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OK I thought this was about living, not visiting. OP needs to be more clear.
The OP clearly wrote “must see/visit”.
I think the answer depends on context. If I’m riding a telesiege at Chamonix, I might talk up the wow factor of Salt Lake City with Snowbird/Alta terrain and the sublime tree skiing & deluxe level of service at Deer Valley. And check out the Mormon stuff in the city if you’re not skiing for a day. I might suggest Orlando to a young family. If I’m in the pub in the UK, I might suggest the Boston-Heathrow, JFK-Heathrow, or EWR-Heathrow morning flight to get home without needing to take a red eye. I’d name five achievable cities from those airports. LA wouldn’t make the list. I’d keep it to the Northeast Corridor where they can use Amtrak.
If I’m just naming five uniquely American US cities unlike anywhere else in the world, I’d go with:
I think the answer depends on context. If I’m riding a telesiege at Chamonix, I might talk up the wow factor of Salt Lake City with Snowbird/Alta terrain and the sublime tree skiing & deluxe level of service at Deer Valley. And check out the Mormon stuff in the city if you’re not skiing for a day. I might suggest Orlando to a young family. If I’m in the pub in the UK, I might suggest the Boston-Heathrow, JFK-Heathrow, or EWR-Heathrow morning flight to get home without needing to take a red eye. I’d name five achievable cities from those airports. LA wouldn’t make the list. I’d keep it to the Northeast Corridor where they can use Amtrak.
If I’m just naming five uniquely American US cities unlike anywhere else in the world, I’d go with:
NYC
LA
DC
Vegas
Santa Fe
I like that list - particularly the inclusion of Santa Fe. Small, unique city unlike anything else in the world. I think the landscape of the Southwestern U.S. would appeal to any international visitor as well and Vegas (as an obvious Grand Canyon jumping off point) and Santa Fe work on that front as well.
And I'm going to throw in Nashville in there, because to me, it represents the stereotypical USA that a foreigner might be curious to see. All that while being a fairly active city in the heart of the country.
1. NYC
2. Chicago
3. Los Angeles
4. New Orleans
5. Boston
I really struggle with understanding the reasons for people putting Las Vegas down, there’s basically nothing there outside the strip, very little culture, nothing interesting outside some partying.
As a foreigner myself, the only places in the US that gave me a "wow" feel when I first visited them were NYC, Chicago, SF, Miami Beach (on a weekend night) and Vegas.
Of course this is completely subjective based on one's personal frame of reference and interests.
NYC - East Coast
SFO - West Coast
CHI - North Coast
New Orleans - South Coast
And then a choice between two more dimensions of non-coastal America's richness:
Tucson (for mountains amid the Sonoran Desert and a phenomenal taste of a rich borderland and indigenous cultures)
or
Rapid City SD (For access to so much within a day's drive - from the Badlands and Black Hills to the Bighorn Mts, a richer palette than Denver can offer)
1. NYC
2. Chicago
3. Los Angeles
4. New Orleans
5. Boston
I really struggle with understanding the reasons for people putting Las Vegas down, there’s basically nothing there outside the strip, very little culture, nothing interesting outside some partying.
Isn’t that what foreigners want? Same reason Orlando is a top tourist destination: for tourist attractions. Not sure what’s so confusing about that.
Isn’t that what foreigners want? Same reason Orlando is a top tourist destination: for tourist attractions. Not sure what’s so confusing about that.
Yeah maybe my opinion of that was a bit too based on what I personally like. Like there’s plenty of places to party at home I guess is my point of view, but idk, that’s just me.
Yeah maybe my opinion of that was a bit too based on what I personally like. Like there’s plenty of places to party at home I guess is my point of view, but idk, that’s just me.
I'm like that too, and prefer to enjoy actual local scenes in various places rather than areas that are prepared for tourists, but I understand that most people seem to prefer tourist bubbles (Paradise Island in Nassau, Vegas Strip, Disney area in Orlando, Times Square, etc.) That's why I voted Vegas.
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