OP asked about cities to visit. She didn't ask where she should vacation in general.

I'm PP. My list assumed that all the cities up and down the Eastern Seaboard were already on OP's list, except for Charleston. It seems that some people were discussing Washington, DC and Baltimore.

I just returned from San Francisco where I attended a memorial service. I lived in the Bay Area for several years and went to college there. Each time I'm back there I'm overwhelmed with its beauty and what a fantastic place it is to live. The architecture is gorgeous, with a great blend of older housing stock that is remarkably well preserved as well as edgy modern buildings. The park that stretches through the city like Central Park in NYC is heavenly. Every corner brings something worth photographing given the way the hills provide views and the way the light shines there at different times of day. You won't find a better selection of foods from around the world anywhere else. You won't find the racial and ethnic diversity among its residents in any other major US city. The cultural and artistic offerings are world class. And within an hour or two you can be in a Redwood forest, the mountains, or a beach. Or in wine country! It's amazing.

You should also visit Santa Fe. It's got natural beauty, history, cultural diversity, and great architecture. It's a performing and visual arts mecca, and a foodie heaven.

Chicago is worth visiting, but don't go in the hottest part of summer or in the winter.

Los Angeles is truly an amazing city, but I think it's hard for a visitor to appreciate all it has to offer and to get around there without an insider guide. If you ever have someone from there invite you, you should go.

I've never visited Portland, so I can't say whether it's worthwhile to visit. I do hope to visit Charleston, SC.

IMO, the other cities could be missed. Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Raleigh, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Detroit, etc...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went out west a couple times and was not impressed. I occasionally go to Vegas for all the usual reasons but otherwise, if I’m going to spend 5+ hrs on a plane I’m going to Europe with that time and money. The mid Atlantic to northeast is the best part of America and it’s not close, no need to waste time and money seeing all the inferior parts. Sorry not sorry

Haha. DC doesn’t even make my top 10 list of American cities. Going “out West a couple of times” does not make you the expert. I’d be embarrassed to blazon my insularity so freely, if I were you.

I agree and I’m from here, so I’m allowed to say it. While DC does have some things going for it, it’s not a top U.S. city. It lacks an identity and just feels very blah and vanilla to me. Heck, Baltimore, even with all its problems, has more character than DC.

To the poster that doesn’t like the western United States, you’re missing out. Some of the landscapes out there are on another level.

I'm a neutral here, having grown up in Australia. Relatives go to visit New York, then come visit and find the DC area stunning with all the monuments and museums. Spots in DC are iconic from movies - places such as Arlington Cemetery, views from Iwo Jima, the Washington Monument and the Mall, the White House and the Capitol. Of course it's a top city.

Well, frankly, Australia is quite a boring country, so your relatives would find almost anywhere else more interesting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago, LA, or Seattle. Skip San Fran (sadly).

I grew up in San Francisco. Do not go there.

Democrats destroyed my city. It is a dangerous sh!t hole and I literally mean: the homeless sh!t on the streets so much, the city stinks all over.

I feel sorry for the homeless; everyone should. But the San Francisco homeless are mean, aggressive, and dangerous. We don’t use the word homeless out there; the unhoused people are transients. Seriously don’t go to San Francisco.

Turn off the FOX News, grandpa.

Not a grandpa.

And what the hell would you know about SF? I grew up there, moron.

Interviews with actual SF residents saying it's not nearly as bad as the media (Fox) is portraying it: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/san-francisco-reputation.html

That’s nice. Selective interviews.

Decide for yourself:

Yes, the article states that certain parts of the city are a mess but that's not the whole picture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went out west a couple times and was not impressed. I occasionally go to Vegas for all the usual reasons but otherwise, if I’m going to spend 5+ hrs on a plane I’m going to Europe with that time and money. The mid Atlantic to northeast is the best part of America and it’s not close, no need to waste time and money seeing all the inferior parts. Sorry not sorry

Haha. DC doesn’t even make my top 10 list of American cities. Going “out West a couple of times” does not make you the expert. I’d be embarrassed to blazon my insularity so freely, if I were you.

I agree and I’m from here, so I’m allowed to say it. While DC does have some things going for it, it’s not a top U.S. city. It lacks an identity and just feels very blah and vanilla to me. Heck, Baltimore, even with all its problems, has more character than DC.

To the poster that doesn’t like the western United States, you’re missing out. Some of the landscapes out there are on another level.

So, I guess you missed out on our Chocolate City days.

Anonymous wrote:I'm sitting here in the midwest, never having been to the East coast.

Go for the history, beaches and museums, try to minimize your interactions with the people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went out west a couple times and was not impressed. I occasionally go to Vegas for all the usual reasons but otherwise, if I’m going to spend 5+ hrs on a plane I’m going to Europe with that time and money. The mid Atlantic to northeast is the best part of America and it’s not close, no need to waste time and money seeing all the inferior parts. Sorry not sorry

Haha. DC doesn’t even make my top 10 list of American cities. Going “out West a couple of times” does not make you the expert. I’d be embarrassed to blazon my insularity so freely, if I were you.

I agree and I’m from here, so I’m allowed to say it. While DC does have some things going for it, it’s not a top U.S. city. It lacks an identity and just feels very blah and vanilla to me. Heck, Baltimore, even with all its problems, has more character than DC.

To the poster that doesn’t like the western United States, you’re missing out. Some of the landscapes out there are on another level.

I'm a neutral here, having grown up in Australia. Relatives go to visit New York, then come visit and find the DC area stunning with all the monuments and museums. Spots in DC are iconic from movies - places such as Arlington Cemetery, views from Iwo Jima, the Washington Monument and the Mall, the White House and the Capitol. Of course it's a top city.

Anonymous wrote:I went out west a couple times and was not impressed. I occasionally go to Vegas for all the usual reasons but otherwise, if I’m going to spend 5+ hrs on a plane I’m going to Europe with that time and money. The mid Atlantic to northeast is the best part of America and it’s not close, no need to waste time and money seeing all the inferior parts. Sorry not sorry

Isn't the west very popular with German and French tourists? Do we see the irony there?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago, LA, or Seattle. Skip San Fran (sadly).

I grew up in San Francisco. Do not go there.

Democrats destroyed my city. It is a dangerous sh!t hole and I literally mean: the homeless sh!t on the streets so much, the city stinks all over.

I feel sorry for the homeless; everyone should. But the San Francisco homeless are mean, aggressive, and dangerous. We don’t use the word homeless out there; the unhoused people are transients. Seriously don’t go to San Francisco.

Turn off the FOX News, grandpa.

Not a grandpa.

And what the hell would you know about SF? I grew up there, moron.

Interviews with actual SF residents saying it's not nearly as bad as the media (Fox) is portraying it: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/san-francisco-reputation.html

That’s nice. Selective interviews.

Decide for yourself:

places that I've found interesting to visit as someone who's only ever lived on the east coast:
Pacific Northwest: Seattle and Portland-- I liked the kind of gloomy rainy weather and more laid back vibe than DC
Chicago--amazing big city, nice weather in the early fall
Phoenix (and go to the Grand Canyon)--the landscapes are completely different-- it felt like Mars compared to here. Mexican food is bomb out there
Somewhere in the Rockies-- Colorado or Utah-- another one for amazing landscapes.
Nashville-- I thought this was a fun place to visit for a weekend, especially if you like live music- I would consider it more midwest than east coast.
Houston-- huge sprawling city, but really interesting food scene.

On the bright side, SF announced it is in the initial stages of planning to begin removing some of the encampments of unhoused individuals living on sidewalks and in city parks.

Legal challenges, however, could delay the plan indefinitely.

Narrow down on what you want to see and do. If it is Nature, or the way people live (that's usually not people's reason but it could be your's). Some people just hate to sightsee looking at mountains and trees and nature-they just can't stand it. If that is so, it helps eliminate alot of places. Like my father, goes and visit People and interact with human beings. He will glance at a mountain and go, nice...anyways, you were saying about your kids. If I go with my dh, there is no way he will sit at a place and talk for more than 3 hours. He can't just look at the mountain, he has climbing it or just walking on it. Something physical.

I find Tripadvisor and Yelp helpful. Youtube videos are very helpful too.

Every state has a different feel to it especially if you go visit the touristy places.
Texas, Colorado, California, Arizona, Washington, Wyoming, Michigan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went out west a couple times and was not impressed. I occasionally go to Vegas for all the usual reasons but otherwise, if I’m going to spend 5+ hrs on a plane I’m going to Europe with that time and money. The mid Atlantic to northeast is the best part of America and it’s not close, no need to waste time and money seeing all the inferior parts. Sorry not sorry

Haha. DC doesn’t even make my top 10 list of American cities. Going “out West a couple of times” does not make you the expert. I’d be embarrassed to blazon my insularity so freely, if I were you.

I agree and I’m from here, so I’m allowed to say it. While DC does have some things going for it, it’s not a top U.S. city. It lacks an identity and just feels very blah and vanilla to me. Heck, Baltimore, even with all its problems, has more character than DC.

To the poster that doesn’t like the western United States, you’re missing out. Some of the landscapes out there are on another level.