Yeah, I got “we don’t accept out of state ID” while trying to get into a bar. It turned out the bouncer didn’t know that what I was showing him was a passport. Luckily the other one was grand and just gave a :rolleyes: about the other’s statement and let me in.
If you go to San Francisco, you can wear a flower in your hair (or not), but don’t wear shorts. Even if it’s August. It’s still not going to be warm enough for shorts, especially if you are outside in the evening. The locals laugh at the tourists in their shorts, with their blue lips from the cold. They also sell fleeces and sweatshirts at inflated prices. Save the shorts for your trip to Napa or Sonoma or the East Bay, where it gets hotter. And don’t even think of swimming in the ocean- at its warmest, the water temperatures are in the low 60s.
Speaking of temperatures, all temperatures are in Fahrenheit unless otherwise specified. Shorts are not called for if the weather forecast is 40…
We’re not really as afraid of terrorists as the Department of Homeland Security and that FCO page make us out to be. Remember, even in 2001, the worst year in recent US history for terrorism, more than 10 times as many people were killed in car accidents as were killed in terrorist attacks.
There’s a big exception to the 0.08% rule in some states. If you’re under our legal drinking age of 21, you can be charged with DUI if your BAC is anything other than zero.
Try the tap water. It won’t hurt you. If you like the taste, stick to it. Buy a bottle of water to keep with you, and refill it from the tap when you’re finished with it. Some of our tap water, while safe, does have an objectionable taste (LA is infamous for this). You may want to drink bottled in a place like that.
If you want mineral water like what you’d get in Europe, that’s harder. Our bottled water generally isn’t mineral water- it’s much closer to distilled water. Only fancy restaurants are going to offer mineral water. If you ask for water in most restaurants, you’ll get a glass of tap water with ice (the good news is, water in restaurants is almost always free).
Alcoholic beverages are more expensive here than they are in much of the rest of the world. They’re certainly more expensive relative to things like Coke.
The bear problem is limited to “bears get into your garbage cans and strew garbage all over the driveway” in most places where a tourist is likely to go. You have to be a little more careful if you go camping, but that’s about it. If you do see a bear or other wildlife, don’t try to feed it or touch it, even if it looks harmless. Scorpions, poisonous snakes, and poisonous spiders are very unlikely to be a problem even in areas where they are found unless you go poking around in tall grass or bushes, gathering firewood, poking around in hollow logs or under rocks, or something like that.
Don’t smoke in a bar, restaurant, or hotel room if you don’t know for sure that it’s OK. If you want a hotel room where you can smoke, be sure to mention that when you’re making your reservations. Don’t be surprised if you can’t find a restaurant or bar that allows smoking- an increasing number of states are prohibiting smoking in restaurants and bars. Never smoke in anyone’s home or car without their permission, and be prepared for them to say they’d really rather you went outside to smoke.
I was in a nice normal South Carolina restaurant next week and the waiter asked if I’d like my water sparkling or still! I was so shocked I almost started waving a flag or something and shouting “THIS IS AMERICA!” “Sparkling” is not generally one of the standard choices - there might be sparkling water on the menu, but it’s not like overseas where they ask you “sparkling or still” all the time.
If a cop pulls you over while driving, keep your hands where he can see them and do not get out of the car unless instructed to.
As an English speaker from elsewhere, the only time language tripped me up early on was talking about an entree in a restaurant. That’s the main course, not an appetizer. Also, one day quite recently, after being here several years, I absentmindedly forgot that building floors go 1st, 2nd 3rd. There is no ground floor. I wondered why nobody else was at the meeting on the “first” floor.
Well, usually the ground floor is the first floor. Unless the building is built on a grade, so that, for example, the ground floor is the first floor at the front, and the second floor at the rear.
General advice for those who might come to my fair city, New Orleans, or to other destinations in the Gulf South.
Hurricane season is June 1 - November 1. The peak of the season is roughly mid-August to mid-October. Be aware of weather warnings and have a plan in case you need to evacuate. If you need to evacuate, head inland rather than up or down the coast. You should have a few days warning - - it’s not like hurricanes come ashore as a big wet windy surprise.
Echoing others, it will be hot and muggy from roughly early May until late September. Bring appropriate clothing.
Per Shagnasty’s advice, and although it’s quite rare, if you find yourself confronted by a gun-weilding thug, hand over some valuables. It’s not a bad plan to have your real valuables in a safe place and a dummy wallet with out-of-date credit cards and about $20.00 cash to hand over. Give them something, don’t study their faces, don’t give them a reason to shoot. Ray Davies got into a fight with a mugger. Don’t do that. Do report the crime. The police work very hard to help tourists. Seriously.
That said, don’t be a target. Don’t wander into areas that are not well-lighted after dark. Don’t accept rides from strangers. Don’t interact with street people trying to bet you. If you’re driving around town, stay on the main roads. Don’t stop in areas that don’t look safe.
As for forest fires: parts of the Southeast are still facing drought conditions. While fire risk to forests is generally high, if you’re not in the forest, you don’t have much to worry about.
If you’re golfing, be alert to the weather. Obey signs that tell you to evacuate the course. Thunderstorms with severe lightning are common down here in the summer. Wear insect repellent, particularly on the cuffs of your pants and on your socks to deter red bugs and ticks. The former are very tiny insects that are quite annoying in that they burrow under your skin. I believe that they can cause some dangerous medical situations to northern Europeans due to lack of exposure and immunity. Ticks can carry diseases, particularly Lyme Disease, which can be very debilitating. If you return from a trip here and start feeling lethargic and feverish and it doesn’t go away, get yourself tested for Lyme disease.
If you are coming from a place where you call your friends “cunt” as a term of friendly conversation, I should tell you it’s a rude word here. If you call a woman a cunt, even if you know her pretty well, she’s going to be angry. It’s the most incendiary thing you can call a US woman. You might get a klop in the chops. To a man, it’s a lesser insult, but still rude.
I once saw a guy get banned from a bar for calling the barmaid a cunt.
I might amend – do NOT go on a desert tour by yourself!!!
Bibby
Yeah but in New Zealand and I think, Australia and UK, floors are usually labeled Ground, First, Second etc. i.e, you need to go up from Ground to reach First. I’m not saying it makes sense but that’s the way it is.
Have you ever travelled by Greyhound? I have and found it grand. I was an ethnic minority for the first time in my life but I felt perfectly safe and it was a comfortable ride.
Where is ‘cunt’ not a deadly insult? Is that some Australian usage?
This is very good advice. Those animals aren’t aggressive for the most part, but don’t approach them. Admire from a distance.
In many parts of the US, profanity is not used in polite company, especially around people you don’t know well.“Hell,” “damn,” and “Jesus” are considered profanity, and shouldn’t be tossed around unless you’re sure you won’t be offending those around you.
Different states have different laws about when alcohol may be served. In my home state of North Carolina, it’s illegal to buy or serve alcohol before noon on Sunday. In Georgia, IIRC, restaurants can serve drinks after noon on Sundays, but you can’t purchase alcohol at the store at all on Sundays. In addition, different counties within a state can have different rules about alcohol. Some are completely “dry”–no alcohol sold at all; some will sell alcohol in stores, but won’t sell liquor by the drink in restaurants; and some don’t have any kind of restriction.
People may seem more inquisitive than you’re used to. Really, folks are just trying to be friendly, not intrusive.
Yes, but hurricanes once inland also can bring deadly flash flooding and tornadoes, etc. I wonder if that’s what they mean by “effect”.
It is often used as a term of affection here. Seriously.
They say that if an Australian calls you a bastard it’s a sure sign that they like you. But yeah, “cunt” is off limits except as a mock insult among a group of (male) friends who know each other well. I don’t think there’s anywhere where it’s OK to call a woman a cunt, under any circumstances.
The US is a big place, part II: The sunrise and sunset times in Minneapolis are going to be quite different from those in Miami, especially around the summer and winter solstices.
If the waiter/waitress in a restaurant brings you anything without your asking for it, it’s almost always free. This applies to water, baskets of bread, and refills on soft drinks. Don’t worry that you’ll have to pay for it- if you didn’t order it, you almost never will. Some restaurants will not bring you water unless you order it, but it’s almost always free anyway. This of course means tap water in glasses- bottled water is not free.
Greyhound bus stations and Amtrak train stations tend to be in bad areas in a lot of cities, in my experience. There are, of course, exceptions, but it’s not unlikely that the station will be in a part of town that does remind you of a Third World hellhole. I don’t think I’d take a train or bus into an unfamiliar city alone if I would be arriving at night.
When exchanging your money or cashing travellers’ checks refuse any $100 bills. Insist on 20s instead. It’s a common counterfiters trick to make a small purchase and then pay with a large bill to get real notes back. Most stores will be very suspicious of anyone trying to do that (it’s also considered rude). Some places won’t even accept $100 bills unless you’re spending at least half. Clerks at gas stations and convenience usually are only allowed to keep less that $100 in small bills and change in the register for security reasons (even if they really can open the safe they’ll tell you they can’t). And regarding credit/debit cards; you’ll need one with a magnetic strip on the back. We don’t have Chip & Pin in the US and any card with only a chip will be worthless.
Huh. I always felt that Americans were much freer about swearing than other cultures, although I suppose I really only have East Asian cultures as a reference point. Maybe it’s because I stick to the cities.
I invite any furriners interested in just how weird local laws around alcohol can be to check out this thread recently begun by our lovely Zsofia.
HazelNutCoffee, that’s interesting. I remember on my first visit to the UK thinking that Brits cursed up a blue streak. I’m sure there are lots of regional variations across the US, though–big city/smaller town, Coast/Midwest, North/South.
Having Charlie, Francis and Jeanne going through my front yard a few years back, I also re-evaluated that inland FL has nothing to worry about. When people ask specifically where I live, I direct them to the middle of this or they can just do a map quest. 
