Hello everyone!
I'm italian and I'm thinking of going to the US the next year on summer. I'd like to attend an English course in an international school. If I go there I'll be alone so I don't want to be lost. Of course I won't feel like home but you know what I mean!!
I know this is not the right forum to ask about language schools or things like that so I just ask you what city I should go to(yes, I'm pretty early). I'll be 18 so I'm looking for a city where there are lots of things to do. Obviously the first city I thought of was NY!! Or maybe Boston? I have no idea where to go! Any advice? Maybe it's better in the east area but every piece of advice is well received!
And also if you can tell me something to do there I would be glad. thank you!
-Alessia

I think something to consider is the cost of accommodations in the big Eastern US cities. How long will you be at the language school? Some of them can recommend housing that would be appropriate for someone your age.

New York is exciting, but you'll find most young people in Brooklyn, not Manhattan. I'm old but from my limited experience, if I were young, I would want to be in Brooklyn.

I would also think that New York, Boston and Washington DC would be great choices, but if there's a school that would suit you, Philadelphia would also been exciting. Philadelphia might be a little less costly than the other cities I've mentioned, and it would be very easy to visit New York or DC from Philadelphia.

Pick one of these and you will get endless suggestions here for things to do. History, art, clubs, outdoor activities: what would you prefer?

Perhaps a better way to do this is to research and find the maybe 3 or 4 English language schools that interest you . . . no matter where they are in the USA. Then ask about things to do, accommodations etc. in the cities where they are located.

I'll probably stay there 3 weeks or maybe 4. The schools I've found so far offer housing and I think it's much cheaper that rent a house or stay in a hotel.
Regarding what I like to do: my journey will be a mix of all you've mentioned. Surely I'd like to visit museums and art galleries but also go to clubs at night. I don't want to do the same thing during the whole time and this is why I'm looking for a city full of opportunities to do different things.
Thank you for your reply, I'll follow your advice and search schools in Philadelphia and DC.

I'd choose DC or Boston. NYC is just so big and busy. I'm not a huge fan. In DC, many museums are free, so touring is affordable. Boston is just a great, walkable, compact city. I'm not a fan of Philadelphia. It's must least favorite of the four.

Hello, als31. Would you care to share the names of the schools you are looking at? We can probably help you with what's nearby.

I live near D.C., and have visited NYC, Philly, and Boston and have visited them as a tourist rather than a native. I am having a difficult time trying to decide which a younger person would enjoy. New York popped up first, but the others are great as well. In order, I'd choose NYC, D.C., Boston, and then Philly. New York because it is so easy to get around via subway and because it has so much from which to choose. D.C.'s metro is not quite as extensive but is also easy to use. As rizzo mentioned, most of the museums are free to enter in D.C., and it also has a vibrant theatre/music/nightclub scene.

Please let us know what you decide and how it went!

One thing you should know is that the legal drinking age (and therefor the age you’re allowed into clubs) is 21. The age limit is strictly enforced.

I was curious and looked at a list of 2-week English courses in various places, and noted there are a couple in San Francisco. In the summer I think SF would be a lot of fun; it's a compact city with tons to do, very easy to get around, and the weather is going to be a lot nicer in the summer than anywhere on the east coast. Travel costs from/to Italy won't be a great deal more than to the east coast.

I love Boston, DC and New York. If I were 18 and spending a lot of time in one, it would be NYC for me. So much to do, good public transportation and to me more options in dining inexpensively/easily. You could certainly catch a train to visit Boston, Philly and DC, as well. Philly would not make my list (my apologies to Philly fans).

Just as a thought, you could get a very different picture of America if you were to choose to do a volunteer program after your ESL class. You would of course be using your English skills during your volunteer time.

There are many kinds of these programs, but it would be cool to do something totally different than the urban experience you would have at a language school. Some of the kids from our church were able to volunteer for a project on a Native American reservation. This was a very enriching program. If you did something like theirs, you would go back to Italy with some memories that you will always treasure. You also will learn more about Native American culture than most American citizens know.

Here are a couple programs I found. Please do further research before committing. Any of these would require you to get a plane ticket to the site, and you are expected to pay a certain amount of money that covers your food/lodging. So that would be an additional expense to you.

This one is $575 for a week and includes your food and lodging. It would be amazing to be at Pine Ridge.

https://www.re-member.org/trips.aspx

This one is $1,095 and you would be volunteering with the Blackfeet Tribe:
https://globalvolunteers.org/usa-montana/

This one with the Navajo Nation has ties to a United Nations council, which sounds good, but they don't state the cost to attend this program. You will have to email them:

https://amizade.org/site/navajo-nation/

Seconding reminder that likely no clubs. Entry age is 21 - to correspond with drinking age. All strictly enforced. They will want to see passport as proof of age. What about Canada? Drinking age is lower.

sf7307 and gail: I thought I could go to clubs without drinking but if it's forbidden it doesn't matter. Thank you for telling me.
5alive: volunteering could be great! There are some volunteering association also in Italy, I'll do a research

There are places that will admit you but you won't be able to buy a drink.
https://www.tripsavvy.com/drinking-a...w-york-2819358

See this link for some ideas of places can you can go (and there are more). Plenty of ways to have fun.

https://www.amny.com/things-to-do/un...arty-1.9180970