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Oooh I didnt think PR, Stay in San Juan/Condado/Old SanJuan... good suggestion.
I was thinking within driving distance. There always LA too then. Go play tourist there. I went all by myself when I was 20 and came back with a couple tatoos and a ton of stories.
How about San Fran/ Napa it is a great long weekend trip. I am actually going next week. I think it is a nice place with tons to do and you wouldn't be so bad on your own there. A little wine makes everyone friendly.
Holy crappola Mike, that beach photo is gorgeous. Hmm, San Francisco is an option as well. Maybe Savannah too, although that sounds more like a romantic getaway than a solo trip!
Vegas is the best option, even though you've just been there. It's cheap, easy, and for a person who is alone it offers the best options. You can do anything you want, anytime you want, in any way you want. If you want companionship, that's the easiest city in which to find it (and I'm not talking about the PAID "companionship" ). It's full of tourists of all ages and you can meet people on the fly or look ahead for activities with groups. TripAdvisor's vegas forum always has people organizing informal meet & greets - you can chat them up before the trip on the forums and then meet them there, then see how it goes. I've done this, and sometimes it's just a fun one-time meeting, other times there are people I hit it off with and plan more things with for the rest of the trip.
Another option is Florida. I'd recommend flying into West Palm or Fort Lauderdale. The flight and hotel and car should all be pretty cheap at that time. Both West Palm and Fort Lauderdale have everything to offer from beaches to great restaurants and nightlife and even casinos and gambling if you want it. It's an easy, short, direct flight from Newark to either airport (just pick the cheapest of the two - they are only about 40 minutes from each other anyway). If you were REALLY intrepid, you could drive down to Key West and spend that day and night and half the next day there.
Also in Florida, Tampa is a fun location, but I think W. Palm and Ft Laud. offer more options.
Here's a really good one if you don't mind the cold and if you have a car and are willing to do a driving vacation - go to Montreal, Canada. It takes me actually less than 6 hours and I live at the last exit on the Parkway (exit 172). You can enjoy the beautiful Adirondacks on the way up, maybe stop off at Lake Placid or Lake George on the way up. It really is an easy drive even if you drive straight through, though - it's about 2.5 hours to Albany and about 3 more from there (2.5 to the border and .5 to Montreal). I like to leave anytime between 4 and 6 AM and I get there before noon, and I have the whole day that first day to explore. There is so much to do and see - it's like a perfect blend of Europe and the US. If you are into hockey you can see about going to a Canadiens game. They have a beautiful Casino. The food is awesome, whether you get high-falutin' gourmet food or low-budget cheap eats, or anything in between. They are known for their steak (Montreal steak seasoning you may have heard of), their "smoked meat"/"viande fumee" (like a cross between corned beef and pastrami, very tender and delicious), and "poutine" - basically french fries with cheese curds and gravy, a heartier and more older/traditional version of our Jersey "disco fries", really. Also, they have great bagels that are a different style from our NJ/NYC style of bagel.
It's a big enough city that you will definitely not run out of things to do but you can cover the city easily by their subways and buses (I'd avoid driving there - the mass transit is excellent and the drivers are crazy, plus parking can be a pain in the city, kind of like NYC). And if you have the impression that they hate Americans, well put that out of your mind, because it's untrue. The French Canadians want all the Quebec residents to speak French only, even the Anglo Canadians; however, they don't expect Americans to speak any French at all, and they will gladly accommodate you by speaking English with you. The only way they might give you a hard time is if they think you're Anglo Canadian - you just explain you don't know French because you're American and they will gladly speak English with you. They love Americans, actually.
The Canadian dollar is also back to being somewhat weaker against our dollar, which will help. Just make sure you fill up on gas in NY state (at Plattsburgh area, just before the border) as Canadian gas is expensive. You'll be able to stay in a nice hotel for a good rate, right downtown if you want. If you stay a little outside of the city it will save you some money, but probably not worth the savings.
With only 4 days for the trip, I'd avoid leaving the East Coast, because then your actual vacation time will be eaten up by travel time. To fly to Vegas, it's a 5.5 hour flight, you have to be at the airport 1.5 hours earlier, which means you have to leave your home probably at least .5 hours earlier, not to mention the 1/2 hour to get off the plane and get a car or transportation there - it's an 8 hour trip, minimum. More if you have a connection or are delayed. In that time you'd have been in Montreal or Florida and having fun for a couple hours already.
If you are going to go to the West Coast anyway, then yes, I'd highly recommend L.A. Los Angeles has the most to offer of any west coast destination - even more than San Francisco, which is another awesome city. The weather in L.A. can't be beat. If you wanted, from L.A. you could reach Santa Barbara or Palm Springs in 1.5 hours, or San Diego in 2.5 hours. Even Vegas is only 3.5 hours away. But for 3-4 days, you will have far more to do in L.A. than you could ever even get to.
Don't listen to the negative nellies who hate L.A. irrationally - it's a great city, and I think you will find it to be one of your favorites.
Of course there's Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and so many parts of L.A. that I can't post them all here. Much of what there is to do is FREE - the LACMA (Art Museum), Getty (only an $8 charge for parking), Griffith Observatory (I'd recommend instead of driving up, park in Hollywood and take the city Trolley for 25 cents each way - takes you right to the front of the observatory), La Brea Tar Pits... But there's just so much in L.A. you can prioritize what you want to do and see. And, the food is the best in the nation aside from NY/NJ.
Last edited by BergenCountyJohnny; 10-21-2009 at 02:53 PM..
It's a big enough city that you will definitely not run out of things to do but you can cover the city easily by their subways and buses (I'd avoid driving there - the mass transit is excellent and the drivers are crazy, plus parking can be a pain in the city, kind of like NYC). And if you have the impression that they hate Americans, well put that out of your mind, because it's untrue. The French Canadians want all the Quebec residents to speak French only, even the Anglo Canadians; however, they don't expect Americans to speak any French at all, and they will gladly accommodate you by speaking English with you. The only way they might give you a hard time is if they think you're Anglo Canadian - you just explain you don't know French because you're American and they will gladly speak English with you. They love Americans, actually.
I'll vouch for that as well BCJ. The problem the FC's have is with the English speaking Canadians, principally the Ontario contingent. It's a religion thing, more than anything else (Catholicism versus Protestant). It's a dual thing. When I was fishing in Simcoe, a matey on the boat ripped a northern pike off of someone's line and bashed it up against the board, and referred to it as an "RC". I asked him what that meant, and he said something in the order of "Francophile F**kin Roman Catholic". I was thinking to myself: "Wow....". I was only 15 years old at the time, when things weren't as politically correct as now, but I am wondering how many others would have been offended if that were now.
For the aforementioned reasons, the greatest North American sports rivalry will forever be the Montreal Canadiens versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's a whole nother level from Yankees-Red Sox.
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). It's full of tourists of all ages and you can meet people on the fly or look ahead for activities with groups. TripAdvisor's vegas forum always has people organizing informal meet & greets - you can chat them up before the trip on the forums and then meet them there, then see how it goes. I've done this, and sometimes it's just a fun one-time meeting, other times there are people I hit it off with and plan more things with for the rest of the trip.
Have fun choosing!
