I never thought I’d like America… I don’t know why. I guess the way it was portrayed in the movies made it look so superficial, but after my first visit for Coachella last year, I kind of fell in love. While it’s not one of my favourite countries, San Diego definitely makes the list of places I could live in.
That first trip sparked some genuine curiosity, and now I have a decent size list of places I’d love to visit in America. Some of the places are obvious, and some of them are not-so-obvious. Here are the places I want to visit in America the most:
Austin, Texas:
Everyone always laughs when I tell them I want to go to Austin, probably because I don’t really have a good reason. Just try the local food, maybe check out an Austin spa. I just think I’ll like Austin, and it feels like it would be really different to New Zealand. Plus, everyone I’ve met from Austin just meets this stereotype of being a “typical American”. I’d like to see if my imagination aligns with reality.
New York:
No surprises here, who doesn’t want to go to New York? I feel like it’s such a cultural hub. I’d like to go there while I’m still relatively poor and just be in the middle of all the chaos. I like big cities because they have a lot to offer, but also because you kind of feel significant. It’s easier to grasp what a big world we live in, when you’re surrounded by millions of people too busy going about their own day to notice you. I also really want to eat a cupcake in Central park.
San Francisco:
I saw LA and I saw San Diego, but I didn’t make it to San Fran and I think that’s a real shame. My home town of Christchurch endured a massive earthquake and I’d like to go to San Fran to see how a city can recover and come out almost better from such a disaster – emphasis on almost. I’d also love to go on a sightseeing boat trip, using the Red and White fleet discount to keep costs down.
Colorado:
One of my best friends lived here for a year and she fell in love – and I fell in love directly through her photos. Colorado looks absolutely stunning and I’ve heard the skiing there is just incredible. I’d love to rent out an apartment in Colorado for a month or two and just make the most of the winter wonderland this place turns into.
Vegas:
I had the opportunity to go to Vegas last time I was in America, but I decided on Couchsurfing in Mexico instead. Part of me thinks I’ll hate Vegas – it seems to be a tacky version of other parts of the world, but I guess it’s one of those places you just need to see. Recently, my sister visited Vegas and her photos from that trip were actually really lovely so maybe it’s not as bad as I imagined. Either way, I need to see for myself!
Joshua Tree National Park:
Last year we were supposed to go camping in Joshua Tree National Park but I have poor time management and my camera was stolen, so things just didn’t pan out that way. I spent a while Googling photos and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I’d love to spend a long weekend camping here going on some excellent walks, but maybe not in the middle of summer where the temperatures are almost deadly!
So those are the places I want to visit in America – have you been to any of them? What did you think?
I’m a U.S. citizen (some are sensitive about us using the term “American” in a way that seems to exclude the rest of North & South America) and I’ve lived here most of my life, and still haven’t visited most of the places you list here! (In fairness, it IS a big country.) I’d add a few: Hawaii (lived there 7 years, love it). Drive Highway 1 down the California coast (from at least San Francisco area to beautiful Santa Barbara, where I now live) and on to maybe Santa Monica, Newport Beach, etc., down to San Diego. (You might skip downtown Hollywood–I’ve had a few Couch Surfers who went there and weren’t impressed.) Grand Canyon–not too far from Vegas. And experience the culture (& food) of the Deep South somewhere, like South Carolina (my ancestors are from there–the first state to secede!) or Georgia or Alabama or Mississippi. Texas doesn’t quite count as “Deep South,” in my opinion. It feels different. Neither does most of south Florida (I used to live there; too many transplanted Northerners makes it feel less “Southern,” but it’s also worth visiting on its own merits; a lot of people seem to like Key West and the Keys, although I never got down that far).
Ah. I should have posted “places I want to visit in the states”… as a foreigner I think of America as the USA and South America as… South America and Canada as it’s own thing. Whoops!
YES, Hawaii! Honestly, I don’t even think of it as a part of America? Haha. I went to Hollywood and didn’t really like it and had my really expensive camera stolen… Unfortunately my interactions with the police weren’t that great (they just didn’t care!) even though it was a $3,000-4,000 camera.
oh LAKE TAHOE! God, there’s just too many places to see and it’s just one country!
Oh I hope you didn’t think I was criticizing your usage of the term “America”! I was just composing the first sentence of my reply and was going to say “Well, I’m an American…” when I caught myself. I’m just trying to train myself, that’s all. I had to do the same thing in Hawaii when I lived there. Those of us from the other 49 states are notorious for saying (when we visit Hawaii) things like, “Well, in the U.S. we…” or “I arrived from the U.S. last week,” and some Hawaiians say “Hey, this IS the U.S. too!” Better to say, “Well on the mainland we…”
P.S. In California, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.
I LOVE Colorado! It really is spectacular there. I also really enjoyed New York, and missed San Francisco though I almost made it there. I hear it’s beautiful. I would love to visit Yellowstone National Park and Alaska 🙂
Ahh, see I’ve only ever heard great things about Colorado and the (few) people I’ve met from there have all been way too AWESOME. I’ll have to add Yellowstone to my list and, of course, Alaska! 🙂
Colorado is hands down the best place. But, like you, I don’t think the US is one of my favorite countries, even though I’m from there. 🙂 I’m glad you liked what you saw! Next time try Minnesota. Though it’s nothing special, the people are cool and the Superior Hiking Trail is great fun! 😀
Peace!
I’d recommend the Southeast US. You could make a road trip between the three cities I think of as the jewels of the South – New Orleans, LA (the party girl), Savannah, GA (the quiet, gothy one), and Charleston, SC (the honor student). Also, the beaches in Florida are fantastic, especially the panhandle (Pensacola to St. Joe) and the Gulf Coast (Clearwater south to Marco Island). And North Central Florida is dotted with natural springs which are fantastic for swimming and spring-fed rivers are that are perfect for tubing down.
Wow it sounds amazing! I’m planning to base myself in Panama in a few months so I’ll definitely be hitting the US for some road trips… there’s so much to see. Thanks for dropping by, Josh.
NYC is my favourite city in the whole world. Wouldn’t live there longterm though.
SD is really lovely and laidback. I also like SF as a city – seems really liveable, albeit expensive.
America is waiting for you! You seem to have a good plan, a great list.
i want to go america…