Smyth

I am planing to travel across america i have a good idea where i plan to go but i just wanted to get your opinion on were to go and anything i should be looking out for? here is a list of cities that i plan going to
Seattle
Portland
San Francisco
los angeles
las vegas
miami
tampa bay
orlando
nashville
chicago
washington
new york
also is there any thing i should be seeing in these cities?
Thanks
Smyth

scrubbedexpat099

Not a lot in the middle, are you flying?

meauxna

What period of time do you hope to accomplish all this in?!

What sorts of things do you want to be seeing? My list would be different for different people..

Smyth

i do plan to fly most of it. a few of them I'm think of get a train of coach. I'm think of 4 to 8 week. i want to see as much as i can Things like the grand canyon to the white house to the casinos in vegas to universal studios in la.

NC Penguin

If you enjoy visiting places, I would think you know how to conduct research on the internet to find out what's worth seeing at any specific destination. Starting a thread like this is going to be of limited help. You know best your interests so just match those to attractions and experiences in your target destinations.

Smyth

i have done research lots of it but there is only so much you can do and i might have over looked places. Thats why i made this thread to get other people experiences and opinions on places!

Kate2112

Seattle - Seattle Needle - San Juan Islands - Mt Rainier/St Helens/Mt Baker
Portland - International Rose Garden - Sunday Market
San Francisco - Alcatraz - Fishermans Wharf - Trolleys cars - Swan Oyster Bar
los angeles - The airport
las vegas - Fountains at Bellagio - Vegas at night - Trip up to the top of the Stratosphere
miami - South Beach
tampa bay - Sand Key
orlando - Disneyworld
nashville - No idea
chicago - Magnificent Mile if you love shopping - Arts Institute - A game at Wrigley Field - Pad Thai at PS Bangkok
washington - The National Mall - WH - National Archives - Capitol Building - Georgetown - Vidalia/Georgia Brown and Bens Chili Bowl
new york - ESB - Staten Island Ferry snap the Liberty from there - Ground Zero and South Street port - Snap Brooklyn Bridge from there - Central Park - Performance at the Lincoln Center - Times Sq get half price tickets for a Broadway Show

and a guide book to each city.

lisa67

Priceless

meauxna

ooh, good point.
I'd say skip Nashville and go to Memphis instead. Graceland, Beale Street, & get the hell outta town.
I still don't see how to do it all though.

Oh, it's Saturday Market in Portland (open Sundays too). They've just re-opened for the year!

Kate2112

Bloody hell ! I've been trying to get my husband to go there for a few weeks now, just as well he kept saying no or I would be La petit maison de la chien Thanks M!

Sir Denis Eaton-Hogg

If you really want to 'See' America the bus and rail networks (Amtrak, Greyhound etc) are a great way to see 'real' places and 'real' people on a tight budget... ok so it's a bit rough and ready but that half the fun, and cheap entertainment

This seems like one hell of an itinerary for one trip, it would put Judith Chalmers to shame! Why not spilt your list up into several driving tours and do them over a period of years? You will enjoy it more if you don't rush to finish everything in a hurry. Examples include:

• New York to Florida Keys
• LA to San Francisco up Highway 1
• Atlanta to Vegas through the South and Texas
• The Old Route 66 route (the best bits with modern interstates to pad out the boring bits)

Good luck

Sir D

penguinsix

8 weeks = road trip. Drive it, or huge portions of it. You'll see far more interesting and beautiful bits in the middle than you would hopping over them by air. Rent a car and just head West or East, or do a big circle. There are several threads here about driving across America and the adventures that ensue.

meauxna

omg, that would've been a disaster!
The coast is clear now and they're moving into a new space 'soon'. So if you want the classic market, hurry on down.

Kaffy Mintcake

For the amount of time you have - I would strongly recommend that you pick one region (maybe one coast?) and stick to it. Don't try to pack the whole country into 8 (or gulp 4! weeks) otherwise I fear it's going to be a very frustrating trip.

For instance - I've spent 2 weeks in Oregon and felt like I was running the whole time and wasn't able to see everything I wanted to see by a long shot!

I know that takes a lot of discipline and you're probably saying to yourself "but I don't know when I'll be back and don't want to miss anything" but you'll be glad you whittled down your list. Trust me on this.

Manc

Tampa and Orlando my arse

well from that you'll probably see loads of Walmarts and plenty of McDonalds.

If you've seen one US metropolitan area you've seen them all basically.....


rent a car.
in 4-8 weeks you can drive across the country and back........
go to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Utah canyon lands...

Arizona deserts, the Alamo, Pacific coast road, louisiana swamps, western slopes of the Rockies.......
Appalchia, great lakes, Niagara Falls, new England, Acadia natl park in Maine..........

the list is endless.