I got booted out of the country because my lawyers fucked up with my H1-B #¤%&/.
In the beginning I used the visa waiver thing. If you want the 6 month visa, you need to call the embassy.
When I applied for my second 6 mo visa they grilled me for 20 minutes or so.
"What buses did you use when you went from that city to that city?"
"What rental company did you use when you went to Oregon?"
"What hotel did you stay at?"
Lots of fucked up questions
When they were applying for my visa I studied up on all other visa, just in case.
Get married is a pretty safe bet, if you have known the girl for a while.
E-2 investor visa if you have a lot of money.
J-1 is an exchange student/worker visa, but I think it's limited to 1.5 years.
http://www.amscan.org/ they can apply for you.
H2-B seasonal worker....in case you want to work with them Mexicans picking Oranges
If you know someone that owns a magazine/newspaper or something like that. They can "hire" you and apply for an I-visa, it's for reporters. That way you can stay in the country for up to 5 years at a time.
A friend of mine lives in New York, and it works like a charm for her.
If I come up with anything else, I'll let you know