Taliesins (hypothetical) whirlwind USA tour

I love the Texas hate. Stay away, we'll enjoy it ourselves.

 

I guess it depends on what appeals to our young single traveler from down under. If it were me, it would be for the cultural experience over a scenic experience. I would save the scenic for a family trip.

Outside of Seattle, the NW is scenic but I dont find much cultural appeal. But thats just me. I do love Portland for its livability, but that is more of a long term impact that a visitor would not experience.

And if you are looking to experience a part of US culture, I dont know how you can ignore Texas. I might rethink Austin and consider Fort Worth for the Old West feel and San Antonio for the Mexican influence.

I would put Santa Fe, NM over Denver. You get the mountain experience along with it being the oldest settlement in the country, a real mix of three cultures (Anglo, Hispanic, Native American), a mecca of the arts, and Bandelier National Monument and the native pueblos nearby.

And I love Memphis. It is a dirty, smelly city on the banks of the Mississippi River where you can feel the birth of the blues and experience the best of American bar-b-que just walking along Beale Street. I might pick Savannah over Charleston for the antebellum experience simply because it has a better nightlife.

New Orleans is a unique cultural experience, with the added French influence and shouldnt be missed.

 

I recommended Dallas because that is the closest place to New Orleans to rent an RV from the one rental company I looked up. I agree that Texas is an interesting place to visit, and you will find the culture is worth exploring. If you didn't go there, it would be like missing a big part of the US.

Santa Fe is nice, but is hard to get to. Denver is different from Australia, and the surrounding areas and national park would be worth seeing.

New Orleans and Texas would give you a feel for what the South (South East US) is like.

I would also recommend camping on Lake Michigan with the RV when you are near Chicago for a day or two.
Best things to do and see at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Swimming in a fresh water lake without fear of sharks, rays, or crocs should be on your list of things to do.

 

Ha, I don't have any particular desires about any area of America. I'm just using this thread as a sounding board for my itineraries.
I've been basing all my ideas so far on suggestions of friends & family (with insights from here & facebook) This next Itinerary is based on what i'd actually like to do. This one is closer to my end product. I've now spent a month looking at my possibly future finances & researching American destinations. I've used such excellent resources as...

I've dropped the idea of the RV, I'm going to a music festival alone, i don't need to camp. I can get a motel or backpackers & catch a bus or taxi or something. I'm still thinking about using a round the world ticket Asu is right about some tickets costing more per stops, others give you a total amount of miles & let you travel heaps of stops. My basic idea is to have one major drawcard in each city and five or more secondary. It'll depend on how hard & expensive it is to move around in each city, as to how much i'll see. I can easily entertain myself people watching in a cafe with a book & a mocha, or walking random semi residential streets and looking at the differences.
So here it is:
Wyoming - Yellowstone
California - San Diego (Sunset Cliffs, Cabrillo)
Arizona - Grand Canyon
New Orleans - Garden district, French quarter, street cars...
Indianapolis - the Gathering
Toronto - TFP (Island park, St. Lawrence market, Edwards gardens)
Amsterdam - 420 cafe, the Dolphins, Barneys, Amnesia...

What do you think?
Also, a last thought, where exactly in the PacNW Snowy? Can you list me some attractions?​

 

Nice itinerary. If you have any interest at all in racing while in Indy stop by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The track has a very good museum in the infield near the 16th street entrance. Well worth the few hours it will take to tour. Also you can be driven around the track in a van, it is huge.