Need some inspiration
 

Hi

My sister and I are planning a trip to the US from the UK and would like some recommendations for the best city to visit. we'd rather not New York/Orlando/Las Vegas as they seem a typically tourist orientated . We're in our 30's.

Give us a few hints -- When? How many days? What sort of budget? What sorts of things do you enjoy? (Sorry, but equating NYC w/ Orlando and Las Vegas is just wrong on so many levels)

7-10 days budget approx £1000 GBP each. Looking for night life, culture, and I realise a lot of people love NYC both sides of the ocean it's just not for us for the same reasons I stay out of London.

So you want to visit a city but don't like cities? New York City is not tourist oriented, people actually live and work there. Any city in the US will have tourists.

You might look at Washington. All the museums are free. It's easy to get around, but there will be tourists.

New York is about as tourist oriented as London (that is, not) . . . oh, I see you don't like London either.

I would suggest Cincinnati, and Dayton Ohio, and maybe a stop in Reading, Pennsylvania. Cincinnati is slightly touristy, but the others are pristine!

I like cities, I dislike London and being surround by British tourists. The whole reason we take foreign holidays is to experience something new or at least something different to what we are used to. It's not just about museums although Washington was on our list of possibles, it's about atmosphere.

Tell us a little more about your interests. Do you want to hike in any of the US National Parks, sail on our rivers or seas, want a tropical location, snow or skiing??? The US is HUGE and quite diverse. We need more info in order to help you.

just to clarify my opinion of London was formed after many years of both living and working there.

I'd prefer trails either hiking or horse back, using the city as a base to get to them

Well doing trail rides out of a "city" is not realistic - unless your definition of "city: is really a pretty small town.

I don;t know what to do that will get you to a city with major sights that doesn;t have tourists. In fact, even the best sights in the countryside will be mobbed with tourists - although many more re likely to be american.

It would help to know when you re planning on traveling = since our climate is way more extreme than hat of the US - with scorching heat in much of the south and west in summer and very cold winters in the northern half of the country.

There are many places you can hike from - but smaller towns or national parks - not cities. Riding is another issue - and assuming you want english riding vs western your choices will be limited.

If you can clarify it would help.

Your budget (£1000 - $1500 pp) is awfully low for any major city. San Francisco for instance you'll probably need £60-£70 pp just for a decent/not posh hotel.

you'll probably need £60-£70 pp <i>per night</i> just for a decent/not posh hotel.

I can ride both english and western so not a problem, and the city is the best base due to not always having to be with my sister (who would rather enjoy shopping over hiking any day) I'm okay with having to drive somewhere and as for time of year until we've decided where we are going, we would look at weather for that region and then decide time of year. (Have relatives in Arizona who already warned us about the searing heat during the summer).
I have to reiterate I don't dislike tourists just British tourists..anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of visiting a destination where Brits are known to holiday will understand.

The budget is each and is for accommodation only - we have additional funds for spending

also just checked those prices for San Francisco, from my side it starts off at £38GBP for 3 star

San Francisco hotel prices vary greatly by time of year. Jan and Feb are low, sept and October are very high.

Will you be renting a car? To get to hiking ,trails etc, it will most likely be necessary.

What about Santa Fe New Mexico? History, trails, shopping, museums, great vistas.

Yes i'll be renting a car.

I genuinely hadn't considered at New Mexico thank you for your suggestion, i'll have a look.

Time of year is important factor here in NM.

You have put us in a bind. You are looking for night life and culture but are unwilling to consider the city that has more night life and culture than another other city in the US.

Do you like Barcelona?

HTtY

I am sorry, I should have said "hiring" a car.

Boston
Chicago
Washington DC
Memphis
Austin
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Seattle
Montreal
Toronto
Vancouver BC

HTTY - yes I like Barcelona however I have already covered most of the European cities (and thoroughly enjoyed) and would like to try somewhere a little further afield.

Again it's a personal opinion about NYC not a general opinion. I live in Cardiff, Wales. I love it, it's a vibrant city, rich in Celtic heritage, has a quieter pace of life in comparison to some of the other cities i've lived in (including London and Amsterdam) however I wouldn't assume everyone should love it and certainly wouldn't take offence if they didn't.

Gardylou - Thank you for your suggestions I'll look into them, may have to raid the local book store for travel books.

Boston: scale, history, setting, museums, shopping, very walkable, good subways, youthful vibe, clubs galore, riding stables near public transportation but expensive lodging

Washington, DC: museums mostly free, excellent Metro, hotels cheaper on weekends because business travelers are gone, great food all price ranges, lots of club and concert action because of massive numbers of youthful government employees but very hot and humid, expensive lodging during week, terrible male to female ratio. Does anyone know if she can ride in Rock Creek Park?

I think someplace in the west might fit the bill:
Pacific Northwest - cover a couple of places, maybe Seattle and Vancouver
Santa Fe is a great idea
San Diego
San Francisco

What about Denver? City but small town feel, has great trails and shopping, Boulder is brief drive away, great little town with trials and hiking and shopping the main street.
then you could drive to Aspen or Vail or Breckenridge and have shopping trails adn horseback riding.

I'd also throw Savannah or Charleston into the mix.

<i>HTTY - yes I like Barcelona however I have already covered most of the European cities (and thoroughly enjoyed) and would like to try somewhere a little further afield.</i>

The reason I asked is that we don't have any city that vies with NYC in the way Barcelona does with Madrid (or Milan does with Rome).

HTtY

<i>HTTY - yes I like Barcelona however I have already covered most of the European cities (and thoroughly enjoyed) and would like to try somewhere a little further afield.</i>

The reason I asked is that we don't have any city that vies with NYC in the way Barcelona does with Madrid (or Milan does with Rome).

HTtY

How about New England? Maybe base out of Boston, then visit the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Head inland to Vermont. Beautiful part of the country!

San Francisco will eat up more time and money just because it's so much further for you to travel, then if you stick to somewhere on the 'east coast' US.

Washington DC
Memphis
Austin
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Seattle
You should visit these places within your budget and time availability. You will enjoy a lot by visiting these places....

I'll second DebitNM's Santa Fe recommendation. It's especially lovely in the fall (late September-October). You could visit some Indian pueblos, do some hiking, shop, etc. The International Balloon Fiesta is in Albuquerque in early October, and it is really worth seeing. www.balloonfiesta.com

Lee Ann

suze's right about Boston. That might fill the bill, with possibly a train ride down to NYC for an overnight--please don't rule it out just because there may be some (other) British tourists there. It's so big, with so many people and so much to do that you would probably not run into any anyway.

San Francisco might fit also as there are a number of parks and other scenic areas for hiking within reach: Monterrey Peninsula, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, etc.

But I agree the East Coast would be better because of the cost and time it would take you to get to the West Coast.

Colorado!

California!

Wow, so many possible places. Yes, Boston might be good, with walking and subways getting around, an area we are appreciating after moving from Middle America. Ackislander has Boston (and Washington) and would surely add also boat trips and cruises...including out to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Up the coast in Maine are many destinations.

And yet lots of place have an appeal. For example, New Orleans with its music and eating...St. Louis incl. wonderful zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden as good as Kew Gardens, float trips on rivers, caves not far distance...and many more cities or areas.

Ditto on Santa Fe, New Mexico for something you are definitely not used to seeing, plus the riding opportunities. Nightlife is not the big draw, but it does exist. With your time frame you could take in surrounding areas like Taos, where you could visit the famous Taos Pueblo.