Way out west
A DRUNKEN caped crusader, Hooters girls and Elvis marrying an Aussie… it can only be a Contiki tour of the US, writes Scott Walsh.
North America
Praising Arizona, the sunkissed region
TUCSON’S quirky collage of rugged desertscapes, arty neighbourhoods, a hip college scene and Wild West attitude entices Jennifer Pringle.
Coming to America
DON’T get caught up in a Green Card nightmare a visa just for Australians is your ticket to living the American dream.
Inside the Playboy Mansion
THERE is a time in everyone’s life when they cannot believe where they are or what they are doing. For Liz Walsh, that moment came at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion.
Live music guide to Los Angeles
LOS Angeles is full of people trying to make it big so check out the talent at these LA music venues, and perhaps spot someone before they’re famous.
Stair-crazy up the Empire State
STAIRWELL racing is one of the weirdest ways to see New York, but that doesn’t stop 180 athletes from running up the 1576 steps of the Empire State Building.
Vegas Strip shows
FORGET the gambling new-look Las Vegas is all about LOVE, nude bodies bathed in colour and meeting the stars on the Strip, says Barry O’Brien
Ultimate guide to America
FROM topless showgirls and bar-hopping in Vegas, to rubbing shoulders with the stars in La-La Land saddle up for the ultimate guide to the US and A.
Surfing monster waves in Hawaii
IN Hawaiian culture, where surfing is the measure of a man, Pipeline, on the North Shore of Oahu, is the measure of a surfer, writes Sean Doherty.
Dan Brown’s Washington adventure
ROBERT Langdon is back, and travellers can follow in his footsteps on a 12-hour adventure in the American capital.
How to have a ball in New York
FORGET shopping, Sex and the City and star-spotting here’s the real reason why you should go to New York.
Some like it hot in southern California
HAVING a ghost in your hotel and being rich in Hollywood history is good for business, writes Jessica Hurt from south of Los Angeles.
Live it up in New York
AFTER six years living in New York City, ex-pat Geoffrey Cavey has worked out just what price one a night of Sex and the City living costs.
Nicky’s new LA neighbours
SEXY TV star Nicky Whelan is chasing her dreams in Los Angeles and reveals to Nui Te Koha her favourite hangouts in the world’s entertainment capital.
Rats bite into Big Apple
NEW YORK has been named as the US city most vulnerable to a rat attack as warmer weather and aging infrastructure fuels rodent populations across America.
Last ride for Coney’s kitsch
AMERICA’S iconic Coney Island is getting a Vegas-style facelift. David May takes a last nostalgic look around New York’s favourite amusement park.
Hop on the Kermit bandwagon
MUPPET creator Jim Henson and his amphibious friend have inspired a ‘green’ tourist attraction in the flatlands of the Mississippi Delta, reports Kathy Hanrahan.
USA in seven days for $700
THINK it’s impossible to traverse America on a time and money budget? With the clock ticking, Dean Evans hits the highway in a rental car with 700 greenbacks.
Catch Jesus being crucified – six times a week
TOURISTS can catch Jesus being crucified and resurrected six times a week at a theme park in Orlando, Florida.
Alaska’s a wild act
WITH its iceberg-filled fjords, mighty glaciers and snowy peaks, Alaska’s Inside Passage gets Philip Young’s seal of approval during an adventure cruise.
Colour me Georgetown
AWAY from the monuments and museums, Andrew Taylor explores the leafy streets and colourful homes of Washington DC’s stylish Georgetown.
Runaway brides escape tradition
COUPLES stressed about organising a big wedding at home have discovered an escape clause getting married overseas. Tonya Turner reports on the growing trend.
Shop till you drop in LA
A BOTTLE of “Burn in Hell Osama” chilli sauce, a $US12,000 jewel encrusted Versace gown or puppy apparel for your pooch it’s all in a day’s shopping in LA.
Yosemite’s valley of the giants
MORE than four million people visit Yosemite National Park in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada mountain range each year and for good reason.
Launch into history
THE Space Shuttle program is being wound down, but a new NASA launch simulation ride is set to keep the historic missions alive for years to come.
Keys hold spirit of Hemingway
ON the road south of Miami, Veronica Matheson heads to the isolated coral islands of the Florida Keys, land of hurricanes and Hemingway.
New York storeys
EDIE Sedgwick set fire to it, Sid Vicious’s girlfriend Nancy was killed there, and Dylan, Kubrick and Joplin all made it their home. Welcome to the Chelsea.
Gate opens on Wisteria Lane
DESPERATE fans of the Desperate Housewives TV series train their attention on the picture-perfect Wisteria Lane during a backlot tour of Universal Studios.
Yellow wheels of desire
WHAT better way to see San Francisco than by a little yellow car? asks Brian Crisp, unsure if he looks like Big Bird on wheels or the yellow Wiggle.
Lights, camera, tour
AS movie tourism booms, major cities are offering tours to satisfy the plane-loads of fans on pilgrimages to the locations of the favourite film and TV series.
Sopranoland hit with tourists
AS the final season of mob drama The Sopranos hits small screens in the US, New Jersey sees a surge in tourists keen for a pilgrimage to “Sopranoland”.
Mt Rushmore’s stony silence
CLIMBING the majestic Mt Rushmore is prohibited so when Tony Perrottet receives an offer to “summit” the iconic presidential heads, he is there in a flash.
Walk on thin air as ‘skywalk’ opens
APOLLO 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin was among the first visitors to walk upon “the newest wonder of the world” a glass-bottomed walkway over the Grand Canyon.
California’s chill-out zone
PEOPLE often come to reclaim their souls, and as one of America’s favourite spa destinations, California’s Big Sur has many ways to revive even the most jaded.
Wild about Canada
WITH hubby and kids in tow, Natalee Ward discovers why time on the road through British Columbia in Canada’s west makes for an exhilarating family adventure.
Quest for perfect picnic
SHARRI Markson soars 62m above treetops to reach one of the world’s most idyllic picnic spots and is not disappointed by what she finds at the end of her journey.
Hare Krishna B&B rejuvenates
CHANTING fills the rooms of the Interfaith League Guesthouse in New York but the Hare Krishna-run B&B is a welcome sanctuary in the busy metropolis.
Enchanted by Donna
WHILE the salmon eluded Val Shoote during his fishing adventure in remote Alaska, a native seemed happy to show off her fishing prowess.
48 hours in Hollywood
CAMPBELL Brodie discovers why Hollywood is the playground of the rich and famous.
Casinos and cowboys
LAS Vegas may be known for casinos and tacky weddings but it is also a haven for adventure seekers, shopaholics and art lovers. The home of kitsch has grown up.
Queen of blue Hawaii
SHARRI Markson channels Kate Winslet and Gidget on the waves of Hawaii’s famous Waikiki beach where tandem surfing is a regular fixture.
Waves are a shore thing
THE true stars of Oahu’s famed North Shore aren’t the actors in TV series Lost or musician Jack Johnson. They’re the monster waves that roll in every winter.
Nudist resort rivals bare teeth
SIX resorts in Florida are taking off the gloves and everything else to attract more of the worldwide nudist market, which has tripled in size since 1992.
Miami Nice
MIAMI’S South Beach used to be just flash and trash. Now it’s glamour all the way, writes Julie Earle-Levine after trying out her own ‘tanning butler’.
Swell times in Hawaii
WATCH your stress wander with the surf or a new island form in a mass of steam Russell Emmerson discovers you can do both on Hawaii’s Big Island.
A home run to city of heroes
PHILADELPHIA is the home of the US Declaration of Independence, the Rocky movies and the Liberty Bell, hoagies, cheesesteaks and the soft pretzel.
Hooked on Anchorage
IN Alaska’s Anchorage, there is a fishing spot where city workers can pop down the block on a coffee break to land a large salmon, writes Yereth Rosen.
Austin – a capital spot to rock
THE Texas capital Austin is proud to be a sleepy little drinking town with a live music problem, reports Lawrie Masterson.
Chicago, my kinda town
CHICAGO may have invented the deep-dish pizza, but it is the barbecue that drives Sean Condon wild on his visit to the infinitely enjoyable ‘Windy City’.
California dreaming
SAN Francisco is a culinary and visual delight, writes Sean Condon who started eating right away and didn’t stop for several days.
Utah, a voyage
THINK Think Utah, think Mormons as Jim Graham discovered when he found himself amid the sparkling cleanliness of Salt Lake City.
Elvis has never left the building
FROM his birthplace in Mississippi to the Memphis mansion he named Graceland, Elvis Presley lives on for the 800,000 people who visit each year.
Hitting the high note
COUNTRY music’s famous names rock on at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and get Ray Chesterton’s toes tapping.
Vow power of Las Vegas
WANT to get married in Vegas? You’re in good company, writes Shane Burke.
Escape into Alcatraz
EACH fortnight, Darwin E. Coon returns to Alcatraz to chat about doing time as prisoner No. 1422 in the world’s best-known prison.
Florida blasts off
THE kids want rollercoasters. He wants a few rounds of golf. She wants to be pampered at a spa. Where to go? How about Florida?
Seduction in Seattle
FROM a science fiction Space Needle to the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee, there’s more to Seattle than grunge, coffee and rain.
48 hours in New York
THERE is more to New York than the usual hotspots. Adam Harvey shares some favourite things about his adopted city. What’s your tip?»
Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/travel/destinations/north-america/page/19