You're traveling by train, but will you only use public transit when you
arrive in a city? My primary travel interests are art and architecture, so
perhaps these thoughts will assist (although I've omitted Chicago since
you've already been there, do be sure to allot time to enjoy the relatively
new Millennial Park there if you haven't already seen it!).
I've done San Francisco via public transit and didn't have any problems.
They have a major Asian Art Museum, SFMoMA, and by the time you're there the
new fine art museum building will be open in Golden Gate Park in addition to
the existing Palace of the Legion of Honor (you can google websites for all
these places). Whether SF has great architecture depends on what you like;
since you mentioned him by name be aware that it does have one lesser FL
Wright building downtown. Since you say you're into modern art
installations, you might want to pick up a copy of art-SITES San Francisco
by Sidra Stich (2003).
New Orleans has a couple of less significant art museums (the New Orleans
Museum of Art being the better of them), both of which are easily accessible
via public bus/trolley, as is the architecture of the French Quarter and
Garden District. Additionally, commercial tours can take you for a full or
half day to see one or more historic plantation houses outside of town if
that's of interest and you're sans car.
However, it would be very hard to really see all the wonderful art and
architecture in Los Angeles without a car. LA is really a sequence of
villages that are best connected via highways. Highlights include Richard
Meier's hill-top Getty Center, LAMoCA (the main site of which is across from
Gehry's Disney concert hall), the Norton Simon Museum and Huntington Museum
and Botanical Garden (both in Pasadena), and LACMA (not a favorite of mine
on many levels, but if you're into modern architecture don't miss Goff's
Japanese galleries).
There is also lots and lots of important architecture in LA, including
Wright's seminal concrete-block houses (mostly privately owned so that you
can only drive by except for Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Park), in Pasedna
the collection of Greene & Greene's houses (including the Gamble House which
is open for tours)--and work by others such as Roehig, and lots of modern
pieces including key works by Gehry not only in downtown LA, but also in
Venice Beach and Santa Monica and Safdie's Skirball Center, among others.
"Stephen Clark" wrote in message
news:1121001682.399.0@echo.uk.clara.net...
> Hi, I'm looking for some advice on how best to spend the time I'm planning
> to stay in the US, November time. Firstly, on four trips to the US I've
> seen a fair bit of the NE of the US but the furthest west I've been is
> Chicago.
>
> I'm planning to arrive in Chicago and buying a 15 day rail pass which
> covers the west of the US on a line from Chicago to New Orleans. I plan to
> take the train to the west coast but I don't really know what to do then.
>
> Possibilities are to Loop :
> Chicago / Seattle or Portland / San Francisco / Chicago; or
> Chicago / San Francisco / Los Angeles / Chicago; or
> Chicago / San Francisco / New Orleans (fly back to the UK from New
> Orleans)
>
> I am quite interested in modern art / sculpture / installations /
> architecture so any locations which were strong on these types of
> attraction would be ideal. I enjoyed my time in Chicago visiting Oak Park
> (Frank Lloyd Wright houses) and in Pittsburgh (Andy Warhol and The
> Mattress Factory).
>
> Looking forward to any advice people may have.
>
>
|