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I am going to undertake a working holiday to the U.S. very soon am I am really lookign forward to experiencing everything the country has to offer.
My plan at this moment is to live in a different region per season so I can see as much as possible. I'm looking at arriving in July and starting off in Seattle. From there I have no idea what's best suited for each season.
So my question is: In which city would you prefer to spend each season?
Coming from Australia where we have summer or a cooler version of summer as the seasonal change I want to experience everything. Major cities preferable.
Once it starts to get rainy in Seattle at the end of the summer, try some fall or early winter in Boulder Colorado. Boulder is a small progressive city full of young people that are into winter sports and the outdoors with plenty of great local beer.
When you get tired of feeling like an ice cube, come down to southern Arizona(mabye Tucson) and enjoy a pleasant, warmer winter in the most beautiful desert in the world( the Sonoran). Great mixture of American, Mexican, and Native American cultures down here.
Then go east of the Missisippi river to the South. It's the most distinct american cultural region and it's disappearing. Try New Orleans for a good time.
Finally, round out your trip in the Northeast. I never care to go there but it's the most populous part of America.
Anyways, that's what I'd do. Good Luck.
Are you planning to stay in one city per season -- four cities in total?
Since it's clear that you're looking for a broad overview of the country, I would suggest spreading your choices out geographically, giving you the option to explore outward from each city if you wish.
Seattle is a good city to spend the summer. For the autumn, I would strongly recommend Boston. Not only is the October foliage in New England world-famous, but Boston also offers one of the most unique cityscapes (and most European character) in the country. You can make easy trips into the scenic New England countryside, and other major East Coast cities are within easy access. A 4-hour bus ride to New York City on Megabus can run you only 5 dollars or less.
For the winter, I guess it depends on what kind of weather you're looking for. If you're looking for *real* winter weather, you could stay in the North, but I think it might be a bit overwhelming if you've never experienced it before. A better option might be somewhere in the Southwestern quadrant of the country, where you can experience both warm sunshine and snowy mountain ranges in the same day. Personally, I'm extremely partial to San Francisco -- it is definitely one of the most unique, interesting, and beautiful cities in the country. Yosemite National Park and the coast at Big Sur, both within driving distance, are breathtaking.
That leaves springtime for the Southeast -- the best time of year to experience the region, IMO! Here, there are a number of cities you might be interested in, none of which I know well enough to make a strong recommendation. Certainly places like New Orleans, Miami, and Charleston (South Carolina) all offer very unique experiences. If there are really no limitations on your choices, I suggest doing some research and figuring out which southeastern city you'd most enjoy.
That's great, thanks for your advices - my reasoning for having regional bases is that I thought it would be hard to find accommodation and work when I'm only going to be in the area for a month or two.
Just having a look at places on craigslist and job websites I see that a lots of places require a 2 month minimum stay.
But thank you both for your help, that sounds like a good plan. I've never seen snow or anything similar before so for winter I was hoping to be close to ski and snow. I was planning on just toughing out the cold for the whole time but the south-west option sounds to be a little more appealling
You could consider staying in Boston through Christmastime or New Year's, just to get the first taste of the snow before the Northern winter starts to drag on, and then move on to San Francisco or elsewhere in the southwestern quadrant of the country.
yeah i like that idea, Boston has always been very appealing to me - historical and the homeplace of Boston Legal
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