Winter is coming, and with it the chance to visit the US for a low airfare and enjoy the highlights without the crowds.
For me, November marks the start of the American season. From the east coast to the deep south, the weather calms after the storms of summer and autumn. In Colorado, winter has arrived: Keystone ski resort is preparing to open this very week.
The sun smiles down on the southwest and the Pacific Coast right through the year: I have happily swum from beaches near San Diego in November. And Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, energy levels in northern cities increase.
I have just booked my regular November trip to one of the blank patches on my map of the US: the state of Missouri. The journey starts in Kansas City, where the American Jazz Museum and Arabia Steamboat Museum await; the latter preserves a ship that sank in 1856 carrying supplies for the Western frontier, and today provides a time capsule of pioneer life. “Like finding King Tut’s Tomb on the Missouri River,” the attraction trills.
Slicing through the state on Highway 36, I will pause in Chillicothe – where sliced bread was invented in 1928.
Perhaps one of these locations – or even the whole state of Missouri – will become one of my American wonders. For now, these are the magnificent seven.
Chicago
The metropolis that spreads along the shore of Lake Michigan is the most American of cities. The “L” (elevated railway) threads around the downtown area, bestowing thrilling views of the skyscrapers on what amounts to a $2.50 theme-park ride.
The skyline is best appreciated on a boat tour operated by the Chicago Architecture Center. Afterwards, the Art Institute of Chicago presents some of the smaller-scale works of brilliant men and women. Then wander through the ethnic mosaic as you eat and drink your way around the world. And perhaps hit the road …
Route 66 – in California
The “Mother Road” was born on 11 November 1926, connecting Chicago with the Pacific Ocean. For 2,400 miles, Route 66 carried Greyhound buses and cars filled with American dreamers migrating west to the Golden State in search of better lives.
Most of the original route from Chicago to Santa Monica on California’s coast has been obliterated beneath more modern interstates. But there are still some treasures of the era when transcontinental…
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