The US is the home of consumerism and the American Dream. It gave the world the right to the pursuit of happiness, airplanes, refrigerators, computers, blues, rock and roll and movies. Flights start from only 199 to New York or 350 to Los Angeles out of season. Car hire is around 19 per day, and hotel rooms about 70 per night. Autumn or early spring is the best time, out of the American holiday period.
Autumn is especially good in New England and the upper Great Lakes because of the fall colours.
California's southern coast is comfortable all year round but the beach scene is best between June and September. The Atlantic Coast is the most heavily populated area and retains strong traces of its European heritage in the oldest American cities like Boston, New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia. You can't beat New York for its hyperactive rush, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. The centre of the capital is Capitol Hill, where visitors flock to the White House.