Introduction to USA

You must remember, they are United States: 50 different places and states of mind, spread out over some 3.6 million square miles. It's 2,500 miles from New York to Los Angeles, and that again to Hawaii, so if you wake up in Louisiana, you'll see a different horizon, be in a different time zone, have a different major urban area, and have a different favorite team than if you wake up in Albuquerque.

While we think of ourselves as "American," despite the influence of TV, suburban sprawl, strip malls, and chain restaurants, the United States hasn't yet become a monolithic place. Each region still speaks with its own accent, enjoys its own favorite foods, and has its own political and social attitudes. Whatever you want to see, do, or eat, you're likely to find it within the vast and diverse confines of the United States of America.

As we go to press in uncertain economic times, after a summer in which gas prices shot up higher than they've ever been, with an accompanying rise in the price of everything else, and in which the term staycation entered people's vocabularies, we think you'll find you can still feed your spirit of adventure, and find something wonderful to see, whether it's just around the corner in your own home state or across the country. We list a range of accommodations, dining, activities, and events for travelers on a tight budget, as well as the people who want a bang for their buck when they decide to splurge.

In this guide, we'll also give you some tips for getting the best value when you book a trip by air or reserve a hotel or motel room.