Fort Lauderdale, often dismissed as yet another suburb of Miami, unexpectedly revealed its character that exceeded all my expectations. Having driven through the city countless times, I was pleasantly surprised to finally discover its unique identity, particularly along the scenic Riverwalk. What would have been a few hours killed in Starbucks before taking my train, turned out to be a nice stroll along the water's edge overlooking luxurious yachts, high-end condos, posh crowds, and nature which is never too far in Southern Florida.

The Wynwood art district in Miami, Florida is famous for its iconic murals and graffiti. It has transformed from a neglected industrial neighbourhood to a vibrant outdoor art exhibit, attracting millions of visitors annually. Wynwood has become a cultural phenomenon that is being replicated across the United States and abroad. Wynwood's impact goes beyond just art, demonstrating the transformative power of creativity and collaboration. If you are in Miami, you have to visit Wynwood regardless of whether you're an art enthusiast, photographer, or simply a curious traveller like me. Its dynamic streets, walls, and even dumpsters invite exploration and inspiration.

Alaska, meaning "great country" in one of the native languages, lives up to its name in the breathtaking Inside Passage. For many travellers, their Alaskan adventure begins here, cruising or ferrying through a majestic landscape of over a thousand islands, lush green forests, giant tongues of bright blue glaciers, and snow-capped mountains, frequently covered in white ribbons of fog. To fully appreciate Southeast Alaska’s beautiful waterway, often called a "liquid main street", you should take it slow and allow yourself to be immersed in its striking, untamed nature, abundant wildlife, and liveable coastal communities. 

I've driven through Buffalo, NY at least a few dozen times before, in all four seasons and various weather conditions, yet it never appealed to me as a tourist destination. To me, Buffalo was synonymous with a dull, grey skyline visible from Interstate 195, numerous billboards advertising injury lawyers, and state troopers diligently ensuring that drivers crossing from Canada had adjusted their speed from kilometres per hour to miles per hour. My usual thought was, "Let's hurry to the Peace Bridge so I can return to Canada as quickly as possible." However, I realized this wasn't fair to Buffalo and its rich heritage, so I decided to fix this by taking a day trip from Toronto. And to make things more challenging, why not take public transit all the way?

In the early 20th century, Henry Morrison Flagler, a business partner of John D. Rockefeller, had already made a ton of wealth and recognition through financing the development of Florida's untamed and distant east coast. His new aspiration was to build a railroad between the remote city of Key West and mainland Florida. While many deemed the project outright insane, Flagler defied expectations and turned his vision into reality. The railway stood as a remarkable accomplishment for over 22 years, regarded as the most ambitious engineering marvel of its time. Referred to as "Flagler's Folly," the railroad gained widespread attention and, upon its completion, was often celebrated as the 8th Wonder of the World, a title it held until its unfortunate destruction in 1935 due to the devastating impact of one of the century's deadliest hurricanes. Fancy to hear the full story and see some pictures?

The Boston Metro, also known as the "T," holds the distinction of being the oldest subway system in the United States, beating its closest rival, New York by more than seven years. It began operations on September 1, 1897, with a 1.5-mile stretch of track running from Park Street to Sullivan Square and addressed a particularly painful issue of street traffic congestion in the growing metropolis. With its rich history, a mix of vintage and contemporary cars, and the diverse architectural styles of its stations, the Boston Metro system holds a special place in the hearts of Bostonians, who view it as more than just a transportation system but an essential aspect of their city's identity. 

It's been one year since I visited Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but I still have very vivid memories of this city, remarkable in many ways, and I feel like I was there only yesterday. Great city indeed - glorious past, notable present and, clearly, a bright future. You can tell if a city is livable if you see people hanging out on weekday nights and weekends. The number of theatres, pubs, restaurants, galleries, museums and public art installations can also tell you something about the city and its residents. Speaking about the pubs - Pittsburg holds a world record for the highest number of pubs per capita. Unquestionably livable! 

In 2003, when a tornado struck the Kinzua Viaduct, once the longest and tallest railroad bridge in the world, the engineers turned a disaster into an opportunity and built a pedestrian skywalk with a glass floor on the remaining support towers. Kinzua Bridge State Park in northern Pennsylvania offers you a tour of the American rich railroad past as well as breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.

The whole generation of Americans grew up on Western movies featuring John Wayne and other fearless cowboys fighting unruly Native Americans. But how well do we know the period preceding the Expansion of the American West and the forming of the United States in their present borders? Bent's Old Fort hidden in the vast plains of Colorado under the endless blue sky is a living book that was once at the frontier of the Anglo-American civilization.

Show me a place on Earth where people would not have heard of the United States of America or would not have felt its influence. For good or bad, America is such a strong superpower that only a few countries dare to oppose it politically, economically and militarily. Millions of people across the globe have been raised on American music and movies, and well over half of the world's population use technologies originating from the US daily. But America hasn't always been like that. In fact, it was very different from what it is today before Columbus officially "opened" it in 1492. Luckily, there are still some places in the US that can give us a glimpse of what it looked like in the old days. One of them is Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in northern New Mexico. 

After seeing Minneapolis with all its active construction, daring shapes and glassy buildings, St. Paul, the other part of the Twin Cities, seemed a bit sleepy and perhaps even lazy. After all, it's a state capital with many administrative buildings, and I've never found state or federal workers to be super active or super fast. They take their time, and so does the City of St. Paul.

Having travelled to over 30 states in the US and having seen almost every major American city, my expectations of the Twin Cities, as Minneapolis and Saint Paul are often called, were on the lower side. After all, what can you expect from a faraway place that became a synonym for brutally cold and long winters? Right, not much. Oh boy, was I wrong? The Twin Cities turned out to be a very livable, attractive and culturally diverse place with a lot of things to experience. Their fine American architecture with distinct old mill style blended nicely with the surrounding prairie and mixed forest landscape. And the weather was perfect, at least, in June.

No river in the United States has had more historical and economic significance than the Mississippi River. The "working river" as it's often called for being the main transport artery to move grain and coal over the past 200 years, has also been used as a western frontier of the British colonies and early USA. The Mississippi River is a widely used continental divide between the East and the West, and I often hear people say "west of Mississippi" or "east of Mississippi". It is the second longest river in North America (2,350 miles / 3,780 km) that connects Minnesota and 9 other states with the Gulf of Mexico.

It's been my second encounter with Newark, the biggest city in New Jersey, and I don't think I ever want to come back again. It's a very neglected, dirty and dangerous city which I would even compare with Detroit when it comes to my overall experience. Newark is probably hated by most of its residents despite being a short subway ride from Manhattan, New York which, in my humble opinion, gives people unprecedented access to countless opportunities that New York offers in terms of work and leisure. I however promise not to impose my own opinion much, and let you draw your own conclusion as you see my pictures and figure out whether Newark is a reviving or a dying city.

Just east of Atlanta, Georgia lies one of the most dramatic places in all American Southeast - Stone Mountain. Born deep underground under enormous heat and pressure, this solid piece of quartz monzonite rock dominates a relatively flat landscape. Although technically a part of the Appalachian Mountains, Stone Mountain is quite far away from its parent mountain range. There is also a less famous side of this place that brings a lot of controversy there: in 1915, it became the birthplace of the second iteration of Ku Klux Klan would later become a source of hate, crime and violence directed at different minorities in the US, especially black people. To commemorate that dark event, a huge rock bas-relief depicting the leaders of the Confederacy was carved at Stone Mountain's north face. 

Key West is a small town in Southern Florida located on one of the islands called 'Keys'. Key West was the first stop of our Cruise Ship. We had more than 6 hours to explore it. Ready to see what the southernmost town of the continental United States looks like?