Destinations in the USA — where to go
Three cities, three completely different versions of America.
The US rewards picking one region well rather than trying to cover the whole country. New York City (4-5 days) is the classic first stop — walkable, transit-based, and packed with icons. Los Angeles (4-5 days) needs a rental car but unlocks beaches, Hollywood and easy desert road trips. Miami (3-4 days) is the warm-weather, Latin-influenced alternative with the best winter weather of the three.
Here's the thing nobody tells you before a first US trip: this isn't really one country to "see", it's a continent with fifty different climates, accents and price levels, and trying to do a bit of everything in ten days just means a lot of airports. The better move is picking a coast, or one great city, and actually spending time there. Here's an honest look at the three we cover, and who each one actually suits.
The Slow Loris Take: A quieter but genuinely useful shift for 2026: on 18-19 February, the National Park Service dropped the seasonal timed-entry reservation requirement at both Yosemite and Arches, so for the first time in years you can just drive up this summer instead of hunting for a permit release months ahead. Glacier didn't go quite that far — from 1 July 2026 it's piloting a ticketed shuttle and a three-hour parking cap at Logan Pass instead of scrapping vehicle reservations outright. The catch is the one the park service's own critics flagged immediately: no reservation cap can also mean the entrance-line backups and full lots those systems existed to prevent, so if either park is on your route, still arrive stupidly early rather than assuming open access means an empty park.
New York City
4-5 days minimum — the city that never sleeps also never stops costing money.
Los Angeles
4-5 days, and yes, you need a rental car.
Miami
3-4 days of beach, Art Deco and genuinely great Cuban food.
San Francisco
3 days of hills, cable cars, and fog that shows up right on schedule.
Las Vegas
2-3 days of shows, buffets, and the fine print on resort fees.
Chicago
3-4 days of skyscrapers, deep-dish pizza, and a genuinely great river cruise.
New Orleans
3 days of jazz, beignets, and a French Quarter unlike anywhere else in the US.
Oahu, Hawaii
5-6 days of Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, and the best beginner surf beach in the US.
Washington DC
3-4 days, and genuinely one of the best-value big cities in the US thanks to free museums.
Orlando
5-7 days if you're doing both Disney and Universal properly.
Seattle
3 days of coffee, markets, and a mountain you can see from downtown on a clear day.