Stosh 3452 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 "A friend of mine is married to a French girl, they live near Washington D.C. His In-Laws were coming over on a two week visit. He put together a nice schedule which was mainly around the D.C Area. When his Mother-In-Law arrived she had a list of where see wanted to go and what she wanted to see. The list included the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and Disney World. It does seem from what you ask that you know how very big this country is. " This reminds me of a lad I had in Seminary. The school was in Dubuque IA. He flew into NY and couldn't get a connecting flight right away so he decided to do a bit of sightseeing before getting to school. Coming in from Norway, which is tall and narrow, had no idea how big the US was, but he booked a flight to Los Angeles figuring he could just hitchhike back to Dubuque. He was 2 weeks late for the start of school! Stosh Link to post Share on other sites
Deaf Scouter 23 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Yeah. Eamonn really had a different approach that made me take a step back on the answers given. For the English to see Massachusetts and our take on the Revolutionary War with them might be an eye opener or taken as an insult... *laughing Eamonn's right that we're a strange lot with our 'American' view. Question begs since you posted in Scouting forum and coming in June.. what are your interests, hobbies and etc. Looking for the city or the country? Food or people? History or nature? What kind of pas trips have you taken and REALLY enjoyed and why? People are suggesting New York City (NYC) but this New York'er Gal says skip NYC and come right on upstate as there is MUCH more to see and do as New York is more than NYC.. *grins We're got wine country, backpacking trails, white water rafting, Kodak, Jello, Erie Canal, flour mills, flower miles and much more. You can do a bit of both NYC and upstate but don't limit yourselves to just cities. Link to post Share on other sites
SR540Beaver 116 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 The four corners area of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. It'll be unlike anything back home. Link to post Share on other sites
Tampa Turtle 1011 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 We're odd! Well... It is a BIG country and it all depends on what you want to do. OGE, I read the smoke was from forest fires in N. Florida. Link to post Share on other sites
Cambridgeskip 658 Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 Wow! Thank you for that very quick response, lots of ideas there. I don't think I can reply to all of you but to answer a few general points..... Yes, I am thankfully aware of how vast and diverse a country the USA is. So no one can say they have been to one city or state or even half a dozen and say they have "seen" America. I remember at primary school having a student teacher from the USA who was from Indiana explaining that Indiana was just one of 50 states, and not even one of the bigger ones and it had approximately the same area as England. In terms of what we'd like I think a bit of history would definitely be good. As Eamon suggested USA history isn't really covered much in UK schools. At age 13 you normally cover, in depth, the discovery and early settlement but then you don't really come back to it until you cover the great depression when you are about 15 and then return to it covering the Cold War and Vietnam. So Boston or DC may be the way forward! Eagledad - thank you for your kind offer, if we ever make it to Oaklahoma I shall drop you a line. I think we are also looking for somewhere not too hectic. It's been a busy year and we are in need of a proper holiday, so somewhere with a relatively slow pace of life would be nice. And living in Cambridge we are of course big cyclists so anywhere we can easily get round by bike would be great! We'd also like to see a bit of the coast. Tampa - we did ponder Poland and or Ukraine however in June they are hosting the European football (soccer, nothing involving shoulder pads or egg shaped balls!) championships and hotel prices and plane tickets are very expensive for that month. And while a holiday spent watching football every day may appeal to me I'm not sure it would be Mrs Skip's preferred holiday! (She's not anti football and she regularly comes to Wembley with me for England home games, just not her idea of a holiday!) Food is a big thing for us, trying something a bit different. Not necessarily a smart restaurant, but somewhere where we can try something really different. One of our best ever holidays found us in Barcelona and eating things from the massive indoor food market there was an experience I will always remember. It is a wonderful city, very unhurried, obsessed with food, right on the coast, loved it! As I said in the first post though, we have a week to ourselves and could equally end up in Russia or Sweden but USA is definately on the table still. And once again thanks for the pointers, feel free to keep them coming! Link to post Share on other sites
Tampa Turtle 1011 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Cambridge, Must keep the Mrs happy! If you are doing the DC area you can walk around the National Mall and see the Smithsonians (thanks for your Mr Smithson). Museum of History was good. I enjoyed Mt Vernon and you can throw in a Civil War battle field or two. Gives you an excuse to go out in the country. If you visit the Capital the cafeteria in the basement of the Supreme Court was pretty good. Next door the Library of Congress Jefferson Building is pretty cool in it beaux arts glory. I'd throw in a cruise on the Chesapeake if you can. Mind you it will be hot and humid. We are debating Cambridge, Bath, Portsmouth, and Winchester for our UK day trips. Link to post Share on other sites
blw2 433 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Yes, hot and humid..... Washington DC as mentioned before, but not likely 'slow paced'. Not too far from DC is Williamsburg, VA. Good for a day or even seven days or more. It offers the history of Jamestown, Willimasburg, and Yorktown. An amusement park for a rollercoaset ride, water park for water slides, shopping.... I also recommend Charleston, SC for some fine southern food, history, tours... Mountains - Asheville, NC with excursions to Chimney Rock and other nearby locales. Or Gatlinburg TN is nice, and you can day trip over to Pigeon Forge for some amusemnet parks and tourist trap stuff... Orlando FL if you want to hop across several amusement parks and hit some serious tourist trap shops and resteraunts.... Not high on my list of suggestions Link to post Share on other sites
Cambridgeskip 658 Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 Tampa The more I hear about DC the more interesting it sounds. All we really see of it in the media here is politics based whihc doesn't really turn anyone onto tourism! Bath, Winchester and Cambridge (I am biased!, And PM me if you want a tour guide!) are great days out and well worth going. Portsmouth though..... to be honest if you are here a short time there are much nicer places to go. The historic dock yard is interesting, particularly if you are into naval history (fun fact, HMS Victory, despite being hundreds of years old and in dry dock there is still officially a commissioned ship in the Royal Navy!) but the town itself is not all that great. In places a bit run down and being a forces town can be a bit rough in the evening. If you want to head for the south coast then Brighton has a lot to offer. Lots of history, lovely beaches, very pretty old town. If you are into sport then there is horse racing there and the local football team have some of the noisiest fans in the country and are great fun! Link to post Share on other sites
Tampa Turtle 1011 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 If you do DC drop me a line and I can suggest more ideas. I went there with my family 2 years ago. Even did it without a car (Amtrak to Union Station, Metro and buses in and around DC). My wife learned a lot she later said though it was really for our boys. I might look you up on Cambridge! Trying to find a smaller city to hit first after the flight and do London at the end. Got to fit some Scotland in as well. Yeah I keep hearing that about Portsmouth. I am a Naval History Buff and really enjoyed seeing the Victory as a teen but have had more than one person tell me about the "rough parts". Not really into seeing any beaches as I can see some pretty good ones here within one hour...I am pretty spoiled. (My family has lived in Ft Lauderdale and Waikiki so we do enjoy a good beach) Link to post Share on other sites
Basementdweller 608 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Slow paced is tough when going to DC or a big city.....I end up returning from my vacation needing a vacation. Slow paced, Outer Banks is great. Hilton Head beach resort kinda place...... Florida can be slow paced.....I really enjoyed Key West, slow paced..... Mountains Ashville is nice. New York the finger lakes region is laid back, as is Lake Placid..... Or really laid back Rent a houseboat and go on the TVA lakes in the south.. But you travel to see things not sit on your buttocks and see a lake and trees. Link to post Share on other sites
Deaf Scouter 23 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I would do Boston over DC just from your comment of wanting a less hectic pace. The other concern is information overload. DC traffic is FAST to sum it lightly and crowded. Boston is slower pace, space and still has the history. From Boston you can do a couple of day trips to see other historic areas. Boston has some unique places to eat: Cheers, public market and etc. Just down the road is the beach. Not sure about the biking part but can tell ya there is walking and a subway in Boston. (the subway kinda took me by surprised as I grew up with NY City's. There is only 2 cars for some lines compared to 10.) We have Triple AAA here that really gives a nice book of places to see. If you narrow down you place to visit, we can all come back with the must see places, places the stay and etc.... *Smiles on the naturalness of the scout is ever helpful.. *laughing Link to post Share on other sites
packsaddle 753 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 DC has a really nice subway and is a great place for a pedestrian...once you get into it. I can say the same thing about NYC for that matter. It's largely a matter of what you want to do. In NYC you have a tremendous variety of options, centered around food, culture, museums, and the general experience of being in NYC. DC has museums, history, government, but IMHO nowhere near the offerings of food and shows. Regarding a provincial attitude, nothing quite beats this one: http://home.comcast.net/~chesler/Blog/ninth_avenue.jpg And let me get this straight, Boston is not hectic? Me, I'd take NYC or DC any day. This time of year, I'd take Charleston, SC over any of them. Link to post Share on other sites
SSScout 1615 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Arrive in either Dulles Int Airport or Baltimore Thurgood Marshall, avoid Reagan National. Rent a car to either downtown DC or Baltimore. The Metro to Dulles will not be complete, but there is Metrobus service, and lots of taxicab service. Look up the Skyland Inn or Big Meadows in the Shenandoah National Park, 60 miles west of DC. Cool, good hiking, history, nice and relaxing. http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/shenandoah.php?gclid=CIa9heCUsK8CFQTd4AodmiolHg fills up quick. Lots of history in the area. Car down Skyline Drive to Smoky Mountains. Go east to Williamsburg and the Chesapeake Bay. Many nice B&Bs around the bay. Don't forget the Blue Crabs, our Maryland delicacy. Annapolis Maryland has the oldest continuosly in use State House in the nation. Pretty town, Annapolis. Boats, seafood, bicycle friendly. Have fun with the internet research. TTFN Link to post Share on other sites
Engineer61 19 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Boston/DC/Baltimore/Philadelphia ... Comon' already...send him someplace like no other in the USA. Try Cleveland! {snicker} Link to post Share on other sites
eisely 13 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Here a few different East Coast suggestions not yet mentioned: Gettysburg Pennsylvania battlefield, site of bloodiest engagement in US civil war. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, named after the great PM. Chincoteague Virginia, nice beach town with historic herd of wild horses. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal beginning at Georgetown in Washington, DC National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC Link to post Share on other sites
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