where would you go on your dream usa trip?

[alicia1506]

Our trip in 2013 was going to be a big disneypalooza... Dlr + wdw + ioa + dcl.
But it seems my sister may not be coming with us as she wants to focus on saving her deposit for her house and if she doesnt come with, i might change our itinerary to encompass more if the usa and less omg theme parks!!

Dont get me wrong, i fully intend to include a nice long stay at at least one disney location but there is a part of me that yearns to explore new cities, new sights and experiences etc. On our trip last year everywhere we went was new and exciting. If we do a disneypalooza trip i am afraid of losing the 'newness' and the thrill of exploring a destination for the first time..

So... What are your favourite cities/places to visit (excluding disney parks/properties, we all love those) and why did you love it there? Would you go back over and over again or was it a one hit wonder?

 

[Beee]

If money and time were no obstacle I would do a road trip from san fran to nyc via the northern states then down the east coast and back across to the west coast via the southern states...you did ask for dream trip lol.

The next trip for us though will probably be flying to san fran, then nyc then down to dc, across to vegas taking a side trip to grand canyon, then san diego and fly out of LA

 

[Franrose]

I too love SF: more than just for Alcatraz, I love the streets & street cars, Lombard, crabs being cooked down by the wharves, sealions basking... Alcatraz is super interesting especially if you can do a bit of reading about it before you go! I can never think of SF without wondering about all the sharks in the harbour for some reason

Deeeefinately NY: the atmosphere for a start! The places you suddenly realise you recognise from the movies/tv, seeing the Statue of Liberty and realising it's not miles tall ha ha, seeing World Trade One and realising it *is*, hearing the accents, the fake Elmo on Times Square, the smell of the M&Ms shop, the subway (I love the subway!), the Rockerfeller & Empire State, having a carriage ride through central park, shopping, shows... I could go on!!!!

Washington DC: I love the Smithsonians, visiting the Pentagon is surreal (no, you can't take photos around it and no, there isn't a tour inside it - whoops ) and the White House too, you can imagine you're Forrest suddenly hearing Jenny and running through the reflecting pool by the Washington Memorial (and gain a new appreciation for Tom Hanks in this scene - ewww the duck poo! )

Arizona: The Grand Canyon has to be a must do in anyone's life I reckon, there aren't many scenes that have taken my breath away but boy oh boy... it's like it's a painting. It's unreal. LV - you don't have to spend a cent on gambling to appreciate - there's so much to 'lure' the gambler there! Free outdoor shows, bright lights, cheap food, themed hotels... great fun. Yuma Historical Prizon (to remind yourself why being bad in the good old days could have some sucky consequences, if Alcatraz wasn't enough)

Georgia/Alabama - we drove through these places, and camped. It was the first time I really realised that the US has some gorgeous bush/forest regions and wondered why they come so far to visit NZ's bush/forest areas. And real fireflies! Gorgeous homes in Georgia, people sitting out on their front porch with their banjos in Alabama (ok, maybe I'm generalising a little bit there but you do see it!)

San Diego: doesn't really stick out as much in my mind for some reason, but there is the opportunity to visit Sea World and Tijuana, Mexico, and see the fences to keep the border jumpers out, something we Australians & NZs don't really see lol.

 

[cola]

I've seen quite a bit of America. The thing on my 'one day' list is Monument Valley. Things on the maybe are New York (yeah, I know, it's a must do for almost everyone else), and more national parks, and Salton Sea (that place is just so weird!).


I love Vegas, and what you can do around Vegas. Bryce Canyon is amazing. The Grand Canyon is overwhelming in it's size, but you look at an amazing vista, and go to the next spot and it's also an amazing vista, but it's a very similar amazing vista, even the helicoptor ride over it, the size is the amazing thing. Bryce Canyon, every stop is a totally different outlook, and it's also on a much more manageable scale, and Zion National Park is very close, and that is stunning, and a much more manageable size than Yellowstone. Plus Zion seems to be a lot of the scenery in Cars, so it has a Disney link (as does Monument Valley I suppose).
I love Cirque du Soleil shows, and the ones in Vegas are especially amazing - being in purpose built theatres, they do much more than they can in the touring shows that come out to Australia.

New Orleans is so so so different to the rest of the US, I think it is a must do. I want to go back there. San Fransisco is great, and the drive from SF to LA down the coast is stunning. (down the coast it is easier to pull over than going up the coast, similar to Great Ocean Rd you drive west on it for the best views) The Redwoods outside SF.

I'm not a beachy person, but I really enjoy Florida - last trip started with a week in Ft Lauderdale, which I was sort of dreading, BUT it turned out to be great. Practically anywhere can be amazing, if you do the research.


There are all the other international Disney parks. Paris is amazing, Japan is amazing. Europe and Japan and Hong Kong just have so much more history being so much older than Australia and US. With the exchange rate, I found Europe last year pretty cheap - the food and drink was approaching US levels of cheap, and the accommodation was pretty cheap too, about the only killer was the train fares because I didn't want to drive those bits by myself, I booked very late, and I didn't get enough trains to warrant a pass (some of the trip was solo, but not all of it, made it very confusing planning!).

 

[australiankaren]

boston, washington....

loved them both, great for just heading out the door of your hotel and just walking........

would go back in an instant

 

[miss.potatohead]

Similar to yours Alicia DLR + SanFran + WDW + Universal FL + DCL + NYC, maybe through in Hawaii for good measure. I'm more for the thrills rather than the historic parts of the US but maybe over time that'll change. I'm thinking of applying for exchange to AZ next year, so I may end up doing my dream trip before/during/after that, or just wait until I'm a bit older. Ideally I'd love to travel the whole world, but doesn't everyone

 

[areweindisneyyet]

If money and time were no obstacle I would do a road trip from san fran to nyc via the northern states then down the east coast and back across to the west coast via the southern states...you did ask for dream trip lol.

The next trip for us though will probably be flying to san fran, then nyc then down to dc, across to vegas taking a side trip to grand canyon, then san diego and fly out of LA

Love it - Dream Big

I would have to pop up to Colorado at some stage too! Add a cruise up to Alaska and an island cruise in Hawaii on the way home to relax. Need to see New England in the Fall, Christmas in New York. Lots of civil war sites.

 

[Beee]

Love it - Dream Big

I would have to pop up to Colorado at some stage too! Add a cruise up to Alaska and an island cruise in Hawaii on the way home to relax. Need to see New England in the Fall, Christmas in New York. Lots of civil war sites.

Oh yes, forgot an alaskan cruise thrown in there somewhere and I'd also like to go back to hawaii at some point and explore all the islands as we are just staying on oahu this time. About 20 years ago my grandparents spent 6 months travelling the US in a motor home and ever since then its been something I wanted to do...alas it might have to wait another 30 years until I'm retired!

 

[Andona]

Alicia, I think you are Sooo wise to extend your plans to see some of the other wonderful sights that the USA has to offer. The theme parks are great fun but there is so much more to see!!

We've visited 26 states so far, and it's REALLY hard to pick the favourites but...

• I agree with Cola that Bryce Canyon and Zion are not to be missed. One trip We did an amazing drive from Las Vegas to Zion to Bryce Canyon and then via Hwy 12 (amazing scenery!) through Capitol Reef national park and down to Monument Valley ( spectacular!!) , on the the Grand Canyon and back to Vegas. That trip cemented my passion for the Soutwest
• New England in the fall is probably one of the most beautiful thinsg I've ever seen. We drove up over the White Mountain in New Hampshire during the peak of the fall foliage season and I am determined to get back there one day. If you stay in North Conway you have the added advantage of huge outlet centres and NO SALES Tax
• Yellowstone National park is huge but you can see the really spectacular stuff in a few days as part of a longer trip. WE had the benefit of seeing it under it's first falls of winter snow, just breathtaking. That trip we also drove across to Mt Rushmore and it was such a thrill to see that American icon

Favourite Cities

• Washington DC
• Boston
• New Orleans
• San Francisco

I was glad to see New York once, and I know a lot of people on here just love the place but I don't feel any strong desire to go back there. I prefer "pretty" cities

Where do I still want to go??

• The great Northwest - the mountains and national parks of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. I'd LOVE to see Mt St Helens and Mt Ranier
• Bad weather prevented us from driving down to The Grand Tetons National park , I WILL get there some day.
• Hawaii!! This is most likely going to be our holiday next year - Ive been reading up on it and I can't wait !

Lots of other places too - but I'm trying to keep the list reasonable

Andona

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Alicia, I think you are Sooo wise to extend your plans to see some of the other wonderful sights that the USA has to offer. The theme parks are great fun but there is so much more to see!!

We've visited 26 states so far, and it's REALLY hard to pick the favourites but...

• I agree with Cola that Bryce Canyon and Zion are not to be missed. One trip We did an amazing drive from Las Vegas to Zion to Bryce Canyon and then via Hwy 12 (amazing scenery!) through Capitol Reef national park and down to Monument Valley ( spectacular!!) , on the the Grand Canyon and back to Vegas. That trip cemented my passion for the Soutwest
• New England in the fall is probably one of the most beautiful thinsg I've ever seen. We drove up over the White Mountain in New Hampshire during the peak of the fall foliage season and I am determined to get back there one day. If you stay in North Conway you have the added advantage of huge outlet centres and NO SALES Tax
• Yellowstone National park is huge but you can see the really spectacular stuff in a few days as part of a longer trip. WE had the benefit of seeing it under it's first falls of winter snow, just breathtaking. That trip we also drove across to Mt Rushmore and it was such a thrill to see that American icon

Favourite Cities

• Washington DC
• Boston
• New Orleans
• San Francisco

I was glad to see New York once, and I know a lot of people on here just love the place but I don't feel any strong desire to go back there. I prefer "pretty" cities

Where do I still want to go??

• The great Northwest - the mountains and national parks of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. I'd LOVE to see Mt St Helens and Mt Ranier
• Bad weather prevented us from driving down to The Grand Tetons National park , I WILL get there some day.
• Hawaii!! This is most likely going to be our holiday next year - Ive been reading up on it and I can't wait !

Lots of other places too - but I'm trying to keep the list reasonable

Andona

Love Washington State. Could go back to the Northwest in a heartbeat. So much I didnt see.

Andona, I just realised you were in France for Anzac Day last year too! How funny.

 

[Andona]

Andona, I just realised you were in France for Anzac Day last year too! How funny.

Were you there? What a small world!

Now that was a fantastic experience - so moving and made you feel very proud!

Andona

 

[5ofus]

Andona, what made you like Washington so much? I know you listed a lot of other places (one day I'd love to take my mum up to see all of New England during Fall), but Washington is a city on our shortlist for 2015. Our boys will be 4, 6 and 8 so any suggestions will be very welcome

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Were you there? What a small world!

Now that was a fantastic experience - so moving and made you feel very proud!

Andona

We sure were, the dawn service was very moving indeed and so glad to have done it once. Anzac Day has always held a special significance but this was something else. It really is a small world.

 

[Tashinwdw]

There are so many places I would love to see and if there was no budget or time limit I would probably drive from one side zig zagging all the way to the other side.

I did love New York, loved the hussle bussle as it is so different to what I am used to. Loved the shows and never ever felt unsafe when walking around day or night. SF was also a beautiful city, so colourful, loved their houses. New Orleans was also one of my fav's, going to old plantation properties and hearing the stories was great - not a big fan of the food though. Another must that I really would recommend was Niagra Falls - it was in April and there were still lots of it frozen and it was like nothing I had ever seen before. The ice was huge and my friend and I would stop every few steps and take more photos because it just took our breath away. Not sure I would be very excited about it in the warmer months. I would also agree the Bryce Canyon is another must, I loved it more than the Grand Canyon.
My definite wish list is a cruise up to Alaska, I would also like to do New Hampshire and up that way, it always looks so beautiful and peaceful in photos.

Good luck with whatever you do, I am sure it will be lots of fun.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

26 States! I'm envious

I've been to a few slightly more random US cities (e.g Detroit) and half a dozen or so of the more touristy ones. But overall, my US experience is fairly limited.

The absolute top of my list is Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I just want to wait for my son to get a bit older so he is patient with the animal spotting.

Also high on my list are an Alaskan cruise and New England in the fall.

Las Vegas is my all time favourite city anywhere in the world. In general I'm not a fan of cities, but LV, despite being completely devoid of taste, is so much fun. I particularly love all the shows. I'm not sure I would be keen on taking my son there though.

Memphis was one of the most memorable US cities I've visited for both good and not so good reasons. I count a trip to Graceland as one of my most enjoyable US experiences and I'm not an Elvis Fan.

Wasn't much of a fan of San Fran, but that could partly be due to a few scary experiences where I felt unsafe.

Was quite underwhelmed by the Grand Canyon, but I think it's just because it's not really my idea of stunning scenery (I love scenery that is lush and alive with trees and plants and cascading water etc). But what I did love was the storytelling skills of our cowboy guide. To date the best guide I've ever encountered.

I think people's opinions are as variable as U.S. landscapes. One person's most loved location will be another's least favourite. I think one thing we all agree on however, is that any place with a Disney Park is, by default, bound to be good

 

[Franrose]

About 20 years ago my grandparents spent 6 months travelling the US in a motor home and ever since then its been something I wanted to do...alas it might have to wait another 30 years until I'm retired!

This is what my parents do every year - they haven't experienced winter in quite some time as they do summer in NZ, and then summer in the US. They have an RV and a boat there, and live on one or the other for six months just wandering wherever. They'll be on to their seventh year of this next year, but I'm not jealous! (And no, they won't share lol, they're a bit precious like that. I've only seen their RV once, it was a couple of years old and it still had some of the plastic on things like the bedside lamp on my dad's side )

 

[Andona]

Andona, what made you like Washington so much? I know you listed a lot of other places (one day I'd love to take my mum up to see all of New England during Fall), but Washington is a city on our shortlist for 2015. Our boys will be 4, 6 and 8 so any suggestions will be very welcome

I just thought it was such an attractive, well laid out, green city with such amazing sightlines ( wonderful for photos) Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gazing down past the Washington Monument to the Capitol in the distance was one spot that sent chills up my spine ( especially as we were standing exactly on the spot where Martin Luther Kings gave his "I Have a Dream" speech )

I've always been interested in American politics too and we were there 2 weeks before their last election - was very exciting, the buzz on the streets and was amazing.

I'm sorry but our DS was a teenager at the time so we didn't really look into anything that would appeal to very young kids. I'm sure they'd love the Spy Museum and the Air and Space Museum - there were bound to be other kid-friendly spots too ... but we just didn't seek them out

We sure were, the dawn service was very moving indeed and so glad to have done it once. Anzac Day has always held a special significance but this was something else. It really is a small world.

Isn't it! It was a big deal for my DH - he has 5 relatives who died in France during WW1, two of them were named on the wall at the Villers Brettoneux memorial and we drove around the countryside to find where the others were buried. Our DS was in the cadets at the time too and he was very, very interested in the ceremonial aspects of the dawn service.

The absolute top of my list is Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I just want to wait for my son to get a bit older so he is patient with the animal spotting.......

You know the really cool thing about Yellowstone is that that you can't go anywhere without almost tripping over the wildlife! The elk were roaming through the main streets and lawns in Mammoth Springs and you basically have to dodge around the bison at Old Faithful. There was a coyote wandering through the carpark near the river and we saw deer passing along the side of the road near the river. However the wolves and the bears are certainly shy - my DH and I still argue about whether the furry thing we saw in the distance one day was a wolf or a coyote...

I'd love to go back to Yellowstone during their mid-winter season and ride around on snow-mobiles and go snow-shoeing. Too many places...not enough time or money!

Andona

 

[zanzibar138]

If money and time were no obstacle I would do a road trip from san fran to nyc via the northern states then down the east coast and back across to the west coast via the southern states...you did ask for dream trip lol.

This I have a seriously long travel list for the US.

But seriously, since I haven't won the lotto recently, I'll try to keep a realistic list for you!

I would definitely recommend the Grand Canyon to anyone. And don't just take a day trip from Vegas, walk up to the edge and say 'I've seen it'. Stay there overnight at least - it's just like a cute alpine village! We stayed at the Bright Angel Lodge, which is right at the edge of the canyon. Watch a sunset, and a sunrise. See all the colours. And if you can, I would highly recommend getting down to the bottom somehow. We got a whole new perspective riding mules down skinny tracks on the side of the cliff... And when we got to what I thought was the bottom, we were only halfway down! I never would have known that from the top. And if you're driving out there from Vegas - try to drive along Route 66 for a while.

San Francisco is lovely and I wish we'd spent more time there - would definitely go back there! I'd also like to do a side trip to Yellowstone NP.

Other than that, I'm most interested in the south. I'd most like to do a big road trip, as there's no one place I can imagine spending a lot of time. Would probably be worth spending a few days in New Orleans, but apart from that I'd just go between all the awesome national parks and monuments between there and Vegas. I'm especially set on seeing those giant saguaro cactii! They're only found around Tucson in the south of Arizona.

New England looks lovely too, and I'd definitely be interested in going there, especially if it's during their autumn.

I'm not really into big cities personally, but everyone I know who has gone to New York has loved it. Same with Vegas, although I found it a bit too overwhelming. I also know someone who enjoyed a stay in Washington. Depends what you're into really... I'm more of a natural wonders and Disney sort of person

 

[Andona]

Other than that, I'm most interested in the south. I'd most like to do a big road trip, as there's no one place I can imagine spending a lot of time. Would probably be worth spending a few days in New Orleans, but apart from that I'd just go between all the awesome national parks and monuments between there and Vegas. I'm especially set on seeing those giant saguaro cactii! They're only found around Tucson in the south of Arizona.

Zanzibar, your dream trip sounds very familiar... we did it last month and yes those Saguaro are HUGE! There's a pic of me standing next to one on my TR

Andona

 

[battymum]

All these suggestions sound amazing, but Alicia and Carlo don't drive, so I'm guessing a road trip is not in their plans.

FWIW I have a desperate yearning to go back to NYC - you can cruise from there as well Alicia.!

While I loved wdw, I don't think I would go there without children, while I don't doubt that we would have a great time, I would rather take the time to see some real America, (with a touch of dlr on the way home)