Over the rainbow...

June 13, 2009 11:30 AM

I'm flying myself somewhere for my birthday this year, but seeing as I am a girl who would be all by my lonesome and without access to a car, I'm wondering where I should go.

I'd like to go someplace stateside that I've never been before, perhaps like S.F. or Seattle, Boulder, Oregon, NorCal... I could even probably make it to Hawaii if I set my heart on it. Typically I would go to NYC or Boston, but having been there multiple times in the past I'd like to branch out. Besides, I've never been west of Tennessee.

So, given that it needs to be easily accessible by bike/walking/horseback riding/metropolitan transit and that I like beautiful trees/nature/etc., where would you go if you were me?

posted by wild like kudzu to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

The SF Bay Area has great public transit, but to get to any of the forested areas you generally need a bus ride in addition to Bart. Off the top of my head, these are accessible by bus:

* http://www.ebparks.org/parks/roberts
* http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/directions.htm

If you are super-ambitious and a good bicyclist you can bike from SF all the way to Muir Woods.

From Oakland you can also take Amtrak, the San Joaquin line with a bus connection straight to Yosemite. The main argument, from a beautiful tree perspective, for coming to this region of California is the redwood trees, especially the sequoias.

Hawaii has forests similar to these. If you're considering Hawaii for hiking, Waimea Canyon and Waimea river on Kauai are awesome.
posted by doteatop at 11:52 AM on June 13

Hawaii is one of those states that's as close to a foreign nation as you can visit without leaving the country. And it has ample amounts of the beautiful outdoors you crave, in forms that you're not likely to see anywhere else. With our local economy (like most state economies) collapsing and hotels sitting half empty, travel deals are abundant if you look.

And Oahu, or Honolulu, has an extensive public transit system that can get you just about anywhere you want to go, from the urban towers and lights of Waikiki, to the gorgeous green valleys of the Windward Side. There are extensive amenities if you need them, but you can get far away from civilization if you prefer.

True, the "neighbor islands" are more rural and with more abundant natural beauty (including Kauai), but getting around them is trickier. If I were renting a car, the Big Island (bigger than all the other major islands combined) is hands down the most amazing place for nature lovers.

I think Hawaii's a strong contender. Of course, I'm biased.
posted by pzarquon at 12:13 PM on June 13 [1 favorite]

Just a note: if you're coming to California to visit our top-notch scenery, just check first to make sure our state parks haven't been closed in an ill-advised, showboat-y game of political brinksmanship.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 12:18 PM on June 13 [1 favorite]

It sounds like you're mostly interested in going places out west (and in the States), but I just took a trip by myself to Montreal and had the best time. It's a nicely compact city with great public transportation, and of course it's got that European feel to it. They've got an awesome public bike system, "bixi", where you can stick your credit card into a machine and release a bike from a stand. You can take them anywhere and return them to any of the stands around the city. What I loved about this was that you could easily combine biking with walking, taking the metro, etc., instead of being tied to a bike like you would be if you rented traditionally.

Montreal also has incredible dining, shopping and museums. As a single woman, I found Montreal to feel very safe. Maybe it's not where you want to spend your bday, but I would definitely recommend it for a future solo trip.
posted by imalaowai at 12:34 PM on June 13 [1 favorite]

Seconding doteatop's suggestions for San Francisco, although I wouldn't want to bike to Muir Woods from there due to the traffic and narrow roads with lots of curves and elevation gain. That said, you may want to spend some time in Sausalito giving you easy access to Marin County and San Francisco, which are totally walkable and people friendly.

*enjoy Sausalito's great views of the bay and SF
*ride your bike to the Golden Gate Bridge and use the pedestrian walkway for more views
*take the ferry, with your bike to SF (hope you're good with hills!) or plan on walking,bus,etc.
*SF without hills: the Marina area and Exploratorium - a must see hands-on science museum with incredibly beautiful architecture/park on grounds
*do get to Muir Woods!!! It's close and you can take a bus there. The redwood trees are awe inspiring.
*check with Tourist Info locations in SF or Sausalito to get specifics.

Where ever you decide, I would suggest checking with Yelp or Meetup.com for that city if you want to meet some locals - maybe find your own tour guide!
posted by wabanada at 12:37 PM on June 13

Also voting for SF. A young single woman traveling alone, I found five days there to be quite enjoyable. The city is easy to get around with public transit and there's plenty to keep you busy.
posted by greta simone at 1:01 PM on June 13

another vote for SF. just got back from a few days there, and i had an awesome time. it was my second visit. this time, though, i was traveling alone (22 year old female) but had no problems whatsoever. there's so much to do and see, and it's a gorgeous city.
posted by gursky at 1:25 PM on June 13

I know I'm biased, but if you can stand not to travel too far to the other side if the Mississippi, I recommend New Orleans!
posted by Night_owl at 4:24 PM on June 13

I've been carless in both Seattle & San Fran, they both have better-than-average public transit systems that cover the metro area pretty well. Seattle has ferry boats that can get you to any number of islands to explore on bike or you can even take a hovercraft up to Vancouver, but SF has CalTrans that can get you anywhere in Silicon Valley. I gotta agree though, I think Muir Woods on bike is a litte ambitious.
posted by scalefree at 4:28 PM on June 13

I've been to SF solo and would vote for it as well.
posted by cabingirl at 8:15 AM on June 14

More SF suggestions: There is some really gorgeous hiking around Land's End, basically at the northwest corner of the city - take the 38 to the end and walk up through Sutro Heights Park and over to the Seal Rock area, then take the path that goes north and east along the cliffs. You can wind up at the Palace of the Legion of Honor if you want some art, or I think you can keep going on into Sea Cliff and then the Presidio & wind up at Fort Point under the GG Bridge. (On googling it appears I am unknowingly referring to a section of the California Coastal Trail.)

Also, take the ferry from Fisherman's Wharf to Angel Island - gorgeous hiking there.

In conclusion, San Francisco is my vote as well.
posted by yarrow at 10:26 AM on June 15