# Ask the Scottish lady about her solo US trip **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 28, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958 "2017-08-28T21:17:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/41 "2017-08-29T12:58:57Z")
Water pressure and temperature? Do you find the average US water temperature and pressure in places like hotels the same as home? The smell? What smells do you remember the most that you either found unique or the same as home? Scotland in the US? Did you find any products the same as back home? Price? What in the US is either cheaper or more expensive than home ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/42 "2017-08-29T13:02:20Z")
How was the food? Best meal? Worst meal? Thoughts on quantity? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/43 "2017-08-29T13:03:13Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > With regards to the sales tax not baked in the price, isn’t VAT that way in the UK? Whenever I order something from there, the price says “£50 + vat” and suddenly at checkout the price jumps to £70 or so, then when I enter my US address it goes back to £50. I have the opposite experience at the retailer I occasionally order from in the UK. Prices include VAT, and then I get a nice surprise when I put in my address. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/44 "2017-08-29T13:03:20Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s a shame about the lack of trains elsewhere - I was surprised I couldn’t really do the New Orleans - Memphis - Nashville part of my trip by train. this country really does need a lot more trains. ☹ it sounds like you had a fantastic trip, all around. what parts of this country would you like to see next? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/45 "2017-08-29T13:57:16Z")
A propos the sales tax. My son bought some film in Paris (back in 1991, when you still bought film) and was astonished that the price on the shelf was what they charged him. I have a theory that one of the things that makes Americans (and Canadians too) so angry over taxes is how visible they are. If you want a cheap train ride, take the Montrealer. Of course, it takes 11 hours NY-Montreal that you can drive in 6, but it is cheap. When I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia, a train to NY was under $10. You can still do it on the cheap by combining the NJT to Newark with the SEPTA line to Philly. Was the eclipse everything you expected? How was the weather? ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/46 "2017-08-29T14:38:06Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > this country really does need a lot more trains. ☹ > > it sounds like you had a fantastic trip, all around. what parts of this country would you like to see next? The wide open spaces. Monument valley. Yellowstone. Yosemite. The Wyoming you read about in Annie Proulx stories. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/47 "2017-08-29T14:42:26Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Was the eclipse everything you expected? How was the weather? Oh yes, and then some. The weather was perfect - totally clear skies. There were a few in the group that had seen several eclipses. They all said the same thing: “If that was your first, don’t see another one. That’s the best I’ve seen and it was perfect. Another might not be so good.” Things I wasn’t totally prepared for: The way the corona moves and shimmers. Seeing Jupiter and Mars in the sky in the middle of the afternoon. The incredible deep blue colour of the sky. The 360 degree glow round the horizon - the edge of the moon’s shadow on earth. The sense of awe and wonderment - while still being conscious of how utterly, utterly terrifying a spectacle that would have been if you didn’t understand what was happening. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/48 "2017-08-29T14:54:17Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Water pressure and temperature? > > Do you find the average US water temperature and pressure in places like hotels the same as home? > > The smell? > What smells do you remember the most that you either found unique or the same as home? > > Scotland in the US? > Did you find any products the same as back home? > > Price? > What in the US is either cheaper or more expensive than home Interesting questions. Water pressure - nothing hugely different. Smells - the ubiquitous BBQ aroma will remind me of this trip. The New York Subway has a unique aroma. Products - global brands, obviously, like Coca Cola and Sprite. Candy/Chocolate that was familiar but with slightly different variants - different varieties of Kit Kat. Was surprised how widespread Stella Artois is. Really missed Strongbow. Price - cheapest - gas. I filled my rental car with $25. Filling my tank at home costs £65. Expensive - drinking and dining. My local bar charges less than £5 for a large glass of wine (250ml, a third of a bottle - no tax or tip on top). I paid over $50 in Nashville for a mediocre Italian entree and two glasses of wine, that would cost half that here. Drinking at concerts and theaters is always expensive, but I found it outrageously so. $14.50 for a large Bud Light at Roger Waters. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/49 "2017-08-29T14:59:11Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > How was the food? Best meal? Worst meal? Thoughts on quantity? To be honest, I really struggled with my appetite the whole time I was travelling. The heat, the strange environment, the excitement. So a lot of the time food was almost a chore that had to be done. Strange, I know. The ribs at Martin’s BBQ joint in Nashville were great. Very busy and you had to queue, but worth it. I tried a fairly upscale place on my last night in New Orleans - the Court of the Two Sisters. Louisiana catfish on a bed of risotto, and it was just great. The worst was at an Italian in Nashville. Simple pasta dish took an hour to arrive, and was salty to the point of being inedible. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/50 "2017-08-29T15:15:38Z")
Do you drive? Did you have the opportunity to try your hand at driving on the right side? (Or perhaps that’s old & familiar territory to you from other trips elsewhere?) ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/51 "2017-08-29T15:33:15Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > The wide open spaces. Monument valley. Yellowstone. Yosemite. The Wyoming you read about in Annie Proulx stories. I’m an American who drove across Wyoming for the first time two years ago, and it is bizarre. It’s beautiful, but it also feels empty. I spent much of my life in Indiana, so it’s not as if I expect a lot to be going on in the countryside, but Wyoming’s dearth of visible towns and homesteads among all that beautiful landscape was haunting. Don’t have a flat in that state unless you can change a tire yourself. TBH, at the time my husband and I wondered if it didn’t look a lot like the Scottish highlands. If you’ve been to those, and you visit Wyoming, come back to share your thoughts 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/52 "2017-08-29T15:44:50Z")
You’re probably a veteran enough traveler to already know this, but if you do make another trip to see the Wide Open Spaces, allow plenty of time. They’re big. I mean, really big. You may think it’s a long way to the chemist’s, but that’s peanuts to Wyoming. You’ll want to dedicate at least a few of days to Yellowstone alone, and probably the same for Glacier, and multiple days to travel between them. Oh, and speaking of which, add Glacier to your list of wide-open spaces. The eponymous glaciers are now mostly gone, but the mountains are undescribably spectacular. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/53 "2017-08-29T16:13:03Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Do you drive? Did you have the opportunity to try your hand at driving on the right side? (Or perhaps that’s old & familiar territory to you from other trips elsewhere?) As mentioned in the OP, I drove the 700 miles from New Orleans to Nashville, via Vicksburg and Memphis. I was absolutely terrified at the prospect, but figured thousands of people manage to do it. I had driven in continental Europe before, but only on the Greek islands. Totally different proposition. I had a couple of wobbles - nearly went the wrong side up a dual carriageway! - but adapted quite quickly. GPS/SatNav is an absolute godsend, but don’t take it too literally when it says “keep left at the junction” :smack: I’ve mentioned it already in the thread, but I loved the difference between white lines and yellow lines between lanes. All lane markings here are white. That must make things very, very difficult - and dangerous - to folk from the US driving here. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/54 "2017-08-29T16:13:51Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > …The worst was at an Italian in Nashville. Simple pasta dish took an hour to arrive, and was salty to the point of being inedible. Yeah, but did you leave a tip? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/55 "2017-08-29T16:15:35Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yeah, but did you leave a tip? 😉 Gritted my teeth and grudged every penny of the 12% ish tip that I knew I still had to leave. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/56 "2017-08-29T16:22:17Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Good taste in concerts. My one single concert I ever attended was Roger Waters: The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking tour in Detroit, 1985 🆒 > > With regards to the sales tax not baked in the price, isn’t VAT that way in the UK? Whenever I order something from there, the price says “£50 + vat” and suddenly at checkout the price jumps to £70 or so, then when I enter my US address it goes back to £50. Are you buying ‘professional’ goods or consumer goods? You will typically get quoted the price less VAT if the shop expects you are a business that will recoup the VAT (think ‘plumbing supplies’ and the like). Only consumers pay the VAT. Goods assumed to be marketed to the general public must show the price including VAT by law. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/57 "2017-08-29T16:24:34Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > On the flip side, I visited London a month or so pre-Brexit and had a few $30 glasses of wine! You sure weren’t drinking on Weatherspoons! ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/58 "2017-08-29T16:34:38Z")
I’d like to hijack for just a second and say that my wife and I (USAians) enjoyed visiting Scotland more than just about any other country we’ve visited in the last six years (including Ireland, England, Norway, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus). It’s beautiful and the people are wonderful, though our practice of tipping seemed to confuse them. We would go again in a heartbeat. Coincidentally, we were in Scotland and Ireland specifically to fly over to Liverpool to see a concert. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/59 "2017-08-29T17:46:12Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > I’ve mentioned it already in the thread, but I loved the difference between white lines and yellow lines between lanes. All lane markings here are white. That must make things very, very difficult - and dangerous - to folk from the US driving here. The biggest problem I had wasn’t the side of the road–it was the roundabouts. We have some here, but nothing like the huge plethora of roundabouts in the UK, ones with any number of side roads coming into them all connected together in a huge tangled mess. After a few of those I was absolutely disoriented and lost. And then there was the evening after work when I drove home and it snowed: all of the road markings vanished :eek:. Thankfully the Brit bus driver was cool about it and he didn’t run me over. Must have known I was as stupid Yank. > [@SanVito](#): > > Are you buying ‘professional’ goods or consumer goods? You will typically get quoted the price less VAT if the shop expects you are a business that will recoup the VAT (think ‘plumbing supplies’ and the like). Only consumers pay the VAT. > > Goods assumed to be marketed to the general public must show the price including VAT by law. Mostly special tools such as taps and dies in BA thread (British Association), for model making. Not really b2b stuff, more like specialized consumer goods. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958/60 "2017-08-29T18:45:38Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > The wide open spaces. Monument valley. Yellowstone. Yosemite. The Wyoming you read about in Annie Proulx stories. I visited Wyoming a long time ago with my Mom & I and when we got to the Big Horn Mountains we were worried about getting a camping spot because it was a weekend. the Park Ranger we asked about it laughed at this and, sure enough, when we picked a campground completely at random it was almost empty. the state has stunningly beautiful places you get to by driving long stretches of empty. I have lived in Nevada for over 2 years and still haven’t gotten to the very epitome of wide open spaces:[Great Basin National Park.](https://www.nps.gov/grba/index.htm)\* the website reminds you it’s not unusual to drive a 100 miles between services so it’s not the kind of place anyone could visit on a whim. \*they have astronomy programs because dark sky! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-scottish-lady-about-her-solo-us-trip/794958.md?page=4)