Night view from top of the Imperial State Building in New York city. [Photo by Hu Yongqi/China Daily]

In New York, one-way streets are liable to drive you crazy, and one way of guarding against this is Ulmon downloadable offline maps, which I obtained before I left for the US, and which indicate the driving directions of one-way streets. These maps, which can be obtained at ulmon.com, were indispensable not just for that but also for walking around New York and Boston.

I had not driven in New York or Dallas before, I was a little anxious about making my way from downtown New York to Woodbury, said to be the biggest outlets store in the US, and then to the La Guardia International Airport.

One saving grace is that American drivers are far more patient and polite than their Chinese counterparts, so even as I slowed down at certain points, uncertain of my way, I was not subjected to motorists blowing their horns, as would certainly happen in similar circumstances in China.

The US has been called "a country on wheels", and just how apt that description is becomes clear when you see its well-developed highway system. In Boston and New York, highways are narrower than they are in Texas but more complicated, so difficult to remember. The transport system in sparsely populated Dallas is bigger, but that does not mean the roads are easier to remember; the ubiquitous overpasses and intersections see to that. In Dallas, it is particularly important to follow directions on a map or GPS very closely, and understand all the road signs, too, otherwise you will get lost.

In fact, the trip proved to be extremely stressful and tiring, but I was intent on ensuring I did not get my friends lost. However, for me traveling is about getting away from the humdrum of everyday life and trying something different, and a short, enjoyable break should ideally provide a springboard for future endeavors.

In my time in Hawaii four years ago, life was comfortable and laid back. My trip to the mainland showed me that life there is altogether different, and I left with a better appreciation of the world's largest economy.