PPRuNe.net is more focused on Europe than north america,
Phooey. I hail from one, and live in the other, have licences from both, fly in both, hang out on pprune and propilotworld.com, as do quite a few others.
Back to the original question, Oberoi. Welcome to the confusing world of aviation. If you reside, and plan to fly, in the USA, best to get an FAA licence. The licensing does not vary from state to state, it is an American licence, not a state licence.
Try to find an airport close to you that has lots of general aviation - so not JFK or Newark, somewhere more like Caldwell, NJ.
AirNav is a good website for finding airports & info about them, and I'm sure there will be a couple of websites that list flight schools too. It is very important to find an instructor who you can relate to, and who relates to you. Flight training is supposed to be fun, even if it does completely clean out your wallet. If you have the time, take a stroll through AOPA's website, and EAA's website. You might find some like-minded souls on there.
Good luck with your flight training - hope it all goes well.