<p>I hate to be the killjoy here, but I feel that recommending a gap year in NYC or LA is unrealistic for most families, especially if they would still be looking at 4+ years of college thereafter. Both cities are unaffordable for most recent college graduates, much less for kids with just a high school diploma. That wasn’t always the case, but it is now. A waitressing or retail sales job will not pay the rent. Manhattan is completely out of reach financially, as are many places in Brooklyn now. Maintaining a car, and insuring a teenage driver, in LA is pretty exorbitant too, for newcomers. It is probably more realistic for a kid to look into nearby community theaters, and classes at a county or state college, while working from home, for awhile. Alternatively, a kid could work for part of a gap year, and then travel for the rest of it. That’s pretty standard practice among Europeans. You’ll find young nannies, camp counselors, and resort staff from all over the world here. They earn enough money to subsidize extended trips later on. I think it’s more realistic to have a kid save up some money, and then possibly register for a short-term course or workshop in a cultural mecca - be it LA, NYC, or London.</p>