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Sure, but every one of those attributes is better is other cities. What is there in Chicago that is so unique to America? Plus Chicago is pretty isolated. If you’re basing your trip there you’re pretty much stuck unless you want to get on a plane. I suppose Detroit can offer up a decent side trip 4 hours away, but what else?
I think you are conflating cities with metro areas or even regions. The question is what five CITIES would you recommend to a foreigner. Not metro areas. Not regions. LA doesn’t get to count Disney Land for example. It’s not particularly close to downtown LA. And technically the Las Vegas strip is in Paradise.
Compared to New York, I would say Chicago is a much cleaner city with a much better overall urban aesthetic. Very little dirtiness compared to New York and certainly all of the West Coast cities. Chicago has bad neighborhoods but they’re nowhere near where a tourist would go unlike Seattle, LA and San Diego where the urban problems are right in everyone’s face.
Plus, it’s the cultural capital of the Midwest which, like it or not, is a huge and important part of this country. The coastal elitism on here, or should I say pseudo-elitism, is really is just stunning.
I understand there are some nuances that go over peoples’ heads here, but there are Disney’s in France and China. It’s pretty basic. Most CITIES in the US don’t offer what Chicago does.
If we’re talking regions, yes. SoCal, NorCal, PNW, Vegas/Phoenix are all on the table. But the cities themselves do underdeliver.
I think you are conflating cities with metro areas or even regions. The question is what five CITIES would you recommend to a foreigner. Not metro areas. Not regions. LA doesn’t get to count Disney Land for example. It’s not particularly close to downtown LA. And technically the Las Vegas strip is in Paradise.
Compared to New York, I would say Chicago is a much cleaner city with a much better overall urban aesthetic. Very little dirtiness compared to New York and certainly all of the West Coast cities. Chicago has bad neighborhoods but they’re nowhere near where a tourist would go unlike Seattle, LA and San Diego where the urban problems are right in everyone’s face.
Plus, it’s the cultural capital of the Midwest which, like it or not, is a huge and important part of this country. The coastal elitism on here, or should I say pseudo-elitism, is really is just stunning.
I understand there are some nuances that go over peoples’ heads here, but there are Disney’s in France and China. It’s pretty basic. Most CITIES in the US don’t offer what Chicago does.
If we’re talking regions, yes. SoCal, NorCal, PNW, Vegas/Phoenix are all on the table. But the cities themselves do underdeliver.
Why on earth would this be limited to City proper? You don't just suddenly leave LA once you step out of the city limits. Disneyland, Santa Monica etc are all very much part of the LA identity. You pointing out that the Las Vegas Strip isn't in Las Vegas proper further highlights how ridiculous it is to use city limit boundaries. No one really ascribes to them and they are largely irrelevant.
Why on earth would this be limited to City proper? You don't just suddenly leave LA once you step out of the city limits. Disneyland, Santa Monica etc are all very much part of the LA identity. You pointing out that the Las Vegas Strip isn't in Las Vegas proper further highlights how ridiculous it is to use city limit boundaries. No one really ascribes to them and they are largely irrelevant.
Stop trying to pretend LA isn’t a complete chore to get around. I like LA, it has a lot to offer. But it’s not a place you can really digest in even 4 days. You need at least a week and are spending a good amount of that sitting in traffic. And no, Disneyland doesn’t count and IMO way overrated and sorta silly unless you are traveling with small children. It counts for a foreigner visiting Southern California, not LA proper or even LA County. What, does LA proper get credit for SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo as well? It’s only a few hours away. Just like Anaheim in classic LA traffic.
I'm going to cheat a bit and group some areas together but if I were planning a trip to the US I'd do:
NY/DC - easy train ride between the two
SF/LA - easy flight between the two or Route 1
Charleston / Savannah
New Orleans
#5 would be a Wildcard depending on personal preferences - Honolulu, Seattle/Portland, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Boston, Philly, the Texas Triangle, Las Vegas or PHX + Grand Canyon, Denver or SLC or Jackson Hole or Reno, Asheville
I'd personally probably pick Grand Canyon or one of the mountain options as my 5th destination. I'd also probably go Seattle/Vancouver over Seattle/Portland but the OP did specify US.
Philadelphia is a logical side trip from New York, and many visitors to this country treat it as such. I would say that it should be part of any New York visit for a foreigner — the country was born here, after all.
Stop trying to pretend LA isn’t a complete chore to get around. I like LA, it has a lot to offer. But it’s not a place you can really digest in even 4 days. You need at least a week and are spending a good amount of that sitting in traffic. And no, Disneyland doesn’t count and IMO way overrated and sorta silly unless you are traveling with small children. It counts for a foreigner visiting Southern California, not LA proper or even LA County. What, does LA proper get credit for SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo as well? It’s only a few hours away. Just like Anaheim in classic LA traffic.
LA is a chore to get around even within the city limits who said otherwise? Doesn't stop Santa Monica and Orange county from being part of LA, it is literally part of both the urban area and metro.
This is also an extremely bad faith argument. Sea world would obviously never be counted because San Diego unlike OC has absolutely nothing to do with LA.
I'd say though that you'd need several trips, each by region. These are my proposed 14-day suggestions with five destinations for six different regions:
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic:
1. New York City (5 days)
2. Boston (3 days)
3. Philadelphia (2 days)
4. Washington, DC (4 days, with one day being a day trip to Baltimore or Annapolis for that 5th city). Travel is easy to get around, with either short shuttle flights or train rides.
Southeast:
1. Miami (3 days)
2. Orlando (4 days)
3. Atlanta (2 days)
4. Nashville (2 days, Memphis is an alternative if you're not into Country)
5. New Orleans (3 days)
Texas:
1. Dallas (3 days)
2. Fort Worth (1 day)
3. Austin (3 days)
4. San Antonio (3 days)
5. Houston (4 days)
Midwest:
1. Detroit (2 days)
2. Chicago (5 days)
3. St. Louis (2 days)
4. Kansas City (2 days)
5. Minneapolis (3 days)
Southwest:
1. Santa Fe (2 days)
2. Phoenix (2 days)
3. Las Vegas (2 days)
4. San Diego (3 days)
5. Los Angeles (5 days)
West:
1. San Francisco (4 days)
2. Portland (2 days)
3. Seattle (3 days)
4. Salt Lake City (2 days)
5. Denver (3 days)
But if it were five just anywhere:
1. New York (4 days)
2. Chicago (3 days)
3. San Francisco (2 days)
4. Los Angeles (3 days)
5. Las Vegas (2 days)
Keep in mind that for the final list, this could include that daytrip to a nearby city, like San Diego for Los Angeles or Milwaukee for Chicago. Some of these trips are better at a certain time of year, with Southeast, Southwest, and Texas better during the non-summer months, and Midwest/Northeast best during the warmer months. Also, if you're looking to see small town America, that's what the departure days are for, with the option to drive between two of the destinations, and it works better with the regionally-based itinerary.
Last edited by Borntoolate85; 07-23-2021 at 09:28 AM..
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Many foreigners, unlike Americans, tend to take longer vacations and spend more time in fewer cities. Therefore, they are more likely to focus on a region or coast rather than rack up airlines miles….so, a person visiting NYC might visit Philly, Boston and/OR DC and possibly take a trip to Florida. Within Florida, Miami and Orlando are quite common and it will be even more enjoyable once the Brightline higher speed rail connecting the cities is completed….a visitor to LA could choose to visit from Vegas, San Diego, SF and/or Honolulu on the same (albeit longer) trip.
Highly doubtful the average foreigner is going to hit multiple cities thousands of miles apart in different corners of the country on the same visit, unless spending an extended visit (as in months)—at least that has been my experience from talking with foreign visitors on both coasts. When I go to Europe, even though smaller than the US, I focus on a region—I am not traveling to London, Stockholm and then Sardinia on the same trip or doing 5 cities in 12 or 20 days (6-8 weeks, maybe).
Last edited by elchevere; 07-23-2021 at 09:37 AM..
I think you are conflating cities with metro areas or even regions. The question is what five CITIES would you recommend to a foreigner. Not metro areas. Not regions. LA doesn’t get to count Disney Land for example. It’s not particularly close to downtown LA. And technically the Las Vegas strip is in Paradise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefox
Stop trying to pretend LA isn’t a complete chore to get around. I like LA, it has a lot to offer. But it’s not a place you can really digest in even 4 days. You need at least a week and are spending a good amount of that sitting in traffic. And no, Disneyland doesn’t count and IMO way overrated and sorta silly unless you are traveling with small children. It counts for a foreigner visiting Southern California, not LA proper or even LA County. What, does LA proper get credit for SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo as well? It’s only a few hours away. Just like Anaheim in classic LA traffic.
Really? Yeah no one ever considers what’s outside the city limits they might not realize they may be crossing when planning a trip, or recommending a city?
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