North America Hostels

Of course most visitors to Berkeley go to Telegraph to shop, but there are plenty of other areas that offer a completely different type of shopping experience, if the begging teenager/dirty hippie scene isn't your thing. Try College Ave (go several blocks past the dorms) and Fourth Street. Fourth Street is a bit trendier, but both are pleasant, though too yuppie-ish for some.

I lived in Squamish for almost a year and loved it! The climbing is amazing, the people are friendly! Also, for great food and drinks, check out the Brew Pub!

Syracuse is a very upbeat, small city with lots of young entrepreneur energy and vision. There a great potential here for innovative city-center redevelopment and interaction with the many colleges and universities nearby.

Whitehorse is a great city for the outdoor enthusiast. Make sure you take a dip in the Takhini Hot Springs. If you're looking for nightlife though, look elsewhere.

Lots of stuff to see in Ottawa, but the city basically shuts down at 9:00 PM. Go to Montreal for the night.

I lived in Fort Stockton for six years. It's not a very nice place to live, but there are some interesting things to visit. The "world's largest roadrunner" welcomes you to town. Be sure and stop by the Comanche Springs pool. (It's much nicer than the regular city pool.) Also, if you are looking for great authentic Mexican food, try a little place called Mi Casita. Bienvenidos is another good one, more on the main road, but not nearly as good as Mi Casita. There are also several nice parks in town, as well as an historic fort, and several small museums.

Quebec City is a lovely city!!!

I lived in Austin for nine years. Austin is very cool, except that it's so darned hot in the summer. Check out Barton Springs pool in Zilker park, an enormous spring-fed pool, always seventy degrees, perfect for a scorching day. A music reviewer for the Austin paper once wrote "Who's playing this weekend? Ho, hum, the usual embarassment of riches." No kidding. You can find live music any night of the week. Halloween in Austin is a sight to behold, thousands of people partying downtown.

Stay out of West Baltimore.

Stayed in Glenwood Springs in 1999! Went there for a 10 day ski trip and stayed 4 months. What an awsome spot. So much to see and do. Plenty of outdoor life, skiing in winter, mountain biking, hiking, frisbee golf in summer. The Glenwood Springs Hostel is great with all the assistance you need and a wonderful atmosphere. A definate hotspot!

I spent two months traveling the U.S.A., and without a doubt the highlight was Chicago. A big city with friendly people, a stunning waterfront, and real vibrancy. The inner northern suburbs like Lakeview and Lincoln Park are full of great bars and restaurants and awesome nightlife. Check it out.

I love Dawson City. Its so far away from everything but when arriving it feels right at home. Its small with only maybe 2000 people but full of stuff to do and with more bars and saloons than any other place with only that few people. especially the music festival in mid July is worth the trip (make sure you have a bed reserved at the hostel but if you tent the hostel always has space) and there are great hiking and mountain biking trips. And 24 hour daylight is really amazing. I read most books by Jack London and Dawson City seems as it must have been when he was here. Early September must be the nicest time because then its dark again at night but I also could see great Northern Light....and also the Fall colours and both together are magic watching it from the viewing deck of the hostel.

From all I have learned about Hyder, Alaska, it appears to be a great place to visit and possibly live. It has the best of two worlds -- one, it can be reached by road and then it in nestled in a remote part of Alaska. It is the farthest south that an Alaska town can be reached by highway!

The harbor in Juneau has the feel of a movie set -- it has been ruined by the big cruise ships.

The Okanagan is the most beautiful place I've been to on the planet. Crystal clear lakes perfect for swimming in the hot summer days and spectacular desert and mountain scenery. It is too often passed up for the tourist traps of the rockies, but make sure to include at least a few days here, and Penticton is the best place to see it from. The drives south to Osoyoos and north to Kelowna are both truly spectacular.

Petersburg itself is a real gem, if only because it has not been ruined by the hordes of suspicious day trippers that the cruise ships disgorge, ruining Juneau, Sitka, and other places. Petersburg retains its isolated, small town feel and is surprisingly Scandinavian, even today.

There is a Farmers Market festival every Thursday in Fullerton, with music and lots of food. Great location for Disneyland, Knox Berry Farm, California Adventure, and other scenic adventures.

Come visit for Christmas, if you can. On Christmas Eve, everyone's houses are lined with luminarias (paper bags with candles), and everyone walks through town and visits. It's a beautiful, non-commercial, community-oriented way to spend Christmas! Also, the best restaurant in town is Fuego, in La Posada de Santa Fe-- but it's VERY expensive. If you enjoy the arts or architecture, be sure to visit the Santa Fe Opera House. It's a gorgeous semi-outdoors building-- I saw Carmen there, and during her death scene, we were also watching a lightning storm. Cold, but fabulous! Santa Fe is a great place to visit. Be warned, however, that the shopping is expensive-- and if you don't like pretentious art galleries and boutiques, you probably won't enjoy shopping there at all.

The town of Bend is great with first class slopes nearby and big city amenities with a small town feel. It's a touch of Colorado in the Pacific Northwest without the high prices. You can get here from Portland or Eugene by bus in about 3 hours. There also an Amtrak shuttle from a stop about an hour away.

Arches National Park was full of wonderful sights. The La Sal Mountains are gorgeous!! I love Moab and will come back there someday.