You should go to NY

maybe seattle? they have a really cool space needle. Dont believe me? http://depts.washington.edu/icmpc11/interest.html

there's a six-legged steer in Kansas that shouldn't be missed

Well if you can make it to the South, I would suggest Texas, Louisiana, or Tennessee

I'll be in the States for 35 days. And I'd like to visit Seattle. - Is that true about a 6-legged Steer? or is that like the 2 headed people in Tasmania?

Not sure whether I'll be able to make it to the South, unfortunately. But I'd like to visit Louisiana some day.

I'd recommend it, always has been one of my favorite states, I always liked the South as a region though, maybe because I'm from Southern Indiana, where we identify more with the South than the North, serious we are in the Southern Midland dialect region, and the rest of the state is in Northern Midland lol

I'd like to see Mississippi but I hear that the US is a large place.

yeah I think its like the fourth largest country in the world if I'm not mistaken, heck most maps, heck scale maps do Alaska no justice lol

St. Louis is a nice place, you could walk down to the Mississippi in several places.

May I ask your country of origin?

I'm from Australia - but my wife is from Oregon.

Yes, kaner...the USA, being the greatest nation on Earth, is a rather large place.
Considering that you're most likely from Europe which would mean that your nation of origin is probably no bigger than Colorado.

If you're starting in Oregon, you should definitely visit Seattle. Unfortunately, there aren't many sights around Seattle unless you head into Canada which would probably be the biggest mistake of your life. (Not even Niagara is all that pleasant.) So from there, you should start heading towards Ohio. Sure there will be a lot of sights on the way, and you can probably visit St. Louis or Chicago on the way, but it will be a lot of driving...UNLESS you plan on flying, in which case all I have to say is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US18DpeieVs&feature=related

(Oh, and prepare for a lot of that kind of language in the cities...)

ANYWAYS, on your way to Ohio (Where you should visit Indianapolis and Columbus (and maybe Pittsburgh if you're willing to head into PA (Pennsylvania))), you can make all sorts of stops for roadside attractions and small towns. (Small towns usually have the best food in the states...) And you start heading on back to California, you might want to go as south-ish as you can. Texas/Louisiana is great...if you don't plan on going in the summer. But if you can't head out that way, I suggest heading through Topeka and getting some of the greatest steaks in the world. After that you should stop at Denver and see some 7,000 foot mountains (maybe climb them if you have the time) and start heading straight to either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Stop in Las Vegas if you want to see the worst city in the world, and stip in San Diego if you have the time. Wherever you plan on ending your journey, you should definitely spend at least 5 days in one of California's major cities. Sure, everyone there is an asshole, but you'll get to see the shells of once great cities!

But don't stop there! Here are a list of cities that I recommend all foreigners must see:
New York (For the arts and Pizza)
Chicago (For the arts and Pizza) (Oh, that's another thing...American food varies so severely depending upon where you go, that you might as well prepare for 35 days of colon problems and E. Coli poisoning...)
Fredericksburg (My home town...which happens to need more tourism)
D. C. (The Crystal City, the underground city, or see the pride and joy of American government and history)
Atlanta
Any city in PA with more than 10,000 people in it. (PA is, in my opinion, a beautiful and very developed state.)
San Diego
San Fransisco (MISERABLE weather, but plenty of sights that symbolize the once great industries of this great nation.)
Colorado Springs, Colorado (Right next to Denver, but more mountainy and designed for tourists.)
And many more, but I don't have the time right now...

...new york has more to offer then art and pizza thank you very much. it HAPPENS to have some of the best strip clubs in the nation. if your into that kind of stuff....

North Carolina has the best Barbecue!

idk about New York, last time I was up that way we made a concentrated effort to avoid that place :p, and yes Pennsylvania is awesome, as for Indianapolis if you want to make the day trip and see something nice and historic, I recommend Evansville, Indiana. third largest city in the state, best known for being the place that spit out a ton of LSTs and P-47 fighters during world war 2, number one attraction is the LST 325

also while in Indiana, take some time to head to West Lafayette and admire Purdue University, completely avoid Bloomington, nothing good there (just IU)

Thanks for the heads up KA. a lot of info there, but I have to take a contrary stand regarding 2 things.

1. that the USA is the greatest nation on Earth (I doubt it, but I'm sure all you sepos believe it)
2. that I come from Europe. Not true - The fact that you can fit most of Europe into Australia most definitely makes me also quite experienced with long distances.

Cheers though (where's Fredericksburg btw?)

When you are in Oregon, I would recommend Portland, it is cool and very easy to get around in. Also, why not stop in the Twin Cities in Minnesota? We have the largest mall in the U.S., but it is also very nice besides that.

*ninja'd*

So what about some historic places to visit - sites of famous battles etc...

well West Lafayette has Tippecanoe Battlefield, not sure if you've heard of it, early Indian Wars, also somewhat contributes to certain things in the war of 1812, a lot of battlefields back east, where most of the Revolutionary War Battles were fought, the South has a lot of Civil War battlefields (especially Virginia)

kaner - I am in Columbus, Ohio ... just don't come in the winter, the other 3/4 of the time is great ... we have good science and art museaums, I can point you to some great dance and performance arts as well ... or if you want to drink beer and play diplomacy then PM me! Anyway, Cincinnati is a fun historic city too ... Cleevland on the lakefront is good but only in the summer really ... but in Cleveland there is the Rick and Roll Hall of Fame, which is pretty cool

This is my house:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=
208076731172076962979.0004ba9e8c34576c7ecb0
The great city of Fredericksburg surrounds it...

@Kaner,
Where will you be visiting in Ohio? I am from there and could possibly direct you to some good places to eat, or historical sites if that's your thing. Although, if your meeting people there, they will probably have a good itinerary already set up for you. Yes, the Rock Hall of Fame is cool, but also if you enjoy American Football, we have the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well in Canton, about an hour south of Cleveland. That's always a fun visit (especially for a foreigner who is a football fan)

If you like watching MASH, you could always grab a couple of Tony Paco's hotdogs in Toledo. If passing through Columbus, and you eat meat, try Schmidt's Sausage Haus. If you'll be in the Cleveland area, let me know and I'll give you some more precise advice. Cincinatti is famous for the chili, but only God knows why.

I've never seen the six-legged steer, but anyone who's driven through Kansas on I-70 knows what I'm talking about. It's probably a fake. I just make a joke out of it because Kansas is so damn drab that it's apparently the best thing to see there (judging from the signs). Although south Kansas doew have a hip music scene.

Are you driving cross-country, or will just be in a few specific locations?

A place called Mt.Pleasant, Ohio, yes I will be traveling overland in car, and would love some directions to good places to eat in the Ohio area. (I've heard that there are some mounds in Ohio? I'd like to visit those)

@Rancher

O-H!

mounds? what do you mean, like... native American burial sites or something?

I've never heard of Mt. Pleasant, unless you mean Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. I know that town well too.

I'll chime in with some more ideas tomorrow, but in terms of battlefields, I highly recommend Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. It's one of the best preserved American Civil War battlefields, as well as one of the most important (if not THE most important) battle in American history.

ahh, how could I forget Evansville, Indiana also has Angel mounds

Evansville is also notorious for something else I believe, the founding of the Ku Klux Klan. Is that true, Shep? (you seem to be familiar with the place)

well Evansville is about an hour from where I live
The kkk was formed in Tennessee originally the first time, second clan was from Georgia, third was from Alabama

Indiana did though have the dubious distinction of being known as the Klan State during the 1920s since most politicians in the state were controlled by the Klan at that time. so the klan was once active in the area, not so much now (I've never seen any at least)

Hm, apparently Mount Pleasant, Ohio, is way over by the West Virginia border. I was going to say that if it was in the Toledoish area, I could meet up for a game of Dip.

scratch that the third klan might have been from Georgia too, I'm not sure, but it didn't start in Indiana

I wonder if Mt. Pleasant is close to the Mountaineer then, for the Casino-going type. I had a pretty memorable win there.

Can't remember where I heard the Klan thing, perhaps there was some notorious event or assembly there. I wouldn't know.

p.s.
I agree w/ Ninja that St. Louis is a great town. Also, I think Boston is good (or at least used to be)- it offers some good American fun but isn't quite so... New Yorky (sry Mongoose, I haven't had the pleasure yet of dicovering the New York night culture)

In all honesty, there's tons of great stuff to see in the U.S., it's hard to pinpoint which is paramount. I guess it all depends on what you're in to- beautiful places, national/historic monuments, people, events, etc. You mentioned battlefields, so I'll agree that Gettysurg is the probably the best as far as American Civil War. There's a culture built around it. If you're going to be passing through the west, I have to recommend that you at least pass through an 'American West' city... i.e. Leadville, Tombstone, Dodge City, etc.etc. If I were going to Australia, I'd enjoy a good, exaggerated sense of the 'Outback'.. so I speculate that if you're the same, and would like a good experience of legendary American cowboy culture, seek out one of those hidden gems of American history. I have to say that some of America's greatest renown and uniqueness stems from the old west. Although, such excursions can often be hit or miss.

^ @Kaner

I love the outdoors and I can't believe no one mentioned the national parks:
In my opinion, these are the must see parks, but all of them are excellent:

Yellowstone
Rocky Mountain National Park
Yosemite
Grand Canyon
I haven't been to Glacier National park, but hear it is excellent also.

The Grand Canyon is definitely on my hit list of places to see, and if I have time I'd like to see Yosemite and parts of the Rockies as well.

Actually, I prefer Badlands National Park in South Dakota to Yellowstone. Yellowstone gets all the tourist agg, so even though it's nice, it gets crowded and annoying. Badlands...not so much, and you can easily swing to Mount Rushmore too. And it's sort of on the way from Oregon to Ohio. Zion National Park in Utah is my personal favorite, but it seems very out of the way from your trip.

Allright, some highlights I would recommend based on my travels throughout the US:

If you're heading east through the midwest to Ohio, you're probably traveling close to Chicago, if not right through it. I recommend you stop by the Windy City and try the next 3 things at least once: the italian beef, a Chicago style hot dog, and a Chicago style pizza. This is to prepare you in case you go to New York and try their (inferior) pizza. You'll at least know what good stuff tastes like. : ) Beyond that, the lakefront in Chicago is beautiful, especially if you visit near summer. You can visit Navy Pier, or walk Lake Shore Drive, or just stroll through Grant Park. Wonderful area. While you're in the area, we can play some Dip as well : p

Outside of Chicago, on the way east, there's Gary, Indiana. If you happen to be a Michael Jackson fan, you can swing through and see the (tiny) house he grew up in. If not, you can smell the wonderful smell of the steel mills (not as bad as it used to be though).

I'm afraid I don't know overly much about the rest of Indiana/Ohio, but once you pass Ohio (if you so choose), I-80 will take you near Pittsburgh (mentioned previously I believe). Further east in Pennsylvania, you can visit Philadephia, our nation's first Capital, and the location where the Continental Congress meetings were held as well as where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Between the 2 cities is Gettysburg, which as I previously mentioned, I highly recommend going to if you're looking for anything related to historical battles. It was the turning point of the American Civil War, and one of the most important battles in US history. In addition, the battlefield is superbly maintained and looks very close to what it would have looked like in 1863. They have guided "battle-walks", or you can explore on your own. Highlight areas include Seminary Ridge (Day 1 fighting, mostly because my ancestor fought there on that day, so go see it!), Devil's Den, The Peace Orchard, and Little Round Top (Day 2 fighting, Little Round Top being probably the best chance the Confederates had at turning the Union line and coming away with the win at Gettysburg), and Pickett's Charge (Day 3 fighting, considered the High Water Mark of the Confederacy where the plan was to smash the Union Center and claim victory with a 1 mile march over open ground). If you can't tell, I like Gettyburg a lot. : )

Past Pennsylvania, we have nearby Washington D. C. to the south which I highly recommend going to. As a city designed purely as a Federal City, it's pretty cool to see the epicenter of American power in D. C. Not only that, but there's some pretty cool monuments to see as well.

To the north, there's obviously New York (doesn't need too much explaining), and further on, Boston. Personally, if you're into history, I recommend Boston. While there, you can see Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolution, as well as historic Boston.

At this point, I'm going to bow out, as I think I've written more than I intended. I'm sure I'll pop back in with more though. God bless the USA!

The Mt Pleasant, OH I know is in suburban Cinicinnati, my high school teams used to play games over there and it was ajust a few miles away

Are you sure you're not thinking of the silliest named suburb ever, Mount Healthy?

yes, Badlands is very cool. I imagine late spring/early summer would be a great time to be there. Also since Mt. Rushmore was brought up, the nearby Crazy Horse monument is pretty awe-inspiring, even in its developmental stages.

WIsconsin has the BEST beer. Lots of good local brews from every county. Madison and Milwaukee must be visited. Go tour the Milwaukee Brewing Co. as well as Lakefront Brewing. Plus all the brewpubs and everything else.

Visit washington. Though try and find a time when congress is out of session, so you arn't disgusted like the ones of us who live here.

I agree with General Cool, that you should come see Minnesota for a bit.

Absolutely going to visit as many micro-breweries as possible!