Other than SF, do you have any other travel plans?
I am not sure I would like to go to a rodeo. I will stay in the area for two weeks, so I can probably fly somewhere else as well. I don’t want to spend too much, though. I might want to buy myself a nice camera.
Well, if you are going to hang around the San Francisco area, you should probably go up to Napa/Sonoma and try some excellent California wines.
Will you have a car? That will make a huge difference in what people suggest.
The US is very car-oriented. Other than flying between major cities, a car is pretty much required to get to most of the interesting spots.
Hitchhike to Saginaw.
Good tip, Paul.
Okay, I went and done done it. With the help of some Google-fu, found this list of prior threads with suggestions for things to see and do in and around the San Francisco Bay Area:
Off the beaten path for a quick trip to San Francisco
I’m visiting San Francisco in December
getting to San Francisco from San Jose and big bus tour
What Should I Do In San Francisco?
What to see/do in San Mateo/ San Francisco?
Strange and bizarre things to do in and around San Francisco.
Help me plan my itinerary for a San Francisco vacation
Photography in San Francisco (Newbie photography hobbyist seeks photo suggestions in SF.)
what are some cool things to do in the Bay Area?
San Francisco and Vancouver in October
San Francisco Dopers - Kayak? Hike? (Suggestions for kayaking and hiking in the area)
I have two days in San Francisco; what should I see?
What Is This San Francisco Landmark? (Detailed discussion of Coit Tower, mostly)
Things to do end of June in San Francisco…
I’m in San Francisco. What should I do tonight and tomorrow?
San Francisco - what not to miss?
Sausalito Ferry to San Francisco (Looks like pointers to bars near the Ferry terminals mostly)
Driving the Redwood Highway (Scenic Highway 101 from SF to Oregon border)
Seattle to San Diego with kids - where to stop? (Includes some suggestions in/around SF area)
What should I do in the US? (Specificallly, in/around SF area, mostly)
Just noticed your remark that you might want to buy a camera.
So, let me call your attention specifically to one of the links in the above compendium, in which Dopers tell of their favorite photo ops in the area.
Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking America is like a European country in scale. Sure, that other city you think you’ll pop over to is in the same state. But it could easily be 300 miles away.
You don’t have to gamble to enjoy Vegas. Each casino tries to outdo the next, so just walk the strip & enjoy the white tigers & dolphin habitat at the Mirage, lions in the lobby of the MGM (go at feeding time), the fountains at Bellagio, the list goes on and each attraction is more absurdly spectacular than the next…and free. You can see it all in 24 hours & if you go mid week, hotel prices are a steal.
Driving distance from SF to LA: 381 miles. And although we call SF “Northern CA”, that’s weighted by population. By geography, it’s really Central CA. It’s another 350 miles north to Crescent City, which is up near the Oregon border.
The Alcatraz tour in San Fransisco is very cool. I highly recommend checking that out, especially if you are interested in history.
Maybe this is a good place for another future traveller to the US to ask a question … BF and me will be coming to the States next year and plan a few days in LA. BF is a mad amateur astronomer and wants to visit Mount Wilson observatory (we’re planning our trip round the total solar eclipse in August 2017).
Problem is that neither of us want to drive, not being accustomed to driving on the right. Are there any organised coach tours that go there, or any form of public transport? Or how much would it be for a taxi?
Note that the eclipse will not be total anywhere in California.
Where are you planning on viewing it?
BTW - best dark skies in the Western US are near Zion or Bryce, and of course, Yellowstone.
I wouldn’t spread myself to thin if I were you. Two weeks is not a lot of time. An English friend of mine, one who had been in the US on multiple occasions in the past and so maybe ought to have known better, a few years ago planned a three-week US trip with his Thai girlfriend. He showed me their planned itinerary before they left. Started in California in a rental car, then up through Oregon, Washington state, over to North and South Dakota, then down to the Southwest including Las Vegas – which they both already loved, having been there before – Utah and the Grand Canyon, then back to California. And that’s just the part I remember. In three weeks! He found it incredible that I’d not been to most of those places. I suggested his itinerary might be a tad ambitious.
When he returned to Thailand, I learned he’d had to trim a lot of that. He hadn’t quite been aware of how big the US was despite having driven straight cross-country from west to east one time. He then understood why I’d not seen so many of those places. Was surprised he had to drive pretty much all day, then have just a couple of hours at their destination.
The “American way of life” covers a lot of variety. I’d stick with California if you’re intent on seeing San Francisco. There’s certainly enough in the state to keep you occupied for two weeks. Maybe shoot over to Vegas and/or the Grand Canyon if you really want to.
Yes, that’s exactly the trap my friend fell into.
Gray Line Tours does trips from San Francisco to the Muir Woods. There are several choices that include a stop there, and prices are very reasonable.
Probably the best way to think about it is that America is more like Europe in scale, and the states themselves are on the order of European countries, with the large ones like Texas, California and Florida being in the same order of magnitude as the biggest European countries.
Once you realize that, the scale becomes more apparent.
The OP’s from Brazil though, so maybe they do have a clue as to how big the US is…
Yes, that’s all sorted. We will be on an organised eclipse tour from the UK viewing it from Jackson, then staying on for a couple of weeks to see other astronomical sites like the Meteor Crater and Flagstaff Observatory, as well as Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
This will be BF’s eighth TSE and my sixth!
Jackson is the obvious place to view it from, so I’m avoiding it.
It’s going to be a zoo.
I’m going farther west, to the deserts of Oregon, where there will (hopefully) be smaller crowds.
If you want a really special tour, visit the Stewart Mirror Lab at UofA. It would be worth skipping Lowell to see it. (Lowell is nice, but it’s mostly a historical observatory. The 24" refractor is a beautiful instrument, though).
I know this is a joke but someone from outside the country may never have had the opportunity to hold a gun let alone fire one. If you find the right firing range (harder in California but not impossible by any stretch of the imagination) you can rent guns to fire, at the range, and have some fun with. You may even find one that will let you fire an automatic machine gun which is quite the experience and surely a good opportunity to “experience America”.
Haven’t been to Vegas in a while, have you? The lions went away 5 years ago. And walking the Strip that time of year is nuts even for natives.