Best North American City to Spend a Week?

[Trynapigdog 3]

Vancouver, BC or Mexico City

 

Both are outstanding.

[Brisketexan 105438]

 
Both are outstanding.

Huh. Thought this was about Borger v Pampa.

[pops 7007]

Sun valley Idaho or carpinteria California. 

[jimmyjazz 46225]

I can't believe nobody suggested Indianapolis.

[Shaddie 1651]

6 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I can't believe nobody suggested Indianapolis.

Shutup. You talking about it ain’t keeping the tourist from visiting. 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

15 hours ago, South Austin said:

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

 

For a week, it needs to be a split trip with Charleston short drive between the two.

EDIT- NIUHuskie and After irther beat me to it.

If you actually want to spend the day on the beach and swim you're pretty much down to SD and the Savannah/Charleston combo for mid May.

Edited April 23, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Savannah for a week ?  Doubtful, If you mix in Charleston then yes probably.

[Baboontyme 2825]

Do you like jorts and South Americans? Orlando is the place for you. 

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Fly into Santa Barbara.  Spend a couple days in the nearby wine country (better win than Napa IMO).  Head back to PCH and drive north to Big Sur.  A couple days there.  Then hit Carmel for a couple days.  Then San Fran for one day and night before flying out.

[Macanudo 13017]

If you're going to be in the Carmel area, check out the Bernardus Lodge.    It's in between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Carmel Valley.   Get one of the rooms that is not in the hotel proper but rather the rooms that are tri-plex like bungalows.  

[4th&Five 41599]

I spent a week in El Paso one night. 

[thrillhammer 684]

a week is too long to spend in any American city.  I would suggest new Orleans (aquarium, wwii museum, you could day trip to some plantations down old river road out towards baton rouge, take in some history, not to mention the best food in the usa).  second choice would be key west.  not to stay in key west but to hub out of there for the week and visit all the keys (snorkel, scuba dive, lay on the beach, etc.)

[Bender Bending Rodriguez 1693]

Anothe vote for Monterrey/Carmel. If you've got a week, that entire part of the California coast kicks ass. Especially considering you both like good beer, wine, food, nightlife and history. We flew into San Jose and spent five days driving around the  area and stayed at multiple hotels. It ranks right up there with any of the transatlantic trips we've taken. 

[txhorns 2413]

Seattle, three national parks nearby.

[C-Man 27285]

21 hours ago, mdmost said:

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

Yeah, you could spend a week in that region and not get the slightest bit bored. San Fran, Napa, Carmel, Big Sur, etc.

Charleston/Savannah would be a nice combo. I think that long in either city might be a bit too much. You could mix in Kiawah or Hilton Head too. Great part of the US.

Add a vote for the Florida Gulf Coast. Some beautiful beaches to be found if you're looking for a sedentary week. Beaches from Clearwater all the way to Destin are probably the prettiest in the US.

[hornbri 1417]

16 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

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

This is a very underrated comment. It is a super cool city. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

5 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Yeah, you could spend a week in that region and not get the slightest bit bored. San Fran, Napa, Carmel, Big Sur, etc.

Charleston/Savannah would be a nice combo. I think that long in either city might be a bit too much. You could mix in Kiawah or Hilton Head too. Great part of the US.

Add a vote for the Florida Gulf Coast. Some beautiful beaches to be found if you're looking for a sedentary week. Beaches from Clearwater all the way to Destin are probably the prettiest in the US.

But the driving in between those Fla beaches is kinda hideous.

[midtown 3348]

38 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

second choice would be key west.  not to stay in key west but to hub out of there for the week and visit all the keys (snorkel, scuba dive, lay on the beach, etc.)

I love Key West and I don't know much about the other keys but one thing I do know is that the beaches, the snorkeling and I assume the scuba in Key West suuuuuucks.   Go to key west to fish and party

[C-Man 27285]

4 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

But the driving in between those Fla beaches is kinda hideous.

Assumed you'd pick one and spend the week,  no?

[BradInATX 9208]

50 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

a week is too long to spend in any American city.  I would suggest new Orleans (aquarium, wwii museum, you could day trip to some plantations down old river road out towards baton rouge, take in some history, not to mention the best food in the usa).  second choice would be key west.  not to stay in key west but to hub out of there for the week and visit all the keys (snorkel, scuba dive, lay on the beach, etc.)

You could easily do a week in NOLA without getting repetitive. 4-5 days in the city sightseeing, eating, drinking, and music. A few day trips (Tabasco, Abita Brewery), maybe a fishing trip outside of the city, and a couple of days on the beaches in Biloxi/Gulfport (not as nice as CA obviously but they'll do). Hit Lazy Magnolia brewery on the way to MS. Tons of historical sites obviously. And the WW2 museum is bad ass and would take an entire afternoon if you like that kinda stuff. Casinos all over if that's your thing.

Hell I could eat, drink and go to Tipitina's every night for a week and never get tired of NOLA.

Edited April 23, 2019 by BradInATX

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

Querétaro.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Assumed you'd pick one and spend the week,  no?

As a base of operations yeah. We did Fla a couple New Years ago. Stayed in Bonita Springs 4 days, and took the ferry over to Key West for 3 days.  We did lots of coastal driving in the Bonita Springs area, just strip mall surface street stuff, not much coastline driving around there if I Remember correctly.

[ztejas 43546]

1 hour ago, thrillhammer said:

a week is too long to spend in any American city.

You're right. This is why I move cities across the country every 5 days. Currently posting from Sioux Falls, South Dakota but packing up for Topeka, Kansas as I type. 

[gecko 1104]

I don't think I would want to visit one city for an entire week.  Maybe, and I mean maybe, London

[C-Man 27285]

7 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

As a base of operations yeah. We did Fla a couple New Years ago. Stayed in Bonita Springs 4 days, and took the ferry over to Key West for 3 days.  We did lots of coastal driving in the Bonita Springs area, just strip mall surface street stuff, not much coastline driving around there if I Remember correctly.

Yeah, I was thinking further north. Tampa/St Pete is actually a pretty cool little area. Clearwater Beach is absolutely gorgeous and much less hoity-toity than Rosemary, Watercolor or Seaside. But 30A is beautiful too. My suggestion if you go this route is pick one of those places named and just park your asses for the week.

[C-Man 27285]

Would OP consider the Caribbean?

[Gator Dave 14]

5 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Would OP consider the Caribbean?

Sure. My only concern there is not having much to do. Don't want to go lay on the beach every day for a week. If there are some fun islands, I'm all ears.

[Mez2 4025]

Agua Dulce, TX

it's as sweet as it sounds

[Fudge Nuggets 19227]

Starkvegas, Mississippi.

[jimmyjazz 46225]

22 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Yeah, I was thinking further north. Tampa/St Pete is actually a pretty cool little area. 

Naples is cool, too.  Lots of money in the area, so the restaurants and shops cater to that demographic (both good and bad).

[C-Man 27285]

39 minutes ago, Gator Dave said:

Sure. My only concern there is not having much to do. Don't want to go lay on the beach every day for a week. If there are some fun islands, I'm all ears.

St. John is pretty laid back but there's lots to explore. St. Thomas is much more happening and an easy ferry ride.

[thrillhammer 684]

1 hour ago, gecko said:

I don't think I would want to visit one city for an entire week.  Maybe, and I mean maybe, London

a week wasn't long enough in paris.  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

4 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

a week wasn't long enough in paris.  

True, but you can see the all big stuff in less than a week. You don't need a week. it would be more a question of is there more than a weeks worth of stuff you want to see in Paris.

[thrillhammer 684]

Just now, Onboard 2.0 said:

True, but you can see the all big stuff in less than a week. You don't need a week. it would be more a question of is there more than a weeks worth of stuff you want to see in Paris.

i agree with all that.  i've probably spent a week on vacation in 7 cities total - paris, halifax, santa fe, new orleans, cozumel, dc, winnipeg. paris was the only one where i felt like i could stay longer.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

5 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

i agree with all that.  i've probably spent a week on vacation in 7 cities total - paris, halifax, santa fe, new orleans, cozumel, dc, winnipeg. paris was the only one where i felt like i could stay longer.

Oh for sure. Paris is huge, and every corner has some kind of history attached to it.  

[PantsTent 2002]

1 hour ago, Mez2 said:

Agua Dulce, TX

it's as sweet as it sounds

There's a red and white hereford bull standing under a mesquite tree there.  

[Moby Ric 2058]

Jackson Hole area for the beauty and outdoors, Vancouver/Seattle for the city thing.  

[Longhornmaniac8 255]

I think there's a lot of good suggestions here.

I'd add Riviera Maya to the list, simply because it's got a good combination of nice (and affordable) resorts, some great outdoor activities, and some neat history. Setting up shop in or around Playa del Carmen one could do the beach thing, snorkel/dive, check out the cenotes, go to Tulum, check out Xcaret or Xel Ha, etc. 

Touristy, sure, but probably no more so than doing the Embarcadero in SF. Not that there isn't a hell of a lot more in SF and the area to offer, I'm simply offering that touristy doesn't inherently mean bad.

That said, I do think SF + north or south is a really good call. SF + Tahoe (with a flight out of Reno rather than driving back to SF) would also be great. 

Heard great things about Montreal and Quebec City, too.

Boston + Vermont/New Hampshire or Cape Cod would slam and go hard, too. Hell, you could pretty easily spend 2-3 days in Boston, 2-3 days in Vermont/NH, and 2-3 days in Montreal and fly home from there.

[Macanudo 13017]

1 hour ago, thrillhammer said:

a week wasn't long enough in paris.  

Well, you can skip Notre Dame now.

 

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

I think there's a lot of good suggestions here.
I'd add Riviera Maya to the list, simply because it's got a good combination of nice (and affordable) resorts, some great outdoor activities, and some neat history. Setting up shop in or around Playa del Carmen one could do the beach thing, snorkel/dive, check out the cenotes, go to Tulum, check out Xcaret or Xel Ha, etc. 
Touristy, sure, but probably no more so than doing the Embarcadero in SF. Not that there isn't a hell of a lot more in SF and the area to offer, I'm simply offering that touristy doesn't inherently mean bad.
That said, I do think SF + north or south is a really good call. SF + Tahoe (with a flight out of Reno rather than driving back to SF) would also be great. 
Heard great things about Montreal and Quebec City, too.
Boston + Vermont/New Hampshire or Cape Cod would slam and go hard, too. Hell, you could pretty easily spend 2-3 days in Boston, 2-3 days in Vermont/NH, and 2-3 days in Montreal and fly home from there.

I love Playa, but beware the bulk of the Caribbean coast line has on going issues with Sargassum. Some of the beach areas get it cleared off the sand, but it remains thick in the water.

If I were beach bound and it had to be Mexico for a quick four or five day, Puerto Vallarta or Cabo would be my choices right now.

[Deej 76946]

4 hours ago, gecko said:

I don't think I would want to visit one city for an entire week.  Maybe, and I mean maybe, London

That's why you visit two...Bryan-College Station.

[Brew 3049]

Tour of Utah, fly into Vegas and spend a night or two, drive to Zion, hit the other parks on the way to Moab, a couple days in Moab rock crawling, drive to Park City for a couple of days, fly out of SLC wherever you are going. You could do the same type of thing out of Denver with all of the areas around it and make sure to see any concert available at Red Rocks.

If you want a beach trip then fly to the gulf coast of FL (preferably the West coast, not 30A) and hit the island chains from Clearwater, through AMI and Siesta all the way around to Miami for a couple of days if that’s your thing before flying out. Or just go to the Caribbean, any of the major islands will have things to do besides sitting on the beach while also enjoying just sitting on the beach.

Screw cities and everything that comes with them for more than a long weekend. For a week I’m heading outside to the mountains, the beach, or national parks.

[troph 24912]

If you're going to be in the Carmel area, check out the Bernardus Lodge.    It's in between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Carmel Valley.   Get one of the rooms that is not in the hotel proper but rather the rooms that are tri-plex like bungalows.  

Yes. Amazing though they sold the hotel to a hotel company and it’s now separately owned. Still bad ass. Carmel valley and Big Sur are my soul’s home. If it’s your jam and you discover it (OP) you’ll go back a dozen times. There is something about the Carmel valley road that gets me every single time. Say hi to Patricia Qualls - artist in the village if you go. She’s a precious human and amazing painter. I’ve got 5 of her pieces in my collection. The wines in the valley are nice - I love their Chardonnays and I hate chardonnays. Pinots are good too.

[troph 24912]

I think there's a lot of good suggestions here.
I'd add Riviera Maya to the list, simply because it's got a good combination of nice (and affordable) resorts, some great outdoor activities, and some neat history. Setting up shop in or around Playa del Carmen one could do the beach thing, snorkel/dive, check out the cenotes, go to Tulum, check out Xcaret or Xel Ha, etc. 
Touristy, sure, but probably no more so than doing the Embarcadero in SF. Not that there isn't a hell of a lot more in SF and the area to offer, I'm simply offering that touristy doesn't inherently mean bad.
That said, I do think SF + north or south is a really good call. SF + Tahoe (with a flight out of Reno rather than driving back to SF) would also be great. 
Heard great things about Montreal and Quebec City, too.
Boston + Vermont/New Hampshire or Cape Cod would slam and go hard, too. Hell, you could pretty easily spend 2-3 days in Boston, 2-3 days in Vermont/NH, and 2-3 days in Montreal and fly home from there.

Go to the isla thread. Global warming is messing up Cancun to tulum big time. I love the farther south you go and we love Mexico but the seaweed can be atrociously bad. Not sure how it is now. Playa Norte is an amazing beach but it’s getting crowded but it’s sea weed free. We are trying Holbox in two weeks on the north side of the peninsula. Supposed to be playa and tulum 20 years ago. We’ll see.

[troph 24912]

I love Playa, but beware the bulk of the Caribbean coast line has on going issues with Sargassum. Some of the beach areas get it cleared off the sand, but it remains thick in the water.

If I were beach bound and it had to be Mexico for a quick four or five day, Puerto Vallarta or Cabo would be my choices right now.

Sorry for the multiple posts but PV kicks ass. Going twice this summer once with kids and once with friends. Gay scene is awesome. But it has everything - beautiful sunsets, beach, off shore fishing, old town, day trips like to Sayulita. We love it. Easy looong weekend trip for sure.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

8 hours ago, troph said:

 

Sorry for the multiple posts but PV kicks ass. Going twice this summer once with kids and once with friends. Gay scene is awesome. But it has everything - beautiful sunsets, beach, off shore fishing, old town, day trips like to Sayulita. We love it. Easy looong weekend trip for sure.

 

It's definitely different than  the Rivera Maya side of Mexico  for sure.  PV still has much of it's old town feeling vs what you see at Playa Del Carmen for example.   The main shopping area in Playa (5th) is becoming a giant outdoor mall with retail you see at US and European malls or higher end shopping districts.   It's lost some of that old charm as some of the mom and pop merchants and restaurants were forced out (some were there for decades)  and rapidly becoming just another Cancun where you really don't get the Mexican experience if you will.   PV has done well to limit most of  that stuff outside the older parts of town or to it's sister city on the other side of the airport known  as Nuevo Vallarta where most of the AI hotels are located. I really hope they continue to go with that mode of thinking.

The upside is there is still more direct  flights to Cancun/Rivera Maya  from Texas airports vs the Pacific resort areas and it's a relatively short flight.  If you are someone who likes to stay at an AI and not get out and about, it will work out great for you and whether the town close by has become relatively indistinguishable from many of the modern amenities we enjoy in the states will become secondary.   

 

[troph 24912]

Yeah whenever we need a quick get away for a weekend we tend to fly to Cancun and go somewhere but the day SWA flys direct to PV from Austin may be the day we shift. My gf loves the light blue water of the Caribbean I prefer sunsets and dark blue of the pacific. We both prefer the culture over tourism and we haven’t been in an AI since we were in our 20s, so PV will win when that flight comes on line.

 

[Grippe 313]

Another vote for flying into SF/Bay Area and basing a week pleasantly roaming the coast/local area.  Napa & Big Sur included.

That shit right there is marriage magic.

From this:

To this:

 

With a lot of this: "Honey, I love you so much you're getting pooper tonight"

[Gator Dave 14]

Thanks for all the tips guys, tons of great ideas here, will have to bookmark this for planning the next vacation.

I think you've sold me on the SF/Napa/Carmel thing. If we have 7 days, which includes the day we land and the day we return, is it too much to try and squeeze in Napa + Carmel/Big Sur? I figure we'll stay in SF a couple days, then take off north or south, but I'd really like to do both if it's not unreasonable.

 

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

1 hour ago, troph said:

Yeah whenever we need a quick get away for a weekend we tend to fly to Cancun and go somewhere but the day SWA flys direct to PV from Austin may be the day we shift. My gf loves the light blue water of the Caribbean I prefer sunsets and dark blue of the pacific. We both prefer the culture over tourism and we haven’t been in an AI since we were in our 20s, so PV will win when that flight comes on line.

 

When Southwest started service to Mexico a few years back, they had a direct to either PV or Cabo from Austin.  But I think they pulled back many direct flights to Mexico from SAT and ABIA for some reason.   SWA is discontinuing its direct flight to  Mexico City from SAT.  I live in Corpus, so unless I fly out of SA I have to connect in Hou, IAH, LUV or DFW to go anywhere and everywhere and one of the reasons I am looking forward to the day when I can be closer to ABIA and the variety of international and domestic direct flights they now offer.  One thing I've been told from others and based on  time constraints is to take advantage of the Mexican airlines that fly out of SAT or AUS and use their connections in Mexico City or Monterrey and go through Immigration and Customs there and be done  with so once you get to your final destination in Mexico,  you can skip all of it. Next time we decide to make a trip down there, we may give that a try and see how it works.

Edited April 24, 2019 by Nueces River Rat