So my self and a friend have both quit out jobs and are heading to America, Why... Coz we can....

We land in LA early November, and the only thing we really have booked in is we are thinking Xmas and New years in New York.

Sooo Im asking all Americans what are some cool things on in November/December that me and my mate should look at doing???

Ohhh and we're Aussies so some good bars that are off the tourist road would be good.

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA

July 2004

OCT 04, 2011 07:07 AM

Just walk, dude. That's what all the cool kids do.

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA

July 2004

OCT 04, 2011 07:11 AM

Seriously, though, given the time of year you're going to want to drive the southern route. Pretty much the entire northern half of the country is snowed over in that time of year, and getting over the Rockies in the winter is a daunting feat. So I'd go south. Maybe start with a day or so in Vegas (don't gamble too much), then go down through Texas (Austin is the best), spend a day or two in New Orleans. Maybe hit up Atlanta before taking the coast up to NYC. You're definitely going to want to stop in DC and see some of the monuments and whatnot there.

baudot

Oakland, CA

February 2004

OCT 04, 2011 07:20 AM

Some of my favorite spots in the US, listed West to East, more or less.

The Edison Downtown, Los Angeles

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

The Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

The Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

The City Museum, St. Louis

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

Those stops would take you West to East via Interstate 10, (the Southern route, like 'brosa recommends,) then North via Interstates 65 and 55. Some other stops along that route could be Austin, Texas's 6th Street for live music, Memphis, Tennessee for Graceland or the Beale Street jazz scene. I'll leave it to someone else to fill in east of St. Louis, but point out that the next obvious stop from there is Chicago, America's 2nd City.

Nea

New York, NY

October 2006

OCT 04, 2011 08:13 AM

I love Serendipity 3 in NYC. They have the best frozen hot chocolate.
If you like themed restaurants check out Mars 2112 also in NYC.

As for nightlife Pink is pretty rad. 527 W. 27th Street in NYC.

Stiles

Oakland, CA

November 2002

OCT 04, 2011 08:53 AM

I've done I-10 across the country six or seven times now, and it's my favorite route in the winter by far. Everyone's suggestions so far are good ones. I'd add:

Texas:

drop down to Texas Highway 90 East along the Mexican border from Van Horn, through the charming little towns of Marfa and Alpine. It is very rural (so keep a full tank of gas when you can, sometimes stations can be far apart and not open at night) and scenic, with several ghost towns along the way. Keep an eye out for the Marfa Prada "store", an abandoned art installation along the roadside in the middle of nowhere.

At Uvalde, take highway 83 North back to I-10 and pick up highway 290 East to Fredericksburg, another neat town, but larger than Marfa and Alpine. East of there is the national park that houses president Lyndon Johnson's Texas white house and working ranch (circa 1963-'69), preserved as a museum, complete with Cadillacs, memorabilia, photos, private airstrip, cattle pens, the works. Definitely worth an afternoon tour, so call ahead to get hours before you get there.

Austin is an easy drive from there.

Texas is about 800 miles wide, so plan your route and time accordingly.

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

OCT 04, 2011 02:16 PM

I've gone the southern route across the US in the winter several times, and I've gone over the rockies in December, too, and I disagree that you should necessarily avoid the northern routes. Going through the rockies in the winter isn't really all that daunting as long as you pay attention to the weather and stay on I-70, because the state of Colorado keeps I-70 plowed and clear as soon as the weather clears up.

That said, there are going to be a lot more things you can do and see along the southern route, especially if you're not just passing through. The moment you leave the interstate in the north in the winter, you run the risk of getting snowed in, or not being able to get to where you're going, or get back from where you are.

If you've got a modern phone, and can keep an eye on wunderground.com, they've got an awesome mobile interface that has helped me avoid, or at least minimize the impact of storms on trips. Knowing where the bad weather is gives you the freedom to go almost anywhere.

I think a great southern route in the winter would include a stop in Vegas, then a drive south to see the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon, both of which are really amazing in person, but here are some pictures of the Grand Canyon in winter, to give you some idea. There are some tourist attractions that are really worth all the traffic they get. I'd also try to get down to Tucson to take a loop through the Saguaro National Park. It's a 2 hour detour from the highway to do the loop, and it looks like this in the winter:

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

One other thing I'd suggest: spend a lot of time looking at scenic byways. That site includes every official scenic byway in the country, and they really are worth seeing. The interstates can, in many places, get really monotonous. They're a great way to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, but you don't actually get to see the places you're driving through. Scenic byways let you get out and really experience the country.

mydogfarted

Oakland, NJ

June 2003

OCT 04, 2011 03:50 PM

While it is complete chaos, New Year's Eve at Times Square NYC is probably something you should look into.

PointBlank

New York, NY

November 2004

OCT 04, 2011 04:47 PM

My favorite interstate drive is the stretch of I40 that cuts across Tennessee. Really beautiful, and Memphis is one of the best cities in America.

Thistle

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

OCT 04, 2011 07:40 PM

If you go through Iowa City, check out the Deadwood.

DevilsReject

Cleveland, OH

February 2007

OCT 04, 2011 08:12 PM

Things to do if you have time in Ohio.

Stop and see anyone of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie will probably be closest to your travel path if you're headed to NYC. The Great Lakes hold 21% of the world's Freshwater.

You can stop and see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

The Cleveland area has numerous different types of ethnic food. Italian in little Italy, Dutch, German and even down to a good old fashioned burger. Depends on what you're in the mood for.

It all really depends on which way you're coming across the state on what you should do, Columbus is about two hours south of Cleveland.

Lemonkid

Canada

May 2003

OCT 11, 2011 09:31 PM

So you guys are roadtripping across the whole of America and you don't have any ideas?

Shal

Los Angeles, CA

October 2002

OCT 11, 2011 11:57 PM

Lemonkid said:
So you guys are roadtripping across the whole of America and you don't have any ideas?

You really don't need any ideas. Roadtripping across America is an idea in and of itself. All you need is time, money, a car, and a map. The ideas present themselves while you're on the road.

The best roadtrips are the unplanned ones, where you can just stop wherever strikes your fancy and check it out for as long as you like.

Bean and I drove Los Angeles to Washington DC and back this summer. It was amazing.

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

OCT 12, 2011 12:00 AM

Shal said:
Bean and I drove Los Angeles to Washington DC and back this summer. It was amazing.

Not just LA to DC and back, though.

To add to what Shal said: We sort of zig-zagged north and south across the country, avoiding interstates as much as possible (and hitting as many scenic byways as possible), and that was the entire point of the trip. We stopped briefly at dozens of monuments, national parks and forests, and other attractions, but very little of it was planned.

SnakePlissken

Corvallis, OR

December 2002

OCT 12, 2011 12:06 AM

Thistle said:
If you go through Iowa City, check out the Deadwood.

Go to John's Grocery and drink Millstream beer. Seriously.

SnakePlissken

Corvallis, OR

December 2002

OCT 12, 2011 12:07 AM

Subrosa said:
Just walk, dude. That's what all the cool kids do.

I knew this guy, he hitchhiked to space and became a lawyer. A lawyer of the stars.