Once upon a time in normal non COVID times.... Once you get to the airport, you probably want to make to it to the city as quick as possible. Well, the taxi might not be your best option since the queue is endless. It's probably the longest line to get a taxi you'll see ever.

If you are on a budget you can live on pizza and hot dogs. They are cheap and there is one vendor in every corner. In fact, hot dogs are sold on street vendors conveniently located next to the city's landmarks. Plus, New York pizza and hot dogs are delicious! And the bagels - the best ever, and they make for a typical New York breakfast with cream cheese.

Since taxi drivers are always working and transport tons of people each day, they are pretty jaded, so don't even try to make small talk, they are not up for it. Just get in, give directions, pay the fare and get away as soon as possible.

Especially on high season, crowds of people flock the sidewalks and they are not moving out of the way when you walk past them - part of the NY attitude. If you have any issues with people being too close to you, then perhaps NYC is not the city for you, or you'll need to have a chamomile tea first thing in the morning.

You are going to pay a fortune for a hotel room that is the size of a closet. That is why young travellers opt for hostels which are pretty cool. There is even a pink hostel that is only for girls and they even have a barbecue on the 4th of July for free. Food and drinks for free in NYC, well that's pretty rare so it is fantastic. You won't get that in a hotel, they will charge you for everything you take from the minibar, add some tax to it and assault your credit card.

You'll probably be tempted to stare at the squirrels running around the streets for hours, and that is how New Yorkers will tell your a tourist, apart from the I love NYC t-shirts, the maps and the big old camera.

If you it's your first time in NYC, you definitely have to try a cronut which is a combination of croissants and doughnuts. Just imagine how many calories that has. Just a bomb for your stomach, but yet so worth it!

If you happen to be there during the fall, you'll be mesmerised by the colours of the leaves. The velvet trees will simply take your breath away. Then you can kick the leaves on the ground or lie down on your back over the leaves and make the shape of an angel.

Since its foundation in 1999, the annual three day music and arts festival has had a knack for pulling in rock and electronic headliners. Set in Indio's desert, California, the annual three-day music and arts festival features surreal sideshows and a mountain-fringed setting that make this event the most eagerly awaited festival in the US.

Big-name international acts contrast with the friendly small town atmosphere of the event. The laid-back air of Coachella resembles that of a free hippy festival. Cafe tents stand alongside vegan food stalls. Coachella embodies the true spirit of festivals: camping, communion, music, arts and fun.

About 10,000 international music lovers head to Coachella Festival for the time of their lives. On the outskirts of the arena, Bikini-clad Californians catch the burlesque acts until vaudevillian performers splash them with gigantic water-guns.

When the sun shines, festival-goers take a time out in the shade of colourful mechanised sunflowers. Then at dusk they form circles around bonfires on the campsite and start barbecuing. That is when the alternative party begins.

If you want to be close to the performers and stay at a luxurious campsite, book early for an elegant Safari tent, which includes king beds, carpets, air-conditioning and VIP wristbands that give you access to special shuttles into the venue and backstage.

www.coachella.com

The Wright Brothers became living legends in the USA for inventing the first aircraft and started the ball rolling on a huge revolution in aerospace, yet it is important to remember the contribution of the hot air balloon. Seen today as something of a recreational fancy, you must understand there is some serious science behind the pretty façade. It stands as the oldest of all flight technology (1783) and was the first method of carrying humans into the skies.

Every entertainment guide to the USA has to therefore contain the amazing Alberquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which pays homage to the greatness of the hot air balloon. Hot air ballooning is one of the most awe-inspiring experiences you can have in life (permitting you are not scared of heights!). Every October flight fans descend on New Mexico for to see this spectacle for themselves and all expectations are thrown of the window. In the USA they have a habit of doing things bigger and better than you ever thought possible.

Albuquerque has the perfect climate to go ballooning down to the clear blue skies, calm winds and a mixture of weather conditions that have come to be known as the "Albuquerque Box." The geography and landscape of the surrounding area, along with favourable weather patterns, allows the balloonist to navigate the skies with consummate ease, and even retrace their journey.

The Fiesta Park where the event takes place has over 200 acres of space to enjoy and during the festival is totally inundated with the beautiful canopies of the balloons. There are a variety of stalls and eateries for tourists and balloon enthusiasts to enjoy, including authentic food from the area and souvenirs. Balloons make the trip from all over the world, and it has a truly global feel. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta October 6 - October 14 2018.

balloonfiesta.com

Many people often describe movie stars or recording artists as heroes. But this is an erroneous description; the real heroes in the USA are the emergency response teams like the fire and ambulance service who save people's lives every day. Do these people get the recognition they deserve for their heroism? That is debatable.

One state has a special festival to honour these good Samaritans who dedicate their lives to keeping people safe in American waters is Michigan, with The Grand Haven Coast Guard festival. This event goes back a long way, as far back as 1924 when it started as modest picnic for Coast Guard personnel and their families. The local Coast Guard station was on the water and they started to hold boat races for all the service men in the local area for some light entertainment. The word obviously got out and it started to grow. Yet it was not until August 1971 as the festival expanded more did it become accredited as an official day of celebration and got its name.

To mark the fact that Grand Haven has such a high esteem for the Coast Guard service Congress give it the title of "Coast Guard City, USA" which was signed by President Clinton in 1998. The carnival comprises of two rousing parades and finishes with a magnificent firework show which explodes across the sky and is reputed to be one of the most impressive in the country.

Anyone who participates in the Coast Guard Festival gets some special privileges such as an exclusive tour of the Coast Guard cutter. There is also a brilliant midway carnival, as well as a range of boat tours, jet-ski demonstrations, carnival games and live music. And just when you think organisers cannot provide any more entertainment they saved their trump card in the Street Dance. Music comes from Soul'd Out and is extremely popular with both young and old people.

The festival unofficially began in 1924 as a Coast Guard personnel only picnic when the local Coast Guard station held rowing competitions for those service members stationed in Grand Haven. Today the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival has become a premier event with attendance of over 350,000 people including the nations highest ranking Coast Guard dignitaries from Washington, D.C. It's happening this year between July 27th - August 5th 2018.