great article sherry! Going to middle america is the way to see why bush is in power. It is in many ways a through back to 1920. nice people though.
Patricia
· 1 year ago
The fact that most foreign visitors visit only the big three or four is really no different than the typical North American (lumping us Canadians in there) visitor to Europe. You have only a short vacation time (one or two weeks) so you don't have the luxury to visit outside the main cities. My first Eurail pass and backpack trip to Europe was no different. I hade 6 weeks and while I did get to a few rural areas in France I mainly visited the bigger cities (London, Paris, Amsterdam, etc).
I was lucky to live in Germany for two years on the border of France and Germany and really got to know the local villages and the people in those villages. Since then I tend to travel slower and try to stay longer in places when possible. I consider myself lucky that I have been able to get off the beaten path but unfortunately that is not the case with so many travelers.
Sherry Ott
· 1 year ago
You are right Patricia - some people don't have enough time. However, it also depends on what your travel goals are. If you want to shop, go to museums, etc - then go to the big cities, they are great in many ways and that's why I like to live in them! However - when I travel, I like to go to the places less visited. When I travel through middle America, I often feel as if I have entered another country as it can be so vastly different from the coasts. Different pace, different foods, different values, different home life...it's great to see if you can swing it!
Jessica
· 1 year ago
I have to disagree with your assessment of Los Angeles! I don't live there much anymore and I'm glad I don't but if I were visiting the US I wouldn't dismiss it.
Here's what I recommend:
- Get cheap tickets to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and take a bottle of wine and a picnic dinner. - Go see the filming of a sit-com. Even if the show is crappy it's interesting to see. (Los Angeles also has lots of great little theatres, especially in the Culver City area). - Take a surfing lesson in Venice Beach. - Check out the La Brea Tar Pits and have lunch at the nearby farmer's market. (There's other museums nearby too.) - Check out the Getty Museum in Westwood or the Getty Villa in Malibu. - Take the ferry to Catalina Island for some hiking and see the bison.
Sherry
· 1 year ago
Jessica you make LA sound better than I remember! Thanks for your input - I figured that I'd probably piss some LA'ers off, but I still prefer San Francisco to LA! The great thing is that you've shared a good looking travel list for people...thanks for your input!
Jessica
· 1 year ago
Of course I've lived in LA County for 8 years and have done all these things how many times? I never seem to take advantage of the things that are nearby.
All Comments
I was lucky to live in Germany for two years on the border of France and Germany and really got to know the local villages and the people in those villages. Since then I tend to travel slower and try to stay longer in places when possible. I consider myself lucky that I have been able to get off the beaten path but unfortunately that is not the case with so many travelers.
Here's what I recommend:
- Get cheap tickets to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and take a bottle of wine and a picnic dinner.
- Go see the filming of a sit-com. Even if the show is crappy it's interesting to see. (Los Angeles also has lots of great little theatres, especially in the Culver City area).
- Take a surfing lesson in Venice Beach.
- Check out the La Brea Tar Pits and have lunch at the nearby farmer's market. (There's other museums nearby too.)
- Check out the Getty Museum in Westwood or the Getty Villa in Malibu.
- Take the ferry to Catalina Island for some hiking and see the bison.