Tips for first time US visitors wanted!

[janav]

Hello fellow skating lovers! I'm coming to the US in April on a holiday and, given that lot of posters here are living in the US, have decided to ask for tips for our stay. My S.O. and I don't have any plans, the only thing we know is that we fly to New York's JFK and have 4 weeks to explore the country (we didn't buy return plane tickets yet). Given that we will be in New York at first, we plan to stay there for a few days and then go to DC, but we would like to see places that are more typically 'American' (I'm not implying that NYC or DC are 'unamerican', what I'm trying to say is that we would like to see places that are not necessarily on a foreign traveler's checklist, yet are worth visiting). So far the only thing we are thinking about visiting (apart from NYC and DC) is Cedar Rapids in Iowa (S.O is Czech and apparently, there are quite a few nice places connected to people who migrated to the US from there). I would be very grateful for any sort of tip, whether it is some nice place worth visiting, great place to eat/drink/dance/ see a play in/.. or some big cultural no-no that you think foreigners do and which creep/annoy/alienate people.

Thank you very much!

 

[ice coverage]

For starters :

First thing that comes to mind for me is the Grand Canyon. Can't stress enough that it is in a league of its own above and beyond the many other scenic locations in the U.S.

I am not a religious person, and the beauty of it truly felt like a spiritual experience.

---

Smaller random thoughts:

Hope you will be able to catch the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. Very pretty if the timing works out right.

Any chance that you will get to the glaciers in Alaska?

In any case, have a great trip. A fun thread for the rest of us to share our suggestions ... I prob. will be back with more as I think of them.

 

[apgold]

If you are headed out west, I'd recommend western Washington state - Seattle is a foodie paradise (great seafood, lots of specialty items) and there's the crowded and popular Pike Place market. You can also enjoy lots of nature - they have two volcanoes (Mt St Helens and Mt Ranier) and it's about a 2 hour drive to the ocean. Since you have your passports you can also take ferries from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia (gets there in 2-3 hours) which is another small lovely city in southern Canada (and the capitol of British Columbia).

San Francisco, CA is another must see city in the US - a lot to see and do. Make sure to pack good walking shoes as the streets are steep (as they are in Seattle).

 

[StitchMonkey]

Are you planning on getting a rental car/driving when you get here? This could have an impact on where you go a fair amount. Some areas of USA are rather car reliant and you would want to heavily research your options first.

 

[apgold]

Are you planning on getting a rental car/driving when you get here? This could have an impact on where you go a fair amount. Some areas of USA are rather car reliant and you would want to heavily research your options first.

I would have to agree. Most places in the US are car reliant. Only in big cities with large public transportation networks and options can you survive w/o a car. I live in NYC and don't own or need a car most of the time.

 

[ice coverage]

Hope you already know that the new Team Challenge Cup will be in April in Spokane, Washington.
According to the rules, Asia, Europe, and North America should be sending some of their top skaters in all disciplines.
Single-ticket sales have just started, but if you don't want to commit now, I would guess(??) that availability still would be possible closer to the time of your trip.

Heartily agree with apgold that San Francisco (along with the wider Bay Area) would be an excellent choice.
In fact, a driving tour along the Pacific Coast Highway (including Big Sur, for example) also is worth considering.

Agree also re Victoria, BC. And the redwood forests in the Vancouver area are amazing.

 

[loopy]

If you like the outdoors, we have spectacular national parks - Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, so many choices! I have not been, but my grandmother loved the Badlands and Mt Rushmore. If you decide to stay on the Eastern side of the country, you will see very varied locations. One thing that isn't quite realized is that this is a sizeable country. I used to plan vacations for people and I would often get people who thought that they could be in San Diego in the morning, DIsneyland midday and San Francisco for dinner with a rental car going up highway 1.

 

[Layback11]

Hey janav! I'd be happy to give you some tips (although my knowledge is mostly of the western US/Hawaii/Alaska).

1. If you have enough time, go to Hawaii. It's a bit tricky (probably too much travel time for a four-week trip) but if you could get there, I guarantee it would be your favorite state you visited.

2. The US has a ton of fast food places and each state/region has its own most popular chain besides the big international ones. In every region you visit, you should find that restaurant and try it! That's one of my favorite parts of traveling and it's a good way to get the "authentic local experience," LOL! (If you go to the west coast, go to In-N-Out. It is beyond words. )

3. In April, it could still be snowy in places, so make sure the locations you want to visit are accessible. As much as I love Colorado, you should probably avoid it unless you want to ski as the Rockies get snow well into spring-any state in that region might have snow. And the Great Lakes states get tons of snow that could still be on the ground until April. If you'd prefer to avoid the cold, go to the southeast (particularly Florida) or California. Both have a lot of cool stuff to see and there's the added bonus of not having to worry about accessibility issues.

4. If you want beaches, go to Florida. They have thousands of miles of coastline, great weather, warm water and amazing wildlife-definitely the best there are if you can't get to Hawaii. California and Oregon have nice beaches too, but the water is freezing.

5. If you like to hike or ski, the Western states have the best of both (particularly Utah and Colorado, which both have a few major ski resorts and a lot of great trails).

6. If you want to see some unusual little gems that aren't tourist traps, get those "weird USA" travel guides for the states you're interested in. They could lead you a lot of really cool attractions you might otherwise miss.

7. If you to the southwest, particularly near the Mexican border, try as many Mexican food places as you can find if you like that. New Mexico, Arizona and California all have amazing, authentic Mexican restaurants in droves. Because once you've eaten at a roadside taco shack, you simply cannot accept any substitutes.

8. If you like animals and want to get acquainted with American wildlife, I recommend the following:

-Anywhere in Hawaii-the ocean's too rough to snorkel or dive until about May, but you might catch the tail end of whale season (no pun intended ). Humpback whales give birth in Hawaii from December to early spring, and you might be able to see them before they migrate back to Alaska if you're going early in April.

-Yellowstone: it'll probably still be snowy, but the amount of wildlife is insane, even in winter. One of the must-see national parks.

-The Everglades: not snowy! Huge variety of animals and ecosystems. The only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live together. Besides that, there's a ton of bird species, panthers, black bears, generic Floridian sea life in the costal sections, and best of all: MANATEES!

-Anywhere in the Rockies: if roadways are clear of snow, there are some awesome mountain drives, and you'll likely spot some animals. Watch for bears.

-Washington state has great scenery, typical northwest wildlife like bears, and, most notably, killer whales (orcas), which the region is famous for.

-There are great white sharks in the Farrallon Islands off San Francisco. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I love sharks so I had to throw it in.

Sorry if I exhausted you with that, LOL!

9. Since you're going to NYC, check out Chelsea Market. I've never been, but I'm a Food Network fan and they are CONSTANTLY talking about it-plus, I've heard it has amazing food. It seems to be basically a collection of little food stalls that are like mini restaurants and they each sell a different kind of food and it looks awesome!

10. Lastly: you'll be there at the right time, so hit up the Team Challenge Cup in Spokane on April 22-26!

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

If you like roller coasters then don't miss Cedar Point in Ohio. It will take a whole day but so worth it if you like that sort of thing. Plus if you are in DC and going to Iowa it will sort of be on the way. You could stop by the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Cleveland then grab a hotel room and ride some of the best coasters in the world the following day.

 

[solar]

If you are headed out west, I'd recommend western Washington state - Seattle is a foodie paradise (great seafood, lots of specialty items) and there's the crowded and popular Pike Place market. You can also enjoy lots of nature - they have two volcanoes (Mt St Helens and Mt Ranier) and it's about a 2 hour drive to the ocean. Since you have your passports you can also take ferries from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia (gets there in 2-3 hours) which is another small lovely city in southern Canada (and the capitol of British Columbia).

As a Seattle resident, I second visiting the city! Seattle is a very eco-friendly city with lots of trees, mountains, lakes, and fresh air My favorite place to go is Pike Place Market which has many great things to see (gum wall, first Starbucks, flying fish, ferris wheel, etc). It doesn't rain as much as people say, and there's lots of fun things to do. There are also wonderful local businesses such as coffee houses, bookstores, or restaurants that you can visit if you're not into the "big city" type of tourism. There are plenty of hills in the city, but that leads to amazing views! Even when in the city, there are lovely views of mountains, lakes, and landscapes.

I also love California, and the weather is always nice and warm. I've also had great experiences in Utah, Oregon, Hawaii, and New York to name a few states! I'm not as well-traveled in the United States in terms of National Landmarks (I've never been to the grand canyon ), but there's so much to explore in the country. It's so big! No matter where you go, it'll be really nice.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Who wants to go to Seattle now that they are taking down the gum wall?

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/US/HT_seattle_gum_wall_4_jt_151104_4x3_992.jpg

 

[solar]

Who wants to go to Seattle now that they are taking down the gum wall?

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/US/HT_seattle_gum_wall_4_jt_151104_4x3_992.jpg

Trust me, people are already getting ready to re-gum the wall! No way that wall is staying clean for more than a day

 

[StitchMonkey]

If you like roller coasters then don't miss Cedar Point in Ohio. It will take a whole day but so worth it if you like that sort of thing. Plus if you are in DC and going to Iowa it will sort of be on the way. You could stop by the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Cleveland then grab a hotel room and ride some of the best coasters in the world the following day.

Also I have step family that identify as Czech who are from the Cleveland area. It might be worth looking at for OP's hubby.

 

[Layback11]

Hold up.

I forgot Disneyland! You have to go to Disneyland!

No, not Disney World. It must be DisneyLAND. The original is the best!

 

[andromache]

If you like roller coasters then don't miss Cedar Point in Ohio. It will take a whole day but so worth it if you like that sort of thing. Plus if you are in DC and going to Iowa it will sort of be on the way. You could stop by the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Cleveland then grab a hotel room and ride some of the best coasters in the world the following day.

Cleveland resident here who was about to recommend the same thing! But I just realized that Cedar Point might not be open in April. I think it usually opens in May.

I see there's a lot of outdoorsy recommendations here. Since I'm not an outdoorsy person....I really recommend checking out all the museums you can in NYC. Well maybe not all since that's just unrealistic, but pick two or three that seem most interesting. I really loved the Met. D.C. museums are not as great as NYC's, though of course you should check out a few of those while you're there, especially if you have specific areas of history you're interested in. I also really recommend seeing a Broadway show in NYC. I hear the one about Alexander Hamilton is AMAZING.

 

[dorispulaski]

Another vote for the Grand Canyon as one place you should not miss! It is impossible to overhype that magnificient place! You might want to book a rafting tour.Some do white water, but some don't. The scary glass platform is on the West side of the Canyon. We did not have guts to walk on it.
http://www.viator.com/Las-Vegas-attractions/Grand-Canyon-Skywalk/d684-a10

If you are at all interested in maritime history, you might like to check out Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, an interesting museum with working ships, including the Joseph Conrad, the steamer Sabino, the whaling ship Charles W.Morgan and many smaller vessels. The replicas of the Mayflower and the Amistad are there for this season.
http://www.mysticseaport.org/

You can get there by train from NYC.

If you like lighthouses, take the lighthouse tour on one of the ferries or on schooners in the Mystic area. The second or third oldest and the newest lighthouse in the country are all on the tours, there are about 10 different ones within a few miles, including one haunted lighthouse.

You might be interested in the Gilded Age mansions at Newport Rhode Island, which have tours. Talk about excess.

 

[NanaPat]

If you're interested in scenery, I would heartily recommend the Grand Canyon. Having been to both the north and south rims in recent years, I can say that there is a good reason that the south rim is the primo tourist spot (aside from being closer to populations centers). You're much closer to the canyon proper and the views are gorgeous. It is much more crowded, but there is a great shuttle bus system so you don't have to worry much about traffic.

April is primo weather in the Southwest. Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands are all great National Parks that are fairly near each other. But weather/climate is quite local; we once went from stinking hot Zion to patches-of-snow-in-the-campground Bryce Canyon in a few short hours. It all depends on elevation.

 

[janav]

Wow, thank you for all those suggestions and for posting them so quickly, it will take me a while to sort those out! But Grand Canyon definitely goes on the list!
I don't think we will make it to Hawaii or Alaska, that's for separate holiday, I guess. The amount of time it would take to get there would propably took too much from our 4 weeks.
Anyway, we do plan to rent a car, but I don't see us covering sizable distances in it as I don't have a driver's licence and S.O is not passionate about sitting behind the steering wheel either. I'm thinking about getting the licence, thought.
One of the reasons I'm trying to create a travel plan so early is so we can book plane tickets and reduce the costs a bit. Although, from the little I googled, on East Coast there is quite extensive train service, so we would like to take the advantage of that.

I had to google what manatees are and now I definitely want to see them And that made me realize that Kennedy Space Center is located in Florida, so Florida goes on the list. I also looked at the Everglades and it looks like a must-see.

I have been thinking about the Team Challenge for a while, but given that I have already forced S.O into going to the Europeans with me, it may not happen. But, that made me realize that NHL will be in full swing and we might get our hands on some tickets!

Also, the fact that DisneyLAND and DisneyWORLD are two separate things was duly noted! :-D

So it seems it will be NYC plus DC at the start, then Florida and Midwest (yes, I know that Midwest is pretty large area to cover. Gonna have research that more). And then Seattle with bit of West Coast and then Northern Arizona ( for Grand Canyon and its surroundings). I'd love to go to California, but I doubt we will find time for that. Maybe it would be a good idea to buy return tickets from LA? Hm, so many choices. It's probably the first time I realized the sheer size of the US. I do want to see as much as possible but I also want to enjoy those places to the fullest extend, so I don't want to plan our vacation to the minutes just for the sake of seeing more.

 

[iluvtodd]

Disneyworld is awesome, but you really need several days to appreciate it all. Worth it, though (OK, I'm a huge Disney fan).

Our National Parks are magnificent. Personal favorites are Yellowstone & Bryce Canyon

Definitely try to see a Broadway Show while in NYC. The Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC are well worth visiting.

If you have time to stop in Philadelphia, check out our historic area (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall) & visit the National Constitution Center! If you love gardens (and are renting a car), be sure to visit Longwood Gardens!

 

[elbkup]

What an exciting trip! Hope you have a wonderful time...
I recommend you pick up a copy of "1,000 Places To See in the United States and Canada Before You Die".... a great quick reference state-by-state for anyone planning a trip like yours. Most/all of the places mentioned in this thread are in it and a lot more plus tips on travel, eateries/dining, nightlife, weather, attractions in each location... Good Luck!