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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

USA Cities

25 replies

Pleasestopthebunfight · 12/11/2024 08:57

Hello!
Which cities would you recommend visiting in America if you’ve already been to:
Boston
USA
Washington
San Fran

We like general sight seeing, so open to all suggestions!

Any recommendations would be great!

OP posts:
Forgottenmyphone · 12/11/2024 09:47

San Diego, Chicago and New York

tittletatttle · 12/11/2024 09:56

New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland in Oregon but be aware that weather in Seattle and Portland is unreliable and similar to ours. Denver is also lovely 🇺🇸

backfromouterspace · 12/11/2024 10:02

New York plus you can get the train across to Philadelphia (lots to do there)

Las Vegas- plenty to do there besides gambling. We went to the Grand Canyon and did kayaking along the Colorado River

Mum5net · 12/11/2024 10:15

Salt Lake Ciry
Denver
Savannah/ Charleston

user1471548941 · 12/11/2024 10:19

Just got back from Chicago and totally loved it! Way more to do than we expected. I found it cleaner, safer and much easier to get around than NY and the people were super friendly!

DemonicCaveMaggot · 12/11/2024 10:20

New Orleans, there is a lot more to it than Bourbon Street and getting drunk.

Greater Los Angeles, but you will need a car and be prepared to move hotels to different parts of the area to avoid being stuck in traffic for half the day.
For example
Stay in Glendale or Pasadena for Kidspace, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, Descanso Gardens, hiking in the San Gabriel mountains, Old Town Pasadena, Warner Bros Studio tour, Universal Studios
Stay in Santa Monica for Venice Beach, the Getty Center, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica third Street Promenade, driving up highway 1 to Santa Barbara
Stay in Long Beach or Anaheim for Disney, driving down to San Diego, Shoreline Village and Aquarium of the Pacific, whale watching tours and getting the ferry or helicopter out to Santa Catalina.

DemonicCaveMaggot · 12/11/2024 10:21

Chicago is great. Definitely do the river boat architecture tour and the science and industry museum.

NeedthatFridayfeeling · 12/11/2024 10:22

Santa Barbara
Seattle

Isabella777 · 12/11/2024 10:27

Forgottenmyphone · 12/11/2024 09:47

San Diego, Chicago and New York

I was going to mention these three as well.

Also, depending on the time of year, something like Savannah + Charleston SC would be nice. But not in the summer :)

SabrinaThwaite · 12/11/2024 10:38

Houston, Austin, Dallas / Fort Worth, San Antonio. Texas is surprisingly good for a big road trip - add in Galveston, Corpus Christi and Big Bend.

Not in the height of summer though.

Denver and Salt Lake City.

Ilovelifeverymuch · 12/11/2024 20:24

DemonicCaveMaggot · 12/11/2024 10:21

Chicago is great. Definitely do the river boat architecture tour and the science and industry museum.

I live in Chicago and agree.

The museum campus area is also nice with the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium all within walking distance of each other and the lakefront. The Art Institute is great as well and there are lots of other smaller museums around the city eg the Chicago history museum is one of my favorites.

Lots of comedy clubs if @Pleasestopthebunfight is interested in things like that Chicago also has a very good food scene.

Depending on when you go the Segway tours are cool as well or bike tours. They can go to places the bus tours can't get to.

It's fun to try basketball or baseball games or ice hockey (depending on the time of the year). Even if you're not crazy about the sport they are usually lots of fun and activities so great for families or people who just want to experience a game environment.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w2RHPBWj9K0

If you love steak my favorite steakhouses in Chicago are Bavette's (hard to get reservation but it can be done when it opens 23 days before or walk in), Asador Bastian which is a great Argentinian steak house and Brasero.

If you like Mexican food or want to try Mexican food there are lots of good options in the Pilsen neighborhood which isn't too far from the downtown area.

There's a reddit forum for Chicago restaurants you can check out for recommendations.

https://www.reddit.com/r/t52s9qq/s/QUdvpaIQaA

Anyway good luck with your decision, I hope I have made a good impression about Chicago lol

Depending on how long you're planning to visit for there are also lots of day trips around the Illinois area and into Michigan to cute quaint little towns.

Caveat Chicago gets really cold in winter so while it's great over the Christmas holidays with lots to do and lots of decorations etc it's gets quiet and freezing Jan to March so I would avoid those months.

Perfectlystill · 12/11/2024 22:58

Chicago is fab

Pleasestopthebunfight · 19/11/2024 18:54

Thank you everyone - just getting the chance to re-visit this now!

So many places to research thank you.

@Ilovelifeverymuch thank you for all of the Chicago info - sounds really great and we are thinking June so could be good!!!

OP posts:
boulevardofbrokendreamss · 19/11/2024 19:14

DC
Denver
Boston

Not SF. It's not very nice at all understatement

evtheria · 19/11/2024 19:15

Seattle!
Tucson
Boston

cyclingmum67 · 19/11/2024 20:07

San Diego.
City, Beach, and so much more.

mathanxiety · 19/11/2024 20:30

Definitely Chicago, for all the reasons other posters have said. Great architecture, live music, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, museums, superb dining, easy to get around on trains or Uber/ Lyft, amazing sights and experiences (Milennium park, Willis Tower, lake boat excursions). Very interesting neighborhoods.

I agree you should avoid January to March - brrrrr.

Justsayit123 · 19/11/2024 20:36

Phoenix. Scottsdale, Denver, Minneapolis, Palm Springs, Miami

CatsLikeBoxes · 19/11/2024 20:44

Another vote for Chicago.
If you go in the summer watch the fireworks at Navy Pier from one of the beaches like Oak Street Beach just off the main shopping street.
The architecture boat tour was great - surprisingly interesting - going in the evening was stunning.
Also you can see art projected onto some buildings at the river in the evening.
The Bean - would recommend going early for a more peaceful experience.
It's an easy city to walk around.

Ilovelifeverymuch · 20/11/2024 13:18

You're welcome, June is awesome, the lakefront will be busy with lots of water activities and walking or cycling along the lakefront is lovely. Lots of boats, jet skis etc along the lakefront.

There will be lots of shows and concerts etc around the city.

@CatsLikeBoxes is right about the summer fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday evening at Navy Pier, this year they had some drone shows so I'm not sure if they are planning to replace the fireworks with drones but both were great.

Navy Pier also has the Chicago flyover which I tried a few months ago and thought was really cool. I would have loved for the experience to be a bit longer but i still liked it. https://www.experienceflyover.com/chicago/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArva5BhBiEiwA-oTnXW7uAPFCTQKcn1HQP3UOPSkCzDd7-V0q_e4-bTXVM0HEN8cxXzXDdhoCu8QQAvD_BwE

It's not the Maldives but there are some nice beaches along the lakefront as well. That's one of the things I love about living here, being able to live in a major city and yet I can cycle with my daughter to the nearby beach in 20 mins.

One thing that surprises visitors to Chicago is how large Lake Michigan is, it looks like the sea but it's really a massive freshwater lake that borders 4 states and Chicago has done a great job preserving the lakefront for public use.

The Chicago Riverwalk is also beautiful and a good way to spend an evening walking along the river, lots of bars and restaurants and activities. I love sitting along the river with a drink watching the boats, yachts and kayaks etc go by: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VaE4W0rpYHU

This guy also has some videos about Chicago including tours of different neighborhoods and restaurants etc: https://m.youtube.com/@toursbyfootchicago/videos

The main sports league still in season in June is baseball so if interested I would recommend a game at Wrigley Field one of the oldest baseball park in the US to watch the Chicago Cubs play (there are 2 baseball teams Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox). It's a fun environment, I love how they pull out their W flags when the team wins and sing their victory song. Also Wrigley Field has a special place in my heart because that's where I had my oath ceremony to naturalize as a US citizen.

There's also the free Lincoln Park Zoo which is located within Lincoln Park Chicago's equivalent of Central Park, and there are lots of restaurants and things to do in the Lincoln Park neighborhood as well.

You also don't need a car, you can easily get around with the bus, train, Uber, walking or cycling unless you're planning a trip outside Chicago to one of the smaller towns or something.

Fun fact: Chicago has the largest number of lifting bridges in the US and it's fun to see them lift up to allow the boats to buy in spring and fall. Unfortunately they don't lift up that often in summer so you probably wouldn't see it but they lift up on spring to allow boats return to the lake after winter and in fall for boats to leave the lake for winter.

Anyway good luck with your decision, the planning and the trip. Let us know if you have any other questions.

BigDahliaFan · 20/11/2024 13:21

San Diego is really good to visit, there are Islands to go out to, there's a very good zoo, great hiking near by. It's very laid back and surprisingly walkable and easy to drive round (unlike LA) the food is great.

mathanxiety · 20/11/2024 17:31

More about Chicago - you can take the South Shore Line to the Indiana Dunes State Park for a beach day. Trains run frequently.

You can also take a Metra (commuter) train out of the city to several walking trails among the burbs. Local (El) trains will take you to spots like the Frank Lloyd Wright historic homes district in Oak Park.

There are some fantastic guided tours available - food, gangsters, magnificent interiors, architecture, architecture from the river, music, and the Willis Tower skydeck offers terrific views.

You can also rent a canoe or kayak and paddle in the river.

TizerorFizz · 20/11/2024 18:18

I would vote for Chicago too for all the reasons others have said.

My only caveat is that on 5 train journeys (to Oak Park and back, to the uni and back and coming in from the airport) seeing drug adicts and mentally unwell people roaming the carriages was a challenge on three of the journeys. It’s quite hard to see people clearly unwell picking over rubbish bins in the carriages and getting upset with other passengers. I fully accept we could have been unlucky but we got an Uber back to the airport.

Chicago has the most wonderful architecture and has some fabulous Frank Lloyd Wright houses/buildings. The Art Institute has “American Gothic” and plenty of other iconic paintings. It is superb.

The central area has fantastic street art installations too. Not just The Bean. Not far away is a huge installation by Picasso and a huge flamingo by Calder. The Art on the Mart and the River cruise after dark is exceptional. You can see what I like doing! Plus the early skyscrapers there are the best in the USA. The skyscraper was born in Chicago.

Another city with exceptional museums and history is Philadelphia. You could combine it with NY or head south west to have a look at the beauty of Virginia.

SchoolDilemma17 · 20/11/2024 18:20

Miami

Ilovelifeverymuch · 22/11/2024 16:05

This vlog popped up on my YouTube feed recently and she has some good tips about things to do in Chicago.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAMPnmjYxTE

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAMPnmjYxTE

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