# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/121 "2008-04-04T13:10:47Z")
[QUOTE=niblet\_head] Did I say Chili’s?? Sorry. Meant Applebees! [/QUOTE] Real 'Muricans eat their steak and eggs at Cracker Barrel. Accept no substitutes. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/122 "2008-04-04T13:54:20Z")
At this particular point in time, I would worry most about airport security. Especially if you are remotely Arab appearing… ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/123 "2008-04-04T14:11:09Z")
Maybe a UL, but I read once that many tourists end up in Newark instead of New York due to the similarity in pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/124 "2008-04-04T16:06:31Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Maybe a UL, but I read once that many tourists end up in Newark instead of New York due to the similarity in pronunciation. [/QUOTE] Actually, Newark International is one of the three major airports that serve New York City. Newark International is in the state of New Jersey, rather than the state or city of New York, but it can be closer to certain New York City destinations than JFK or La Guardia airports. None of the airports that serve NYC are that close to Manhattan. Actually, most US airports are far outside of the cities they nominally serve, and are also often only accessible via under sized, complex, traffic-prone, poorly signed roads. (I’m talking to you, DCA, Dulles, Logan International, etc.!) I haven’t traveled abroad enough as an adult to know if this is an exclusively American problem (like the President being an idiot[sup]1[/sup]), or if screwed up airports are just a universal fact of life, like Newton’s Law of Gravitation. :rolleyes: [sup]1[/sup]I’m not trying to be topical - it’s a true statement for all values of $President. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/125 "2008-04-04T16:18:39Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] At this particular point in time, I would worry most about airport security. **Especially if you are remotely Arab appearing** … [/QUOTE] Which, depending on the airport and how sophisticated the TSA agents are, could include Italians, Filipinos and Brazilians. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/126 "2008-04-04T16:19:01Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Given all that’s been posted, I’m wondering if a warning to tourists to the US should say: Come to Canada. [/QUOTE] And we’re trilingual, too! That’s right: we speak metric, Imperial, and US units. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/127 "2008-04-04T16:36:54Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] Just because things are only [-------------------] far apart on a map, this does not mean you can drive there in no time. America is BIG. LA and San Francisco are over 300 miles apart. Further if you go the coast route. [/QUOTE] You can kind of imagine the trouble we have at this end then, trying to explain that 2 days isn’t really enough time to see South Australia - given that it’s about 2.5 times the size of Texas and most of the interesting stuff is spread way, way apart. Warnings for Australian tourists to the US: 1. It’s really rather hard to get tea. For the record, the magic words are ‘English Breakfast tea’. If your waitperson doesn’t recognise those words, then the cafe doesn’t have anything else going by ‘tea’ that you want to drink either (unless you’re into fruit teas). 1a. ‘White tea’ isn’t what you think it is. 1b. On the plus side, they do \*amazing \*strawberry lemonade and pretty tasty hot chocolate. 1c. But they burn the coffee more often than not. ☹ Stick with the hot chocolate. 1. Despite what you may think, you don’t speak the same language - they really will struggle to understand you. If you’re Australian, they’ll think you’re British. If you’re South African, they’ll think you’re Australian. If you’re a Kiwi, you’re probably just screwed. 😉 Oh, and don’t say ‘bin’, say ‘trash can’. Otherwise you’ll really piss off store people who think you’re asking to put your rubbish in their display boxes. :rolleyes: 1. They sometimes have a little trouble telling when we’re being serious or when we’re joking… which is weird, because they actually do dry humour \*really \*well. 2. Getting through the airport will take 3x longer than you think. Arrive way, way in advance of your flight. 3. Homeless and/or obviously crazy people are right out on the streets. 4. Despite the horror stories, I found the airline staff to be very kind and pleasant. 5. Unlike the airport Security, which apparently accepts the people who fail the ‘Are you a raving psycho?’ part of the psychological profile for the normal police force. Knowing they had loaded weapons scared the crap out of me. They weren’t all crazy, of course, but there were obviously some real loons in the mix there. 7a. The police, on the other hand, were always courteous and friendly when I spoke with them. Totally pleasant experience all round. 1. Allow at least an extra week than what you think your maximum holiday time should be. No matter how well you plan things out, you’ll find so many more, unexpected, interesting things to do than you’d planned for. 2. Petrol is cheap, but parking is hard to find so you’ll probably walk everywhere anyway. But this is good, because the food is tasty and the portions are huge and it’s the only way you’re not going to go up 2 clothes sizes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/128 "2008-04-04T16:44:31Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Americans tend to really like foreign people who just come, be polite, and leave. **You get major bonus points for being Australian** , Irish, British, or some other culture that is vaguely but not much like ours. \ **The odds of getting laid swing very much in your favor if you land on the U.S. mainland with these credentials** [/quote] NOW you tell me?! [QUOTE=Shagnasty] and your are the least bit attractive. [/QUOTE] Oh. D’oh. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/129 "2008-04-04T16:48:26Z")
Oh, one more that just came to me! If you go to Macy’s and show them your passport, they’ll give you a cool discount card just for being a tourist. Neat, huh?! Edit: oh, and unrelated, but I just thought of another - the water level in the toilets is scary-high. Try to trust that it’s not flooded. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/130 "2008-04-04T16:54:18Z")
[QUOTE=Broomstick] There are crocodiles in Florida and along the Guld Coast big enough to kill adults. Bison in Yellowstone are dangerous. Do not mess with the Moose in Maine./QUOTE] But they won’t kill _you_, unless you’re ridiculously unlucky (~4 attacks per year in Florida). For the Brits- you’re about as likely to be killed by an adder as a hapless crocodile or alligator. Worry about the criminals instead. Ours have _guns_, and will use them. Unless you’re Barry McGuigan you should just give them your stuff if they ask for it. > [@](#): > > Edit: I suppose the FCO advice is looking at a majority of states having a maximum speed limit under 70mph, perhaps No… the thing is over here you only get max speed limits on three-plus lane motorways. Anything with a traffic light on it in the next eight miles will usually be 55mph or below. Two lanes will usually mean 55 or below. And any road with one lane will probably be 30 or below at some point along its length. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/131 "2008-04-04T16:54:52Z")
[QUOTE=Typo Knig] Actually, Newark International is one of the three major airports that serve New York City. Newark International is in the state of New Jersey, rather than the state or city of New York, but it can be closer to certain New York City destinations than JFK or La Guardia airports. None of the airports that serve NYC are that close to Manhattan. Actually, most US airports are far outside of the cities they nominally serve, and are also often only accessible via under sized, complex, traffic-prone, poorly signed roads. (I’m talking to you, DCA, Dulles, Logan International, etc.!) I haven’t traveled abroad enough as an adult to know if this is an exclusively American problem (like the President being an idiot[sup]1[/sup]), or if screwed up airports are just a universal fact of life, like Newton’s Law of Gravitation. :rolleyes: [sup]1[/sup]I’m not trying to be topical - it’s a true statement for all values of $President. [/QUOTE] True, I meant I heard that some wander the streets of Newark looking for the Statue of Liberty, etc. ---
**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 4, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/132 "2008-04-04T17:10:57Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Anything with a traffic light on it in the next eight miles will usually be 55mph or below. Two lanes will usually mean 55 or below. And any road with one lane will probably be 30 or below at some point along its length. [/QUOTE] That may be true in Orlandooooooo but once you hit the midwest, things speed up considerably. Almost all of the 2 lane highways around here are 65. The unmarked and unlaned county roads are 45. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/133 "2008-04-04T18:21:46Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Worry about the criminals instead. Ours have _guns_, and will use them. Unless you’re Barry McGuigan you should just give them your stuff if they ask for it. [/QUOTE] This is excellent advice even if they don’t have guns. In fact, it’s excellent advice in most of the world. Whatever you’re carrying in your purse or wallet is almost guaranteed not to be worth getting stabbed, beaten, or shot for. [QUOTE=GorillaMan] [QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] 3) The U.S. is NOT a homogeneous society. … 1. Be careful with political discussions. Even people who sit and grumble about the US government may get testy about foreigners bashing it. … 2. Things are very different between large cities and small towns. … 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 there’s any difference here between the US and just about any other country on the planet? [/QUOTE] The title of the thread isn’t “How is America different from just about any other country on the planet.” I threw those in because they are warnings about common misconceptions. #3: I hear a lot of generalized comments about Americans, and I think many people don’t realize that some regions of the U.S. might as well be different countries. #8: If someone’s sole exposure to U.S. culture is mainstream news, they’d think that everyone here hates the government and specifically hates the President. Even with his current abysmal 30% approval rating, almost 1 in 3 people actually approve of what he’s doing. Someone from another country spouting off about the U.S. government in a bar here could get a very unpleasant surprise. #9: Again, mainstream news in the U.S. virtually ignores the existence of rural life here. Heck, just read the SDMB and you’ll find people making blanket statements about driving pickup trucks or letting cats outside without ever considering that not all Americans live in cities. #11: I do believe this is different. Hardly a year goes by that the news in the U.S. doesn’t describe riots at a soccer game in Europe. I can’t remember the last time I heard about a riot at a baseball or basketball game in the U.S. (although I’d avoid those Raiders fans if I were you;) ) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/134 "2008-04-04T18:48:30Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] #11: I do believe this is different. Hardly a year goes by that the news in the U.S. doesn’t describe riots at a soccer game in Europe. I can’t remember the last time I heard about a riot at a baseball or basketball game in the U.S. (although I’d avoid those Raiders fans if I were you;) ) [/QUOTE] In the US, the riot usually isn’t at the game but afterwards - especially if your team wins. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/135 "2008-04-04T19:49:10Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] 1. Traffic circles are rare and dangerous. People often enter the circle without yielding, and it’s common to have a 25 mph speed limit for a mile or so before you get to the circle. 2. Authority figures seem to yell more here than they do in Europe. 3. There is something called “American Cheese” you will want advance notice about, for example a product called “American Singles” from the Kraft company. It is more precisely called “American Cheese Food” or “American Cheese Food Product”. It’s a heavy opaque gelatinous substance that is normally extruded into folded over polyethylene tubing which is then cut into short lengths. To use these little square sheets you unwind the polyethylene. It’s made of something to give it mechanical strength, such as gums from seaweed or tree bark, and coloring, and flavorings. It does contain some real cheese, too, for flavor (and maybe for legal reasons). There are also other physical forms of it, for example a solid brick form sold under the “Velveeta” trademark. American cheese food has a tangy flavor when melted onto a cheap greasy fast-food hamburger - any other way of consuming it seems to be even worse at disguising its nature. People who are fond of cheese should not try this without thinking about it first. Of course, haggis isn’t all that tasty, either, and it doesn’t kill you. Yeah, yeah, I know my Burns, but I’m a teetotaler. [/QUOTE] HEY! Don’t you be dissin Velveeta ‘cheese’!! ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/136 "2008-04-04T19:56:47Z")
[QUOTE=Cheez\_Whia] 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, you’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. Don’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 I’m most familiar with) always carry a jacket. [/QUOTE] Yea…let me tell you how I was caught up in the Bighorn Mountains in July camping at night…IN A BLIZZARD! ---
**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, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/137 "2008-04-04T20:16:15Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] I can’t remember the last time I heard about a riot at a … basketball game in the U.S. [/QUOTE] Well, it might not qualify as a riot, but if you go to a basketball game, [beware of the players](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacers-Pistons_brawl)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/138 "2008-04-04T20:19:28Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] #8: If someone’s sole exposure to U.S. culture is mainstream news, they’d think that everyone here hates the government and specifically hates the President. … #11: I do believe this is different. Hardly a year goes by that the news in the U.S. doesn’t describe riots at a soccer game in Europe. [/QUOTE] These seem to be descriptions of misconceptions which could arise from exposure to _American_ mainstream news, not overseas media. Especially #11 - foreign visitors are perfectly aware of the tens of thousands of football matches each year at which there isn’t the slightest problem. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/139 "2008-04-04T20:42:59Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] And any road with one lane will probably be 30 or below at some point along its length. [/QUOTE] I love the one around [here](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=28.538923,-81.297412&spn=0.004901,0.009559&t=h&z=17) where I think Lake Underhill has a section that mysteriously drops to 30 for about a city block then goes back up to 40. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546/140 "2008-04-04T20:59:40Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] I love the one around [here](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=28.538923,-81.297412&spn=0.004901,0.009559&t=h&z=17) where I think Lake Underhill has a section that mysteriously drops to 30 for about a city block then goes back up to 40. [/QUOTE] That’s actually exactly what I was thinking of. I can see my office from here! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-warnings-would-you-give-to-tourists-to-the-us/443546.md?page=8)