[Travel] Favourite US City / Town

[Easy 10]

Minneapolis in the "fall" was lovely.

 

[Springal]

Recently did a 2 week California road trip. I do like America actually and I've done a few short visits on the West Coast but not as much time as the East Coast.

San Diego was amazing, great vibe and lovely weather down there. LA was pretty sprawling and alright, beachy bits nice enough. Napa etc pretty nice, I like the fact they don't have any buildings higher than 3 stories. San Fran I had been to the most but we stayed in a neighborhood so was nice to explore a lot more. Mad how many parks / beaches there are round there. Big Sur was breathtaking! The food and drink is amazing, its pretty difficult to end up in a chain place - everywhere was independent and quality. The Craft beer is incredible

Downsides - The amount of people with mental health issues and homeless is getting worse. Normally it doesn't phase me but in some places it was really, really bad. They're basically just left to get on with it. Food / Drink is pretty expensive, even if the rate was a bit better it'd still be fairly pricey everywhere - but it seems in line with local wages so makes sense.

 

[AZ Gull]

Big Sur was breathtaking!

It certainly is. Last autumn I flew to LA, hired a car and spent a week driving up that stretch of the PCH to San Francisco. Fantastic part of the world.

 

[Jam The Man]

Except that NYC is unlike almost anywhere else in the USA. I do love it, though. There's always somewhere else to explore and something else to do.

My favourite other US cities are San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans and Boston. I've lived and worked in Miami, so I see it a bit differently. I can understand why people dislike it but there's far more to it than South Beach (which is in Miami Beach anyway, technically a different city). Parts of LA are interesting (the canyons, Venice Beach) but most of it isn't.

Dallas I thought was dull apart from the Kennedy assassination museum at Dealey Plaza, which I thought was fascinating, and Houston was dreadful - a humid sprawl of drabness.

Agreed - fascinating is the right word.
What surprised me most was how much of a downhill slope that road where he got shot actually was

 

[Jam The Man]

Love Scottsdale, Arizona and Fort Worth, Texas

Anyone know how easy it is to up sticks and retire to the States?

 

[FamilyGuy]

Waikiki is nice, so is Kuiai (sp?)
Chicago's fun too.

 

[Badger]

Love Scottsdale, Arizona and Fort Worth, Texas

Anyone know how easy it is to up sticks and retire to the States?

I was in Scottsdale a couple of months ago. I agree, it's a very nice town, definitely the best town in the Phoenix area. Having said that, I wouldn't rush to go back there. There really isn't a lot to do in the Phoenix cities, it's just a sprawling suburban metropolis in a desert. It must be horrific in the heat of the summer.

Hiking around Sedona was fantastic though.

 

[Jam The Man]

I was in Scottsdale a couple of months ago. I agree, it's a very nice town, definitely the best town in the Phoenix area. Having said that, I wouldn't rush to go back there. There really isn't a lot to do in the Phoenix cities, it's just a sprawling suburban metropolis in a dessert. It must be horrific in the heat of the summer.

Hiking around Sedona was fantastic though.

Yeah it was bloody hot the two or three times I went there. Never met more friendly people anywhere else I’ve been.

 

[dazzer6666]

Love Scottsdale, Arizona and Fort Worth, Texas

Anyone know how easy it is to up sticks and retire to the States?

Had a brief look a few months ago - doesn’t look possible (certainly not easy) on a permanent basis as far as I could see. You can get a 6 month visitor’s visa (B2 ?) but probably need to maintain a UK home to be accepted even for that. Surprising really, would have thought they’d encourage anyone financially independent.

Other big consideration would be medical costs - insurance is horrifically expensive.

 

[Jam The Man]

Had a brief look a few months ago - doesn’t look possible (certainly not easy) on a permanent basis as far as I could see. You can get a 6 month visitor’s visa (B2 ?) but probably need to maintain a UK home to be accepted even for that. Surprising really, would have thought they’d encourage anyone financially independent.

Other big consideration would be medical costs - insurance is horrifically expensive.

Yeah the latter but has always made me cautious!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Anyone know how easy it is to up sticks and retire to the States?

Had a brief look a few months ago - doesn’t look possible (certainly not easy) on a permanent basis as far as I could see. You can get a 6 month visitor’s visa (B2 ?) but probably need to maintain a UK home to be accepted even for that. Surprising really, would have thought they’d encourage anyone financially independent.

Other big consideration would be medical costs - insurance is horrifically expensive.

I won’t say anything about Brexit.

 

[dazzer6666]

I won’t say anything about Brexit.

Several Caribbean Islands are actively encouraging immigrants [emoji106][emoji16]

 

[AZ Gull]

It must be horrific in the heat of the summer.

I'd rather be here when it's 115F than in the UK when you've had a few days of hot(tish) humid weather.

 

[Badger]

I'd rather be here when it's 115F than in the UK when you've had a few days of hot(tish) humid weather.

I prefer the Toronto summer.

 

[AZ Gull]

I prefer the Toronto summer.

Never had the pleasure. The only time I've visited the Toronto area was in the winter (for work), when we took a trip to Niagara Falls and saw inch-thick ice on the railings.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Love Scottsdale, Arizona and Fort Worth, Texas

Anyone know how easy it is to up sticks and retire to the States?

I worked as a contractor for Intel in Chandler for 3 months, just south of Scottsdale. Loved the whole Phoenix area, stunning scenery within a few miles. It was during the summer and I remember the really high temperatures, but it was a dry heat with very little humidity so it was bearable - and they had these spray misters everywhere you went so you could cool off walking underneath them. You also got a bloody great static electric shock when you went to your car in the morning and put the key in the lock.

 

[Marlton and Hove Albion]

So funny. I worked for Intel as a contractor for 3 years in Chandler, AZ although I never lived there. In the summer it was hot as balls. I remember playing golf in August. It was 118F and I must have had 15 gallons of water over 4 long hours of misery. I remember the "misting" machines running all day long to keep the smokers from dying as they puffed away outside.

 

[Marlton and Hove Albion]

On a long summer drive with my family last summer, I stumbled on a couple of places I'd highly recommend. Flagstaff AZ - loved it - good for visiting Grand Canyon. High enough in the mountains that it doesn't boil in summer. Very green and lots of nice people. Also on Route 66 if you like that kind of thing. And Meteor Crater 30 miles away in Winslow, if you like that kind of thing.

Another good spot is Telluride CO - again in summer - so prices are 1/4 of winter skiing rates. 10,000 feet up, cool people, great restaurants and unbelievable scenery. Days trips to Ouray (Little Switzerland) where you can soak in hot volcanic springs. A terrific craft brewery.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

They were a bloody good company to work for - treated their staff and contractors very well. I was a green badge contractor, their own guys had blue ones. Their staff had great perks and discounts but even as contractors we used to get good deals on flights and hotels. Every so often we had to go into the Fab where the chips were made and you had to put on the bunny suits you see in the ads - only there for a short time but really enjoyed it.

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

New York
Chicago
San Diego