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If a foreigner were to ask you point blank what cities in the United States have the wow factor (must see/visit), how would you respond.
Rank your top 5 cities!
I will start
1. NYC
2. LA
3. Chicago
4. SF
5. DC
Strictly cities, or would the cities also be a jumping point to the surrounding areas? If the case is the latter, I'd dump Chicago from your list and add Denver, Phoenix or Seattle. If it's the former, I'd still dump Chicago and add Boston. Going to NYC is a no-brainer. If a visitor to the states missed that, it would be akin to visiting Paris for the first time and not seeing the Eiffel Tower (regardless of how tacky and touristy it is). LA is another no-brainer: Home of Hollywood, et al. San Francisco is by far America's most attractive city so it'll typically leave a favorable impression. And, DC is important for all visitors to see as it might give them some insight into the sheer enormity of our self-congratulatory collective ego.
On the other hand, Chicago, while impressive in its own right, doesn't necessarily have anything of significant importance that can't be seen in the other cities. It would be a worthwhile destination in a larger list, but just not in one limited to five choices.
NYC
LA
SF
Miami
New Orleans
Honolulu (had to include this one)
With the exception of NOLA, all of the other cities are big destinations for foreign travelers/arrivals into the US, Honolulu drawing mostly from Asia though. I think all of those cities are very different from each other and some of the most interesting cities in the US that will show a foreigner some of the best weather, urban scenery, beaches, urban form, culture, and history in the US.
The two most diverse and hence liveliest cities in the US--
Chicago
NYC
DC is nice for monuments and museums and such (pretty much the same for Boston) but I prefer the energy and diversity of my last two choices.
Lol so you don't think a foreigner would want to see california? After New York or in some cases before most foreigners would want to see california.
NYC
Chicago
SF
LA
DC
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