Hi there,

I´ve never been in the U.S. before but I would love to see it, maybe as a tourist, maybe as a student. Where should I go, where are the best places to learn something new and to understand what the special spirit is :D?

E.

The US is a very large country.  Each area has it's own flavor that comes from the original settlers of the area.  Of course, the east coast has the most "history" having been the first area settled.  What kinds of things interest you and how long would you have to be in the US?

I am not sure yet. I am interested in nearly everything  ??? I am interested in history, architecture, nature, horse riding, local cuisine  and so on. I love the ocean and the countyside but city tours as well. One of my subjects at university are native americans and their culture and history. My sister has been in Georgia for three month and I would love to see everything ;) Maybe I should be there for five years  :P

I've seen most of our country, I can give you a few pointers.

If you want to see what most of the rest of the world sees as "America", you probably want to at least see New York City and Washington DC.  DC is also the place to go if you want to explore American history, not to mention see the Smithsonian, which will take you five days in itself.  If you don't mind driving, you can get from NY to DC by car in about five hours.

If you're interested in early American architecture, then NY is good for that, as are Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA.  Early architecture is definitely an east coast thing.

Americans love to eat so you'll find excellent restaurants in and around every major city, with a plethora of them in NY.  If you go to Philadelphia and you can spare no expense, I highly recommend Le Bec Fin, which is Philly's premier four-star French restaurant and worth every penny.  Keep in mind that most "local cuisine" in the U.S. is our version of foods that come from the same countries that went into the melting pot mix of people that make up the country itself.  However, there are some east coast "must haves" for which certain areas are known:

Maine - Lobster
Boston, MA - Baked Beans
New York - Pizza and bagels
Philadelphia, PA - Cheesesteaks and soft pretzels
Pennsylvania Dutch Country - Funnel cakes
Delaware/Maryland - Crab cakes and blue crabs seasoned with Old Bay

If you want to see things that are very American but not quite so serious, you might want to consider Disney World and Epcot Center in Orlando, FL.  Lots of water and palm trees too as well as about a zillion other tourist attractions, including the Salvador Dali Museum.

If it's beauty you seek and you stay on the east coast, then you might want to explore the Appalachian Mountains which run from Canada to Georgia, or Skyline Drive in VA.

If you want out-of-this-world beauty, you need to head west where you'll find things you won't believe even when you see them with your own eyes, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Colorado Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone National Park and Redwood National Park.  West is also where you want to go if you want to learn about Native American history, as there are many more nations still surviving out west than in the east.  The Dakotas and surrounding states are especially ideal for Native American history.

Then of course there's California, which is an entity of its own and like no other place in the country.  If you crave art and culture, San Francisco is the place to go.  Then of course there's Hollywood and Los Angeles if the movie business appeals to you.  Go to Monteray and Carmel for some of the most beautiful coastline in the world.  Redwood National Park is also in CA.  

If you're still a student, why don't you consider participating in a student exchange?  If you're good with kids, you might also consider working as an au pair.  I used to teach English to an Austrian girl who worked here as an au pair for two years.  She managed to see most of everything she wanted to see in that time!

For Native American history, there is much in the midwest.  South Dakota has Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse mounuments in the Bad Lands.  I highly recommend visiting Yellowstone for its thermal areas that are very unique.  In the southwest (Arizona) there are many early remains that can be visited.  There are reservations and history centers all around for you to see and learn more about their lifestyles and cultures.  

If your visit is short, staying on the east coast gives you more to see in a condensed area.  But it sure would be worth it to see the great expanse of the prairies in the midwest and the desert areas of the southwest (with the Grand Canyon and/or Bryce Park).

There is much to see and most of us in the US have not seen it all!

Thank you. This place is great for education, I learn first hand about Bangladesh and the U.S.  :-*


wrote on Sep 29^th, 2003 at 1:23pm:

not to mention see the Smithsonian,

I HAVE to see it I am dreaming of it since years.


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Americans love to eat

So do I  ;)


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Maine - Lobster Boston, MA - Baked Beans New York - Pizza and bagels Philadelphia, PA - Cheesesteaks and soft pretzels Pennsylvania Dutch Country - Funnel cakes Delaware/Maryland - Crab cakes and blue crabs seasoned with Old Bay

Don´t like seafood that much but creamcheese and lox bagel or cheese cake (my aunt wants to open a deli in Bonn) are to die for (and surely I wanna die when seeing my weight after eating ;))


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If it's beauty you seek and you stay on the east coast, then you might want to explore the Appalachian Mountains

Maybe I could rent a horse and make a ride trough the mountains. We made a tour last year for five days with 10 horses and visited the Eifel what is a mix of highlands and endless woods.


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West is also where you want to go if you want to learn about Native American history, as there are many more nations still surviving out west than in the east.  The Dakotas and surrounding states are especially ideal for Native American history.

This would be nice...one of my grandmothers was a descendant of the Inkas so that there is 25 % indian blood in me ;)



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If you're still a student, why don't you consider participating in a student exchange?  If you're good with kids, you might also consider working as an au pair.  I used to teach English to an Austrian girl who worked here as an au pair for two years.  She managed to see most of everything she wanted to see in that time!

I am not sure where to make my study visit, Turkey, USA, or maybe the arabian world. My sister had been an au pair for three month and she hated every single day because she was expected to be a little bit nicer than she usually is at home ;)
Some of my friends have been at american universities for a year- M.I.T., Berkeley, N.Y. university. When I was younger I absolutely wanted to go to Wellesley but my parents did not like the idea to pay that much charges  :'(

But I think if I can travel next summer I will have a *lot* of fun and a *lot* to visit  :o

wrote on Sep 29^th, 2003 at 3:15pm:

There is much to see and most of us in the US have not seen it all!

I totally agree that there is much to see, I am overwhelmed. I think it is natural that most of the Americans have not seen their own country- I have been in Austria, Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, Belgium, France, Spain, Tunisia, Italy- but I never went to some of the most interesting places in Germany mentioned in the travel guides as for example the Brocken, a mountain in eastern Germany- it is said the witches dance their and do weird things- or the Semperoper, a recently restored opera in Dresden  :-[ :-[ :-[

How funny that you mentioned the Brocken!I don´t live too far away from it and I have also travelled many countries-but I´ve never made it to that mountain!(And I haven´t been to the US also) :(

Maybe we should go on a trip and watch the witches ;)