BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi Guys,

I've got some work coming up in America in July. After finishing I'll be in Oak Ridge, Tennesse. I was thinking of having a bit of a holiday before I come home. I did a couple of months travelling by my lonesome in Asia, but thought it would be harder to do in America because there are no defined tourist routes, which many poeple seem to follow makig it harder to meet people.

I've been looking around and thought it would be nice to catch a flight to Miami, I'm sure Miami Beach is a lot of fun, but is it a good place to visit alone, or do you really need to go with friends? If anyone can help I'd be much obliged.

On a side note, if you can suggest others places in the US that hold something for the solo traveller I'm open ears.

Cheers very much

pending on the kind of person you are you can do miami beach alone...be careful...b/c there's miami beach and then there's miami...we have a great nightlife...and depens what your into...there's going to be alot of spring breakers in march...and there's more stuff going on then...you could definitely take a side trip to vegas...and there's some stuff to do in the area your in it just depends on what your into

I've never been to Miami Beach, but my first thought when I read this was "Eww, why would you want to go there?!"

What are you looking for though? City? Nightlife? Beach? Nature? Hiking? Not fussed?

If I was going to take a few days break in the US I'd hit either Boston, D.C., NYC, Chicago, Vegas (though might be tough alone), San Diego or San Francisco. Or a National Park. But that's just me.

If I were you, I would grab a flight west and go see Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Park. The wild part of American heritage is something you do not get in cities.

The big cities are good, but if you want sun, pretty women, and a civilised life style, South Beach in Miami is the place to be for a week of relaxed living. Its a unique place, to be sure, and very international.

It all depends on your motives.

I like the Clay International Hostel, but I'm sure there are others.

I second the recommendation for South Beach. The beach is good and there's a hostel there where you're sure to meet plenty of people. There's sort of a young hip vibe there, along with a lot of old hotels that are either dying a slow death or are being renovated. It makes for a pretty unique atmosphere. On one side of the street you have a posh little sushi place and a clothing boutique for clubbing clothes, and on the other you have this crazy old 1960's-era hotel that's been gutted and ready for reconstruction. Pretty neat vibe, and if you have good weather the beach is definitely nice.

I'm surprised you're choosing Miami though...it's not usually considered the top destination in the U.S for international tourists. To be frank it's not a good city if you're looking for something that "represents" a typical American city -- you'll hear more Spanish than English spoken in many parts of Miami. More international tourists would prefer to go to cities like New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston. Were you just thinking Miami because of proximity to Tennessee? If you're looking for a beach destination close to TN, Hilton Head (South Carolina) is a good, close one.

--Jessicah

key west is pretty crazy... lots of interesting stuff to do and see.

just don't let a cracked-out woman get into the front of your jeep while you're sitting in the back with your sister, waiting for your parents to bring out the carryout food, while she calmly responds to your requests to leave with "no, it's cool, this is my car", then finally angrily leaves, and proceeds to wander back and forth across 4 lanes of traffic, in the dark, while people are swerving and honking

...but other than that it was awesome

quote:

To be frank it's not a good city if you're looking for something that "represents" a typical American city -- you'll hear more Spanish than English spoken in many parts of Miami. More international tourists would prefer to go to cities like New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston.

I would say the cities you listed don't really "represent" a typical American city, either, if the criteria is speaking English. In SF, I hear an equal amount Chinese/Japanese/Russian/Spanish/you name it as English. New York has a variety of languages there, too.

I get what you're saying, but I think, in the way there is diversity in Miami, that it does represent America well, or at least the cities.

also, one can't get a true picture of "america" as a whole from cities alone. after all, we were not too long ago a nation of farmers.

rural america can be very, very different than big city america.

...but i think we digress.

anyway, new orleans is another super neat place to go, though i haven't been since katrina, and i don't know how near full recovery it is. like key west, though, it's not much of a "beach place" so much as a "lots of neat stuff to see and do" place.

there are a lot of really nice beaches on the north carolina coast, though these probably wouldn't be that great for solo travel. they're more family vacation sorta places.

washington dc has lots of stuff to see, of course, but again no beach, and probably not especially fun solo, unless you don't mind sightseeing alone. then again, like any big city it will have plenty of places to socialize.

of course, NYC isn't much further than miami... and of course that's a rockin place.

Just wanted to put one more vote for the Clay Hostel in Miami beach - it's fantastic.

quote:

you'll hear more Spanish than English spoken in many parts of Miami.

I'd say its most of Miami. The number of foreign born residents in Miami is at least 60 percent.

Miami, like they're saying, is one of the most Latin American of the American cities. I personally had more fun in Key West (if you're looking for beach life). I went with one other person, but we'd been traveling together for a long time, so we split up for a few days here and found plenty of solo things to do. The locals are very friendly, and the island's so small, it's easy to get around on a rented bike ($6 a day in 2001).

As for other places I've loved alone in the US, I recommend San Francisco or driving from SF to San Diego on Hwy 101 and 1, stopping in Santa Cruz or Monterey, Santa Barbara, & Santa Monica.

quote:

Originally posted by anniebanannie:
I would say the cities you listed don't really "represent" a typical American city, either, if the criteria is speaking English. In SF, I hear an equal amount Chinese/Japanese/Russian/Spanish/you name it as English. New York has a variety of languages there, too.

I get what you're saying, but I think, in the way there is diversity in Miami, that it does represent America well, or at least the cities.

No, of coure the criteria isn't speaking English -- that would be foolish.

In truth, there isn't any one "typical" American city, which is why I put "represent" in quotation marks to begin with. And yes, diversity is present anywhere in our big cities, which is one of the things that makes them so great, but in Miami the Latin influence is almost overpowering, it's so pervasive. Places like San Fran and New York have a lot more diversity that's readily available to the international tourist. Not that you can't find Lebanese cuisine in Miami, but you might have to work a little bit harder than you would in San Fran or NYC. Most international tourists have those two cities on their "Must See" lists more often than they have Miami on there.

quote:

Originally posted by gtrob:

also, one can't get a true picture of "america" as a whole from cities alone. after all, we were not too long ago a nation of farmers.

rural america can be very, very different than big city america.

This, too, goes without saying.

--Jessicah

I'm a Miami native and a resident of Miami Beach. Miami Beach is definitely one of the top destinations for international travelers, particularly Europeans. Advice for anyone considering visiting: If you like beautiful beaches and an exciting nightlife then you'll love MB, and the "overpowering" Latin influence doesn't exist on the Beach - tourists are the main influence out here.

Sorry it's taken a long time to thank you all, but I had rather a busy month and the trip took a back seat for a time. Your suggestions have been great thanks everyone. I might even change my destination.

Much appreciated all,