A lot of hotel rooms are non-smoking now. If you want to smoke in your hotel room, be sure to request a smoking room when you check in. Hotel rooms will generally have a private bathroom and heating/air conditioning, unless it’s a very old hotel or a bed & breakfast. The bathroom will usually be a full bathroom- tub, shower, toilet, and sink. There will most likely be a hair dryer provided with the room (this is good, because I’ve never managed to get a hair dryer to work right with a voltage adapter), and shampoo, soap, and lotion.
The hotel may or may not serve breakfast. If they tell you there’s a breakfast buffet when you check in, the price of that is usually included in your room rate. Breakfast buffets generally run from 6-7am to 9-10am. They usually have coffee, cereal, toast, muffins or bagels, bacon, sausage, or both, eggs, and possibly some kind of fried potatoes. Some of them will make waffles to order, or have a waffle iron where you can make your own (at one hotel I stayed at in Texas, they had a waffle iron that made Texas-shaped waffles). If there’s a restaurant attached to the hotel, meals there (including breakfast) will probably not be included in your room rate.
On the subject of breakfast, if you’re flying into Washington Dulles airport, don’t buy coffee from any coffee bar there that isn’t a Starbucks. There is a coffee bar there that has the worst coffee I’ve ever had, and I’ve had double-strength instant coffee… IIRC, it’s in the terminal used by most of the small planes.
Some counties have extra sales tax, too. I find the best thing is not to think too hard about it- just accept that stuff you buy will cost some small random amount more than what the price tag says.
Not to worry; our government’s not that Orwellian (yet). The UL that saying “kill the President” over the phone/email/whatever will get you harrassed by the FBI, is pretty pervasive here too. But I joke about killing the president all the time and I haven’t been arrested yet. Being flagged at the airport isn’t a big deal anyway. You take off your shoes, you have someone run the handheld metal detector all over your body, and, for a foreigner, you probably have to explain why you’re going to the US instead of Canada or Mexico. (Maybe not, but when I went to Israel I was asked to explain why I wanted to go to Israel when I could just go to Lebanon.) Just tell the truth and you’ll be fine. Or, hell, tell them you want to come to the US so you can have a wild threesome with Mickey Mouse. They’re not really listening to what you say, they’re looking for what your eyes tell them, methinks.
But I digress. You have nothing to worry about, unless you actually bring a sniper rifle or something. You probably can’t even get those in Europe anyway.
Would you challenge my assertion that it’s considered normal to lock your things up when you leave them in the US in general? Do you intentionally leave your house unlocked? I didn’t say the US has a high crime rate, I said you have to lock your shit up.
Your hotel room automatically locks. In Paris they automatically lock as well.
The big difference is that in Paris, the guest turns in the key to the front desk when you leave the hotel during the day. In the US, you keep your key (key card) with you at all times.
The wife’s first time in NYC was 4 days at Hallowe’en '04, it was unseasonably warm (24° or something walking over the Brooklyn Bridge).
We (obviously) walked the bridge, took the Staten Island ferry to get a look at the Statue of Liberty but also to walk round part of New York which wasn’t Manhattan, spent the best part of a day walking halfway up thro’ Central Park watching folk of all ages playing baseball variants, the ice rink had just opened (opens the 1st Nov I think) so there was people watching there too. Watched the Hallowe’en parade , stocked up on clothes from Old Navy, shopped for books, and, at her request went out to the Aquarium at Coney Island - it isn’t that mind-blowing in itself but after we got chucked out at closing time a casual “Let’s actually look at the beach” witnessed one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve seen in a ling time.
Second time was about six weeks ago - we went shopping again (sadly Old Navy let her down but she found Anthropologie ! )
We went to the Met but found it badly organised and there were a disappointing number of rooms closed. On the other hand we saw The Color Purple on Broadway which was amazing - and perhaps a more American experience than seeing Phantom, Lion King or one of the others you could catch in London.
A) Be prepared for how dirty it is. It’s actually rather disgusting as compared to many cities (I’m not so sure how clean Norway is). There’s trash on the streets. A lot of bummy-type people wandering around and sleeping in subways and begging for change. This is the part of NYC that the movies and television don’t show. The subways can be gross, too, with god-knows-what dripping from the ceiling and exposed pipes, rats, etc.
B) People are very nice and most New Yorkers will be happy to answer questions about directions or subway routes! Just don’t ask directions from people who are obviously in a rush to be somewhere- that’s when people get rude. Also, keep in mind that weekdays during 8-10am and weeknights during 4-7pm are rush hour so, during these times, you won’t be able to get a cab to save your life, and the subways going downtown and uptown (respectively) will be packed and moving very slowly.
C) Unfortunately there is a big social class/race issue that is obvious in New York City (and probably DC). One thing that really took me aback when I first moved here is that every retail worker/bank teller/agent/service worker/ government employee will, most likely, be black. This is “normal”. I came from a rural area where everyone was white, so I felt surprised and embarassed to be in an environment where seemingly everyone who was serving me was a different race. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone here; I am certainly not a racist, but I remember that this was an unexpected, uncomfortable sort of surprise.
D) As a general rule, NYC avenues (running north-south) are more “commerical” and the streets (running east-west) are more “residential”. If you’re wandering aimlessly, wander north or south instead of east or west- it’ll be more interesting. That being said, Park Avenue is one of those “dead zones”- 90% large apartment complexes and expensive offices. It’s a famous street, but there isn’t much on it for tourists. Don’t wander down it expecting stores. The upper-class stores are all on Madison ave.
E) If you’re into food, definitely check out “restaurant row”- 46th st, on the west side, between 8th and 9th avenues. That whole area is a “dining” mecca, but that one particular street is well-known for a number of different ethnic restaurants very close together. Also, the street itself is beautiful and quaint-looking, and you’d never guess that it’s just a few blocks away from the bustle and bright lights of times square. It’s worth a see.
F) A very nice shopping area downtown is Prince street and Broadway- you can get there on the yellow subway line. It is located towards the south part of manhattan. It has a number of designer stores but is also very funky and “trendy”- the area is called “soho”. If you walk straight down, you’ll hit chinatown, which is a great touristy stop, too.
Some really good tips here. I really appreciate it.
We definitely need to take a walk across Brooklyn Bridge then. I really hope the weather will good for walking around. I don’t mind the cold too much, but lots of rain and wind (or Norwegian weather as you might call it) would not be good.
The sales tax thing really surprised me. Why wouldn’t they just put the actual price right there on the tag? There’s actually one store around here that used to do the same thing and not include V.A.T on the tags, I think it’s cheating, pretending that things cost less than they actually do so that people will buy more. But I guess it’s a bit different if everyone does it.
I’ve heard of Century 21 before. Just one question: I’m not too fond of large crowds when I’m shopping, any particular time of the day or week that would be better or worse than others? I tend to avoid the stores after noon on Saturdays particularly if there’s a big event or sale because it’s more a hassle than anything else.
NYC is pretty covered, so I will have to give some more attention to my hometown, the District of Columbia:
Depending on the weather you should try to just wander the Mall. You can go into any of the Smithsonian museums for free, just wander in, look around and wander out. The National Gallery East and West have a nice cafe underground between the two museums, it’s a nice spot to catch a cup of coffee or sandwich and plan the next stop.
Don’t bother with a trying to get on a tour to the white house. I hear it is really difficult to actually get on a tour now and that the tour itself is greatly curtailed.
The national zoo is also free, there are some nice cafes along connecticut avenue heading north from the zoo.
Washington in the autumn can be beautiful. DC is a great city to walk. From the Smithsonian metro, you can go in any direction and find something worthwhile. My favorite monuments are the Lincoln (there is a marker where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech) and the Jefferson. The FDR is worth seeing, too.
The metro in DC is really convenient for tourist stuff. If you have a question, I find the staff in the metro kiosks are usually pretty helpful to tourists. This is especially true at the stops likely to be visited by tourists.
Finally on the escalators in the metro: for God’s sake, stand on the right side. The left side of the escalators are for people who want to walk up them; as a resident of DC, I cannot stress this enough.
Sorry, I didn’t edit in time, but I wanted to add that if you are up around the zoo, there is a nice restaurant called Dino one metro stop up. Here is the link: http://www.dino-dc.com
Full disclosure: I am friends with the owners, but it really is a nice neighborhood place with a great wine bar.
I wish sales tax was included in the price on the tag, too.
The only reason I’ve heard for not doing so is that either the tag price would have to vary by locale (which is hard on a national chain), or the amount the retailer would actually get would vary from place to place (I’m not entirely sure why this would be bad, but evidently it would).
VAT only varies between countries, not between regions or cities in countries, right?
I would try during the week during the work day, and avoid lunch hour.
Another thing with sales tax is that occasionally, NYC will run a ‘tax free’ week which means you don’t have to pay tax for clothing, (under a certain dollar ammount). So that would screw up the price tags.
It’s kind of complicated, but see if you can figure out how to get to the George Washington Bridge and walk over to New Jersey. NJ is totally different from NYC, really nice and suburban. The buses run over there all the time, but the whole thing is getting the right one. Check out www.njtransit.com if you are interested.
One little quirk is that something that costs .01 will have no sales tax charged.
So if you went in and out of the store 100 times and made 100 purchases you’d pay 1.00. But if you bought 100 of those .01 items in one purchase you’d pay 1.09. This is one reason tax isn’t added on the price tag.
It gets more complicated in a county like San Diego, where the city of El Cajon charges about 3% more tax (IIRC). If sales tax were included on the price tag, returns would be a nightmare as customers would get irate that the book they bought at the location just 10 miles to the west, on the other side of the city limits, won’t give them as much in store credit as the price tag says.
Ready_for_my_closeup, AIUI, American sales tax is also much less complicated than VAT. And it really doesn’t change the price of anything that much, unless you’re spending hundreds of dollars. The whole thing isn’t anywhere near as misleading as it sounds. It’s more like, you pick up $1.50 worth of snacks at a gas station, and you go up to the counter and spend $1.61. Not a big deal.
On my only visit to NYC, I regretted not doing advance “research” on the Met. We spent more time than necessary with the Egyptian stuff. Finally, Museum Fatigue set in. (And I’ve got a pretty high tolerance.)
So, here’s the Met’s website. Dang, quite a few galleries are closed.
If food’s a big part of the trip, let me offer some specific restaurant picks for NYC.
La Palapa, a Mexican place on 6th Ave and 4th Street. Easily reached by the A/C/E/B/D/F/V train. Delicious!
Dinosaur BBQ. If you’re willing to venture up to Harlem (Safe! Really!), this is a great place to try.
Both places are fun and moderately priced and serve food I imagine is not common in your neck of the woods.
Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Time Out New York, available at every magazine stand you’ll pass. It will list almost everything going on in the city, including a section on free stuff. Also pick up a Village Voice on Wednesdays, for more ideas of what’s going on in the city.
The advice to visit the TKTS booth for Broadway shows is a good one, but also do some online research as to what shows offer rush tickets. Those are tickets you can by an hour before show time and usually the seats are great. The 25th Annual Putnum Country Spelling Bee offers them and is a fun show.
Adams Morgan is a neighborhood in DC that has a lot of nice restaurants and a diverse selection of ethnic food. I went to an Ethiopian restaurant there that I really liked.
Are there any American foods or types of foods that you’re particularly interested in trying?
You do know that our legal drinking age is 21 for all alcoholic beverages, right? The drinking ages in Europe tend to be lower than ours. If you can’t prove that you’re 21 or older, you won’t be able to buy alcohol. Some stores and bars may not accept a passport as proof of age. If this happens, you’re probably best off taking your business elsewhere, rather than trying to persuade them to accept a passport as ID.
If you drink beer, you should go to at least one bar, restaurant, or brewpub that serves microbrew beer. American beer isn’t all Bud or similar. You shouldn’t have much trouble finding a place in New York or DC that serves something other than the big national brands of beer. You should try at least one of the big national brands at least once if you haven’t, but don’t assume that that’s all there is to American beer.
On the subject of beverages, at most sit-down restaurants, you will get a glass of water brought to you before you order. It’s free, as are any bread or rolls they bring to your table without your having ordered them. If you order a soft drink or coffee, you will probably get free refills, and the waiter or waitress may refill your glass or bring you a second glass without asking you first. If they do that, it’s very unlikely that you will be charged for a second drink. You probably can’t get mineral water at any restaurant except really fancy ones, unlike in Europe. Some grocery stores do sell mineral water, though.
Eating and drinking are not allowed on most subways and buses, or in subway stations. It’s possible that you’ll get hassled even for drinking water out of a water bottle. AFAIK, smoking is not allowed in any American subways, buses, or subway stations. I don’t recommend riding on subways or buses at rush hour (roughly 7-10am and 4-7pm) unless you have to- it’s very likely to be very crowded.
Our clothing sizes are different from yours. Men’s clothing sizes are at least simpler than women’s. Dress shirts are sold by neck circumference and sleeve length, both in inches. Suit jackets are by chest size, in inches. Pants are by waist size and inseam, again in inches (the first number is almost always the waist size). A few places will measure you when you go in, but you’re usually better off doing that yourself before you go.
If you’re looking for clothes, please don’t ask me to explain US women’s sizes. I’ll explain the Theory of General Relativity for you, but not that.
As I said earlier, the best way to deal with it is to know that, when you buy something, you will get charged some small random amount more than the price on the tag. That’s not the store trying to cheat you or shortchanging you or making a mistake- it’s sales tax. You will look extremely dumb, and will make enemies with the clerk and everyone behind you in the line, if you make a scene about it.
This is true in DC, too.
Also true in DC. When I went to Copenhagen and Stockholm last year, it felt different from cities back home, and I eventually realized that it was because there were so few homeless people around.
Fat Tire is a great American microbrew, as are many of the Rogue Ales. Of those, my favorites are Brutal Bitter (which is exactly what it sounds like), Dead Guy Ale (slightly less brutal and bitter), and Marimoto Soba (much less brutal). Karl Strauss and Gordon Biersch also make some excellent beers, though I’m not sure if you can get them outside of San Diego. Sierra Nevada is another San Diego brewery that’s highly respected; I know you can get it elsewhere in the Southwest, I don’t know about New York and DC. Don’t expect to find Carlsberg anywhere (although I was surprised to find a six-pack of Carlsberg Elephant at a liquor store today; I didn’t buy it though, as I’m stone cold broke). Speaking of which, Stone is another respected San Diego brewer that makes a number of popular bitter/hopsy IPAs, like Stone IPA, Stone Levitation, etc., which like the others I mentioned may not be available in the Northeast. Heinekin will not be as fresh as you’re used to, IME.
Every single Budweiser, Miller and Coors beer belongs in the trash, IMO. Don’t waste your money on it unless you’re already too drunk to tell the difference.
Modelo Especial and (for dark-beer lovers) Negro Modelo are excellent Mexican beers. I’ve heard good things about Bohemia, but that might be tough to find outside of authentic Mexican establishments. Corona and Dos Equis are more popular, but neither one is a winner IMO. Better than Bud/Miller/Coors, though. I usually stock up on Corona for parties, as a good middle-of-the-road beer.
You can probably find aquavit at a liquor store if you look, but I doubt you’ll find it in most bars here. Finlandia vodka is right out, but Grey Goose is everywhere. For American vodka, though, you can’t beat Pearl IMHO.
I think you should try it once to see if it’s as bad as you’ve heard, just like I tell Americans going to Europe that they should try the mineral water at least once (most Americans don’t like mineral water). And hey, some people do like mass-market American beer- maybe the OP will be one of them.
