Best Place in America!?

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scottmaciver

Puritan Board Sophomore
For the brethren across the pond, where would you recommend to be the best place for a simple Scotsman to visit in America & why?
 
Joshua Tree National Park. You are not going to see anything else like it in the US, or the world for that matter.
 
America has so many different things to offer that the question is nearly impossible to answer unless we know what you enjoy. Certainly, the space we have here makes for much natural beauty. If you are adventurous and like to see landscapes that are very different from Scotland, the American West (where I live) is probably your place. We could narrow it down more based on whether you like famous spots with many international visitors or out-of-the-way gems, and time of year would make a difference. But if you prefer cities, or unique foods, or history, or a particular culture (we have many different cultures), then you'll want to pick something more suited to those tastes.

Would you be comfortable driving in America? We get to most places by car, often spending hours at a time on the road.
 
So much depends on what you enjoy and what time of year you are thinking about. Arizona can be lovely, but March is definitely easier to handle than July.
 
Wichita, KS. Indisputable and irrefutably the best place in the States. :amen::agree::applause: I'm sure everyone on the board agrees and doesn't feel the need to argue about it! :) :) :) :cheers2:
 
As hinted at, we have a bit of everything, so it depends on what you are looking for, whether that be a tropical island getaway (Hawaii), a New England coastal town (Portsmouth, Bar Harbor are favorites of mine, but my experience is limited), a large city (New York City, San Fransisco would be the most well-known I suppose), historical/heritage sites (Boston, Washington DC both have a lot), mountains/nature (Yellowstone, among many many others), deserts (Senora Desert in Arizona would be my first stop), and so on. Everything is spread out enough that you'll have to choose or spend quite a bit of time traveling between places. Or if you want to visit with a lot of your RP brethren in the US, Western Pennsylvania would be the place to go, but I don't know much else to see there. :)
 
I hear the state of KS has the one of a kind 'Westboro Baptist Church' where the true elect go to church :rofl: :rofl:

Hey now! Specifically, I said Wichita, KS and not Topeka, KS. No doubt though, it is all Babylon down here according to the Westboro folks.
 
I'd recommend the desert southwest - as much as you have time for. Core would be Arizona and Utah; if you had time, a driving trip from El Paso looping up through White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns then over to the Rio Grande and up to Albuquerque (visiting a Pueblo or two) and take the tram to the top of the peak if it is running, across to Casa Grande; up into Utah for the National Parks there, then down to the Grand Canyon ending up at Phoenix. Get unlimited mileage on your rental car. And get a case of bottled water to take with you. :tumbleweed:
 
There's a local chapter of Zion (and her people) in Wylie, TX of which I'm particularly fond. :pilgrim: Added bonus: Her Pastor makes the best smoked brisket I've ever had.
 
A few choices...
Southern Utah has the best canyon country and Wild West landscapes, but it's beastly hot in the summer.
Yellowstone is the most fascinating park nature-wise, but you have to pick exactly the right time of year or things are either crowded or closed.
Yosemite valley is the most awe-inspiring, beautiful spot in any park, but the crowds are an issue there as well.
San Diego has the best weather every day of the year, and the coast is very nice there.
The southeast has the friendliest people (contrary to how movies tend to portray them as hotheaded racists).
Washington is my favorite city to visit. The National Mall is just one big celebration of America.
New York City is full of energy and iconic landmarks. But if you've been to London, New York is the same except more crowded and less polite.
Chicago is your best bet if you want to get shot, but I still like it.
Boston/Massachusetts has the best church history, but the area is now particularly antagonistic toward true faith, which ruins the experience somewhat.
Florida is a huge swamp surrounded by a thin border of beaches. It's best for beach lovers, those hoping to see alligators and big birds, or anyone enamored with Disney.
Nashville and Memphis have the best music in the world, unless you like classical.
Texas and Kansas City have the best meat.
And my town, Durango, has the nation's best one-day train journey.
 
What are you looking for exactly? There are huge cities and very remote areas for hiking, fishing and camping. I worked as a consultant for 5 years and visited most major cities accross the United States. My favorite is San Fran and the Muir Wood forest is nearby. Yosemitee is awesome from what I hear as well. But you also can't beat Yellowstone if you like the outdoors.
 
Whoa, interesting question!

3 major questions for you:

1) How long would you plan on being here?

2) Would you be renting a car?

3) How far would you be willing to travel once you are on American soil?
 
New Jersey is great. Easy access to New York City, lots of great open farmland and sights westward toward the Pennsylvania border, access to Philadelphia in the southwest.

We have four seasons too, and some amazing beaches people never know we have until they see them for themselves.


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Newark, NJ, is about the same size as the city where I live (there appears to be about a 1% difference in population). One is 24 times more likely to be intentionally killed in Newark than they are in my heavily armed home town. To be fair, Newark is a bit safer than New Orleans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate.

Every state has a Newark. I grew up across the Passaic River from Newark (Kearny). I always thought Jersey was a great place to be raised.


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Edward, you're right. I should have mentioned: "Stay away from Newark."


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- Grand Canyon National Park!
- Yosemite National Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Acadia National Park
- Shenandoah National Park
- The Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. -- but you have to go really early in the morning to avoid the crowds
- Any of the beaches along the Gulf Coast in Florida

Wherever you go, eat some Chick-Fil-A, In-N-Out, and/or Smithfield's. New York City has some great Dim Sum. I could go on, but I know this thread isn't about food... :)
 
Having some issues with PB this evening. I'm not sure if it is user error or a glitch.

I'll manually quote

Wherever you go, eat some Chick-Fil-A, In-N-Out, and/or Smithfield's

Chick-Fil-A is strongest in the Southeast; last time I checked, In-N-Out only gets as far east as Dallas (Texas, not Georgia) (and be sure to research the off-menu items available to those in the know). Other fine regional cuisine would include Krystal (southeast). Cracker Barrel would be a cross cultural experience.

But if health permits, don't forget to try the "Working Man's Lunch" - an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. Enough sugar and caffeine to get you through the rest of a manual laborer's work day.
 
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Skip the junk food and the fast food. Get a good pulled pork barbecue sandwich from a local joint (and, no, it's not cooked on a grill/barbecue), and try to find some Cajun food, too. Go to Cracker Barrel on Friday for the fish fry, and get the catfish.
 
Chick-fil-A is in 47 states now (or at least will be with current construction progress. I'm not sure if we've opened in the Dakotas yet), although you'll have a much easier time finding CFA in metros like Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston.
 
Unless you must have the best pizza in the country, stay away from Chicago. You may get shot, after the taxation, you would wish to have been shot, and our venomous snakes dress in suits and ties and are called politicians.
 
Unless you must have the best pizza in the country, stay away from Chicago. You may get shot, after the taxation, you would wish to have been shot, and our venomous snakes dress in suits and ties and are called politicians.

Surprisingly enough, Chicago has about half the murder rate of Baltimore or Newark and is even better in comparison to New Orleans. It's just that it is large, and so the raw number is shockingly high.

All of the major cities are going to have 'no go' zones; the trick is to be politically incorrect enough to know to stay out of them.
 
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Surprisingly enough, Chicago has about half the murder rate of Baltimore or Newark and is even better in comparison to New Orleans. It's just that it is large, and so the raw number is shockingly high.

All of the major cities are going to have 'no go' zones; the trick is to be politically incorrect enough to know to stay out of them.

That is interesting.....I did not know that about Baltimore or Newark. Note to self- stay away.......
 
I did not know that about Baltimore
26 killings in the first 25 days of this year. On a population base about 1/4 that of Chicago. Of course, both are relativitively safe compared to Detroit (about the same size as Baltimore) or St. Louis (much smaller).
 
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