I love America
I absolutely love America and, what’s more, I love Americans.
In Australia, this makes me something of a rarity.
There is this weird parochial belief that Americans are complete a**holes who will ignorantly stand in front of your camera, complain loudly when everything isn’t American and will trample small children to get to a Southern Fried Chicken Wing buffet.
I used to believe these cultural misnomers, such was my ignorance.
Americans are gorgeous people. They are generous and exceedingly kind. They are confident and yet charmingly curious about other people. They are funny, accepting and frightening well-dressed.They are often good looking and willing to help you, without any hope of recompense.
The Future Husband and I have decided that we will spend half of our honeymoon in America and I have to say, I am thrilled about this new development.
Napa Valley (Merlot scene from Sideways). Universal Studios. Monument Valley (Clint Eastwood). Palm Springs (Celebrities!). Nevada (The home of the Burning Man Festival). New Mexico. The Grand Canyon. The Flamingo in Las Vegas. I am so goddamn excited, it’s ridiculous.
I have lived my whole life through movies (my other true love – movies and travel – I am a hedonist through and through) and America is the spiritual home of celluloid. I actually define myself by American characters. Am I too Joan and not enough Betty Draper? Why can’t I be more Rita and less Debra Morgan? More Charlotte; less Samantha. And always: I wish I was a lot more Claudia Jean Cregg.
The last time I was in America, I was besotted by how much I felt like I was in a TV show. Everything is so bizarrely familiar. One minute: The Wire. Next minute: Beverly Hills 90210. I am completely, shamelessly in love with America and I cannot wait to get back there.
And this is where you come in. Where should we go? What should we do? America-lovers… we need your help to make our honeymoon The Best Honeymoon Ever!
I loved America too! It was a lot of fun! Everything was themed and just FUN!
I really enjoyed a little place called Sedona in Arizona, small town great views just a chilling out town. Also Scottsdale just outside Phoenix has great restaurants. Grand Canyon is a must along with Las Vegas & New York! san Diego is awesome too and you can just duck over the border to Mexico for a spot of lunch and plenty of margaritas!
Hope this helps!
Hmm how far are you guys willing to travel? From the small amount that I explored New England, I loved it. I would definitely recommend it, and I reckon there’s heaps of log cabin getaways that you can stay in. But it’s kind of far north.
btw I too love America and Americans, I don’t care how daggy that is.
Oh my god, I love America. As a fellow film buff it was a dream come true for me to live there for 6 months and I still didn’t get to see and do half of what was on my wish list. So the big question is – how long are you planning on spending in America?
The Grand Canyon is breathtaking and I highly recommend a helicopter ride over it to really appreciate the drama and elegance of a great big hole. Vegas is another must do and you have to stay on The Strip to understand the excess of the entire city. San Francisco is another favourite of mine. It’s much more relaxed but even though the weather can be like Melbourne, it’s a beautiful place.
If you aren’t limiting yourself to the West then I also suggest a day or so in Washington DC if you are into history. All of the monuments and museums are extremely impressive.
Miami is fun providing it isn’t too humid. I liked the Everglades and I would have liked to explore the islands in The Keys much more.
If you like hustle and bustle then New York is another must do. Take a walk around Central Park, a ferry ride to Ellis island and the Statue of Liberty and check out a Broadway show.
And depending on where you are there are more theme parks than you can imagine scattered all over the states. I loved Disneyland (Anaheim LA), Universal Studios (LA) and Disneyworld (Orlando). But there are others too.
I’m sure there is more. I know New Orleans, Mount Rushmore, Chicago, Nashville and Niagara Falls are all still on my to-see list. Plus I’d revisit Boston anytime other than winter if I could.
That’s it for my suggestions. I hope it inspires something.
Hmmm, I just realised pretty much all of my suggestions aren’t exactly romantic ideas for a honeymoon but more of an adventure holiday. For romance, peace and tranquility you can’t go past a lakeside cabin on Bass Lake near Yosemite National Park or any other lake for that matter I’m sure.
Your list is missing my favourite American city – San Francisco! You must go and work your quads on those rambling hills, soak up some energy from 150million year old trees, take photos of murals, frock up in hippy wear, get locked into a pitch black jail cell, pretend you’re in Full House/Mrs Doubtfire, eat too much of every cuisine… and quite generally have the best time. Okay? x
from personal experience:
> LA – hhhmmmmmmm, not a fav but Disney Land, Universal Studios, Venice beach were cool
> the coast drive from LA to San Fran through Monterey and Carmel etc is wonderful, Clint Eastwood lives in Carmel, I saw his house, but he wouldn’t answer his door 🙂
> San Fran was my fav, a breath of fresh air after spending a few days in LA, literally!
just plain cool:
> Route 66 in a caddie
> Jack Rabbit Slims (I don’t know if it exists but if it does, go!)
> The Guggenheim
> A trip to the ball park
> Times Square
> Empire State
> etc etc etc
Okay seriously? You have to come to the pacific northwest! Movie wise think the goonies kindergarten cop and the tv show leverage.
You know I love America… everywhere I went, I considered moving to – even the crappy little town 90 mins or so from Vegas that doesn’t get magazines “because it’s too far from big towns”.
But I have to say that not every American is kind, generous, sweet, etc… there are lots that suck too! Same as here, really. Generalisations about the people of any nation, whether good or bad, always make me feel icky. Just saying 😉
Too true. America does have the most active serial killers in the world. I bet they are only too happy to help you … into the back of their van!
I have only been to California. I loved it, particularly the Big Sur. I stayed in the cosiest inn ever, with the thickest doonas ever, twinkling fairy lights, a great restaurant, very rustic. It was 13 years ago, but on the website it shows it hasn’t changed. Find it here http://www.deetjens.com
If you are keen to drive, get your hands on a Rand McNally USA road atlas – large edition with one state per page. Scenic routes for each state are mapped on each page, and these are usually off the main roads. They also have captions along the roads that state points of interest – totally worthwhile. Just looking at them can get your travel theme juices working.