Michael Portillo arrives in Los Angeles and heads for the Warner Brothers studio, founded on Sunset Boulevard at the same time as his Appleton's guide was published. Show more

Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of LA, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside and paints a pretty picture in Laguna Beach. Show more

Michael Portillo's thousand-mile Californian rail journey continues. At tech giant Intel, Michael glimpses the future on a test drive in an autonomous car. Show more

Michael Portillo visits the seismology department at UC Berkeley and hears the story of the catastrophic 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Show more

Michael Portillo continues his railroad travels. In the historic port of Monterey, Michael raises the Bear Flag of the one-time Republic of California. Show more

Clad in khaki boiler suit and dark glasses, Michael Portillo joins the US Navy Pacific Fleet, birthplace of the elite flying academy Top Gun. Show more

Michael Portillo begins his Toronto tour with the ambitious underground engineering works at Union Station, which is now busier than the city's international airport. Show more

Michael Portillo begins this leg at the spot that triggered the 1848 gold rush. Michael pans for gold in the clear waters of the American River. Show more

Michael Portillo embarks on a railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, to Toronto, Ontario. Michael joins the Sons of Liberty aboard ship in Boston harbour. Show more

Michael Portillo's 19th-century Appleton's guidebook leads him to the Parker House Hotel, where in his best pinny, he whisks up a Boston cream pie. Show more

Led by his Appleton's guidebook and tracing the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers, Michael Portillo heads for Plymouth, the home town of America. Show more

Michael Portillo visits a club that traces its roots back to the 1840s. Michael joins in with a legendary open-air 'clambake'. Show more

Michael Portillo's rail odyssey through eastern Canada continues along the Grand Trunk railway, following the route of the St Lawrence River. Show more

Michael Portillo's American adventure continues. Beginning in Nevada, Michael takes to the skies over the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountain range. Show more

In Canada's Quebec province, Michael Portillo ventures into the wooded hills of Vaudreuil to explore a Canadian icon, maple syrup. Show more

In the metropolis of Montreal, Michael Portillo discovers how French and British colonial roots have influenced the city's construction, cuisine and culture. Show more

Armed with his trusty Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo's Californian rail journey takes him to the commercial metropolis of San Francisco. Show more

Michael Portillo continues his American rail journey through New England as he heads for the Canadian border. First stop is Burlington, Vermont. Show more

Michael Portillo's rail voyage goes river deep and mountain high as he heads north through the scenic New England states. Show more

Michael Portillo finds that diversity has been at the heart of San Francisco since the days of the gold rush, though not always harmoniously so. Show more