Summer vacation ideas for woman traveling solo (US and Canada ideas only) (cruise, Amtrak)

[Chatteress]

I really enjoy this Forum as many of you have great tips and suggestions. I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip this summer as I now have my June and July schedule from work. Here are my perimeters:

When: Late June/early July (June 28-July 4th, July 6th-15th)
Length: 7 days
Locations: US and Canada ONLY (except the Southeast due to the humidity)
Activities: Touristy things, cultural activities, great food ...
Not into: sports or outdoor recreational activities, history
Transportation: I do not drive so I will need to utilize mass transit and my little feet to get around

I will be traveling solo for this trip and have traveled solo previously. I would like to try something different as I have already done NYC, Orlando, Seattle, Victoria (Canada) and many places in California - all solo trips. I was considering going on a cruise but the itineraries are limited for my time frame so that's out.


Any fresh ideas welcomed because I'm in a rut

[StealthRabbit]

Your dates and NO HUMIDITY would first thrust me to CA. (SF or San Diego, as it sounds like you need to be in a city, and national parks are crowded at that time)

Portland, OR has Rose Festival during that time (June - many events). But it might still be rainy on occassion (till july 5th, then dry for 80 days).
Vancouver, WA claims to have biggest 4th of July Fireworks west of Missisppi River.

Chamber Music NW (PDX) is in late june and early july, and is a nice festival @ Reed College and vicinity. (Also many events in the Columbia Gorge in summer ~ 1 hr east of PDX; and OR beach is one hr west)

Colorado, WY, Utah, NM, ID, MT are other nice choices, but potentially crowded in mid summer.

There are nice 'destinations' in each of those states.

[Wwanderer]

How about the train trip through the Canadian Rockies, between Vancouver and Calgary? Plus a few days in Vancouver. Not cheap, but I've heard it's great. The Rocky Mountaineer has several different routes.

Or an Alaska cruise. Most are just 7 days, so you'd have to squeeze an extra travel day in probably, plus a quick trip between home and Seattle or Vancouver.

[Chatteress]

Thanks for the ideas ... Especially the Canadian Rockies train trip (I'll have to look into this...) and the Rose Festival in Portland, OR ... I just need to see if there's mass transit that would allow me to get around easily.

I was wondering if there is train service that would make traveling between Montreal and Toronto feasible?

[Chava61]

I would suggest Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and also Boston as cities where one can get around to see the main attractions using public transportation.

[Chatteress]

That was one of my ideas as I know that it is possible, via Amtrak, to commute between these cities and get to squeeze more things into my trip.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Chava61

I would suggest Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and also Boston as cities where one can get around to see the main attractions using public transportation.

Washington DC is consistently one of the most hot and humid cities during that period.

[Wwanderer]

Originally Posted by Chatteress

I was wondering if there is train service that would make traveling between Montreal and Toronto feasible?

Oh sure there is. Not special tourist, scenic trains, but there are probably 5 trains a day, some direct, or some thru Ottawa. You could also do Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal. Ottawa is a very pretty little city, with lots of museums and beautiful parks. For rail info, go here: VIA Rail Canada: Train travel in Canada

You could add Quebec City as well, although 4 cities in 7 days is probably too many.

[Jezer]

How about the Texas Hill Country? It's a lovely area and there appear to be bus tours available. I guess you could fly into Austin, itself worth a look around.

Hill Country of Texas Guide and Information at Texas Hill Country

[Silver State]

Lake Tahoe both the California and Nevada Side