Sara Benson - Lonely Planet Western USA

The playwright Arthur Miller once said that the essence of America was its promise. For newly arrived immigrants and jet-lagged travelers alike, that promise of America can take on near mythic proportions. America is a land of dazzling cities, towering coast redwoods, alpine lakes, rolling vineyards, chiseled peaks, barren deserts and a dramatic coastline of unrivaled beauty. And thats just one state (California).

In the other 49 lie an astounding collection of natural and cultural wonders, from the wildly multihued tapestry of urban streets to the mountains, plains and forests that cover vast swaths of the continent. America is the birthplace of LA, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Boston and New York City each a brimming metropolis whose name alone conjures a million different notions of culture, cuisine and entertainment.

Look more closely, and the American quilt unfurls in all its surprising variety: the eclectic music scene of Austin, the easygoing charms of antebellum Savannah, the ecoconsciousness of free-spirited Portland, the magnificent waterfront of San Francisco, and the captivating old quarters of New Orleans, still rising up from its waterlogged ashes.

This is a country of road trips and great open skies, where four million miles of highways lead past red-rock deserts, below towering mountain peaks, and across fertile wheat fields that roll off toward the horizon. The sun-bleached hillsides of the Great Plains, the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest and the scenic country lanes of New England are a few fine starting points for the great American road trip.

The worlds third-largest nation has made substantial contributions to the arts. Georgia OKeeffes wild landscapes, Robert Rauschenbergs surreal collages, Alexander Calders elegant mobiles and Jackson Pollocks drip paintings have entered the vernacular of modern 20th-century art. Cities such as Chicago and New York have become veritable drawing boards for the great architects of the modern era. Musically speaking, America has few peers on the world stage. From the big-band jazz that was born in New Orleans, to the Memphis blues, Detroits Motown sound, plus funk, hip-hop, country, and rock and roll America has invented sounds that are integral to contemporary music.

Cuisine is another way of illuminating the American experience. On one evening in the US, thick barbecue ribs and sizzling meats arrive fresh off the grill at a Tennessee roadhouse; over 2000 miles away, talented chefs blend organic, fresh-from-the-garden produce with Asian accents at award-winning West Coast restaurants. A smattering of locals get their fix of bagels and lox at a century-old deli in Manhattans Upper West Side, while several states away, plump pancakes and fried eggs disappear in a hurry under the clatter of cutlery at a 1950s-style diner. Steaming plates of fresh lobster served off a Maine pier, oysters and champagne in a fashion-forward wine bar in California, beer and pizza at a Midwestern pub these are just a few ways to dine la Americana.

But America isnt just about its geography, its cities or even its art and cuisine. Its also about people. The teeming nation of nations (as Walt Whitman described it), was built on immigration and still attracts over one million new immigrants each year. Representatives from nearly every country can be found inside the boundaries of the USA, adding an astounding mix of ethnicities, religions and languages to the diverse American character. In one county alone (New York Citys borough of Queens), almost half of the residents are foreign born and speak some 138 languages. Although the topic of immigration remains a heated one (historically, the subject has been a source of contention since the countrys inception), few Americans contest the enormous contributions made by fresh-faced immigrants over the centuries.

In addition to the wide mix of racial and ethnic groups, America is a mishmash of factory workers and farmers, born-again Christians and Hatha yoga practitioners, literary-minded college students, tradition-conscious Native Americans, beer-swilling baseball lovers and back-to-nature commune dwellers. This is a country where regional stereotypes help Americans get a handle on their own elusive country, whether the people in question are gracious Southern belles, street-smart New Yorkers, humble Midwesterners, SoCal surfers or straight-talking Texans.

The collective identity, however, goes only so far in defining Americans. This is, after all, a country that celebrates or rather mythologizes the feats of rugged individualism, a notion well supported by the enormous ranks of the great and dastardly alike that have left their mark on America. This is the land of Eleanor Roosevelt, John Muir, Diane Arbus, Jack Kerouac, Frank Lloyd Wright, Elvis Presley and Amelia Earhart. It is also the birthplace of Billy the Kid, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde and hundreds of other real and fictional characters who contribute to that portrait of the American hero or outlaw heading off into the sunset.

Todays stars shine no less brightly and each help redefine in some small way what it means to be American. From the inspiring social activism of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson and feminist Gloria Steinem to revolutionary chef Alice Waters; Al Gores laudatory dedication to fighting climate change and the powerful lyricism of Nobel Prizewinner Toni Morrison; or the record-breaking run by Olympic-swimmer Michael Phelps: each have followed a dream that led them to undoubtedly surprising places.

America is still a place where big dreamers can triumph over adversity. Although 40 years have passed since Martin Luther King was assassinated, his message of hope lives on. No one in recent history has demonstrated that more clearly than Barack Obama, Americas first African American president.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. So began Barack Obamas election-night victory speech in November 2008, following one of the most surprising presidential victories in history.

The next day, newspapers across the country sold out quickly, despite enormously increased press runs, as Americans hurried out to snatch up a piece of history, for which they themselves were responsible. Indeed, it was a historic moment for America. This once bitterly divided nation with a dark legacy of slavery looked past its differences and elected an African American man to the highest office in the land. And voters did so by an overwhelming margin.

As Obama went on to say in his victory speech, Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. Change that magic word so bandied about by both parties in the run-up to the election played a pivotal role in Obamas success. Yet, despite the unprecedented moment in US history, change is no stranger to the American scene. Even Americas creation was a daring paradigm shift in a world of monarchies and autocracies. A country founded as a refuge for religious tolerance by early colonists later became the worlds first and perhaps its most brilliantly envisaged democratic republic. Over the centuries, visionary statesman such as Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt have helped move the country in bold new directions, but it was courageous citizens, fighting (and sometimes sacrificing their lives) in the battle against injustice, whove brought about some of Americas most profound changes in abolishing slavery, earning equal rights for women, protecting the environment and enshrining fair wages and working conditions for laborers.