first time in the USA where should I go ?

[MossRoad]

Please note, the picture was taken by Tom Till, not myself..

When I get older and retired, I'd like to take a class with him, but chances are he'll be dead by that time.

Yeah, I gathered that, just wanted to comment on the photo. Wow!

Wow!

 

[Sigarms]

it seems to me that the US do not have bad places and wherever you go, everywhere is beautiful

I think no matter where you travel in the world, you can find beauty. In some areas it's just easier than others.

That said, I believe the world in general has the same issues with population growth, in particular when you have a high population density in one area (AKA a large city).

Depending on you definition of beautiful, I think you're giving the US too much credit on stating wherever you go, it's beautiful

 

[Sigarms]

Yeah, I gathered that, just wanted to comment on the photo. Wow!

Wow!

The guy IMO does some fabulous work.

I don't really consider myself a "artsie fartsie" kind of guy, but I can appreciate a great landscape photo when I see one. When you see the area in person for yourself, and since this trip there was the first time my father met my girlfriend (at the time), we just had to get some "professional photos" of the area we saw together.

I was also old enough at the time that when my father told me in private on the trip that he liked the girl better than me, I kind of knew she was the one I'd be marrying That said, my dad knew I didn't generally drag girls on hiking or kayaking trips LOL

 

[buckeyefarmer]

There is a Battleship museum across the river in Camden.

Another garden spot.

 

[kenmbz]

I think we could come up with an amazing list of where not to go!

Thinking of that @Rockbadchild any special interests in what you want to see?
Old mining towns, desert landscapes, woods hiking with views , Amish farmland, museums of any particular type?

 

[Hay Dude]

Another garden spot.

Once home to RCA electronics, The New York Ship Building company and Campbell Soup. All pretty much gone now-just a burned out shell of what it used to be. Population there declines every year.
You can go to the attractions (Battleship and the Aquarium) during the day, but don’t go there at night. Just don’t. Come back over to Philly and stay along the waterfront there. Although not entirely safe, much safer.

 

[kenmbz]

Campbells is actually adding a lot to their Camden site.
Subaru and American water built new HQs there too.
But don't be outside the gates after dark.

 

[Hay Dude]

Campbells is actually adding a lot to their Camden site.
Subaru and American water built new HQs there too.
But don't be outside the gates after dark.

Did you know the once great city of Camden used to be home to the New York Ship Building Company that employed 30,000 people? The first nuclear powered commercial passenger ship was built there. RCA employed 12,000 people.
All gone.

All of these failed-leadership cities follow the same pattern.

1. Local G_______t provides incentives for companies to locate there.
2. Companies are demonized for unfair employee treatment by local media and some workers.
3. Local media and citizens elect more “worker friendly” governments. Workers strike and unionize.
4. Companies close up and leave for more labor friendly areas (right to work states, for example)
5. Urban decay from loss of tax base (Camden, NJ perfect example)

6. Repeat steps 1-5.

 

[check]

I lived in upstate NY as a kid and moved back in my career. Never went to Niagara falls when I lived there or as a kid. Took my boy up last year because we had to split vacations between the wife and I because my dad was living with us. Since we were in the Finger Lake region, my boy wanted to go to Niagara.

DO NOT GO ON A HOLIDAY!!

We went early August, week day. I paid for a tour. I'm glad I did.

When I saw the crowds on a weekday, the tour guy said this was nothing.

Will say the next time we ever go up there, I'll get a passport and do the Canadian side. Way much cooler on the Canadian side IMO. Ironically, when I lived in NY, I was only a short drive from the Canadian border and never needed a passport back then.

Check it out, because I don’t believe you need a passport to cross between Canada and the US as long as you have proper ID.

 

[Sigarms]

Did you know the once great city of Camden used to be home to the New York Ship Building Company that employed 30,000 people? The first nuclear powered commercial passenger ship was built there. RCA employed 12,000 people.
All gone.

All of these failed-leadership cities follow the same pattern.

1. Local G_______t provides incentives for companies to locate there.
2. Companies are demonized for unfair employee treatment by local media and some workers.
3. Local media and citizens elect more “worker friendly” governments. Workers strike and unionize.
4. Companies close up and leave for more labor friendly areas (right to work states, for example)
5. Urban decay from loss of tax base (Camden, NJ perfect example)

6. Repeat steps 1-5.

I always have to laugh when I think of Camden.

No matter where I've traveled in my life, I never felt as scared as taking the wrong bridge in Philly and ended up in Camden after midnight.

Reality is just as you can be on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere and see dilapidated homes / mobile homes with rusted cars and a non working 10' TV dish, you can always-* see the squalor of any large city. General rule of thumb is people will always be people.

Just always remember "There but for the Grace of God go I" as pretty much most people on this forum can have the luxury of traveling where and when they want. Sometimes we forget how blessed we are.