America land of the free (oh, and Canada!)
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G'day All, Just to take the topic off computers for a bit... Quick background; I'm an Australian who has been living and working in Las Vegas for the past year or so. Anyway, in May/June/July/August (somewhere round then) for been 6-10 weeks I'm planning a driving trip around around North America. My (basic) route is Vegas 2 San Fran 2 Seattle 2 Vancouver 2 Calgary 2 Chicago 2 Niagra Falls 2 Quebec 2 Maine 2 Boston 2 Washinton DC 2 Florida Keys 2 Graceland 2 New Orleans. Now that's obviously very rough. Then I try to sell my car, whilst whittling away the time by drinking beer in New Orleans, hopefully get enough money to buy some airline tickets to London and live and work there until I have enough cash to do the same type of thing around Europe... Anyway, my question is, does anyway have any places that they would recommend on this route? Like anything, from camp grounds to restaurants to clubs to pubs to people to other points of interest (ie. such as the Microsoft campus!) Maybe this is a bit to open of a question? Ahh well we'll see how it pans out! Have fun, Paul Westcott.
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Well, I would suggest seeing the Great Lakes. Duluth, MN is a good spot, and has lots of scenary. This can also be on your way from Calgary to Chicago. I'd suggest the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) as well, but to be honest, there's not a lot to look at there if you're not planning on spending any time there.
If you do spend time in the Twin Cities, one of the newer tourist locations is the Mall of America (or the "MegaMall"). Most people can spend a day just looking around there.
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G'day All, Just to take the topic off computers for a bit... Quick background; I'm an Australian who has been living and working in Las Vegas for the past year or so. Anyway, in May/June/July/August (somewhere round then) for been 6-10 weeks I'm planning a driving trip around around North America. My (basic) route is Vegas 2 San Fran 2 Seattle 2 Vancouver 2 Calgary 2 Chicago 2 Niagra Falls 2 Quebec 2 Maine 2 Boston 2 Washinton DC 2 Florida Keys 2 Graceland 2 New Orleans. Now that's obviously very rough. Then I try to sell my car, whilst whittling away the time by drinking beer in New Orleans, hopefully get enough money to buy some airline tickets to London and live and work there until I have enough cash to do the same type of thing around Europe... Anyway, my question is, does anyway have any places that they would recommend on this route? Like anything, from camp grounds to restaurants to clubs to pubs to people to other points of interest (ie. such as the Microsoft campus!) Maybe this is a bit to open of a question? Ahh well we'll see how it pans out! Have fun, Paul Westcott.
I would also consider LA, if you haven't already seen it and New York, which is worth at least one drunken weekend. Your really don't want to miss Times Square going full blast in all its vomit soaked, perverted glory.
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The midwest area (that is, around the Great Lakes) and Florida both get tremendously humid during the summer, so I'd suggest doing the trip closer to May than August. :) I recently visited Minneapolis and Duluth, and agree with Erik's opinion above - Duluth is a nice place for sightseeing, Mpls/St. Paul not so much. I also don't know how Quebec's attitude toward English speakers is nowadays. I vacationed in Montreal and Quebec City once and wasn't treated rudely, but that was 12 years ago. Attitudes might not be so polite these days. Most signs are in French, including street signs, so be prepared. That being said, Ste. Catherine street in Montreal is the place to be at night in that city. There are several *ahem* establishments there that I was too young to enter when I was there. ;) --Mike-- http://home.inreach.com/mdunn/ Is history an illusion caused by the passage of time, or is time an illusion caused by the passage of history?
Motreal is Ok for english speaking people, but you may have more of a hassle in Quebec city.
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G'day All, Just to take the topic off computers for a bit... Quick background; I'm an Australian who has been living and working in Las Vegas for the past year or so. Anyway, in May/June/July/August (somewhere round then) for been 6-10 weeks I'm planning a driving trip around around North America. My (basic) route is Vegas 2 San Fran 2 Seattle 2 Vancouver 2 Calgary 2 Chicago 2 Niagra Falls 2 Quebec 2 Maine 2 Boston 2 Washinton DC 2 Florida Keys 2 Graceland 2 New Orleans. Now that's obviously very rough. Then I try to sell my car, whilst whittling away the time by drinking beer in New Orleans, hopefully get enough money to buy some airline tickets to London and live and work there until I have enough cash to do the same type of thing around Europe... Anyway, my question is, does anyway have any places that they would recommend on this route? Like anything, from camp grounds to restaurants to clubs to pubs to people to other points of interest (ie. such as the Microsoft campus!) Maybe this is a bit to open of a question? Ahh well we'll see how it pans out! Have fun, Paul Westcott.
I would suggest Boston. First, it is the oldest part of the United States. Lots of colonial type things to see. For example: Paul Revere's home, the Old North Church where Paul Revere had the lights, and other revolutionary war era sites. I would also have to say New York City as well. If you are looking at the south, I would definitely go to the Outer Banks in North Carolina...lots of nice beaches. :cool: Brigham W. Thorp Software Engineer Timex Corporation
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places along that route where i've been that have a LOT of bars: south beach, miami buckhead, atlanta, GA myrtle beach, SC you're skipping NYC ?? -c
Nah, not skipping New York City - I typed up the journey from memory; I will probably be stopping at many places down the east coast. The only problem there that I see if my cash burn out rate will be significantly higher, through the northwest/central areas I don't think I'll have much trouble camping, but has anyone got any recommendations for places to stay down the east coast? [looking at accomation for my wife and I, the cheaper the better! (well as long as there aren't rats and stuff!!)] (actually, I haven't actually looked at the KOA website for the East coast, so there might be some?? I think I'll go and do that now...) Like in Australia, there are a number of backpacker places above bars in the city areas, is this the case in the US? Have fun, Paul Westcott.
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Let me understand you. You are going on vacation to the Microsoft campus? Is this some kind of pilgrimage?
And I have to burn 10 copies of Mac OS, and 10 copies of Linux (flavour doesn't matter) =) Nah, to me a vacation is seeing how other people live (which includes how they work). I mean I like to see all the standard touristy things (mt rushmore, statue of liberty, etc. etc.) but I have seen them all so many times before in movies, magazine, etc. So, for me, I still want to see that stuff, but I also want to do other things; ie. get drunk with the locals, see what people call "standard housing", taste any local food (I think my arteries might have had the gong before I finish in the US though!!), etc, etc... So yeah, seeing the working conditions (as much as an unoffical, noninvited guest can!), at MS campus is part of the parcel! Have fun, Paul Westcott.
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You just haven't seen the U.S. until you have seen Burning Man in Nevada, and the bike rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.
We contemplated going and seeing the Burning Man festival last year (living in Nevada and all), but didn't end up going. From the media etc. it just seemed like a more commercial version of what we call "confest" in Australia. A friend-of-a-friend in Australia told me that it used to be good a number of years ago, but had taken a turn for the worse. When did you last go? I'll do some research into the bike rally and see if I can sync with it. Thanks. Have fun, Paul Westcott.
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Nah, not skipping New York City - I typed up the journey from memory; I will probably be stopping at many places down the east coast. The only problem there that I see if my cash burn out rate will be significantly higher, through the northwest/central areas I don't think I'll have much trouble camping, but has anyone got any recommendations for places to stay down the east coast? [looking at accomation for my wife and I, the cheaper the better! (well as long as there aren't rats and stuff!!)] (actually, I haven't actually looked at the KOA website for the East coast, so there might be some?? I think I'll go and do that now...) Like in Australia, there are a number of backpacker places above bars in the city areas, is this the case in the US? Have fun, Paul Westcott.
definetly check out the outer banks of North Carolina. a lot of the islands are limited access (no cars, take a ferry) or totally wild (no development of any kind). they make for great camping, if you're not afraid of wild horses. :) -c
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I would suggest Boston. First, it is the oldest part of the United States. Lots of colonial type things to see. For example: Paul Revere's home, the Old North Church where Paul Revere had the lights, and other revolutionary war era sites. I would also have to say New York City as well. If you are looking at the south, I would definitely go to the Outer Banks in North Carolina...lots of nice beaches. :cool: Brigham W. Thorp Software Engineer Timex Corporation
I live in Texas, but for a conference went to Boston, well actually Salem, a couple of years ago. I loved everything about the town. When I came back I mentioned to my wife and some other women that one of the best parts of the trip was actually standing on Bunker Hill. They just laughed and laughed. :confused: Talked to men about it, and they said that would be great. :-O So is all this history stuff a guy thing or do I just hang around a bunch of immature women?
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I live in Texas, but for a conference went to Boston, well actually Salem, a couple of years ago. I loved everything about the town. When I came back I mentioned to my wife and some other women that one of the best parts of the trip was actually standing on Bunker Hill. They just laughed and laughed. :confused: Talked to men about it, and they said that would be great. :-O So is all this history stuff a guy thing or do I just hang around a bunch of immature women?
Salem is cool. All the witch hunt relics and everything. Sturbridge is nice too with everyone living there acting like they're still in the 1700's. I love this history stuff. In fact, I watch the History Channel too much. My wife is completely uninterested in any of that (howerver, she likes European history which she says is real history since it's more than 250 years old). I'll watch Discovery and she sticks to her Nick-At-Nite stuff. I guess people in our fields enjoy keeping our minds fresh with things like history. I don't think it's that your with immature women...my wife is certainly mature but she just doesn't fancy it. Brigham W. Thorp Software Engineer Timex Corporation
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Salem is cool. All the witch hunt relics and everything. Sturbridge is nice too with everyone living there acting like they're still in the 1700's. I love this history stuff. In fact, I watch the History Channel too much. My wife is completely uninterested in any of that (howerver, she likes European history which she says is real history since it's more than 250 years old). I'll watch Discovery and she sticks to her Nick-At-Nite stuff. I guess people in our fields enjoy keeping our minds fresh with things like history. I don't think it's that your with immature women...my wife is certainly mature but she just doesn't fancy it. Brigham W. Thorp Software Engineer Timex Corporation
I think you are right about the history stuff. Especially the war history, women just don't get it. They are far more interested in the royalty aspect. I think immature was the wrong word to use in the previous message. My wife also is a Nick-at-Nite lover, and if I see one more rerun of "I Love Lucy" I will just ........ :mad: Wayne
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Nah, not skipping New York City - I typed up the journey from memory; I will probably be stopping at many places down the east coast. The only problem there that I see if my cash burn out rate will be significantly higher, through the northwest/central areas I don't think I'll have much trouble camping, but has anyone got any recommendations for places to stay down the east coast? [looking at accomation for my wife and I, the cheaper the better! (well as long as there aren't rats and stuff!!)] (actually, I haven't actually looked at the KOA website for the East coast, so there might be some?? I think I'll go and do that now...) Like in Australia, there are a number of backpacker places above bars in the city areas, is this the case in the US? Have fun, Paul Westcott.
If you like to camp, the Appalachian Trail starts in northern Georgia. The trail itself goes all the way up to Maine, I believe, but there is some pretty good site-seeing and camping areas at its beginning in Georgia. As for Atlanta proper, hotels and motels are plentiful and cheap. The closer to downtown or the airport you are, the less you'll get for your dollar, though. As for Atlanta itself, here's some things that might interest you if you're driving through: - Buckhead (as previously mentioned). Be ready for the frat-boy crowd, though. Two of my favorites are "LuLu's Bait Shack" and "Bar" (that's the name of the bar:)). - Virginia Highlands. It's like Buckhead, but with Yuppies instead of frat-boys. I'll take snobby yuppies over vomitting frat-boys anyday (now that I'm no longer a vomitting frat-boy) :) - Food: There's a place called Nuevo Laredo Cantina downtown. It's not expensive, the food's cooked to order, and it's won the award for Atlanta's best mexican food for 6 straight years. There's also a place called Fat Matt's Rib Shack, which is very cheap and has FANTASTIC barbeque stuff. - In the counties north of Atlanta, there are more Civil War sites than you can shake a stick at. Some have built memorials and offer tours, others just have a sign out front. If you look carefully while driving on rural roads, you can even find some sites that aren't even developed. There's one very near the house I grew up in - rows and rows of huge rocks lined up in trenches, propped up cannons, stacks of rusted cannon balls, etc... Interesting stuff if you're like me and have the TV hard-wired to the History Channel. - If it's in season, catch a Braves game. The tickets will only cost $5-$10 for decent seats. - If you drive through the south, you MUST eat at a Waffle House as a right of passage. - Stone Mountain. It's in northeast Atlanta. A huge carving on the "world's largest outcropping of granite". Exciting, huh? -- Russell Morris Georgia Institute of Technology "Lisa, just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening..." - Homer
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G'day All, Just to take the topic off computers for a bit... Quick background; I'm an Australian who has been living and working in Las Vegas for the past year or so. Anyway, in May/June/July/August (somewhere round then) for been 6-10 weeks I'm planning a driving trip around around North America. My (basic) route is Vegas 2 San Fran 2 Seattle 2 Vancouver 2 Calgary 2 Chicago 2 Niagra Falls 2 Quebec 2 Maine 2 Boston 2 Washinton DC 2 Florida Keys 2 Graceland 2 New Orleans. Now that's obviously very rough. Then I try to sell my car, whilst whittling away the time by drinking beer in New Orleans, hopefully get enough money to buy some airline tickets to London and live and work there until I have enough cash to do the same type of thing around Europe... Anyway, my question is, does anyway have any places that they would recommend on this route? Like anything, from camp grounds to restaurants to clubs to pubs to people to other points of interest (ie. such as the Microsoft campus!) Maybe this is a bit to open of a question? Ahh well we'll see how it pans out! Have fun, Paul Westcott.
Calgary during the Stampede in early July is great. If you're camping stop in Banff and the Lake Louise area (if you don't mind staying close to the most photographed natural area in the world)(oh and bears and cougars too!) The old city in Quebec City is incredible - a little like walking through a city in Europe. It caters to tourists so don't be intimidated by the French only signs, its not that hard to get around in. Dave Huff
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G'day All, Just to take the topic off computers for a bit... Quick background; I'm an Australian who has been living and working in Las Vegas for the past year or so. Anyway, in May/June/July/August (somewhere round then) for been 6-10 weeks I'm planning a driving trip around around North America. My (basic) route is Vegas 2 San Fran 2 Seattle 2 Vancouver 2 Calgary 2 Chicago 2 Niagra Falls 2 Quebec 2 Maine 2 Boston 2 Washinton DC 2 Florida Keys 2 Graceland 2 New Orleans. Now that's obviously very rough. Then I try to sell my car, whilst whittling away the time by drinking beer in New Orleans, hopefully get enough money to buy some airline tickets to London and live and work there until I have enough cash to do the same type of thing around Europe... Anyway, my question is, does anyway have any places that they would recommend on this route? Like anything, from camp grounds to restaurants to clubs to pubs to people to other points of interest (ie. such as the Microsoft campus!) Maybe this is a bit to open of a question? Ahh well we'll see how it pans out! Have fun, Paul Westcott.
I went to Graceland over the summer during "Elvis Week", that's the week he died. Very strange people at the place during that week... Try to get a hotel on Elvis Presley Avenue near the mansion, there are several within walking distance (1/2 mile) There's plenty of parking down there at Graceland too, right across the street is a stripmall of tourist trap stores with a nice parking lot. Graceland itself is in the middle of a semi-run down area, which I found surprising. Anyway, I highly recommend going to Beale Street in Memphis, I think that's the name, anyway it has all sorts of restaraunts, outdoor bars, tacky shops, and other neat things. Lots of neon lights and stuff. I believe the name is Beale Street, just find an advertisement for the Hardrock Cafe and that's the street its on. Oh, and you'll be highly disappointed with the amount of tacky Elvis material down there. I wanted to get some Velvet Elvis paintings and a bust lamp with a big lamp shade, you know they really gawdy tacky stuff, I find it hysterical. All the stuff they had was only moderately tacky, but the gift shops right across from the mansion have nice little white busts for $30. That's tacky!
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The midwest area (that is, around the Great Lakes) and Florida both get tremendously humid during the summer, so I'd suggest doing the trip closer to May than August. :) I recently visited Minneapolis and Duluth, and agree with Erik's opinion above - Duluth is a nice place for sightseeing, Mpls/St. Paul not so much. I also don't know how Quebec's attitude toward English speakers is nowadays. I vacationed in Montreal and Quebec City once and wasn't treated rudely, but that was 12 years ago. Attitudes might not be so polite these days. Most signs are in French, including street signs, so be prepared. That being said, Ste. Catherine street in Montreal is the place to be at night in that city. There are several *ahem* establishments there that I was too young to enter when I was there. ;) --Mike-- http://home.inreach.com/mdunn/ Is history an illusion caused by the passage of time, or is time an illusion caused by the passage of history?
Although our friends in Quebec are sometimes a little starchy to we english speaking Canadians, I've never heard any complaints from visiting Americans. Quebec is a beautiful province and I highly recommend you visit. Quebec city is more historic, Montreal is the place for lively bars and nitelife. -- David