In September I will be going to the States for 3 weeks. It's my first visit there, and I would like to know about any interesting places to go, where to eat etc. We will be going to NY for a week, then Las Vegas, and finally San Francisco. When I sya interesting places I mean the not so obvious tourist attractions, or the best way of seeing them. Any tips would be much appreciated.

I use to live in NY, and to be honest with you, all of it is interesting. I also use to live in San Fransico, but was to young to really remember it, but the streets are a riot. Have fun on your trip. Sharen

If you go to Las Vegas, check out the Pyramid shaped hotel/casino, and if you're a StarTrek fan, definitely go to the Las Vegas Hilton's Deep Space 9 adventure, they have the DS9 station promenade, Quark's bar, Klingon restaurant, shops and an interactive space ride, great stuff...

Not sure what part of NY you're going to. NYC, I've never been anywhere near there. I live in the fingerlakes region of NY and we have the most beautiful gorges in state parks around. They make nice daytrip hikes. Most have decent restrooms at them. Towns are nearby to eat at. Another attraction around here that I havent' been able to try yet but want to is visit a vineyard. Sometimes they have tours and wine tasting. Other than that, there are just a bunch of cows to see. Up north and west of here is Niagara Falls and the Casino's. Oh just 40 mins south of me is the Corning Glass Museum. Very nice if you're into glass. If you're going to NYC check out Ornlu's OT thread a few days ago. He had an extensive list of things he did while there. Oh and I hope you have fun visiting the states. Angela

Oh, Ang....I love the Finger Lakes! The state parks are amazing. While there we went to the "Bully Goat' Winery and had a lovely tour and tasting. Diane

Ditto on the Star Trek Attraction at Vegas. Don't be in a hurry to get through the displays at the first either. Once you're through the ride part, you can't get back into that without paying again...it's a one way ride. Also, the trams are really cheap in Vegas but you have to sit through mega stops. If you're staying on the strip or downtown, it's quicker and easier to take a taxi out to the Hilton. The laser light show at night on the strip is pretty cool if a bit loud, IMO. It doesn't last long and repeats every 15 minutes or so. The Rio is also a bit off the beaten track but they have a Carnival 2-3 nights a week. If you get there early enough for it, you have a chance of being chosen as one of the folks who gets to ride on the floats. Lordy, Vegas is like one big show. I was there on business (yes, really!) once and didn't expect to like it especially and I loved it! I hope you have fun while youre in the states! :o)

Cheers for the info, Zhann, we will be staying at the Luxor so thats a bonus. I'm not a big trekkie fan, but my girlfriend likes it so I'm sure we will check it out. I say my girlfriend, we will actually getting married in Vegas, doing the cheesy Elvis wedding no doubt. One thing we are going to do is a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon, can't wait for that.

There's a Pirate show at one of the hotels, can't remember which, in Las Vegas. They sink each other about every half hour, I've heard. The Star Trek thing is called 'Star Trek, the Experience' I believe (they have a web page..tons of collectables, folks dressed up as aliens [and that's just the tourists], a short ride, etc). If you're going to be there for more than a few days in Vegas..the Grand Canyon and Hoover dam are about a day-trip away. btw-I've never been to Lost Wages, they tell me it's nice.
San Fransico- Chinatown, 'natch, Cable cars, the street (what's it's name? twists all the way down the hill), the Golden Gate bridge as the fog lifts, the park down below it (future home of Starfleet..;) Think Berkeley's there, if you want to people-watch.
New York City- Ground Zero I suppose (haven't been there since before 9/11..so at least I got to see it). Statue of Liberty is nice, but take forever (line to get on the ferry, line to get off, line up the statue, line down the statue..you get the picture), Greenwich villiage and Wall Street aren't too far away, UN's a few blocks up, Empire State Building, Central Park, an Aviation and ship museum (aircraft carrier and sub, but can't remember the names), the Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art, 5th ave, St. Patrick's, the Dakota, Haarlem, and finally at the highest-numbered end, the Cloisters, a complete medieval monastary set up on the top of Manhatten (they have many tapestries..;)

RE: San Francisco: Pakled, Lombard Street. ... orbital, Coit Tower, The CliffHouse; walk around below the cliffhouse area, In the fisherman's Wharf area: "The Balkutha", an old sailing vessel, The wax museum, The Cannery if it's still open to the public. There used to be an old restaraunt that was called "the number 9 fisherman's grotto" but the name has changed. There used to be a really expensive eatery at the top of Russian Hill but I never could remember how to get there. Fort Mason, The Presideo And Alcatraz Island come to mind but I don't know how much public access is available now. Golden Gate Park: "The Japanese Tea Garden", "The Planetarium and Natural History Museum", "Stow Lake". Fleshacker(sp) Zoo (not too far from GGPark.) You could check out the old Haight and Ashbury area if you have a mind it's near the park but I don't know what's left of that. Have fun, - TJ

@pakled -- Treasure Island has the pirate ships. It's cool too. Just hope you don't have a room near it tho. It's like continous thunder on the night it runs! :o)

Go to the Buena Vista in SF, it's supposedly the home of "Irish Coffee" Whatever you do, don't call it "Frisco", they call it "The City". The rotating restaurant at the top of the Hyatt is cool, too.

The Grand Canyon will blow you away. Whever you go, try to ask the locals for what places they think are cool. So is this just a vacation/honeymoon, or is it also a texture gathering expedition? ;) Lin

Never been to nyc or vegas, but I live about 45 minutes from San Francisco. I believe Lombard Street (the really twisty one) is closed, at least to cars, but you may still be able to walk it, I'm not sure. There are boats that go under the golden gate bridge - really cool! All of the islands are nice to visit, and if you're into biking you might rent some and try the trail on Angel Island. I believe the presideo has been closed to the public recently, I don't know if it's back open or not, but it's worth a look if it is. ditto what bikermouse said about the Cliff House - it's a bit pricey, but it's really nice. Try to get a table by the window! Just walking around down town can be really fun, too, lots of interesting things to find. If you like, you might want to go down to Monterrey or Santa Cruz for the beaches, or Napa for wine tastings. There are also many beautiful state parks not to far away -- if you've never seen any, you should definitely see the giant redwoods, they're amazing.

Isstrout, maybe just a few textures but don't tell the wife (arrgh wife!). This is really useful info, I'll be sure to check many of these sugestions out.