USA holiday.

[Bill M]

We went to the east coast, San Francisco, Vegas, Disneyland etc for 2 weeks this time last year. Left all my preconceptions at home.We absolutely loved it. Great hospitable people and a terrific country to visit. Much better than the impression we are given by our media.
Safe travels.

Bill.

[MDS69]

Just got back from the US 10 days ago.
In NY buy a 7 day unlimited subway pass from the ticket booth for $33.00. Also does the buses but we didn’t use them. We did Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, 911 memorial. Free ferry to Staten Island to look at Statue of Liberty. Used the subway heaps and also did a lot of walking.
Went to an NFL game at MetLife Stadium in NJ. Caught the subway from our hotel near W56th St to Grand Central Station then got a bus $6.00 each way to the stadium and back. Subway ticket won’t get you on this bus. Just follow everyone else wearing a football jersey to find the bus. The wife was freaking out a bit on not knowing where to get the bus as my research didn’t give turn by turn instructions but like I said follow everyone else.
Try and get tickets to Jimmy Fallon show. Google it. I think the free tickets are released 30 days prior to the date you want to go. We missed out.
For phones we just walked into an AT&T store and for I think for $35-40 we got new SIM cards with unlimited national calls and sms + 1Gb download but try to use your hotel or other free wifi where you can. We found this much easier than buying a SIM card in Walmart and doing it yourself like we did on another trip.
At Grand Central Station there is a thing called the whispering wall. Pretty cool thing. Google it.
Keep a bunch of dollar bills in your pocket for tips, drinks, snacks etc. much easier than digging your wallet out all the time.
Don’t accept CD from hawkers on the street or have photos with the people in superheroes costumes in Times Square. They all sting you for money and the CDs will be blank.
Remember to walk on the right side of the footpath.
Try and book your sightseeing thinks like top of the rock and Empire State Building etc before you leave home. Try for a sunset time slot. Close to and in Central Park you w8ll be harrased for tours or horse drawn carriage rides. Just so no thanks and keep walking unless you are interested but they won’t leave you alone if you show interest. Same in Battery Park near the Staten Is ferry for Statue of Liberty tours.
I have been told the One World viewing platform is nothing special but basically an empty office suite but we didn’t do it where as Rockerfella and Empire have outdoor viewing platforms.

As Bill said above they are lovely people who are very proud. In NY if anyone bumps into you no matter how nice or rough they look they will apologise, well that was our experience.

Look for info on trip advisor. Some posts might be a little old but still helpful.

[deesun]

Originally Posted by MDS69

Just got back from the US 10 days ago.
In NY buy a 7 day unlimited subway pass from the ticket booth for $33.00. Also does the buses but we didn’t use them. We did Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, 911 memorial. Free ferry to Staten Island to look at Statue of Liberty. Used the subway heaps and also did a lot of walking.
Went to an NFL game at MetLife Stadium in NJ. Caught the subway from our hotel near W56th St to Grand Central Station then got a bus $6.00 each way to the stadium and back. Subway ticket won’t get you on this bus. Just follow everyone else wearing a football jersey to find the bus. The wife was freaking out a bit on not knowing where to get the bus as my research didn’t give turn by turn instructions but like I said follow everyone else.
Try and get tickets to Jimmy Fallon show. Google it. I think the free tickets are released 30 days prior to the date you want to go. We missed out.
For phones we just walked into an AT&T store and for I think for $35-40 we got new SIM cards with unlimited national calls and sms + 1Gb download but try to use your hotel or other free wifi where you can. We found this much easier than buying a SIM card in Walmart and doing it yourself like we did on another trip.
At Grand Central Station there is a thing called the whispering wall. Pretty cool thing. Google it.
Keep a bunch of dollar bills in your pocket for tips, drinks, snacks etc. much easier than digging your wallet out all the time.
Don’t accept CD from hawkers on the street or have photos with the people in superheroes costumes in Times Square. They all sting you for money and the CDs will be blank.
Remember to walk on the right side of the footpath.
Try and book your sightseeing thinks like top of the rock and Empire State Building etc before you leave home. Try for a sunset time slot. Close to and in Central Park you w8ll be harrased for tours or horse drawn carriage rides. Just so no thanks and keep walking unless you are interested but they won’t leave you alone if you show interest. Same in Battery Park near the Staten Is ferry for Statue of Liberty tours.
I have been told the One World viewing platform is nothing special but basically an empty office suite but we didn’t do it where as Rockerfella and Empire have outdoor viewing platforms.

As Bill said above they are lovely people who are very proud. In NY if anyone bumps into you no matter how nice or rough they look they will apologise, well that was our experience.

Look for info on trip advisor. Some posts might be a little old but still helpful.

Thanks for that, some good info. No NFL for me just the trip to Dover for NASCAR. Stat of Lib will be booked before we leave and we are looking at a couple of tour passes which give entry to all the big attractions, both much the same but one gives busses every day and the other pass just one day. The JF idea is a good one worth a try. Hawkers, lol you should try Peru but at least you should get a poncho that worked. I got called a ******** when I said no to a 10 year old kid once, haha.

[sgt_doofey]

If you need to use your credit card and the machine asks for the zip code, put 0 in front and then your postcode.
It expects 5 digits, not 4.

Just read the post about buying the subway pass and reminded me of when we went to buy them

[Jastel]

Yes, this is annoying especially at service, sorry, GAS stations.

Sometimes the 0 thing worked sometimes not, I also tried 90210 and 00000 and they would sometimes work. Worst case at servo is you go in and prepay for $40 or whatever and then adjust later. It varies by state I found.

[malazn mafia]

USA really is the place to go. People are friendly and look out for each other. In Australia we haven't progressed beyond the prison island mentality and its every man for himself here. The scenery, landscape and amount of things to see is mindblowing. Australia is an endless horizon of red soil and identical small bushes, outside of suburbia and the eastern seaboard. Worst of all we have to endure that landscape at a coma - inducing 110kph, and it is heavily enforced. In the US, drivers generally drive at what they feel like on the interstates, not at what the sign says. And if you get done, the fine is reasonable (got done for 90MPH in a 60MPH, and it was $120usd , have a nice day). Do the same in this prison island on a remote highway and its car impounded, day in court, license confiscation, yadda yadda... The only place is USA I felt unsafe was Baltimore, avoid that City altogether. Detroit was nowhere as bad.

[sgt_doofey]

Ha! Yes, driving on the highways is fun. Just watch out for merging lanes around towns in peak times. They slow right down around those and you'll have to be on your toes.

I was on the 101 in California on my way to work, travelling 60-65mph in a 55mph area, just keeping with the flow of traffic. I packed my dacks when a police car appeared next to me. They just kept on going at the same speed and didn't even care.
It can be different in different states though. Best to check with the locals and see what they say about the policing of speed limits as they'll know.

[deesun]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Ha! Yes, driving on the highways is fun. Just watch out for merging lanes around towns in peak times. They slow right down around those and you'll have to be on your toes.

I was on the 101 in California on my way to work, travelling 60-65mph in a 55mph area, just keeping with the flow of traffic. I packed my dacks when a police car appeared next to me. They just kept on going at the same speed and didn't even care.
It can be different in different states though. Best to check with the locals and see what they say about the policing of speed limits as they'll know.

Thanks, not much driving for us bar for 4 days in Orlando where we have to get ourselves to NASA because we are leaving the tour early and back to Orlando and around Orlando theme parks etc for those days. But thanks for the tips.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

USA really is the place to go. People are friendly and look out for each other. In Australia we haven't progressed beyond the prison island mentality and its every man for himself here. The scenery, landscape and amount of things to see is mindblowing. Australia is an endless horizon of red soil and identical small bushes, outside of suburbia and the eastern seaboard. Worst of all we have to endure that landscape at a coma - inducing 110kph, and it is heavily enforced. In the US, drivers generally drive at what they feel like on the interstates, not at what the sign says. And if you get done, the fine is reasonable (got done for 90MPH in a 60MPH, and it was $120usd , have a nice day). Do the same in this prison island on a remote highway and its car impounded, day in court, license confiscation, yadda yadda... The only place is USA I felt unsafe was Baltimore, avoid that City altogether. Detroit was nowhere as bad.

The grass is greener eh? It seems you know little about our great country, it's people & diversity. Australia is as unique & diverse as anywhere in the world. Darwin to Hobart & everything in between from desserts to tropical Islands. We don't have the gun crime here nor do we have the death penalty. We have Medicare & nobody is turned away from hospital or from help if they are out of work. We have our own problems, like any society, and many here are mystified with our obsession to follow & copy America. We are a relaxed nation and tolerant of much more than the average american citizen. Yes, the US has its own beauty & the people are unique but to show as much disdain for your own country is disappointing & troubling.

[deesun]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

The grass is greener eh? It seems you know little about our great country, it's people & diversity. Australia is as unique & diverse as anywhere in the world. Darwin to Hobart & everything in between from desserts to tropical Islands. We don't have the gun crime here nor do we have the death penalty. We have Medicare & nobody is turned away from hospital or from help if they are out of work. We have our own problems, like any society, and many here are mystified with our obsession to follow & copy America. We are a relaxed nation and tolerant of much more than the average american citizen. Yes, the US has its own beauty & the people are unique but to show as much disdain for your own country is disappointing & troubling.

Not any of the tips I was looking for, take it somewhere else please.

[malazn mafia]

USA, while probably not the place to live in is the auto enthusiast's heaven. One place to visit if you like to see real americana automotive, made of metal is Streetside Customs in Charlotte, North Carolina. Staff are very helpful and friendly, they even do shipping to Australia if one of the cars in their huge warehouse tickles your fancy. They had classic Falcons, Galaxies, Lincolnshire, F-Trucks, Mustangs, Camaros, Chryslers, Cadillacs, you name it. Other attractions and must-see: Niagara Falls, Henry Ford Museum (Detroit), Graceland (Memphis, Tennessee), WTC memorial site/infinity pool, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Lake Tahoe (California), Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, World of Coca Cola (Atlanta), San Francisco Bridge, Santa Cruz, Pebble Beach, Mansions at Palm Beach, Florida . There are a couple more places on my bucket list that I will see on my next trip, but it took two trips to the U.S. to see all of the aforementioned attractions, and there are many, many more. Petrol is cheap, accomodation is affordable and decent for the price (stayed at Day's Inn, they are everywhere and average price is $80usd a night with a light breakfast included), and the interstate road system is generally good and well maintained. In some places though , be aware of tolls near major cities and bring cash in case your rental car does not have an e-tag. Exploring USA by road trip is the best way in my opinion.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by deesun

Not any of the tips I was looking for, take it somewhere else please.

I have no interest in petty arguments and I apologise to you for getting off track, but I will always speak out when I read somebody portraying both Australia and its people in a negative way. In regards to your holiday, make sure you are early to all flights & strictly abide by all the instructions.post 911, serious security. My wife recently returned from Boston, New York & Canada. Allow plenty of time for flights & be mindful touristy things are expensive & nearly always have cues. So to do something with a paid guide may take up half a day. If you go yourself, you can do it in an hour or so & save some money. The Guggenheim Museum & the Met are awesome if you like art, or if you can, there are amazing car museums in places like Rochester New York. It also depends when your going as much is closed in winter. Happy travels.

[stevanford]

In LA, you have the Petersen automotive museum and in Vegas, you have the Shelby american headquarters. Both are well worth a visit.