# What warnings would you give to tourists to the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 1, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546 "2008-04-01T16:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/101 "2008-04-03T19:44:46Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] Senator, is that you? [/QUOTE] THAT was funny. šŸ˜ƒ > [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Women with certain accents (French and Russian come to mind) are likely to get hit on a lot. Many (most?) American men find the accents sexy. Many American women find British accents sexy. I like British and Australian accents (but I am taken). > [@](#): > > The U.S. is NOT a homogeneous society. Prices, politics, and attitudes vary wildly from place to place. We were just in Denver and a bar was advertising a ā€œspecialā€ where you could get microbrewed beers for $4.00 a pint (I believe the standard price was $7.00. Around here, $3.00 is standard and $2.00 is common for a good microbrew. Prices and availability of alcoholic beverages are particularly variable. > [@](#): > > Generally speaking, Americans are tolerant of all religions in a ā€œdonā€™t-ask-donā€™t tellā€ sense. Catholics and Protestants donā€™t shoot each other here. If youā€™re not flaunting your religion, itā€™s unlikely anybody will ask you about it. Donā€™t bash any religion, religion in general, atheism/agnosticism, being ā€œspiritual but not religiousā€, or any opinion on religion when talking with anyone you donā€™t know well. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/102 "2008-04-03T20:22:14Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] 3) The U.S. is **NOT** a homogeneous society. ā€¦ 1. Be careful with political discussions. Even people who sit and grumble about the US government may get testy about foreigners bashing it. ā€¦ 2. Things are very different between large cities and small towns. ā€¦ 3. Very few sporting events here end in riots [/QUOTE] Did you add these to make up the numbers, or do you really think that thereā€™s any difference here between the US and just about any other country on the planet? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/103 "2008-04-03T21:18:10Z")
I doubt very much that France would be called ā€œhomogenousā€ - when I went there about 25 years ago there was a diversity in cuisine, architecture, and language between regions. The family I stayed with in Clermont-Ferrond was multi-racial. Nonetheless, to my American perception there was still a certain monotony. I mean, everywhere I went it was different, but it was also all _French_. (Not that that was in any way a negative). I had never realized _just how different_ the US is in many respects until I went to Europe. Iā€™ve rn into quite a few tourists visiting the US from other places who likewise have observed that, while all countries have internal variations, with the US some regional differences seem greater than in a place like Europe, despite the fact everyone (supposedly) speaks the same language, has the same government, uses the same moneyā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/104 "2008-04-03T21:22:46Z")
And all eats at Chiliā€™s! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/105 "2008-04-03T21:28:14Z")
[QUOTE=Broomstick] ā€¦a place like Europe, despite the fact everyone (supposedly) speaks the same language, has the same government, uses the same moneyā€¦ [/QUOTE] Huh? Seriously, I get the point, and itā€™s kind of reflected in the way you phrased thisā€¦the sheer scale of the US creates the diversity one would expect from 300m people. Itā€™s easy for Europeans to forget that they live in a small place which, while itself also not at all homogenous, is also geographically minute compared to California or Texas. Thatā€™s the point at which they need to go on a quick mental tour from Athens to Dublin, via Helsinkiā€¦same money, after all šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/106 "2008-04-03T21:53:04Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Where is ā€˜cuntā€™ not a deadly insult? Is that some Australian usage? [/QUOTE] On the off chance that you arenā€™t joking, some of our members from places in northern UK (maybe OZ, too, Iā€™m not sure) speak of guys calling other guys ā€œcuntā€ without any offense meant. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/107 "2008-04-03T22:00:40Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] On the off chance that you arenā€™t joking, some of our members from places in northern UK (maybe OZ, too, Iā€™m not sure) speak of guys calling other guys ā€œcuntā€ without any offense meant. [/QUOTE] Yes, itā€™s all about context. You donā€™t even have you be a dirty northerner for that to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/108 "2008-04-03T22:04:14Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] On the off chance that you arenā€™t joking, some of our members from places in northern UK (maybe OZ, too, Iā€™m not sure) speak of guys calling other guys ā€œcuntā€ without any offense meant. [/QUOTE] I donā€™t know if he (or she) was kidding or not but Iā€™ve never heard of it being used as anything other than as the most disparaging of terms. My wife glance over my shoulder at this thread and asked why I was reading it. I told her that I started it and she said, ā€œYou started a thread about THAT??ā€ She just saw the ā€œcā€ word, not the thread title. I cannot stress strongly enough that this word is never used in polite society in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/109 "2008-04-03T22:28:34Z")
Make sure you can use the toilet (and the paper)!! For Europeans, this isnā€™t a problem. The rest of the world (in general) might want to do a crash course before coming over. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/110 "2008-04-03T22:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=niblet\_head] And all eats at Chiliā€™s! [/QUOTE] No we donā€™t, you Crackpot Heretic Hillbilly! šŸ˜ƒ That was intended as a joke and I intend no personal offense, niblet\_head, besides which your nom sounds like a self-depreciating insult! ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/111 "2008-04-03T23:55:03Z")
There was a comedian giving advice to white newcomers in Hawaii: Tip #1: Tip! Tip #2: Stay in Waikiki. The further you go out, the darker the skin gets, TURN AROUND! It was meant to be funny, because this comedian his act is making fun of all the different races and cultures in Hawaii. But this could also describe many of the cities in the US, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/112 "2008-04-03T23:59:09Z")
[QUOTE=Chimera] No we donā€™t, you Crackpot Heretic Hillbilly! [/QUOTE] Did I say Chiliā€™s?? Sorry. Meant Applebees! ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/113 "2008-04-04T00:35:10Z")
[QUOTE=An GadaĆ­] Iā€™ve had people being iffy about my passport as age ID in the US before. I thought it was bizarre, ā€œI got into your goddamn country on this thing and you wonā€™t let me buy a drink with it???ā€ [/QUOTE] As lame as it is, the reason is that the customs officer had an idea of what that thing was you were handing over. The penalties for taking some jive document and serving alcohol to an underage customer are severe. I would likely expect to be summarily fired if it were proved, and the business would at least I think be warned about maintaining its liquor license. So your more bumpkin establishments especially are going to be pretty wary. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/114 "2008-04-04T00:54:14Z")
[QUOTE=An GadaĆ­] The main warning would be that (apart from Canadians, Russians or Australians) foreign tourists come from countries on an entirely smaller scale so that the things to see are much further apart than you would ever anticipate having never visited before. Some American highways, Iā€™m specifically thinking of ones Iā€™ve encountered in NYC and Chicago might be seriously daunting for drivers from Ireland, and other countries where even motorways are only just becoming the norm. Our motorways usually have two lanes or at most three lanes. There are many parts of the country (New England for example) where deer are a hazard to driving also. [/QUOTE] The Europeans Iā€™ve met here are always astonished by the size of the country. ā€œWe were on the train from Chicago to L.A. for TWO DAYS!ā€ Those same people got off the train next to Angels Stadium in Anaheim and wanted to walk to Vineyard church (Next to Yorba Linda, for those of you familiar with the area). ā€œHow far can it be? Weā€™re IN Anaheim.ā€ Well, itā€™s about 10 miles. Anaheim is a major town around here. One of the things that really jumps out at them also is all the American flags. There just isnā€™t this idea of close neighbors that would be offended, like apparently there is in much of Europe. And the pledge of allegiance strikes many of them like something out of a Stalinist ā€œre-educationā€ camp (well, me too, a little). Oh, and regarding the ā€œc-wordā€, if you hear some little granny say something about ā€œfannyā€, she really isnā€™t swearing. Really. I know what it means in many other countries, but itā€™s just a very granny way of saying ā€œbuttā€ in America. Like my buddy forgot and used it at the podium in front of the whole church he was visiting in Australia. Itā€™s that mild a word, that he got the reaction before he remembered. ---
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/115 "2008-04-04T01:23:15Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] **Crocodiles And Boulevards** probably lives far away from me, which illustates another point: there are vastly different levels of danger to people depending on where in the country you visit. If you want safe, come to New Hampshire or Vermont. Less than 20 murders a year in both states (in 2006 your odds of being murdered in NH were all of 1 in 100,000, so thatā€™s 13 people for the year). You might die of boredom or freeze to death, but no one will harm you. [/QUOTE] Yeah, for some reason, every Korean I know wants to go to LA, NY, or New Jersey. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/116 "2008-04-04T02:50:25Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] In Arizona and the deserts of California, always carry extra water if you are going on a desert tour by yourself. [/QUOTE] A minor correction: If you plan on going on a desert tour by yourself, _donā€™t._ It can be a long way from someone wandering by and finding you if you get hurt. Oh, and in case someone didnā€™t bring this up or not (I have only read the first page of this thread, and I have to go run off in a minute): The US is big. Really big. Itā€™s worth mentioning again, because itā€™s a whole new kind of big, especially as you move west. Corn as far as the eye can see, from an airplane traveling at 35,000 feet (unless itā€™s cloudy, then itā€™s clouds as far as the eye can see šŸ™‚ ). Also, just because two cities are in the same state, it doesnā€™t necessarily mean theyā€™re close to each other. El Paso, Texas is closer to Los Angeles, California than it is to Houston, Texas (then again, El Paso is kinda way the hell out in the middle of nowhere, as far as Texan cities go). ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/117 "2008-04-04T03:55:36Z")
I want to say a few things about mountains. The mountains in the western US are big. Really big. And tall. If you go to a mountain state, youā€™re probably higher up in altitude than you think. Sunscreen is a must, as it is very easy to get a sunburn bad enough to cause blistering. Drink a lot of water, even if you are not thirsty. Donā€™t push your self too hard, either. [Altitude Sickness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness) can kill you, or at least make you wish it had. Once that sun goes down though, it can get cold. Really cold. Same thing if you get caught in a thunderstorm. If you are in the mountains (Rockies and the Sierra-Nevada are the ones Iā€™m most familiar with) always carry a jacket. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/118 "2008-04-04T04:54:26Z")
Given all thatā€™s been posted, Iā€™m wondering if a warning to tourists to the US should say: Come to Canada. The crime rate is lower ([cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Canada#Comparisons)); bars, restaurants, nightclubs, liquor and beer stores know what a passport is and accept it as valid proof of age; and Canadian banks are ready to change your Euros and Sterling into local currency without any hassle. The summer weather is just as hot and humid in southern Ontario as youā€™d find in Florida. Skiing is just as good in Alberta as in Colorado, the Northern Lights in northern Canada are just as good as in Alaska, and the mountains are just as purple and majestic as they are in the US, as are the amber waves of grain on the Prairies. And if (through an honest error, Iā€™m sure), you tip less than 20%, the server will not hate you forever. We pay our servers far more than the US minimum wage ([cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_in_Canada)). We also wonā€™t make you take off your shoes when you leave, we wonā€™t treat you like a terrorist if you look foreign (remember what the US did to [Maher Arar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maher_Arar), namely, deport him to a country that wasnā€™t his home and the US didnā€™t even bother to tell Canada, on whose passport he was travelling), and we realize that there is more than one language in the world. Chances are that somebody here speaks the same language you do. Why go to the US when the best tourist destination is right next door? :: d&r :: ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/119 "2008-04-04T06:04:59Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Why go to the US when the best tourist destination is right next door? [/QUOTE] Because there are things you canā€™t see or experience in Canada that you **can** experience in the USA, and, of course, vice versa. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/120 "2008-04-04T06:55:23Z")
[QUOTE=wheresgeorge04] Because there are things you canā€™t see or experience in Canada that you **can** experience in the USA, and, of course, vice versa. Joe [/QUOTE] Such as the mysterious Jackalope, native to the US. šŸ˜ƒ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546.md?page=7)