America's regional and cultural capitals
America's regional and cultural capitals
Boston is a symbol of Yankee industriousness. Charleston, harks back to the Old South. New Orleans means jazz and riverboats. Las Vegas is known for gambling. Seattle exudes the northwest.
What do all of these destinations have in common? They are America's regional and cultural capitals; they allow visitors to drench themselves in different American cultures that make the United States unique.
You haven't seen the USA until you've been to these five cultural hotspots:
1. Boston is the cradle of American independence, where the first debates and battles of the Revolutionary War were fought. The Old State House, where colonists first protested, Paul Revere's House, the Old North Church, and Bunker Hill, where the ragtag American army first fought, still stand.
Brick townhouses blend with glass skyscrapers, and the city's feel shifts from upscale shops and bistros in Back Bay, to the tranquil Boston Common, to ethnic bustle in the North End and Chinatown.
In the evening, enjoy restaurants like the Union Oyster House, where Washington, Ben Franklin, and John Adams ate, near Faneuil Hall, and packed cafes in the North End. Nightlife presents music from 60s folk and avant-garde rock to The Boston Pops orchestra and theater.
2. Charleston, SC, carefully preserves the delicate atmosphere of the Old South. Large sections of downtown have been little changed from almost a century ago.
The old market is packed with crafts and art. Carriages clatter down cobblestone streets that wind between elegant mansions along the Battery. Meeting, East Bay, and King Streets are lined with fashion shops, antique stores, and restaurants like 82 Queen Street or Magnolia's, where upscale southern cooking reigns.
Charleston's skyline is punctuated by dozens of steeples resulting from religious tolerance not found elsewhere in the original colonies. Here, the first theater built in the United States still hosts plays during the Spoleto Festival, when music and dance fill this city's theaters, churches, clubs, parks, and streets.
Many of America's most beautiful plantations still welcome visitors just outside of the city. Long sandy beaches lure bathers along the coastline, and world-class golf courses stretch through dunes and forests.
3. New Orleans is the main port of the Mississippi River. Though founded by the French, much of the Vieux Carre architecture is Spanish. French and Spanish cultures blended with the pioneering American spirit on these streets after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
The heart of New Orleans is the romantic French Quarter, filled with preserved period homes surrounded by vibrant city life. Dixieland jazz, rhythm & amp; blues, classical, Cajun and Gospel music pour out of the bars and restaurants lining Bourbon Street.
The Riverwalk links the city with riverboats and barges along the Mississippi. The rebuilt warehouse district is laced with art galleries, new museums, and high-rise hotels, and in the Garden District, Victorian houses proudly stand.
Enjoy Creole cuisine, a mix of French, Spanish and African flavors. Jambalaya and gumbo reach their perfection here. Dine with the locals at Galatoire's or Feelings Cafe d'Aunoy. New Orleans is where Oysters Rockefeller, Bananas Foster, and Shrimp Remoulade were first created.
4. Las Vegas has been called an amusement park for adults. Originally built by and for gambling, Las Vegas today works hard to offer something for every family member.
Las Vegas, Nevada, has grown from a handful of Mafia-owned casinos to one of America's premiere tourist destinations. This town proves that exuberance and excess sell time after time.
Luxor and MGM Grand have become virtual living theme parks. Ceasar's Palace, The Venetian, and Paris provide facades of European towns complete with cobblestones, canals, changing skies, bistros, and sidewalk cafes.
Once the land of cheap buffets, Las Vegas now claims some of America's top chefs. Dine at Fleur de Lys or aim your winnings at Picasso or Hugo's Cellar. Entertainment here can not be surpassed. The world's top entertainers- singers, bands, comics, magicians - regularly appear here.
5. Seattle's landmark Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Pioneer Square is Seattle's oldest neighborhood and is now a historic district filled with art galleries, restaurants, and web development companies. Pike Place Market is the country's oldest continually operating farmers market, filled with sounds and scents from the sea and the Northwest. Once filled with miners headed to Alaska's gold rush, Seattle's waterfront is still great for fish and chips or smoked salmon.
Seattle is also the birthplace of America's cafe culture and the new focus on local microbreweries. It enjoys excellent Washington State wines, and the cuisine blends the northwest with Asia, fish, meat, and potatoes in creative combinations at popular dining spots like Wild Ginger, FlintCreek Cattle Co., and The Walrus and the Carpenter.
Charlie Leocha
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has worked in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
