Where in Canada should I travel to?

Where in America or Canada should I travel on a US Airways hub?

• I have a companion fare for US Airways. In order to use it, I have to buy a ticket by April 30 and travel by July 31. Where should I go? I'd like to find a great place to go in the U.S. or Canada for vacation. Ideally, it would be a site of awesome natural beauty, but would not have to be. Like I said, I have this US Airways voucher that I need to use or lose. The trouble is, a lot of the places I need to go this year for work & weddings (places like SF and Denver) are not on US Airways hubs, so it doesn't make economic sense to use the voucher for them. I am looking for ideas about where to travel for a quick getaway. The limitations: * Must be in the lower 48 US states or Canada * Must travel before 07/31/13 * Should probably be around the US Airways travel hubs of Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (but I'm open to other places as long as it's reasonably inexpensive) * I'd like to go to an awesome outdoor destination like a national park, but would also consider cool sites of all purposes. Any ideas? Thanks!

• Answer:

  I think since the acquisition of AirWest (you know which one I mean) you can also add Las Vegas to the list. You could do worse than Phoenix. You can do a car trip from there that's really fun! Start in Phoenix. Go to http://ponchosaz.com/ Central Ave, just north of Baseline. Requst to sit at the table under the mural commemorating President Clinton's visit there. This is the joint in the 'hood where I grew up and it's cheap and outstanding. Head out to http://www.cosanti.com/, check out the cool architecture, buy a wind bell. Philosophize about the nature of buildings and ecosystems. Check out the http://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm (just south of Phoenix). It's America's Stonehenge! Take a tour of http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2012/03/07/20120307phoenix-tovrea-castle-tours-start.html! We couldn't do this when I was a kid, but now you can! It was said that the site was protected by rattlesnakes and gila monsters. Visit the http://www.heard.org/. Have an ice cream at http://www.marycoyle.net The http://www.phoenixzoo.org/ is an excellent zoo, very involved in conservation work. I did summer camp there and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. After a couple of days, head north to Sedona. On the way, stop at http://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm. These are cliff dwellings of the Sinagua tribe. I loved these as a kid and the park rangers are super cool. Go to Sedona. Go to thehttp://azstateparks.com/Parks/RERO/. When I took a friend of mine from Florida she was stunned by the beauty of it, reduced to ecstatic utterances of "DIOS MIO! DIOS MIO!" Seriously, it's that great. They have neat hikes and they have Slide Rock. Bring an old pair of sneakers and a pair of cut offs you don't care to see again and have a ball! Hang out in Sedona, do whiffy, new age stuff. Then head up to the http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm! It's about 2.5 hours away. You can drive through the Grand Canyon, to Las Vegas. It's about 4.5 hours (bring water!) Once in Vegas, you can do Vegas stuff until it's time to fly home. You're hitting two national parks and a state park, plus you can do as much or as little roughing it versus luxury at pretty much any stop. It's pretty cheap in the summer but it is HOT! Be aware. It will get chilly at the Grand Canyon at night.