What warnings would you give to tourists to the US?

THAT was funny. :smiley:

Many American women find British accents sexy. I like British and Australian accents (but I am taken).

Prices and availability of alcoholic beverages are particularly variable.

Don’t bash any religion, religion in general, atheism/agnosticism, being “spiritual but not religious”, or any opinion on religion when talking with anyone you don’t know well.

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?

I doubt very much that France would be called “homogenous” - 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.

I’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 money…

And all eats at Chili’s! :smiley:

Huh?
Seriously, I get the point, and it’s kind of reflected in the way you phrased this…the sheer scale of the US creates the diversity one would expect from 300m people. It’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. That’s the point at which they need to go on a quick mental tour from Athens to Dublin, via Helsinki…same money, after all :wink:

On the off chance that you aren’t joking, some of our members from places in northern UK (maybe OZ, too, I’m not sure) speak of guys calling other guys “cunt” without any offense meant.

Yes, it’s all about context. You don’t even have you be a dirty northerner for that to be the case.

I don’t know if he (or she) was kidding or not but I’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, “You started a thread about THAT??” She just saw the “c” word, not the thread title.

I cannot stress strongly enough that this word is never used in polite society in the US.

Make sure you can use the toilet (and the paper)!! For Europeans, this isn’t a problem. The rest of the world (in general) might want to do a crash course before coming over.

No we don’t, you Crackpot Heretic Hillbilly! :smiley:

That was intended as a joke and I intend no personal offense, niblet_head, besides which your nom sounds like a self-depreciating insult!

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.

Did I say Chili’s?? Sorry. Meant Applebees!

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.

The Europeans I’ve met here are always astonished by the size of the country. “We were on the train from Chicago to L.A. for TWO DAYS!” 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). “How far can it be? We’re IN Anaheim.” Well, it’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 isn’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 “re-education” camp (well, me too, a little).

Oh, and regarding the “c-word”, if you hear some little granny say something about “fanny”, she really isn’t swearing. Really. I know what it means in many other countries, but it’s just a very granny way of saying “butt” in America. Like my buddy forgot and used it at the podium in front of the whole church he was visiting in Australia. It’s that mild a word, that he got the reaction before he remembered.

Yeah, for some reason, every Korean I know wants to go to LA, NY, or New Jersey. :dubious:

A minor correction: If you plan on going on a desert tour by yourself, don’t. It can be a long way from someone wandering by and finding you if you get hurt.

Oh, and in case someone didn’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. It’s worth mentioning again, because it’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 it’s cloudy, then it’s clouds as far as the eye can see :slight_smile: ).

Also, just because two cities are in the same state, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’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).

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 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.

Given all that’s been posted, I’m wondering if a warning to tourists to the US should say:

Come to Canada.

The crime rate is lower (cite); 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 you’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, I’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).

We also won’t make you take off your shoes when you leave, we won’t treat you like a terrorist if you look foreign (remember what the US did to Maher Arar, namely, deport him to a country that wasn’t his home and the US didn’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 ::

Because there are things you can’t see or experience in Canada that you can experience in the USA, and, of course, vice versa.

Joe

Such as the mysterious Jackalope, native to the US. :smiley: