Visiting USA from Australia

[absolut_mac]

I wouldn't waste my time going out of my way to visit Apple HQ if I was visiting the Bay Area. There's a million more interesting things to do around here.

I couldn't agree more.

If you like cars and people watching, then Rodeo drive is worth a spin for plenty of both.

As TheAnswer pointed out, the Third Street Promenade is always interesting too - that is besides the Apple store there.

Free museums worth seeing are the Getty in Bel Aire and their Villa in Malibu.

As far as amusement parks and roller coasters are concerned, no spectacular ones here in LA, but still fun if you have the time and the money. They're not cheap! Just make sure that you get there early and it's preferable to go during the week rather than weekends. As Bob Barker would say - come on down and you'll have fun

 

[Tanglewood]

Here's some stuff I wrote about San Diego last summer.

If you want to do California and the East Coast you are going to need at least three weeks not to feel rushed. Besides you are going to be bogged down at least for a few days with the wedding and such in (South Carolina?).

So realistically you are going to have about nine days on the west coast and nine days on the east coast. So let me focus on the west coast since I'm more familiar with it.

I'd recommend getting a car if you want to 'see' California. So here are just some suggestions in time management...

If you start in the Bay Area probably spend two days there. Drive to Los Angeles via the 1 and 101 highways. This will give you scenic drive along the central coast of California. Though this will probably take a day. So on day 4 you could go to Six Flags Magic Mountain and get your roller coaster fix. The next day (day 5) you could go to Disneyland and California Adventure. Then (day 6) you could make your way to San Diego to take in the San Diego Zoo or SeaWorld. From hear if you want to go to Las Vegas it is about a six hour drive (day 7). If you want to see the Grand Canyon (day 8)I'd recommend the north rim because it is less crowded though in October it will probably be cold compared to the mild weather in California and Las Vegas. Drive back to Las Vegas and enjoy the rest of your time gambling and taking in the sights before you fly to the east coast.

Of course if you want to do something like this remember that you're moving practically everyday so take that into consideration when packing your bags.

 

[freeny]

My suggestions-
Roller Coaster heaven- Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio(its seasonal so it depends when you are here. it opens May 12th) 17 world class roller coasters in one park.

NYC- YES! Absolutely!

Florida- meh, been a bunch of times to a bunch of different cities. Its nice and warm but thats about it.

Apple headquarters- really? Its just a building.

Disney- Do you have kids? I guess its a fun place but the prices may shock you. Your call.

Vegas- Never been but Im sure its a hoot.

I too am a huge car/racing fan. It all depends what and where youd like to see. do some research. Racing is huge in the South East.

Other things-
The west is beautiful with the mountains and deserts. Beautiful driving. The east is not so scenic but it does have the highest concentration of cool cities.

You may want to check out D.C. great museums!
Baltimore, fantastic seafood.
Nashiville, good music and bohemian atmosphere.
Dallas- best BBQ in the world.
Midwest- skip it.
Hawaii- You may not want to leave and the plane ticket will set you back some cash

And again, you must see New York City. Like no other place in the world!

 

[Amber]

I spent a couple of months living in LA last year. I love LA.

If you like laid back cool places, try Echo Park and Silverlake. Also, Los Feliz, all in LA. There are some cool shops on Melrose Av. Rodeo Drive is pretty boring. Santa Monica is cool.

As previously said, get a car and drive from LA to SF and back. It's an amazing experience and probably the highlight of my 2 months there. If you can, have no plans for 2/3 days and take your time pulling off and going to all the small towns or places on the way. Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, San Louis Obispa, anywhere really.

I remember we were driving through where Jacko was in court (Santa Ana?) and we were going to pull over and hang outside the courthouse but we'd already booked a hotel in SF.

SF is ok however I think it's a bit overrated. I found people pretty rude and stressed compared to LA.

Don't worry about driving there either. It's super easy. I think UK has the worst roads in the world and the signs are usually wrong so Cali was easy.

 

[tkidBOSTON]

<snip>
- Boston is a construction zone - there's a lot of history and it's a fascinating town but they've been trying to figure out how to bury Pharaoh for the last ten years and as such The Big Dig has made an indelible effect on the town itself. Get out to places like Lexington and see some amazing places that were around before they'd even thought to look for ol' Terra Australis Incognito.
<snip>

Boston has gotten a lot better as of late. Almost all of the highways are open (pending the reopening of the I-90 connector to the airport). They've revamped (and raised prices) on the T (aka. subway) and unless theres a new project when you're over, its all running as normal. The giant empty space where the interstate was is being turned into pathways and parks as I type and looking better every day.

The city has a ton of history and some great places, I wouldn't count it out just because of the disastrous Big Dig project. Plus, the surrounding are is great, esp during the fall.