10 forgotten American cities that deserve more tourists
The idea that Britain is the “51st State” of the USA – a suggestion that is floated on occasion, usually at a time when the so-called Special Relationship is looking more like a cosy love-in, and less like an intractable family feud – has always been rather far-fetched.
Nonetheless, the air bridge between the two nations has been strong almost from the moment the Wright Brothers achieved take-off – British travellers with an interest in all things starred and striped have long been able to fly non-stop to a wide range of US cities. Not just the obvious ones either – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco. Smaller dots on the map – from east coast to west, and plenty of areas in between – have also generally been accessible via direct services from Heathrow, Gatwick, and the like.
The high tide was probably three years ago, when a raft of hugely ambitious low-cost Scandinavian carriers began jostling with the legacy airlines in the leap across the Atlantic. Norwegian was suddenly a key player, launching direct routes from Britain – including regular shuttles from Gatwick to both Chicago and the Texas capital Austin.
Icelandic rivals Wow Air and Icelandair were not far behind, thanks to a shrewd advertising strategy which marketed their wares as direct flights – even though passengers needed to touch down at the country’s main hub on their way across the ocean. The ad campaigns focused on the idea of Keflavik as less an airport, more an aviation bus station where you can hop off one plane and on to another without having to enter the country or pass through immigration. I tried this route in the summer of 2018, and found it wholly convenient – an all-but-non-stop arrangement (all but from the same departure gate) which had me in Cincinnati almost without noticing the briefest lay-over on Nordic soil.
Cincinnati – an attractive city in Ohio, but not its capital – wasn’t even the tip of the travel iceberg. Other regional US cities – Cleveland (also in Ohio, also not the state capital), Salt Lake City, Oakland – were also suddenly on the radar. American had never seemed closer.
Of course, a lot has changed since then. Wow Air overreached itself, and went out of business in March 2019. Norwegian – as were many airlines – was severely hit by the pandemic’s arrival, and has had to scale back its operations (although it is clinging to existence for now). And some of the routes launched in 2017 and 2018 were clearly part of a scattergun approach to brand expansion, and fell from the schedules almost as soon as they had been written in – Wow’s service into Cincinnati lasted for a matter of months.
Nonetheless, here we are, over a year into our battle with Covid-19, and the spiderweb of connections between the UK and the USA is still in a healthy condition. The following 10 Stateside cities all stand as less-heralded examples of the genre, but all can be reached without the sometimes considerable hassle of changing planes at an American airport. Better still, all have plenty to offer to the Americanophile who is happy to stick around.
Oakland
State: California
Too often dismissed as San Francisco's unruly little brother – the pair sit so close to each other, on opposite sides of San Francisco Bay, that they share a subway system – Oakland has, of late, been asserting its existence as a destination in its own right. The city's rising restaurant scene (not least in the eateries around Jack London Square), and the independent producers of its Urban Wine Trail (see visitoakland.com/restaurants/oakland-urban-wine-trail), are among the reasons to visit.
Prime attraction: Oakland is a sports obsessive, and its soul is visible at the Coliseum, its main arena. Controversially, its has just lost the city’s (American) football team – the Oakland Raiders have been the Las Vegas Raiders since July 2020. But cheers still rain from the stands for the home runs of baseball icons the Oakland A's (mlb.com/athletics).
Flights: Oakland was one of the flagship cities of the widening air network of the mid-2010s – British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com) and Norwegian both began jetting in directly from Gatwick. Both flights have now been cancelled. However, San Francisco International is so close by – a 23-mile cab ride from Oakland, including the drive around the Bay – that the difference is negligible. BA, United (0845 607 6760; united.com) and Virgin Atlantic (0344 874 7747; virginatlantic.com) all land here from London Heathrow.
Further information: visitoakland.com; visitcalifornia.co.uk
Portland
State: Oregon
America's west coast is awash with cities of high profile, from Seattle on the Canadian border to San Diego on the frontier with Mexico – and Portland has, to a relative extent, been lost in the dazzle emanating from the likes of San Francisco and Los Angeles. True, it is not strictly unknown (its hipster vibe has been lampooned in the satirical US TV series Portlandia) – and nor is it literally coastal, lurking 70 miles inland from the Pacific. But it is Oregon's biggest metropolis, and its famously laid-back ambience – all coffee shops, bars and comedy clubs – merits inspection.
Prime attraction: The Pearl District, a trendy neighbourhood north of Downtown, where formerly derelict warehouses have been reborn as restaurants, bars and artists' studios. Powell's City of Books (powells.com), a huge temple of the written word, is a local jewel.
Flight: BA’s stated intention to begin flying to Portland from Heathrow in June 2020 has not survived the pandemic, but Icelandair (020 7874 1000; icelandair.com) will resume services via Keflavik at the beginning of July.
Further information: travelportland.com; traveloregon.com
Nashville
State: Tennessee
The Tennessee state capital is such a highlight of the American South that is seems implausible that it did not have a direct connection to the UK for 23 years. That gap in the marked was filled by BA in May 2018 – a smart move that now delivers British tourists into a city where country music is as much a religion as anything that requires a church. Worship is held in venues as revered as the Grand Ole Opry (opry.com) and the Ryman Auditorium (ryman.com), as well as the late-night honky-tonk bars laid out along Broadway – including the irrepressible Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge (tootsies.net).
Prime attractions: The Country Music Hall of Fame (countrymusichalloffame.org), the colossal museum-cum-shrine which salutes everyone from Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Dolly Parton to Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley via a wealth of exhibits and recollections. The National Museum of African American Music (nmaam.org), which has been a welcome addition to the city since it opened in January.
Flight: BA from Heathrow.
Further information: visitmusiccity.com; tnvacation.com
Tampa
State: Florida
You could not, in all accuracy, describe Tampa as "hidden" – it perches at the mouth of the colossal Tampa Bay, roughly midway up the west coast of the Florida peninsula. But in a state where Miami is all beach-club gleam and Orlando is theme-park heaven (assuming a theme park is your idea of paradise), this city on the far side of the landmass is sometimes lost in the glitter. It deserves more attention – and has been attempting to attract it via, among other things, a craft-brewing scene (see visittampabay.com/baycrafted.html) which is garnering praise and patrons in equal measure. Its sports teams have also – considerably – boosted its profile in the last year. Its football team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (buccaneers.com), won the Super Bowl in February, five months after the ice hockey side Tampa Bay Lightning (nhl.com/lightning) had clinched the Stanley Cup (and four months after Tampa Bay Rays (mlb.com/rays) had narrowly lost the 2020 edition of baseball’s World Series finals) – leading to the rise of the “Champa Bay” hashtag.
Prime attraction: If you can't beat Orlando, you may as well join it – and Tampa offers one of Florida's best theme parks in the form of Busch Gardens (buschgardens.com), which places its emphasis on thrill rides. Cobra's Curse – a serpentine beast of spinning carriages – is one of eight rollercoasters to tick the scream/go faster box with relish.
Flight: BA from Gatwick.
Further information: visittampabay.com; visitflorida.com
Charlotte
State: North Carolina
Savvy travellers to the USA are well aware of Charlotte. This small city in the lower half of North Carolina offers quick access to the coastline of the American South – while also circumventing the need to fly in via a busy hub like New York or Miami. From here, you can forge out in search of some of the key moments in the American story. These might certainly include Charleston, 200 miles to the south in neighbouring South Carolina (which, sadly, lost its short-lived BA connection at the end of last year). This historic port was founded as long ago as 1670, and witnessed the outbreak of the US Civil War in 1861. The rolling sandbanks at Kill Devil Hills (350 miles east in North Carolina) are also essential – it was here that the Wright Brothers first flew in 1903 (nps.gov/wrbr).
Prime attraction: Charlotte has not always held onto arriving passengers, but those who decide to explore it may be surprised. Its NoDa (for "North Davidson Street") district is a classic case of an old milling area coming back to life in restaurants and galleries.
Flight: American Airlines (0844 369 9899; aa.com) from Heathrow.
Further information: charlottesgotalot.com; visitnc.com
San Jose
State: California
The fact that San Jose is California's third biggest city in terms of population – only Los Angeles and San Diego are larger in head-count – is generally overlooked. Certainly, it does not enjoy the same affection with travellers as its close colleague San Francisco (50 miles to the north-west). Partly, this is because San Jose is viewed as a gateway – to the tech companies and digital creativity of Silicon Valley, immediately to the west; to the beaches of Santa Cruz et al to the south-west. But it also rewards those who linger – not least in its "Second Downtown" of Santana Row, where restaurants and bars are thronged with evening customers.
Prime attractions: Devotees of the brand may want to forge 10 miles west to the store at the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino. Alternatively, the Tech Museum of Innovation, at the heart of the city, offers an enjoyable – and family-friendly – take on San Jose's visions of the future (thetech.org).
Flight: BA from Heathrow.
Further information: sanjose.org
Baltimore
State: Maryland
You might fly to Baltimore because you think it will be cheaper than flying to Washington DC – and near enough to the US capital for this to be a bright idea. You would be right – the two cities are just 40 miles apart, and connected by Amtrak’s fastest railway line. You might pay a visit too because you have seen it on crime drama The Wire, and are drawn to the dark side of the American Dream. But you might also drop in because Baltimore is one of the most unappreciated cities in the north-east – a port on the Patapsco estuary that has held its place on the map since 1729 (a year of birth that makes it more than half a century older than the home of the White House, just down the road).
Prime attraction: The USA has a National Aquarium (aqua.org). It is in Baltimore – and is home to over 17,000 creatures, and more than 750 species.
Flights: BA from Heathrow.
Further information: baltimore.org; visitmaryland.org
Minneapolis
State: Minnesota
Minnesota’s most populous city celebrates the landscape which frames it in its name – “Minneapolis” is a combination of the Dakota word for “waterfall” (mnihaha) and the Greek term for city (polis). Of course, the water which defines it most precisely is the Mississippi. Popular imagination always associates America’s most famous river with the heat and humidity of the South. But here, it can be seen meandering through the colder pastures of the Midwest – in a city whose arts scene is as reliable as its winter snowfall.
Prime attractions: Minneapolis Institute of Art (new.artsmia.org) has works by El Greco, Manet, Van Gogh and Gauguin; Minnesota African American Heritage Museum (maahmg.org) – a recent arrival, in 2018 – takes a cultured look closer to home. First Avenue and Hennepin Avenue are alive with bars – as is the revived Warehouse District.
Flight: Delta (020 7660 0767; delta.com) from Heathrow.
Further information: minneapolis.org; exploreminnesota.com
Saint Paul
State: Minnesota
Why fly directly to one Minnesota city when you can land in two? Minneapolis and Saint Paul are not so much the close siblings of the state as its conjoined twins (or Twin Cities, to use the official phrase). The pair share the international airport (which lies to the south of both), and are separated by the Mississippi – with Minneapolis sitting due west of its friend – but otherwise rub shoulders. Saint Paul is the smaller of the two, but is also the state capital, wearing its heritage in an elegant marble capitol that was completed in 1905.
Prime attractions: The city’s cathedral (cathedralsaintpaul.org; take a wild guess as to which saint is is dedicated to) is as splendid a structure as anything found in France – and exudes a classic Beaux Arts beauty that belies its relative youth (it was finished in 1915). The inevitable craft-beer scene takes shape in a wide range of bars scattered across Downtown – and in producers such as Bad Weather Brewery (badweatherbrewery.com).
Flight: Delta from Heathrow.
Further information: visitsaintpaul.com
Newark
State: New Jersey
Pity the place that has the sixth busiest airport in the USA, but is only ever considered a gateway to its immediate neighbour. That said neighbour is New York – and that Liberty International sits only nine miles from Manhattan, on the west side of the River Hudson – is a mitigating circumstance. But it is also a constant source of frustration for Newark, the New Jersey city (the most populous in the state) which has much to offer in its own right.
Prime attractions: Newark Symphony Hall is one the clearest indications that Newark is much more than a stalk to the Big Apple. The first-rate New Jersey Performing Arts Center (njpac.org) is one of the biggest such structures in the country, and home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Branch Brook Park, founded in 1895, is viewed as the oldest county park in the USA – and is renowned for its spring display of cherry blossom.
Flights: BA from Heathrow; United from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Heathrow.
Further information: newarkhappening.com; visitnj.org
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