What is America like??? question from an Australian fella.

craziestlifewelleverknow

Really want to visit America but have so many questions because it is such a huge country with so many states which all have there own charm.
It would be impossible to visit every state and considering the currency change from Australian dollars to U.S dollars i have to be selective about which states to visit.
Places like New York,California,Las Vegas are a shoe in but would love to see Washington,New Orleans,Miami, the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!
Dont want to do the clique thing,would love to see the cool,unknown towns of the U.S.

I have some questions and would love your thoughts.

questions are,
Would it be better to refer to America as the U.S.A?
Should i tip 10% for everything that i buy?
Are people in New York really as rude as French people?
Is a dime bag really a dime and what is a dime?
Is Alaska really that bad to visit?

Stupid question i know but would love to hear your thoughts.

Im only asking because a fan of Pearl Jam is a fan of mine.......?
Aghh you know what i mean !!

Dan.

meme

DN307676 wrote:

Really want to visit America but have so many questions because it is such a huge country with so many states which all have there own charm.
It would be impossible to visit every state and considering the currency change from Australian dollars to U.S dollars i have to be selective about which states to visit.
Places like New York,California,Las Vegas are a shoe in but would love to see Washington,New Orleans,Miami, the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!
Dont want to do the clique thing,would love to see the cool,unknown towns of the U.S.

I have some questions and would love your thoughts.

questions are,
Would it be better to refer to America as the U.S.A?
Should i tip 10% for everything that i buy?
Are people in New York really as rude as French people?
Is a dime bag really a dime and what is a dime?
Is Alaska really that bad to visit?

Stupid question i know but would love to hear your thoughts.

Im only asking because a fan of Pearl Jam is a fan of mine.......?
Aghh you know what i mean !!

Dan.

Well, you seem to be aware of the fact that the US are a huge country, and very, very, very different depending on where you visit.

I think your starter list of cities is good.

I would add Boston and Seattle, but wouldn't know what to take off your list!
I also think you should add somewhere in the midwest, although if you don't know anyone there you probably wouldn't really enjoy and appreciate how different it is from the rest of the country

Also, I lived in Minneapolis for a while and loved, loved the place. A good place to visit for a music fan, although it is rather off the beaten path.

Americans are egocentric enough that won't mind if you call their country America (you'd piss off the Central, South, and further-north-Americans, but you are not visiting there, are you?)

You only tip when you receive a service (restaurant, cab, haircut, etc.), and you usually tip at least 15 percent. In big, expensive cities like New York the custom is 20 percent and 25 is not unheard of.

I'd say New Yorkers are rougher but not necessarily ruder than the French.
And everyone I know who visited Alaska reported that it is breathtakingly beautiful.

Anon

Anyone that says Alaska is a bad place to visit probably has never been there.

Stay out of California, IMO it is overpriced and offers little. There are just too many other better places to go.

quelquefois

How are you planning on traveling once you're in the country? will you get a car? or being taking a plane, or amtrak, or god-help-you the bus?

If you want to see the country from a locals perspective, and save some money on accommodation, you should check out couchsurfing.org. If you have some flexibility in your wanderings you can get new suggestions for destinations as you go from the people you stay with as you travel from one coast to another.

Also, i'm not sure about the visa situation, but if it's possible you should try to make it up to Montreal. Especially during the summer. My money would be on Montreal for the best time at the lowest cost. Other than that, I hear Boulder and Denver are GREAT places to visit, and Portland (Oregon, not Maine) would be fun too. There are way too many places!

What kinda trip are you looking for? Like... are you interested in history, art, drinking, politics, landscape?

keeponrockin

NothingIsEverything. wrote:

How are you planning on traveling once you're in the country? will you get a car? or being taking a plane, or amtrak, or god-help-you the bus?

If you want to see the country from a locals perspective, and save some money on accommodation, you should check out couchsurfing.org. If you have some flexibility in your wanderings you can get new suggestions for destinations as you go from the people you stay with as you travel from one coast to another.

Also, i'm not sure about the visa situation, but if it's possible you should try to make it up to Montreal. Especially during the summer. My money would be on Montreal for the best time at the lowest cost. Other than that, I hear Boulder and Denver are GREAT places to visit, and Portland (Oregon, not Maine) would be fun too. There are way too many places!

What kinda trip are you looking for? Like... are you interested in history, art, drinking, politics?

Montreal is a FANTASTIC city, I'm moving there next year, and could not be more excited.

Um, New York is amazing from a World-Wide prespective, something everyone should see once. Its impossible to do the US in a month, or even a year. I'm Biased being from there originally, but I LOVE Seattle, it has a cool vibe.

You only tip at restaurants, bars, etc...
People in NYC seemed really friendly when I was there. Sure it's a big city, but everybody was helpful.
A dimebag is $10.
And Alaska is REALLY far from the rest of the contental USA, and you'd pass through Canada, another amazing country!

scw156

DN307676 wrote:

Really want to visit America but have so many questions because it is such a huge country with so many states which all have there own charm.
It would be impossible to visit every state and considering the currency change from Australian dollars to U.S dollars i have to be selective about which states to visit.
Places like New York,California,Las Vegas are a shoe in but would love to see Washington,New Orleans,Miami, the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!
Dont want to do the clique thing,would love to see the cool,unknown towns of the U.S.

I have some questions and would love your thoughts.

questions are,
Would it be better to refer to America as the U.S.A?
Should i tip 10% for everything that i buy?
Are people in New York really as rude as French people?
Is a dime bag really a dime and what is a dime?
Is Alaska really that bad to visit?

Stupid question i know but would love to hear your thoughts.

Im only asking because a fan of Pearl Jam is a fan of mine.......?
Aghh you know what i mean !!

Dan.

America is huge and diverse. You should hit up the major cities you spoke of and if you want to see all the different "types" of Americans you should maybe plan to travel to different parts of the country. Maybe to the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, Texas, Alabama or somewhere else in the deep South, go to Montana or the Dakotas, the North East states.

It's really what you enjoy and are interested in seeing. Like was said earlier, its impossible to see everything in a month or so. It would take years to visit every little place thats unique

Byrnzie

DN307676 wrote:

Would it be better to refer to America as the U.S.A?

Makes no difference.

DN307676 wrote:

Should i tip 10% for everything that i buy?

Tipping's for fags.

DN307676 wrote:

Are people in New York really as rude as French people?

Some are, most aren't.

DN307676 wrote:

Is a dime bag really a dime and what is a dime?

I don't know what a dime bag is. Sounds like drugs, or an insult. A dime is 10 cents.

DN307676 wrote:

Is Alaska really that bad to visit?

Depends what time of year you go and how far into the wild you go.

tybird

DN307676 wrote:

Really want to visit America but have so many questions because it is such a huge country with so many states which all have there own charm.
It would be impossible to visit every state and considering the currency change from Australian dollars to U.S dollars i have to be selective about which states to visit.
Places like New York,California,Las Vegas are a shoe in but would love to see Washington,New Orleans,Miami, the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!
Dont want to do the clique thing,would love to see the cool,unknown towns of the U.S.

I have some questions and would love your thoughts.

questions are,
Would it be better to refer to America as the U.S.A?
Should i tip 10% for everything that i buy?
Are people in New York really as rude as French people?
Is a dime bag really a dime and what is a dime?
Is Alaska really that bad to visit?

Stupid question i know but would love to hear your thoughts.

Im only asking because a fan of Pearl Jam is a fan of mine.......?
Aghh you know what i mean !!

Dan.

America, U.S., United States, U.S.A. are all fine....America or U.S. will probably work in 99.99999% of the time.

You can actually take Amtrak from Southern California to New Orleans to Washington D.C. (if that is the Washington you mentioned in your post) to New York with only one change in trains.

Tipping is reserved for services rendered only.....baggage check-in, taxi cab ride, valet parking and sit-down meals where a wait staff person actually takes your order and brings the food to your locations....wait staff tips are generally given at 15-20% of the bill, but if the service is outstanding more may be given. Only rude people and social parasites don't tip in the proper circumstances.

Most of the rudeness evident in New York City involves people in their cars....they like to honk a lot, but I had no problems in the city.

Alaska is the most beautiful place that I have ever visited. It would be another long plane flight for you....but bad to visit......absolutely not!!!! Of course, I was there in the Summer. :twisted:

weenie

I suppose a lot would depend on how much time you have overall, and how much time you want to spend in each area. I definitely would avoid driving in the big cities - traffic can be a serious bringdown.

Depending on what type of Americana you want to soak up, you might be better off visiting places like Philly, Chicago, San Fran, Seattle, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Miami. Some of those cities have great mass transit systems and are a little more representative of geographic areas of the US as well as being culturally diverse. Not only are they vibrant cities, but also really beautiful. (San Fran, Seattle, Denver, Miami)

You really should plan at least one stop for a National Park thing like the Grand Canyon or what have you if you are an outdoors person. Amazing sight. I guess it all depends on whether you're a city person or you prefer scenic sites and nature.

My own personal worst experiences with rudeness have been in Boston. NYC folks are great!

TriumphantAngel

...

decides2dream

i cannot possibly answer all your Qs, but to address a few:


contrary to popular belief, NYers are NOT rude! i know, i'm, a NYer. we may be a bit brisk/forthright, but seriously...not rude. NYers are truly some of the nicest people you can ever meet, if you get past our gruff exterior.
alaska is a FANTASTIC place to visit - i highly recommend it!
even as a an american i know i have not seen anywhere near all there is to see in my own country there is just SO much! definitely try to hit up east coast, west coast, south....perhaps a new national parks, you really can't go wrong...so much to see and do!


as to tipping, you do not tip for everything you buy. you tip waitresses, cabbies, hairdressers, bellboys, things of that nature. most get tipped between 15-20% depending on where you are at.

enjoy and have fun!



as to a dime bag, forget how the term originated, but back in my teens...it simply meant it cost $10 and i know that simply is not the case today. i would assume it simply is a reference to weight, tho don't ask me what measures.....

mrhodeshouse

Hello my brother from an Australian mother! I write this to you from my cell phone on the balcony of a Maui, Hawaii patio overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean, awaiting Ed's show Monday evening here in Maui! Visiting America, or the US (could go either way) seems impossible to do if you're trying to visit ALL the hotspots. I've lived her for 34 years (all my life) and have only touched the surface.
New Orleans should be on the agenda. Austin, Texas, YES! The obvious ones, you mentioned. San Diego should be thrown in when you head to SoCal. The midwest should only be visited if you plan to go to a college football game. There is NOTHING like that! Seattle, absolutely. San Fran, but also head down to Monterey and Carmel... If you have a few days in Cali, drive up PCH from LA to Carmel (Pebble Beach). Life doesn't get much more pristine than that. Other than that, enjoy yourself. There are MORE Americans that are cool, than NOT!

Smellyman

JB811 wrote:

Anyone that says Alaska is a bad place to visit probably has never been there.

Stay out of California, IMO it is overpriced and offers little. There are just too many other better places to go.

what? Cal is a huge and beautiful state. San Fran and San Diego are top 5 best US cities to me.

and I have never lived in California

mickeyrat

I would suggest extreme northeast , southwest (Grand Canyon!!!!!!) Little bit everything really. Your list contains fairly decent cross section of the country. I would try to hit the four corner regions which you have on your list but include a couple stops in the midwest/ rockies regions.Have fun Mate !!!!

soulsinging

Byrnzie wrote:

DN307676 wrote:

Should i tip 10% for everything that i buy?

Tipping's for fags.

Stay classy Byrnzie.

tybird

Some good National Parks that I can personally recommend:
Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Parks in Wyoming (Jackson Hole is a great place to visit)
Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward, Alaska
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina

Lizard

Smellyman wrote:

JB811 wrote:

Anyone that says Alaska is a bad place to visit probably has never been there.

Stay out of California, IMO it is overpriced and offers little. There are just too many other better places to go.

what? Cal is a huge and beautiful state. San Fran and San Diego are top 5 best US cities to me.

and I have never lived in California

Totally agree. And our state is so totally different from top to bottomess!!

Its Evolution Baby

JB811 wrote:

Anyone that says Alaska is a bad place to visit probably has never been there.

Stay out of California, IMO it is overpriced and offers little. There are just too many other better places to go.

Where exactly have you been in CA? Northern CA is more like Oregon and Washington. Then you have the Bay Area which has great restaurants, museums, wineries, etc etc. The Central Coast is just beautiful beaches and great food. Southern Ca is great for toursity stuff like Hollywood and Disneyland. Then you have San Diego which is great but if you have to much fun you will think TJ is a good idea and it never is. Then you head east for places as diverse as Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Death Valley and much more. And lastly our Governor has killed both the t1000 and the Predator.

You're right. We have nothing to offer anyone.

NoK

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

And lastly our Governor has killed both the t1000 and the Predator.

That is the funniest thing I've read on here in a while.

gabers

To answer your most important question, a dime bag used to refer to a $10 bag of weed. (A dime is $.10, get it?) Nowadays I think it generally refers to about 0.25 oz. of it. But I've been "out of the loop" since my college days about eight years ago, so maybe the definition has changed since. At any rate, a dime bag should keep you high for a while.

_

I think where/how many places you visit will depend a lot on how much time & money you have. I've lived here all my life and have still never been to some of the places you've mentioned - but I agree that they're all places I'd like to visit some day!

I'd like to put in a plug for New Mexico & the southwest! New Mexico is beautiful and rich in culture, particularly if you're interested in Native American culture. Santa Fe & Taos are great for art. We're not too far from the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We have ancient ruins, great weather, and many other things to offer!