Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit of Martini Enfield

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Also known as the “Martini Enfield is back from holiday and had a great time in Los Angeles” thread. :smiley:

It was my fiancee’s birthday at the end of March, and I’d been trying to come up with something nice for her- she has put up with me for the last six years, and we’re getting married in February, so what better present than a holiday?

The inital plan was to go somewhere reasonably close- NZ was out, as we’re both from NZ anyway so it’s not exactly exotic, Fiji had just experienced yet another Coup, and neither of us had any desire at all to visit Thailand, Bali, or any other one of the South Pacific’s noted backpacker haunts.

Perusing my Library of Travel Guides, Hong Kong was a definite possibility, especially since they built a Disneyland there not long ago. My Fiancee mentioned that despite living in the US for 7 years, she spend about four hours at Disneyland just before they came back to NZ when she was 16, but her Mum wouldn’t let them go on any of the rides for some screwed up combination of paranoia that someone might kidnap them (her mum suffers from paranoid delusions, as far as we can tell) and inconvenient flight scheduling which basically meant they couldn’t queue up for anything.

So, I’m looking at airfares and accommodation costs back in January, and realising that for not a hell of a lot more than I’m looking at to take two people to Hong Kong for 11 days, we can go to Los Angeles instead.

This presented a conundrum- it was affordable, but if I told my fiancee we were going to LA for her birthday, I’d cop 3 months of “Why did you spend all that money on me???” and “I don’t deserve that!”.

So, I told her we were going to Tasmania. :smiley: Mum and Dad were in on it as well (for the same reasons, incidentally). I told her 48 hours before we were due to depart where we were actually going, much to her stunned amazement. I don’t think it had entirely sunk in until the flight was actually airborne that we really were going to the US.

To cut a long story down to manageable length, we spent the next 11 days at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, managed to get in several days shopping in LA, dinner at Medieval Times one night, a day at Knott’s Berry Farm, and a trip to Tijuana in Mexico (cue Happy Mexican Music), and for my fiancee’s birthday, I managed to get reservations at the Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland- it’s built into the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, so you eat your dinner as people on the ride float past on their way to the Davy Jones’ Locker start of the ride.

We had a great time, all in all- and the trip to Mexico was especially enlightening. All I can say is I’m only surprised there aren’t more Mexicans trying to get into the US, given that Tijuana looks like… well, exactly like it does on TV and in the movies (right down to Federales in full combat gear riding through town in HumVee troop carriers and police officers with Assault Rifles riding around in the back of police utes). Good beer though, and it was quite an experience haggling with Mexican shopkeepers over the price of rugs and other overprice souvenirs (Why yes, the small Mariachi Guitar does look rather nice in my study, why do you ask? :smiley: ). I was amazed to discover that Tijuana was not only huge (about the same size as Brisbane- I thought it was a largish town with maybe 20-40,000 people), but also right next to San Diego (I thought it was a couple of hours drive through empty desert, kind of like Barstow is).

I could easily spend an entire day in Wal-Mart, despite the fact it’s basically a Big W crossed with a Woolworths… I just couldn’t believe how cheap things were… jeans for $14, PC games for $50… crazy. Even places like Old Navy and Gap were surprisingly cheap for clothes, at least compared to Australia.

Eating out was interesting- I almost went mad from being unable to find green vegetables anywhere. And don’t you people put milk in your coffee? Honestly, I lost count of the number of times restaurant staff looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked for milk to go in my coffee instead of that “Non-dairy creamer” abomination that everyone there seemed so partial to. Funnily enough, the only place that I got milk with my coffee without asking was in Mexico.

I still maintain you guys drive on the wrong side of the road. :wink:

Cable TV is great- Adult Swim is brilliant, and I’ve now added “Mexican Telenovelas and other Random TV Shows” to my list of “Things I thoroughly enjoy that no-one else gets”.

Whose bright idea was it to sell Energy Drinks in Woodies? (A “Woody” is a 440ml can, named after the Woodstock Bourbon & Cola drink favoured by those on a budget here). Talk about being wired… if it wasn’t for those craptastic restrictions on liquids in carry on baggage, I would have bough a couple of dozen back with me.

Feel free to get rid of pennies anytime soon, guys. :stuck_out_tongue:

Apparently there was some kind of National Cheerleading Championships in Anaheim while we were there, which was why the hotel was full of teenage cheerleaders. Whilst that may sound like a somewhat dodgy setup for a letter to Penthouse, the cheerleaders were all giggly, immature, and bloody annoying. 1am is not an appropriate time to be practicing your “GO COUGARS!” chant or whatever the hell it was your were doing. It’s also considered bad form to knock on the doors of other hotel guests at 6am, yelling “Angela, wake up, we’ve got to get ready for practice!”, especially when it’s already been made clear that there’s no-one called Angela in the room in question, and that not everyone in the hotel is a cheerleader or chaperone.

Did I mention Disneyland is great? It is a nice place, with happy feelings, all of the time!

I was a little concerned by the number of people who had no idea where Australia was- I always thought it was a joke that lots of Americans didn’t know much about The Outside World, but a disturbing number of people we spoke to (often in the queues at Disneyland) genuinely didn’t know where Australia was, or if they knew where it was, only knew there was a place called “Sydney” in it.

But, without exception, everyone we met was friendly, polite, and genuinely glad to share their country with us- which is why my fiancee and I, and also my parents, love visiting the US.

All I have to do now is put our names in the Green Card Lottery or see if I’ve got some sort of skill that’s there’s a shortage of in the US… :smiley:

And yes, my fiancee had a wonderful time and still can’t believe I took her to the US for her birthday. I keep telling her that the important thing is that she had a good time, and that our next major goal is to pay for our wedding…

2

Well it seems like you had a really really boring holiday. :smiley:

::glares atMartini:: you jammy bastard

3

I am glad you had a good time. Despite the sentiments sometimes expressed on this board, we have a great country and I have no sympathy for my fellow Americans that dont like what they have. There is very high diversity in climate and culture. People just have to pick up their stuff and move wherever seems best for their needs. We have it pretty cheap relatively speaking except for housing costs in certain areas. No one is starving and even the poor don’t usually have it too badly materially speaking. I travel way more than average and I can’t anticipating seeing even all the highlights in the U.S. in my lifetime. Only people with a dedicated agenda and years or decades to spend can do that.

I would like to visit Australia though.

4

After being born in and living in L.A. (and L.A. County) most of my life, I’m tired of the place. But it’s a great place to visit! Maybe there will be another DopeToberFest. :wink:

If you ever decide to visit Vancouver, BC you should drop down across the border and we can indulge your shooting hobby.

5

OK. Now that you’ve explained it you’re forgiven for not letting any of us know so we could stage a Dopefest. I apologize for my students. Several of them were at the National Cheerleading Championships. You probably saw them: blonde, bouncy, full of spirit. :smiley:

Glad you had fun and made it back in time to re-up. Some of us were worried.

6

I bet you’re kicking yourself you didn’t go to Tasmania*.

*Now open Saturdays!

7

That was such a sweet, thoughtful gift. I’m glad you had fun!

8

I’m so glad you had a nice trip here, and what a great special gift for your girlfriend!

I’m also a little surprised and disturbed that you found a lot of people who didn’t know where Australia is. I’m a little biased myself because my dad now lives there, but I would have thought that most Americans would have some idea due to two things – first, it’s very bold on world maps, the kind kids have in the classroom, and second, its impact on Risk strategy. I am not as surprised that most Americans couldn’t tell you much beyond Sydney or kangaroos, which is unfortunate.

And as an East Coaster, I’m going to advocate that you consider visiting the other side on your next visit – when I visit California, it seems like nearly a different country to me.

9

I enjoyed both trips to LA, too (yet to be to either Disney despite having been near both). I generally enjoy my trips south but I have to agree with this:

I gave up telling people I was from Ottawa (when I lived there) because pretty much nobody had heard of the capital of the really big country directly north. :frowning:

10

That would be Juneau, right?

11

That’s like judging the USA based on one short visit to East Los Angeles and watching Soprano reruns. The rest of México is quite unlike Tijuana. I’ve yet to see a Hollywood movie with an accurate portrayal of México.

12

That’s what I figured- My fiancee has been to Ciudad Juarez before, and reckoned it was much the same as Tijuana. She didn’t like either place very much, so next time I suspect I’m going to have to find someone else to come to Mexico with me.

It would be very nice to vist the East Coast of the US- New England looks especially lovely- and it goes without saying Canada is on the “Must Visit” list.

The whole “School Spirit” thing is completely alien to me, though- I don’t think you’d be able to get High School/University Cheerleading to become widespread in Australia & NZ for the dual reasons that most people don’t care all that much about their school, and the general perception that Cheerleading is one step up from stripping. Blame adult films. :wink:

Having visited the US, though, I can see- to an extent- why so many people there are uninterested in the outside world… everything you could want is in the USA, somewhere. Except meat pies, from what I gathered. :smiley:

13

I visited LA in 1983 and those darn cheerleaders were pounding on doors and giggling at 2:00am then, too. What is it with LA and giggly girls?

We went to Disneyland and I didn’t get to go on any rides either because I was toting a 7 month old baby on my back. One day …

14

I’m not sure what is supposed to be the difference between Aussie (or British) meat pies and American pot pies. Generic descriptions make them sound pretty much the same (unless you are talking about Banquet brand pies in the U.S. that are made with imitation meat and cardboard). Not identical, but close enough to keep your appetitie whetted: pasties (plural of pasty–not the plural of pastie which is rather different) in the Michigan UP. (Came over with Cornish miners to the copper and iron mines. Also available in Southern Michigan with a bit of searching; probably can be found in Northern Wisconsin.)

You cam all the way to the U.S. and spent almost eleven days handing over your earnings to Bob Iger? What happened to Malibu? Catalina Island? Venice? UCLA? Hollywood? (Heck, Bakersfield to get a taste of an American Tiajuana? :stuck_out_tongue: ) I suppose it could have been worse: you could have given all that cash to Michael Eisner.

15

We actually spent about 6 days at the Disney Resort. Los Angeles is very difficult and expensive to get around without a car, and we just didn’t have the cash to rent one.

We did manage to get to Hollywood (still an eyesore, IMHO), Beverly Hills (very nice), Santa Monica (also very nice), and the Missions at Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Angeles and San Juan de Capistrano. We thought about going to Long Beach to see the Queen Mary, but we were both tired by the end of the trip and decided that it just wasn’t worth it. Catalina Island and Palm Springs were also things that it would have been nice to get to, but a lack of transportation and time prevented us from doing it on this trip.

Why would I want to visit a university campus, though? :confused:

16

You live in Australia and you’ve made this drive? Man, I’ve got to get out more. I’ve lived in San Diego for just under 10 years and I haven’t been to (as the locals call it) TJ.

Nobody here actually likes it. I’ve always suspected that restaurants dole it out to remind us who really has the power in the customer/restaurant relationship. :smiley:

Seriously, though, I imagine it’s some combination of it being less expensive than milk and the always-on-some-fad-diet people demanding it. As for me, I work in a coffee shop so I always get free heavy whipping cream in my coffee. Which is also free. :slight_smile:

My last memory of Disneyland was being there with my parents and my best friend when I was 13 years old. My friend got separated from us and I went to a security guard to describe him: “Have you seen a 13-year-old boy, about this tall, black hair, half-white, half-Korean?” And he said, “How many of those do you think I’ve seen in the last fifteen minutes? We are in Anaheim.” :smiley:

It gives me a little perspective on my quest to escape this place as quickly as possible, to see people envious of each other for going to Disneyland. It seems like I went to Disneyland or Universal Studios every couple of months when I was in middle school. Speaking of which, Martini Enfield, make your way to Universal Studios next time you’re in LA–I always liked that better than Disneyland, and the whole theme is a little more adult.

BTW, like delphica, I’m surprised that you found any people who didn’t know where Australia was. But then again, I’m a geography geek and I watch your people’s football league. FWIW, there are a small number of serious Australian football teams in Soutehrn California. And Quiddity, I’m sure I could pinpoint Ottawa on a blank map of North America, but then again I used to follow the NHL religiously and I grew up 30 minutes from DC. So take from that what you will.

The key is to get a ways away from the border. Somehow American and Mexican culture don’t mix well on the south side of the line–I suspect it’s because both Tijuana and Juarez thrive on the tourist money of American nihilists. Anyway, people here in San Diego go to Ensenada or further south to experience Mexico, and people in Arizona go to at least Rocky Point. I don’t know about Texans, although I’ve heard enough of them party in Cancun that it’s basically become an American college town.

Do yourself a favor and see the historical sights in DC and not-too-far-away Annapolis, itself once the nation’s capital. July 4 in Annapolis is a treat in particular, let me tell you. And if you get back to our coast, skip Palm Springs, it’s a tourist trap. (JMHO, I know a lot of people like it, but it’s nothing special to me.)

17

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip! But, um, I hate to mention it, but…

You might have wanted to wait a few days…and visit a different state.

(Exhibit B.)

Hail to the 2nd Amendment, Baby! :smiley:

18

Glad you enjoyed Southern California. My family is planning a really huge shindig this summer there to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday, and I’m looking forward to it (for a change).

And I’m pretty sure I know something about Australia. I’ve seen both Crocodile Dundee movies and I’ve eaten at an Outback. :stuck_out_tongue: Actually, I do know where Australia is and that the capital is Canberra. So there. In fact, I’ve had to educate people who think the capital of Pennsylvania, where I live, is Philadelphia. (It’s Harrisburg.)

Robin

19

I can’t speak too much to UCLA in particular, but in general, flagship universities are often hotbeds of excellent American architecture (if you’re into that sort of thing). Many colleges and universities also have some sort of community enrichment built into their mission, and will feature museums, galleries, or concert/theater venues that are open to the public. UCLA is known for its Sculpture Garden.

So, it’s kind of like going to a nice park.

20

American Map of the World