Great American Railroad Journeys: Series 1+2

A companion to the phenomenally successful Great British Railway Journeys, this series sees Michael Portillo swapping his treasured copy of Bradshaw's Handbook for its stateside counterpart an 1879 edition of Appleton's General Guide to the United States and Canada.

This seven-DVD set features 35 episodes covering four different journeys:

New York City to Niagara Falls
Philadelphia to Jamestown
St. Louis, Missouri, to the Grand Canyon
The Twin Cities to Memphis, Tennessee

Michael's first journey takes him from New York City to Niagara Falls; the second traverses the mid-Atlantic cities and states: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Jamestown, Virginia.; the third follows the trail of 19th-century pioneers from St. Louis to the Grand Canyon; Michael's fourth journey begins in Minnesota's Twin Cities and ends in Memphis, Tennessee.

Along the way, Michael takes in Broadway and the great immigration hub of Ellis Island, visits the Military Academy at West Point, and discovers the stories of African slaves; he attempts to conduct a cattle auction and has a taste of the Old West in Kansas, before savouring the fiery flavours of New Mexico's cuisine. Michael then explores Chicago's vast rail hub, discovers the home of the Blues in Memphis and immerses himself in the culture and history of the continent's first inhabitants: the Native Americans.