First Time American Visitor
 

As a first time visitor to the united states, with a month and a half and a pretty limited budget, I am interested in some general ideas on how to make my back packing trip a success. Of course I want to do some 'touristy' things (grand canyon, national parks etc), but I also want to experience the real America, some out of the way places. Any advice would be a great help. I would be coming over mid July for a month or so!!

Hey, if you are backpacking go to the Lonely Planet (search Yahoo or whatever) Go to the Thorn Tree on the leftside of page and you will finds LOADS of info on the message boards....Ask whatever you want....some answers may be outrageous!

Did you know we have youth hostels here in the USA. I found the website some time ago and "bookmarked it. If you need it just e mail me. There are pictures of the hostels on the net and they look pretty nice. Most seem to be homes, converted into hostels. Some are on or near the beaches. Are you going to visit both East and West coast or just one or the other. California should be a different country you know! Entirely different! Be sure to visit Alcatraz and San Francisco. See Yosemite and Sequoia. Lake Tahoe and Reno are super. I just visited the set where the hit series "Bonanza" was made. You may be too young unless you are watching reruns but Bonanza aired for l3 years. The house that was made for the "Cartwrights" is still there. And they serve a "Hoss" Burger that weighs a lot! Buy a tin cup from the saloon and have a sasparilla. They say when you drink from the cup all of your aches and pains will disappear! Take a boat tour of Lake Tahoe! See Donner Pass where a party of emigrants crossing West to San Francisco were stranded and ate the flesh of their dead comrades. The largest Desert Lake in the USA (maybe the world) is north of Reno and is magnificent. I know you've never seen anything like it. I had to drive 35 miles to get to it. Its in an Indian reservation. But once there it was chillingly beautiful. Green, green water and majestic dunes surrounding it. Very still and quiet. You could almost hear the Indians!

Cheers!

If you are interested in a what a true American city is like, check out Chicago. Bypassing it would be a great mistake. There is so much to do in Chicago, with world class museams, a beutiful lakefront, a skyline that tops New York City, the best food in American, and great theatre. If you are going out west, like to the Grand Canyon, you should definetly stop in Chicago on the way. And despite what you've heard about the "Windy City" the weather is just wonderful in the summer with comfortable temperatures, and little rain. Have fun on your trip!!!!

sorry, spelled Bueatiful wrong. Don't want to sound like an idiot

Gordon- its beautiful !!