Planning a trip to the Americas

[[wcip]Angel]

Hi all

A friend of mine and I decided to plan a trip somewhere in the Americas this summer. It'll be a limited stay of 2 weeks, so we really need to plan this well in order to get the most out of it. Also, we recognise our limitations as Scandinavians. Although we know of certain popular places to visit, we hardly possess the vast knowledge of your lands as Americans do, hence the thread.

Do you have any suggestions? We thought about New York, but assumed it'd be too hot during the summer. I don't know why we believe Miami will be any cooler, but that is the destination to beat for the moment. We thought about spending a week there and maybe get on a plane to one of the carribean islands to experience something a bit different.

We have not decided on anything yet, and we're still considering our options. We also talked about touring the west coast and seeing San Fransisco, Vegas, the Grand Canyon and San Diego. My friend also mentioned in passing that she'd like to visit a texan ranch and do like a packaged tour of ranchy stuff.

We also talked about Machu Pichu in Peru, but decided that we'd rather save the backpacker-thing for another time. This holiday is for relaxing, partying and a wee bit of shopping. Oooh! And also, we want to do stuff and see places.

Do you know of any places we could visit, any places you think of as ideal places to visit in the Americas? We thought about Canada, but it just seems like a bland version of the US (no offence intended, this view of is purely prejudicial.)

Also, are there any places that are particularly cheap? If we do stay a week in Miami, I expect we'll spend a good deal of money there. It would be nice to counter that with a more affordable place... not cheap as in tacky, but cheap as in "more for the dollar" (or pesos, or whatever the local currency is). I heard beer in Argentina is cheaper than water. Can anyone confirm that?

Much obliged, gents and pretty ladies!:)

[Occhidiangela]

Angel' date='Jan 5 2009, 04:04 PM' post='159298']
Hi all

A friend of mine and I decided to plan a trip somewhere in the Americas this summer. It'll be a limited stay of 2 weeks, so we really need to plan this well in order to get the most out of it. Also, we recognise our limitations as Scandinavians. Although we know of certain popular places to visit, we hardly possess the vast knowledge of your lands as Americans do, hence the thread.

Much obliged, gents and pretty ladies!:)

For America in Summer: Idaho and Montana for a purely American non urban experience. Both the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho and the Missouri Breaks of Montana are spectacularly American. I also recommend, for that trip if you take it, to read up on Lewis and Clark, the explorers who were some of the first European American sorts to show up out there, and who did it on behalf of President Jefferson. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an amazing undertaking. (Stephen AMbrose wrote a great book about it, Undaunted Courage.)

More urbanly, try San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle. If you do Seattle, Vancouver BC is Canada just over the border. I recommend against the North East due to personal prejudice, but Boston can be a great time. It surely can.

I'd love to see you, but Corpus Christi, Texas in the summer is so hot, my dear Swedish friend would melt. If you want to experience heat and humitidy like nobody in Sweden has, come down. I shall be your host. But I doubt you'll want to do that.

For the South Americas, I'd recommend Chile over Argentina. But again, I may be biased due to a couple of friends who are from there.

Other Summer destinations might include Lake Tahoe, California. Gorgeous country and gambling if you like it. Hiking if you like it. A lake if you like it. Sacramento airport a good way in, or San Francisco.

Bring money, nowhere is cheap anymore.

IMO, avoid Florida like the plague.

Also beautiful, albeit warm, is the Shanendoah Valley of Virginia and the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Drop Dead Beautiful.

Occhi

[Chesspiece_face]

I would also point you towards the San Francisco area as a good place to start looking. I wouldn't think it would be much more expensive than miami (especially not in summer) and there is a greater variety of experiences to be had in the area. From trips up to Tahoe, to going to see the redwoods etc. And SF is a nice constant 70 degrees pretty much year round.

I highly recommend it. (and personally i find miami in the summer to be an absolute nightmare.)

[Griselda]

Miami in the summer is going to be just as hot or hotter than New York, but twice as humid. The whole southeastern US in the summer is mostly heat, humidity, and mosquitoes, IMO. They are still worth seeing if there's something there you don't want to miss (I went in the summer, heh), but you want to know what you're getting into.

I really think that New York and Washington DC would be high on my list. I don't know if you're a museum-goer, but both towns have quite a bit to offer in that area. That's one reason that I'd like to plan a trip back east to make sure that my daughter gets to see those things that I took for granted when growing up there. I guess the DC museums would be more America-centric than the New York ones, though, but from New York you could get to DC or Philadelphia with an easy train ride (or could when I lived there).

That said, I do think that something more laid back and non-East coast would be a nice compliment to that. You could find any of the "ranching" type things in Texas, Arizona, or New Mexico easily. You could also find some "cowboy culture" in Montana or Wyoming (and possible for less money), but really the southwest desert landscapes are not to be missed. Utah has some fantastic national parks, too.

Keep in mind that the US is much more spread out in the west. On the east coast, you could get to just about anywhere you want to go in a day's drive, but out west things are much more spread out. San Francisco to the Grand Canyon is quite a haul, for example. You wouldn't want to drive that distance unless you were including the drive as part of your vacation and not just a way to get from place to place.

My sister in law is Swedish, so I could ask her perspective on what to see as a tourist since she's been here as both a tourist and a resident, if you think it would be helpful.

[DeeBye]

Angel' date='Jan 5 2009, 05:04 PM' post='159298']
We thought about Canada, but it just seems like a bland version of the US (no offence intended, this view of is purely prejudicial.)

But we have nicer scenery! And we smell better than the US :wub:

[Roland]

For America in Summer: Idaho and Montana for a purely American non urban experience. Both the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho and the Missouri Breaks of Montana are spectacularly American. I also recommend, for that trip if you take it, to read up on Lewis and Clark, the explorers who were some of the first European American sorts to show up out there, and who did it on behalf of President Jefferson. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an amazing undertaking. (Stephen AMbrose wrote a great book about it, Undaunted Courage.)

More urbanly, try San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle. If you do Seattle, Vancouver BC is Canada just over the border. I recommend against the North East due to personal prejudice, but Boston can be a great time. It surely can.

I'd love to see you, but Corpus Christi, Texas in the summer is so hot, my dear Swedish friend would melt. If you want to experience heat and humitidy like nobody in Sweden has, come down. I shall be your host. But I doubt you'll want to do that.

For the South Americas, I'd recommend Chile over Argentina. But again, I may be biased due to a couple of friends who are from there.

Other Summer destinations might include Lake Tahoe, California. Gorgeous country and gambling if you like it. Hiking if you like it. A lake if you like it. Sacramento airport a good way in, or San Francisco.

Bring money, nowhere is cheap anymore.

IMO, avoid Florida like the plague.

Also beautiful, albeit warm, is the Shanendoah Valley of Virginia and the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Drop Dead Beautiful.

Occhi

You damn well better like Boston, you old Rogue, or I'll start quipping on Texas.;)

If you ever find your way up here to the Northeast, the first pint's on me.

And, truly, if you're looking for real American places, D.C. is probably as far northeast as I'd go as a tourist. New England is sort of its own place, somewhat close-knit (which means not big on the tourist attractions, except for those who like NE country bumpkin sorts of things), and filled with rural, mountainous scenery... but not much else to draw you here. It's very quaint, very cozy, but not a whole lot of flash.

I would strongly urge putting D.C. as a high priority, though. You can, with some solid planning, pack almost the entire city into a long weekend. So many things to see there, lots of museums and whatnot, full of history and culture (not just of America - the Holocaust Museum, while perhaps a bit morbid for some, is definitely something worth seeing in your life time. That's to say nothing of the various monuments, the aviation museum, etc. Truly many sights to be seen.

I can't say anything about out west - never been past Ohio, and even then, never seen much. I'll leave that advice to those more versed in such places. One little traveling tip, though - when planning out your stays, sometimes you can save a bit of dough going just a ways out of the big cities. At least, that works up here in the northeast. What may cost an arm and a leg in the cities costs barely more than a smile and a handshake out just a little ways into the suburbs. Food for though, and it may vary by geography.

Have fun on your trip, and be sure to keep us updated!

[kandrathe]

Angel' date='Jan 5 2009, 06:04 PM' post='159298']
Hi all

A friend of mine and I decided to plan a trip somewhere in the Americas this summer. It'll be a limited stay of 2 weeks, so we really need to plan this well in order to get the most out of it. Also, we recognise our limitations as Scandinavians. Although we know of certain popular places to visit, we hardly possess the vast knowledge of your lands as Americans do, hence the thread.

Do you have any suggestions? We thought about New York, but assumed it'd be too hot during the summer. I don't know why we believe Miami will be any cooler, but that is the destination to beat for the moment. We thought about spending a week there and maybe get on a plane to one of the carribean islands to experience something a bit different.

We have not decided on anything yet, and we're still considering our options. We also talked about touring the west coast and seeing San Fransisco, Vegas, the Grand Canyon and San Diego. My friend also mentioned in passing that she'd like to visit a texan ranch and do like a packaged tour of ranchy stuff.

We also talked about Machu Pichu in Peru, but decided that we'd rather save the backpacker-thing for another time. This holiday is for relaxing, partying and a wee bit of shopping. Oooh! And also, we want to do stuff and see places.

Do you know of any places we could visit, any places you think of as ideal places to visit in the Americas? We thought about Canada, but it just seems like a bland version of the US (no offence intended, this view of is purely prejudicial.)

Also, are there any places that are particularly cheap? If we do stay a week in Miami, I expect we'll spend a good deal of money there. It would be nice to counter that with a more affordable place... not cheap as in tacky, but cheap as in "more for the dollar" (or pesos, or whatever the local currency is). I heard beer in Argentina is cheaper than water. Can anyone confirm that?

Much obliged, gents and pretty ladies!:)

You can't go wrong with California. San Francisco area is great, especially north of it in the redwood forests. Actually, Santa Barbara(north of LA) or Orange County (South of LA, like Corona Del Mar) are nice places near enough to LA to fit in many options. Inland from Santa Barbara you have vineyard country, and on the coast you have white sand beaches, and moderate temps year around. I have relatives in San Diego, which has its plenty to see and do on the coast or in town or you can head south to Rosarito, Baja for lunch, drive up to Mammoth to go skiing or drive into the desert to Borrego Springs (more of a winter activity though).

The old west was actually idealized from cattle drives from Texas up through Kansas, and from Wyoming, and Montana. Everyone needed to drive their cattle to a cow town on the limited number of towns on the early railroads. That said, the Denver area is very "cowboy" and might be a great option, but for me its better in March or April when you can still get some skiing done in the morning before the snow melts by noon. Then, go for an afternoon horse back ride, then warm up by a open fire watching the sunset. When you come from Norway, the Rockies are the closest thing we've got to the vistas and beauty there. I've been to Steamboat Springs, and Aspen. I prefer Steamboat, since it is less expensive and you have the natural hot springs to bathe in too. If you wanted to drive a bit north from Denver, Cheyenne Wyoming is just 200 Km north of Denver (flying is pretty cheap too ~$220 RT). Cheyenne Frontier days is the last week in July and has the largest outdoor rodeo in the world.

The (l)east coast (yes, I'm with Occhi on that one) has the whole colonial thing going, and unfortunately most of the high art. Although, slowly, begrudgingly other areas of the USA are becoming known for arts and culture as well. I've spent time in NY(Manhattan) and DC area (Georgetown) and either would offer you much more than you could see in two weeks. I would avoid Miami anytime of year, but Florida can be pleasant in the winter months. I stay more in the Sarasota, Tampa area.

Well, that's just off the top of my head. Hope some of that might sound interesting.

[Xukuth]

Washington DC is a great city to visit (the touristy areas, anyway). It's hellish during the summer, though. 90+ degrees and 90%+ humidity at some times.

[Phyloxerra]

I have had the luck to live in the East and in the West and loved both for their own attributes. NYC is a wonder in itself let alone all of the various things to do inside the 5 boroughs. I also had the chance to live in the very same Steamboat Springs that Kandrathe recomends and I would do the same.
I would also have to echo the fact that the East is a collection of 4-6 hour drives as opposed to the West. The drives out West, if infact you do intend to drive, are in the long-ish to massive size and scale.
Whatever area you choose to visit, I'm sure you will find more than enough to make you want to come back and experience it again.
Good luck in your search.

[Sir_Die_alot]

I live in the bay area so I can say San Francisco isn't a bad idea. North and south you have nice beaches, east you have good hiking (which you seemed interested in). It also has a pretty mild temerature compared to the rest of the state. Do plan on getting a hotel outside of the city, there is no point in paying that much instead of making a short drive. The roads are pretty well set up to get you in there as long as you don't try it during rush hour. If you get really fed up with the city thing there are also a number of campgrounds within a day's drive. Avoid Yosemite though, the last time I went there it was a busy mess and felt more crowded than the city. :lol:

[eppie]

Angel' date='Jan 5 2009, 11:04 PM' post='159298']
Hi all


Much obliged, gents and pretty ladies!:)

Your norwegian right? Or am i missing something (swede living in norway?).

I travelled to the US many times and give you some good tips later. However....two weeks for a trip to the 'americas' is unrealistic. Juts choose one destination and rent a car. Flights tire you out and there is so much to see that two weeks on one place (say the southwest) is anyway by far not enough.

[Mirajj]

Angel' date='Jan 5 2009, 03:04 PM' post='159298']
We thought about Canada, but it just seems like a bland version of the US (no offence intended, this view of is purely prejudicial.)

Please don't insult Canada like this again.;)Canada in any season is a great place to visit, though to really get the most out of your visit, come here during the winter.

[Concillian]

My experiences are with the West. I've not been to the east coast, but I've done a LOT in the western half.

Having grown up in San Diego and now living in the San Francisco area (but almost an hour from the actual city), I'd say there is more interesting stuff in the immediate SF area.

San Diego has some really nice beaches, and Mission Beach in particular is really easy to access and has some cheap touristy things around, but the whole west coast has cold-ish water compared with the east coast (West current flows down from Alaska, east current flows up from Gulf of Mexico.... New York beaches often have warmer water than San Diego beaches.) Once you're done with beaches, all that's left in San Diego is one (rather drab) bridge, and Sea World / San Diego Zoo / Wild Animal park. The Wild Animal park is very cool, but I'm not sure I'd plan that into a trip from Europe to something in the US. There's bay watersports and ocean watersports. I just never liked doing that kind of thing in salt water. I much prefer water sports in a lake. It's warmer than the Pacific Ocean, and when you biff it and take a mouth / nose full of water it's a lot easier on you when that water isn't full of salt.

There are very nice coastal areas south and north of LA (stay away from anything too close to LA) The southern Orange County area is very nice, with some relatively easy access to hiking, though IMO the southern CA hiking is much less interesting than the northern CA hiking. Redwoods are a lot cooler than the southern CA flora (which has some of the same staple trees, minus redwoods and plus more of the 'scrubby / shrubby' plants like sage and manzanita.) Santa Barbara is similar, but north of LA instead of south. The town is a little more interesting IMO than most of the Orange County coastal towns.

San Francisco area has no comparable beaches to the southern CA beaches of San Diego / Santa Barbara. The wind and the water that is that much colder totally kill the beach experience for me in the bay area, but maybe I'm just spoiled by the southern CA beaches. However, it does have the tourist landmarks like the bridges, and redwood areas and wineries are a short drive away. I might suggest staying somewhere else, like Oakland, Berkeley, or Emeryville and using public transit or car to access the city itself and rental cars for the outlying area. You'll save a ton this way. Hotels inside SF are at least double what something just a few miles away will cost you, and there's enough not in the city, that you probably want a car anyway, saving on a hotel makes the cost of a rental car easier to swallow.

Lake Tahoe is a pretty nice destination in the summer. As was mentioned, you have the gambling aspect on the Nevada side of the border if that's your thing, you have lake watersports available, mountain scenery, and reasonably cheap hotels available. You are a ways away from anything urban or any hallmark landmarks, but it's a nice place. Hiking & nice mountain wilderness is very close by.

Vancouver (Canada) is very nice and I like the diversity of things to do in a very small area, with urban environment very close to the Capilano bridge area and the Tram up to the top of the mountain for leisurely wilderness exploration (like hiking without so much work, there is hiking up there too, but there's a lot to see if you don't hike). Ocean vistas and such as well. Overall the most "compact" between ocean / urban / nice mountain areas of the cities I've seen on the west coast. Then you can hit Victoria for a couple nights, it's an easy Ferry ride away. Do not discount Vancouver as "like the US but watered down" I really enjoyed my time in Vancouver. Victoria is definitely a unique experience as well, and the Ferry rides between destinations are kinda fun if you don't usually experience that kind of thing.

I wasn't particularly thrilled with Seattle, it was nice. Space Needle wasn't my thing. Urban environment wasn't enough different from others for me to really care much and the fish market was barely different from any other quaint set of shops I'd visited (just the fish tossing really, which, I don't know, just watch it on Youtube). IMO this is a better destination if you're hiking. The climate is quite nice in the Summer and there is a LOT of Washington wilderness available for hiking. It's a little different from California hiking, but not too much. Perhaps something in Seattle with a ferry ride across the sound to some wilderness areas would be good. Maybe I haven't pushed my brother enough to show me the areas over there (he lives like an hour north of Seattle, along the coast).

If you plan early enough, you can do something relaxing and very Cheap (relatively) on the Colorado River. Something like renting a houseboat for a couple nights and just piddling around onone of the huge lakes (Havasu, Powell, Mead) or coupling that with a dam tour on your way in or out. These are the kind of vacations we did when I was growing up, and it's pretty nice. Warm (but dry) and any time you get too hot, you can just jump in the lake. You can rent jet-skis or a motorboat for water skiing / inner tube riding / wakeboard fun. It's kind of a go at your own pace kind of thing. Most of those watersports are available at Lake Tahoe too, but this environment is different (much warmer, less hiking... unless you like hiking in the desert in the summer, but the grad canyon is a day trip away and the mixture of dry hot days and watersports works very, very well.) It's close enough that you could couple this with a stint in Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, or a ranch / cowboy type thing. It might be nice contrast to do Ranch / Lake / Las Vegas split among 2 weeks.

[Maitre]

Washington DC is a great city to visit (the touristy areas, anyway). It's hellish during the summer, though. 90+ degrees and 90%+ humidity at some times.

No disagreement with the assessment of temp and relative humidity for summer in DC, but worst of the heat/humidity strikes in July to August. June is not too bad and mid september is usually about the best time of year (the humidity slacks off a bit but the daily high temps are still 60-75 F). The last thing about washington is that there are so many places in the city to get free air conditioning. The majority of sights/museums in the city are free to all. I don't remember whether the holocaust museum is free as well, but all of the main smithsonian museums (american history, natural history, air and space, museum of the american indian, etc) are free. If you like art galleries, the national portrait gallery is free (I think) and there's another art museum that is part of the smithsonian. The spy museum is expensive, but it's supposed to be good. If you're into aquariums though, skip the one in DC, see the "National Aquarium" in Baltimore instead. Or the the national zoo in DC is free, if you're into that. The wait for the rotunda of the national archives building is generally pretty long, and may not be as significant for someone who's not a citizen, but you can peruse the US constitution and declaration of independence.

Another good point about DC: 2.5-3.5 hr train ride to NYC depending on which train you want and when it leaves (check Amtrak.com and search trains between Washington's Union Station (WAS) and New York's Penn Station (NYP) for rates and times). You get to see the grittier sides of Baltimore, Wilmington (Deleware), Philadelphia, and Newark (New Jersey) along the way as well.

Do not, however, plan to train journey from DC south to Miami. It's an overnight trip, quite expensive, and not as many departures. If you want to visit the night life of South Beach, fly there.

[VinnieJones]

Please don't insult Canada like this again.;)Canada in any season is a great place to visit, though to really get the most out of your visit, come here during the winter.

Heh, yeah I wouldn't say we are bland at any point. I've been to every province in the country with the exception of one or two of the maritime provinces - I honstly forget which - and the country is just so vast that there is always something new and exciting to see. Even those puny hills they call mountains out in Quebec.

In any event though, I can see the attraction of just visiting the States. Two weeks really is only enough time to familiarize yourself with one city, never mind one state, or a whole country. I think there was some pretty good advice given earlier; Just pick the city that interests you the most, and see what there is within driving distance of that. Then you can get yourself out and about in the city, and also go to any nearby cities/points of interest and jet out to those as well. Best of luck planning things!

[shoju]

I would avoid Miami in the summer like the plague. It's going to be full of college people getting drunk and being stupid. New York is definitely a great place to go, and it isn't "terribly" hot. I live in Ohio, Home of the humidity. It gets so bad here in the summer that it feels like you are drinking the air instead of breathing it.

My list of places would be :

1.) New York / Boston They are close enough together that there are train services to and from both.
2.) Chicago. This is my favorite city in the US. I went as a teenager, and wish that I could get back there.
3.) Vegas. I have never been to Vegas, but I love Poker, I love music, and there is supposedly plenty of both during the summer.
4.) San Fran. This place seems to have everything. It's a sprawling city, yet an hour or so drive will get you to the great outdoors.
5.) Seattle. Be prepared for wet weather a couple of days if you go, but it's another great place, and Canada is not that far away.

[kandrathe]

Please don't insult Canada like this again.;)Canada in any season is a great place to visit, though to really get the most out of your visit, come here during the winter.

Yes, winter in Canada is fun(esp. Dawson), but it couldn't be worse than Longyearbyen. There are some unique parts of Canada, like Montreal. Someday I'd like to do the VIA rail tour from Toronto to Vancouver, and stay in the old CP Rail hotels. Banff/Lake Louise, and the Calgary Stampede and on my to do list as well. Canada makes the best hockey players and beer, though.

[Kevin]

I would avoid Miami in the summer like the plague. It's going to be full of college people getting drunk and My list of places would be :
2.) Chicago. This is my favorite city in the US. I went as a teenager, and wish that I could get back there.

Heh you seem to be the first person to really bring up the "midwest". It's different from either coast as well. Chicago does have some nice touristy things. It's about 4-6 hour drive (depending on where to where) to St. Louis which has a few points of interest as well. Chicago is also about 1-2 hours from Milwaukee. 2.5 to 3.5 hours from Indianapolis, 4.5 to 5.5 hours from Detroit and about 8 hours from Nashville, TN.

I'm not saying you'll get a ton of stuff from those other destinations but they all have tourist industries of some sort and some truly 'American' things to see as well.

It's not as compact as the East Coast or as spread out as the West, but you do have some options for some unique experiences. You'd be 3-4 hours from Baraboo, WI (from Chicago) which has the Circus World Museum which has some of the original stuff that PT Barnum used. It's very close to Wisconsin Dells, which lays claim to the worlds larges water park. There is an Indian Casino for light gambling, the international crane foundation preserve and a few other unique things. You might even get a kick out of The Swiss Historical Village Museum in New Glarus WI (which is about 3 hours from WI). You'd be close to Spring Green, WI (again about 3 hours) which is home to several creations by Frank Lloyd Wright, including The House on the Rock and his Taliesin. There are also several major caves and such that can be toured in this area.

You'd be close to several other smaller pieces of American like Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace, etc.

This would definitely be a different type of trip if you did something like this, but you could see sights in Chicago, a couple of the smaller town attractions in WI, IL, IN, etc, and still be able to hit St. Louis, or Nashville or something else bigger like that. Just depends on what you want to do, but yeah I'm glad someone brought up Chicago as a destination as it sparked memories of some of this smaller stuff that is around Chicago and I think that is some of what [wcip]Angel was looking for. :)

[Nystul]

I would avoid Miami in the summer like the plague. It's going to be full of college people getting drunk and being stupid. New York is definitely a great place to go, and it isn't "terribly" hot. I live in Ohio, Home of the humidity. It gets so bad here in the summer that it feels like you are drinking the air instead of breathing it.

Come on now, Ohio is about as pleasant in the summer as any place east of the Mississippi.. certainly a lot more bearable than Texas or the southeast. Of course, we have very little to offer to a foreign visitor, aside from the thrill rides at Cedar Point which are second to none.

Chicago would be pretty cool. I have to think, though, that most tourists in the Midwest are probably from the Midwest themselves. :D

[Kevin]

Chicago would be pretty cool. I have to think, though, that most tourists in the Midwest are probably from the Midwest themselves. :D

They are actually, at least for some things. Circus World that I mentioned is something like 65% of the visitors are from what is considered the midwest, but that doesn't mean there isn't cool stuff to see, it's just different from what many think of as tourist stuff. :)