I would second or third all the suggestions of New Orleans. Someone posted that they thought that 5-7 days was too long to spend there, but I disagree. You could easily spend that long in the French Quarter, which is full of beautiful architecture, but to fully experience the city, you have to get out of the Quarter at some point. New Orleans has some very good museums, lots of unique shopping, and very friendly locals...and let's not forget about the food! There are also plenty of plantations to tour within an hour's drive of the city.

"We like a little arts and shopping, like to walk and see nice architecture and also love parks and on an evening love to sit in a neighbourhood bar and get to know the locals."

Sounds like Chicago to me! I think Chicago is an amazing city, and generally underrated. The River boat architecture tours, the lakeside parks, the great neighborhoods, shopping on Michigan, the Art Institute. Perfect!

(I love New Orleans, but its not in the same class. Also love Washington DC, but neither of those two have the variety of Chicago. IMHO)

Vera

I'd also vote for Chicago based on the criteria you listed, but also because it is quite different from cities in the UK and Europe. The fact that so much of it burned down in 1871 makes the city center very interesting architecturally. It's almost all been built in the last 130 years. Chicago had the first skyscraper (not very tall by today's standards). Some of the greatest architects in the first part of the 1900s, including Frank Lloyd Wright, and his mentor, Louis Sullivan, did their work in Chicago. It's a big city with well-planned and interesting modern style buildings.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise is excellent. I have also enjoyed a trip out to Oak Park to see FLW's old stomping grounds. Chicago has some world-class museums including the Art Institute and the Museum of Science and Industry. The best meal I've ever had was at Everest in Chicago. Another big plus is the good public transportation system. You can get anywhere I've mentioned without having to drive a car.

This is sounding like I work for the Chicago tourist board, but I live in a small Colorado town, and have never lived in Chicago. I love art and architecture, as well as good food, so it makes Chicago a perfect place to visit. I have found the Michelin Green Guide to Chicago very helpful while visiting.

Chicago is a fun place, but I'd give the edge to Philadelphia, if only because it seems you can get to a lot of other interesting places -- seashore, Washington, DC, mountains, etc. -- for day trips if you want to take a break from the city. Boston has appeal for the same reasons, although it's a little more remote than Phila.

My vote goes to New Orleans. While Philly, Chicago and Boston are all great cities, they are more like NYC than NO.

New Orleans has great antique shops, great shopping, great food, great music. It is also much more laid back than the other cities and just so much fun. (NYC is my favorite city in the world, but I love NO because its so different.)

Please let us know where you decide to go!
Suse

I live in SF and obviously would pick my own town, but I would also recommend Chicago for all the reasons that previous posters have stated. But as an ex pat Brit I would also add that it is interesting because Chicagoans are different from New Yorkers and it would be interesting to experience people from America's heartland. I don't know how to put it exactly but Chicago is a quintessentially American city to me, it is not comparable to any European city (like SF or Boston) or greatly influenced by any other culture (like NO or Miami). Just my 2 cents.

Amy - I went to school in Philly 3 years ago. It is a nice city, and very liveable, but IMHO just not as much to see for a full week as SF or Chicago especially based on the OP's description of looking for an alternate to NYC.

The next closest city to NYC in terms of energy of the city and things to see and do would be Chicago. You could easily spend a week there and not see it all. I also like Phiadelphia a lot. It's like a mini-Manhattan. Philly has plenty as well for a week. I would also combine a side trip to Amish country in Lancaster County, about 60 miles outside of Philly. Philly has excellent museums, restaurants, shopping, and of course history.

I live in SF, but spending a week here would be too much time. SF a smaller city, about 1/2 the size of Philadelphia and similar in size to Boston. It's okay for maybe a 2 day trip. Other cities in California to consider are Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose. f you fly into San Jose, you could also take a drive over to Monterey, Carmel, and down the coast to Big Sur, which is spectacular. Another fun place would be Las Vegas, if you are looking for something different.

I'll admit that I haven't been in Philadelphia since a school trip (liberty bell, independence hall, science museum) in the late 80's but it is one of those places that are close to home that I've wanted to visit for a while. I have been to the wonderful gardens in the brandywine area which is not far from philadelpia and think that a week trip divided between philadelphia and a nice bed and breakfast or hotel near longwood, winterthur, nemours... (pennsylvania, delaware). In a week you could combine philadelphia, washington, and the garden regions really nicely. You would have to do research into whether or not you could do this without a car.

Permit me to suggest Montreal or Toronto, although of course neither is in the US. They are very suited to what you want, though.

As a fellow Brit I would suggest San Francisco. One of my favourite places in the world.

The extra flying time is more than worth it and you can easily fill a week with a variety of activities. I've been on a number of occasions and still find new things to do/see every time I go.

I'm also a big fan of Vancouver (if you wanted to go there a UK company called Canadian Affair has direct flights from a variety of UK airports at much cheaper prices than Air Canada and so on. We've been to Vancouver twice and are planning to go back next year.

I wasn't so keen on Toronto but that could be because I had a stinking head cold when we were there!