Holiday in the States

Hey guys! On Monday I will be booking my trip to America with my cousin. We are going for a month and are stopping at a fair few places. Was just wondering if people in America or who have been before know of any must see places in the cities we are going to.

We have been to the US before, but that was just LA, Vegas, Seattle and NY.

This time around we are going to...

- Seattle
- San Francisco
- Phoenix
- Orlando
- Miami
- Memphis
- Toronto (yes, I know it's in Canada)
- New York

While in New York we are spending a day in Washington DC and another day in New Jersey (yep - the 25th of July so I get to see Bon Jovi in East Rutherford haha).

Any suggestions of places to visit that we might not think of? Also, we are in San Francisco for the 4th of July so if there are any events that you would recommend for that day I'd love to hear it.

Cheers!

Aloha !

I can't give you an answer as to all your cities as I've seen only 3 of your list, but can give you some advice based upon my experiences;

You can cover Toronto in a day if you plan well. If you intend to stay longer than a day I'd advise you to look for activities around the cities. Most Canadian cities have plenty of other activities build around it as the cities themselves don't really have a lot to offer. I spend a day going to Niagara Falls, which is rather close to Toronto. Do realize that although it's only about 90 miles or so from Toronto, it'll take you at least 2 hours to get there. Traffic is a bitch around there.

You're saying you're going to Washington while you're in New York, but erm, Washington D.C. isn't in New York but about 250 miles away from it. You can do the drive in one day but it's a quite boring one. It takes about 5 hours as traffic is quite heavy over there. Considering you've got only half a day left after the drive there's no way you're able to cover everything if you intend to go back the next day. Apart from the memorial, the museums and the White House and such it's pretty much a shithole, but there's quite a lot of museums there which are all free, or at least they were the last time I went.

If I were you I'd drive to Washington, spend the rest of your day walking around getting your picture taken with Lincoln and the White House, and then have an extra day doing the museums. The National Air and Space Museum I thought was one of the most awesome museums I've ever been to. It's got a very biased view towards to space race with America obviously being super awesome (not a word is said about the Challenger) but it's still very interesting nonetheless. It's also a lot bigger than what you'd expect when you arrive in the entrance hall. Once you're driving back to New York I can recommend going to Baltimore. I remember planning a similar trip for someone as a birthday present and finding out that Baltimore has a very big aquarium. The Baltimore docks were a nice play to hang out as well.

Out of all the big cities I've ever been to I felt New York was most disappointing. It's a lot of big buildings, but down the line that's all it really is. Don't get me wrong, the food is great and both the Metropolitan and the American Museum of Natural History are good, but that's about all their is really. Spend 2 days in that city and you're pretty much done when it comes to me. I never felt the city was worth the hassle and frankly I enjoyed the one day I spend in Washington a lot more than the days I actually spend in New York City. I guess Europeans are spoiled though when it comes to great cities to be at, so down the line it all depends on what you're used to, I guess.

A word of advice; don't speed. America is one of those countries where police officers don't do shit all day only to hide themselves behind a billboard just so they can start the chase once you're passing by. I've never been chased, but I've seen them set themselves up several times, or was pointed to how they do it by the company I was it back then. Know that traffic is terrible in America, pretty much every highway around any big city is highly congested, even at night. I've no idea what driving in Australia is like, but compared to Europe, American traffic is slow, people not just drive slowly but respond slowly as well; Just because you think they've seen you, doesn't mean they actually did. I thought I was the only one who felt like this, but my girlfriend back then said the same thing. I always felt at ease when I was in the car with her. I've never covered the westcoast though, just the east coast and Detroit + Chicago. Surely they can't all be shit?

I hope this helps?

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Hey thanks for that Seb. Appreciate the time it took to write all that.

We actually aren't driving ourselves to Washington. We have booked a day trip there via train so we'll get there much faster than a car would.

It's funny you mention New York being your most disappointing because for me it was the highlight last time we were there. We are spending 7 days this time round and are ending our trip there.

Thanks for the speeding advice haha, but we won't be driving ourselves. Most of it will be buses and trains

As for Toronto we are there for 3 nights so I'm sure we can find things to fill that up with. Will definitely have a look at neighbouring towns for activities and attractions. Do you know if Canada's Wonderland theme park is any good?

Thanks again for your tips. Will certainly read it over once again.

It's not a bad park. They've put in a couple of new roller coasters in the past three years, so if you like big coasters, you're in luck. If you do go to Wonderland, I would suggest not buying your ticket at the front gate. Many convenience stores will sell discounted tickets.

I know you're not a stranger to warm weather, but Toronto in July can be disgustingly hot, humid and sticky. Make sure wherever you are staying has air conditioning because you will need it.

If you're going to be in Toronto for three days, a trip to Niagara Falls is do-able. Like Seb said, it's about 2 hours from Toronto but nice to see in the summer.

If you have any other questions, let me know!

Are you flying to the west coast?

Otherwise it would be a pretty insane trip

Also, Toronto is about 10 hours bus drive from NYC. Make sure to plan enough time

Thanks so much for the info Steph Im a little worried now cos I didn't even think to check if our hotels had ACC. Ah well, if they dont it wont be the first time ive had to take on a few warm nights... I am Australian after all haha.

Niagara Falls is definitely on our list of things to do while in Toronto!

Hey Choclady. We start off on the west coast in Seattle, then to San Francisco. After that we fly from San Fran to Phoenix, then onwards to Orlando.

And we are actually flying from Toronto to NY so we won't have to worry about the 10 hour trip, but thanks for the heads up anyway. In fact we are flying to and from all our destinations, except Orlando to Miami which is a bus trip.

Thanks for the help you lot! Everything has been booked and paid for. June 27th to July 28th. CANT WAIT!

That sounds like an awesome trip. Of the cities you've listed I've been to San Francisco, Orlando, DC, and obviously NYC, since I live here. San Fran is a spectacular city, both culturally and aesthetically. If you're going to be there on the fourth, I'd suggest checking out what's going on in Golden Gate Park that day. I'm sure they have something going on. As far as DC, I pretty much reiterate everything Seb said. Orlando doesn't really have much going on outside of the various theme parks (which is fine for me, as a theme park/Disney junkie). You going to any of them?

Golden Gate Park? Awesome, I'll look into it! Thanks!

I am a theme park lover too. That is the only reason why we are going to Orlando. We are staying at one of the many Disney World resorts. Plan on doing at least 3 of the 4 theme parks at Disney World, as well as Universal Studios.

I do have one question about Universal Studios... Is it worth going to the Islands of Adventure theme park there? Neither me or my cousin are Harry Potter fans so we're not really interested in that harry Potter world thingy they have there. Is it worth going?

I've only heard good things about San Fran so we're really looking forward to that one. We are spending four nights there (originally just 3 but we're leaving a day earlier now ).

Thanks for the info Crushgen!

Dont agree with your synopsis of New York at all, Seb. I went in 2010 for a week and, with Istanbul & St Petersburg its one of my favorite cities that I've visited in the world. Saying thats all there is when it comes to the museums....nah mate. There is far far more.

For me, you want to visit the Empire State in the day, but the Rockafella at night. From the Rockafella you see all the view of the city, PLUS the iconic Empire State. This is for the picture to go on your facebook profile!

My favorite parts of NYC were the southern parts of Manhattan. Greenwich Village, Soho, Bleeker Street. It is far more individual and personal than Times Square. More locals go there and you can stumble across the most quirky jazz bars, blues bars, stand up bars. Also on Bleeker Street is a massive guitar shop. Cant remember the name, but Jon Bon Jovi and Richie bought their guitars from there. You have the meet packing district too down there which is all the run down docks converted into a more plush neighbourhood. The old warehouses have all been converted into boutiques, bars, restaurants and apartments.

I loved Harlem as well. It is so bustling and SAFE. Didn't feel at threat at all and we ate out there a couple of times. Locals are so warming up there. I think its past 65th and onwards.

Take the free ferry to Staten Island as well. It goes right next to the statue of Liberty and its FREE. To visit the statue is about $15 and its an absolute waste of space. Staten Island is brilliant too.

Enjoy!

I live in a suburb of Phoenix, and depending on how long you're staying/how far you're willing to travel kinda affects what you'd want to do. If you like hiking/nature, there's things like the Camelback Mountain which I'm told is a great hiking spot. There's also the Phoenix Zoo, and I believe there's the Desert Botanical Gardens which are both popular tourist sites. Depending how much you want to travel outside of Phoenix, I'd recommend seeing Flagstaff or Sedona too as those are pretty scenic places. The Grand Canyon is quite far away from Phoenix, so if that's something you want to see that'll probably take up most of your stay in Arizona.