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[Simon Stavenuiter]

I and my wife will be making the journey from Australia to the USA for a month leaving this time next week. Our trip will take in Las Vegas, Nashville (anyone have NAMM passes?), New York, Boston and LA.

Looking for anyone who has good sight seeing suggestions (including shows or festivals) we should check out. Am I in the right season to check out a Hockey or Baseball game?

Regards Simon

www.simonstav.com

[Tim McCulloch]

Hello Simon-

Thanks to you and your wife for choosing the USA for your holiday!  While we have some silly politicians and a 'historically young' government, I like to think the 'average' American is a welcoming, friendly sort.

The Eastern seaboard, Boston, New York, etc. is full of historical sites and wonderful architechture.  The cultural environment is great; wonderful threatre and symphony orchestras (although the symphony season is a couple of months off yet).  And it's still Baseball season...

Los Angeles? Hmmm.  I grew up in the the LA metro (the Valley, back in the 60's....) so I'd have to let a more current resident help you out, but the musuems are great!  LA is full of people of all imaginable types and I think people watching is one of the best 'free' activities you have there.  It used to be even better in San Francisco...

Las Vegas is Sin City so to speak, with a wide variety of shows and entertainment.  The city has expanded greatly in the last 20 years, and expect a US$20 cab fare to go anywhere away from where you happen to be.  The aircraft landing at McCarren International is great, the planes bank for the final approach and you see the lights of the city.  Get a window seat and take your camera!

Oh, and while you are in the New York/Boston area, see if you can squeeze a couple of days for a visit to Montreal or Toronto and visit our Canadian friends (before our current government pisses them off... and we can still call them friends...).

Enjoy your visit, and post while you are here to let us know where you are... I'm sure that you'll get some invitations and notifications of cool stuff to do/see.  And I hope you and the wife are sufficiently impressed to come back again to visit, and see the things you had to skip on the first trip.  I promise to do the same in Australia...

Best wishes for a safe and fun holiday!

Tim Mc

[Andy Peters]

simonstav wrote on Tue, 13 July 2004 04:34

I and my wife will be making the journey from Australia to the USA for a month leaving this time next week. Our trip will take in Las Vegas, Nashville (anyone have NAMM passes?), New York, Boston and LA. Looking for anyone who has good sight seeing suggestions (including shows or festivals) we should check out.

In NYC, you must get a pastrami sandwich at Katz' kosher deli on E Houston (that's "How-ston," not "Hugh-ston") St. Do NOT ask for said sandwich on white bread with mayo.  Go across the river ($1.50 train ride) into Hoboken and get pizza at Benny Tudino's on Washington St.

When in Vegas, remember that you cannot possibly win, so don't bother.  (So sayeth the guy who once paid for his hotel bill at the quarter slots.)

Actually, if you're in Vegas, you would do well do drive to the Grand Canyon.  I am serious.  Head east, go over the Hoover Dam into Arizona, and eventually you will hit the big hole in the ground.  Photographs cannot begin to capture the sights.  If you're flying half-way around the world, the drive from Vegas to the Canyon is a detail.  Be REAL adventurous and go to the North Rim.

I have nothing good to say about Los Angeles.  

Do NOT ask for directions while in Boston.  "Can't get there from here" is the only true response you'll get.  The other responses will usually involve "get on Starrow Drive" and abandon all hope at that point.  'course, my problems may have been a result of having NY or NJ license plates on the vans ...

Quote:

Am I in the right season to check out a Hockey or Baseball game?

Hockey? No. Baseball? Absolutely!  You're arriving just as the All-Star break is ending.  You should really do the baseball tour and hit Yankee and Shea Stadia in NYC (Yankees and Mets), Fenway Park in Boston (Red Sox -- a very interesting ballpark) and Dodger Stadium in LA (to root for whoever is playing the Dodgers).  Hey, go to Chicago and sit in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.  THAT'S baseball.

--a

[Dawbr]

If I was you,I'd rent a motorhome and take to the back roads.That's the real America.Yes,our big cities have alot of night life,if that's what you're after,but getting on those 2 lane highways really gives you a close up look at our country's beauty.
Try to spend time in some of our State and National Park,Forrest Service or Corps of Engineer Campgrounds ( COE ).If you are interested in something like that,e-mail me your proposed route and I can  give you some advice on things to see.
E-mail me at: Dawber1@aol.com

[Craig Leerman]

Quote:

I and my wife will be making the journey from Australia to the USA for a month leaving this time next week. Our trip will take in Las Vegas, Nashville (anyone have NAMM passes?), New York, Boston and LA

Welcome!  I hope you have a great time here.

In Vegas there are many great shows. I recommend you see the Blue Man Group show at the Luxor (the pyramid shaped hotel), and any of the Circ Du Soleil shows!  They are probably the best shows on the strip.  There are a ton of other great shows to see like singers (Clint Holmes is great) and magicians also all over the strip. Pick up a copy of the Entertainer Magazine  for show times and locations when you get into town.  There are also great comedians in Vegas. I recommend the Rite Rudner show at New York, New York casino.  Very Funny!

As for hotels in Vegas, I would suggest you do what I used to (before I moved out here that is) and stay at many different hotels during your stay.  Prices change at different hotels depending on the day of the week, conventions, etc.  Check for rates at different hotels, and then book a few days at one hotel, then move to another for a few days, then another, etc. It will save you money, and you get to enjoy the different rooms and hotels amenities that each place has to offer.  

All the strip hotels are great except for the Oriental Palace (stay away from there, the place is a dump!)  My favorite places in Vegas are the MGM, Luxor, and the Alladin (soon to be the Hard Rock).  

Other things to do in Vegas are visit the Stratosphere tower. It has rides on the top including a roller coaster and a slide drop (you just have to see it!), as well as great views of the valley.

Also, if you like to hike, ask any of the hotel staff about the hiking and wilderness trails around the valley. Be sure to bring and drink plenty of water with you if you go hiking, as we get really hot out here (it was 117 today) and little to no humidity.

Another area of  Vegas to visit is the Downtown area of casinos. There are great older casinos like Binions Horshoe and the Golden Nugget, as well as the Freemont Street Experience. This is a large overhead canopy (blocks long) that is a giant TV screen!  A large pumping sound system (EAW) put in by SPL provides the great audio for the hourly shows. There are also great shops downtown, and some cool restaurants.

Speaking of food, check out the buffets at the casinos. They average about 8-10 per person per meal, and offer all types of food. My favorite buffets are at the Orleans casino (off the strip) and at the RIO.  also, the Flamingo Casino has a great buffet, and you can eat and look out the window at the flamingos and other birds as well as the waterfalls in the garden court! They even have penguins!

There are also great shopping places in Vegas. There is a mall called the Fashion Mall, as well as many shops located at the casinos. One casino, The Alladin, has a mall called the Desert Passage that is entirely decorated like an old mid-eastern bazaar!  Really cool!

Not to be missed are the Fountains at the Bellagio (free), the ship show at the Treasure Island (also free) and a gondola ride in the canals at Venice!  

Just outside of Vegas are two great things not to be missed, the GRAND CANYON and the HOOVER DAM.  There are all sorts of planned tours to both locations, including helicopter tours of the canyon.  

In New York, you have to visit the Empire State Building!  There is an observation deck on the top that allows you to see almost forever!

Hope you have a great time in our fine country.  Remember, we speak a different language here!  You may need a translation book for English to American English!  hehehe

Craig