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Recently, some neighbors were discussing foreign exchange students. Host families are encouraged to show visiting students local points of interest (or even not-so-local points of interest). The discussion got me thinking about where I would take a foreign exchange student living in my house. If the student had never been to the U.S. before, these are five cities I would visit with them.
New York City
New York City, the city that never sleeps. We’ve taken our kids there twice. It’s exhausting, dirty and overwhelming. But it’s still fabulous and a must-see!
San Francisco
San Francisco is a beautiful city! The hills, the cable cars, the food….
I went to San Francisco with my kids a few years ago. We had a blast.
Los Angeles
Hooray for Hollywood, right? Los Angeles has mountains, the ocean, and SO MANY THINGS! I lived in the area for almost 5 years in my 20s. Aside from the horrendous traffic, it was almost like being on a perpetual vacation. (Also see my son’s guest post about his trip to Hollywood last year).
New Orleans
New Orleans has unmistakeable architecture and ambiance. I visited when I was a teenager, and again five years ago. I’d love to take my kids.
San Antonio
San Antonio may not be on everyone’s radar. But as a Texan who has visited several times, I highly recommend it. The downtown River Walk is lovely, plus the historical landmarks in the area are interesting. See my hotel review from our recent trip.
What city would you add or take off from this list?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
It depends on where the student is from and where they are staying in the US. I do agree that New York and San Francisco are generally good choices for anyone. Washington, DC and the Grand Canyon may be good choices.
I disagree with New Orleans. The student may come back with a bad impression of Black people being poor.
We have had many exchange students in our home over the years (I coordinate them for our Rotary district), and we take them to the places of interest to them. Some have been interested in beaches, so Florida or LA it was. Some wanted NYC, and others were interested in the Grand Canyon and other national parks. It just depends on the students, but it a great experience for the hosting family, too because you have an outsider ask genuine questions about why you do and say things a certain way which helps us question why we do it the way we’ve always done it.
Orlando (I know, I know. It’s trite but needs to be there), San Fransisco, Asheville, Chicago, and Key Largo. That’s a nice blend of big cities with smaller areas. That also encompasses everything from Warm Caribbean waters to America’s best known amusement park to mountains to multicultural cities. You could sub out Chicago for New York if you’re a fan. The only thing missing is a multi-week road trip through the west.
As an afterthought, I suppose that some consideration would have to be given to where the person came from. If they’re Swiss, maybe give up the mountains of Asheville for D.C. for instance.
I would say: Los Angeles, New York and Yellowstone if I was forced to choose. If I could pick only one place, I would have to go with Yellowstone/ Grand Tetons area. It’s like no other place on earth, and I regret not taking my parents there while they were in US. My dad loved Niagara Falls, and still talks about it 8 years later.
I like your list of big cities. I was just reading Kiplingers most recent Best Places to Retire list and you could argue that’s a pretty strong slice of America: Visalia, CA, Grand Junction, CO, Tulsa, OK, Fort Wayne, IN, Winston-Salem, NC, Scranton, PA, Middletown, CT. Definitely take them to NY and LA, but America might be its most American in midsized cities.
I wouldn’t necessarily take them to a city. I would take them to the National Parks throughout the west. To me, these would showcase the uniqueness of our country better than a city.
Good point!