re: 3 weeks in the USA.

I grew up in Dallas and still live here. The restaraunts and shopping are top notch.

If you're here in October, Dallas is your stop. The Texas State Fair will run until the 21st and is unlike anything you've ever seen. There are livestock shows, an automobile show, concerts, college football games, carnival rides and games, and the food is unreal: anything you can possibly think of battered and fried from Oreo cookies to bananas to tamales. You must partake of a Fletchers corn dog, too. Going to the Fair will run you about $200-300, but you will love the experience.

State Fair of Texas

Other things worth seeing in Dallas: Bush library, 6th Floor museum (JFK), Perot Museum, Dallas World Aquarium. SMU houses the Meadows Museum, the largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain. Spend an afternoon in Bishop Arts or Deep Ellum. Klyde Warren Park downtown is a must; food trucks are usually parked on the south side of the park. October is football season, so dole out the cash for a Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium, one of the best sporting venues in the world; it won't be cheap, but the experience is worth it. Six Flags Over Texas is the best amusement park in the state by far, especially if you like roller coasters. Dallas gives you a good portrait of what a large, cosmopolitan city in the US is like. It's easier to get around than Austin, San Antonio, or Houston.

If you come to Dallas, you should spend time in Ft Worth as well. It has a great zoo, the Kimbell Museum, and the Stockyards (where all the cowboy culture is located). Head over to Billy Bob's for a honky tonk experience. Downtown Ft Worth has a great nightlife (unlike Dallas).

I love Austin and the surrounding Hill Country. You can visit the State Capitol, the University of Texas (LBJ library), Lady Bird Lake on the Colorado River, good restaurants and a great nightlife culture on South Congress and downtown on 6th St. Austin has a great live music scene. Grab a meal at The Oasis on Lake Travis and drive 30 mins out of town for BBQ at the Salt Lick. You can tube the Comal or Guadalupe in New Braunfels an hour south of Austin. Schlitterbahn, the best waterpark in the country, is located in New Braunfels as well. May not be a possibility that late in the year...

San Antonio is the heritage center of the state. The Alamo is a must as is an evening stroll along the Riverwalk downtown. You would also have a shorter drive to New Braunfels and its attractions above. Sea World and Fiesta Texas on the west side of town offer a good portrait of what American amusement parks are like.

Dallas/Ft. Worth is the cosmopolitan center of the state. Austin is more for outdoorsy adventurers; more of a hipster scene there. San Antonio is for history lovers; lots of important Texas historical sites are there.

You can use Uber/Lyft to get around any of these cities, but Dallas has the best rail system and you can take rail from downtown Dallas to downtown Ft Worth any day of the week except Sunday. Rail also goes from downtown Dallas to all of the attractions I listed above in Dallas. Maybe 20-30 min walks from rail station to a couple of the attractions except the ones in Arlington. You can Uber to those easily.