If you were a travel agent advising a visitor from Australia

I can't imagine wanting to go to Buffalo in January.

It's also strange to me to go someplace and visit places as widely spaced as NOLA and LA or DC or Chicago.
I was in India in January, and people are shocked when I say I didn't visit the Taj Mahal. But it was 1,500 miles from where I was. Like hitting LA and NYC on the same trip.

 

Spend at least a week driving from San Fran to San Diego along the coast.

 

If we're stuck with January, I'd skip all the cities after New Orleans and go straight to Cabo.

 

I would tell anyone visiting from Australia to just go home.

Australia is on my bucket list of places I really want to visit.

That said, if they're coming to the U.S., I would advise them not to skip New York City. In fact, if it was me and I was coming to this country for the first time to see anything, and if I could only go to one place, I would go to NYC.

Probably wouldn't be as good in January as some other times of the year, but if that can't be changed, I'd still choose to go there over any other place.

 

Lute Olson, asked why he left a powerhouse program at Iowa to take over a bottom-feeder at Arizona, said something like, "I can decide when to go to the snow instead of the snow coming to me."

If your friend wants snow and wants San Francisco, send her to Tahoe.

Also remember she can see the world in Vegas -- fake New York, fake Paris, fake Italy, etc.

 

You also have to be mindful how some people react to cold. I've known people from year-yound hot climates who become absolutley miserable in the cold.

It's hard to know what a person wants to see. I wouldn't think a visitor from Australia would be impressed by beaches here, but you never know. Some people, inlcuding me, just love the beach anywhere.

When I was in Nigeria, I wanted to go to a certain game preserve where they have one the few reminaing troops of lowland gorillas. The Nigerians thought that was ther stupidest idea they'd heard. More recently in Inida, I wanted to go to temples; the Indians wanted to take me to shopping malls.

It's tough to play host.

 

Lafayette's looking better and better.

Just sayin'.

 

I know a few Aussies living here and they like Oklahoma for some odd reason.

 

Janie is now considering planning her itinerary using song titles so Oklahoma would fit.

 

New itinerary (off the top of my head):

Indiana Wants Me
Sweet Home Chicago
New York, New York
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Galveston
Kentucky Rain
Battle of New Orleans
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Kansas City
I Love LA

 

Don't forget "Straight Outta Compton."