Best City in the US to Vacation in..

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Jagger

Given your ages I would choose Orlando over everywhere else mentioned. There is a huge variety of theme parks plus from all accounts there is lot's of shopping too. (I'm not a shopper.) For urban, touristy type, places in the states Orlando is, by far, my favourite.

Agreed, Universal/Islands of Adventure would be perfect to spend a week in if you're not into the whole Disney thing. And the endless outlet malls would be perfect for you Flames09.

[Flames09]

Originally Posted by Flames4LifeFLA

I live about two hours from Orlando and usually go there every couple months for the weekend to get away. I guess it depends on what you are looking to do? You seem like a young group, that is not old enough to get into clubs and bars here in the US. That might defeat the purpose of going to a place like Las Vegas.

Sounds like you are looking for shopping and things to do. Orlando has that. Disney World, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, City Walk, International Drive will keep you busy for 6 days. There is good shopping here, pretty much anything you want, with two MAJOR Orlando-area malls, Florida Mall and Mall at Millenia (upscale).

There is all types of stuff to do on International Drive (accomodations, miniature golf, go karts, bungee jumping, stores from A-Z).

Let me know if you have questions...

I was looking at all the attractions and Orlando seems like alot of fun, how easy is it to get around to all the attractions??? and what do you think of the 'The Villas of Grand Cypress' hotel???

[Bill Bumface]

NYC or Chicago. LA is really not worth seeing.

[Eastern Girl]

Originally Posted by Flames09

I was looking at all the attractions and Orlando seems like alot of fun, how easy is it to get around to all the attractions??? and what do you think of the 'The Villas of Grand Cypress' hotel???

I just got back from Orlando recently, I went for a bachelorette weekend with my girlfriends. During the day, we did all kinds of shopping and we went to both theme parks in one day, Universal and Islands. We loved Islands, but the lineups in Universal were just so long, so if you do the two parks in one day thing, I would suggest starting with Universal and then going to Islands or at least go to the most popular attraction first to avoid the lines, like Spiderman etc.

I am not really the lay on the beach for hours type either so I managed to find tons of other things to do around the beach, paddleboating and such. It was a great time.

As for transportation, some hotels have free shuttles to and from the different parks, so it's not too difficult to get around, that's how we did it. When you are booking your hotel, ask about it.

And yeah, there's lots of shopping to be done there, perhaps too much. I went overboard.

[Table 5]

I really don't want to encourage more tourists to come here and get in my way while im trying to get on the frickin' subway, but if sightseeing and shopping is what you want, there really is no place in the US for those things like New York.

L.A can be a really fun place as well, but you definitely need a car, and it would really help if you had a local to guide you as the best places there are sort of hidden and not on any tourist map.

You can go to Orlando when you have a bunch of screaming kids with you.

[Flames4LifeFLA]

Originally Posted by Flames09

I was looking at all the attractions and Orlando seems like alot of fun, how easy is it to get around to all the attractions??? and what do you think of the 'The Villas of Grand Cypress' hotel???

Depending on where you stay, most hotels offer free shuttle service to the parks. Since you are not renting a car, I would make it a priority to find a hotel that has this service. It will save you time and lots of personal stress (TONS of traffic in Orlando). Make sure to contact the hotel you are looking to stay at and have them confirm that they have free shuttle service to the theme parks. You also won't have trouble finding a cab in Orlando.

I am not familiar with The Villas of Grand Cypress Hotel, is that on International Drive? I'm not sure of your budget, but make sure you spend the money to get a decent hotel in Orlando. There are about 8 gazillion hotels to choose from, many of them cheap, so you don't want to be stuck in a dump for 6 days.

Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure/City Walk are all located about 5 minutes from International Drive, which has all the food, shopping and lodging you would probably need for your trip. Disney and it's parks (Epcot, MGM, Blizzard Beach, etc.), which are located in Lake Buena Vista, are a 25-40 minute interstate ride from I-Drive (depending on traffic).

www.internationaldrive.com

Orlando is a sprawling, premiere tourist destination, especially this time of year. Kids are out of school and families are coming from all over the world to Orlando in the summer. Be prepared for long lines at the theme parks.

Let me know what else I can help with, I'll be more than happy to answer what I can.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Agreed. Although don't stay in Inglewood. I made that unfortunate mistake back in February, and didn't know I was actually staying in that neighborhood until I left. I've never had a such a bizarre night in my life - encounters with psycho drivers, lunatics on the streets and gang members. Fun times!

LMAO!

You should've consulted those of us who have lived in the area in the past before you booked!

Inglewood....oh man...that's about the same as staying at the Motel 6 in Compton!

[Displaced Flames fan]

I would have to go with Orlando myself. Tons to do...and upscale shopping for a city of it's size. Cabs everywhere.

My second choice would be NYC though I've never been.

LA is way to spread out to be taking cabs everywhere.

[rockstar]

Seattle is awesome. It's close, it's by the water.

Every time I go I have a great time.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by rockstar

Seattle is awesome. It's close, it's by the water.

Every time I go I have a great time.

Perhaps our most beautiful major city.

[JD]

I'd put San Francisco ahead of Seattle as your most beautiful city, but no doubt Seattle is a great place to see.

I'll put in my vote for Orlando as well. I spent 8 days there in April and didn't even begin to scratch the surface for all the things we wanted to do.

If you want to avoid lineups at Universal and Islands of Adventure, spring for the extra $40 for the express pass. You get to skip past all the suckers that wait in hour-or-more lineups. Very very worth it.

Seaworld and all the Disney parks are also outstanding.

If you go, though, hopefully you don't have to put up with a "cold snap" like I did... when we were there, we had to suffer through weather that only saw daytime highs of 23°C! Haha... people walking around in heavy jackets for that stuff.

[Clever_Iggy]

Chicago, DC, San Francisco, and NYC have great transit systems which makes it very easy to go without a car.

Seattle is a great place to go with lots to do and see.

Im a new transplant to San Francisco and love the city. You cant really go wrong with Chicago, DC, NYC, Seattle, SF, San Diego, etc...

One thing you might want to consider is how far you are traveling. If you only have 6 days, it's a shame to spend the better part of two of those days flying if youre going to Orlando. But that's just me.

[looooob]

alot of great cities to spend a weekend...NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Chicago would rank amongst my favorites (I can only speak for New Orleans pre-Katrina, but it would rank)

however I have not seen many mention Washington DC...that is a very interesting place to visit for a couple of days. even as a non-American, alot of incredible things to see

[Captain Sensible]

I would go to Gary, Indiana.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by looooob

alot of great cities to spend a weekend...NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Chicago would rank amongst my favorites (I can only speak for New Orleans pre-Katrina, but it would rank)

however I have not seen many mention Washington DC...that is a very interesting place to visit for a couple of days. even as a non-American, alot of incredible things to see

Very true. You could spend an entire weekend at the Smithsonian.

I was 5 when I went...still remember a lot...but it's probably high time I go back.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Captain Sensible

I would go to Gary, Indiana.

Only if there are no hotels available in Joliete.

Seriously Chicago is probably in the top 2 or 3 for urban vacations. NY/SF and Chicago are important to see. My favorite three intersections on this continent are Michigan and E Wacker in Chicago, 42nd and Columbus in NY and Powell @ Union Square in SF.

[Flames09]

/\ I've been to Chicago and I didnt really like it.

[Clever_Iggy]

Actually, one to add to the list is Denver. I had a great time there and the scenary is really nice... plus getting tickets to the Rockies cant be too tough.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Actually, one to add to the list is Denver. I had a great time there and the scenary is really nice... plus getting tickets to the Rockies cant be too tough.

It's definatley great for sports. And bars I suppose, but you might run out of things to do over a 6 day period.

[Doctordestiny]

San Francisco.

I've seen lots of them. No contest.