Planning a trip to the US this year

[Fabricated]

Every state in America is basically like its own country. Most Americans don't know what America is like. Entirely different attitudes, weather, scenery, food, demographics, etc. everywhere you go.

[Lantyssa]

I get that in Houston alone, much less Texas.  There are some gems though.

[Merusk]

I not only want to see the sights I want to get feeling for the country (or at least different regions) so any recommendations for that?

Despite the Europeans and both 'coasters exposing their biases, none of their preferences will get you a feel for the country as it is.  You will have to visit the Midwest/ South for that.  Both coasts and their large cities are a way of getting a feeling for how the quasi-integrated, multi-cultural portions of the US feel.  That's not the US.   It's like visiting Chinatown and saying "Oh hey, this is what China is like."  The places you see people on this board bitching about?  That's the US.  Sorry.

Pare-down Grimwell's Itinerary and that'd do it.   

Or just be the European equivalent of an American in Europe hitting London, Paris and Rome then saying they "saw Europe" and only hit NY, LA and Vegas.

[Daeven]

Well, after reading the nonsensical bias, I'll speak up for the 'middle'.

Give Denver a try. The public transport (light rail, bus, taxi or bike share) will get you to all of the major city attractions in the Denver / Boulder corridor, and it can take you to places you might not think of (Cheyenne, Pueblo).

http://www.denver.org/

Having no drivers license makes it a little bit more difficult to get out to the outdoors - especially if you want to head further south-west and hit Anazasi ruins or to Rocky Mountain Nation Park, but you can arrange tours with any of the major Hotels and Charter agencies.

Everyone goes to NY or San Fran. Try going somewhere different. You could even say you didn't get eaten by the crazed, cannibalistic, rabid 'red staters' so disdained by the rest of this thread.

:P

[Sheepherder]

Most of the U.S. is sleepy little mining / mill / cattle towns.  Stick to the coasts, maybe a little of the north and south if you want to see some of the Great Plains and the mountains.  The Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, and Indian War left a bunch of battlegrounds and historical sites, some of which are worth seeing if you have an interest in history.

About the most interesting thing culturally I've seen in the U.S. was a gas station that sold handguns.

[Yegolev]

The no-driving thing means he will be stuck in a big city, and not Atlanta.  We don't have mass transit that is helpful.  Also, it is about that time of year when the weather turns from chilly to hot-as-fuck.  I'm voting for New England of some sort, or possibly Chicago.  They have that giant reflective kidney.

[Viin]

I'd vote for Denver too, but I'm biased and it's in the middle of no where. You'd have to take a flight to get to another major population center.

But if you like the outdoors, can't beat getting up to Telluride or Durango or Aspen or whatever for hiking/biking/hotspring dipping.

[Salamok]

Does jet blue still have the monthly pass?

[Hoax]

I posted earlier that if he really cares more about seeing "real merica" then he needs to wait until he has a car.  Otherwise suggestions that are limited to coastal big cities are just the way it has to be.

If that is just the type of silly romantic bullshit that Falconeer was indulging in not too long ago then he can go to the big cities and visit a suburb somehow and go to a few shopping centers and a wall mart and see what real regular shitty America is like.  Doing it without a car will also make him appreciate just how little America cares about people without cars.

Yeg, thanks for adding the info about Atlanta, that was just a guess that it might work somehow.  I'd still say heading South to North and ending in NYC is the way to go given the constraints, I would just do what the mass transit options let you do.

From looking at Amtrak you have options, you could really wing it and try to stay in some random ass small town in somewhere like Kentucky or West Virginia, honestly though I don't think that will be as cool or fun as you imagine it.  A road trip with a group is always nice by yourself in foreign towns that aren't designed with your type of tourist in mind?  Not that great.

Anyways here are my top 3 Amtrak routes that would at least take you to NYC but would really give you some very random travel options for small towns and not that friendly to no car having tourist cities but if you want to put a premium of authenticity...

South to NYC
I like this one because you could start in Charlotte or Atlanta (despite what Yeg says) since they have airports and from there you could hop off in the town that most strikes your fancy in South Carolina or Virginia on the way to Washington DC, stay a day or three, live in a motel and wander around places that aren't built for people to wander on foot.  Could be fun, will probably be frustrating, would for sure take you to states and towns that no European has ever thought of visiting.

Cardinal
Start in Chicago, which is a cool city and has some mass transit.  Travel through Indiana and stop if you must before you reach Indy which I've never been to so no idea what its like.  The Ohio/Kentucky borderland will have "real" Americans by the truckload, Cincy is not a nice city for the most part and quite depressed economically and scary deserted downtown so very authentic but I wouldn't recommend it.  The gem of this line would be stopping somewhere in West Virginia which is like the most strange and lost to time state in the union according to my sources.  Then finally DC - Baltimore - NYC to finish up and return you to civilization.

Silver Service
This is a longer version of the first one, so the south again.  Adds Florida and South Carolina to the mix though I can't recommend either state unless you see some strange attraction at one of the stops that you think sounds cool.

[Sheepherder]

If you're hitting Florida you should probably do some SCUBA diving.  Glass bottomed boats are for pussies.

[ShenMolo]

Criteria listed so far:

21 days(19 travel, 2 recovery)
Likes Cities
Like Cultural Attractions
Wants Slice of Life / Americana
No Driver's License
Been to SanFran / NYC already

Alrighty!

I suggest you pick 4-5 places and stay at each for 3+ days to get a chance to soak up the scenery and take it slow, with some interesting side trips along the way.

Days 1-3: Miami Baby!
Yes sir. Warm those cold northern bones on the sand in Miami for the first few days. Go to a spa and de-stress to get in the mood for a relaxing vacation exploring the US. Stay in the South Beach area and be near the beach, shopping, nightlife, delicious food from all over the Caribbean and South America. Miami is a party town and the mix of cultures is definitely an attraction. Hot babes (or dudes) are swarming the place, whether you like to look or touch. Lots to see and do in a small area, decent public transport.
Side trips: deep sea fishing, The Bahamas, casinos, Key West

Days 4-6 : New Orleans
You've seen it on tv, now go and see for yourself. The downtown/historic areas have recovered nicely, and there's still enough wreckage and destruction to get a feeling for what happened. New Orleans is definitely a unique experience. Go see some live Jazz, eat some delicious local delicacies.
Side trips: Stay in NO

Days 7-9: Nashville
You want Americana? Well come get it. Discover the America that exists everywhere out side of the coastal metropolises. Good down town area, nightlife, music, and regional food.
Side Trips: Jack Daniels distillery! I've had several European travelers mention that they loved this place. Grand Ole Opry

Days 10-12 Chicago
Great downtown area. Easy transport. Lots of local flavor.

Days 13-15 Washington DC
Do they let foreigners tour the white house? Maybe you'll see Obama. Museums, historical and cultural exhibits like an all you can eat buffet.

Days 16-18 NYC
You can never get enough NYC. Plus, cheap easy flights back to Germany.

[Cyrrex]

A lot of you seem to be ignoring his budget constraints (and his desire for a big city vacation) with your suggestions.  In order to have any sort of FUN with $3000 over a two or three week period, he is going to have to basically operate out of a single major city that has insanely good connections with a few other big city type places.  Unless he plans to sleep under an overpass and eat ramen straight out of the package.

Pick a major coastal city with great connections and/or with tons of stuff to see in that location.  Forget trying to "learn the real America"...regardless of which approach you take or whose suggestions you follow, you are only going to get a sampling.  Might as well make it a fun sampling.  If you could somehow squeeze it into your budget, take a week or so on each coast so that you can see how dramatically different they are.  You'll experience all you need to of the midwest during the five hour flight over that barren wasteland 

So while there are a lot of ideas here, I think your budget constraints and lack of car trim the good options down immensely.  You could do the New York/Boston thing.  You could do the San Fran thing.  Even the Seattle/Vancouver thing.  Or a combination of two of those choices if you have another $400 for the extra flight involved.  That would be a kick-ass vacation.

[Nebu]

Couldn't many of the issues be solved by simply getting a driver's license before coming over?

This country is quite different with a car, particularly if you have an adventurous spirit.  Also, if you rent a large enough car, it can double as your hotel!

[Cyrrex]

Can't remember where he's coming from (Germany?), but in many European countries getting your DL is not nearly the simple matter it is in the US.  It may even cost a large chunk of that travel budget.

[Nebu]

Can't remember where he's coming from (Germany?), but in many European countries getting your DL is not nearly the simple matter it is in the US.  It may even cost a large chunk of that travel budget.

I know that you're correct.  It was just an option depending on location. 

There's so much to see that isn't in a city.  It would be a shame if that's all he saw.

[Cyrrex]

I tend to agree, and your point still stands - if it is easy enough to do, I'd also recommend trying to get a DL first.

[01101010]

If he was doing a study on American culture   then ya, you'd need to pencil in the midwest and the abyss between east coast and midwest as well as the south. We are talking vacation to see the highlights with certain constraints.

And hitting up the heartland in this "cultural climate," while interesting, would lead one not of American ilk to possibly never return.

[Yegolev]

I am pretty sure you could get from the ATL airport to an AmTrak station fairly easily, but I'm not 100% on that.  The Atlanta trains are great as long as you are only interested in going to the particular places the lines go, but one of those places is the airport.  Interestingly, you can ride a train from your terminal to baggage claim as well.

[Daeven]

If he was doing a study on American culture   then ya, you'd need to pencil in the midwest and the abyss between east coast and midwest as well as the south. We are talking vacation to see the highlights with certain constraints.

And hitting up the heartland in this "cultural climate," while interesting, would lead one not of American ilk to possibly never return.

You people are unbelievable.

Jeff, enjoy your trip. May it be fun and bigot free, wherever you land.

[Signe]

If he was doing a study on American culture   then ya, you'd need to pencil in the midwest and the abyss between east coast and midwest as well as the south. We are talking vacation to see the highlights with certain constraints.

And hitting up the heartland in this "cultural climate," while interesting, would lead one not of American ilk to possibly never return.

You people are unbelievable.

Jeff, enjoy your trip. May it be fun and bigot free, wherever you land.

Why is this bigoted?  Hopping around the mid-west when I only have a three week vacation doesn't sound like the most fun thing to do to me, either.  Not that there aren't interesting things to see but, for the most part, the mid-west is big and generally boring.  Especially if you're young and looking for cities with a hopping night life.  Remember, he said he wasn't too interested in nature and I have a feeling that agriculture is even further down on his list.  I wouldn't suggest my area of PA either, unless he likes staring at hunky young guys who plow fields without any machines.  (sometimes with no shirts on!)   

[Segoris]

Why is this bigoted?  Hopping around the mid-west when I only have a three week vacation doesn't sound like the most fun thing to do to me, either.

This. If someone was gonig to take a vacation and include the midwest, without a car, they're pretty much limited to Chicago (worth a trip on its own, really) or Minneapolis. While Chicago is awesome, especially if he does make his trip in early July with the fests that go on, and Minneapolis isn't bad, I wouldn't want to stop in the midwest with the limit of three weeks. I'll show him a picture of the farms around here and he can say he experienced it the land inbetween the major cities in the midwest. I'll even send him some damn corn and wheat.
Also, considering he said himself that he isn’t much of a nature person, the Midwest would be less then ideal for his trip with his time constraint and the distance between cities here.

[Jeff Kelly]

Hey, hey easy folks! I didn't want my questions to start an international incident ;)

I thank you all for your help so far I now have a fairly good idea what I'm getting into and a lot of really good location recommendations from all of you. I don't want to cause any bad blood between you guys.

Thanks a lot you have all been really helpful so far don't let this get personal, it's just a vacation.

I'll probably be spending the next days to look at your reccomendations and how I can work out route.

[Fabricated]

It's almost an American pasttime to bash eachother's region of the country, seriously. I guarantee you it's all in good fun. Have fun with whatever you decide to do.

[01101010]

It's almost a an American pasttime to bash each other's region of the country, seriously. I guarantee you it's all in good fun. Have fun with whatever you decide to do.

Improved referencing for F13. 

[Signe]

No.  No more wars with Germany!  It always ends in tears.

[naum]

A couple of exceptions to the "western U.S. touring futile without automobile"…

√ …Las Vegas. Shuttle and cab and foot (and there is a bus system, though it's not that great) is all you need…

√ …Seattle. I managed fine living without a car. Shuttle to downtown spot from airport and everything imaginable is available, including cruises to Victoria Island and other magnificent spots.

√ …San Francisco. Unlike other western metro areas, actually has good public transportation (BART).

But yeah, for scenic touring, in U.S. west, car is necessary.

In my state, would forego Grand Canyon for awe-spectacular 89A route from Prescott to Flagstaff, that winds through Oak Creek Canyon.

[Daeven]

Why is this bigoted?  Hopping around the mid-west when I only have a three week vacation doesn't sound like the most fun thing to do to me, either.  Not that there aren't interesting things to see but, for the most part, the mid-west is big and generally boring.  Especially if you're young and looking for cities with a hopping night life.  Remember, he said he wasn't too interested in nature and I have a feeling that agriculture is even further down on his list.  I wouldn't suggest my area of PA either, unless he likes staring at hunky young guys who plow fields without any machines.  (sometimes with no shirts on!)   

Signe, seriously. Reread the thread. The tone is well beyond 'regional bashing'. I found myself wondering with growing disbelief; 'so when did flyover become the new "nigger" '?

Anyway. I've all ready derailed the 'lets find someplace to send the nice European' far to much. I really hope some of the posters to this thread take a moment to really consider what they posted here though. It really is rather appalling.

But hey. Its the internets. No harm right?

pax

[taolurker]

I'm an East Coaster, and although I'd say it would be easier to be someplace on this coast because of mass transit, I'm going to give a totally different opinion.

DON'T VISIT THE US. Seriously.

Not having a car you are just going to be wasting money on transportation everywhere and will probably spend more time traveling than seeing cool stuff. You'll be disappointed, will probably get robbed in the major cities if you look like a confused tourist (with a German accent), and probably could find better uses for the money.

Why you would want to visit here is my question?

If you absolutely must visit the US, then I'd recommend Washington DC and Philadelphia, with a train in between, because you'll get a "history" and cool buildings tour, plus both of those cities have some really good museums. New York City is you definitely getting robbed, and a tourist trap you are better off without (and I live 30 minutes from there), so you are better off not going there.

[NowhereMan]

MY aunt toured round the US last year using Amtrak visiting various siblings (and a couple of cousins) dotted around the US. Generally lacked a car save for getting rides from said relatives and had a great time. She thought the trains were pretty great for getting around.

[Teleku]

stuff

Why wouldn't he want to come to the US?  Many of the cities are amazing, and people love to visit.  Friends from Paris, Tokyo, Norway, etc have all come to visit the US, and thought New York, San Fransisco, DC, etc were all absolutely amazing (there words).  Same reason we go visit Europe and Asia, its different, and different cultures are fun.

Also, your more likely to get robbed/pick pocketed in Europe, so he should have enough street smarts to do fine here.  I've never had any problem in the US with anything like that, and as long as he doesn't go walking into ghetto's (which is the same rule anywhere in the world) he'll be fine.  On the transportation thing, uh, without a car you "waste money on transportation" everwhere in Europe as well.  I'm sure he's budgeted that in.  Subways here aren't any more expensive than trains in Europe.

In short, I don't understand your rant  

[brellium]

stuff

Why wouldn't he want to come to the US?  Many of the cities are amazing, and people love to visit.  Friends of Paris, Tokyo, Norway, etc have all come to visit the US, and thought New York, San Fransisco, DC, etc were all absolutely amazing (there words).  Same reason we go visit Europe and Asia, its different, and different cultures are fun.

Also, your more likely to get robbed/pick pocketed in Europe, so he should have enough street smarts to do fine here.  I've never had any problem in the US with anything like that, and as long as he doesn't go walking into ghetto's (which is the same rule anywhere in the world) he'll be fine.  On the transportation thing, uh, without a car you "waste money on transportation" ever where in Europe as well.  I'm sure he's budgeted that in.  Subways here aren't any more expensive than trains in Europe.

In short, I don't understand your rant  

The rule for traveling anywhere as a tourist is if people are looking at you funny you've probably have left the touristy areas and should look at getting back to your hotel.

[Yegolev]

I suppose if I am to be positive about Atlanta: we have the Chicken & Waffles.

[taolurker]

Ok because this is possibly something to consider, at his current estimated amount to spend, he's probably going to spend quite a lot of money just getting airfare to the US let alone traveling while here. He also wasn't all too specific about what he wanted and the not driving thing then becomes huge.

Spending money for transportation is going to be alot because from each destination he's going to also need to get to a hotel (hint: pick one that has it's own bus to pick you up at airport, where hopefully they have their own tour buses etc.) Anything other than that, like cabs, trying to get to trains and or planes, and whatnot is getting way out of his price range. Going from Germany to the US also might require more just for him to leave than just costs over here. Passport whatnot, and obviously if he doesn't drive, costs to his airport to actually leave.

I also really want to know what he wants, because that is the biggest factor. Another thing to consider is really how well in advance he's planned all this, because it gets more expensive the longer he waits. My advice not to come is because he'll probably either not enjoy it, feel rushed, or find it's expensive as hell and not improve the view of America he has.

I don't see how anything I said was not on point, or valid, plus I also meant "robbed" as in touristy prices everyplace (not just masked muggers). I live close enough to NY to go there a lot and his going there just sees his money better spent Anywhere because of how expensive it is.

[Slayerik]

Fly into Norvolk, VA

Check out Virginia Beach and Naval stuff


Hop on Amtrak/plane to Richmond. Check out some civil war shit maybe. Or bypass this completely for:

Head to Washington DC - obvious stuff to see

Head to Philly or baltimore

Head to Atlantic City





This could be worst plan ever as I have only visited some of the places, but seems like a pretty good spread to me. You are getting both a North and South feel, getting some decent beach time as well as historic places like Richmond and Philly. If you have any money left by Atlantic City you can gamble it all away and fly home.

I imagine travel costs are going to fuckin' kill ya. You need to find a friend here in the states to hang out for a day and maybe drive ya one leg of the trip.

[Viin]

I hear Canada is nice that time of year, and it's practically in the US.