Your Must See US Cities/Metro Areas

[summersm343]

If you had someone from another country (or even within the US), asking you for a recommendation of your top 20-25 must see US cities/metro areas, how would your list look? Here's mine:

Top Cities/Surrounding Areas to Visit in the US

1. New York City
2. Los Angeles
3. Washington DC
4. Chicago
5. San Francisco
6. Miami
7. Philadelphia
8. Boston
9. Orlando
10. Las Vegas
11. Seattle
12. Atlanta
13. Houston
14. Dallas
15. New Orleans
16. Austin
17. San Diego
18. Portland
19. Minneapolis
20. Phoenix
21. Denver
22. San Antonio
23. Baltimore
24. Honolulu
25. Nashville

[MolsonExport]

New York City
Chicago
San Francisco
Boston
Washington
New Orleans

Nothing else for me is a "must see", but the ones above are certainly worth it.

[bossabreezes]

New York
San Francisco
Washington DC
New Orleans

Runner ups:
Chicago
Los Angeles
Miami

[roddyricchthagod]

Daly City, CA

[MonkeyRonin]

The "must see" cities that I'd happily revisit anytime:

1. New York
2. Boston
3. San Francisco
4. Chicago
5. DC


And my top cities to visit:

1. New Orleans (was supposed to go in March...)
2. Philly
3. Pittsburgh (was also supposed to visit in April)
4. Los Angeles
5. Seattle
6. Detroit

(big gap)

7. Miami
8. Savannah
9. Charleston
10. Cincinnati
11. Portland
12. Honolulu
13. Atlanta
14. St. Louis
15. Houston
16. Louisville
17. Denver
18. Baltimore
19. Providence
20. Portland, ME

Something like that, anyway.

[BEER]

If I had somebody visiting from overseas, the must see cities would be limited to a few and outnumbered by the amount of must see places in the country. It also depends on what their personal interests are.

If they're coming here for American Revolutionary / Civil War History then they should stick to cities like Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Richmond/Mt. Vernon, Charleston would be tops.

If they just want to experience the greatest cities with urbanity, restaurants, shopping then that would be New York City, San Francisco, Chicago.

If they want to experience something truly unique, exciting with pleasant climates, then that would be Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas.

If they don't really care about cities, then these places would be tops:
Yosemite, Tahoe, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier NP, Zion, Mt. Hood, Mt. Washington, Everglades, Smoky Mountains, Ozarks, Lake Champlain, Sequoia, Rocky Mountain NP, Mt. Rushmore, Amish country, Navajo Nation, Kauai, Alaska +++

[iheartthed]

I don't think I can name 20 "must see" cities.

New York is a must see.

Washington - The second most unique city due to being the seat of the federal government, as well as a museum mecca.

L.A. - I've taken friends from abroad to L.A. and they seem less impressed of the place than Americans are of it. I personally love L.A., but I would leave it off the list unless that person was coming from northern Europe.

Las Vegas - I recommend that every non-American spend 2-3 days in Vegas. It is one of the most American tourist experiences to be had. An artificial city built in the middle of the desert for the sole purpose of being a tourist destination. And its primary attractions are mostly replicas of other global centers of culture.

Orlando/Disney+Universal - An artificial city built in the middle of a swamp for the sole purpose of being a tourist destination. The amount of thought put into the details of Disney World is amazing. It is a must see for a foreigner.

Miami - An artificial city built along a beach in the near tropics, originally for the sole purpose of being a tourist destination. Foreigners love Miami, but I'm indifferent to it. So I would put it on the list for that reason. Immigration from the Caribbean has managed to do for Miami what hasn't yet happened for Vegas or Orlando, in giving the place a local culture.

Atlanta - Other than D.C., probably the best city to go to for a quick primer on America's racial dynamics, and to particularly learn about the Civil Rights Movement and how that led to the current era in America.

New Orleans - This is embarrassing, but for someone like me who has been a lot of places, I've never been to N.O. But it seems like a unique place to see for someone not from the U.S.

Detroit - A lot of non-Americans seem fascinated by Detroit because of the urban decay and it being a culture mecca.

Chicago - The place to go if they've already done New York.

Boston or Philadelphia - Great cities with a lot of colonial era history. Boston has the local culture that is most differentiated from the American mainstream.
Philadelphia has the edge for being a bigger city with a more diverse local culture.

San Francisco - Probably America's most aesthetically pleasing city. I think the local culture is pretty bland nowadays, but the picturesque landmarks and easy proximity to some of the U.S.'s best nature tourist destinations more than make up for it.

Mackinac Island - I haven't been here since I was a teenager, but northern Michigan has some of the most beautiful natural scenery east of the Mississippi.

Charleston, SC - Also a great place to learn about early American history. This city was the southern analogy of Boston when the country declared independence from Britain (Charleston, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston were all the same league of city then), and the historic sections still have that colonial era character. But I think a lot of exists today was restored after the Civil War.

[JManc]

Besides New York...

Boston (make it a point to see Providence and Portland as well)
DC
Philly
Chicago
Miami/ South Beach
San Francisco
New Orleans
LA
San Diego
Nashville (I really like this city)
Seattle
Pittsburgh
Vegas (...if you insist)
San Antonio/ Austin (they're close enough to visit together)
key West
Honolulu
Denver/ Rockies
Charleston/ Savannah/ St. Augustine (these are all doable together in a road trip)

Cities like Houston/ Dallas/ Atlanta are fine if you have to go there for other things; work, conference, etc.

[ThePhun1]

Originally Posted by summersm343

If you had someone from another country (or even within the US), asking you for a recommendation of your top 20-25 must see US cities/metro areas, how would your list look? Here's mine:

Top Cities/Surrounding Areas to Visit in the US

1. New York City
2. Los Angeles
3. Washington DC
4. Chicago
5. San Francisco
6. Miami
7. Philadelphia
8. Boston
9. Orlando
10. Las Vegas
11. Seattle
12. Atlanta
13. Houston
14. Dallas
15. New Orleans
16. Austin
17. San Diego
18. Portland
19. Minneapolis
20. Phoenix
21. Denver
22. San Antonio
23. Baltimore
24. Honolulu
25. Nashville

Houston and Dallas are really high and not must see.

[ThePhun1]

Unique places you can't find anywhere else:

New York
LA
Washington
San Francisco
Las Vegas
New Orleans (tourist area only)
Memphis (same)
Seattle
Colorado Springs and other areas of CO
St. Louis
Atlanta
Miami Beach
Orlando and the resorts
Philadelphia
Boston
Views in Pittsburgh
Cincinnati

[homebucket]

I don't think I can make it to 20 actually. Once you reach the 10+ range, at that point, I'd recommend spending their money on international travel or checking out national parks over visiting some less interesting US cities.

[Labtec]

NYC
LA
Chicago
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Miami
New Orleans
Washington DC
Atlanta
Buffalo (Niagara Falls)

If you're into theme parks/attractions then put Orlando high on the list.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by homebucket

I don't think I can make it to 20 actually. Once you reach the 10+ range, at that point, I'd recommend spending their money on international travel or checking out national parks over visiting some less interesting US cities.

I mean, past 5 you're really just belaboring the point.

New York (obviously)
DC (capital, US history)
Miami
Denver
Los Angeles

This gives a pretty good picture of the diversity of US urbanity and topography in several different regions. Beyond that you're getting a little repetitive. Do you really need to see New York AND Boston/Philly/Chicago if you are coming from outside the country and want to use your time/resources to hit the high points? Do you really need to see Nashville/Atlanta/Dallas?

[Steely Dan]

By region.


Northeast:

Must-see - NYC
Runner-up - DC


Midwest:

Must-see - Chicago
Runner-up - Cicinnati


South:

Must-see - New Orleans
Runner-up - Miami


West:

Must-see - SF
Runner-up - LA

[Atlas]

If we are just talking about cities themselves, (based on where I have actually been) I would say:
San Francisco
NYC
Washington DC
Chicago
Seattle
LA
Nashville
San Diego
Las Vegas

Cities I haven't been to but would love to visit:
Boston
Philadelphia
Miami
Portland, OR
Charleston
St. Louis
New Orleans
Asheville

If this hypothetical person was interested in national parks and nature, you can't do much better than Salt Lake City. Beautiful mountains that go right up to the city, salt flats 1.25 hours away, and 3-5 hours from Arches, Zion, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone.

[Zeej]

My top 10 based on personal experience visiting:
1) New York
2) Chicago
3) San Francisco
T4) Boston
T4) Washington
6) Los Angeles
7) New Orleans
8) Las Vegas
9) Seattle
10) Philadelphia
Honourable mentions: Austin, Baltimore

Top 10 cities on my list to explore in the future:
1) Portland
2) Denver
3) Detroit
4) San Diego
5) Dallas
6) Cincinnati
7) Miami
8) Salt Lake City (& surroundings)
9) St. Louis
10) Nashville

[MABottz]

Interesting stops that I'd recommend to a visitor:

Honolulu, Hawaii
Juneau, Alaska
San Francisco & San Diego, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
Santa Fe-Taos, New Mexico
Wichita, Kansas
Green Bay, Wisconsin
San Antonio, Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
St. Louis, Missouri
Nashville, Tennessee
Charleston, South Carolina
Miami, Florida
Williamsburg-Yorktown-Norfolk, Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
New York, New York
Boston, Massachusetts
Portland, Maine

[SIGSEGV]

1) NYC
2) DC
3) SF
4) Chicago
5) LA
6) New Orleans
7) Boston
8) Miami Beach
9) Seattle
10) Philadelphia

[pj3000]

Duplicate post

[pj3000]

I would recommend visitors from other countries visit cities that offer a unique urban experience, and afford the opportunity to see a decent assortment of the very different geographic regions of the vast country. In no particular order:

- Pittsburgh
- New York
- Phoenix
- Marquette
- Washington DC
- Santa Fe
- Honolulu
- Bozeman
- Anchorage
- New Orleans
- Portland (ME)
- Wichita
- San Francisco
- Asheville
- Miami
- Seattle
- Charleston (SC)