15.july and 11.august??

I'm planning my summervacation in the US this year, and I wanted to check with
any of you US' what I should be sure to check out while over there.

Here is what I've been thinking of, so far:

NASA KSC
Daytona RaceTrack
NewOrleans
LasVegas

I also wanted to take a little part of Canada, the falls up North looks great...

Any tips??

TIA
TommyE

We are pretty large - there is always something going on somewhere...

New Orleans

I had a great time when I visited New Orleans last July. Good restaurants (eat at Storyville on Bourbon St), good nightlife (the whole of Bourbon St resembles the inside of a club come nightfall, and there's jazz everywhere all day), and even good thunderstorms like the one in the Southern Comfort advert. Be prepared for very hot weather though.

Peter

And above ground cemetaries.... the home of Vampires.... (This is the city where Ann Rice lives and writes most of her Vamp novels and where NIN have been recording for a few years).

Vegas rocks. It is a definite must-go. You should checkout the Prince cover band at the Holiday Inn Boardwalk Casino. I don't really like Prince, but this guy was awesome.

And above ground cemetaries....

Yes, in fact lots of good architecture, not just funerary architecture. I had the Lonely Planet guidebook and though it was great: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0864427824

Peter

If you do hit Vegas, you might be interested in Blue Man Group...

Boy, these guys are great. I saw them years ago in NYC.

Joshua Tree National Park - if you like rock climbing.
Yoesemitee National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Smithsonian Museums in DC plus that puts you in the proximity of various governmental historical land marks.

New York, can anyone say ground zero?,, it's living history.
Las Vegas, hands down adult playground. Bring money.

US is pretty big. It's hard to pick one area..

Add to that list:
Miami/South Beach (best people watching anywhere)
Yellowstone - totally unique
Grand Tetons
Lake Tahoe

and if doing Vegas, don't bring lots of money; bring lots of lots of money.

Trust me if you come to New Orleans, it's gonna be f'ing HOT. It's not just the temp, it's the humidity.

Trust me if you come to New Orleans, it's gonna be f'ing HOT. It's not just the temp, it's the humidity.

Yeah, you might find you have to drink a lot of Snoballs (morning), beers (afternoon) and cocktails (evening). Life is hard in New Orleans.

Peter

Hehe, that part will probably be the easiest...

TommyE

OK, now I'm surfing the web, trying to find out more about all your tips.

This is great.

I knew it before, but the US is big thats for sure.

TommyE

Have you ever been to the US before?

No, I have never been there.
But, I'm going with a fried of mine who has been there before.


TommyE

It's very important that if someone cuts you up when driving in the US, you don't get out and break their window.

Rob

Especially in the lone star state.

Revision: best model watching ever :P

In reply to:

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Miami/South Beach (best people watching anywhere)

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Revision: best model watching anywhere
*sigh* I miss sobe. so much fun to cruise around the strip during the day or at night.. there's always something going on, and Miami is probably one of the only cities left in the US that pulls in good 'techno' acts at their nightclubs.

Wouldn't suggest that in Miami either.

Best idea is to just lock your doors once you get in the car. And always lock them when you get out.

Even though you've almost got a month, you don't have enough time to see everything, so pick what you want to see now and plan ahead. Try and narow it down so you're not traversing all over the country, of if you must see it all, do it in a logical fashion. Living in a tourist town in california(Monterey), I'll often run into people who saw all of southern California yesterday, and will be seeing all of northern california the next day. Needless to say, they're not seeing much besides the great freeway system.

Traveling within the US is more dificult than europe, as the only place you can take trains is new england, essentialy. Airlines are your only alternative and they're not cheap. All the big cities have definite feelings to them, so read a bit about everywhere you're interested in and see if you'd enjoy the city.

For the space shuttle, there's a launch on july 19th. If you're a member of any astronomy clubs or science of any sort, see if you can get them to send you as a reporter for their newsletter. I know someone who has done this and you get much better treatment.

Matthew

Here's a page that has info and more links to info on Shuttle Launch viewing. After 9/11 they cut public access to KSC for launch viewing, but lots of off site viewing info is available.
My goal is to one day see a night launch of the Shuttle from KSC...

Oh, and to quote Chris Rock, never go to a club that had metal detectors. Sure it's safe inside, but the folks outside KNOW you aren't packin'.

I'll better be the one who cuts then??

TommyE

Hmm, are they all after you money over there?

TommyE

Yes, I know the US is big.
We are planning as you says, the logical way.
We're planning to have some sites we want to see, and try to have some
dates set for them. Then we'll spend some time around the sites and have a look.

Hope that we get so see a shuttle lifting off.

TommyE

I'm wondering what kind of things you are interested in - seeing or doing. People or nature.

I'm quite an introvert, so I try to spend my vaations outdoors somewhere pretty. I lived in Miami a few years, but I'm not a South Beach kind of person. My favorite trips are always out west. My favorite places on earth include Arches and Zion National Parks in Utah. Each will need a long day to really see, and they are not too far from each other, or from Vegas or the Grand Canyon.

I always find the coastal cities in Washington state and Canada to be nice that time of year. The San Juan islands and Olympic Peninsula are also favorite places of mine. Unless you like heat and humidity I would bypass the midwest and southern states, and plan a trip back during cooler months. Like others have said, it all depends on what type of experience you are looking for.

BTW, It was kinda a joke about the clubs. It really isn't bad here. Just use your head. BTW, by here I mean New Orleans.

Hehe, good to hear. Remains to see how good the head works late evenings

TommyE

Thats a good tip, as I don't like extreme heat or humidity.
I really want to cover a bit of everything so it will be fun to see what we
end up with...

TommyE