favorite us places to visit
Nov 17th, 2005, 04:05 AM
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favorite us places to visit
We are thinking of staying in the US for vacations next year -- 5-10 days at maybe 2 or 3 different locations during the year. What places have been you favorite vacation spots and why?
Nov 17th, 2005, 04:50 AM
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Welcome to the USA. I hope you will enjoy your stay. It is a big country with many wonderful sites.
1. Charleston, SC. Lots of history, great shops and restaurants, easy walking city.
2. Yellowstone-Grand Teton. Fabulous natural landscapes and wildlife viewing.
3. San Francisco-Beauitful city with a charm of its own.
Alternatives:
Grand Canyon-nothing like it anywhere
Glacier National Park-beautiful place, excellent hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities.
Boston-beautiful historical city with great shopping
Washington, DC-nation's capitol, marvelous access to history
New York City-The BIG Apple, a fantastic variety of theatre, music and other entertainments, art, and for shops and restaurants, this is the place.
I think it might be a good idea to tell everyone a bit about your interests, your group, and any limitations you might have. Your response may suggest other places I failed to mention.
Whereever you go, I hope your welcome is a warm one.
1. Charleston, SC. Lots of history, great shops and restaurants, easy walking city.
2. Yellowstone-Grand Teton. Fabulous natural landscapes and wildlife viewing.
3. San Francisco-Beauitful city with a charm of its own.
Alternatives:
Grand Canyon-nothing like it anywhere
Glacier National Park-beautiful place, excellent hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities.
Boston-beautiful historical city with great shopping
Washington, DC-nation's capitol, marvelous access to history
New York City-The BIG Apple, a fantastic variety of theatre, music and other entertainments, art, and for shops and restaurants, this is the place.
I think it might be a good idea to tell everyone a bit about your interests, your group, and any limitations you might have. Your response may suggest other places I failed to mention.
Whereever you go, I hope your welcome is a warm one.
Nov 17th, 2005, 06:38 AM
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Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons make a great 10 day vacation.
Utah's National Parks & National Recreational Areas: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Glen Canyon (Lake Powell). Plan on at least 10 or more days to cover them all and at least 4 different locations.
http://www.so-utah.com/
Utahtea
Utah's National Parks & National Recreational Areas: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Glen Canyon (Lake Powell). Plan on at least 10 or more days to cover them all and at least 4 different locations.
http://www.so-utah.com/
Utahtea
Nov 17th, 2005, 07:22 AM
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Are you thinking of city vacation or country/nature vacation? What time of year is important as well.
I have about 10 favorites. Vacations are highly subjective, and the most common responses might be for the most popular places but might not be the beach, mountain, dense city that you prefer. You need to say what YOU like.
My favorite of all is driving through a section of the USA that I've not explored before and isn't any of the ones mentioned yet in this thread. It's always different. One was a drive from MI to Biloxi,MS (North/South)we did a year ago and went through 5 or 6 states. Another favorite is East/West drive. You would not have time for that. I also adore MI along Lake Michigan and up through the Upper Peninsula.
Where are you coming from and what do you want to see? Drive/fly?
I have about 10 favorites. Vacations are highly subjective, and the most common responses might be for the most popular places but might not be the beach, mountain, dense city that you prefer. You need to say what YOU like.
My favorite of all is driving through a section of the USA that I've not explored before and isn't any of the ones mentioned yet in this thread. It's always different. One was a drive from MI to Biloxi,MS (North/South)we did a year ago and went through 5 or 6 states. Another favorite is East/West drive. You would not have time for that. I also adore MI along Lake Michigan and up through the Upper Peninsula.
Where are you coming from and what do you want to see? Drive/fly?
Nov 17th, 2005, 11:10 AM
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I'm curious. Where do you live? What are you interested in...scenery, art, entertainment, history, festivals, recreation? What kind of weather do you enjoy, sunny or snowy? Will you have a car for transportation? And why are you coming, i.e., business or pleasure (welcome ahead of time)?
ozarksbill
ozarksbill
Nov 17th, 2005, 02:18 PM
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Sorry if the post was misleading -- we are from the Atlanta area. We went to Africa this year and we don't want to spend that much next year. So my thought was to find 2-3 places in the states to visit. But when I start to think about it I do not know where to begin. We went to Colorado a couple of years ago so we would not go back there yet. And we also did the Queen Charlotte islands with Vancouver and Victoria recently.
We line nature but we also like city for part of the time. We do like hiking but not backpacking -- we like the creature comforts like hot showers and flush toilets. Also we like seeing how things are made and purchasing hand made items. He hates cold weather but neither of us are sun sitters.
I had thought about Maine for one trip.
we have not been to the Arches etc so that may be a good trip. Also have never been to Yellowstone.
Was just hooping to get some goo ideas of favorite places to start investigating.
Thanks for all the help.
My husband gets a bit of vacation -- 4 weeks not including the time between Christmas and New Year's when the whole place closes. I am self employed so I just need to work around my client's needs.
We line nature but we also like city for part of the time. We do like hiking but not backpacking -- we like the creature comforts like hot showers and flush toilets. Also we like seeing how things are made and purchasing hand made items. He hates cold weather but neither of us are sun sitters.
I had thought about Maine for one trip.
we have not been to the Arches etc so that may be a good trip. Also have never been to Yellowstone.
Was just hooping to get some goo ideas of favorite places to start investigating.
Thanks for all the help.
My husband gets a bit of vacation -- 4 weeks not including the time between Christmas and New Year's when the whole place closes. I am self employed so I just need to work around my client's needs.
Nov 17th, 2005, 07:25 PM
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San Francisco is one of my fave cities. I was in Calif once fr Sept - March & the weather is no where like NYC, Chicago. SF is laid back & sort of quirky. The Grand Canyon is awesome. I love NYC & Chicago for shopping & lots to do/see. LA is too spread out though Universal Studios & Disneyland is amusing.
Nov 17th, 2005, 07:30 PM
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If you like both cities and hiking, I would suggest Seattle or Portland as you can get what a city has to offer in either and also get in some great hiking nearby. Also, depends on the time of year you plan to go. The NW is best from July-Sept. unless you're a big fan of rain.
Nov 18th, 2005, 04:21 AM
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Maine is close to us and we love it but we also stay mostly on the coast. We jokingly refer to our vacations there as a search for the best lobster. We prefer the mid-coast area. Camden is beautifu. Mid-June is a great time to visit when the wild lupine are blooming. We attended a small local lupine festival in the Blue Hill penisula area, the part of Maine just before Acadia. We mostly explore back roads. Take bag chairs, binoculars, a good book and snacks and find a good place to just relax and enjoy the scenery. The top of Mt Battie overlooking Camden harbor is great, so is a shady spot on Pemaquid point. On our last trip we discovered the Owls Head Lighthouse. The very best time we had was a day cruise to see lighthouses sponsored by the Maritime Museum in Bath. We were told to bring a lunch and picniced on a tiny island with a lighthouse.
I want to go back to Charleston. We only had a short time for a visit. We had enjoyed a leisurely drive thru low country before attending our son's graduation from Parris Island. Had lunch at Summerfields, a former tea plantation outside Charleton. Enjoyed the waterfront park in Beaufort where we watched someone fishing for shrimp.
I would also like to go back to Seattle again and explore the San Juan Islands. We only had 1 1/2 days in Seattle before taking the ferry to Alaska.
We had one fabulous time exploring PEI and Nova Scotia in a camper. Great beach combing around the Bay of Fundy yet the beaches on the eastern shore of NS reminded me of the Carolinas. Great expanses of beautiful beach.
I want to go back to Charleston. We only had a short time for a visit. We had enjoyed a leisurely drive thru low country before attending our son's graduation from Parris Island. Had lunch at Summerfields, a former tea plantation outside Charleton. Enjoyed the waterfront park in Beaufort where we watched someone fishing for shrimp.
I would also like to go back to Seattle again and explore the San Juan Islands. We only had 1 1/2 days in Seattle before taking the ferry to Alaska.
We had one fabulous time exploring PEI and Nova Scotia in a camper. Great beach combing around the Bay of Fundy yet the beaches on the eastern shore of NS reminded me of the Carolinas. Great expanses of beautiful beach.
Dec 3rd, 2005, 02:24 PM
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Hi MPKP,
I agree with JJ5: Nature vaca or city slicking? Also, what time of yr?
Nature? Hawaii - but its pretty far away (5 hours from the Western coast of the U.S.). However, there's nothing to do there culturally, cruddy restaurants, very pricey. Colorado! A beautiful and sporty place.
Cities? San Francisco, NY, Chicago. Lots of culture and Chicago and SF are very friendly places. Unfortunately, I can no longer suggest New Orleans.
This country is huge. Many places (i.e., L.A., San Diego) require you to sit in a car all day long to get anywhere. Nothing like jumping off a long plane flight only to sit in a car for extended lengths of time. Wee.
If you want to get a real taste of the people in the U.S. in a cram course, I would prolly hit NY, somewhere in CA (hitting San Fran. if you want to avoid sitting in a car all day long. Plus, there are a ton of interesting things to visit within a SHORT driving distance of SF), then some No-Mans land like East Swampgas, MO. - not necc'y in that order.
In East Swampgas, you would get to rub elbows with uninteresting people who grew up in the same house as their great, great grandparents, watch the grass grow, and get a feel for just how much time non-urban dwelling Americans spend watching T.V.
Please don't judge the rest of us if you happen upon the unfortunate circumstance of winding up in Atlanta or anywhere in TX.
I agree with JJ5: Nature vaca or city slicking? Also, what time of yr?
Nature? Hawaii - but its pretty far away (5 hours from the Western coast of the U.S.). However, there's nothing to do there culturally, cruddy restaurants, very pricey. Colorado! A beautiful and sporty place.
Cities? San Francisco, NY, Chicago. Lots of culture and Chicago and SF are very friendly places. Unfortunately, I can no longer suggest New Orleans.
This country is huge. Many places (i.e., L.A., San Diego) require you to sit in a car all day long to get anywhere. Nothing like jumping off a long plane flight only to sit in a car for extended lengths of time. Wee.
If you want to get a real taste of the people in the U.S. in a cram course, I would prolly hit NY, somewhere in CA (hitting San Fran. if you want to avoid sitting in a car all day long. Plus, there are a ton of interesting things to visit within a SHORT driving distance of SF), then some No-Mans land like East Swampgas, MO. - not necc'y in that order.
In East Swampgas, you would get to rub elbows with uninteresting people who grew up in the same house as their great, great grandparents, watch the grass grow, and get a feel for just how much time non-urban dwelling Americans spend watching T.V.
Please don't judge the rest of us if you happen upon the unfortunate circumstance of winding up in Atlanta or anywhere in TX.
Dec 3rd, 2005, 02:31 PM
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Woops!
Just read YOUR post that you are FROM Atlanta? God - I'm so sorry! Not for my post; that you LIVE in Atlanta! Atlanta's awful.
I existed there for 4.5 of the longest years of my friggin' life.
No wonder you wanna vaca outta Dodge!
Visit San Francisco, you'll love it. You might even 'lose' your returning ticket ;-)
The West is Best.
Just read YOUR post that you are FROM Atlanta? God - I'm so sorry! Not for my post; that you LIVE in Atlanta! Atlanta's awful.
I existed there for 4.5 of the longest years of my friggin' life.
No wonder you wanna vaca outta Dodge!
Visit San Francisco, you'll love it. You might even 'lose' your returning ticket ;-)
The West is Best.
Dec 3rd, 2005, 02:31 PM
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cmcfong gave some great suggestions!
I like to "park" in a great city for a week and see it thoroughly. I think San Francisco, Boston and Charleston are excellent suggestions!
The National Parks are another type of trip, but equally rewarding. My favorite parks are Glacier for its beauty, Yellowstone for its diversity and Mesa Verde for its intrigue. A week in many parks is a long time if you aren't hiking or paddling, but Yellowstone takes several days to do it justice. There are so many great options! Maybe you can do a great city for 5 or 6 days and a park for 5 days.
I like to "park" in a great city for a week and see it thoroughly. I think San Francisco, Boston and Charleston are excellent suggestions!
The National Parks are another type of trip, but equally rewarding. My favorite parks are Glacier for its beauty, Yellowstone for its diversity and Mesa Verde for its intrigue. A week in many parks is a long time if you aren't hiking or paddling, but Yellowstone takes several days to do it justice. There are so many great options! Maybe you can do a great city for 5 or 6 days and a park for 5 days.
Dec 16th, 2005, 01:51 AM
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Loved the Grand Canyon. Somewhat eeyrie being there & flying over it. My fave cities are NYC, Chicago & SF. LA...not sure....it's so spread out, you definitely need to drive & only "weirdos" catch the buses or walk on sts.
Dec 16th, 2005, 02:16 AM
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jeez oahu transplant, talk about being inflammatory. i think your comment brings to mind the saying, "opinions are like a**holes, everyone's got one."
when i read your original post mpkp, i got the impression that you were from outside the u.s.
thinking about 2-3 different locations at 5-10 days each, this is what i would do:
1) Trip 1- San Francisco (3-4 nights), drive through wine country (4 nights).
2) Trip 2- Charleston (4 nights), Savannah (2 nights). These destinations are about 2 hours from one another.
Unfortunately, my home, New Orleans, is off the table although it won't be in a couple of years.
3) Trip 3- NYC or Boston
Here is what the backups would be:
a. Santa Fe & Taos for about 3-4 days at each place
b. Yellowstone, Grand Teton (10 days)
when i read your original post mpkp, i got the impression that you were from outside the u.s.
thinking about 2-3 different locations at 5-10 days each, this is what i would do:
1) Trip 1- San Francisco (3-4 nights), drive through wine country (4 nights).
2) Trip 2- Charleston (4 nights), Savannah (2 nights). These destinations are about 2 hours from one another.
Unfortunately, my home, New Orleans, is off the table although it won't be in a couple of years.
3) Trip 3- NYC or Boston
Here is what the backups would be:
a. Santa Fe & Taos for about 3-4 days at each place
b. Yellowstone, Grand Teton (10 days)
Dec 16th, 2005, 09:46 AM
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Hi Mpkp,
From reading your African posts it sounds like you may like alot of the same kind of destinations as me.
Here's a few suggestions - if any of this appeals to you I will gladly give you more details:
NYC - Long Island ferry or Narragansett RI ferry to Block Island RI to bike/hike - Westerly/Newport RI - good food/historical/scenery .
CapeCod - Wellfleet/Truro/Provincetown - hike/bike/kayak/nice shops/ galleries and resturants - ferry or drive to Boston - great walking city with lots to do.
Boston - Newburyport Ma., Ogunquit/Kennebukport Me.
Portland Me. good walking and coastal town activities
There's so many other places but this seems like it may give you the city, hike with some of the creature comforts you want, while keeping costs down a bit.
Cheers;
Sherry
From reading your African posts it sounds like you may like alot of the same kind of destinations as me.
Here's a few suggestions - if any of this appeals to you I will gladly give you more details:
NYC - Long Island ferry or Narragansett RI ferry to Block Island RI to bike/hike - Westerly/Newport RI - good food/historical/scenery .
CapeCod - Wellfleet/Truro/Provincetown - hike/bike/kayak/nice shops/ galleries and resturants - ferry or drive to Boston - great walking city with lots to do.
Boston - Newburyport Ma., Ogunquit/Kennebukport Me.
Portland Me. good walking and coastal town activities
There's so many other places but this seems like it may give you the city, hike with some of the creature comforts you want, while keeping costs down a bit.
Cheers;
Sherry
Dec 16th, 2005, 10:29 AM
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New Orleans (& they can use your help), W/in easy driving distance...the Brunswick Islands (for R & R, & inexpensive), the afore mentioned Charleston, Savannah or Amelia Island, Fl. All different things to offer & all in close proximity. Key West, or the Keys in general depending on how much time you have. We do a lot of short trips every year so I've tried to take that into consideration & stayed away from the West Coast. Happy travels !
Jan 7th, 2006, 04:33 PM
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Wow..so many great places in the US...
Like a lot of people on this post, my choice would be San Franciso and Chicago
Lived in New York City for a while so while I think that it is the best place to live, I don't know if I would pick it as a favorite vacation spot..
My two favorite cities are San Francisco and Chicago. San Francisco provides a great starting point for a vacation. San Francisco has a charming appeal with its steep hills and Victorian houses. Stop by Sausalito with a ferry ride. Tired of the city, you have options to drive north to Napa or Mendocino for wine country. Or for a taste of nature the Muir Woods are a tour bus ride away. Drive a bit more and you can end up in Yosemite National Park which is beautiful.
Chicago in early summer is just perfect. So many things to see and do. Shedd aquarium, Michigan Avenue for shopping, the lakefront, Lincoln Park. Not to mention that Chicago has great architecture and one of the best nightime scenery I have seen in a major city.
Like a lot of people on this post, my choice would be San Franciso and Chicago
Lived in New York City for a while so while I think that it is the best place to live, I don't know if I would pick it as a favorite vacation spot..
My two favorite cities are San Francisco and Chicago. San Francisco provides a great starting point for a vacation. San Francisco has a charming appeal with its steep hills and Victorian houses. Stop by Sausalito with a ferry ride. Tired of the city, you have options to drive north to Napa or Mendocino for wine country. Or for a taste of nature the Muir Woods are a tour bus ride away. Drive a bit more and you can end up in Yosemite National Park which is beautiful.
Chicago in early summer is just perfect. So many things to see and do. Shedd aquarium, Michigan Avenue for shopping, the lakefront, Lincoln Park. Not to mention that Chicago has great architecture and one of the best nightime scenery I have seen in a major city.
