United States of America

The sheer size of the United States guarantees a huge amount of geographical diversity, from the lush tropical scenery of Hawaii to the desert landscapes of Arizona, Nevada and California.

There's as much variation in climate, and I went straight from enduring the freezing depths of winter in Illinois to living in the California desert city of Palm Springs, with temperatures reaching over 125 degrees Fahrenheit (52 degree Celcius) for a week or more at a time!   I also had to undergo flooding in New Jersey caused by Hurricane Floyd.   Many states like Illinois, Michigan and New York swing from Arctic weather in winter to a nearly tropical climate in summer, sometimes with very little time in-between!

The United States has some of the world's most interesting cities, and I've had pleasure of living in several of them and visiting some of the others.   You'll find cool photos and interesting descriptions of places like Chicago, New York and San Diego.

There are also high-resolution wallpaper photos of these cities as well as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake, San Diego, San Francisco and St Louis.

The large temperature swings along the east coast are perfectly suited for producing spectacular foliage in the fall, viewable at places like the the Delaware Water Gap located between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Moving from New Zealand to the United States has been a really learning experience, and I've enjoyed many aspects of America's culture, and have tried my best to learn how to speak English in a way which can be understood!   I've only been partly successful, but you can see some of what I've learned about differences between New Zealand and American vocabulary, American phrases and the American accent.