1.New York
2.San Fransicso
3.Boston
4.Washington DC
5.Chicago

Here we go:
Boston
DC
New Orleans
NYC
Chicago

Do your trip by region - West Coast first. Fly into LA, rent a car (the only way to see LA), spend about 4-5 days. You can take a side trip to San Diego (easy day trip).

Then drive up Hwy 101 to San Francisco (GORGEOUS ocean scenery - take a couple of days doing this), with a stop in Carmel. Ditch the rental car in SF, you will NOT want a car in the city. Do 3-4 days in SF, then fly to Seattle and spend 3 days. Be sure to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, and the excursion to Blake Island for Northwest Coast Indian culture. Fly out of Seattle to New York (Newark airport?), and do the Northeast region. Definitely see NY and Boston, then head south by train to Philadelphia, and Washington DC.

Rent a car for a taste of the Southeast - consider Charleston or Hilton Head Island, Fly home out of Atlanta. Or do New Orleans, Miami, Florida Gulf Coast if you have time.

There, that ought to take up an entire 4 weeks and leave you broke! Have fun!

And remember, you'll only have just begun to see this country.

For living or for visiting?

For visiting:

New York
San Francisco
New Orleans
Miami Beach
Aspen

For living:

NEW YORK
NEW YORK
NEW YORK
NEW YORK
Louisville (my original hometown)

O.K. this is what i'm thinking. I've now got 6 weeks. I was planning to see New York, Washington D.C., Florida, Charleston and L.A. I want to see the usual tourist sites and I love anything historical (can't wait to see D.C.). Is it possible to travel on a train or coach from New York down to D.C, from there to Charleston and from Charleston to Miami? Am I asking too much, do i need to fly? Also how much would it be to travel on the train?

There's an express train that goes from Boston to New York to Philadelphia to D.C. I think it must be operated by Amtrak, but I'm not sure.

My 5 choices would be...

1. NYC (spend the most time there)
2. Washington, D.C.
3. New Orleans
4. San Diego
5. San Francisco

I'd swap LA for San Fran and the north coastal line.

1. New York. Dirty and expensive and noisy, sure, but for its art and food alone, it's a must-visit.

2. Boston. Beautiful architecture and urban adventure on a manageable scale.

3. Chicago. Almost as cool as NYC. Gets extra points for great use of the lake and river.

4. San Francisco. Colorful and loaded with fun stuff.

5. Washington, DC. World-class in its beauty, plus all the Smithsonian museums are free.

Unless you are into beaches, I would extend your trip north to Boston (great museums, history, and architecture), and think twice about Florida.

Y'all forget about those cities up north. Those carpetbaggers been sponging off us since the War Between The States. If y'all are fixin' to go anywhere, here's where you should travel:

1. Jacksonville, Florida, the home of the greatest rock and roll band who ever lived, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

2. Atlanta, Georgia, the most progressive city in the South.

3. Macon, Georgia, the home of the other greatest rock and roll band who ever lived, The Allman Brothers Band. Little Richard is from there too. Lord have mercy!

4. Athens, Georgia, the home of the Georgia Bulldogs and some of the best pulled pork you ever did eat.

5. Mobile, Alabama, if you ain't been to Mobile you ain't been anywhere.

Anyone who uses the word "fixin" should not be allowed to post here.

Some other places that are worthy of a mention:

Palm Springs, CA -- a day trip from L.A.

Key West, FL -- If you do Miami, take a side trip down there, no other drive like it.

Pinehurst, NC -- If you end up in the SE. Also, the prettiest drive in the US is from Ashville, NC to Chattanooga, TN

Anywhere on Cape Cod, MA -- Again, not just a city, but if you get to Boston, don't skip a side trip to the Cape!

Austin, TX -- If you do Texas at all, that's the place to go!

Good Luck, hope these alternatives come in handy.

Anne I see you are from Australia. I can't imagine that you'll be too impressed with Florida as your beaches and cities are much nicer. Miami has great art-deco buildings, but I wouldn't travel just to see them. Many will disagree, but I'm not an LA fan. It would've been cool in the 60's but not anymore. San Diego is nice, but really, you live in a country with the nicest warm climate cities already. I'd reccommend a trip to San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. Check out the large redwoods too. You'll be getting plenty of city action in NYC, Washington etc. In my opinion, some of the best vacations in the USA are in our National parks.

One of our famed humorist, Will Rogers, named the 5 unique cities in US as: New York NY, San Francisco CA, San Antonio TX, New Orleans LA and I think the last was Saint Augustine FL (because it was the oldest). You would have a different experience in each. Others I would consider are Washington, D.C.; Boston; Colorado Springs CO, San Diego CA, North Carolina shoreline.

What about dividing your time equally between the west coast and east coast. Start in Boston, then NYC, Philadelphia and D.C. then fly out to the west coast for 3 weeks. Begin in Seattle and drive down the west coast all the way down to San Diego.

Careful with those superlatives, Hugh, "Also, the prettiest drive in the US is from Ashville, NC to Chattanooga, TN".
Alaska, several treks in northern California and the National Parks of southern Utah and Arizona are much more grand than I-75 and its collaterals.

to visit:

1. Los Angeles (by saying Los Angeles, I'm including Hollywood, Venice, Santa Monica, etc.)

2. New York City

3. San Francisco

4. WA. DC

5. San Diego

The MUST SEE cities:
1. New York - has a "buzz" unlike any other city except Paris and London

2. Boston - no other city I've been to in the US has so completely meshed together its history with the modern world

3. San Francisco - has some detractors, but it is probably the most beautiful setting of any US city

4. Washington DC - the seat of power, great museums, cool neighborhoods

5. Chicago - very, very American (in a good way); huge in size, but has a friendly small city feel

The IF YOU HAVE TIME cities:
1. New Orleans - interesting if you're a Francophile, fun if you're a partier, annoying if you value cleanliness and order

2. San Diego - nice weather and beaches, but not much intellectual stimulation (which can be a good thing)

3. Los Angeles - I liked it a lot more than I had expected, but finally seeing LA/Hollywood was like learning how a magician does a trick - once you've seen it, the thrill is over

4. Miami - sexy and hip, but not much outside the wealthiest neighborhoods

5. Las Vegas - you should go for the spectacle, if nothing else

The DON'T BOTHER cities (I'm not even going to waste the keystrokes to explain why):
1. Atlanta
2. Dallas
3. Orlando
4. Phoenix
5. Buffalo/Niagara Falls (US side)

Five best:

1. New York City
2. San Franciso
3. New Orleans
4. Chicago
5. Washington DC, edging out Boston, Charleston, Austin, Santa Fe, Madison and Seattle.

Miserable cities that some people make the mistake of visiting - Atlanta, Orlando, Albuquerque, Palm Springs and Phoenix.

Okay, I've only ever BEEN to Las Vegas, but the top 5 I"d want to visit-
New Orleans
San Fransisco
New York(although the thought of all those millions in that small area of land terrifies me!)
San Antonio,TX
Seattle
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