# Traveling to the USA. Where to go, what to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913 "2013-06-13T16:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/21 "2013-06-14T05:30:06Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > And you’re suggesting _southern_ California? _I grew up there 50 years ago._ I know from pollution! wow, an opinion made 50 years ago. what’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/22 "2013-06-14T05:36:16Z")
Hit Washington D.C. and spend a week or more going through the various museums there. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/23 "2013-06-14T15:58:16Z")
Yosemite National Park. You’ll thank me. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/24 "2013-06-14T16:17:10Z")
If you plan to rent a car, and like driving loooong distances, you could drive across the country. Land in NY, Boston, or some other east coast spot, wind up in Californa, Oregon, or Washington State. The sheer variety of changing terrain is pretty eye opening. Count on that taking a full week of 10 hour driving days, however - 3000 miles (roughly 5000 km), and 450 miles a day with brief stops of an hour or two here and there plus overnights. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/25 "2013-06-14T16:28:46Z")
So, OP, have any of our suggestions intrigued you? Let us know what you’re thinking! As this thread shows, you’ve got lots of great options to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/26 "2013-06-14T16:37:00Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > You want wilderness and solitude, and your best bet is California. Death Valley, Yosemite, and Point Reyes. Death Valley to forget and start anew, Yosemite for the sheer wonder, and Point Reyes for relaxation and reflection. Someone at work just came back from Yosemite, and the water levels are way down, so the falls aren’t as nice as sometimes. And Death Valley is freakin’ hot this time of year - spring is better for it. Point Reyes is always nice, though, and can be the start or a tour around Northern CA, wine country, redwoods, etc. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/27 "2013-06-14T16:52:04Z")
I don’t gamble, but I still enjoyed Vegas a lot. You have: - great shows, especially music and magic (Penn and Teller are awesome) - wide choice of food, from good-value buffets to top-quality restaurants - hotel attractions (Bellagio fountains; New York, New York ride) - Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/28 "2013-06-14T18:12:19Z")
[Chicago](http://www.choosechicago.com/) should be worth a serious look. It is a great American city and you’ll find it less expensive than many of the Eastern cities (NYC, Boston, Washington, DC) ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/29 "2013-06-14T18:18:56Z")
Sorry for not replying, I was kinda busy. I am thinking of taking 7 to 10 days. Definitely not less than 7, maybe a little more than 10. I want to see some desert! Drive on those long stretches of highway in the middle of nowhere, like in the movies! I also want to see the Grand Canyon and walk on that glass bridge. How about taking the plane to Los Angeles, staying there for a couple of days, then Las Vegas and then Grand Canyon? ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/30 "2013-06-14T18:22:41Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > If you plan to rent a car, and like driving loooong distances, you could drive across the country. Land in NY, Boston, or some other east coast spot, wind up in Californa, Oregon, or Washington State. The sheer variety of changing terrain is pretty eye opening. Count on that taking a full week of 10 hour driving days, however - 3000 miles (roughly 5000 km), and 450 miles a day with brief stops of an hour or two here and there plus overnights. I have no problem driving long distances, but doing it every day for 10 hours is not my idea of fun 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/31 "2013-06-14T18:34:43Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Sorry for not replying, I was kinda busy. > > I am thinking of taking 7 to 10 days. Definitely not less than 7, maybe a little more than 10. > > I want to see some desert! Drive on those long stretches of highway in the middle of nowhere, like in the movies! > > I also want to see the Grand Canyon and walk on that glass bridge. > > How about taking the plane to Los Angeles, staying there for a couple of days, then Las Vegas and then Grand Canyon? If you’re going to go all the way to the Grand Canyon, maybe do a raft trip or something to make it more of an experience. Most people who just go to see it look around for awhile and get back in the car and drive back home. If it were me, I wouldn’t make the long trip from LA to the Grand Canyon just to look at it. (you could do a flying tour from vegas). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/32 "2013-06-14T18:49:37Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > If you’re going to go all the way to the Grand Canyon, maybe do a raft trip or something to make it more of an experience. Most people who just go to see it look around for awhile and get back in the car and drive back home. If it were me, I wouldn’t make the long trip from LA to the Grand Canyon just to look at it. (you could do a flying tour from vegas). Yep. Grand Canyon is lovely (hell, it’s fucking STUNNING) but unless you’re hiking, there’s not really all that much to do right there. A day trip, maybe. There are many many other things to do within a few hours of there. I’ve mentioned it before but one thing we did 3 years ago was a smoothwater rafting trip out of Page, AZ - it was a half-day thing, we put into the water just below Glen Canyon Dam, and rafted down for about 2 hours or so (then an hour-long bus trip back to Page). We were very briefly in Grand Canyon NP then, we got out at Lees Ferry (which is where a lot of the whitewater trips put _in_). I started a thread 3ish years back when we were planning the trip. We wound up doing a big circle around the canyon. We flew into Vegas, then went up into southern Utah, settled down in Kanab for most of a week (on the suggestion of another Doper) and did day trips to the North Rim, Bryce Canyon, and Zion national parks. Then up to Page AZ, then down to Phoenix to meet up with friends, then up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (that’s the built-up touristy area), then back to Las Vegas. We did visit the Hoover Dam at the end of that trip, as well as the Las Vegas strip. If you like shows, Vegas is great even if you don’t gamble. For example Cirque du Soleil has so many different variants that a friend of mine who just retired wants to go to Vegas just to see them all. In all honesty, while NY, Chicago, LA etc. are all fantastic places to visit, to my mind the really unique place to visit would be the southwest - Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico. I assume you’re coming from Europe? You have big cities there (London, Paris, Rome etc.), and you have the Alps for your gorgeous mountain fix (don’t get me wrong, I lurrrrrve the Rocky Mountains). But if you’ve got anything like the desert southwest, I’ve never heard of it. The distances are long, and as a friend who lives in Phoenix said: don’t let your car get below half-full on gasoline because there _are_ places where it’s 20+ miles to the next fuel stop. Another part of the country I’d like to spend more time in: the northern part of that same section of the country. Yellowstone / Grand Teton / Glacier national parks are all places we’ve visited and love. Ditto the coastal regions of the northwest. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/33 "2013-06-14T18:53:38Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Eat barbecue. Yes, but what style? North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Memphis, Kansas City, Texas… ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/34 "2013-06-14T18:53:54Z")
Oooh - and if you do spend any time in Vegas (e.g. flying into/out of the airport), there really are slot machines EVERYWHERE - OK, at least in the buildings we were in. You’re inundated by them the minute you get off the plane. They’re all over the **rental car building** (in fact I dropped a dollar in a nickel slot just after returning our car). To get to the truly fantastic buffets in the big hotels you have to get past tons of slot machines and other stuff. We don’t enjoy gambling - at all - so didn’t partake except for that dollar (of which I got about 50 cents back) and the buck I put in a slot machine to let the kids see it’s a bad deal (fortunately I lost or that lesson would’ve been shot to hell :p). But as a non-gambling visitor, you’d get to benefit from all the idiots who _can’t_ do math, and thus fund the lavish fountains, lions on display etc. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/35 "2013-06-14T18:55:03Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Yes, but what style? North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Memphis, Kansas City, Texas… ruh-roh… let the wars begin!!! 😉 (I do miss me some NC-style BBQ). ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/36 "2013-06-14T19:43:58Z")
[The Grand Staircase](http://www.google.com/search?q=geology+the+grand+staircase&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=7XC7Uc_fNIj_rQH6wIHoCQ&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=1274&bih=914), Cedar Breaks, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, etc. It’d be worth making this part of your trip. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/37 "2013-06-14T20:36:49Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I also want to see the Grand Canyon and walk on that glass bridge. Don’t even consider it - the glass bridge, I mean, not the Grand Canyon. That glass walkway isn’t even located in the National Park; it’s on an Indian reservation, it doesn’t overlook the most scenic part of the park, and it costs a small fortune. It’s a total tourist ripoff. See the REAL Grand Canyon, from the National Park on either the North or South Rims. The North Rim is less visited, more forested, and gives you a better sense of being alone with the canyon (more intimate), while the South Rim is more crowded but offers wider, more sweeping views. I’ll second the suggestion to go on a Grand Canyon rafting trip if you have the time and the money. They come in two flavors: see half the canyon on a 7 day tour, or the whole canyon on a 10 day (motorized) or 14-16 day (rowing) trip. I did such a trip in 2010, and can vouch that it’s truly a trip of a lifetime. **lieu** ’s itinerary is a good one, too. Or you can base yourself in Moab, and spend time visiting Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The Grand Canyon rims and Bryce Canyon will be fairly cool, but the rest of the area will be hot if you’re coming in the summer! But you did say you wanted to see a desert, and that’s part of the experience. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/38 "2013-06-14T21:25:53Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Sorry for not replying, I was kinda busy. > > I am thinking of taking 7 to 10 days. Definitely not less than 7, maybe a little more than 10. > > I want to see some desert! Drive on those long stretches of highway in the middle of nowhere, like in the movies! > > I also want to see the Grand Canyon and walk on that glass bridge. > > How about taking the plane to Los Angeles, staying there for a couple of days, then Las Vegas and then Grand Canyon? The drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas will give you more than enough desert. Then even more from Vegas to Arizona. As long as you’re down that way (the Four Corners area), I cannot recommend [Mesa Verde](http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm) highly enough. You can actually hike down a decent trail right up to the Pueblo ruins. If you want more remote, and don’t mind camping, pack up some gear and drive out to [Chaco Canyon](http://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm), where you can stare at your navel without being disturbed. A truly spectacular place to go that isn’t as hard to get to as Chaco is [Canyon de Chelly](http://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm) (pronounced “shay”) in Arizona. You can hire a Native guide to drive out into the canyon itself, beneath 2000 foot walls, or just drive out along the rim and look at the pueblos through binoculars. It’s truly awe-inspiring, and there is a motel/restaurant there. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/39 "2013-06-14T22:10:48Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > I’ll second the suggestion to go on a Grand Canyon rafting trip if you have the time and the money. They come in two flavors: see half the canyon on a 7 day tour, or the whole canyon on a 10 day (motorized) or 14-16 day (rowing) trip. I did such a trip in 2010, and can vouch that it’s truly a trip of a lifetime. The Grand Canyon would be kinda hard to work into a 7-10 day itinerary. You can see it barely at all (1 day at either rim) or see nothing else (week long rafting trip). I did a quick visit to the South Rim about ten years ago, and it really just whet my appetite. I knew that to really appreciate it, I’d have to work at it. So I did some research and planning and took a cross-canyon hike a few years later. **Dog80** , maybe this is the trip to see several different places and come back someday to the ones that stay in your dreams. **artemis** , I’ve thought of doing a rafting trip. I might ask your opinions on the subject, someday. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913/40 "2013-06-14T22:33:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The Grand Canyon would be kinda hard to work into a 7-10 day itinerary. You can see it barely at all (1 day at either rim) or see nothing else (week long rafting trip). I agree that if he went for a rafting trip (assuming he could even find a spot available at this point), that would be the entirety of the trip. But **Dog80** said he wanted to get away from it all in the aftermath of his recent breakup - and the bottom of the Grand Canyon is absolutely perfect for that! No TV, no emails, no outside world at all, just you and your trip mates and canyon walls and the big rolling river. It’s a little slice of heaven. It might be hard to set up on short notice, though. > [@](#): > > **artemis** , I’ve thought of doing a rafting trip. I might ask your opinions on the subject, someday. Feel free to ask away! Given that you’ve already hiked the canyon, I am sure you’d enjoy the experience of rafting it as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-usa-where-to-go-what-to-do/660913.md?page=3)