Almost always just before dawn....

and always in the NE although they can come from any direction.

I usually sleep out on my front lawn... waking every hour to watch for 10-15 minutes to hope I see the 'peak'.

Last year wasn't actually that bad... the Perseids I mean. It peaked for me around 4am? If memory serves. I was seeing about one every minute and half... I did NOT, however, see any large ones.

The predictions you read about 100+ per hour, IMO, almost never come to pass. It's rare, but I HAVE seen it that heavy... you just have to be patient and be prepared to use up a few years.