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Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America with a new travelling companion. Armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879, Michael begins his American adventure on Manhattan Island. Starting at New York's Grand Central Terminal, he boards the Manhattan subway system, the busiest rail transit system in the US. He learns about Manhattan's iconic skyscrapers, then heads to the Financial District where, over a lobster newberg, he finds out how the dodgy political dealings of the era's most prominent industrialists earned them the nickname 'Robber Barons'. In an urban oasis, Michael finds out how a swampy wasteland was turned into one of the largest and finest parks in the world - Central Park. A celebrity welcome from the resting actors of Broadway awaits him at Ellen's Stardust Diner. In the Lower East Side, Michael is drawn into a scrap with one of the neighbourhood's infamous historic gangs, and he visits the grim tenements where thousands of immigrants lived and worked. Michael then heads by ferry to Ellis Island, the gateway to America for many millions seeking a new life in the new world. He finishes this leg of his journey with a tour of the gleaming new transport hub under construction close to the site of Ground Zero.

From Manhattan, Michael follows his Appleton's General Guide east to Long Island. Beginning in Brooklyn, he hears the moving story behind the construction of the world's first steel suspension bridge high above the East River. Below ground, he investigates the arrival of New York City's first subway and the dangers faced by the men who built it - the sandhogs. At the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Michael discovers the dry dock where warships were built to defend American trade against the British and tastes the modern day moonshine now produced there. Michael follows in the footsteps of thousands of early 20th-century holidaymakers to what was once America's playground, Coney Island. Continuing on the Long Island Railroad to Queens, Michael investigates the site of an ambitious engineering project that will transform New York City's rail network. A model town built by an Irish immigrant who became one of the richest men in America is Michael's next stop before he heads to the island's Gold Coast. There, Michael relives the fun of the roaring twenties at Oheka Castle, a vast private residence once home to a rail tycoon before becoming a weekend retreat for New York City's garbage men. In East Hampton, Michael discovers Home Sweet Home before ending his journey at the Montauk lighthouse on Long Island's easternmost tip.

Michael follows America's iconic River Hudson north through New York State. Beginning at New York City's Penn Station, Michael rides the national rail carrier service Amtrak. He hears from Amtrak's police chief how railroad policing began to tackle the nation's most notorious train robbers, among them Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Upriver at Tarrytown, Michael is spooked by a famous American ghost story, the legend of Sleepy Hollow. On the east bank of the Hudson, he stops at Garrison, where he hears about the greatest turncoat in American history and the many generals trained at West Point, the United States Military Academy. In Poughkeepsie, Michael visits a university built just for women. Now co-educational, as a women's college, Vassar counted Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Meryl Streep among its former students. He discovers the tumultuous history of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge and follows the train line to the Catskill Mountains, where he bravely admires the scenery from an altogether different type of line, a zip wire. Back on safe ground, he learns how the magnificent landscape inspired artists of the Hudson River School. Arriving in New York's state capital, Albany, he samples a drop of Albany Ale before rubbing shoulders with the state senator.

Michael Portillo braves the awesome power and drenching spray of Niagara Falls in the Maid of the Mist to share what artists, daredevils and millions of tourists have billed as one of the most spectacular experiences on the planet. Continuing his American journey heading west through New York State, Michael has a lightbulb moment in Schenectady, when he discovers how Thomas Edison's General Electric Company also leads the way in modern rail technology. In Utica, he investigates lock 20 of 57 along the early 19th-century Erie Canal, 325 miles of waterway which connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Coast via the Hudson River. A yellow brick road beckons Michael to Chittenango, where a Kansas farm girl introduces him to a lion and a tin man. On a hillside near Palmyra, Michael finds out about farm boy Joseph Smith and his Book of Mormon, from one of the 15 million believers who follow his religion today. Further west in Rochester, Michael discovers a famous 19th-century name still trading today - George Eastman, who launched mass market photography with his Eastman Kodak company. Reaching Buffalo, he lunches on the city's famous Buffalo wings and discovers it was once the centre of the world's grain trade. Touring Silo City, Michael learns about the invention which propelled the port of Buffalo into its dominant position, the grain elevator, and how the railroads sealed the deal.

Michael Portillo embarks on a new railroad journey, informed by his 1879 Appleton's guidebook, from the City of Brotherly Love south to the first permanent English colonial settlement in North America, Jamestown. He feasts on a gargantuan Philly cheesesteak, then looks to work off the calories with a run past the city's famous landmarks, in homage to one of Philadelphia's most famous sons, Rocky Balboa. All pumped up, he heads to Pennsylvania University to tackle the football team under the instruction of a fearsome coach. In the cradle of American independence, Michael discovers how, in 1776, liberty was proclaimed throughout the land yet millions remained enslaved. Alone in a cell at the Eastern State Penitentiary, Michael reflects on the 19th-century Pennsylvania system of incarceration, before heading to the gambling resort of Atlantic City. Michael hitches a ride with the Amish in a horse-drawn buggy, through rich Pennsylvania countryside. In Traintown USA, he joins the crew of the Strasburg Railroad. After oiling the magnificent engine, he rides on the footplate of the vintage steam locomotive. Next stop is the 'sweetest place on earth', where Michael learns about the world's largest chocolate factory and the town that bears its name. His last stop on this leg is Gettysburg, the most famous battlefield of the American Civil War, where, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made a momentous speech.

Armed with his Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo reaches a milestone on his American journey: the boundary between the northern and southern states, known as the Mason-Dixon line. He discovers the origins of what became, for black Americans, the border between slavery and freedom in an 18th-century English dispute over land. On the heritage Wilmington and Western Railroad, Michael meets Phoebe Snow, created to reassure passengers that clean burning coal wouldn't make their clothes dirty. Michael uncovers the explosive history of gunpowder production in Delaware and then takes a boat trip up the Susquehanna River, following the route taken by one of the first English settlers, John Smith. In Baltimore, home of the first railroad in the United States, he discovers how the first American steam engine owed much to pioneering British technology and how a historic telegraph message was received. Michael investigates race relations in the troubled city, taking a drive downtown with a former drug dealer, now a teacher. On the city's beautiful east coast, Michael discovers the impressive star-shaped Fort McHenry and learns how the Star Spangled Banner national anthem was born. Medics at the city's Johns Hopkins Hospital show Michael how their institution has grown from its 19th-century foundation by the railroad magnate into a world-leading centre for healthcare. And at the city's Lexington Market, Michael learns what gives a Maryland crab cake the edge.

Michael Portillo arrives in the nation's capital, Washington DC, centre of political power in the world's most powerful country. He discovers how it was built from scratch after a political compromise between north and south. At the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Michael meets the man responsible for engraving the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln on the current five-dollar bill and gets his hands on more money than he has ever held in his life. In the offices of The Washington Post, Michael learns how, at the time of his guidebook, the newspaper commissioned a march which won a place in the hearts of Americans. He hears how more recently, Washington Post journalists toppled a president. Michael sees for himself the site where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 and, at the vast memorial to him, seeks to understand his legacy. He soaks up some old-school jazz where Duke Ellington began his career and grabs a bite at the diner chosen by President Obama for a snack before his inauguration. At the United States Naval Observatory, Michael discovers the railroad origins of the time zones in operation across the US. Heading south to Alexandria, Virginia, Michael explores a former slave market and hears how African-Americans were once bought and sold. He ends this leg in Mount Vernon, the Palladian home of the nation's first president, George Washington, where he gets into a spot of bother at an archaeological dig.

Steered by his 1879 Appleton's General Guide to the United States, Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War. In Fredericksburg, Virginia, he tries his hand at bottling bourbon corn whiskey and learns how it became the nation's spirit. In Richmond, a plate of ham and eggs with southern grits sets Michael up for a tour of the Virginia state Capitol building, where he learns about the terrible dilemma faced by one of its most famous sons, General Robert E Lee. Charmed by the English heritage of this former colony, Michael puts on his dancing shoes and heads for a cotillion ball, where it seems manners are the name of the game. The choir of the First Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia, is in fine voice as Michael discovers how coded messages were once delivered in church to slaves who hoped to escape via the so-called underground railroad. Michael ploughs his own furrow in a field in colonial Williamsburg, where he learns from costumed re-enactors what life was like for both master and slave. It's battle stations in Norfolk, home to the United States Atlantic fleet, where Michael is invited on board the USS Wisconsin. Michael reaches the end of this American journey in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, where he finds out about the early settlers' grim struggle for survival.

Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic once more to ride the railroads of North America with his faithful Appleton's Guide to the United States and Canada. Amid breathtaking scenery, he encounters magnificent beasts, joins intrepid explorers and witnesses unique customs on an awesome 1,500-mile journey to recapture the excitement and promise of the 19th-century American Frontier. In St Louis, Michael ascends America's monument to the Wild West, the astonishing Gateway Arch, the tallest free-standing monument in the United States, and makes a delightful discovery inside it. And on the banks of the Missouri River, he is invited aboard a magnificent replica of the original keel boat used for a historic expedition. In Washington, Missouri, he attempts to craft a corn cob pipe and in the Missouri state capital, Jefferson City, he finds an enormous fortified building that served as the gaol for the entire Wild West.

Following in the footsteps of European settlers, Michael Portillo rolls westwards across the United States. With true frontier spirit, he discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia and discovers the birthplace of ragtime. Aboard a horse-drawn wagon in Independence, Michael confronts the hardships faced by early pioneers on the wagon trail. He's the only man in pink in Paola, Kansas, where he auctions livestock and dines out on smoky spare ribs. In St Joseph, Missouri, he discovers the Pony Express and gets kitted out with a stetson before investigating the treacherous death of outlaw Jesse James.

Michael Portillo continues his 1,500-mile journey through the American Wild West armed with his Appleton's Guide. In Lawrence, Kansas, he joins the Jayhawks basketball team before travelling through 'tornado alley' to Topeka to meet one of the first storm chasers in America. Driving out on the Great Plains, Michael comes face to face with a herd of wild buffalo. Following the Santa Fe trail, Michael's first stop is Dodge City, queen of the cow towns, where he is caught up in a gunfight at the notorious Long Branch saloon. He finds the Dodge City Cowboy Band performing at the city depot and breaks bread with a descendant of a railroad land agent who sold thousands of acres of land to 19th-century European settlers. Near Lamar, Michael visits the scene of a terrible massacre of Native American Indians, who found themselves in the way of white settlement of the Great Plains.

Michael Portillo reaches Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century East Coast dudes, who came to experience the cowboy life. At Bent's Old Fort, Michael is transported back to the Mexican American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops. In Raton, Michael discovers the guns that won the West. At Canon City, Michael hits the Rocky Mountains, from where he heads out into the spectacular gorge of the Arkansas River aboard the historic narrow gauge Royal Gorge Railroad. He comes face to face with a terrifying T-rex and hears how 19th-century prehistoric discoveries in the mountains sparked a bitter scientific war. At the foot of Pike's Peak, a choir sings an iconic American hymn, inspired by the magnificent views to be seen from the summit. Michael heads up 14,000 feet to see for himself, aboard the Pike's Peak Cog Railway.

Michael Portillo arrives in the state capital of New Mexico, once the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico. He explores the beautiful colonial architecture of the city and is privileged to be invited to visit a Native American pueblo. He eavesdrops on rehearsals at the glorious Santa Fe Opera House and at the Governor's Palace, discovers the author of the biblical epic Ben Hur. At La Fonda Hotel, Michael catches up with the famous Harvey Girls and hears about the railroad caterer from Lancashire who made his fortune in America. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the Rio Grande River, Michael discovers the headquarters of the Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and lends a hand with the restoration of an enormous locomotive. He feels the heat of New Mexico's most famous produce, the chilli pepper, and learns how to make enchiladas. In Williams, Arizona, Michael picks up the Grand Canyon Railway to his journey's end, one of the greatest sights on earth, and learns how the spectacular seven-million-year-old gorge of the Colorado River was preserved for the nation.

Michael Portillo embarks on a new American rail journey that begins and finishes on the Mississippi River. It takes him 1,000 miles from the home of F Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby to Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. He discovers how Minneapolis harnessed the awesome power of the mighty Mississippi to become a great industrial centre, the Mill City of the nation. And he finds how the city became the artificial limb capital of the world. In St Paul, Michael explores the birthplace of F Scott Fitzgerald and meets a jazz-age trumpeter and Fitzgerald fan who introduces him to the lifestyle of Fitzgerald's hero, Jay Gatsby. Michael discovers the tom tom beat of Hiawatha and his lover Minniehaha. He meets a Dakota Sioux expert on Native American culture to learn about a dark chapter in United States history and hears how it is marked today. Michael's diplomatic skills are tested at a Swedish American lunch, where the centrepiece of the menu is reconstituted dried cod. Chasing the Golden Age of luxury rail travel, he bounces on the bed in a beautifully restored Pullman carriage of the Lambert's Point.

Steered by his Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey along the Upper Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie. Picking up the Empire Builder rail service, he travels to Winona, where he takes to the water to find out how in the 19th century, the US Army Corps of Engineers made the Mississippi navigable and how the river is maintained today - not just for freight but for bald eagles and pelicans. Michael joins in the dancing at a tribal gathering of the Dakota Sioux and hears about efforts towards reconciliation. In La Crosse, Michael learns about the Native American origins of the fast-moving, combative sport. A new take on pizza toppings including dirt and worms has Michael squirming before he moves on to Tomah, Wisconsin, where he wades in to harvest the nation's most important berry from the marshes at a century-old farm. He travels to Wisconsin Dells, where an innovative photographer first captured motion, then takes the plunge in the waterpark capital of the world. In Baraboo, he discovers the circus is in town and it travels by train. Guided by a former clown and ringmaster, Michael explores the spectacular wagons.

Michael Portillo is in Milwaukee, the cream city on the shore of Lake Michigan and home to an American icon: the Harley Davidson motorcycle. Michael learns how the first machine was built in 1903 and hitches a ride. German gymnastics is Michael's next challenge as he joins the Ladies' Auxiliary Exercise Class at the Turner Hall, a legacy of Milwaukee's 19th-century German settler community. In Racine, Michael discovers a man who knew how to sort the wheat from the chaff and made a business out of it. Michael is blown away by the skyscrapers in Illinois's Windy City, where he discovers how modern Chicago's skyline replaced a largely wooden city, destroyed in a fire shortly before his Appleton's Guide was published. Michael steps up to the plate with the Joliet Slammers, stars of the US national game of baseball, then sings for his supper at a quintessentially American restaurant bearing his name! Downtown at the Moody Church, Michael tracks down a pair of evangelists who toured Britain and the United States by rail at the time of his guide.

Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the home of the blues in Memphis, Tennessee. In the nation's rail capital, where tracks pass underground and over ground and are elevated into the air, he investigates the ultimate marshalling yard. At the ornate Palmer House Hotel, Michael recreates the original chocolate brownie, invented by Bertha Palmer in 1893. He discovers the origins of the Sanitary and Ship Canal and uncovers the history of an incredible civil engineering project which raised the city to new heights. Heading deep underground, Michael inspects a modern-day scheme on a similarly awesome scale, described by the boss as the largest toilet in the world! On the trail of one of America's most famous railroad names, Michael heads south to Pullman to investigate the legacy of its founder, George Pullman. Beside the Kankakee River, Michael is invited to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house that changed the face of American architecture. On the platform at Kankakee station, Michael parties with the locals as they celebrate the City of New Orleans rail service, immortalised in song by Arlo Guthrie. He gets his hands on a vintage hooter riding on the Monticello Heritage rail line and in Champaign learns a thing or two at a railroad university.

Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from Minnesota to Tennessee, beginning and ending on the Mississippi River. Riding the mainline of mid-America, Michael stops at rural Mattoon, where he gets a taste of the tough early life which shaped President Abraham Lincoln. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Michael struggles to split one rail compared with Lincoln's estimated 700-a-day. Basket in hand, Michael joins the Schwartz family apple harvest in Centralia and learns how to make apple butter. He uncovers industrial unrest in the coal mines of Carbondale, then heads to Kentucky and the banks of the Mississippi, where a bloody conflict unfolded, which proved decisive in victory for Lincoln's Union. Aboard a paddle steamer on the lower Mississippi, Michael hears about the life and work of former riverboat captain Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. In the city of Memphis, Tennessee, he visits the historic Elmwood Cemetery, where he uncovers the story of a devastating epidemic. In the home of the blues, Michael meets contemporary musician Cedric Burnside in the studio before joining millions of Elvis fans at Graceland. Fellow rail fans at Memphis Station share their passion, and an invitation to a duck palace and the honorary position of Duck Master carry curious responsibilities at the 19th-century Peabody Hotel.

Steered by his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo embarks on a one thousand-mile American adventure through California. Along the way he discovers how the railroads conquered the wild landscapes of the west and how California became America's richest state. Beginning in the Silver State of Nevada, Michael takes to the skies over the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountain range. At Lake Tahoe, he hears of the first European explorer, known as 'The Pathfinder', whose discovery opened up the west for settlement. Travelling on the historic Virginia and Truckee heritage line, Michael investigates the vast deposits of silver and gold ore on which Virginia City was built. At Chollar Mine, he finds out about the short-lived mining boom and meets a quirky relic of the period - the pistol packin' preacher. Crossing the border into the Golden State of California, he ascends the 7,000ft granite cliffs to the Donner Pass where ambitious plans to carve a rail route through the rugged terrain were made a reality by Chinese immigrant labourers. In Colfax, Michael swaps his customary iron horse for the real thing and saddles up for a lesson in cowboy dressage. At Sutter's Mill, close to Sacramento, Michael pans for gold at the very spot that triggered the 1848 gold rush and enjoys a saucy show at California's first public theatre. Venturing underground, he discovers how the streets of Sacramento were raised following the Great Flood of 1862 and visits the $900 million dam under construction to improve the city's flood defences. It is a first for Michael in the kaleidoscopic sweet factory of an iconic American confectionery brand that traces its roots to the 19th century. And, taking a cue from his guidebook, he samples the fruits of the Napa Valley in a gourmet lunch on board the Napa Valley wine train.

Armed with his trusty Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo reaches San Francisco, where he boards one of the city's iconic cable cars. Behind the scenes in the engineering powerhouse, he uncovers the street cars' secret to scaling the city's famously steep hills. In the Presidio neighbourhood, a leading publisher introduces Michael to San Francisco's long tradition of fine printing and book-making. Michael takes the opportunity to have his own treasured book appraised. Hitching a ride on a hippy 'love bus' to the heart of the city's gay district, Michael traces the roots of the city's LGBTQ scene back to the era of the gold rush and meets the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. At Fisherman's Wharf, Michael samples a local seafood speciality brought to the city by Italian immigrants. Across the bay at Sausalito, he boards a schooner to hear the story of Matthew Turner, the most prolific shipbuilder of his time. In Chinatown, Michael hears about the huge contribution Chinese immigrants made to the Californian economy, both as miners and in building the transcontinental railroad. He discovers an entrepreneurial community who overcame discrimination and finds that fortune favours the brave when he learns to create an iconic Chinese treat. Intrigued by a reference in his guidebook, Michael visits the Sutro Baths, where he learns the story behind an ugly 19th-century incident of racial discrimination, which prompted an African American to sue one of the richest white men in the state. A trip out into the Bay with the San Francisco Police Department's marine unit, established in 1864, shows Michael how the force continues to keep the waters safe.

Following his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo makes a trip to the jewel in the crown of America's National Parks, Yosemite, to behold its towering granite cliffs, its giant sequoia trees and cascading waterfalls. He discovers how early conservationists fought to protect it in law and encounters a 'buffalo soldier' in the heart of the forest. In Berkeley, Michael uncovers a catastrophic event, which hit the city of San Francisco hard in 1906. He heads for the University of California's department of seismology to hear of a devastating earthquake and the inferno which followed it and to find out what's being done to secure the region against future damage. In Stockton, Michael discovers tractor heaven and learns how caterpillar tracked vehicles were developed to work the deep peat soils of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta. Continuing south through the heart of Silicon Valley, Michael visits a high-tech bar, where the waiters are robots. He discovers the origins of modern-day search engines and social media in a Californian institution founded by a railroad baron. At tech giant Intel, Michael glimpses the future on a test drive in an autonomous car. At San Jose, the biggest city in the valley, Michael visits Japantown to meet members of a far eastern community who settled here peacefully during the 19th century but faced hostility during the mid-20th. He is then beaten over the head and body by youngsters a third of his age as he attempts to learn the martial art of kendo. A ride aboard the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad takes Michael through groves of mammoth trees - the magnificent California redwoods. Emerging from the forest on a second vintage railroad, Michael hits the beach and takes to the waves - on a surfboard.

Steered by his late 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo continues through southern California aboard the Coast Starlight rail service. In the historic port of Monterey, Michael raises the Bear Flag of the one-time Republic of California and above it, the Stars and Stripes. He discovers the city's Spanish and Mexican heritage and traces how the former fishing port described as 'stinking and decrepit' in John Steinbeck's novel, Cannery Row, has become a beacon for tourists. And how, in place of fish-processing canneries, there now stands a gleaming, state- of-the art aquarium, where Michael is invited to feed the fish. Michael's next stop is Paso de Robles, where he tours the magnificent Hearst Castle, dream home of the newspaper baron, William Randolph Hearst, to hear the tale of its creation. Onward to San Luis Obispo and the hills of Morro Bay and Michael joins avocado farmer Jim Shanley amid his 4,000 avocado trees to harvest the pears and then learn how to make guacamole. His next stop is Rancho Camulos, a former cattle ranch owned by a prominent Hispanic family and the setting for a best-selling romantic novel of the 19th century. Arriving in Los Angeles Michael, like many a Hollywood hopeful before him, he heads for the Warner Brothers studio, founded on Sunset Boulevard at the time of his Appleton's, with dreams of stardom ahead. His role as a fearless all-action hero is assured. For the view from the top he takes the Skyslide from the 70th floor of one of LA's tallest buildings, before striding out on the Walk of Fame. At the pioneering 19th-century Union Ice company, Michael discovers how Californians have kept their cool. He sees how ice blocks of titanic proportions are made and brings Christmas to LA with a giant snowmaker. Outside the city, Michael heads for San Marino to visit The Huntington, a cultural and research centre with more than a dozen botanical gardens. In the cactus garden, Michael discovers more about the founder, nephew of a railroad baron and himself a pioneer of street cars and trolleys. Michael explores the city's latest initiative to break the legendary rush hour gridlock on Los Angeles freeways - a rail link with seven new stations on the LA metro.

Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California roll and paints a pretty picture in Laguna Beach. It is Mexican Independence Day and the locals are celebrating the country's hard-won independence from Spain in the early 19th century. There is dancing, singing and feasting in the streets and Michael joins the party. He learns that half of the population of LA is Latino, mainly of Mexican descent, and hears how after only a few decades, Mexico lost half its territory and California became part of the United States. Michael learns the secrets of backyard oil drilling in Los Angeles, home to the largest urban oil field in the United States. Nodding donkeys are everywhere - in residential neighbourhoods, parking lots and burger joints. Michael sports a zesty orange jacket to visit the Citrus Variety Collection and learns the difference between a pummelo and a papeda. Alongside oil, the citrus fruit industry, he discovers, is one of the bedrocks of the state's economy. At Laguna Beach, Michael learns how artists from the east coast travelled west on the Transcontinental Railroad to found a colony of 'plein air' painters attracted by the beautiful coastline and glorious light to paint outside. Clad in khaki boiler suit and sporting dark glasses, he joins the US Navy at Pacific Fleet, birthplace of the elite flying academy, Top Gun. In San Diego, he picks up the trail of the industrialist and property speculator, John D Spreckels, who made the city boom in the 19th century and built a pavilion to house the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. Michael is offered the chance to play it. Appletons recommends a trip to a huge structure, completed in 1888, on which San Diegans have depended for water for 130 years - the Sweetwater Dam.

Armed with his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook to the United States and Canada, Michael Portillo embarks on a 1100-mile railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, across the border to Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. At risk of being uncovered as a Tory spy, Michael joins the Sons of Liberty aboard ship in Boston harbour. Will he help rebels jettison 112 crates of East India Company tea? On the route of one of the earliest railroads in the United States, he reaches Lowell, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. An historic streetcar conveys him to the Boott Cotton Mills, where he discovers a flagrant act of industrial espionage and militancy among the thousands of women and girls who worked there. Michael's guide sets him on the trail of the second largest organ in the world, located now in Haverhill. He is rewarded with a rousing rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, courtesy of the 19th century Handel and Haydn Choir. In the fine dome atop Massachusetts General Hospital, where no-one could hear the screaming, Michael discovers the scene of grisly surgery, first made bearable, in 1846, by a miraculous new substance. North of Boston, in Salem, Michael is caught up in a witch hunt. He gets a taste of the hysteria which gripped the town in the 17th century and how events were reinterpreted at the time of his guide. And in Concord, where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired, Michael discovers the home of the celebrated author of the coming of age classic Little Women and hears the story behind the novel.

Guided by his Appleton's and tracing the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers, Michael Portillo heads for Plymouth, the 'home town' of America. He learns how indigenous tribes of Wamponoag people taught newly arrived settlers to live off the land, inspiring one of the biggest holidays in today's American calendar. Michael boards the Cape Cod Central heritage railroad, bound for Hyannis, a favoured presidential holiday spot. Catching a ferry to Martha's Vineyard, he discovers that ardent Methodists put the island on the map in the early 19th century by establishing the country's first religious summer camp. On the island of Nantucket, Michael discovers how hardy New Englanders made vast fortunes from whale oil in what was once the whaling capital of the world. He joins conservationists and whale spotters out at sea, hoping for a glimpse these magnificent creatures. On the banks of the Providence River, Michael discovers a dining club that traces its roots back to the 1840s and is invited to join an open-air 'clambake'. In Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, Michael finds a pen company that counts among its customers the Presidents of the United States. The elite US Coast Guard Academy, established in New London, Connecticut, in 1876, trains cadets to defend the American coastline. Michael joins them on the drill ground. At the childhood summer home of the Nobel prize-winning American playwright, Eugene O'Neill, Michael discovers the setting for one of his greatest plays.

Armed with his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey through Connecticut and New England. He takes a crash course in rowing in New Haven, where college teams from Yale and Harvard have battled for victory on the water since 1852. In Vermont, Michael visits a 19th-century farm, where the rich milk from prized Jersey cows imported from the British Isles supplied a thriving butter industry. In New Hampshire, Michael ascends the steep slopes of Mount Washington aboard the world's first mountain climbing cog railway, at whose summit an extraordinary weather station has recorded the mountain's extreme weather since 1870. In Burlington, Vermont, a busy timber port at time of his guidebook, Michael ventures into the forest to learn how sustainable and technological innovations have transformed the state's billion dollar logging industry. Following the old trade route across Lake Champlain, he hears of a pivotal battle during the War of 1812 where a British defeat gave the United States new confidence on the world stage. In Plattsburg, Michael learns of the surprising origins of a classic Christmas carol. In the wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains, Michael discovers the luxurious camps of the rich and famous elite of Appleton's day. In Lake Placid, Michael braves the steep curves and speeds of an Olympic bobsleigh run. Last stop is an American fort mistakenly built in Canada!

Following a special 1899 Canadian edition of his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo leaves the United States to embark on the next leg of his rail journey in Canada. In the vibrant metropolis of Montreal, he discovers how French and British colonial roots have influenced the city's construction, cuisine and culture. Undaunted by his guidebook's description of the treacherous Lachine Rapids, Michael gets a thorough soaking on a white-knuckle boat ride down the St Lawrence River. At the city's prestigious McGill University, Michael learns of its role as a pioneering medical establishment in the 19th century and volunteers to be a guinea pig for the university's cutting-edge neurology department. A behind-the-scenes tour of an icon of modern French Canadian culture follows at the headquarters of Cirque du Soleil, where Michael is transformed into a bright green bug and has a lesson in 'spin'. Venturing into the wooded hills of Vaudreuil, Quebec, Michael unearths the sweet secrets of Canada's maple syrup. Heading west into Ontario he reaches Alexandria, where a tartan army escorts him to the 70th annual Canadian Highland Games. His Scottish roots entitle him to put on a kilt and he attempts to toss the caber! In the Canadian capital, Ottawa, Michael visits the country's parliament to hear about the birth of the new nation after Confederation in 1867. And at Ottawa's historic Central Experimental Farm, Michael hears of the pioneering discoveries that launched a Canadian wheat boom.

Steered by his 1899 Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo's rail journey through eastern Canada continues along the Grand Trunk railway, following the route of the St Lawrence River. At Brockville, he leaves the tracks for a nautical pilgrimage through the beautiful Thousand Islands. In the port city of Kingston, Ontario, Michael visits Fort Henry and, dressed for the occasion, is entrusted to fire the naval guns that protected the nation's southern border during the 19th century. Travelling west to Port Hope, he learns of the antics of a celebrated 19th-century high-wire walker known as The Great Farini. And, in a spirit of showmanship, Michael tests his balance with the modern sport of slack lining. In Oshawa, at the opulent home of the McLaughlin family, Michael has a chance to drive a McLaughlin Buick, the car that heralded a new automotive economy for Canada. At Toronto's Union Station, Michael is invited to inspect an ambitious underground engineering project designed to expand capacity for the city's modern commuter boom. From deep underground, Michael boldly climbs to dizzying heights at the top of the CN tower for an extreme outdoor experience. On board the street car, Michael heads for Toronto's 19th-century stock exchange, where he opens the day's trading. Michael's Canadian adventure concludes in Toronto's High Park, where he seeks the origins of patriotic song, The Maple Leaf Forever.