Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For all those that have helped and are helping me help her plan her trip, thank you...
And I have a plan.
I see that you guys have asked me several questions that I really don't know the answer to, so what I'm going to do is put together an e-mail to my friend asking him to ask her a series of questions to find out more so that I can help her better.
Remember, last time I was around her, she was still an early teen child. I don't know her as an adult yet.
I'm going send the e-mail this weekend, so until then, please post any questions that you want me to ask and I'll ask them and we'll see what they say.
A good Question to ask is what time of year is she planning this trip. Remind her of how brutal the winter months can be in the US in some of the places she wants to visit. Nothing says "Welcome to America" while being stranded at a airport because of a blizzard!
It all depends. If it's a list of American places based on the merits of the 'city experience', then places like Las Vegas and Orlando don't really have a place on the agenda. But if the person is interested in places that provide the 'city experience' and places that produce a manufactured experience that most likely can't be replicated elsewhere in the states (but can probably be replicated outside the country) then there is a place for the Las Vegas' of the country.
Is Las Vegas a must see? It really just depends on the agenda.
You should ask her if she likes outdoor activities.
It doesn't fit in the "Must Visit" "You haven't been anywhere until you've been there" category but the Chattanooga area has hang gliding, zip lines, river rafting, and a water park. No I wouldn't send you across the country to visit but at 100 miles away it's worth the trip.
It might be good to see some smaller cities just for comparison.
What's the big deal with Vegas? I'd certainly place Denver over Vegas.
You're kidding right...?
Personally, I'd place Vegas over just bout every US city as a "must go to" destination...
Vegas is AMAZING!!!
A list of "must see/must go" cities has nothing to do with the quality of a city as far as a great place to live... I guess some people do, but that's so boring to me just to go somewhere just to say "wow, this looks like a nice place to live." I want fun and excitement. NOBODY does fun and excitement like Vegas. Not even NYC, New Orleans, Miami or LA. NOBODY.
If you are a frequent vacationer, and you haven't been to Vegas yet, "you haven't been anywhere..."
You GOTTA GO to Vegas!!!
You're kidding right...?
Personally, I'd place Vegas over just bout every US city as a "must go to" destination...
Vegas is AMAZING!!!
A list of "must see/must go" cities has nothing to do with the quality of a city as far as a great place to live... I guess some people do, but that's so boring to me just to go somewhere just to say "wow, this looks like a nice place to live." I want fun and excitement. NOBODY does fun and excitement like Vegas. Not even NYC, New Orleans, Miami or LA. NOBODY.
If you are a frequent vacationer, and you haven't been to Vegas yet, "you haven't been anywhere..."
You GOTTA GO to Vegas!!!
I agree, Vegas is quintessentially American!
The world over has fantastic gambling meccas, BUT VEGAS is gambling "American style" with the shows, hotels, hordes of "UGLY FAT Americans" in flip-flops, jeans and t-shirts, being loud and obnoxious, walking drunk on the street in 105 degree weather - Gotta love it, no place in the world will you find this. Of course, people the world over with deep pockets, dressed to the nines, come to Vegas too...and everything in between.
Do Vegas 2 ways:
1. Unprepared, no plan, spontaneous, slightly liquored or buzzed the whole trip.
2. Plan your stay, get the best deals, best seats for shows, pick your gaming wisely, quit when your ahead.
The world over has fantastic gambling meccas, BUT VEGAS is gambling "American style" with the shows, hotels, hordes of "UGLY FAT Americans" in flip-flops, jeans and t-shirts, being loud and obnoxious, walking drunk on the street in 105 degree weather - Gotta love it, no place in the world will you find this. Of course, people the world over with deep pockets, dressed to the nines, come to Vegas too...and everything in between.
Do Vegas 2 ways:
1. Unprepared, no plan, spontaneous, slightly liquored or buzzed the whole trip.
2. Plan your stay, get the best deals, best seats for shows, pick your gaming wisely, quit when your ahead.
I've looked at a few You Tube videos of Vegas. Other than entertainment, what else is there? Are there any highly recommended museums? There has to be one or more treasures in Vegas. I'm aware of the desert.
I'd like for someone to comment about Miami also. I know about the beaches, the hotties, the weather, the fun. Where do parents take their children?
I'd appreciate a few comments about these two cities.
I've looked at a few You Tube videos of Vegas. Other than entertainment, what else is there? Are there any highly recommended museums? There has to be one or more treasures in Vegas. I'm aware of the desert.
I'd like for someone to comment about Miami also. I know about the beaches, the hotties, the weather, the fun. Where do parents take their children?
I'd appreciate a few comments about these two cities.
Vegas isn't about visiting a museum... If you want a museum, go to NYC or DC or somewhere...
But if you want to have the time of your life being able to do anything you want, quite literally (as long as you can afford doing what you want) at anytime you want, pretty much anywhere you want on any day, go to Vegas... There is NO OTHER CITY like it. New York's "city that never sleeps" title was RIPPED out of its clutches by the Vegas life without discussion!!!
And yes, other cities have casinos as well, but Vegas is a whole different beast...
You can't even compare the fun to be had in Vegas to other American cities. Not even close.
Vegas fits on a different list with cities like: Amsterdam, Dubai, Monaco, Macau, Rio de Janeiro... etc...
Vegas fun fits in THAT class... Now THOSE cities can be argued to be way better than Vegas, but none are American cities.
Vegas is an absolute MUST GO (just like the prior post said) for every American, BOTH ways... Spontaneously AND planned. You can either do Vegas the cheap way, and still have more of a blast there than in any other American city, OR you can do Vegas the planned, high class way and still have more of a blast than in any other American city... Period. Vegas, like no other city in the world, is designed and made for EVERYBODY to be able to enjoy... NOWHERE but Vegas is made like THAT.
Unlike the other cities in Vegas' fun class (Dubai, Rio, Macau... etc...) Vegas can be lived up on a tight budget by low, middle & upper class people. Those other cities, you are NOT going to enjoy on a budget. As a matter of fact, you probably won't even make it to those cities if you have to worry about a budget. You MUST break long bread to enjoy Dubai and Monaco. Rio can be cheap once you get there, BUT you have to break bread just to make it there, as well as Dubai, Amsterdam and so on... Flights to Vegas from the east coast can be as cheap as $300s. Actually, I've flown there for around $250 before from DC.
I've never been to Macau, but they say it was designed for the super rich, far more than Vegas.
Vegas unlike any of its competition can be done very affordably, and still be the most fun you've ever had. Absolute MUST visit, no matter what your budget is......
I had a google chat with my friend this morning and asked him a few questions about her. Then he gave me her e-mail and I got in touch with her and also had a google chat with her and asked her a bunch of questions about what she wants to do, what she's into now, what she thinks is fun, etc...
So, she's 22 now. Last I knew her she was 13 (I think I told you guys 14).
She's an artist. She paints, writes poetry, does graffiti, etc...
She loves music. We talked about music for a pretty long time...
She listens to reggaetone, hip hop, rock, trans, lots of music (she says). She's a "Hip hop head." She loves Jay-Z, likes Kanye, listens to Jay Electronica, Mos Def, and Odd Future and has crusheson Tony Maiello and..... T.I.... LOL Funny that youth in Italy are exposed to that, huh?
She also like a lot of other music like Jamiroquai, Radiohead, Muse, Prince, U2, Caged the Elephant, Maroon 5 and more
Of course she also like some Italian music like Gente Guasto, El Presidente & Tormento, Inoki, Fabri Fibra, Mondo Marcio, Ffiume, & Tony Maiello. Though she likes a wide variety of music, seems she's heavy on hip hop, hence her self-proclaimed "hip hop head"
She DJs and loves to dance.
She also wants to do tattoo art. Has some tattoos (and her dad &family HATES it), and piercings.
Pretty much, she was a teen rebel in a wealthy family, but she's a very smart & mature girl now that she's older.
I asked questions about food. She has never had any sort of southern food (no grits, no gumbo, nothing), never had any kind of Mexican. Says she doesn't like Chinese food(but has only had it in Italy & Germany).
She speaks English very well, & is actually a US citizen. She was born on a US military base in Italy and her dad is American.
She has family in Brooklyn and in Baltimore that she plans to see, and her NY family has already been telling her some helpful tips for planning her trip.
So far, she already plans to fly into Boston and meet a cousin there, then go down to NYC.
Then she plans to travel down the coast from NYC to Philly, Baltimore and DC by train.
I MAY meet her in DC depending on my schedule because I'm in DC often.
She KNOWS she wants to see Atlanta, she wants to see Las Vegas, LA, San Fran, the whole East Coast and Miami. She was asking for where else to go, and I ran through a whole lot of cities and told her what a lot of people say about those cities, so now she says she also wants to see New Orleans, Chicago, Seattle and San Diego.
She still doesn't have exact dates yet, cause she has to budget it all first, but (I think I already told you guys that she was planning on next Spring) she says she may most likely come over from October til Christmastime).
So, she IS looking for a cost effective way to travel and do it all though. Yes, dad & her family are pretty wealthy, however her dad is making her do a full budget for the trip. I like his idea. He plans to "HELP" fund her trip but she has to create a FULL budget plan for EVERYTHING from transportation, lodging and food to extra incidentals, souvenirs and drinks. Everything she can think of, then present itto him so he can help her take her price and cut it down by finding better ways to do things.
She plans on spending different lengths in different cities. Some places, she may stay like 5 days, some places, she may only do 1 to 2 days in. The places she may stay multiple days in are the places where she has family like NYC, Baltimore/DC area &ALABAMA (YES. Her dad is originally from Bama... Lol, go figure), has friends(didn't know she has some friends in America) like Atlanta, and San Fran or just places she really wants to try like Vegas and LA...
So far, this girl is thinking pretty big!!! She was talking about doing all this (in order):
Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC, Atlanta, Alabama, Miami, New Orleans, Chicago, Texas, Phoenix, Vegas, San Diego, LA, San Fran, Seattle, Colorado, St. Louis, NYC, Boston then back home.
I asked about seeing America's nature and she said that's not "high" on her list, but she would still love to see it. She's never seen a desert in person, so she would like to see that. She would like to see Redwood trees. She would like to see the Everglades. And she would like to snowboard if possible.
Oh, she also wants to see a rodeo.
She also wants to see a concert if she can.
She'd like to get a tattoo somewhere.
She would also like to do some shopping.
Oh, I asked if she drinks....... Shame on me I guess.
She said, and I quote "I'M ITALIAN!!! OFCOURSE IDRINK!!!" Excuse me!!!
I asked if she was planning on renting any cars, and she said she doesn't know yet.
"not much to drive. I hate to drive but if I have to I will"
She doesn't plan to rent in the places that she already knows someone, or has great transportation.
She wants to travel around and have a good time, but she's also feeling out different cities. She's thinking of moving to the States for a little while, and wants to get a feel for what each city is like.
I don't think she really cares about "history & character" too much in a city. Seems more like she's looking for an interesting social life.
Also, she hates cold weather (had to ask because she is thinking she may make her trip this fall/winter)...
I told her she'd have to deal with it if she'd coming during that time of year. Especially if she's going to be in places like Chicago & Boston.
Overall, looks like she kind of knows what she wants to do and where she wants to go, but just needs some advice on the best/most cost effective ways to get it all done.
Cost effective ideas are welcomed.
Last edited by Psykomonkee; 08-04-2013 at 11:27 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
)
Update on the Italian tourist
