City Collection
With heavy hitters like New York, Los Angeles and Boston to contend with, many of America’s most captivating cities are too easily overlooked when it comes to planning holidays. Here are five of our favourite unsung heroes, all of which make for memorable city breaks. We’ve plenty more ideas where these came from though, so do ask our experts about their favourite city stays.
Seattle
There are few cities in the world blessed with a more beautiful setting than Seattle. Sitting at the edge of the picturesque Puget Sound, America’s Emerald City is the gateway to the Pacific Northwest and the spectacular landscapes of Olympic, Mount Rainier and North Cascades national parks, all of which lie within a few hours’ drive of the city. Of course there’s plenty to explore in Seattle itself, not least the world-famous Pike Place Market, one of the oldest farmers markets in America, the iconic Space Needle, the original Starbucks coffeeshop, and the immersive Museum of Pop Culture.
Chicago
After New York, Chicago is America’s most vital cultural capital and is a hard-to-beat choice for a scintillating city break. Fabulous restaurants like three-Michelin-star Alinea, memorable museums like the Art Institute of Chicago, parades of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, and a jazz, blues and music scene that’s second to none are all just a few of the Windy City’s highlights. For a bird’s-eye view of it all from a glass-floored floating balcony, visit Skydeck Chicago on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, or walk the shore of Lake Michigan for stunning views back at the rising city skyline.
Washington, D.C.
America’s capital is teeming with iconic monuments, museums, parks and broad boulevards. In springtime, cherry blossoms bloom along the city’s centrepiece, the National Mall, home to such imposing landmarks as the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, where Daniel Chester French’s massive sculpture of the brooding president sits, the stirring words of his Gettysburg Address etched behind him. Other places of interest include the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress, the Neoclassical White House and the US Capitol, which holds the House and Senate chambers of government.
Baltimore
Gateway to Maryland and the Capital Region, Baltimore is brimming with art, culture, history and cuisine. At its heart is Inner Harbor, home to fascinating museums like the Maryland Science Centre and Port Discovery Children’s Museum; historic ships like the U.S.S. Constellation, the only surviving ship from the Civil War; and the National Aquarium, home to 20,000 different animals in award-winning habitats. Also well worth a visit is Fort McHenry, the site of the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner. As one of America’s most exciting food cities, you’ll find restaurants to suit every palate here, but it’s Baltimore’s blue crab for which the city is most famous. To see what all the fuss is about head to Faidley’s Seafood in Lexington Market, the oldest public market in the world.
Philadelphia
There’s a lot to love about the City of Brotherly Love. History fans can stand in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, or in the crumbling cell that once held Al Capone. Movie buffs can climb the famous ‘Rocky Steps’ or get their picture taken by the Rocky Balboa statue. At the Barnes Museum, art lovers can see the largest number of privately owned impressionist paintings in the world. Shoppers can run wild at the King of Prussia Mall, one of the largest in America. While foodies can weigh in on the greatest debate in town: who exactly serves the finest Philly cheesesteak?
