[Travel] Favourite US City / Town

[mune ni kamome]

There's a lot more other countries i would rather visit, starting with South America. It simply doesn't appeal to me. Never has done.

I never fancied the States till I went there. Fantastic, made me realise how far down we have sunk here in Britain.

 

[mikeyjh]

I never fancied the States till I went there. Fantastic, made me realise how far down we have sunk here in Britain.

While things aren't great here, it's very easy to look at middle class US and think how fantastic things are but under the surface they have extreme poverty all over the place, just like us - I've been unfortunate enough to spend a lot of time in the super rich areas of Connecticut - Go to the wrong side of the tracks (literally) in Stamford and you'll find some pretty grim areas squashed between the yacht club and the tennis club. Not difficult to find a few hispanics by the side of the road if you want to pay someone naff all to do your garden. I've worked on a charity project in Phoenix helping do up some houses, that was eye opening and a bit different to the affluent, spacious neighbourhoods I was more used to.

More positively, I could live in NYC or Chicago, Vegas is an absolute blast, and I'd rather deep fry my head in acid than live in said CT towns.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Pacific North West, specifically Oregon would be my recommendation.

Seattle, Puget Sound, Olympia and down to Astoria continuing down the Oregon Coast as far as the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California. Then head back up through Oregon via Ashland with its Shakespeare festival, quick 7 hour detour to Crate Lake, then up past Eugene through the Willamette valley and then out to Bend and the high desert East of the Cascades before rounding Mount Hood and coming back along the Colombia River gorge. Apart from white water rafting (for softies), mountains, prairies, hiking, wine country, scenery, culture, fancy restaurants and a climate similar to Bordeaux it hasn't got much to offer. Finally, get pissed up in Seattle to round things off.

Agree. We have friends who live in West Linn, which is a gorgeous, little leafy town just outside Portland....its such a beautiful area. As you say, the Colombia River & Mount Hood are worth a trip, and I would add in Multnomah Falls & Silver Falls State Park (coldest water I have EVER swum in!) to that list as well.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Juneau for me.

 

[goldstone]

It is indeed a bit of a "look at me" thread, and why not!

I've been to 38 states and lived in Atlanta, Houston, St Louis, New Jersey, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Living in Manhattan for a couple of years (about 8 years ago) was amazing. Every bloke's dream. Still can't believe I had the opportunity. Wonderful city though it is, a couple of years was probably enough for me. A country boy at heart, I found city living a bit of a challenge. Not enough open spaces.

Atlanta … nice place to live; crap place to visit. Used to tell people how much we liked living there, but when they visited we found it tough to explain why.

Houston … awful place. Flat, ugly, horrendous climate. We were there for a year in 1979 and the one thing it had going for it was the country music "urban cowboy" scene.

Living in New Jersey was, surprisingly, very nice. Most people only see the bit between Newark Airport and Manhattan, but go 30 miles west beyond the urban sprawl and there's wide open country, charming small towns, and some great residential areas.

St Louis has to be one of America's more boring towns with summers so hot and humid you don't want to leave your house. Was told by a number of locals that it was a great place to be a kid (safe, well established, good schools), but the moment they could leave town they were off. Then, when they settled down to raise a family St Louis, once again seemed a good choice.

Living in Chicago for a short while was great, but not a place I'd be happy to live for too long. One of the negatives was that there were few nearby places worth visiting.

I liked LA. Not everyone's cup of tea, but the beach areas are very nice and there are some interesting neighbourhoods. If you avoid the crap areas it's actually a decent city.

As for my favourites? I go back to the USA two or three times every year on holiday, and probably the southwest, the west and the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies are my favourite areas for amazing scenery, great cities, and charming small towns.

Other places to recommend are Florida (the west coast and the Panhandle but NOT in summer), New Orleans (amazing), Savannah and Charleston SC (both charming cities and very walkable), Newport RI and New England.

I have been to Nashville and Memphis, but only on business trips many years ago, and both are on my list for this year or next. Also for this year or next is Yellowstone.

On my boring list (personal opinions of course) are Washington DC, Dallas, Philadelphia and Denver. Much as I love the Rocky Mountains and the rest of Colorado, I really can't find any reason to stop off in Denver.

 

[Surf's Up]

Portland

Provincetown

Key West

and of course New York

 

[mylesfdo]

Looking through some old holiday photos & found some of San Diego...my favourite destination in the States to date. Love the look and vibe of the whole place, as well as the weather of course!
Also have a soft spot for Williams, Arizona, on the old Route 66...real small old town feel with the typical main street running through it.

Just wondering what are peoples favourite places to visit in the USA?

Just back from 3 months travelling around California/Nevada doing housesits and have to say San Diego was my fav place out of them all, I did a week in Imperial Beach which was amazing and then another week downtown about 5 blocks from Gas Lamp which was wicked as well! Found the people to be the friendliest in California and the vibe is awesome! With the street scooter thingies that you can just jump on and off you can get anywhere downtown in about 10mins fro $2-3! The weather is also obv the nicest as well imo!

San Fran tbh bit bored of now....yeah its nice and hip etc but weather is pretty shit, its ridiculously expensive and I didnt find the people that friendly.

Vegas Ill always love and spent about a month there in total(3weeks and back for another for bday!) and if you stay off strip its a totally different experience and I could go back there constantly and just visit Red Rock Canyon as the place is just out of this World!

 

[Eggman]

Of the places ive been fortunate enough to visit, Savannah Georgia for the preserved historic city centre, Washington DC for the museums and sight seeing and Chicago which just feels like the most American city ever.

Good shout. Savannah is stunning

 

[Jesus Gul]

Looking at a family fly/drive over Easter. San Fran, Yellowstone, LA, Vegas, San Diego/Tijuana day trip. Few days in each although LA I could easily bypass. Any other gems in that part of the world?

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Just back from 3 months travelling around California/Nevada doing housesits and have to say San Diego was my fav place out of them all, I did a week in Imperial Beach which was amazing and then another week downtown about 5 blocks from Gas Lamp which was wicked as well! Found the people to be the friendliest in California and the vibe is awesome! With the street scooter thingies that you can just jump on and off you can get anywhere downtown in about 10mins fro $2-3! The weather is also obv the nicest as well imo!

San Fran tbh bit bored of now....yeah its nice and hip etc but weather is pretty shit, its ridiculously expensive and I didnt find the people that friendly.

Vegas Ill always love and spent about a month there in total(3weeks and back for another for bday!) and if you stay off strip its a totally different experience and I could go back there constantly and just visit Red Rock Canyon as the place is just out of this World!

San Fran seems to be getting a lot of love on here - but I didn't really like it either when I went in '94. Maybe its changed now, but I wasn't that impressed tbh.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Looking at a family fly/drive over Easter. San Fran, Yellowstone, LA, Vegas, San Diego/Tijuana day trip. Few days in each although LA I could easily bypass. Any other gems in that part of the world?

If you're going between SF & SD, its well worth driving Pacific Highway 1 & paying a visit to Monterey & its waterfront area. Great little town & the coastal drive alone is worth it - as well as all the small communities along the way.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Okay, I will bite. Why?

Not a bite thing, just used to live there.

 

[The Spanish]

Done ten states so far. Favourite city has to be Miami and surrounding area. Not just south beach, but downtown, coconut grove, Bayside, out to Everglade city and Key West were all superb. Not a coincidence that my favourite world cities are coastal.

Chicago and NY are both fantastic.
Enjoyed Vegas for what it was. Wouldn't want to spend more than 3 days there as it feels like your soul is getting eaten away.
San Diego I found was smaller than I expected but was ok, wasn't crazy about it though.

Never been to US city I actively disliked, like some in Europe and Asia I could mention. Even LA has its charms if you avoid downtown and the tourist spots.

Downtown has got immeasurably better in the last couple of years but consequently coconut grove is like a ghost town at the moment. Half the places closed up due to everyone going to Brickell now. Shame as the Grove is very charming when it’s on form.

 

[John Byrnes Mullet]

Ashville, North Carolina....

Two great breweries in New Belgium and Sierra Nevada.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And a big shout out to Detroit. A very fascinating city.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Ashville, North Carolina....

Two great breweries in New Belgium and Sierra Nevada.

Sure I've been there, certainly been to Chimney Rock down the road.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

Not a great lover of cities anywhere, but I could quite easily live in small town Colorado or Wyoming. In particular Boulder in Colorado, just north of Denver, it seems to have a small town feel to it even though it is quite large. Right next door to Rocky Mountains is a big plus. Similarly, I could live in Durango, South West to Rocky Mountains. Also close enough to Monument valley. Perfect spot.

would love to live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Next door to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone Nationals Parks. I think you can tell that I love the wide open spaces of USA.

If I had to live in a city, then NYC

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

Looking through some old holiday photos & found some of San Diego...my favourite destination in the States to date. Love the look and vibe of the whole place, as well as the weather of course!
Also have a soft spot for Williams, Arizona, on the old Route 66...real small old town feel with the typical main street running through it.

Just wondering what are peoples favourite places to visit in the USA?

Stayed in Williams,well used it as a base back in 1991
Old next door neighbours parents had a motel there
Done a bungee jump in nearby Flagstaff
And of course went to the Grand Canyon,which was impressive to say the least

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Downtown has got immeasurably better in the last couple of years but consequently coconut grove is like a ghost town at the moment. Half the places closed up due to everyone going to Brickell now. Shame as the Grove is very charming when it’s on form.

I lived in the Grove in the early/mid 90s and loved it. Sorry to hear it’s having a bad time.

Downtown LA is interesting around the Bradbury Building but not enough there to make a visit of more than an hour or two worthwhile.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I'm surprised! For a start, you can walk it, which kind of marks it out as nearly unique for American cities. Also, there are big lakes/ponds you can skate on in the winter. It has proper seasons, it is clean and has an old world (by their standards) charm. Like.

Absolutely, I like Boston too, been there a good many times as the wife has cousins in New England. If there is such a thing, possibly the closest to a British city that you will find in the US.