23 year old Australian Male here.
Visiting the USA next week for about a month with a friend.
We arrive in Chicago late june,
hiring a car- driving to DC to see the foo fighters concert,
then we will drive back to boston around the middle of July, couple nights there,
Then heading down to new york and staying near central park for a week and a bit.
We didn’t originally plan the trip to DC, was going to be chicago-boston-new york and whatever is in between. seeing some U2 concerts as well, big fans.
Would love some input on places to see, things to do, things to eat, anywhere in between, we’d love to duck up to canada for a a little bit after washington perhaps.,
probably visit buffalo to see niagra falls.
Any and all advice is welcome! both above 21 so we can drink.
[quote]Rollsroyce13 wrote:
We are hoping to spend more time outside the bigger towns, driving around, seeing whatever scenery there is, then having some beers at the local.[/quote]
Most rural scenery worth seeing is out west, from the plains to the coast on down to Texas. Our amazing scenery in the Northeast is mostly urban. Westchester, for example, is very nice and one of the best places on Earth if you’re a rich guy looking to settle down with the wife and kids…but there isn’t much there in the way of fun for tourists. Niagara Falls is nice but I would say it isn’t worth the trip upstate. It doesn’t take your breath away like scenes out west do.
If I were you, I’d plan to spend a lot of time in the urban centers. If you want a serious slice of a certain kind of Americana in July, head to the Jersey Shore. See Asbury Park but stay in a place like Point Pleasant. Don’t let the TV shows fool you – it’s got serious Springsteenish American charm, as long as you stay for a short while and simply accept the fact that there are lots of corndogs and flashing lights.
Also, you can spend two weeks in NYC and feel like you’ve missed out on everything the city has to offer. I would set aside a lot of time for it. Go to Keens Steakhouse in midtown (and then get out of midtown) and Mamoun’s Falafels in the Village. Spend time in Brooklyn even though many of the people are irritating. I know of a cool spot where people train (heavy – it’s kind of underground but welcoming) right near the water on the upper west side, outside where they’re not supposed to be. I’ll try and figure out exactly where it is, only been there once.
[quote]Rollsroyce13 wrote:
Eh… well the accomdation, concert tickets are already booked…
Why do you not recommend it, will DC be busy ? only there for 2 days.
We are hoping to spend more time outside the bigger towns, driving around, seeing whatever scenery there is, then having some beers at the local.[/quote]
My guess is that it is weather he is referring to. It might be a little warm…
[quote]Rollsroyce13 wrote:
I’m from the hotter part of australia, I think infact it might still be a bit cold up in chicago and the likes for myself.
Any recommendations on visiting the cities in between,
Detroit,
Pittsburgh,
Philly
Cleveland, etc?
We have a family friend in Wildwood New jersey actually so I think we will hit up Jersey shore now for a bit, should be nice weather for it if its hot
[/quote]
If you’re used to pristine Aussie beaches, avoid the gray-sanded shores of NJ! Much of it is a shit-hole. although Cape May, Love Ladies, and Sea Side State Park are pretty.
If you visit Philly, walk around Old City for a great sense of history, but avoid driving/parking in Philly. Worst city for parking!
Isn’t the Foo concert canceled? Dave Grohl broke his leg.
Are you more into cities or countryside? Detroit won’t do much for you after Chicago. If you are heading East I would suggest hitting a least a few of the southern lake michigan towns like Saugatuck and Grand Haven for the pristine freshwater beaches. You can cut across southern michigan and cut through ontario for a shorter drive to Niagara.
If you do go to Detroit don’t wander away from the main downtown areas like Hart plaza, greek town and comerica park.
I am not a city person so the northeast doesn’t really do it for me as far as Boston, Philly etc…
Push’s suggestion of Michigan’s UP is a good one except there are long stretches of desolate road. It is truly beautiful though if you like nature, especially Pictured rocks lakeshore.
Be prepared for humidity and bugs, although ours won’t kill you.
Honestly, if you see Chicago, Boston, New York, and Washington, there aren’t any other eastern cities that are worth taking a special trip to for the city effect (at least not without going a long way south). I prefer to focus City sightseeing on history and architecture and you’ll find lots of that in all of those cities. History is especially good in Boston, if you care about the American Revolution. If you’re interested in this type of stuff I can give some good recommendations. I’m not the guy to ask if you’re looking for bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.
I would disagree that the east lacks rural areas. There are lots of them. What it lacks is wilderness. There are some decent wilderness areas in upstate New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, but few of them have the landscape beauty of the west, mostly because you are stuck in the forest and can’t see much. Letchworth State Park in New York has some nice hikes and has been called the Grand Canyon of the East. But whoever said that was either joking or hasn’t seen the Grand Canyon. It’s sort of like calling Boise the New York City of the West. Niagara Falls is nice and if you’re planning to drive from Boston or New York to Chicago, it’s basically on the way if you want it to be.
There are lots of average beaches from New Jersey all the way up to Cape Cod, but I’m not aware of any that I would make a specific point of seeing.
I would disagree that the east lacks rural areas. There are lots of them. What it lacks is wilderness. There are some decent wilderness areas in upstate New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, but few of them have the landscape beauty of the west, mostly because you are stuck in the forest and can’t see much. Letchworth State Park in New York has some nice hikes and has been called the Grand Canyon of the East. But whoever said that was either joking or hasn’t seen the Grand Canyon. It’s sort of like calling Boise the New York City of the West. Niagara Falls is nice and if you’re planning to drive from Boston or New York to Chicago, it’s basically on the way if you want it to be.
There are lots of average beaches from New Jersey all the way up to Cape Cod, but I’m not aware of any that I would make a specific point of seeing. [/quote]
Did someone say there were no rural areas in the northeast? I will agree it is hard to see far because of the trees. The southwest is spectacular but I wouldn’t suggest anyone go there in the middle of summer unless you don’t like to go outside.
[quote]Rollsroyce13 wrote:
then we will drive back to boston around the middle of July, couple nights there
[/quote]
I went to school in Boston/Cambridge. It’s a great town to visit and probably the only city on your list that will be pleasant during July. Not overly crowded during that time of year (primary industry: students, and they are generally on break).
If you have a chance, go to the Boston Pops outdoor deal for Jul4 (probably not actually on July 4). It’s pretty cool. At least when I was there, they would sale the USS Constitution out and fire the 21 guns for the percussion on the 1812 overture. Great party.
Lots to see, history wise and great pups and feel.
I would probably drive up Route 1 to Maine (it follows the coast) for some spectacular scenery (giant cliffs down into the ocean, sometimes ice bergs, etc.)
DC is pretty much a shit hole. It does have some of the best museums in the world, however.
Alright, judging from the replies and general research we’ve tried to do ourselves.
It’s looking like the urban area’s aren’t going to do a whole lot for us.
Our last day in Chicago is the 3rd of July
We don’t have to be in Boston till the 14th. - We are thinking about cancelling the DC part of the trip.
So 11 days, no commitments, no real money issue.
We have the option of heading west for a bit, and seeing some the nice scenery you guys have on offer there. (possibly even to wyoming if we really pushed it)?
then heading back through michigan- head through detroit or grand rapids, etc?
then through to toronto/niagra falls area.
Then over to maine/vermont area and down to boston.
Probably going to a tight squeeze to do all of that if we wished.
Thoughts?
Edit-- Maybe going west is a bit of stretch, we are looking at Maine now and it looks incredibly amazing.
Maybe staying in some lodges in the wilderness is the way to go
New England in the summer can’t be beat- Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts- beaches, hot and sunny (not oppressively hot and muggy like the South), tons of good camping- Bar scenes in smaller places like Portsmouth NH, Portland Maine is pretty cool-not some huge clubs but a lot of cool people that you can talk to, grab a craft beer or three with and have a time.
I went to school in central/upstate NY-plenty rural but in my opinion not as nice/fun as New England.
Grew up in Toronto- you need to plan what part of the city you’ll see-TO is a sprawled city with a lot of pocket neighborhoods-public transit takes a long time and driving is a hassle, so be sure to focus your days nights on a particular area, definitely no shortage of things to do though- TO and Chicago have shockingly nice “coastlines” along their respective lakes.
If it were me I’d skip heading West-you’ll eat up a ton of time just trying to get to where you want to go, then again perhaps that’s the point of your trip. Just my .02