USA

[ilovepixie]

I've always wanted to go to the US and I've now decided to bite the bullet and go while I still can but I don't know where I want to go.
So where would people recommend? I'm 55, Widowed, so would be going with a friend or by myself? I just basically want to eat out see a few shops and see a few sites.

How long for, what’s the budget, which time of year?

What aspect of the US appeals to you? The cities? Or the scenery- deserts, mountains, coastline? Vineyards, dude ranches, historic sites? Theme parks?

Any time of year. Budget about a couple of thousand. Probably for a week. I don't mind mountains, or the coast. Don't mind about the weather.

Not really bothered about theme parks. Some history would be nice.

We went on a group tour down the West coast from LA Tongan Fran via Las Vegas.. loved it and a great way to travel if you're on your own

To San Fran *

I think Boston is a good starter city for the US. It’s quite compact, safe and easy to get round by foot or public transport. There is plenty to see in and around the city, including day trips by train to places like Concord (the Louisa May Alcott house and historic sites from the war of independence), Salem (witchcraft tacky nonsense) and Rockport (pretty seaside town). Or take a whale watching trip. Or you can go to New York by train or Cape Cod by boot for a few days. Or take the train north to Portland, Maine, a lovely place with an amazing food scene. Downside is that Boston is expensive and the food can be a bit so so. The seafood is great, however .

How about flying in to New York and spending a few days there then hoping on the train to Washington DC? Great and free museums there. It's glorious in early summer.

Chicago. Good history and culture. Really good food. Lake beaches. Loads of shops. You just have to go in the summer, the winters are grim.

If you want history I would think the NE would be a good bet, maybe a couple nights in NY and go up to Boston area? Maybe out to the coast if you want something slower paced? Your money would go further else where though, maybe somewhere south like Charleston.

For me it really depends if you're happy to drive, if you're happy to drive there are loads of places to recommend with a budget, if not, you'll likely need to keep your travel area a bit smaller.

Follow Holiday Pirates, I often see good hopper city holidays like a pp mentioned for very good prices.

I wouldn't drive but happy to take trains or buses to see a bit of the country and a couple of different cities.

Ranch holiday in Montana.

New York or Chicago. Great cities and tons to do. Edited to add...and no need to drive. Both cities have great public transport. A lot of the US is very car dependent.

There are relatively few trains in the USA, but there are some really good ones that you could base your holiday around. Have a look at the Amtrak website.

Maybe buy yourself a Lonely Planet guide to the USA and see what takes your fancy. There is so much to see and do and distances are massive.

Realistically, your budget will limit you as you’ll struggle to find flights for less than £500. Maybe have a play with Skyscanner to see where you can get to and start from there?

For our honeymoon we did a train trip Chicago-Memphis-New Orleans which was great.

I've been to New YorK, Washington DC, Miami and New Orleans.

All amazing and all very different.

Try looking on some travel sites like Get Your Guide, Viator, Trip Advisor to get an idea of the types of things you'd like to visit.

I'd also like to go to Hawaii, San Francisco, Key West and Charleston

Washington DC has great metro, lots of shops and cafes, a university area and of course the White House, Lincoln Memorial, the Needle , free museums and zoo ( with pandas! ) plus Arlington cemetery and the changing of the guard at the grave of the unknown soldier.
Dupont Circle has plenty of hotels, a metro station, bars and restaurants, shops, is one or two stops from the zoo.

Does your situation allow for future trips to the USA?
Theres so much to see, Grand Canyon for one, that it’s impossible to cover in a week.

I think as you don't drive I'd probably either do NY then train to Boston or San Diego and get the Surfliner train to one of the lovely town on the coast for a few days like San Clemente.

Denver. Couple of nights downtown and then up into the rockies. Breckenridge, Vail, Estes Park. Beautiful in summer.

We have used Newmarket travel before, they are guided tours no need to arrange transport.

https://www.newmarketholidays.co.uk/holidays/north-america/washington-new-york-and-niagara-falls

We are at the tail end of 7 days in the USA. We did four days in Boston (Mr Monkey ran the marathon so it wasn't exactly a free choice!) and three in New York.

I was a US newbie and I say this would be a good trip for you. The flight is fairly short (6.5 hrs from London). Both cities have great public transport and not too culturally far apart from major UK cities.

Boston was amazing, really walkable, very beautiful in parts, lots of history. A really friendly and safe feeling city.

New York is pretty full on. Even as a Londoner of 20 years I am finding it a bit overwhelming at times, so bear that in mind if you are not an experienced city person.

In terms of trains we got the Amtrak from Boston to New York. It is pretty affordble but long (4.5 hrs for a 200 mile or so journey!). However the trains are great - spacious and comfortable and you arrive right in the centre of Manhatten. The journey down is nice, lots of pretty waterside towns and cities on the eastern seaboard.

Thanks everyone. Some great ideas. I like the idea of Newyork/Boston so I'm going to look at them.

Great! You may need to revise your budget, New York in particular is expensive. Flights and accomdation was £2k for both of us before we even start on anything else - and we took care to save a bit of money. In Boston we stayed in an apartment about a 15 metro ride from the city centre. In New York we are on the upper West side in a decent but fairly old fashioned hotel (it is fine - clean, safe but very tired decor wise and no additional facilities like breakfast).

The weak pound has really taken its toll on affordability. As an example last night we ate at a very good but informal "mid price" Italian on the lower east side - we shared a starter of tomato bruscetta, each had a pasta dish, one alcoholic drink each and shared a large portion of ice cream. With tip the bill was 120 dollars.

In general alcohol is terrifyingly expensive, you are looking at 8 dollars a pint in fairly divey bars and over 12 dollars in more fancy ones.

The up side is food portions are much larger than we are used to in the UK, so we only really need one sit down meal a day, if that.

Definitely New York. Washington DC is decent for a couple of days too, Arlington Cemetery is worth a visit.