Any tips where to stay in America?

[Candyland791]

In a year I'm gonna take my final exams before graduating from school and I was thinking about what to do the next years after school.
What crossed my mind was leaving germany and spending a few months - or maybe even a whole year in America as an Au pair or maybe just Work&travel or something.
Now there are a few questions I'd like to ask all the Ac players coming from America since there's so many of you on TBT:

1. First of all, I don't even know where to live. America's such a big country that I find it hard to find any specific state I want to spend my time in. Do you have any suggestions?
I'd like to live somewhere where it's not as hot in summer and where you can easily travel with public transport. Also, maybe with many places I can visit to learn about american culture?
And also, the rental fee for apartments shouldn't be too expensive^^'
2. What is something I ABSOLUTELY shouldn't miss seeing or doing while being in America?
3. I'm thinking about living there with my best friend who is also a girl. Would you say America's a safe place to live in?
4. Are there any requirements I have to fulfill if I want to stay in America for longer than just for like 2 weeks being on vacation? (e.g. TOEFL, a Visa-like pass etc.?)
5. Do you have any other tips for me I should/ definitely shouldn't do in regards of being in America?

Thanks for any responses!

 

[buny]

i'm not American, but i know for sure that if you wanna travel and stay in America for 90 days or less you can do it with ESTA which basically allows you to travel from Europe to America without a VISA. You can look it up if you're interested. Now if you wanna stay for longer than the ESTA allows you to, then you're gonna need a VISA, the type of which depends on what you're gonna do in America (studies, work, tourism). Good luck ^^

 

[Candyland791]

Thank you!

 

[-Apples-]

1. Judging by what you’re asking for, Pennsylvania would probably be the best state. I don’t know about price, but it’s not as expensive as New York or California. You can also learn about American culture there pretty well. And it’s beautiful in the fall (even though this doesn’t relate to you).
2. I don’t know what you shouldn’t miss, but you should visit New York and Boston for tourism. Though Texas is very rich in cultute.
3. It’s safe for visitors, but I would suggest avoiding these cities.

I don’t know 4 and 5, but I am trying to help you as much as you can.

 

[neoratz]

i can't answer all of these bc i'm only 18 and don't know a lot about how anything works but HERE'S WHAT I CAN ANSWER

1. i think virginia would be a good spot cuz it's close to washington dc and pennsylvania and nyc which are big tourist areas, washington dc in particular has like 9+ smithsonian museums all pretty close to each other and a TON of stuff involving historical/cultural things (the last two would probably require a train ride though... and i'm not just suggesting this cuz it's where i live >>). from what i know though it IS pretty expensive in a lot of the nicer areas i think so maybe somewhere nearby would be a better option but close enough that you can still visit? it's also not super bad in the summer and you can get around really easily with all the metro and bus systems.

2. there is a lot of stuff to do so this isn't like a YOU MUST DO THIS sort of thing but i think taking the time to visit some museums or tourist attractions wherever you pick would be fun! like i mentioned above the smithsonian museums are really good and they have a lot in dc!

3. i think it is relatively safe but there's definitely some places to avoid. i don't know a lot off the top of my head but i think like everywhere else it's not super safe to be in big cities at night without a group

that's all i got... good luck with your final exams and your trip!!!

 

[Candyland791]

Thank y'all for gelping me out!

 

[Candyland791]

Bump!

 

[Warrior]

I'm a European who's spent a lot of time in America. I'm there right now actually. Have you been to America before? I would definitely not suggest moving here for any amount of time without first visiting on holiday first.

My opinions? America kinda freaking sucks. It's expensive, and if you get sick? haha yeah that's gonna be 500 dollars for them to look at your pee sample. The food sucks, unless you pay like... 5 dollars for milk.

I'm only here for my boyfriend and, America just.... sucks. Nicer places like Seattle and surrounding areas are probably ok but man, seriously consider this, getting the permission to work is tricky with the current administration, and like I said, the medical system's a nightmare, and honestly... sorry americans... but I find americans are way more rude and intrusive than Europeans in general.

On the upside though, good fried chicken, I guess there's that.

 

[duckykate]

i can't answer all of these bc i'm only 18 and don't know a lot about how anything works but HERE'S WHAT I CAN ANSWER

1. i think virginia would be a good spot cuz it's close to washington dc and pennsylvania and nyc which are big tourist areas, washington dc in particular has like 9+ smithsonian museums all pretty close to each other and a TON of stuff involving historical/cultural things (the last two would probably require a train ride though... and i'm not just suggesting this cuz it's where i live >>). from what i know though it IS pretty expensive in a lot of the nicer areas i think so maybe somewhere nearby would be a better option but close enough that you can still visit? it's also not super bad in the summer and you can get around really easily with all the metro and bus systems.

2. there is a lot of stuff to do so this isn't like a YOU MUST DO THIS sort of thing but i think taking the time to visit some museums or tourist attractions wherever you pick would be fun! like i mentioned above the smithsonian museums are really good and they have a lot in dc!

3. i think it is relatively safe but there's definitely some places to avoid. i don't know a lot off the top of my head but i think like everywhere else it's not super safe to be in big cities at night without a group

that's all i got... good luck with your final exams and your trip!!!

I agree! I live in virginia and it's not too expensive to live here but DC is really close by with a ton of stuff to see. And it doesn't get extremely hot or cold. My neighborhood is pretty safe too.

I wouldn't recommend staying here though. America just isn't a nice place to live. Bad healthcare, bad president, no gun control, I just overall don't like it here.

 

[Darby]

I love it here. My family took vacations all over America when I was growing up... I collected little silver charms from all the places we visited and I have quite an impressive bracelet. Right now I’m watching a show on Hulu called National Parks Exploration Series that is simply breathtaking. As for visiting though, I’d have to say do a bit of research to see what and where looks most appealing to you and your friend. And I’d just like to say thank you for your interest in our country, it might not be perfect but I’m proud of it.

 

[DJStarstryker]

I think you really need to figure out where you want to go (at least states/cities) and what sorts of things you might want to see first. America is huge and each state is pretty different from each other. The costs for apartments vary wildly depending on the area and so does the crime level.

You should also keep in mind travel expenses. If you want to see both New York and California, for example, they are so far apart that you either need to fly or spend about a week doing a road trip from one to the other.

Also, you NEED a car in America. Public transportation is available in some areas, but it generally is only usable in a small area. For example, the Washington DC Metro is pretty decent, but you can't get anywhere outside of a few parts of Maryland, Washington DC itself, and a few parts of northern Virginia with it. Unless you're going to stay in one city that has public transportation and not really go anywhere else, you will need a rental car.