you have to rent a bike-cars aren't allowed. while you're up there, cross Big Mac, and go to the tip of the rabbit ear. there's an abandoned Navy space port. then take the ferry over to Isle Royale and you can play with the wolves. there's moose too, but you can't hand feed them.
Washington D.C., New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Disneyland, Grand Canyon, Sequoia National Park (redwoods), much more...
It is. If it erupts most of the western US would be wiped out and the ash cloud could cause a global cooling.
That picture of the river flowing is gorgeous! OMG! It looks so perfect! Glad to know there is no danger of being caught in a river of lava. I was kinda thinking along the lines of Dante's Peak, you know? Bit worried ever since I saw that movie, even though it is one of my favorites.
It has BEARS???? I hope you mean cartoon bears, like Yogi, lol. Can't believe I want to visit your country. I still think you have crappy healthcare and that you execute people which is just totally wrong, plus there are some whackjobs over there, but from the pics you lot have shown me, man, there are some bloody awesome looking places over there! Are you allowed to fish in the river, or swim in it? Park sounds massive, 55 miles it says. That's about to my grandma's place, an hour away!
Real bears in Yellowstone...and bison...and wolves...and many others. Trout fishing is big there too. But come during our summer...it gets very cold during the winter. You can go so high in the mountains...no trees grow.
Yellowstone has a wide variety of wildlife which are protected under federal law. Park rangers provide guided tours of various aspects of the park. America isn't perfect, but then no country is. But we do have the finest national park system in the world with parks that encompass every environment from the Carribean to the Arctic.
The geography of North America and it's natural beauty knows nothing of politics. Come to America, meet our people, see the magnificent beauty and diversity of our lands. Maybe you will come away with a different opinion of us, maybe not. Either way, you will not regret it. Even here in NE Ohio there are wonders to behold. This is the view right now from my front yard.
Mak, if you do decide to visit the area of NE Wisconsin send me a PM. You're welcome to stay in my guest room for as long as you like and I'll promise you several barbecues and boat rides on Lake Winnebago. My four English Springers would love you to death.
Just let me spend about ten years saving up. I figure though that if Grace could afford to spend 2 months over there, it can't be all that expensive - must ask how long she saved up! Hmm, barbeques...as long as its an Aussie barbie, gotta wear thongs and shorts and carry around your cans of VB, though!
Then don't visit. If it's your intent to remain one of those ignorant individuals who traffics in stereotypes and preconceived notions without bothering to go check something out firsthand, so be it. As Mark Twain said, travel is the surest antidote to prejudice. If you'd actually burst out of your little self-constructed bubble and bother to speak with real Americans -- not partisan hacks on an obscure online political forum -- your preconceived notions about this country would, of course, shatter. I'm sure many Americans would love to have you come see our country, myself included, but only if you are willing to take off the blinders you've put on yourself. Not doing so makes you just as bad as the minority of American exceptionalists who view other countries with the same amount of prejudice, ignorance, uninformedness, and preconceived notions as you seem to view the US with.
Don't come during the winter. You'll miss out on the two best cities, New York and Chicago. They are NOT fun AT ALL during the winter, especially if you're from a warm climate like Australia. You don't know what cold is until you've walked around Chicago or New York during December and January.
Chicago...best city in the country... Skyline. Looking up from Chicago River. Fireworks at Navy Pier. Classic Chicago sunset, Shedd Aquarium in the foreground. For your edification... Chicago Art Institute Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Brookfield Zoo The Magnificent Mile Joffrey Ballet, Nutcracker
Some of the places I've enjoyed: South Florida- (where I currently live) - Miami Zoo, Parrot Jungle, Miami Seaquarium, South Beach, The Florida Keys, Seminole Hard Rock Casino and at least a Weekend Cruise. Central and North Florida - Disney of course, Busch Gardens Tampa, the Tampa Aquarium, Universal Studios and just the Orlando area in General... there's SO MUCH to do there. Nevada and Colorado - Of course there's Vegas, but I'm not big into gambling I love the shows. You MUST see the Grand Canyon, and perhaps take a white water rafting tour. Massachusetts - The Boston Museum of Science has a TOWERING 3 story tall full replica of a T-Rex, I haven't been there since I was a kid, but I remember that I LOVED IT. Rhode Island has Roger Williams Park and the Historic downtown area restored to the red brick roads of yesterday, and many restored homes of the Victorian area. New York just has so much, you MUST check out a Broadway show and the Statue of Liberty, I used to like the Empire State Building , but they've turned it into a tourist trap. There's also the Museum of Science, Central Park, Madam Tousant's Wax Museum and Cony Island. Nearby in Jersey there's Six Flags and up north there's a few places where you can do white Water Rafting in the Summer and Skiing in the Winter (LOVED Lake Placid). New Orleans is great around Marti Gras and there's a few amusement parks that are fantastic in the Summer in Ohio and Tennessee. Speaking of Ohio, the old Indian Mound sites are fascinating if you're into History. They've literally found burial grounds that pre date Europeans by a thousand years with JEWISH San-script Tablets with the 10 commandments on them! San Francisco's beautiful any time of the year and both Houston and Dallas have SOOO Much to see. Chicago has a lot of FANTASTIC old speakeasy's complete with underground bars that make you feel like you're back in the Roaring 20's. If you have the time a Cruise through Alaska's Glaciers is LOADS of fun. Atlanta's a great party town and Connecticut has some of the most scenic old towns in America. Sad to say I haven't seen much else of the U.S. but eventually I'll change that.
You know nothing about America What you don't know about our Healthcare system is that it's THE BEST in the world, we have the highest treatment rates for things like Cancer and Heart Attacks of ANY health care system in the world. The Poor have Medicaid, the Elderly have Medicare and almost everyone else is covered through either their employer or a private policy. When I was 17 I was hit by a drunk Driver, and didn't have insurance. The Community Hospital I was taken to is paid for by tax assessments on our homes and they don't turn ANYONE away. Almost all areas of the U.S. have community hospitals. Once I was discharged a month later, I was told that my bill was almost $300000.00. I told them that I had just turned 18, and because of my injuries I couldn't work and there was no way I could ever pay that off. They had me fill out some paperwork and sent me on my way. They even called afterwards to setup physical therapy and rehabilitation, since I could barely walk due to spinal disc and nerve damage. Just because until the MASSIVE and WASTEFULL Obamacare we didn't have a FEDERAL Program, the States had already taken care of a lot of the shortfalls of our system. Hell even many of the people that Obama had used as examples of our shortcomings, we later found out that it was all a bunch of lies. The Woman she used as an example in Chicago was ALREADY told by the Hospital that their Foundation for Cancer would not only take care of her bill, but also pay her mortgage for a year!. These people out and out LIED to get this ting passed and all it does is raise the health care costs for everyone, so we could extend benefits to Illegal Residents. Well if you think that executing murderers like the Killer of John Walsh's son is wrong, we don't want to be right.
Lets not get into an argument about your health care system. I think it sucks but if I ever went to America, I'd make sure I was covered for every tiny little thing so if I got sick, I wouldn't have to pay a thing!
Mak, my advice to you about visiting the USA is make sure you have plenty of time. I spent just over four weeks travelling around both coasts by Amtrak and Greyhound and it wasn't enough. Allow me to bore you briefly with my experience. A little over 3 years ago when I was still 14, my uncle took me on a world trip which covered Western Europe, South East Asia, and North America. He was delivering lectures at Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, so we spent a lot of the time in the USA. He left me with families on the North East and North West coasts, and I managed (without him knowing) to travel around by myself. The best thing about the USA is not the scenery (which is pretty awesome, but no more beautiful than Europe,) and certainly not the big cities - but the people. Staying with middle class American families, and travelling around on public transport; I was able to experience all classes of Americans. They were all awesome, and it was such an interesting and rewarding experience. As far as the major population centres are concerned, it depends upon who you meet, and what your experiences are. For me, New York and Los Angeles sucked. Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, and San Francisco, were great. New Orleans was probably the most interesting city, and Oregon was probably the most attractive state, although the New England states give it a run for its money, especially in autumn. Dallas, and Texas in general - ummm ... OK I guess. Miami .... ehhh! Probably OK if you are colour blind, but definitely OAP central. Places like Las Vegas and Disneyland were just yuck! But Yellowstone Park is to die for. As is Crater Lake in Oregon. The buildings in American cities and towns are usually quite ugly, box-like things, but the people are magnificent - friendly, and generous. The black Americans I met were amongst the most helpful, and if I was lost, I always looked for a black person to ask for directions. So get amongst the people if you can, even if that means missing out on some of the popular 'sights'.
