East or West Coast?

Hi All

First time poster. I've just stumbled across this group and am looking
for advice. I live in England and have visited many cities in America,
absolutely love the country. I have plans to go back this September but
this time I will be taking my mum and 19year old cousin.

I am looking for suggestions on where we should visit. It is going to
either be New York, Washington and down the East Coast as far as South
Caroline. Alternatively I was thinking California, Vegas and the Grand
Canyon.

My mum has been to New York once but it rained constantly for the 6
days she was there and I was so full of flu it took all my strength
just to walk around so she missed out on seeing some of the areas
around the city. My mum can't decide where to go as she says there is
so much to see. The one thing she always says to me is she wants to see
real America. I think what she means is a town with a real community, a
town with maybe a small shopping area with a few places to eat.

Has anyone any suggestions of places near where they live?

Cheers
Kez


"A new site has arrived to make dating easy
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First time poster.

Welcome! September is a great time to vacation in the U.S. Attractions
aren't as crowded, and its not as hot.

It is going to either be New York, Washington and
down the East Coast as far as South Caroline. Alternatively
I was thinking California, Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

You could certainly have a great time with either plan. It would help
if you explained more about what you like to do. Hiking? Museums?
Nightlife? Lying on the beach? The more specific you are, the better
the advice we can give.

she always says to me is she wants to see
real America.

Well the big cities are certainly "real America" too, but if she's
looking for small-town America, there are certainly many places to
experience that on either route. (I have a friend who visits the U.K.
frequently and she prefers the British small towns much more than the
big cities.)

Do you think your mom would really like to avoid big cities as much as
possible? If so, that would be a major consideration when planning your
trip. Also it makes me wonder if she'd really enjoy Vegas. It's not a
big city, but the gambling, sexy billboards, etc. might be unappealing
to someone who prefers a traditional small-town atmosphere. Hard to say
without knowing more about her.

Jim

In article .com,
wrote:

Hi All

First time poster. I've just stumbled across this group and am looking
for advice. I live in England and have visited many cities in America,
absolutely love the country. I have plans to go back this September but
this time I will be taking my mum and 19year old cousin.

I am looking for suggestions on where we should visit. It is going to
either be New York, Washington and down the East Coast as far as South
Caroline. Alternatively I was thinking California, Vegas and the Grand
Canyon.

My mum has been to New York once but it rained constantly for the 6
days she was there and I was so full of flu it took all my strength
just to walk around so she missed out on seeing some of the areas
around the city. My mum can't decide where to go as she says there is
so much to see. The one thing she always says to me is she wants to see
real America. I think what she means is a town with a real community, a
town with maybe a small shopping area with a few places to eat.

Has anyone any suggestions of places near where they live?

This really depends on your interests, but you might enjoy visitting to
Philadelphia. For info, check out http://gophila.com

"I am looking for suggestions on where we should visit. It is going to
either be New York, Washington and down the East Coast as far as South
Caroline. Alternatively I was thinking California, Vegas and the Grand
Canyon."

The East Coast has more of America's historical sights, while the West
Coast has more natural beauty.

"The one thing she always says to me is she wants to see real America.
I think what she means is a town with a real community, a town with
maybe a small shopping area with a few places to eat. Has anyone any
suggestions of places near where they live?"

Consider rural New England and New York's Hudson Valley. That's not
far from New York City, which you could also easily visit. New York
State also has the beautiful Adirondack mountains.

On 2 Mar 2006 12:56:51 -0800, wrote:

Hi All

First time poster. I've just stumbled across this group and am looking
for advice. I live in England and have visited many cities in America,
absolutely love the country. I have plans to go back this September but
this time I will be taking my mum and 19year old cousin.

I am looking for suggestions on where we should visit. It is going to
either be New York, Washington and down the East Coast as far as South
Caroline. Alternatively I was thinking California, Vegas and the Grand
Canyon.

How long is your trip?

My mum has been to New York once but it rained constantly for the 6
days she was there

That's always a possibility, but never a likelihood.

and I was so full of flu

Very sorry. But you can get flu anywhere, too. In all seriousness, I
advise a flu shot.

it took all my strength
just to walk around so she missed out on seeing some of the areas
around the city. My mum can't decide where to go as she says there is
so much to see. The one thing she always says to me is she wants to see
real America.

That's a loaded term, as you're seeing.

I think what she means is a town with a real community, a
town with maybe a small shopping area with a few places to eat.
[snip]

In other words, not an area centered on shopping malls, right? I think
I foresee a drive up U.S. Route 1 through New England for you. But
really, there are many places you could go.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the NOTRASH. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

On 2 Mar 2006 12:56:51 -0800, wrote:

Hi All

First time poster. I've just stumbled across this group and am looking
for advice. I live in England and have visited many cities in America,
absolutely love the country. I have plans to go back this September but
this time I will be taking my mum and 19year old cousin.

I am looking for suggestions on where we should visit. It is going to
either be New York, Washington and down the East Coast as far as South
Caroline. Alternatively I was thinking California, Vegas and the Grand
Canyon.

My mum has been to New York once but it rained constantly for the 6
days she was there and I was so full of flu it took all my strength
just to walk around so she missed out on seeing some of the areas
around the city. My mum can't decide where to go as she says there is
so much to see. The one thing she always says to me is she wants to see
real America. I think what she means is a town with a real community, a
town with maybe a small shopping area with a few places to eat.

If you want to visit the east coast, you could arrive in New York and
spend a few days there. Then you could take a commuter train from New
York to Trenton, stopping off in Princeton, which is a small
university town, with good shopping and fair restaurants, and a very
nice university campus. You actually have to get off the train at
Princeton Junction and take a little shuttle train into Princeton, but
be sure you buy tickets all the way to Princeton, as the individual
tickets just for the shuttle are expensive.

Then I would suggest taking the train to Philadelphia and staying
there a few days. Philadelphia has a very nice historical center,
unlike most American cities, and some very interesting historical
sites. There is also a good art museum. Just north of the art museum
is the beginning of Fairmount Park, a truly vast urban park. Some
parts of it are difficult to get to, but the stretch north of the
museum is very nice, as is the Wissahickon Valley stretch.

It might be interesting to visit the nearby Pennsylvania Dutch
country. You could take a train from Philadelphia to Lancaster, and
there you can find day tours by bus. If you are interested, I could
help you find something small-scale, as the large tour buses don't
really give an intimate view of the area, and focus heavily on
shopping and huge (and unauthentic) banquets.

Washington would also merit a several-day stopover. There are many
museums worth visiting, and all are free. There are several Washington
residents who participate in this group and they can offer better
advice than I.

I will also defer to others for suggestions to the south of
Washington.
--
Barbara Vaughan

My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it.

wrote:
My mum can't decide where to go as she says there is so much to see.
The one thing she always says to me is she wants to see real America.

I think there is no such thing as "the real America" meaning the USA.
Each region of this vast country has its own cuisine and culture within
the general cuisine and culture. The variations get greater as the
geographic location gets smaller.

I think what she means is a town with a real community, a town with
maybe a small shopping area with a few places to eat.

Mill Valley in California's Marín County, for example, fits those
criteria but it's about as typical of the USA as Buenos Aires is of Somalia.

Having not seen the Grand Canyon, that exceeds every attempt to
describe, photograph, or imagine, you should. It's not far to Las Vegas
and only another thousand kilometres to come here.

New York is always worth one's time and money as is the nation's capital.

Here's "A bit of non-gambling Las Vegas:
http://geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/LasVegas.html

-- __________________________________________________ ______________
Un San Francisqueño en San Francisco.
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com






































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Hi Again

Thanks for all your responses. There are some very interesting
suggestions. As people have said it's hard to get a handle on a request
such as this without knowing the people involved. I guess I can
summarise my mum as a young 62 year old who loves sightseeing, shopping
and relaxing. She might enjoy the odd hike but I'd be the one whinging
after 10 minutes! I love photography so want to combine the odd big
city with some smaller towns. I have recently gone digital and now I
don't have to worry about film costs I take hundreds of photos at a
time. My mum grew up loving Elvis and all the rock and roll era of the
50's even though she was only born in 1944. She loves all things
America and although proud to be British prefers books and movies set
in America.

We are going to be visiting for 2 weeks, wish it could be longer but my
boss at work would probably be totally lost if I was off any longer.

Having read through everyones responses, the East Coast seems to be
winning out. I think the main reason I asked everyone is because I
think she would favour the East Coast but I think the Grand Canyon is
such a magical experience it would be a shame to miss it. Barring a
lottery win this maybe the only time she gets to experience different
regions. My Dad won't come and I don't think she'll do another trip
without him. End of next year is a planned family trip to Orlando to
stay in brother in law's parents villa and as I know that trip will be
a whirl of theme parks and shopping, we want this trip to be about
quality sightseeing and discovering hidden gems.

I think my heart is currently leaning to a couple of days in
Washington, Philly and then a drive up Route 1 through the New England
area.

I think I may plan 3 alternatives and let her choose.

Cheers all for your responses.

Thanks
Kez

In article .com,
wrote:

My mum grew up loving Elvis and all the rock and roll era of the
50's even though she was only born in 1944. She loves all things
America and although proud to be British prefers books and movies set
in America.

Other than wanting to see the "real America" as you mentioned before,
has she mentioned any specific areas that have attracted her in books
or movies? Perhaps she'd like to visit some of those cities. And it
sounds like you need to make a pilgrimage to Graceland. :-)


Patty

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Again

Thanks for all your responses. There are some very interesting
suggestions. As people have said it's hard to get a handle on a request
such as this without knowing the people involved. I guess I can
summarise my mum as a young 62 year old who loves sightseeing, shopping
and relaxing. She might enjoy the odd hike but I'd be the one whinging
after 10 minutes! I love photography so want to combine the odd big
city with some smaller towns. I have recently gone digital and now I
don't have to worry about film costs I take hundreds of photos at a
time. My mum grew up loving Elvis and all the rock and roll era of the
50's even though she was only born in 1944. She loves all things
America and although proud to be British prefers books and movies set
in America.

We are going to be visiting for 2 weeks, wish it could be longer but my
boss at work would probably be totally lost if I was off any longer.

Having read through everyones responses, the East Coast seems to be
winning out. I think the main reason I asked everyone is because I
think she would favour the East Coast but I think the Grand Canyon is
such a magical experience it would be a shame to miss it. Barring a
lottery win this maybe the only time she gets to experience different
regions. My Dad won't come and I don't think she'll do another trip
without him. End of next year is a planned family trip to Orlando to
stay in brother in law's parents villa and as I know that trip will be
a whirl of theme parks and shopping, we want this trip to be about
quality sightseeing and discovering hidden gems.

I think my heart is currently leaning to a couple of days in
Washington, Philly and then a drive up Route 1 through the New England
area.

I think I may plan 3 alternatives and let her choose.

Cheers all for your responses.

Thanks
Kez


Hi there,

Since you mentioned your mom loving Elvis, you might like a stop in Memphis
to see Graceland. We live in Nashville, which is another nice size city you
might want to visit because of its music connection too. Another thought is
that you can get a pretty good deal on non-stop Southwest Airlines flights
to/from Las Vegas/Nashville. Then you might be able to take in some of the
sights of the southwest too.(Grand Canyon or maybe Zion or Bryce
Canyons--all are amazing--in my opinion)

Just some thoughts for you to consider... Hope you have a great trip!

--Sophie