Five Great USA City Sights

There are so many incredible sights in the USA that enrich, entertain, and educate tourists, whether they visit from across the oceans or across a state line. This column will highlight five sights in five of USA's most incredible cities across the USA. Not a full day of tourism, just a quick peek at a wonderful sight in each city...sort of a virtual "if you had one afternoon" in each of these areas. Since each of these five cities has sooooo much to offer, a 'runner up' sight will be briefly mentioned as well.

Enjoy! AND, in your comments below...leave a note about your own favorite city sights.

Boston's Freedom Trail -- Colonial Era and Revolutionary War sights

Washington D.C.-- a walk down Constitution Ave.

Chicago -- History of the city and Architecture Tour via River Cruise

San Francisco -- Cable Car Ride Powell Line

Los Angeles -- The Getty Museum

AND, to further aid the 'greening' of our planet...each of these five highlights is primarily pedestrian...leave the car parked for these visits!

USA's earliest history lives on here

A mere 2.5 miles covers 250 years of American History, with 19 noted spots along the red-brick trail. Take your own self-guided stroll, thanks to lots of brochures and information at the starting point Visitor's Center at Boston Common, or be educated and inspired by a guide who's not only dressed as a 17th Century Bostonian, but steeped in the life history of a specific person.

There's just something very patriotic about seeing the sights, reading the plaques, taking photographs of the statues, hearing the guides explain the importance, the impact of each and every stop along the trail.

Revolution...the colonist's fight against the most disciplined, experienced army in the world. Mustering together for the rights and the freedoms most of us never even consider as we go through our daily lives. The struggles and dreams and determinations of those from Massachusetts like Adams, Hancock, Revere...those who inspired and motivated their fellow colonists to pursue a goal unheard of on this planet -- Self-government, determined by vote. No monarch's rule to thwart one's future.

Plus....it's all so cute! The red brick buildings, the bronze statues of Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere...it's all so accessible. Compared to the mass of white clad buildings and plethora of marble columns, monumental statues of Jefferson and Lincoln, and ever present security check-points that make up main historic area of the nation's capitol...Boston is quite the charming place. Restaurants and bakeries and pubs adjoin the historic sights along the trail. Take a rest for a coffee or plate of fresh oysters at Boston's oldest pub, munch on a fresh canoli Italian pastry as you stroll the red-brick marked path.

Runner-Up site in Boston: With a chance to do as much or as little of the Heritage Trail as you wish...my 'runner up' spot is just to do a shorter bit of the trail!

One Street With Patriotic Pride with every step!

While Boston a charming accessible red brick view of history, Washington DC is a mastery of commanding display...this is the seat of a grand government, created by grand persons whose monuments impress if only by size alone. And though Pennsylvania Avenue may be the most famous street name from Washington DC, if a tourist has only ONE day, it's Constitution Avenue I'm recommending here.

Constitution Avenue runs East and West along the northern edge of the famous Washington Mall. On the East, the Capitol...on the west the Lincoln Memorial...and inbetween so many patriotic sights, enough to fill one's heart and mind for a lifetime. Facing west, the Mall on your left and the grounds of the White House on your right...the Washington Monument and the home of our presidents are simultaneously visible. Very inspirational. A few blocks walk east you'll find three great facilities...touring them in one afternoon will be fleeting, but I guarantee will never be forgotten.

Four spectacular places to visit on Constitution Avenue -- and all right next to each other --, with each deserving a column all to itself! But, if following my advice, in order of priority 1)The National Archives, 2) National Gallery of Art, 3) National Museum of Natural History and 4) National Air and Space Museum.

Runner-Up spot in Washington DC: Visit the original Smithsonian Institution "castle".

learning the city's history on a floating narrated tour

As a child from Oklahoma, my family didn't travel too much, and I pretty much believed that most of the country looked pretty much like my part of the country....WRONG! But, I was just a kid, so my ignorance and lack of ability to conceive of the majesty and drama of a large city can be forgiven, right?

Chicago was the first REAL city I ever visited...and I was astounded! Nothing AT ALL like this in Oklahoma!!! But the problem with walking around a city is that the view from sidewalks is pretty limited. It's difficult to get a true vision of 'the big picture' from a pedestrian's point of view.

Since that first pedestrian visit, I've had the opportunity to take helicopter tours...and while breathtaking...their almost too distant a view...and they're very expensive.

But a Chicago river cruise is my idea of the perfect way to get a fantastic view of Chicago. Now, of course I knew Chicago sat on a Great Lake, but in my Oklahoma/land-locked ignorance, I hadn't realized that a river wound through the town...clueless, I know.

But, enough about my childhood...getting back to the river cruise. Chicago is home to buildings that were created by some of the 20th Centuries most admired architects, and the variety of styles...spanning a century and more of building creates a constantly changing view...a view that the river cruise provides like no other experience! Plus, the expert narration of the guide truly makes for a very entertaining -- and educational -- experience.

And, since these river cruises don't take long, about an hour, there'll be plenty of time to walk out along the Navy Pier to get another great viewpoint of this incredible city.

Call me old-fashioned, but the masterpieces of the 1920s...Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower are at the top of my 'favorites' list...but the stunners from later in the century are what truly give the Chicago skyline it's majesty.

And after your river tour, I'm recommending a splurge at the Sixteen Restaurant -- although I haven't been there -- at the new Trump Tower. From the photographs, the views would make the experience incredible! Anyone been there? Leave a comment!

Runner-Up spot in Chicago? The Field Museum of Natural History.

Up and Down the hills, views of ocean, bay, architecture and waterfronts...the Powell Line shows off the city's charm

As with all the cities noted here, the best scenario would be to have more than one day in San Francisco...but this column all about what to see if a visitor has only ONE afternoon to take in the best of what a city has to offer. My recommendation is to catch the Powell line Cable Car at Market Street. From here one passes shops along Powell, from touristy places to the luxurious Saks, passing the block square park that is Union Square, and past two famous San Francisco hotels, the St. Francis and the Sir Francis Drake. Your cable car ride, which no matter where it should go is an experience in itself...with the 'dance' between the driver, his levers, and the cable passing underneath the car...takes you up and down the steep hills of San Francisco...with views of the Golden Gate bridge on clear days...across the peninsula on which the city sits, eastward to the bay...the constant charm of the Queen Anne architecture of apartments and homes, some ultra-swanky and all uniquely, architecturally San Fransiscan. The city streets and shops always sumptuously displayed before you. Trust me, there's nothing like this in Kansas City, Chicago, Dallas or any other major city in the United States. It's definitely a unique way to see a gorgeous USA city. The Powell line ends at the bay waterfront, and on a clear day Alcatraz Island is clearly visible with Sausalito in the distance across the bay. Views of the crisp white sails of leisure craft plus the massive hulks of commercial freight ships relay the busy life of this famous bay.

Once you've reached the end of the Powell Line. I would head west about two blocks to McCormick and Kuletos restaurant in Ghiardelli Square. With it's wall of glass and Art Deco detailing, plus it's menue of fresh fish, but including basics like hamburgers, it's a great spot to settle in for a bit. Enjoy this wonderful spot's lovely views of the bay, plus it's good people-watching collection of locals who relish the views and tourists who've stumbled upon this delicious haven. Perfect spot for a 9pm dinner reservation on July 4th! (As the city's fireworks are lit from barges right in sight of the restaurants vast glass facade)

Runner-Up spot in San Fransico: Visit the new De Young Museum!

I might get some disagreement on this choice, but if I could only see one place, had only one afternoon in Los Angeles...I would spend it at the Getty Museum.* According to Wikipedia, it is one of the most visited museums in the USA, quite a feat for a spot that's only been open since 1997. Of course, with its Los Angeles location there are millions of people within an hour's drive to this stunning facility.

A visit to the Getty isn't a typical museum experience...it's not like hibernating oneself into windowless galleries, feeling one's mind going numb from aisle after aisle of paintings and sculpture. At the Getty one constantly has the sense of the wonderful outdoors...the crisp beautiful modern architecture is as constantly visible as the art. There are several buildings here, each one dedicated to a different era and wandering between them requires returning to the gorgeous main plaza. Even within each building there are windows and exits onto balconies that provide wonderful views, east and south, of the city itself or west to the Pacific Ocean! And when viewing art inside seems a bit tedious, the gorgeous garden areas revive one's interest and reveal again what a masterpiece this entire Getty experience offers.

In a locale like Los Angeles, visitors will never get...and rarely desire...the historical, centuries old, vibe that places like Boston and Washington DC provide. Los Angeles is supposed to be sleek, modern, all about the weather, the ocean, and all that's new and edgy in the USA. Those qualities are available in their best at the Getty. But, wonderfully, there's the opportunity to delve back into the past as well with it's buildings dedicated to ancient and Renaissance art.

Of course the art collection here isn't nearly as vast as at the Metropolitan in NYC or the Louvre in Paris...but we don't need it to be! Tourists usually wind up complaining that each of those 'must see' destinations is just too much to comprehend...here the art experience is manageable, and the facility's architecture and layout enhance one's sense of being someplace very new, very modern...very LA.

There are wonderful patios with plenty of seating and Pacific views for grabbing a lunch or snack, and there's a wonderful glass-walled restaurant offering vast views and wonderful entrees for a little more upscale dining experience.

Runner-Up spot in LA: Go completely family-tourist...Universal Studio Tour!

*IF my day in Los Angeles required entertaining children, this would NOT be my choice.