FEHG - coming to a town near you

Hello everyone.

In 4 weeks I will be flying into LA to have a nice early-mid career break. I have 5.5 months to get from LA to NYC.

Now, I'm not advertising to meet up with people. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure you're all lovely people...but the internet is the internet and I'm going to keep it that way...

I will probably be zig-zagging up and down the country LA - Seattle, then down to texas, then back up to Chicago...I don't know...I really don't have any plans.

I guess there are two points to this thread.
1. What's good around the place - what's your hot tip?
2. If you see a little lost Aussie backpacker, give her a hand..it might be me!

Thanks!

 

Hi Fehg,

I can give you some places to see in Chicago. Let me know what you're most interested in seeing, and I'll give you some tips. There's lots of stuff to see here, museums, lakefront, zoos, architecture, Sears Tower & John Hancock observatories, etc...

 

Bookworm,

Thanks for the reply.

Well, I'm pretty quiet. I'm not at all into clubbing. I would much rather get up early, walk through the city...see things
I like some museums...
Mostly, I just want to see what's happening...where a good bookshop is, where the good coffee is. What's a nice suburb?

This trip is all about being a flaneur. I will have a push-bike and will cycle around.
I'm also going to spend a lot of time in national parks and in the country. What are some hidden secrets around where you live?

 

I've lived in Los Angeles my entire life and it is really beautiful. It has many things to offer for people looking for popular amusement or high culture. The main drawback is that L.A. is HUGE. Unlike the compactness of NY or Chicago, it is geographically spread out--a philosopher once described it as an "endless horizontality."

You might have to rent a car because the public transportation system is frequently unequal to the task of moving a person from one place to the other. Getting around on bike is an option, but this isn't exactly the most bike friendly city.

Some places you might like:

The Getty Museum, just beautiful and absolutely free except for parking.
L.A. County Museum of ART (LACMA) has a free concert series that runs through the summer.
See UCLA, my alma mater, the campus is really beautiful.
The Griffith Observatory
The Santa Monica Mountains has trails for mountain biking or just walking.

All of these places are accessible via the Wilshire Corridor, which runs from downtown L.A. through the Miracle Mile into Beverly Hills, the West Side and ends at the Santa Monica Pier.

We have plenty of beaches, my favorites are Hermosa and Dockweiler. If you decide to travel up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), you'll need a car.

The people here are generally polite and will help if you ask for directions. We tend to be more relaxed on the street, but there are some nutjobs on the road.

If you need other advice, let me know.

 

FE...

not coming to the great peninsula of FL?

 

If you are coming through Arkansas or Memphis , Tn. let me know and I can help you out.

 

shy,

whatchu know 'bout arkansas?

:wink:

 

I live in Arkansas-about one hour from Memphis. Is there something you needed to know about Arkansas?

 

nah....i got family there though, that's all. in little rock and jacksonville. visit every once in awhile. haven't been in a couple years though. need to go back.

 

Thank you all for your posts - the LA info is great. I have been there before and I know that somewhere is something beautiful, but I think it takes a local to see it. I will certainly be heading to the mountains and museums. I also want to see the labrea tar pits...i learnt about it in primary school...looks really interesting...

Yes, I am coming to Florida. I hope to hit all major cities and just about every mainland state (I won't make it to alaska unfortunately - I'll tie that in with Canada another time).

To be honest, Florida doesn't really appeal to me...but I haven't been there, so I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

I am really looking forward to the rockies (if you know anything about Australia - we don't have any mountains) and I LOVE mountains...and I'm really looking forward to the North-east.

shy - thanks for the offer. I'm really fishing for local's tips...because I don't want to be a "tourist"...I want to be a visitor (I think that infers, I want to SEE the place and be part of it, respectfully...)

I appreciate any tips people can give me. I know nothing about the USA, really...obviously the biggies - but I don't really know what to expect in the middle...it's just a big adventure for me - character building, or something like that!

*And, if I can ever return the favour for any of you, I would be more than happy. I wish more Americans would visit Australia*