United States Travel

From Massachusetts to Florida to Washington to California, 50 Great American Places takes you on a journey through our nation's history. Sharing the inside stories of sites as old as Mesa Verde (Colorado) and Cahokia (Illinois) and as recent as Silicon Valley (California) and the Mall of America (Minnesota), each essay provides the historical context for places that represent fundamental American themes.

Travel across the US with David Reynolds as he explores Route 50, one of the few remaining two-lane highways running from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Driving as slowly as safety permits, stopping frequently and often going backwards to have a second look at something glimpsed in passing, Reynolds talks to people on the streets, in bars and cafes, motels and gas stations. They talk about everything from slavery and the traditional Indian sundance, to cannabis in Colorado and tornadoes in Kansas, and about everyone from George Washington and Aaron Burr to Marilyn Monroe and the Eagles.

Winter turns Glacier National Park into a storybook wonderland—snow-draped forests hum with quiet, icy lakes shimmer like diamonds, and wildlife thrives undisturbed. No traffic, no noise—just you, the snow, and the serene stillness. If you've ever dreamed of leaving the chaos behind and discovering nature’s best-kept winter secret, this guide is your golden ticket.

John A. Jakle and Keith A. Sculle, two leading experts on the nation’s roadside landscape, examine the crucial role that small- to mid-sized city hotels played in American life during the early decades of the 20th century, a time when the automobile was fast becoming the primary mode of transportation. Before the advent of the interstate system, such hotels served as commercial and social anchors of developing towns across the country. America’s Main Street Hotels provides a thorough survey of the impact these hotels had on their communities and cultures.

We shipped two British Jeeps 3,500 miles back to the USA, before embarking on a 5,500-mile coast-to-coast road-trip from New York to LA. Along the way, we tackled the world-famous trails of Moab, took a tour of the nearby national parks, and sampled a few of Colorado's most scenic byways. Over the course of three weeks we were almost arrested, swallowed by a tornado, and nearly mugged in Las Vegas. The Jeeps broke down, caught fire, and were nearly confiscated. But we also met some incredible people, all of whom contributed in their own way to this story.

Netting the Sun offers a carefully crafted diversity of natural and human stories from a landscape seemingly empty and forlorn to passing casual travelers. This surprising interpretation of south central Oregon's botany, geology, wildlife, ethnography, and history reveals what a truly special place the high desert is.

Get ready to devour America. Adam Richman, the exuberant host of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food and Man v. Food Nation, has made it his business to root out unique dining experiences from coast to coast. Now, he zeroes in on some of his top-favorite cities - from Portland, Maine, to Savannah, Georgia - to share his uproariously entertaining food travel stories, top finds, and some invaluable (and hilarious) cautionary tales.

In this powerful, passionate chronicle, Noah Adams, the beloved host of NPR's All Things Considered, takes us on a river journey through the heart of Appalachia - a journey shared by pioneers and preachers, white-water daredevils, bluegrass musicians, and an unforgettable cast of vivid historical characters.

In Sidewalking, David L. Ulin offers a compelling inquiry into the evolving landscape of Los Angeles. Part personal narrative, part investigation of the city as both idea and environment, Sidewalking is many things: a discussion of Los Angeles as urban space, a history of the city's built environment, a meditation on the author's relationship to the city, and a rumination on the art of urban walking.

Troubled by my past and seeking a new life, I suddenly found myself homeless and meandering through the heart of the Midwest. From New Mexico, I traveled to Michigan to live with my son and his family. With nothing but a bike and a backpack, I made my way following the trails of southwestern Michigan. Two thousand miles away, my ex-husband's suicide drove me into the winter of my deep despair. Reconsidering the choices I had made in my life, I did what was for me, the unthinkable.

In 1994, retired CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt set out to spend a perfect year in America - traveling to his 12 favorite American places, in just the right month for a visit to each. With his well-known warmth, humor, and insight, he shows them to us now in Charles Kuralt's America.

Here is the best guide to these mountains, replete with tales of the early Indians who roamed the forests, the first explorers, and the ceaseless wars among the French and British, then the American colonists, for control of the land. But the book is primarily a guide to enjoying the mountains today.

In this extraordinary narrative, Alan Tennant recounts his all-out effort to radio-track the transcontinental migration of the peregrine falcon, an investigation no one before him had ever taken to such lengths.

In The Search for the Codex Cardona, Arnold J. Bauer tells the story of his experiences on the trail of a cultural treasure, a Mexican “painted book” that first came into public view at Sotheby’s auction house in London in 1982, nearly 400 years after it was presumably made by Mexican artists and scribes. On folios of amate paper, the Codex includes two oversized maps and 300 painted illustrations accompanied by text in 16-century paleography.

John Scott hiked the 2160 mile Appalachian Trail to celebrate his life. As a teenage boy in 1970's Scotland he was fascinated by US politics and culture. John explores this fascination as he hikes through 14 states from Georgia to Maine. Over miles and months, he realizes it is the land and people which now captivates him. To the Woods is a walk through a man's life.

A typical book about an American founding father doesn’t start at a gay piano bar and end in a sewage ditch. But then, Tom Paine isn’t your typical founding father. A firebrand rebel and a radical on the run, Paine alone claims a key role in the development of three modern democracies. In death, his story turns truly bizarre. Shunned as an infidel by every church, he had to be interred in an open field on a New York farm. Ten years later, a former enemy converting to Paine’s cause dug up the bones and carried them back to Britain.

"W pepku Ameryki" to trzeci tom (po wczesniejszych "Atlantyk-Pacyfik" oraz "Królik i oceany") amerykanskiego tryptyku podrózniczego Melchiora Wankowicza pt. "W slady Kolumba", o którym sam pisal: "Trzy ksiazki, które wydaje, powstaly z ciaglej wlóczegi. Zamiast osla mialem rozklekotane auto, a zamiast jalmuzny - honoraria za odczyty w ogromnym zasiegu ladów Ameryki i Kanady". Jest to obraz Stanów Zjednoczonych lat 60.

Jeff Alt takes you along every step of his 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail adventure. This entertaining journey includes bears, bugs, blisters, captivating characters, skunk bedmates, and hilarious food cravings. Alt walked more than five million steps in tribute to his brother, who has cerebral palsy and lives in a home called Sunshine. This trail adventure has inspired an annual event that has raised more than $200,000 for Sunshine. It includes hiking tips for the whole family.

Bill Bryson will es seinen gehfaulen Landsleuten zeigen: Gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Katz, der aufgrund gewaltiger Leibesfülle und einer festverwurzelten Leidenschaft für Schokoriegel nicht gerade die besten Voraussetzungen dafür mitbringt, will er den längsten Fußweg der Welt, den "Appalachian Trail", bezwingen. Eine abenteuerliche Reise quer durch zwölf Bundesstaaten der USA beginnt...

From the Tampa Bay area to Naples and the Everglades, this guide covers all of Florida's coastal cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas, and beaches on the state's western shore. Information on watersports is given, plus details on eco-treks into gator territory, hot air balloon rides, airboat excursions, biking trails, cycling routes, and historic walking tours.