Venice Beach makes for a great escape from the uptown uptightness of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Shop for art, hit the beach, then eat at some of LA’s best restaurants Read More →

A new law will make it difficult for travellers to find affordable apartments and vacation rentals in New York City through popular websites like AirBnB and Craigslist * Update 24 July 2010: Governor David Paterson has signed the bill. The new law will come into effect on 1 May 2011. You can read his statement here If you like the idea of renting an apartment during a short break in New York, you... 

More UK residents holidaying at home as 40-year trend towards foreign travel falls at fastest recorded rate The number of Britons taking foreign holidays plunged last year as the 40-year trend towards regular overseas breaks fell at the fastest rate on record. The recession prompted families to holiday at home and also saw a drop in business travel. UK residents made 58.6m visits overseas in 2009... 

On the Massachusetts coast, lobster is as cheap as fish and chips, making New England a foodie heaven A $4 supermarket sandwich has to be pretty damn good for two adults to start fighting over it. Looking at it, there was nothing special about this one – a plain roll in a plastic package, no salad or garnish, a little too much mayo. It was only the gasp of pleasure that accompanied my girlfriend’s... 

What to see, do, eat and listen to in Philadelphia, San Diego, Boston, Portland and Memphis Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Why go? Despite its sprawling size, Philly has kept some period charm, with cobbled streets, historic buildings and colonial houses, and is easily explored on foot. Must-see The Old City is 18th-century Philadelphia. Head to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and mimic Rocky’s... 

Rangers, writers and guides reveal the best and most unusual ways to experience wild America, from cycling Hawaii’s live volcanos to GPS treasure hunting in Ohio 20 Lakes Basin, Yosemite NP, California Thank heavens most visitors to Yosemite don’t think outside the box – or the park boundary. This keeps the crowds down in places like the 20 Lakes Basin, a glacial lake wonderland near... 

There’s more to this state than fried chicken and horses, as a driving tour of an authentic slice of America shows It’s a thirsty, two-hour drive on wide empty roads, through the rolling bluegrass hills and horse farms around Lexington, through the genteel pioneer town of Harrodsburg, past the civil war battlefield of Perryville, then south-west to Mammoth Caves national park, home to... 

They may look tough, but every cowboy has a romantic heart, as the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, goes to show We are in a brightly lit school gymnasium, it’s the middle of the afternoon and outside the wind is howling across Elko, Nevada. The odds against us being offered a transcendent musical experience seem long, and grow longer when the bass player mounts the stage. He’s... 

With its Latino atmosphere, mariachi bands and Tex-Mex music bars, San Antonio feels like it still belongs south of the border. Garth Cartwright reveals why it’s his favourite US city Texas is big. And, if you visit Dallas and Houston, awfully bland. Even Austin, now home to the super-hip South By Southwest music expo and film festival, resembles a super-sized suburb with constant traffic gridlock.... 

From New England to the Pacific, drive through some of the US’s most stunning scenery Going-to-the Sun road, Montana A thin strip of tarmac that snakes across one of the most rugged corners of the Rockies, the Going-to-the-Sun road carves through solid rock at the heart of the breathtaking Glacier national park. Climbing up between the Great Plains on the east and pristine forests around Lake...