I’ve decided I’m going to go to North America in mid-December. Flying into LAX then onto Vancouver up to Whistler for some sking and then New York. [sub]Hopefully.[/sub]
What else can I do? I’m looking for something interesting to do in North America. What would you do if you were a tourist for two weeks?
Well, it’s a pretty big place. Given enough time and money, you could do nearly anything.
If you’re only here two weeks, I would concentrate on seeing as much of your already planned cities as you can. There are lifetime New Yorkers who haven’t seen all of the fun parts of their city.
Have fun!
I agree - having recently spent nine weeks in North America (see the website of our travels if you are interested - and for some ideas), I can say that spending longer in fewer places would have made the trip better. We spent too much time rushing from one place to another to really experience (or enjoy) some of the places - not that I would be able to cut any of them out were I to plan it all again, in fact, I would be looking to squeeze a few more in if I am honest (South Utah, for example)
If you only have two weeks in total for your trip - stick with what you’ve got.
If you have an extra two weeks to fill - Highway 1 from LA to San Fransisco is lovely, as is Yosemite National Park and the Nappa Valley vineyards
Bon Voyage
Grim
To clarify, yes I have two or so weeks to fill. The ticket I am purchasing is up to 35 day. So I figured I may as well do as much stuff as I can.
You can watch the toliets flush clockwise for a change.
Damn you, Hans. You beat me to it. 
(Yes, yes, UL, I know, I know. Leave us alone!)
Well, it wouldn’t be a trip to North America if you didn’t get in a car and drive somewhere for a few days.
I recommend seeing the Grand Canyon and/or the canyon country of Southern Utah (Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Arches), like grimpixie mentioned. It’s a pretty unique area. December would certainly be the off-season, so you shouldn’t have problems finding lodging.
New York is nice, too, but if I had only 2 weeks to see North America I wouldn’t spend more than a couple of days here.
2 weeks isn’t long enough. You’ll barely be over your jetlag before it’s time to turn around and go home.
Try to stay a month if you can.
Washington, DC and vicinity is very interesting. You can see it on TV, but you must see the monuments, etc. in person. DC is about a four hours drive from NYC.
New Orleans, Louisiana is very different from the rest of the U.S. Great food, history, architecture…
Key West, Florida and other keys like Key Largo – just because I like them. You can go swimming, kayaking, boating, …
I also like Yellowstone Nat’l Park, Glacier Nat’l Park, Yosemite…
It all depends on your interests, funds, and time. Bon voyage! 
Vegas Baby!
No really see the Grand Canyon or Washington DC.
A series of Dopefests?
Don’t forget that your travel time coincides with winter on this side of the planet.
If you can weather the Aussie pilots/labor/management/ATC/any ol excuse strikes in Oz, you can weather any potential weather delays here.
Keep in mind many (outdoor) tourist spots in America/Canada will be severely limited or closed, unless you are into winter activities.
Well, it is booked in. All that has to be done is pay.
SYD-LAX 15 Dec
LAX-SYD 14 Jan
Is there any age restrictions on renting a car? The Avis website says 25 but in some cases 21 or even 18.
Good amount of time! Looks like you must be 21 to rent a car in the U.S., but could pay higher if you’re under 25:
I’d check a bunch of sites to see which ones don’t impose the surcharge for the age, if that’s what you require.
So how does one get a ticket to your so-called “football” games?
Search by New York’s two football teams, the Giants and the Jets.
As a matter of fact The Jets are playing the Green Bay Packers at home (Meadowlands arena, Rutherford, NJ) on 12/29/02.
The Packers are from Green Bay, Wisconsin and their fans wear foam hats shaped like cheese. No, really.