Best North American City to Spend a Week?

[Gator Dave 14]

I have 3 weeks until my 10 year anniversary and I need to plan a trip. Last-minute planning due to not being able to find a taker for the kids (now resolved). So for those with more travel experience than me, if you could pick one city to spend a week (not NY, been there), what would it be? Some preliminary ideas (but definitely not limited to these) are: San Diego, San Francisco, Savannah, Charleston, Chicago. We're not too picky, we like breweries/wineries/beaches/historical sites/good food and nightlife. Somewhere with interesting areas that are walkable with restaurants/bars/other points of interest. A nice balance of sightseeing and relaxation. I'll hang up and listen.

[luke duke 6,412]

Pampa, TX [/thread]

[midtown 3,345]

Montreal? Vancouver? Somewhere in the smokies?

[po elvis 2,070]

Pampa is nice, but i wouldn't even put Pampa in the top 3.

[PRONG HORN 3,141]

San Fran to San Diego two or three day drive and then just chill in Diego. 

[RoundRobin 828]

Mexico City

[next2naus 439]

S.F.

[Llano Estacado 1,257]

OP said anywhere in N America, that isn’t NYC.

I’ve got to put Weyburn, SK ahead of Pampa.

[mdmost 43,001]

San Francisco has everything you're looking for.You could even venture south along the PCH and hit Monterey. 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

16 minutes ago, midtown said:

Montreal? 

My very first thought ^^^^. Everything I've heard about Montreal makes it one of my bucket list cities. Many call it the most beautiful city in N. America, like stepping into Europe for a day without flying across the Atlantic.  

Time of year is crucial. February, probably no bueno, unless you like arctic cold, and lots of snow.  Spring, Summer, and Fall glorious.  I believe the Lonny is a bit weak to the dollar as well, so that's a bonus.

Amazing amazing food, word class architecture are 2 of it's traits.

[Lagunamadre 1,975]

If you've never been, I'd do San Francisco. If you have a week, and the budget, go spend a couple nights in San Fran, then drive the hour to Napa and spend a couple days exploring that region. San Fran/Napa is my favorite vacation in the States.  

[Lagunamadre 1,975]

17 minutes ago, RoundRobin said:

Mexico City

I just spent a long weekend there and it was an awesome trip. The dollar goes a looooonnnnggg way down there and the food and culture are top notch. 

[jimmyjazz 45,898]

Savannah is phenomenal, but a week might be too much.

Based on my travels, I'd say Montreal.

Portland is a lot of fun and day trips out of the city are phenomenal.

[4th&Five 41,525]

SD, SF or Charleston

[Brew 3,049]

You could do quite a bit out of Denver for a week as long as you rent a vehicle. Outside of that the Cali coast is the best bet.

[RPM 26,318]

Breckenridge, Colorado

[YChang 3,443]

Vancouver, BC or Mexico City

Edited April 22, 2019 by YChang

[Ollie Slatt 289]

San Francisco.  With a week, you can combine with wine country or go down the coast to Carmel/Big Sur.  

[Cheeseweasel 26,438]

Pacific NW. Seattle, Vancouver, the islands.

[Brisketexan 105,095]

Has someone said Pampa yet?  If not, let me say, "Pampa."  

[lemonlime 5,503]

Moab, UT.  Walkable small city with brewery, bars, restaurants, and very close to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

Portland, OR, and can do a side trip to the Willamette Valley for wineries.

[Jerry Callo 8,700]

No beaches, but Washington D.C. checks many of your boxes.  You would not run out of things to do.

[South Austin 52,463]

47 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Savannah is phenomenal, but a week might be too much.

Agreed. Savannah is great for a long weekend, but you’d be bored staying there a full week.

Casting another vote for San Francisco.  Lots to do in the city, with hiking in Muir Woods and wine tasting in Sonoma not far away.

[Telegraph_it 3,357]

Jackson Hole. Teton National Park, Yellowstone, and probably worth the drive to Glacier. 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

5 minutes ago, Telegraph_it said:

Jackson Hole. Teton National Park, Yellowstone, and probably worth the drive to Glacier. 

Yep done that. White water rafting, 2 hours away from Yellowstone and Old Faithful, great restaurants.

[Agent 13 314]

Another vote for California coast starting in SF. Take a coat for after sun goes down if you're anywhere near water. 

[MAROON 445]

San Francisco hits all the marks.  The big question is do you want to go North to Muir Woods/ Napa/Sonoma/Russian River or South to Carmel/Monterrey/Big Sur.  You could do it all but that would be way too much car time.

 

I would probably go north, because I like the Napa valley and the amazing restaurants you can hit while you are there.  

 

Make sure you time the trip to catch an afternoon Giants game.

Edited April 22, 2019 by MAROON

[Wally Fairway 5,543]

SF, then drive to Carmel

You'll thank me later

[NIUHuskies 504]

Do the Charleston-Savannah duo: two hour drive between the two. Food, underrated beer scene, coastal drive and beaches between the two. Tybee Isaland and Folly Beach pretty good beaches. Open drinks in Savannah. Plsu, it will be cheaper than anything San Fran or San Diego wise.

[ztejas 43,418]

San Francisco.

I mean, I would just spend a week in NYC regardless of whether you've been there or not, but if you really don't want to return (and haven't been there) then San Fran. 

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by ztejas
Sp

[Focht Up 631]

You couldn't pay me to go to anywhere in Mexico, due to the security concerns.  There are too many places to visit that are actually same.

[Errestaurants 2,570]

San Fran. most other choices have already been mentioned so I'll throw out Santa Fe. 5 days may be a stretch but it has several of your items.

[Incredulity 11,664]

I’ve really enjoyed a couple of long weekend trips to Boston.  We have walked all over North End, Back Bay and Downtown(?) by Fanueli Hall.  Lots to see around New England.

[Shaddie 1,651]

Vancouver. End of story. Good coffee on a sidewalk shop downtown. Aquarium. Stanley Park. Day trip to whistler. Wife can shop at Granville island. Victoria Day trip. Very dog friendly place  some places allow you to bring your dog to work. Can also visit Seattle in same trip  

Have always said if I win lottery I would live there 7-8 months a year. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,817]

pampa, tx

[RPM 26,318]

You guys recommending SF & wine country, have they recovered from the fires last year? 

[Neonmoon 38,129]

Portland works with all the day trips you can do (fly fishing, waterfall hikes, goonies coast)

[mdleast 8,289]

Another vote for SF but also drive down and spend a night or two in Monterey/Big Sur:

 

 

[HenryJames 66,041]

Pampa has gotten too touristy.

 

[mdleast 8,289]

Another vote for SF but also drive down and spend a night or two in Monterey/Big Sur:
 
[url=https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/index.php?/topic/6973-pebble-beachmonterey-things-to-do/&tab=comments&do=embed&comment=883054&embedComment=883054&embedDo=findComment#comment-883054][/url]  

Realized the link I added didn’t work. How about this one:

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/index.php?/topic/6973-pebble-beachmonterey-things-to-do/

[phdhorn 6,224]

3 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

No beaches, but Washington D.C. checks many of your boxes.  You would not run out of things to do.

Echo Washington.  There is so much within 3 hours of the city, it's like 50 different countries/climates.  Nowhere like it.  Plus it has great beaches within 2 hours.  However the water is still pretty cold in May.   Otherwise it checks out with everything else on your list.  Still my favorite city/region, largely because within 3 hours you have ocean, mountains, white water, urban atmosphere, bay life, etc. etc.

[Nueces River Rat 5,538]

My very first thought ^^^^. Everything I've heard about Montreal makes it one of my bucket list cities. Many call it the most beautiful city in N. America, like stepping into Europe for a day without flying across the Atlantic.  
Time of year is crucial. February, probably no bueno, unless you like arctic cold, and lots of snow.  Spring, Summer, and Fall glorious.  I believe the Lonny is a bit weak to the dollar as well, so that's a bonus.
Amazing amazing food, word class architecture are 2 of it's traits.

Quebec City is pretty awesome. It’s pretty much what described about Montreal, just much smaller.

[smoky 840]

Borger

 

Fuck Pampa

Edited April 23, 2019 by smoky

[After irth 1,243]

Based upon OP’s description, Savannah could totally work for a full week. Take in the District, do the kitschy stuff, do the fine dining stuff, time to debauch, time to relax, lots of safe walking, historic day trips, Tybee Island, take some tours, do the museums, party with the natives, etc., etc.  

People always try to cram shit into their vacations and wear themselves out. I usually enjoy just staying put (wherever) and just absorbing the town...good or bad. 

Although...the Savannah / Charleston double feature recommended above is a solid rec as well, if you’re one of those restless travelers. 

[Lobwedgephil 1,139]

Vancouver. 

[The Gimp 346]

2 hours ago, mdleast said:

Agree with the Northern California option. If Carmel not your cup of tea, drive up to Tahoe area.

Realized the link I added didn’t work. How about this one:

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/index.php?/topic/6973-pebble-beachmonterey-things-to-do/

 

 

[Stunns38 3,460]

Pampa has gotten too touristy.

 

 

Agreed. I miss it when it was dangerous and gritty. Now it’s too Disneyfied.

[Macanudo 12,976]

6 hours ago, RPM said:

Breckenridge, Colorado

This or Seattle.  Both offer an almost unlimited amount of things to do.   SF is fun for about 3 days and then it's time to go north toward Napa or south to Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur. 

[troph 24,783]

Your woman will love you lots for SF, Napa and Sonoma and Big Sur. That might be too much to cover in a week but holy crap that’s top notch. I like Big Sur/Carmel over Napa.

 

I’d say Seattle and Vancouver could be good too.

 

Montreal is intriguing. Don’t know much about it.

 

Not in NA per your request but ... The other option is to spend a week traveling through parts of Central America. Mexico is amazing, Costa Rica, Panama, you could make an awesome trip out of Columbia and Ecuador or hit Brazil or Argentina. 10 years is a big deal. Blow that shit out right and going south your dollars go much farther.

 

 

[TornACL 7,698]

I can think of nothing more romantic than taking your special lady friend to Mitchell Brothers Theater in SF for your big anniversary.