The USA attracts visitors from all over the world, but some just keep going back to their favourite haunt – perhaps friends or family live there – and never really get to know the country.

America literally has something for everyone, from the biggest of cities to the smallest of charming towns, from the chill of Alaska to the warmth of Hawaii, and some of the most spectacular natural wonders you will see anywhere.

America is worth getting to know and to do that you need to travel around a bit. In our last substantial overseas trip before COVID struck, my wife and I went back to the USA, building on previous visits that had taken in 23 states, now up to 25 after this trip. It was a rambling, unorderly trip taking in cities and villages, national parks, a mountain range and a stopover in Hawaii.

The City by the Bay

We arrived in San Francisco from Sydney and went straight to the house generously loaned to us by friends who were away overseas at the time. This terrific inner-city residence put us within walking distance – or at most a cable car ride – of practically everywhere we wanted to go. 

It was an enormous pleasure to be able to live like a local, shopping at nearby stores and eating at local restaurants. But no matter where you stay in the City by the Bay, here are 10 things you should do, in no particular order:

• Ride the San Francisco cable cars
• Cross not just the Golden Gate Bridge, but also the Bay Bridge that connects San Francisco with Oakland
• Visit Fisherman's Wharf (ignore those who say it's too touristy)
• Go to the quirky Haight-Ashbury district (below)
• See the incredibly steep and crooked Lombard Street
• Take a ferry to Alcatraz Island
• Visit Union Square and City Hall
• Walk around Chinatown
• Spend a day visiting museums and galleries – Museum of Modern Art, Palace of Fine Arts, Asian Art Museum
• Go out to Muir Woods 

There are many more attractions to choose from, depending on your length of stay. Check them out at the following link.

sftravel.com

Carmel-by-the-Sea

After a week we moved on to Carmel, taking a Greyhound bus to Salinas and then a rental car to our accommodation. Beautifully preserved with a village atmosphere, Carmel-by-the-Sea is a great place to relax and has many quaint shops (below). We arrived not long after the area's most famous long-term resident, Doris Day, died at her home in Carmel Valley. There were many tributes to her in the town and at the hotel she part-owned, the Cypress Inn. 

We explored other parts of the Monterey Peninsula including Pacific Grove with its colourful houses, and 17-Mile Drive along which is located the famous lone cypress tree (below), now starting to show its age. Then it was back to San Francisco – we took the very efficient Monterey Airbus shuttle which dropped us off right outside the SFO airport terminal – for our flight to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, via Salt Lake City. 

seemonterey.com

National parks

What can one say about Jackson? Described as the last real mountain town, both cosmopolitan and cowboy, it exudes charm and warmth. On Town Square, log cabins from the 19^th century share the boardwalk with prime examples of contemporary Western architecture. Stetson-wearing men and women on horseback are a common sight, and galleries abound with artwork as diverse as downtown itself. Plentiful restaurants offer a wide choice of dining opportunities. 

In a rented SUV we headed to our first accommodation, the Alpenhof Hotel in the Teton Village. From there the aerial tram whisks you up to the top of Rendezvous Mountain in about 10 minutes. It's also an easy drive to beautiful Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, as well as the Mormon Row historic barns (below) at Antelope Flats, near Moose. 

We drove the length and breadth of both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, where we saw the legendary buffalo (bison) in abundance, as well as wolves and moose. While touring the second park we stayed at the Stage Coach Inn in West Yellowstone, Montana. 

yellowstonepark.com/road-trips/jackson-hole-wy

Hawaii

Finally it was back to San Francisco once more for our flight to Honolulu, where we stayed for a week at the Ala Moana Hotel. It was many years since we had been to Hawaii and we were struck by how congested Honolulu had become, but once on the beach at Waikiki this was quickly forgotten. 

We took the opportunity to drive up to the North Shore of Oahu – something we hadn't done before – taking in Waimea Bay, Haleiwa and Turtle Bay.

After six weeks away it was time to head for home, but this was not to go smoothly. Roaring down the runway at Honolulu International Airport, our take-off was suddenly aborted when a warning light indicated a brake problem. There followed more than an hour of testing and brake cooling before a false alarm was announced and we finally took off, 90 minutes behind schedule. Irritating at the time, such an event would be almost welcome today if it meant we were flying freely again!

gohawaii.com

Check out the US entry conditions during COVID and the situation state by state at the following link worldnomads.com/travel-safety/north-america/united-states/united-states-travel-alerts-must-read-now

Photos: Judy Barford

Useful links

​The USA hosts country-specific websites for visitors so go to the one in your country.