USA
USA
From Canada/ Vancouver I travelled down the west coast of the USA with a friend. We admired the beautiful coast and also the national parks inland. We were on the road with an amazing station wagon, which had a lot of storage space and provided a bed. We also had camping equipment with us and were able to stop and spend the night in very flexible locations.
YOSEMITE
Yosemite National Park is located in Sierra Nevada, close to San Francisco. There are giant sequoias that are incredibly high. Standing next to one showed me how small we humans are compared to nature and how indescribably beautiful nature can be. There are several mountains and waterfalls in Yosemite. Famous for the film “Free Solo”, Alex Honnold climbed the rocky outcrop El Capitan without a backup: WOW!
Antelope Canyon
The Antelope Canyon near Arizona is also a fascinating destination. The rock can be visited underground and simply looks picturesque with the incoming sunlight. (It always reminds me of the Windows desktop background.) Horsehoe Bend is not far from Antelope Canyon. This is a horseshoe-shaped formation surrounded by the waters of the Colorado River. As a tip: Try to get there early in the morning, it is windless and there are fewer tourists.
In addition, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Route 66 were of course also some other highlights.
California
I fell in love with California directly, the federal state simply looks different from the rest of the USA. However, the weather in San Francisco welcomed us with some challenges as we initially only saw fog and none of the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately, we had a few days time to see the beautiful city. The Mexican Quarter and the Castro are definitely recommended!
Los Angeles
After everyone warned me that Los Angeles would not be beautiful at all, I was pleasantly surprised. The districts of Venice Beach and Malibu were great to look at and -as I love it- they were right on the beach. Of course, Hollywood should not be missing on the trip and I walked on the famous Walk of Fame over the stars. “A bit like on TV”, it just created a special feeling. The Universal Studios were very expensive, but definitely worth a visit, especially for fans of the Desperate Housewifes show (you can see the houses / street exactly as in the movie) or the Simpsons (you can have a beer at Moes).
San Diego
My favorite city in California is San Diego, right on the border to Mexico. The city is incredibly beautiful and invites to many leisure activities. At the beginning I had planned to stay there for a few days, but instead I stayed for a month because I felt so comfortable. Kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, surfing etc., it is a really great city for people who like to be active. Since San Diego is so close to Mexico, the city is also a little bit Mexican influenced, every Tuesday there are cheap tacos (“Taco Tuesday”).
Las Vegas
I also extended my stay in Las Vegas, who would have thought that before. The city is just unique and it was impressive to experience the glittering world of pool parties, night clubs and casinos. I even had the chance to watch a world-famous poker player tournament. To be honest, it looked less spectacular than it sounds. And it is best not to think about the sums of money that are spend there.
Funnily enough, in Las Vegas I met a girl at the roulette table who came from my hometown in Germany, how small the world is sometimes. We rocked Las Vegas together.
New York
New York, New York! The city that never sleeps. There is a lot to see, so a few days should be spent there. Arrived in the city center with many skyscrapers and the yellow taxis, it reminds of many film sets. The green and spacious Central Park, Times Square full of advertisements and people, the statue of liberty and the Empire Statebuildung definitely belong to the highlights. In addition, flash mob pillow fights in a park, quaint jazz bars (in the Harlem district) and wild parties are not unusual. In addition to Manhattan, I would also recommend the Brooklyn area, which is a little less touristy and authentic.
Miami
Like Las Vegas, Miami is a glittering city full of the celebrities of the world. On a boat trip it is possible to admire the luxury villas of Jennifer Lopez or Will Smith from the water. However, since I am also a great lover of nature, I spent less time in the city and went on to the Keys in Florida and Everglade National Park. Unfortunately my friend in the Everglades wanted to go on a guided tour around the area, so I decided to go exploring alone and we meet again later. However, the excursion was a bit more adventurous than planned and she even reported me missing to the local security when I got back a little late. Long story in a nutshell: It started raining heavily and I hiked a little too far into the park, but despite a little fear of the crocodiles I made it back, yeah!
