United States

Written By Alex Hall

The United States is the country I grew up in. I was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, grew up playing tennis, and later lived for seven years in Orange County, California. It is huge and varied, from beach towns to mountains to farmland, and it rewards a bit of planning. This guide is for visitors and for Americans who want to see more of their own country.

What I did

  • Grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, surrounded by Amish country and farmland, and shopped at Central Market.

  • Lived seven years in Orange County, California, and spent a lot of time at Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach.

  • Played competitive tennis growing up.

  • Visited Honolulu on Oahu and Santa Barbara on the California coast.

  • Stayed in South Beach in Miami Beach, and in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

  • Passed through Rapid City, South Dakota, the gateway to the Black Hills.

Where to stay

  • New York City: Manhattan near Midtown or the Lower East Side is convenient for subways. Brooklyn neighborhoods like Williamsburg are cheaper and more local.

  • Los Angeles and Southern California: Santa Monica and Venice for the beach, Hollywood or West Hollywood for the city. San Diego's Gaslamp and La Jolla are good coastal bases.

  • Santa Barbara: East Beach is close to the sand and an easy walk to the waterfront.

  • Miami: South Beach in Miami Beach is walkable to the beach, restaurants and Ocean Drive. Fort Lauderdale's downtown is a calmer base near the water.

  • Hawaii: Waikiki or Ala Moana in Honolulu if you want the beach and restaurants. Go to the North Shore for a slower pace.

  • National parks: stay in the gateway town, such as Rapid City for the Black Hills or Tusayan for the Grand Canyon. Book early in summer.

Where I stayed

Getting there and around

  • Airports: major hubs include New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Dallas. Most have trains, shuttles or ride apps into town.

  • Rental cars: outside New York, Chicago, Boston and a few other cities, a car is often essential. Book early for national parks.

  • Domestic flights: the fastest way to cover long distances. Distances are bigger than most visitors expect.

  • Trains: Amtrak is best on the Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York and Washington, and along the California coast.

  • In cities: Uber and Lyft work in most places, and New York has a large subway system.

What to eat

  • Fresh seafood and fish tacos along the Southern California coast.

  • Poke, shave ice and plate lunches in Hawaii.

  • Cuban coffee and Cuban sandwiches in Miami.

  • Barbecue in Texas and the Carolinas, which differs by region.

  • New York pizza and bagels.

  • Pennsylvania Dutch food around Lancaster, such as soft pretzels and shoofly pie.

What to drink

  • Wine: California is the big one. Santa Barbara County, around Santa Ynez, is an easy day trip from Los Angeles. Napa and Sonoma are the classics north of San Francisco, and Paso Robles is more relaxed. Oregon's Willamette Valley and New York's Finger Lakes are worth a trip too.

  • Beer: craft beer is everywhere. Southern California, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest are especially strong, and most towns have a brewery taproom.

  • Whiskey: bourbon in Kentucky, where the Bourbon Trail runs through the distilleries, and Tennessee whiskey in Nashville.

  • Cocktails: a mai tai on the beach in Waikiki, a mojito in Miami, and a Manhattan or old fashioned in New York.

  • Coffee: a cafecito at a Miami walk-up window, and Kona coffee in Hawaii.

Don't miss

  • Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion and the Grand Canyon, if you can fit a national park.

  • New York City: Central Park, the High Line and a skyline view at dusk.

  • The Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Barbara and Big Sur.

  • Waikiki and the North Shore on Oahu.

  • Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills in South Dakota.

  • South Beach for sunrise and Art Deco architecture.

  • Amish country around Lancaster.

Day trips and side trips

  • Santa Barbara wine country from Los Angeles.

  • The Badlands from Rapid City.

  • Everglades National Park from Miami.

  • Pearl Harbor from Honolulu.

  • Philadelphia from Lancaster.

Festivals and events

  • Fourth of July: countrywide, on July 4. Fireworks and barbecues everywhere.

  • Mardi Gras: New Orleans, usually in February or March. Parades and street parties.

  • SXSW: Austin, usually in March. Music, film and tech.

  • Coachella: Indio, California, usually in April. A major music festival in the desert.

  • Sturgis Motorcycle Rally: Sturgis, South Dakota, usually in August. Near the Black Hills, and a spectacle even if you do not ride.

  • Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: New York City, in late November.

  • Lollapalooza: Chicago, usually in late July or early August. A giant multi-genre festival in Grant Park.

  • Ultra Music Festival: Miami, usually in March. The biggest electronic festival in the US.

  • EDC Las Vegas: Las Vegas, usually in May. A massive electronic dance festival.

  • Burning Man: Black Rock Desert, Nevada, usually in late August and early September. An arts and community event.

  • Austin City Limits: Austin, usually in October. A major music festival in Zilker Park.

  • Bonnaroo: Manchester, Tennessee, usually in June. A long-running camping music festival.

  • Electric Forest: Rothbury, Michigan, usually in June. An electronic and jam band festival.

  • New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: New Orleans, usually in late April and May. Jazz, funk and Louisiana food.

  • Outside Lands: San Francisco, usually in August. A big music, food and wine festival.

  • Rose Parade: Pasadena, on January 1. A famous floral parade.

Music and dance

  • Pop and hip hop: the mainstream sound, heard in clubs and stadiums across the country.

  • Country: Nashville is the heart of it, with live music at the honky tonks on Broadway.

  • Jazz and blues: New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis are the places to hear them live.

  • Rock and indie: Austin calls itself the live music capital, with shows most nights.

  • Electronic: Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles have big clubs and festivals.

  • Dance: line dancing and two-stepping at the honky tonks in Nashville and the dance halls in Austin, plus swing, salsa and blues dance nights in big cities. New Orleans' Frenchmen Street is a good place to dance to live jazz.

Photography spots

  • Santa Barbara's beaches and palm-lined waterfront at sunrise.

  • Waikiki and Diamond Head at sunrise or sunset.

  • South Beach's lifeguard towers at dawn.

  • The Black Hills and Badlands at golden hour.

  • Lancaster County's farmland in soft morning light.

  • Drones: follow FAA rules. National parks generally ban them, so check before you fly.

My experience

This is the country I grew up in, and a place I keep coming back to between trips. I grew up in Lancaster, where Amish farmland and Central Market are everyday life, then spent seven years in Orange County, where weekends meant the beaches at Newport, Laguna and Huntington. That mix made it easy to leave and easy to return. I would recommend the Southern California coast for easy weekends, Lancaster for a slow day in the country, and a road trip through the Black Hills if you want space. Plan more time than you think, because the distances are large.

Other places I've been

  • Austin, Dallas area, Nashville and Denver.

  • Los Angeles, Burbank, Santa Ana, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Las Vegas.

  • New York, Newark, Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

  • Charlotte, New Bern, Miami, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and The Villages in Florida.

  • Honolulu and Rapid City.

Cost of living

  • Overall: New York, Austin and Miami: $$$$ to $$$$$, with New York the benchmark. Austin runs about 20% cheaper, Miami about 10% cheaper. Midwest cities cost far less.

  • Coffee: about $5

  • Local lunch: about $16

  • Dinner for two at a nice restaurant: about $130

  • Beer or cocktail: about $7 / $15

  • Ride across town: about $18

  • Mid-range hotel: about $180 a night

  • Furnished one-bedroom in a good area: about $4,000 a month in New York's Brooklyn or Manhattan, $2,300 in Austin's East Side, $2,800 in Miami's Brickell

  • Daily budget: about $200 budget, $350 comfortable, $700+ luxury in New York; Austin is about $130, $250, $500+

Costs in the US vary enormously. New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are expensive, while the Midwest and South are far cheaper. Tipping and taxes added after the menu price make everything cost more than it looks. Prices are approximate in US dollars as of 2026.

Working remotely

  • Wi-Fi: Internet is fast in most cities, often 200 Mbps or more, though rural areas can be slow. Cafes and hotels generally have Wi-Fi. Power cuts are uncommon outside storms.

  • Coworking and cafes: Austin and Miami have the strongest remote worker scenes, with cafes and coworking such as WeWork and Industrious. New York has everything but costs the most. Nearly every US city has laptop-friendly cafes.

  • Time zone: Four zones: UTC-5 Eastern, UTC-6 Central, UTC-7 Mountain, UTC-8 Pacific, with daylight saving shifts in spring and fall.

  • Visa for longer stays: No visa needed for US citizens, of course. Visitors from abroad should check current rules, since the US has no digital nomad visa.

  • Nomad rating: 4 out of 5, easy and well equipped with great infrastructure, but costs and healthcare make long stays pricey.

Good to know

  • Language: English everywhere, with Spanish widely spoken in many regions.

  • Currency: US dollar. Cards work almost everywhere.

  • Plugs: Type A and B, 120V.

  • Entry for foreign visitors: many visitors need ESTA or a visa. Check current rules before you fly.

  • Best time to visit: it depends on the region. Southern California is good year-round, Florida is best in winter and spring, and the Black Hills are best in late spring through fall.

  • Getting around: rent a car outside big cities. Uber and Lyft work in town.

  • Tipping: 18 to 20 percent at restaurants is expected, and sales tax is added at checkout, so prices on the tag are not the final price.

  • SIM/eSIM: T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T sell prepaid SIMs, and eSIMs are easy to set up.

  • Apps: Uber and Lyft for rides, and DoorDash and Uber Eats for delivery.

  • Water: tap water is generally safe to drink.

  • Health insurance: healthcare is expensive, so get travel insurance.

Nightlife

Nightlife in the US varies enormously by city, from honky-tonks to jazz clubs to Las Vegas resorts. Bars close earlier than in Europe or Latin America, and the culture leans toward bars, breweries and live music over huge clubs.

  • When people go out: Dinner is at 6 or 7, bars fill from 8 and last call is usually 2 a.m., or earlier in some states. Clubs run late in big cities. Friday and Saturday are the big nights.

  • Where the action is: Downtown Austin and Sixth Street, Nashville's Broadway, New Orleans' Bourbon and Frenchmen Streets and the Las Vegas Strip are the headline areas. Orange County has beach-town bars in Newport Beach, and smaller towns rely on local breweries and dive bars.

  • The music: Country in Nashville, jazz in New Orleans, hip hop, pop and EDM in the clubs, and live bands at breweries and dive bars.

  • Must-visit: Nashville's Broadway for live country music in the honky-tonks, and Frenchmen Street in New Orleans for live jazz, are both worth planning a trip around.

  • Good to know: Bring ID, since the drinking age is 21 and bouncers check everywhere. Cover is often free at bars and higher at clubs, especially in Las Vegas, and tipping bartenders is standard. Dress is casual at bars and smart casual at clubs. Open container laws are strict, and use Uber or Lyft rather than driving.

Meeting people

  • Social scene: Americans are generally friendly and chatty, though making close friends takes time. Run clubs, rec sports leagues, beach volleyball, coworking spaces and local breweries are the main ways to meet people in cities and beach towns.

  • Apps: Bumble, Hinge and Tinder are the most common. Bumble BFF, Meetup and local Facebook groups are good for friends.

  • Etiquette: A handshake or a friendly hello is standard. Be on time for dinners and work. Plans are often made by text. Splitting the bill is common, and the person who invites does not always pay.

  • Stay smart: Meet in public, let a friend know your plans and watch your drink in bars.

Staying safe

  • Generally safe, but use normal city sense, especially at night in big cities.

  • Do not leave valuables visible in a parked car.

  • At parks and beaches, respect wildlife, carry water, and check weather and surf conditions.

  • Know the road rules, since drivers are often fast and distances are long.

Alex Hall
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