I am going to spend a month (or so) in America before I go to Spain.
Anyone want to hook up with the Angry Hill, or want to impart some hidden info about good places to visit? I am flying into the west coast and flying back out of the east…
heyhey, tomhill can meet up with tommy if he wants ta?
when u coming??
i can take u to the pyramid ale house and show u the local sights ?
[quote=“tommy525”]heyhey, tomhill can meet up with tommy if he wants ta?
when u coming??
i can take u to the pyramid ale house and show u the local sights ?[/quote]
Ah yes! You must go to Berkeley. When are you going? I might be there next May.
To elaborate a bit if its North Calif you are coming to. Generally people who come here like to do (amongst other things) the following:
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visit the napa valley and its wineries (Robert Mondavi gives one of the best tours for 25 bucks/person for 90 mins…iv done it numerous times). Chandon next door gives a good tour for 15/head I believe, including a tasting of their champagne. Mondavi gives you three tastings of their products. Stay overnite if coming from afar. A bit of FRance in the New World it is. Its an hours drive north of SAn Francisco.
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the city of SAn Francisco of course, with its cable car, its fishermans wharf, its ferry ride out to Sausalito, Tiberon. A 40 mins walk across the Golden Gate bridge.
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a drive up Mt Tamalpais (mt tam to those from here) to view the great all around view of the bay area you get from 2500 feet up. Its a short drive up and a short hike to the ranger station on top. Visit Stinson beach after you get down. A bit of alpine country in the bay area. Right cross the Golden Gate bridge into Marin county.
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Lake TAhoe is a must. STay at the HOrizon hotel for 50/nite . 4 star for 50. Not a bad deal. Elvis played there (he had an apt at the hotel) before he became a mega star. The lake is well worth visiting and drive around it in 3 hours, take a dinner boat for 3 hours for bout 80/head. Well worth it. The wine flows on the boat (so get someone else to drive ya). The lake is very pleasant. Swim a bit in its freezing cold waters for a thrill, jetski for 100/hour. Row a boat for less. Bring your own girl. Bout 200 miles and 4 plus hours drive northeast of SAnFRan.
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Drive down one of America’s most scenic roads HIGHWAY ONE along the coast down to Carmel/Monterey. A very nice trip indeed. Stop at Pacifica and have a quick taco at the TAco Bell there right on the beach and watch the sometimes hundreds of wetsuited surfers (waters way too cold to swim, even in summer). Stop a few miles further on the road south and strip off your inhibitions (and clothing) at the clothing optional Grey Whale Cove. Too bad 90pct of the beach strollers are male though. Major bummer.
MOnterey / Carmel has a wonderful small beach town flavor thats invigorating to the spirit. STay overnite. stay two nites, stay three. Bout 2 to 3 hours drive south from SanFran. All day drive if going on to South Calif.
Not cheap tho.
- Head on down Highway One to Big Sur , and points south and enjoy SoCAL>
Dude, I will likely hit hermosa first stop. If you want to come down and party we can hook up, though it will be with real herm- (aphrodites!!!>:>>) - osans, My lady 914 is in san shizzle though, so I will look at flights for that reason. I warn you that I have a real life outside of flob… You may not be up for it…
p.s. I never saw Lady Tahoe. I think that is something for my senior years. And many thanhks for the advice.
Go to San Diego. Go sailing.
I know some people in Portland, OR who will host you for a few days.
Beware, Mr UnderHill. There are many Americans in Amerika.
Play up the accent as much as you can.
Thank all the older Americans you meet for saving the world from the Germans. You shouldn’t have to pay for your own drinks.
Highway one is spectacular, and going inland via Nascimiento Road with a good bike/car would be a dream come true. Some of the missions are worth visiting and if you don’t mind crowds, the National Parks could take you years to explore.
Tommy’s suggestion for wine country is a good one. I personally prefer Sonoma Valley (next one over from Napa), and remember the tours for Sebastiani’s and Buena Vista were the best. There is a famous cheese factory in the central plaza in Sonoma, and I think it’s right next to a good bakery. The picnic grounds at BV are lovely, so stock up on bread and cheese before touring the BV, buy a bottle of something you like after tasting at BV, and enjoy.
Tell us what you’re lookin’ for, and we might be able to give more guidance.
jimi is spot on as usual.
Don’t forget Chinatown! And if you like Latin American food and culture, the Mission District is the place to go.
Fisherman’s Wharf is somewhat tacky/kitschy/overtouristed, but if you have an appreciation for kitsch*, it’s well worth a visit.
- If you end up driving across the US, there are plenty of cool and kitschy to see, of the “world’s largest ball of twine” genre. http://www.roadsideamerica.com is the place to get more info!
(Check out this bit on America’s Stonehenges!)
Ok, so:
- San Diego? Really? I hated it. H a t e d it. Then again, I stayed at the navy mission!!! But sailing in Oregon would be cool… Would that be on Sturgeon lake? I will think about that mon frere. I’d likely go see Beavertown, just for the name.
- I have done San fran. The wharf, bushman, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Famous_Bushman etc. Got my ear pierced there when drunk with some random japanese at 17. Been there 3 times.
- I have seen: San fran, l.a., san diego, all of orange county, vegas, denver, houston, chicago (4 times), new york, philadelphia, seattle (is that in canada?), burbank (is that in orange county), florida and some other spots on the east coast. Oh yeah, and Washington dc. That was a ball ache.
- I am eyeing up Boston.
TomHill, are you driving or flying from place to place?
And are you strictly a city person, or do you like to hike about in mountains and such?
[quote=“Tomas”]TomHill, are you driving or flying from place to place?
And are you strictly a city person, or do you like to hike about in mountains and such?[/quote]
I do like a good mountain and stuff like that. I think a plane and coach combo will suit me best. Plane for the big legs, coach for the shorter ones. I had seriously wanted to do Yellowstone the first time, but got drunk and waylaid in San Fran! 
[quote=“TomHill”]Ok, so:
- San Diego? Really? I hated it. H a t e d it. Then again, I stayed at the navy mission!!! But sailing in Oregon would be cool… Would that be on Sturgeon lake? I will think about that mon frere. I’d likely go see Beavertown, just for the name. [/quote]
San Diego is for sailing. Go walk around Silver Gate Yacht Club on a Saturday morning asking if anyone needs crew. Just being a Brit is weird enough to get you an offer of a ride on a racing boat. Then cross the border and go see a bullfight, or the girl having sex with a donkey if that’s your bag. It’ll certainly put your own woes in perspective. You think your life is hard, imagine being forced to shag hot latinas every night!
The people I was referring to live in the upscale bit of Portland, although they did take me to meet some lesbians. But since you ask, I know a girl in Beaverton whose mother will probably take you to bed for a week. I also met a girl from a town called Boring, which you might like. In fact, she lived outside the town on the other side from Portland, so she was from beyond Boring. This is true.
Don’t forget to go to Texas. Some of the nicest people I’ve ever met were Texans. Seriously. And you can cross the Rio Grande while you’re at it, just to say you’ve done it. I went to Big Bend National Park, crossed the river, pissed on Mexico, and then came back. Then I went to see the Judge Roy Bean museum, which is really definitely sorth driving for two days across Texas just to see. You’ll like this bit: In one case, an Irishman named Paddy O’Rourke shot a Chinese laborer. A mob of 200 angry Irishmen surrounded the courtroom and threatened to lynch Bean if O’Rourke was not freed. After looking through his law book, Bean ruled that “homicide was the killing of a human being; however, he could find no law against killing a Chinamen”.
[quote=“Loretta”]Go to San Diego. Go sailing.
I know some people in Portland, OR who will host you for a few days.[/quote]
I am heading out to Portland next month.
Just sayin’ like.
Austin has awesome music. It would be a shame to miss that. D.C. is great for the museums, etc.
If you come thru Chicago, let me know. I’ll introduce you to Oprah, Michael Jordan, Da Mayor and force feed you hot dogs and deep dish pizza with beer at a baseball game
TomHill, if you like seeing some natural beauty along with your cities, go to Las Vegas from SD or LA for a few days (hide your ATM card or temporarily cancel it) and then take a bus to Zion National Park in southern Utah (you will miss all of the polygamist communities and only run into regular Mormons who will ply you with hot chocolate and herbal tea to help you recover from Vegas). Zion is breathtaking, almost life changing. If you happen to go into St. George or Kanab (you’ll pass through St. George on the way) I have relatives or friends in both places who will be nice to you if you mention my name.
After Zion’s, give Phoenix a miss (it’s my hometown and it’s boring unless you love golf and water skiing and strip malls), but try to hit either Santa Fe, NM or Boulder, CO for a day or two. Funky, bohemian towns. You will likely meet nice strangers who will take you to an all-night vegan cafe and treat you to a couple of blunts.
GiT is right about Austin. You have to check it out. Music, Tex-Mex and seafood, bookstores, art, and lovely women. Check out Town Lake from the vantage of a lakeside restaurant. You may never leave Austin once you get there. Houston isn’t bad either, but stay away from Dallas. It has no soul and will suck yours out of you.
If you can take a few days in New Orleans, do it. Also, Kansas City is gorgeous and interesting, and you may want to check out the Ozarks in Arkansas. I loved it there. From there, you’ve got to go North or South. I have less experience in the South, so I’d head to Miami, then see Atlanta, then the Appalachian Mountain parts of North Carolina and Virginia. Boston is outstanding. Take a walk around Harvard Yard and along the James River. There’s also a walking tour of the city with several historical sites on the map.
I think you are right to finish in NYC. It may be the best part of the US to visit.
Have fun. I wish I was taking such a trip.
Tomas how dare you not suggest Chicago!!! 
My bad. I was thinking a trip through the south. By all means, see Chicago. An Aussie friend was recently there and is now looking at apartments in the city. Loved it.