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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:15 pm Post subject: Places in America to Go as a Tourist |
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Yeah, I grew up in California, but I don't plan to go back, except to look around. Told my brothers (the only family I have left back there) that if they see me again on that side of the Pacific I'll be just another tourist. Likewise, told the wife I ain't setting foot on American soil until that ASS is out of the White House. She's the only Korean woman I ever dated with no interest in ever living overseas, so I figure it must be love ...
She DOES want to meet remnants of family I have left over there, and I'd like to see them again, but there are other things I'd like to see at least once more, or for the first time. We're saving up for that, sometime after January 20, 2009 ....
Thing is, my list is not very long, which surprises me. Here's what I have so far. One brother lives in the old hometown in the Napa Valley, the other near Silicon Valley, so that comes first, I suppose. After that:
1. The Yosemite Valley. Haven't been there since I was a lad of 16, but God, what an astounding place. Better not disappoint me when I see it again. (The Ahwanee Hotel is the only place I ever tried to play golf, and I thought, "Christ, what an astoundingly DUMB way to spend your time when there are so many interesting things in the world you haven't looked at yet. Never picked up a club again, too busy looking around.)
2. New York City. Yep, never got around to the Big Apple ... not sure what I'll want to see there unless it's a taping of David Letterman or a bit of solemnity outside of Ground Zero. Suggestions on that are welcome. Okay, the Statue of Liberty, sure. Art museums? Yeah, I like that kind of thing. Maybe the Guggenheim. Others?
3. Washington, DC. Never been there, either, though most Americans can't spend a week without talking about what happens in it. I'd see the White House (as long as some ELSE is living in it) and Congress, of course, and The Smithsonian Museum could take up a couple of days from what I've heard, and of course the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials ...
4. Maybe New Orleans. That would be a sentimental journey and maybe a tearful one. Lived there for a short time in the early 80s, then the World's Fair came, changed it, then the casinos came, changed it again, then Katrina hit, destroyed it all - in my own mental imagery, it remains the most romantic of all American cities. Tennessee Williams, Marie Laveau, voodoo, Anne Rice, and by the way, how much is the French Quarter really worth in American money? Probably not much, these days ...
Go wild, tell me places I want to see in America before they are gone or before I am ... you might guess, I'm a lifer here, so imagine you are going to visit your American home for perhaps just one more time - what things will you regret having never seen?
(If you're not American, use your imagination, help me out on this. Don't worry, I got time.)
Last edited by The Bobster on Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:36 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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SuperFly
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Location: In the doghouse
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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Lake Superior! And don't forget to listen to Gordon Lightfoot as you approach her!
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The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.
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MANDRL
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Not sure if you are into Vegas, but that can be a cool place to be. |
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sirfro
Joined: 01 Dec 2006
Location: Guui-dong...lol
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:28 am Post subject: |
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Skiing/snowboarding in Vermont if the time of year is right.
Rent a cabin with a fireplace... So cozy  |
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Richard Krainium
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:45 am Post subject: |
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This past February, my wife and I got married in Las Vegas, then we honeymooned in San Francisco, New Orleans, The Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. She loved every minute of it...
Other places I'd take her would be Santa Fe, San Antonio, Memphis, Chicago and all of the East Coast (from Virginia Beach up to Maine). |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:38 am Post subject: |
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| MANDRL wrote: |
| Not sure if you are into Vegas, but that can be a cool place to be. |
Been there, done that ... though I once worked at the Cal-Neva in Reno, when I was young and little more stupid than I am now, and it might be nice play a little roulette or blackjack again, see if the place is the same - or, oh yeah craps! Another sentimental journey, I guess.
Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place, too. So very blue.
Richard Krainium
Thanks for reminding me. I'd been avoiding thinking about SoCal because LA is the stinky armpit of Planet Earth, but the San Diego Zoo? Absolutely. Their policy has always been to put the visitors in cages in order to protect the animals - every other zoo I've ever seen has been a scary and depressing experience. Think I could spend a couple of days walking around that place.
How did I miss that one. Of course. You now why it's cool? It's very big.
Thanks you guys, you're helping a lot. Keep on the job. Appreciate it. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 2:01 am Post subject: |
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| Queens |
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kimchi story
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:49 am Post subject: |
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| the bobster wrote: |
| 2. New York City. Yep, never got around to the Big Apple ... not sure what I'll want to see there unless it's a taping of David Letterman or a bit of solemnity outside of Ground Zero. Suggestions on that are welcome. Okay, the Statue of Liberty, sure. Art museums? Yeah, I like that kind of thing. Maybe the Guggenheim. Others? |
The Guggenheim is neat and the MOMA will blow your mind. When I die, one of the things that will flash through my head is a wall in the MOMA with a Pollock Number 9 and a Monet Water Lillies side by side. That is the only time I have been put in my place by oil and canvas. I suggest a morning at the Met and then an afternoon at the MOMA - the former is tiring and the latter will recharge your batteries. Another great recharger is the Central Park Yacht Club where you can rent rc sailboats. And then there's FAO Shwartz, the mecca of toy stores - if you have to get souvenirs for kids it's the place to go.
There, that's day 1 in Manhattan in a nutshell. Don't forget to get to 85 Bloor Street West with a croissant and a ciggy around dawn so you can have breakfast at Tiffany's...
Day 2 is the WTC, Battery Park, Wall Street (where you can shout "Blue Horshoe loves Anacot Steel!" if you like) and the Statue of Liberty. |
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oneofthesarahs
Joined: 05 Nov 2006
Location: Sacheon City
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:35 am Post subject: Re: Places in America to Go as a Tourist |
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| The Bobster wrote: |
3. Washington, DC. Never been there, either, though most Americans can't spend a week without talking about what happens in it. I'd see the White House (as long as some ELSE is living in it) and Congress, of course, and The Smithsonian Museum could take up a couple of days from what I've heard, and of course the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials ...
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Smithsonian MUSEUM? Try 16 museums, the National Zoo, and the National Art Gallery, which is affiliated but not actually a Smithsonian museum. When I was living in DC, it took me an entire summer to get through all of the museums to my satisfaction. I've been to the National Art Gallery more times than I can count. And there are loads of other "must-see" museums, including the Spy Museum, the Holocaust Memorial, and the National Building Museum.
The memorials are fun, but if you want to see them all, expect an entire day to be eaten up. Some of the more obscure ones are the best: the FDR memorial, the Korean War memorial, and the Einstein memorial, especially. It's easy to get a tour of Congress, but if you know someone who works on the Hill you can get a much more behind-the-scenes tour. It's much harder to get a White House tour nowadays. When I was living there, it was invite-only. (But I got a tour, because I was working for and independent agency of the executive branch at the time. The tour was much less thrilling than you might think.) The rules might be somewhat looser now.
There's so much to do in DC, and I think a lot of people don't give it enough credit. If you hang out anywhere in Foggy Bottom on a weekday evening, you're bound to run into a couple of different senators. Georgetown is also cool for it's college-y vibe.
It's easy to find live music, whatever your tastes. Sports games are fun in DC, because the tickets are cheap, but the fans are pretty devoted.
The Metro is also generally clean for a big city, and easy to navigate. It's super efficient during the day, somewhat less so the later it gets.
Can you tell I love DC, warts and all?  |
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applesandshanana
Joined: 09 May 2007
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:03 am Post subject: |
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DC would have been my first suggestion if you hadn't mentioned it. I absolutely love that city, despite its flaws. I would live there in a heartbeat if I had the money.
I'd have to agree with the post about Lake Superior, or any of the Great Lakes. Although much of the state is pretty lame, Michigan does have some very scenic and serene spots if you just want to take a break. The pictured rocks on Lake Superior are absolutely incredible, the Sleeping Bear Dunes are awesome and Mackinac Island is a really cool experience. However, you can't really fly to any of these places, so it's not really a quick trip.
But if you're planning on going to DC and NYC, you should definitely hit Boston along the way. There is so much to do there and if anyone is at all interested in history, it is the perfect place to see.
Keep going north through to Maine (tons of coastal areas you could look into) and you'll be in one of the most beautiful and relaxing parts of the country. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:17 am Post subject: |
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| you should definitely hit Boston |
Definitely. I said the list was too short, and thanks for the help. Now that I think of it, Philadelphia would be worth the while also ... |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:26 am Post subject: |
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If you want a sense of how things used to be, before the crap set in, go to Greeley, Colorado and drive a bit north and east to the Pawnee National Grasslands. Pull over to the side of the road and take a walk on the high plains that look just like they did when the Arapahoe and the Cheyenne were there. The tallest thing you'll see is a cow pattie.
Go near sundown in late September/October. You'll know why you are an American. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:40 am Post subject: |
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| applesandshanana wrote: |
. Although much of the state is pretty lame, Michigan does have...
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Are you thinking Flint and most of the east side of the mitten? |
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shifter2009
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Location: wisconsin
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:52 am Post subject: Re: Places in America to Go as a Tourist |
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| oneofthesarahs wrote: |
| The Bobster wrote: |
3. Washington, DC. Never been there, either, though most Americans can't spend a week without talking about what happens in it. I'd see the White House (as long as some ELSE is living in it) and Congress, of course, and The Smithsonian Museum could take up a couple of days from what I've heard, and of course the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials ...
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Smithsonian MUSEUM? Try 16 museums, the National Zoo, and the National Art Gallery, which is affiliated but not actually a Smithsonian museum. When I was living in DC, it took me an entire summer to get through all of the museums to my satisfaction. I've been to the National Art Gallery more times than I can count. And there are loads of other "must-see" museums, including the Spy Museum, the Holocaust Memorial, and the National Building Museum.
The memorials are fun, but if you want to see them all, expect an entire day to be eaten up. Some of the more obscure ones are the best: the FDR memorial, the Korean War memorial, and the Einstein memorial, especially. It's easy to get a tour of Congress, but if you know someone who works on the Hill you can get a much more behind-the-scenes tour. It's much harder to get a White House tour nowadays. When I was living there, it was invite-only. (But I got a tour, because I was working for and independent agency of the executive branch at the time. The tour was much less thrilling than you might think.) The rules might be somewhat looser now.
There's so much to do in DC, and I think a lot of people don't give it enough credit. If you hang out anywhere in Foggy Bottom on a weekday evening, you're bound to run into a couple of different senators. Georgetown is also cool for it's college-y vibe.
It's easy to find live music, whatever your tastes. Sports games are fun in DC, because the tickets are cheap, but the fans are pretty devoted.
The Metro is also generally clean for a big city, and easy to navigate. It's super efficient during the day, somewhat less so the later it gets.
Can you tell I love DC, warts and all? |
Agreed, I went there 5 or so years running for the 4th of july. Stayed for 3-4 days at a time and each time found something else really awesome to like about the city. Nothing like a night at the Brickskeller doing a beer world tour. |
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