Sounds like Yellowstone is a must see then! I can't remember if Grace has seen that yet... Disneyland was yuck? But its meant to be fun!!!! Spinning teacups and whatnot, lol... It is a big place, I wonder how long you'd need to see everything worthwhile?
I would suggest the "Grand Canyon". I have been there in AZ and of course Las Vegas, NV. I haven't been to New York but lived in Washington, DC and of course I enjoyed the monuments and wax museums. Disneyland and Knoxberry Farm are cool. Disneyworld in Florida is much better. Well if you ever make it to the states, I am sure you would like people watching up in Seattle. We have the famous "Farmers Market", the piers, and of course the Space Needle, China town, great food and people of all nationalities there.
Definitely a must-see (if possible,) it represents the best that the United States has to offer. I guess it depends how old you are. I was 14, and I found the whole place plastic and chintzy. Maybe when I was 8, I would not have been so critical. But, unless you are a child, brought up with an American view of the world, and all its fairy tales, I think you may be disappointed. Even at that age, I was not interested in plastic castles, (I have grown up with the real thing,) and being accosted by a man dressed as a giant mouse. If you lived two lifetimes, you would not have enough time to see everything worthwile in the city of London, leave alone a society the size and complexity of the US. I learnt a good lesson in travelling from my uncle, who does a lot of it. Don't travel a la American tourists in Europe (if it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium ...) You will never see everything worth seeing in five days - in fact you will see almost nothing worth seeing. Spend some time in the location of your choice. Walk around, and get to know the people a little. There are wonderful things to see in the USA, but they are not the big, touristy, things Americans want you to admire. After all, the Grand Canyon is just a big hole in the ground, and flying over it in a light aircraft is no more interesting than seeing a video of it. Things like the Statue of Liberty are well-known, but really only of significance to Americans because of their history. Sure it is big, but it is not a particularly beautiful statue in the Grecian tradition. There are treasures beyond the big and vulgar in the US. One of the highlights of my trip to the USA was talking with a very old man who lived in a mountain village in Oregon. He took me on a tour of the area, and showed me the school he went to as a boy. It consisted of one small room, and he told me what it was like growing up there in the early 20th century. It was fascinating. You would not get that experience on any travel video, or on any tour coach. One of my over-riding memories of the USA was the kindness and generosity of strangers to a 14 year old foreigner who had no money to splash around. Those qualities are the reason I largely ignore the arrogant, bigoted, and loud-mouth Americans who occasionally surface on boards such as this. I know from experience that the vast majority of Americans are not like that.
True. Makedde, stay away from Niagara Falls they are a mess. However, Universal Studios Hollywood is a must-seel. You can see the set of Desperate Housewives! Be sure to take a FrontLinePass though, which is about $140.
Also, I don't understand why an Australian is going to America, but, swat! I thought you were coming to The Netherlands?
I am not coming to America! I don't even have enough money to move to Queensland yet! My friend is holidaying in the US and I was jealous because she is visiting all these amazing places, so I though it wouldn't be so bad to check the place out for myself. I am definately coming to the Netherlands one day! 100% certain on that!
An Austalian visits the United States for the same reason I visited Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Britain, Italy, Germany, Austria, South Korea and a host of other countries, to broaden one's horizons and see how other people live. You can stay home and view travel documentaries or you can get out and meet the people. Many of us choose the latter. That's the same reason I am going to Texas for two weeks. I've never been there and want to see what it is like. Going to those places won't make me wealthier, or not even necessarily better educated but it will show me how most of us are the same no matter where we live.
Makedde, has been talking about the Netherlands for as long as I've seen her around on here... I think it's fair to say that Americans and Australians aren't that different, and neither is their lifestyle -- so I'm asking fair questions because she's low on cash. If I would be her, I'd go to the Netherlands instead of the States.
NYC: Little Italy, Chinatown, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, too much to list. DC: tons of museums: Natural History, Art, Air and Space. There are lots of monuments as well but I don't know how interested an Aussie would be in those. Atlantic City, NJ: Boardwalk and casinos New Orleans: Bourbon street, French quarter, land of voodoo shops and big ass beers, best Jazz in the country. Florida: Disney World (better than Disneyland by a long shot), Universal Studios, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Kennedy Space Center, Discovery Cove (you can swim with dolphins). Disney is great for kids and adults. As Leo said, it isn't really for teenagers, they're usually too cool for school and won't appreciate the kitsch. Disney World also has a lot more than Disneyland. World consists of four separate parks: The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios. Memphis: Beale street - best blues in the US. If you don't like the blues then you can skip Memphis unless you are one of those Elvis freaks. Branson, Missouri or Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN - Great places to experience the gaudy side of hillbilly entertainment. They both have theme parks as well. Silver Dollar City in Branson and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge (Dolly Parton's theme park). One or the other, they're too much alike to bother with both. I would go with Pigeon Forge myself. Philadelphia - Independence Hall, Italian market, cheesesteaks (Geno's and/or Pat's being the cliche spots but there are many others) There's a lot more but I'm tired of typing. lol
I am desperate to visit the Netherlands. Sounds like an amazing country. I am afraid that if I went there, I would want to live there! Not that that would be a bad thing though, lol.
Fair comment Janpor, but I was congratulating Frogger on the general principle he articulated in his post - not commenting upon whether the USA or the Nederlands were the more interesting society.
Save your money on the travel costs, enlist in the military where you will visit strange and exotic lands... meet strange and exotic people... and then kill them. I kid... On a budget, I would stick with just one city that will give you the best American experience and that is none other than New York city. It's expensive, so be prepared for that...but if you take the advice in here, you'll end up broke and in debt. Travelling is not cheap in America, this isn't like Europe with youth hostels and relatively cheap mass transit...America is spread out and it costs money to go from point A and point B and to live once you get to point B. meals and lodging, etc. Visit New York city and you'll get a flavor of how America does things.
I've been to The Netherlands and it really isn't that different from any other country, including The United States. It may be a bit more crowded, people may bicycle a bit more, there may be more canals and the houses may be narrower, but all in all, the Dutch are just about the same as everyone else in the Western World. Young people meet to drink and talk with each other, couples stroll arm in arm, strangers are helpful if you approach them politely. The major difference between Australia and The Netherlands has to do with the available space. Australians have a lot more of it per person. There are parts of Australia where you won't see another person for hours on end. I can remember riding the Ghan from the north of the country down to the south and seeing no more than 100 people during the entire part of the trip that went through the outback. In Holland, I was never away from other people. They were walking or riding bikes on the streets, sitting on barges on the canals or sitting in coffee houses. When you spoke to them though, they were the same, friendly, helpful and almost always nice people.
New York is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. If you walk around any part of Manhattan for more than an hour you will hear people speaking at least a half dozen different languages. You can find a restaurant serving food from everywhere from China, to Britain, to Bangladesh. Having said that, New York is very similar to London. If it was;t for the red, double decker buses you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. D.C. would probably be of more interest to Americans than to foreignors. Other than the seat of the national government and the Smithsonian there really isn't all that much to see or do. Other than for the boardwalk itself, Atlantic City has little to offer. If you stray one block from the boardwalk, you are in a run down area and even the far ends of the boardwalk itself leave a lot to be desired. The entire city is centered on a few blocks around the casinos New Orleans is a land unto itself, more European than most American cities. It can also be more dangerous than most American cities. If you go, stick to the tourist areas and don't wander off the beaten track. There are really three Floridas; the Panhandle and the North, the West Coast and the East Coast. The panhandle and North tend to have more native Floridians and more of what are typically known as crackers or rednecks. The West Coast is more low key than the East Coast and more family oriented. Both the West Coast and the East Coast probably have more transplants from New York, Ohio and Canada than native Floridians. Central Florida is a cultural wasteland where those who can't afford to live on one of the coast retire. While there are pockets of life, most of the center of the state is sleepy little towns. While Memphis has great blues, Chicago, at least in my estimation, has even better blues, with the added attraction of also having great jazz. Branson is the Redneck Las Vegas. If you are family oriented, it is the place to go. The shows are not risque and the performers are super patriotic. Before almost every performance, all veterans and their families are asked to stand and be recognized for their service to their country. You'll see a lot of cars with license plates from Texas and Oklahoma in Branson. Philly has some great tourist sites but it also has some very rough areas. You have to be careful of where you go. Boston is a fun place to visit and is a fairly good walking city. Not on a par with Florence but better than most American cities. You can even go to the bar where the t.v. show Cheers was filmed.
I agree with almost everything you say here, other than your comparison of London and New York. I don't think they are that comparable. I certainly don't think a person could say, I have visited one, therefore I don't need to visit the other. As far as my favorite places, it depends on what you like. For the best cities, my favorites are New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. There are other cities I like that I would recommend to Americans, who can travel all over America(like San Antonio, Philly, Boston, Portland, and many others), however for a foreigner on a limited budget, and therefore a limitation on how many places they can visit, I would recommend sticking to those cities. However, for people who love natural Beauty, I would recomend you add Vegas into your itinerary, spend a day or 2 there, and then go into Southern Utah for a few days, go from there to the Grand Canyon, and then down into Arizona stopping in Sedona. It is an amazingly beautiful area of the world.
I agree, everywhere I have been people have been very nice to me. Even in places where people are supposedly very rude. I find that if you greet people with a smile, and are especially nice to them, an overwhelming majority of people will be nice back.
Frogger, I agree that in general people are nice -- but that wasn't what I was aiming at. I was talking about the sites and activities. For instance, I like to do the Erie Canal bike tour but it would be stupid of me to spend money on the airfare, lodging, etc. when I have a great program called EuroVelo that will take me two lives to complete all of the routes (I really like to do the EV6, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea!). In the USA, Belgians -- mainly -- visit the big or special cities (e.g. NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC) and than we go for the Americana we don't have at home (e.g. big theme parks à la Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags, Sea World San Diego, etc.) and some national parks. That's it. Oh, and we go on a shopping spree which is really confusing because the labelling is such a "rip off" since you always need to add the taxes on top. Sucks!
That's the great thing about NY. It's a place where so many different cultures from around the world come to be American. I know that's where my family got its start in this country. I think it would hold the interest of anyone that likes history or art. Personally, I think the Air and Space Museum is worth the trip by itself. The best thing about the museums in DC is that they are almost all FREE! Contrast that with NY's museums where you have to pay admission at nearly all of them. Correction, other that the boardwalk, AC has NOTHING to offer. lol ...but if someone wants to gamble on the East coast and get a little American flavor then I think it is worth checking out. It isn't as grand as Las Vegas but I always enjoyed the boardwalk. I'll second the part about sticking to the tourist areas and I'd add to stay in a group. The last time I went to NO, I went by myself and I came back with a dislocated shoulder...and that actually happened on Bourbon street. Also, alligator tail and crawfish are delicious and they taste even better when you eat them in the open air in the French quarter. Yeah, but central FL is also a great place for tourists. It is the epitome of over the top entertainment. I forgot to mention St. Augustine. It is a very interesting historic city and has always been my favorite place to go to the beach. It's also true about there being more transplants in many parts of FL than native Floridians. When my grandparents retired, they and most of my great aunts and uncles moved from NY and NJ to the Tampa/St. Pete area. Bite your tongue. Chicago does have Wrigley Park though which IMO is the best place to watch a baseball game in the entire US. I should add that the same warnings concerning New Orleans also apply to Memphis. Beale Street is great but don't wander down any allies. lol Redneck Las Vegas is a good description, minus the gambling of course. That is true. Philly is a dive for the most part. It is a one day affair at most but still has some things worth checking out. I think they still have an aircraft carrier turned museum which would probably be interesting to anyone. Norm!!!
Generally good advice Herkdriver, but I am a little puzzled. All my American friends say that New York is not typical of America at all. Most people from other parts of the US say that New Yorkers are rude, and pushy, and generally too much in a hurry to bother with everyday courtesies. They regard New York as being outside the normal American experience. I did not spend much time in new York, but I must admit that I found Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans, and Atlanta, much more pleasant places to be. Boston is my fave city in the USA.
Grace still seems to be having a good time, according to her Facebook, anyway. She might be a little homesick though, probably due to the long time she is spending there. She's been to Florida and I think she is in, or is heading to, Atlanta. I don't know anything about Atlanta other than the 1996 Olympics were held there.
They'd be the first place I'd go! I want to see... Times Square Empire State Building Statue of Liberty New York Public Library Smithsonian Museum (from the comments here it sounds amazing) White House Yellowstone National Park Central Park (only because its mentioned on TV a lot) Golden Gate Bridge Macy's And I would want to... Take a trip in a limo over the Golden Gate Bridge Sample all the weird sounding American lollies/candies etc Drink as much Dr. Pepper as I could handle Watch a football match Watch a hockey match, preferably ice hockey Meet some celebrities Go to a theater playing old movies Take a photo of the White House Any other quirky things one should do?
I'd be interested to know what she does in Atlanta. It seems like a waste of time to come all the way from Australia to go to ATL. It's a good place to go if you want to see what it's like to be a racecar driver since everyone drives like a maniac there, but I don't know what the appeal is otherwise.
