Rocky Mountainsor under the endless sky of the SouthWest desert, its vast expanse changing color with each subtle shift of the sun. Or you could go South, into the velvet heat of the Carolinas , toward the wondrous wetlands of the Florida Everglades or the dusty dream-catcher towns of New Mexico. Then there are the salty coasts. New Jersey, Maine or Oregon lands of lighthouses and dune grass. And don’t forget the cities. BrashNew York, surreal Las Vegas , earthy San Francisco, indie rock Austin, strong willed New Orleans.The United States of America is essentially a series of miraculous dichotomies, each helping its seeming opposite to thrive. It’s a place where people embrace the technology of heart transplants with the same enthusiasm as yoga, a land where the nation’s richest folks live among some of the poorest. Many Americans are diehard traditionalists – flocking to old-fashioned state fairs and barbecues and cotillions, and feeling in love with all forms of nostalgia and yet they always keep an eye on the future and the cutting edge.
