USA

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Midtown Manhattan, USA

Introducing USA

Travel Alert: Hurricane Earl prompted evacuations in North Carolina's Outer Banks on 1 September 2010 and hurricane warnings have been extended northward along the Eastern Seaboard. Swells from Earl have been predicted to cause dangerous surf conditions in The Bahamas and the south-eastern coast of the US over the following days. Travellers to the region should carefully watch the latest news and weather advisories.

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The playwright Arthur Miller once said that the essence of America was its promise. For newly arrived immigrants and jet-lagged travelers alike, that promise of America can take on near mythic proportions. America is a land of dazzling cities, towering coast redwoods, alpine lakes, rolling vineyards, chiseled peaks, barren deserts and a dramatic coastline of unrivaled beauty. And that’s just California!

In the other 49 lie an astounding collection of natural and cultural wonders, from the wildly multihued tapestry of urban streets to the mountains, plains and forests that cover vast swaths of the continent. America is the birthplace of LA, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Boston and New York City – each a brimming metropolis whose name alone conjures a million different notions of culture, cuisine and entertainment.

Look more closely, and the American quilt unfurls in all its surprising variety: the eclectic music scene of Austin, the easygoing charms of antebellum Savannah, the ecoconsciousness of free-spirited Portland, the magnificent waterfront of San Francisco, and the captivating old quarters of New Orleans, still rising up from its waterlogged ashes.

This is a country of road trips and great open skies, where four million miles of highways lead past red-rock deserts, below towering mountain peaks, and across fertile wheat fields that roll off toward the horizon. The sun-bleached hillsides of the Great Plains, the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest and the scenic country lanes of New England are a few fine starting points for the great American road trip.

Travel Alert: Stricter security measures have been introduced at US airports for passengers traveling from destinations considered to have links with terrorism. For details check the Transport Security Administration website. The usual restrictions on airline carry-on baggage remain in place throughout the US.

Last updated: Sep 2, 2010

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Thorn Tree forum discussion

Recent posts

  1. ryannm avatar
    Minor trouble returning through US Customs

    by ryannm 1 reply, last post 09 September 2010

    For those concerned about traveling to Cuba, it's not seeming to be much of a problem: http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2010/01/27/19858/a_seven_da…
  2. just_wishing avatar
    Cheap Travel to Australia

    by just_wishing 1 reply, last post 09 September 2010

    I'm looking for the cheapest ways to get to Australia this coming January (2011). Possibly for 1 -12 months. I've been researching passage…
  3. penfold389 avatar
    El Paso OR Tucson

    by penfold389 13 replies, last post 09 September 2010

    I will be travelling around the USA (LA-DC-NY-Cincinnati-Nashville-Memphis-New Orleans- Houston-LA) for six weeks and I have just completed…

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