For New York, I suggest the following places:

1. Museum of Modern Art

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

3. New York Botanical Garden

4. Empire State Bldg

5. Staten Island Cruise - Which is a half hour cruise to Staten Island; It passes by the Statue of Liberty. There are also great restaurants in Staten Island that you can try!

6. Statue of Liberty - there are tickets for this. See their website to get info and I suggest to get tickets as early as now since they run out closer to the date.

7. Chinatown New York - Kinda crowded though

8. Central Park - There are lots to see at Central Park, there's the playground, the zoo, etc. See their website where they are exactly. It can be in the North, South, East and West side.

9. Lincoln Center - Which is right next to Juilliard

10. Times Square - Also kinda crowded. You guys might wanna look into seeing a broadway show here.

11. Rockefeller Plaza

12. Grand Central Terminal

13. American Museum of Natural History

14. Brooklyn Bridge

Goodluck! Hope you enjoy New York!

You might feel a bit less rushed if you keep this trip for the west coast (since it seems like that is where most of your destinations are).
I would save Chicago and NYC for another trip. Add in Seattle and Vancouver, BC or just spend a bit more time in some of the other locations.

Personally most of the major cities are same in terms of hustle and bustle. The main difference lies in the history and national habitat. An example is the Grand Canyon National Park. A must see if you are in America since you will never be having such a majestic view again. So If you like the beaches then Myrtle Beach is a must. Also look at the functions of cities. Mardi gras rock in New Orleans. But without it the city is dull.

You're trying to do/see too much at once. For a one month holiday maybe concentrate on say just the Pacific Northwest: San Francisco, northern Calif., Oregon (Crater Lake National Park, the coast, Portland) , up into Washington, Seattle, Olympic Natl Park. I would think that will take up your month without feeling rushed. Plan another trip for the Southern Calif/ Southwest area (Los Angeles, San Diego, Joshua Tree National Park, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon National Park, Lake Powell, the Four Corners area). Save the East Coast for another time. The U.S. Is just too big to see all you want to in one month. IMHO.

What an itinerary! You might find once you get here you want a few more days in certain cities, especially when you start to see how long it's going to take to get to/from each place.

Here are few things you're not going to want to miss in LA and NYC:

LA : Abbot Kinney is a great place for art, nature, all things cool :) Eat at Gjelina if you can and enjoy all the amazing street art! Plus the beach is right there.

In NYC: 

Check out theskint.com to find out what's happening during the days you're here - they post everything from free events to cheap beer festivals, etc. It's my go-to site. Make sure to grab a dollar slice while you're exploring and try to make it to the Whitney Museum if you can. It's right next to the High Line Park so you can knock both out in a few hours! I took the pic below from the Whitney's rooftop deck - you get some pretty incredible views of the city here plus great art.

Chicago

• Millenium Park and The Bean tourist attractions
• Chicago Water Taxi to take you along the river.  See the cityscape in the heart of the city
  
• Portillo's
• Buddy Guy's Legends for some blues music
  
• El Hefe Mexican Restaurant for a party on Sunday night
• Chicago Riverwalk newly created themed sections
  
• Navy Pier tourist attraction and great view of the cityscape
  

Hi Lisa-Marie- Sounds like a great trip! I'll do my best to give you a few recomendations on unique places that are truly amazing.

In SF- you really cant go wrong in the city. North Beach and San Francisco Chinatown are pretty great. Golden Gate Park as well. Haight-Ashbury is a little sad these days, and a tourist trap, but still worth checking out. If you make it to Haight St, check out Ceiba SF (http://www.ceibasf.com/) to stock up on Burning Man gear ;) I also highly recommend you head North across the Golden Gate bridge to hike in Muir Woods. Totally Amazing! 

Burning Man- Have the time of your life!

Las Vegas- Don't Bother. 

Joshua Tree National Park- Camp.

Portland- email me and I'd be happy to give you some tips on my home city (simon.yugler(at)gmail.com) 

Hawaii- Just Relax and let your friend show you around.

Los Angeles- Hit up the The Getty Center, Venice Beach, & Topanga. 

Chicago- House of Blues? Don't know it much. 

New York City- The city is totally amazing. Central Park! Check out the Bushwick and Williamsburg areas of Brooklyn. Get out of the city and head 1.5 hours north to  Alex Grey's mansion/art temple of CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (http://cosm.org/)

Hope that helps! 

Portland is a great choice, and I'd recommend more time there. I think you'll like San Francisco, too. You're spending too much time in Vegas, though. It's an abysmal pit built on vice and consumerism - absolutely revolting. Unlike many people, I see the appeal of LA. You'll be surprised by how different it is from San Francisco, even though they're in the same state. Joshua Tree's landscape is definitely cool. Chicago is overrated as a whole; people love to go on about its food and I have no idea why (though Revolution Brewing is an amazing brewery).