Highlights

“The United States is a country unique in the world because it was populated not merely by people who live in it by the accident of birth, but by those who willed to come here.” John Gunther, 1947

New York

The Big Apple, with that instantly recognisable skyline, and street names from the movies, is a must for trips to America. Visit Staten Island for the best views of Manhatten Island, rollerskate in Central Park, and be sure to have a big, New York breakfast.

Grand Canyon

Visit the South Rim at dawn for a sense of the enormity of nature. Spend a day trekking in the canyon, or get a permit and camp on the canyon floor. Or, for the less energetic, take to the air in a helicopter and watch the ground drop away.

Denali National Park, Alaska

Admire the tundra and glaciers in Alaska’s finest park, home to bears and wolves, with views of North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley.

California

Home to two major but very different US cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The former is all gas-guzzling cars stuck in a concrete and glass jungle, home to the rich and vain, with holiday resorts for the many. The latter is eco-friendly, gay-friendly, boho chic, home to great food, an eclectic nightlife and a weird white fog disguising one of America’s best views, the Golden Gate Bridge.

National Parks

Aside from the Grand Canyon, America has a great geological diversity. Visit the lush parks of Yosemite and Zion for excellent hiking in clean, crisp air. Or enter Badlands, Bryce, or Monument Valley, a world away - dusty, arid and truly spectacular. Or Redwoods, with ancient trees you can drive through, some over 100 metres high.

Being there

Etiquette

Open friendly people of different cultures and origins. Normal courtesies apply. Smoking increasingly unpopular, ask permission first. Dress generally casual.

Food and Drink

American breakfasts are legendary. Fast food, from hamburgers to hotdogs, is available everywhere, and international cuisine is available in every city. There are numerous regional specialities, from Spanish flavours in the south-west to Creole or French in the deep south. Many different kinds of bar, with varying ‘happy hours’. Californian wines are good.

Shopping and Souvenirs

Clothes, electrical items, traditional artefacts from the different peoples and regions, sports goods.

Additional Info

People and Places

Capital: Washington.
Language: English.
Population: 294,800,000.
Population Density: 30.5. (pop per km²)
Size: 9,809,155. (area km²)

Transport

Numerous. Busiest 10 are: Atlanta (ATL), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Dallas/Fort Worth(DFW), San Francisco (SFO), Denver (DEN), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), Phoenix (PHX), Detroit (DTW).
Excellent air, rail and road networks. Buses, taxis, and different types of car-hire available.

Red Tape

National driving licence accepted for a year. International Driving Permit recommended, not required.
USA: 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE, tel (020) 7499 9000, fax (020) 7495 5012.
UK: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, tel (202) 588 6500, fax (202) 588 7866, email washi@fco.gov.uk.

State of the Nation

Life expectancy: M 74.89, F 80.67.

Finance: Credit cards widely accepted, cheques less so.
Business hours: 0900-1730 Mon-Friday.
GMT: Spans six time zones, from - 5 (east coast) to - 10 (Hawaii).
Voltage guide: 110/120 AC, 60 Hz.
Country dialling code: 1.

Source: Expedia