Travel Smart heads to the vast lands of the USA, where we guide you through all the different types of city breaks to be experienced.Whether it's sun and sand and party in Miami, the glitz and energy of New York or the history and community spirit of Detroit, Annabel Grossman and Ben Parker give you their hints and tips to have the perfect city break to suit you.Watch Travel Smart on Independent TV.
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00:00In this episode, we're heading stateside
00:02to explore the best cities to visit from coast to coast.
00:05The US is a country of striking diversity,
00:08with a wide range of landscapes.
00:11So you'll be spoilt for choice when booking a trip
00:13to one of its vibrant cities.
00:15Whether it's New York skyscrapers,
00:17the cobbled streets of Charleston,
00:19or the white sands of Miami,
00:21there's a city break to suit everyone
00:23in the United States of America.
00:31We're starting in the Big Apple.
00:33No matter what time of year,
00:34a holiday in New York is hard to beat.
00:37The image of the New York skyline on the horizon
00:40as you ride in a yellow cab over from JFK
00:43is quite possibly the best in the States.
00:48There are more tourist sites
00:49than you'll manage to fit into one trip.
00:51Make sure you venture up at least one towering building
00:54to see the city from above.
00:56We'd recommend One World Trade,
00:59while also paying a visit to the nearby 9-11 Museum.
01:03Make sure you also find time
01:05to take a stroll around Central Park,
01:07admire Times Square at night,
01:09and spend a morning losing yourself
01:11in the works in MoMA and The Met.
01:14We'd also suggest hopping on the ferry to Staten Island,
01:17and paying a visit to Ellis Island
01:19while taking in the Statue of Liberty.
01:22And make sure you include Brooklyn on your trip,
01:24ideally by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
01:27from the Financial District.
01:29It's a little more laid back than Manhattan,
01:31and boasts some of the best restaurants and bars.
01:34You can find plenty of them
01:35in the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Dumbo,
01:38as well as my favorite, Greenpoint.
01:41Over on the West Coast,
01:42Los Angeles offers sunshine, beaches, shopping, hiking,
01:46and if you're lucky, you might spot a star or two.
01:51Base yourself in West Hollywood
01:52to experience a city within a city.
01:55This walkable district is the heart of LA,
01:58where the hotels are full of character
02:00and the restaurants are world-class.
02:02You have the Sunset Strip on your doorstep,
02:04but from here you can easily reach tourist spots
02:07like Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach,
02:10Runyon Canyon, Beverly Hills,
02:12and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
02:14For an urban beach holiday, Miami is our top choice.
02:18Rather unfairly, this Florida city
02:20has a reputation for partying hard,
02:23but there's so much more to the town
02:25than just spring break.
02:28South Beach has some gorgeous white sands
02:31with bougie bars and restaurants,
02:33but venture a little deeper into the city
02:35and you'll find the hipster hangout of Wynwood,
02:38famous for its street art and eclectic cafes and bars.
02:42You'll see plenty of colorful murals
02:44by simply walking through the neighborhood,
02:46but some of the best is displayed
02:48at the famous Wynwood Walls,
02:50which has evolved to become
02:51a globally renowned outdoor street art gallery.
02:56To the Midwest, and the first destination
02:58that probably springs to mind is Chicago,
03:00but today we're venturing a little further east to Detroit.
03:06Known as America's comeback kid,
03:08Detroit has overcome everything
03:10from bankruptcy and riots to devastating fires
03:13to make a name for itself as one of the liveliest
03:15and most exciting cities in the United States.
03:18The downtown area has been transformed
03:21with boutique hotels and fancy eateries popping up,
03:24but the city still retains its unique character
03:27and proud history,
03:28with plenty of neighborhood restaurants serving everything
03:31from Polish and Greek food to Arab-American dishes
03:34and classic American fare.
03:36To appreciate the city's motoring history,
03:38the Henry Ford Museum is a must,
03:41while the Motel Museum pays tribute to the city
03:43as the birthplace of this genre.
03:46There are so many cities in the South
03:48that we think are worth paying a visit,
03:50including Atlanta, Louisville, New Orleans,
03:52Charlotte, and Memphis,
03:54but today we're focusing on Charleston,
03:56the oldest and largest city in South Carolina.
04:02History buffs can wander through
04:04this living museum of a city,
04:06paying a visit to the Charleston Museum
04:08and the Nathaniel Russell House.
04:10For shopping, you'll be spoiled for choice
04:13with the boutiques on King Street,
04:15offering everything from fine jewelry and homemade candles
04:18to hand-woven textiles and secondhand books.
04:21Travelers should make time to visit
04:23the International African-American Museum,
04:26which sits in Gadsden's Wharf,
04:28the site where tens of thousands of African-Americans
04:31disembarked slave ships in the 18th and 19th centuries.
04:34The museum's nine galleries pay tribute
04:37to the history and legacy
04:38of both enslaved and free Africans.
04:43That's it for this episode of Travel Smart Weekly.
04:46For more information and inspiration
04:48on visiting the U.S.,
04:49be sure to check out independent.co.uk forward slash travel.
04:54And you can watch previous episodes of Travel Smart online
04:56on the Independence mobile app or on your smart TV.
04:59And don't forget to tune in to Simon Calder's daily podcast.
05:03Bye for now.