USA, what's worth seeing?

i'm planning a street kid tour of the country. i've lived in all of the west coast states (Oregon only for a few days) and the farthest i've gone east was Colorado. i wanna know, what places do you folks recommend i see?

(tour starts in February from SF to NY)

This is my swingset, this is my sand box! I'm not allowed to go in the deep end. Thats where I saw the leprechaun.

check out West Virginia and the mountains in that area...very pretty.
Do the whole Everglades thing as well if you can but look mainly for the diving holes there cause Florida has a ton of freshwater caves.

a few hours south of salt lake city (the worst, ugliest, and dirtiest place in the world), get off the interstate and get on 86 alt. this will take you through the mountains to the absolutely most beautiful spot i have ever been to.

versailles cliffs. you drive through low mountains for a long time. grey granite. then, in between two mountains, you see the fire of the cliffs. red like i have never seen before. absolutely beautiful.

i cant remember if they are in arizona or utah, but its right near the boarder.

If you like caves and happen to pass through Kentucky you should check out Mammoth Caverns. There's nothing else to do in Kentucky unless you like horse racing, but those are some big caves.

you simply cannot pass through the midwest without stopping in Minnesota to see THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BALL OF TWINE!!

truly, one of the marvels of the modern world.

Oso

p.s. let me know what it's like, i've never seen it.

Nothing.

America is boring.

I drove across the country last month (84, 80, and 90) and it was soo goddamn boring I almost had a breakdown. The two highlights: Wyoming and upstate NY were both pretty.

Do not miss House on the Rock in Wisconsin!!!!
or check out the little bar called The Casino in Lacross Wisconsin...it's a little gem, that beats the usual college bars in the area.Has the best box on this side of the planet for old school tunes...

Stay off the interstates, and all eles magically will appear..

House on the rock

[Edited on Dec 04, 2002 by photonix]

the badlands in south dakota are super rad. and there are some real cool national parks in arizona and utah. real scenic desert stuff and weird rock formations. i also thought new mexico was pretty interesting. i think i was in a little arty town called taos that i liked.
or if you like mountains there are some nice parts of the middle south, virginia, tennessee etc.

We have big Caves here in Hollywood too, although they usually want too much money upfront. Lots of urban spelunking to do in South Central Los Angeles.

dont forget the corn palace on your way there. And the Badlands are actually very cool. You can also check out the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation while there and see how the government fucked over the Indians and made them the poorest county in the nation.

new orleans. it is like nothing else in this country.

The Vooo Cuhray! Bourbon Street on a Saturday night.

For natural awesomeness, Niagara Falls.

Cape Cod. If you time it right (like I did in October 96) when the moon is waxing, head to the ruins of the Marconi station (first transatlantic radio transmission tower). You can watch the full moon rise over the Atlantic while the sun sets over Cape Cod Bay.

I'm an east coast boy so I'm a little partial (I've done both coasts but never the middle) but here's my list.

- Niagara Falls is amazing.
- New York City.
- Old City Philadelphia and historicBoston (god, I love Boston). It's great to walk the same cobblestones, and occupy the same rooms where the country was born.
- Gettysburg ... that place reeks of history AND beauty.
- Washington, DC ... but watch where you are.
- The area around Tampa Bay ... absoultely breathtaking.
- Miami - for the diversity, craziness, and the women.
- New Orleans. It's fucking New Orleans ... 'nuff said.
- the cliffs of La Jolla in San Diego. I've never seen a prettier sunset in my life.


Damn, I need to travel some more.

okay, seeing as how you're coming from SF...

Drop down to Vegas and see the strip - especially if you've never seen it. kitsch and glitz.

Cross southern Utah on I-70. Stop at canyonlands and arches natl park if you can.

stay on 70 through Western Colorado. When you hit Denver head north, then east - you can see chicago and the lakes that way, then the northeast. otheriwise, head south to texas and then new orleans.. Avoid the plains states as much as you can. ick.

You said it was a street kid tour, does this mean via hitch-hiking and whatnot? If so it sounds like the spots will be pickng you more than the other way around.

Ah Vegas. Shrine to Excess. Free drinks. You can play nickel slots for hours. Treasure Island Pirate Battle.

The Plains are pretty visually boring as landscapes go, but you really can't avoid them completely so be sure to pause and partake of their unique sensations. The sweetness of square miles of fresh cut hay hanging in the still air at dusk. The humbling vulnerability to a vastness rivaled only by an ocean. Amber waves of grain. I know, that borders on sentimental, but witnessing the wind roll in eddies and currents across acres of tall grass is a more subtle and serene way to acknowledge the power of nature than say, enduring an earthquake.

[Edited on Dec 08, 2002 by graysius]