car in Manhattan. You want a vacation, not a marathon drive.

bardo

I agree that NYC is a good bet. 5, 6, or 7 days is a good amount to see most of it. Times Square is a very popular area for tourist and especially first time vistors. Hotels are expensive, more so than even London or Paris - so don't be surprised at the prices. After New York, you might take a train to either Boston or Washington D.C. to spend the second part of your trip and flying back from there. Both DC and Boston are major airline gateways and will only cost a few doillars more than returning to Greece from New York.

J_Correa

I wouldn't worry about the threat of terrorism. It could happen, but then a whole lot of things could happen wherever you go. I would avoid NYC during the Repiblican National Convention though, just because of the increased security, delays due to protesters, and crowds in general.

tcreath

If you do go to New York City, please take a few days and get out of the city and explore some of the area around it. The US is so much more than NYC and I would hate for anyone to travel over here and only visit NYC if they are trying to get a feel for our country. Upstate New York is beautiful, as is some of states around it.

When we travel to Europe, we always spend time in the cities but then make a point of going into the countryside. Usually that ends up being our favorite parts of the trip!

Travelkitty

The convention is from Aug 30 to Sept 2, so you should be fine. While I was checking, I found a link on the convention site in which NY notables pick their "top 10" you might enjoy.

http://www.gopconvention.com/contents/delegates/top10/

Also, I agree with the people who suggest seeing other parts of NY area while you are here. If you have access to a car and don't mind a drive, you might enjoy the Finger lakes region and Ithaca and it's gorges for a change of scenery.

dwoodliff

Since you have 10 days, why not see both NYC and Niagara Falls?

Donna

vacationdreamer

I think NY is the better choice, but I agree with adding another stop. I'd figure about 5 days - and then I'd base the rest of the trip on your interests. The Finger Lakes region is only worth it if you want to want a park-type of vacation. I think a better choice might be to start or end with a flight out of DC or Boston, spend a couple of days there, a couple of days at a place in between (e.g. From Boston - Cape Cod/Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard; From DC - anapolis/philadelphia/jersey shore) and about 5 days in NY.

If you stay in NY, you could do a day or short overnights to the Hamptons (exclusive beach towns), up into the Hudson Valley, to Philadelphia, etc.