What to see in the USA

Roadlist

Places to visit

After 34,000 kilometers (21,000 miles) we have seen a lot of the US. By far everything, but a lot. Here are our own personal favorits:

National parks and more

Washington DC

All museums in Washington are for free - that's important for the budget traveler, because else he would go broke. Washington DC has an enormous amount of museums and they are all located at "The Mall" (central Washington DC). Most of them (all?) belong to what is called the Smithsonian (White house, Capitol, Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, Vietnam Veteran meomorial. Other very popular tours (make reservations or come very early in the morning, if possible) are the FBI-tour and the Department of printing and engraving-tour. The "student-quarter" ... is also said to be very interessting.

Shenandoha

Skyline drive - this part of the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway is a great ride, especially in spring and fall.

Atlanta

Also called Hotlanta. Hometown of Coca-Cola. Visit the "World of Coca-Cola pavillion" and Atlanta Underground right next to it with it's hunderts of small shops and stands(booths ?) that sell all kind of souvenirs to stupid tourists.

Orlando

Disney-paradise. We found the Universal Studios ($27 with student ID) to be the most interessting place to visit. Disneys Epcot ($32) center is allso very nice, especially the "Honey I shrunk the audience" show (worth standing in line for probably hours!)

Cape Canaveral

If your lucky, you can watch a Space Shuttles launch. Call (555)555-5555 for schedule. Entrance $7(?)

Miami

Take a walke at the Riverside Mall and get Chicken Wings at Hooters where the waitresses are gorgous - find out yourself, ask for Kathleen . Miami beach has also some "nice sights" like e.g. the Art Deco quarter.

Everglades NP

if you are in an urge to see alligators, this is the place to be. Take an airboat ride and get an impression of how huge this river - yes, the Everglades is not a swamp, but a river (defined by water that is in movement) - is.

Key West

great place. Make sure you see the sunset from pier ... and enjoy the streetartists that try to seperate you from your money. A snorkeling trip is definitly worth the money. A boat will take you out to one of the various reefs and provide all the necessary snorkelinggear. Buy one of those dispensible(?) Kodak underwater cameras - I think it's worth it. You will see unbelievable many fishes with colorcombinations you'll have hard to imagine - it's awesome.

Panama City & Pensacola beach

wonderful beaches. Definitly among the absolute best beaches we have been too (and we have also been to Hawaii!). The sand is incredible white and smooth (?). Lot's of young, often very good-looking people, especially during springbreak (when?).

New Orleans

crazy city. I guess this is the city with the highest crime-rate in the US. Lot's and lot's of bad neighbourhoods! But if you like partying all night ... you wanna live here. Very alternative place. If you're not pierced, tatoo'ed or have a funny looking haircut, you're going to draw peoples attention. Steamboat tour.

Dallas

beautiful skyline. See grassy knoll (?) and the very informative Kennedy museum "sixth floor"(?) about the Kennedy-assassenation.

Monahans sanddunes

A real desert in a desert. We allways imagined deserts as something similar to e.g. the Sahara. The Monahans sanddunes are a realisation of that dream (normaly the american desert is just dry land with lot's of bushes, low trees, cactus and other similar vegetation).

Carlsbad Caverns NP

HUGE caverns, lot's of stalaktites and stalakmites in all different sizes and colors. Especially interessting place at dusk during summertime - when the millions and millions of bats fly out of the cave to get food.

Whitesands

when you get there you'll know why it's called whitesands - very descriptive name. Great place to take pictures of your motorcycle or any other item that is important to you...bla bla bla

El Paso

pretty ugly city. Probably because it's a bordertown (together with Juarez/Mexico). Tony Lama (some of the best cowboyboots) is located in this town and has an outlet store where we got two very nice pairs of boots for each $50 instead of $180 regular price.

City of rocks

Our plan was just to pass through, but we loved it so much that we stayed over night. We spent the entire eavening climbing around these funny looking rockformations. Great place for pictures.

Route 193(?) Devils Highway (earlier 666)

Tombstone

very touristic, but fun to visit anyway. Make sure you go to Boothill, the old graveyard, and see engravings like "Here lies ... hanged by mistake. He was right, we were wrong, but we strung him up, and now he's gone". This is the town where the famous Doc Holliday, Whyat(?) Earp and his two brothers shot the outlaws Bill Clanton, ... and .... They also are now buried at Boothill.

Tucson

university town. Lot's of young people & real cowboys with real cowboyhats, jeans and boots.

Red Rocks/Sedona

Grand Canyon NP

a absolute must see. Don't miss taking a hike down to the bottom and take a swim in the icecold Colorado river after this strenous hike. It is not advised to do the returntrip to the rim on the same day. Get a mandatory permit at the backcountry office (it is highly recommended to make reservations as early as possible, call (555) 555-5555), allow 4-5 hours to hike down, stay at the Bright Angel Campground and take a different trail back to the rim the following day. Expect to use about 5-10 hours on the returntrip. Don't take to much luggage with you. We carried only water, sleepingbags, camera and some food with us. If I had to do the trip again, I would leave the sleepingbags at home - it is about 30 degrees warmer at the bottom of the Canyon and I would love to sleep without blanket on a picnictable for just one night and in return not have to carry a lot of extra weight all the way down to the Colorado river and up again.

Bryce Canyon NP

Zion NP

Las Vegas

Amazing place. If you like gambling, this, of course, is mekka. Get hold of the various "game-books" where you get a lot of freebies and discounts. If you are going to play Black Jack (the game where you got the best odds against the house - my favourite game) and you don't want to loose to much money far to fast, memorize the BJ-table or play a bit with virtual money before you enter the real world.

Death Valley

We catched it during a very cold period - which means about 85 degrees. Normaly it's a lot warmer. A 120 is not unusual during summer. All four tires on a friend's car blew because of the heat! Some great straight roads where you can find out how fast your motorcycle runs.

Los Angeles

Ugly town - sorry L.A. people - but lot's of stuff to do. Downtown there is the courthouse where the O.J.Simpson trial is going on right now. ... Venice beach. Disneyland - the original one. Don't expect thrilling rides, because they haven't got them. Rather boring for the not-youngsters. Six Flags is told to be a lot better (in rides), BUT ... the parade is worth all the money. Hollywood (Mans Chinese Theatre, Walk of Fame, Hollywood-sign, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Boulevard.

Route 1/101

Awsome road - defenitly among the best in the US. Very twisty. Not everybody is as lucky as I was, when I found a Porsche 911 to race. GREAT, expecially because he seemed to know the route. Do you remember the game Test-drive? That's excactly what it was like. Beautiful views.

Carmel/Monterey

San Francisco

Hawaii

Yosemite

Redwoods

Seattle

Olympic pisninsula

Glacier NP

Rolling Hills/MN

Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

Salt Lake City

Capitol Reef

Natural Bridges NM

Arches NP

Dead Horse Point & Canyonlands NP

Newspaper Rock

Mexican Hat

Monument valley

Four corners

Tourist trap to the third. You acctually pay to get in to the only point in the US where you can stand in four different states at one time.

Mesa Verde

$1,000,000 Highway

Black Canyon NP

Crested Butte

Aspen

Whitewater rafting in Browns canyon

St. Elmo

Mt. Evans & Pikes Peak

Rocky Mountains NP

Scottsbluff

Carhenge

Mammoth site

Hotsprings

Crazy Horse & Mt. Rushmore

Devils Tower

Deadwood

Go go-cart racing all day!!!

Badlands

Only to be seen during sun-set or -rise!

Wall-Mart

Devils Gulch

Chicago

Wrigley field, Sears tower - worlds larges, Merchantile exchange market, Buckingham fountain, Pizza Uno, McDonnalds in 60-style.

Amish Acres

Punxsutawney

Finger Lakes

Ithaca, Cornell

Niagara falls

Toronto

Skydome, CN tower,

Adirondack NP

Lake Placid

Ben & Jerry's

Mt. Washington

Easternmost point of the US

Bar Harbour(sp?)

Freeport

Boston

New York

Hershey

Roads

1. Pacific coast highway 101/1 (7)
2. East coast cruise (South Carolina -> Maine; New Hampsire; Vermont) (2)
3. Route 66, Cabot Trail (Canada, Nova Scotia), Trans-Canada Highway, Bear-tooth highway (Yellowstone -> Montannay), Road: Fort Collins Colorado -> Rabbit Ears pass, Independence Pass in Aspen (Colorado), California route 89 (Yosemite -> Oregon), Interstate Highway 10 (West Texas -> El Paso -> New Mexico) (1)

General hints: See the nationalparks (in the west) at sunset or sunrise - the colors turn out a LOT better. Always start by going to the local tourist information. They will happily provide maps and other kinds of information you might need. Gambling: Biloxi/MS, Nevada, Black Hawk & Central City/CO, Deadwood/SD, Atlantic City/NJ, Boatcasinos in New Orleans and Chicago ...?