India Miker in US: Best things to see

theshutterbug

Hi Mikers,
Sorry for this akward question but this is an indian in US for a period of like around 2-3 months and would like to know from the traveling freaks out here what are the best things to see in US.
I will be better informed here than the usual google searches on whats too much a hype and whats not etc etc.

Basically i am in New York so it will be easily and cheap to travel the destinations around east coast. btw i already did las vegas and it was an experience rather than a destination. Awesome !

I think i will be able to manage around 4 to 5 destinations and that too on Friday to sunday.

I would like variety like nature, architecture, cities

So what in your opinion are the best places to visit and why. Would like to see something really unique like grand canyon

Thanks

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hawaiiyogagrl

Hi Shutterbug,
Hope you are enjoying your stay in the US.
There is so much great stuff on the east coast.
What sort of stuff do you want to see?
Niagra Falls (the Canada side) was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
Falling Water (Frank Lloyd Wright House) is beautiful,
Washington DC- the museums, the capital, the monuments
I grew up on the east coast, so I took it for granted, but now when I visit, I am always so stoked to see it all.

pixelskew

I would recommend Washington DC for sure, there is much to be done there. Some of the old Civil War battle areas are very intersting, I like Gettysburg the best. Boston is a great city as well.

theshutterbug

hey i wont mind doing couple of places in west coast too !! So keep them coming form all over the US

edwardseco

Good ideas above. My mother in law liked the Grand Canyon the best in her visit. Its easy to do Monument Valley and the reservations and Anasazi ruins nearby. On the coast I prefer the Oregon and northern California coast. Vancouver Island (Canada) isn't far off. Enjoy..

dzibead

If you get down to the Washington, D.C. area, it's worthwhile to visit Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's home, which is right outside Washington, and if you can go a little farther afield, Montecello, which is near Charlottesville, Virginia and which was the home of Thomas Jefferson, is also good. If you get down to Virginia, visiting Colonial Williamsburg is also interesting. All of these places are connected with the early days of the U.S. as a country. Williamsburg is a very sanitized recreation of the town as it was in the colonial period, and in spite of the somewhat Disneyland-ish quality, it's still interesting.

If you have time for more extended travel, I highly recommend parts of the American Southwest, e.g., areas around Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, and the surrounding areas. The "High Road to Taos" from Santa Fe goes through rural villages inhabited by families descended from the earliest Spanish settlers in the Southwest (and you'll find spicey food to rival anything in India!), and there are interesting Indian pueblos, both "living" like Santa Clara, San Ilefonso, and Taos, and "dead" like the ruins in Bandolier National Monument and Puye Cliff Dwellings. Santa Fe has some EXCELLENT museums, and the crafts in the Southwest are fantastic. This area is completely different from anywhere else in the country. And you could slip in a trip to the Grand Canyon while you down there! That's definitely mind-boggling!

In the other corner of the country, the far Northeast, I'd recommend a road trip from New York, sort of following the coast, through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusets and on up into Maine and maybe out to Mount Desert Island. Lots of attractive small towns and natural beauty -- and in Freeport, Maine, you can stop in at L.L. Bean (an American institution) and do some shopping!

contrabassista

Definitely Grand Canyon and Niagra Falls. Even with the crowds, they are sooo spectacular that it is just you and overwelming nature. And if you go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, check out Sonoma on your way back to Phoenix. Big Beautiful red rocks!

San Fransisco is a great city to fly to. Once you are there rent a car and do some of Route 1 along the coast, either direction. If you go north it is over the Golden Gate Bridge, and there is a beautiful park right there. Try to get to a park with sequoia or redwood trees.

If you go to Falling Water check out a raft trip on the Youghiogheny River. You can do white water or a very easy trip.

If you are in New York in the Autumn, go either upstate in New York or to New England to see the changing color of the trees. Make sure to monitor the progress of the change in the television news. My German friends used to laugh when I insisted New York color was more beautiful than Munich. Then they came to New York one Fall. "She's right!" they said.

People who come to Chicago from abroad say, "We didn't realize that it's such a beautiful city!" Great museums, a beautiful lake front, boat rides of every sort, including tall ships. Skip the Sears Tour and go to the Handcock Building instead. Afterwards you can windowshop until you drop on our Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue).

Sama

and if you are interested in architecture you can take an "architecture tour" of Chicago -- Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper.... of course, it's about 10 degrees here now so dress warm.....

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TulsaisntFar

Id agree with above and say San Francisco and then go up north to the wine country and up to the redwoods. The bay area is a great place to be, beautiful nature, great beaches, nice people and lots to do.

bijapuri

Fly Jetblue to Oakland, rent a car, and tool around the Calif coast. It's mild in the winter- between storms, anyway. Monsoon is Nov-March. For mild & dry weather in winter, fly into Vegas and visit Death Valley

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ananda2193

What month's will you be here?

tnog

Yeah Californica is nice and all that, but I believe wholeheartedly that the "House on the Rock" is one of the more interesting attractions that I have ever been to in the United States. I took a detour back in 2000 when I was driving from S.F. to Pittsburgh.

This after getting directions from a really drunk man (and horrible budding saxaphone player) at a party in honor of my imminent (night before) departure from my home state in a strange ramshackle, sort of semi-legal living arrangement that some friends of mine had in Topanga Canyon, LA.

On the strength of his drunken wisdom, I took a really long detour in my travel itinerary.

See it and disbelieve it.

robotvoice

i will agree with what has been said already that you should make it to san francisco. it is a great city with too much stuff to see, for example the church that marylin monroe was married in, the famous catholic church with the address 666 filbert street! There are some amazing beaches nearby too.
while you are in n.y. have you been upstate to Ithica? That is a unique city that you might be interested in, full of gorges and waterfalls.

docgirl2005

My favorite places in the USA for you fellow Indiamiker

1.San Francisco..as mentioned in the threads above. Just a fantastic city in every way possible.

2.Grand Canyon...millions of years old and a majestic wonder.

3.New York City..must I explain why? It is the World's city!

4.Las Vegas..for the gaudiness and excess in all of us

5.Route 66 through the country..never did it but want to

6.Some scenic National Parks like Acadia National Park or Yellowstone. You must see the natural beauty in the USA its really nice.

LilyB

You're thinking of Sedona.

If you're going to be traveling in the next couple of months and you want to visit the Grand Canyon, check the weather first. They tend to get a lot of snow in the winter and it can be windy and excruciatingly cold. You really don't want to show up dressed for Phoenix temperatures and end up freezing to death!

The Central California coast is gorgeous and San Francisco's a fun city. I personally like the Northwest, but I live there so I'm biased. There's so much to see in the US, it may be hard to pick just a few places. Good luck and have fun!