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What to visit in the US?

Hexiii

Hexiii

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 30, 2011
1,113
373
Prague, Czech Republic
In mid October, I am going to the US for 10 days (5 days Chicago, 5 days NYC), so I thought I'll post here to get some ideas.

Which places should I visit? What should I buy? What should I try?

I don't think I'll visit the USA again anytime soon after that, so I don't want to be like this later: "Oh, I should have done that..."

Thanks for all the great suggestions! :)
 
Get a reservation set up to climb to the Statue of Liberty crown.
Museum of Natural History is a must.
Top of the Rock has a cool motion sensing light room. Do that at night.

There is a City Pass, that groups MANY attractions into one pass. Get that, it's worth it if you want to see a bunch of it. http://www.citypass.com/new-york

Guided bicycle tour in Central Park is cool, get a lot of history.

Figure out how to get into the audience of The Daily Show or Colbert Report. Girlfriend set that up on both of our last visits. A blast!

There is a very wild take on Macbeth, called 'Sleep No More'. Absolutely fantastic.

See Book of Mormon on Broadway if it's still playing.
 
It would help to know what you like to do. I am from Chicago and can provide some suggestions, but I need to know what you like.
 
Do lunch in Grand Central Terminal. That is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL facility now. Do you HAVE to stay within the city limits? Are you going to have a vehicle available? NYC has some good places within easy driving distance. In fact, the Walkway over the Hudson State Park would be a GREAT place for fall foliage and you should be there right around or JUST after peak.

EDIT: I should add that the Walkway over the Hudson is located JUST North (easy walking distance if you're athletic) of the Poughkeepsie train station, accessible with a $20 round-trip ticket from Grand Central. There should be enough right near the train station/walkway to make a decent afternoon/mid-day trip but I can't say this with absolute certainty as I haven't been on the ground at that end of the walkway.
 
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I've spent time in both cities, and it wasn't enough time for me on either occasion. I did a lot, but I missed out on a lot.

Enjoy your stay!
 
I live nearby new york city, and I always take visitors to the Empire State Building, up to the top. It's remarkable from up there. it's not too expensive either.
 
Thanks everybody for the suggestions!

I was also thinking some "shallower" ideas beside the main points of interest/sights (I have already kind of a long list of those).

For example, I think (as a true macrumors member) I'd like to visit the iconic Apple Store at 5th ave.

Or just some famous places where to grab a lunch etc...

Yes, it's hard to explain... :)
 
Hexiii said:
For example, I think (as a true macrumors member) I'd like to visit the iconic Apple Store at 5th ave.
Click to expand...

I understand the pull of The Glass Cube, but don't forget about the Grand Central store. I find it much more impressive, overall.

You might also consider renting a car and driving out of the city. North or Northwest would be great. Train is also doable, especially up into Connecticut. Great day trip.
 
Kurwenal said:
I understand the pull of The Glass Cube, but don't forget about the Grand Central store. I find it much more impressive, overall.

You might also consider renting a car and driving out of the city. North or Northwest would be great. Train is also doable, especially up into Connecticut. Great day trip.
Click to expand...

Thanks, the Grand Central Terminal is planned too!
 
Depending on how much time you have, you are only 60 - 90 minutes from Philadelphia. A train ride down may get you there in 30 - 45. From there, you have Constitution Hall, the Liberty Bell.. and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a space shuttle or Concorde on display there? If not, at the very least, you can make your way up the same steps Rocky Balboa did for his training. Also, if you make Philadelphia, you are not to leave without having a Philly Cheesesteak.

Either way, you have access to a lot of historical battlegrounds within an hour on each side of NYC. And if you make it to Philadelphia, another 45 minutes on the other side of that, you're in Washington, DC. So you could theoretically knock out each one of those in its own separate day trip.

Chicago on the other hand, is the tougher one. it's been a long time since I went to Chicago.

BL.
 
bradl, there's a shuttle on display on the Intrepid in NYC. It's the Enterprise, which never actually made it to space but was used for all the glide/landing tests.
 
hallux said:
... Are you going to have a vehicle available? NYC has some good places within easy driving distance. In fact, the Walkway over the Hudson State Park would be a GREAT place for fall foliage and you should be there right around or JUST after peak.
Click to expand...

I totally agree -- autumn in the North East can be spectacular.

Peak Fall Foliage Map
folimap.gif
 
hallux said:
bradl, there's a shuttle on display on the Intrepid in NYC. It's the Enterprise, which never actually made it to space but was used for all the glide/landing tests.
Click to expand...

That's the one I was thinking of. I thought it was docked at the naval yards south of Philly's airport.

OP, another place to consider would be Ellis Island. You may have some relatives that came across in the 1900s that could have registered there. Good place to start some genealogical research.

You could also head up to Rhode Island (another hour and a bit from NYC) and find yourself a Quahog. That way you can tell all your friends you found where Family Guy is at. ;)

BL.
 
Chicago:

If you're an architecture nerd, take a train out to Oak Park (30 mins west of downtown) to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, Unity Temple, and various other structures. You can also check out the famous Robie House, which is south of downtown. http://www.flwright.org

As others have said, the Museum of Science and Industry is great. http://www.msichicago.org

If you're into shopping (or are bringing somebody who is), head up to the Wicker Park area (vaguely along Milwaukee Avenue between the Division and Damen stops on the Blue Line train). http://www.wickerparkbucktown.com/directory

For a unique quick lunch, check out the Chicago French Market, which is inside the Ogilvie Train Station. This is a few blocks from the Sears Tower if you're heading up to that observatory. http://www.frenchmarketchicago.com/index.php

If you want to see Chicago from the river without doing the whole architectural tour thing, check out the Chicago Water Taxi: http://www.chicagowatertaxi.com

If you want to grab a Chicago Style Hot Dog or Italian Beef, check out Portillos (several locations). It's where Chicagoans go, and there's a long line for a reason.
 
Way too many touristy recommendations IMO for NYC. Skip the Statue of Liberty and take a boat from the South Street Seaport that will go around the harbor and up the east or west side instead. You'll get close to the SoL on the boat for pictures not to mention the city views you can get.

Top of the Rock I agree with. Go there. Skip the Empire State Building.

I also agree with seeing Book of Mormon.

Go to the Museum of Natural History then walk down Central Park West about a mile to Columbus Circle (the only traffic circle in the city). The 5th Avenue Apple Store is a few blocks from there.

Weather is good in October. Spend a night in Greenwich Village. Start off at McSorley's Old Ale House (160 years old and great history all over the walls) then make your way west and walk around the village. Lots of great shops, places to eat and bars with live bands. Late night munchies after? Hit up Wo Hops in Chinatown for amazing and cheap Chinese food or grab some dessert (cannollis!!!) in Little Italy (borders Chinatown).


If you want some great thin crust NY pizza, John's on West 44th Street. Great pizza and a most unique setting. You'll be thankful once you see that **** they pass off as pizza in Chicago. :D You can combine a walk around Times Square with that.

Enjoy your trip.
 
When I was on a NYC layover, my favorite activity was run/walk through Central Park, although as a tourist activity, that might be down on the list. However the Apple Store is right by the SE corner! :)
 
The Willis tower (previously Sear's Tower) is a fun tourist thing to do in Chicago, especially going in the skybox, which is an all glass box that jets out from the building on the 110th floor I believe. Although the wait is horrible, probably around 2 hours of just standing in line until you actually get to go to the top.
 
If you only have 5 days, maybe not spend them queueing for tourist attractions?

I've been lucky enough to have visited New York 3 times so far. The only touristy thing I did was Guggenheim and Moma. That was well worth it because I was in charge of my own time.

Have shoestring fries, eat at Johns pizza, you MUST eat at Katz's diner late at night and go to Rockwood music hall for a good old crammed music experience. See central park, see Bryant park, experience Union Square (and then see the flat iron building).

New York is an amazing city!
 
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