City suggestions
 

I'm seeking some advice on cities to visit. We've traveled to the US many times over the years for both business and pleasure. We've been to, and enjoyed, all major cities on the east and west coasts as well as others including Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans, SLC and San Antonio. A few years we had a trip to the Keys and a three week driving tour of many of the Civil War sites from Atlanta to Gettysburg.

This time we are visiting NYC, SFO, PDX and going to the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland OR. Fitting the trip in between the FF flights we have managed to snare means we have about 10 extra days to occupy.(We arrive JFK August 11 and depart SFO September 13). We'd like to visit a new place or two and the thoughts we have had include Tucson, Santa Fe and Austin. All will be very warm at that time of the year.

Our interests are cultural, art, history and food and wine. The major constraint is that we have given up driving in the US so we are really limited to cities and perhaps the odd organized day trip.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Tucson, Santa Fe, and Austin would all be great places to visit, but if you aren't driving I fear you'll have a hard time getting around. None of those places has much in the way of public transport aside from buses (and no idea how frequent/comprehensive they are) (but renting a bike might be a good alternative).

You could check out Denver, which does have decent public transport. There's not a ton to do in Denver - I've heard it described as "Indianapolis with mountains," which seems pretty on point. Most of the fun stuff in Denver lies in driving an hour or two into the mountains around it.

Disneyworld/Kennedy Space Center/Orlando? Miami? Philadelphia?

I'm a big fan of Portland, Maine as well for a couple days - but you really need to get a car and drive to fun places.

From New York you could take the train up into the Hudson Valley. There are some charming towns and hotels with great restaurants and gorgeous river/mountain views.

Depending on when you head to the west coast, you might consider visiting Laguna Beach during the Pageant of the Masters. This year it ran July 8-August 31. I haven't attended yet, but it's on my bucket list!

If you're not strictly wedded to the US, one possibility from NYC would be to head north to Montreal. It's got culture, art, and history in spades, and the food scene is excellent. The city is extremely walkable and also has a comprehensive and efficient public transit network. It's also a reasonably priced city by international standards.

You can get there easily from NY by bus (6-7 hours) or train (11-ish hours, but dirt cheap and with drop-dead gorgeous views), or it's maybe a 1.5-hour flight.

You could also do Quebec City, which is a historic gem and (IMHO) tied with San Francisco as North America's most beautiful city. The food there is also excellent.

The weather in both cities at that time of year should be quite lovely, with warm days and nights that might be just a touch on the chilly side.

How about Boston? Tons of history there and easy to get around. The T, tour buses, ferries, it's not at all difficult to be without a car there for a long time.

I'm thrown off by the dates you mention yet you posted today. Maybe 2016?

Anyway what about a cruise? No driving; always a shuttle from the airport to the seaport. Most ships are sailing cities with plenty to do in ports of call. If you want warmth, then head out of LA to the Mexican Riviera. Head north on an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle, Portland or SFO.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've decided to take the train from NYC to Montreal, have 5 days there, then fly to Boston for a further 5 days before heading to the West Coast. I've been to both before but it will be good to have more time there.

That train ride will take all day - better to fly.

Santa Fe is served by the heavy rail (commuter train) Rail Runner from other parts of the state. AMTRAK's Southwest Chief traverses NM between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Tucson is just a $10 Greyhound Bus ride from Phoenix. I've done that several times. It's no big deal. TUS has a wonderful public transit system.

Austin is very accessible from the three other big Texas cities on MEGABUS. Very inexpensive, safe and convenient. Also, AMTRAK's Texas Eagle runs south to San Antonio and north to Chicago (daily).

You can piece together a great itinerary with those methods of travel.

I'd highly recommend TUS, NM, and at least two Texas cities.

There is TONS to do in Denver, even just the downtown area. The daily AMTRAK service thru DEN is the California Zephyr. I'd highly recommend taking it westbound (if just up to Winter Park) or to any points to Emeryville (San Francisco Bay Area). The scenery is beyond beautiful.

The commuter rail link to downtown from DIA (DEN Int'l Airport) should finally be open for passenger traffic in early 2016.

Hahaha - just got back from Denver in August and my first thought was "Omaha with mountains," which is pretty darn close!

You might consider taking the Greyhound from Montreal to Boston. It's inexpensive and the ride through Vermont and New Hampshire is beautiful. In truth I would probably fly NYC-Montreal and bus back down to Boston.

I went to Denver a year or two ago and I could not believe how friendly people were! It did have a midwestern vibe in that way. Felt very different than grumpy ol' Seattle where I live.

Thanks for the further suggestions. We have pretty much decided on Montreal/Boston 5 days each now. I've gone off the train NYC-Montreal a bit having read some of the Tripadvisor reports because of its length, only economy cars, the bun fight at Penn Station and the delays at the border. So flying it might be. I'll have a look at the idea of Montreal-Boston by bus though i have bad memories off a previous Greyhound experience.

The train is certainly long, but the scenery is beautiful and it's dirt cheap, so if you've got the time you shouldn't be too scared of it. I took this route last fall (and will be doing so again at the end of this month), and it's comfortable enough. Also, the Penn Station process is far less miserable than what you experience usually at US airports - you go to a desk, they stamp your e-ticket printout or whatever, and you then wait in a line until boarding starts. It's all pretty low-key.

The border wait is the main issue - that can definitely be a pain, particularly if there's an issue with some passengers, as they won't leave the border post until all the screening is done.

Santa Fe is a great place to visit. In face we're heading out there on Monday for a week for the third time. Tucson, IMO, isn't that special but you could drive north and visit the Grand Canyon. Sounds like you've been to many places in our country and I'll assume you've been to Washington, D.C.

Bobette