US Holiday - where to go?

burntheladle

So, I am currently on exchange to the US (in san francisco). After my semester finishes, I have a month in the states before I have to go home. Hopefully, for some of that month, one of my very close friends will be able to come over and do something amazing with me.

He doesn't have to fly into San Francisco - he could fly to wherever has an international airport, and I could met him there.

We probably only have 10 days together, so we'd like to not do too much travelling vast distances - more, picking one awesome spot and exploring it. We won't be able to rent a car or drive, so a road trip is pretty much out - don't want to waste our time together on greyhound buses.

He doesn't like "cultural" things - ie, art galleries, museums, going to shows (theatre or live music). I will have a lot of time to do these sort of things while I am in SF anyway, so going somewhere to see big cultural attractions is probably out.

We do like: beaches, partying, he likes to gamble a bit but I don't really so I don't want to go to Vegas. I'm a big fan of outdoorsy nature things, but nothing too strenuous - hiking really isn't his thing. Swimming/snorkeling is good though.

We probably have a budget of maybe $2000 for the ten days (not including airfares). We're more than happy to stay in youth hostels - we're both 21.

Is Hawii overrated? I don't really know that much about the US, so I have no idea where to even start looking. But Hawii sounds nice... this is probably the only chance we'll get to do any international travel together for the next few years, so I'd like to make it something special.

Thanks for any advice!

Lewisham

burntheladle wrote: »

Is Hawii overrated?

I think so. It's expensive too.

If you like outdoorsy things, why can't you drive to Vegas then go to the Grand Canyon and then off to Yosemite? That's like one of the ultimate outdoorsy thing.

EclecticGroove

If it is going to be in the Summer Months. NYC and NJ have beaches. You can get to Atlantic City by train or bus easy enough. The only real problem would be the price of where you are staying if you can't find cheap/free.

Plenty of nightlife in the whole area, and cultural stuff in case either one does decide to do it. You can head out of NYC itself for outdoorsy stuff like hiking, camping, kayaking, etc (New York State is not just the city).

Liquid Hellz

Hard to go wrong in southern Florida, Miami is awesome for nightlife/beaches.. could head to everglades to do outdoorsy stuff and down to Key West is always a party.. would probably need to rent a car though.. no real public transit.

MKR

Most of the state parks around Metro Atlanta are good for light hiking. The one at Fort Yargo here in Winder is very scenic. You're away from civilization, but you probably won't see any bears. It's mostly flat with plenty of rest areas.

John Matrix

Why not head up the coast and check out Seattle and Vancouver? You could hit two major cities, two countries, and British Columbia is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth if you're looking to get all outdoorsy.

Deebaser

EclecticGroove wrote: »

If it is going to be in the Summer Months. NYC and NJ have beaches. You can get to Atlantic City by train or bus easy enough. The only real problem would be the price of where you are staying if you can't find cheap/free.

I respectfully disagree. I wouldn't go to New York for the beaches, even the Hamptons. NY beaches are nice enough for NYers, but they honestly aren't all that special and are actually objectively kinda bad.

Deebaser

If you're an aussie, Hawaii is not a bad idea. Flying back from the East Coast will feel like time travel.

Scalfin

Deebaser wrote: »

If you're an aussie, Hawaii is not a bad idea. Flying back from the East Coast will feel like time travel.

Which rules out Cape Cod, a really outdoorsy place that's really nice outside of spring (it gets kind of muddy). Provincetown has a good night life, as long as you're gay.

WildEEP

Las Vegas.
Everything within walking distance. Plenty of stuff to see. Affordable rooms and cheap food.
Plenty of stuff to fill up a week.

witch_ie

While it has its downsides, southern California might fit what you are both looking for. You could do the touristy thing in Los Angeles for a few days. Then when you get sick of the traffic and cement, head down to San Diego and do the touristy things there. This includes the zoo, wild animal park, and cleaner beaches than what you will find in LA. If your friend really wants to gamble, there are casinos around too - although you might need to rent a car to get to one of them. You might also consider a quick side trip to Mexico if that doesn't cause too many logistical obstacles.

EclecticGroove

Deebaser wrote: »

EclecticGroove wrote: »

If it is going to be in the Summer Months. NYC and NJ have beaches. You can get to Atlantic City by train or bus easy enough. The only real problem would be the price of where you are staying if you can't find cheap/free.

I respectfully disagree. I wouldn't go to New York for the beaches, even the Hamptons. NY beaches are nice enough for NYers, but they honestly aren't all that special and are actually objectively kinda bad.

Oh, I agree they aren't great. But it has everything else he's looking for. He can always head to one of the beaches in NJ that are much better if he really wanted to.

Sam

what is your budget? if you have money you should go to the rocky mountains in CO, go skiing, snowmobiling, snow hiking, etc.

there's probably all kinds of discounts right now, not just because of the economy but also because it's past season but still snowy enough.