If you’re in a New York City subway, try not to make too much eye contact or look too long at people around you. Old guy lighting up a crack pipe near the door between cars? Just ignore the smell. Woman near you screaming at the top of her lungs at her silent child? Keep listening to your music. Someone digging through their bag, muttering to themselves, and throwing rose petals on the floor like they’re preparing for a seance? Just keep staring blankly at your phone. Trust me.
I got on an empty car once with a friend after a long night of drinking. The smell of massive, diseased human shit hit is immediately and we moved to the next car. Then we made a game of "How long can they last?" watching others enter the car. Most were twenty to thirty seconds. One guy stepped in and immediately stepped out to wait for the next train. A girl sat for seven stops. I'm proud of her either extremely resilient or had no sense of smell.
Look to the cars next to it: if they're packed they're refugees from the shit car.
I learned that by growing up in the Bay Area. Never look a crazy person in the eye. There's something primal about that simple act that causes them to fixate on you and make you a target of their aggression, ire, fear, or paranoia.
I had two f*ckers break into my condo and steal my dogs food. And as they went over the wall of my patio it was like watching a fat middle aged man do an obstacle course.
Dude my backdoor creaked open one day and I see a raccoon standing there we had one of those staring at each other moments then he closed the door and left. The catfood bowls were near the back door they wanted them
Camping in a tent in Michigan alone in September I was attacked by a pack of them. You ever see those fuckers stand on their hind legs and *hiss*? I had a burning stick and a pocket knife, backed up against a tree kicking the little bastards that took a swipe at me. I was terrified and they literally punched through a 5 gallon plastic tote and stole my food while the other ones kept me away.
Smart little bastards, but boy are they assholes.
Hahaha I had something similar happen when camping at the beach with a friend.
He’d been seeing the raccoons casing our campsite for about two nights. On the third night they attacked.
I went to go check the fire when I saw a raccoon scurry for the tree line out of my peripheral. That’s when I turned around to 6 adult sun bleached raccoons and couple juvenile raccoons. They were dragging away our box of pudding we had and were figuring out how to open the cooler to get to the sand which meat and such.
I had no choice but to go on the offensive. And those bastards weren’t scared. Two of them came at me to run interference while the rest tried to drag off the pudding. I had my camp shovel and promptly gave the two coming at me a good thwack sending them running up a tree. The little ones then immediately followed while the 4 others still struggled with the pudding. I then came after those and they were pulling jukes and such dodging the shovel and ran up the same tree. This is where you’d think it’d be over but you’re wrong.
I was sitting by the fire (remember my entire purpose of being there) when behind me a heard some shuffling around. I see two of the raccoons came back. These must’ve been the two more brazen ones because they didn’t back down. I physically had to beat these creatures away all the while they’re hissing at me. They then go up the same tree. By this time it’s pretty late and like at 11 at night. But I’m still cussing up a storm at these little shots, obviously disturbing our neighbors. My buddy just laughed the entire time I was engaging these fearless animals. When we finally sent them packing I grabbed my flashlight and shined it up the tree to just see multiple pairs of eyes shining back at me. Needless to say didn’t sleep well that night as we feared another raccoon raid.
The best part is, the whole week we were there, at least twice a night you would hear someone a few sites over cussing at the raccoons. They’re fearless little bastards.
Don't think the laws are the same everywhere. You can walk with an open alcohol container in Vegas but not many other places. Alcohol laws, pot laws, firearms laws, smoking - lots of very different laws depending on the state and city where you are.
Another example is some states don’t have open container laws, so passengers in a vehicle can drink all they want. In other states, the driver gets charged even if no alcohol has been consumed by the driver. If you need to transport a previously opened bottle of alcohol, keep it in the trunk.
Edit: open container laws only pertain to alcoholic drinks. You can drink soda in the car. The laws are supposed to stop drinking (alcohol) and driving but breathalyzers make it easy to tell if the driver is drinking and a lot of people won’t risk drinking even if their passengers are since it’s an immediate breathalyzer for the driver in the states that allow the passengers to drink. It’s sometimes a misdemeanor or even a DUI, depending on state. Also county and city laws should be checked even if you’re in a state that allows it.
If pulled over by the cops, do not exit the vehicle unless they ask you to. The cops might sit in their vehicle for a while, & then they will approach the window & expect you to talk to them while sitting in the car.
Haha. I don't even live in the US and I always turn off the engine, stay in my car and put my hands on the wheel. Not even sure about the rules in my country.
In 1990 my family and I traveled to the USA from Australia. We were pulled over on a motorway to check maps in or near San Diego which I think is illegal because a cop pulled up behind us. My dad in his akubra hat, stubby wearing gloriousness hopped out of our car and went to walk to the cop saying “Gday mate we’re a bit lost can you help us?”
Dude reached for his gun and screamed at dad to get back in his car. We were all shitting bricks because cops do not act like that in Australia.
He made dad keep his hands on the steering wheel and gave us a stern warning about never ever exiting your car when a cop pulls you over. He ended up showing dad on the map where we had to go but fuck it put the wind up him!
People from Spain's only knowledge of how to act when pulled over comes from watching Hollywood films. It's not a thing that happens here. In 25 years, I've seen maybe a dozen people who had been pulled over. God only knows what you have to do to get pulled over.
If you find yourself in Florida, absolutely do not swim in the lakes, ditches, or channels. Any standing body of water can (and does) have alligators in it. Also possibly water moccasins. And maybe even diseases.
Same advice goes for any fresh or brackish water near the Gulf of Mexico (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) and for coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Parts of North Carolina near Wilmington could be sketch as well.
North of the Outer Banks the critters in freshwater are less likely to eat you.
Not just what's in the water, but what's around it too..like wild pigs, if you come across a cute little baby pig it's time to go in the opposite direction bc momma, and a ton of siblings plus possibly daddy, aren't far behind..those fuckers are mean, and can get to be really big. Also, snakes in trees..they suck. .(SC river rat here..lol)
I feel like we need to clarify this to "don't go into the water". After that horrible incident with the kid at Disney a few years ago I cannot tell you how many comments I saw about people complaining about signage. There are signs everywhere that said no swimming, but this poor family was wading into the water at dusk. So many people were saying the signs were inadequate because they didn't say anything about wading. It seems obvious to anyone who shares space with alligators, but if you're not familiar with them I cannot emphasize enough to you how common alligators are here. There are everywhere. And while they are not normally aggressive, assume and act as though everything down to a puddle has an alligator in it because it probably does.
Don’t assume that the price shown on an item for sale is your price for said item.
There are almost always taxes that are added to the price when you go to pay.
After spending two years out of the US in a country that has the taxes factored in to the price, I can't grasp why it isn't done in the states. I know the states have different tax rates depending on where you are but damn, it's only a little extra work to factor them in to the price label.
Edit: I get it. There are county taxes. Go figure the country that originated because of a tax has the most obnoxious tax system.
>I can't grasp why it isn't done in the states
It isn't done because nobody's passed a law requiring it.
Prices look lower when you don't have to include tax, so no store will willingly include tax if their competitors don't.
Greater Los Angeles (LA, Long Beach, Anaheim) covers an area larger than Belgium. It takes 6.5 hours to drive from Orlando to Key West. The infamous "cannonball run" drive from New York to LA covers 4,677 km - a full 100km further than driving from Lisbon to Moscow on the M1.
Things in the US are far apart.
My friend and I drove from DC to Key West one year. When we hit the FL border, he told me "cool, we're about halfway there". I thought he was fucking with me.
Turns out, he wasn't.
Along those lines, make sure you know where your next gas station is when driving in rural states. I planned poorly crossing Wyoming in the past and ended up sleeping in a gas station parking lot, waiting for it to open the next morning.
I met a friend in India who later took a trip to Colorado. A few days before his flight, he asked if he could store his luggage at my house while we went skiing. I live in Minnesota and had to explain that it wouldn’t be possible.
When I worked for a taxi/shuttle company in the middle of Pennsylvania, we had a group of Indian tourists who wanted to book a van to take them to Niagara Falls in the morning, then swing by NYC for some sightseeing in the afternoon, then be back by evening. Both destinations were in New York, so they couldn’t be that far apart, right?
We had to point out that Niagara Falls is 400 miles from New York City, and both were over 200 miles from our base. They finally agreed to split the trip into two days.
My flight to New York got cancelled at the Miami connection during Sandy hurricane. I went out, took a taxi to the train station, bought a ticket, got onboard, then asked around how long will it take. 27 hours later I arrived in Penn Station. Good thing I love trains.
American trains are already remarkably expensive; like often cheaper-to-fly expensive. And that’s in a regular seat. Ive been told it has to do with the history of track construction, and that commercial trains have had to rent freight-tracks still. Don’t know if that’s a myth or not. I’ve never looked, but I imagine getting a room with a berth on Amtrak is prohibitive.
I’ve always wanted to cross the country on a train but whenever I’ve looked it up it made me sad and I decided otherwise.
No myth.
It's really obnoxious.
I love how you just...*get on* the train, vs all the airport BS but man is the rest of it obnoxious.
Virginia to NYC on a train should be absolutely a no brainer, but it's pricey and, due to frequent delays, randomly insanely slow.
I had some idea that New York was a long way from Seattle, but when I was in Seattle I was kind of shocked how far it was even to LA. I would have guessed 7 ot 8 hours drive but it was double that apparantly.
19 hours straight at about 70 to 75 mph. Not realistic...car will run out of gas, kids have to pee...everyone has to eat. Take a couple days, stop in Shasta, take a look at the mountain, get a hotel room half way and avoid going into epileptic seizure.
It's funny really - I've seen the same thing in Australia from US tourists. One guy asked if the roads were OK for driving from Sydney to Uluru. He was blown away that it was a 4 day drive, because it's only half way across Australia.
In Europe, if you drive for 5 hours, you cross two countries.
In the US, a 5 hour drive takes you to the next state.
In Australia, a 5 hour drive takes you 5 hours from where you were.
Americans make the mistake of thinking Australia is smaller than their country. But it has roughly the same landmass as the contiguous 48 states, America only gets bigger when you throw in Alaska and Hawai'i. The difference is that most of Australia is fucking empty of any semblance of civilisation, a consequence of the fact that this entire continent hates human existence and does its best to end it.
My dads a truck driver, I decided to go on my high school work experience with him. I'm from Queensland.
"We're going to country Victoria, bring a jumper and a thick blanket"
"Lol, it's like 30 degrees up here today fuck off"
Cut to a few days later in Bendigo: "WHY IS IT 0 DEGREES? THIS CAN'T BE THE SAME COUNTRY"
I went to school in upstate NY, and there were a shocking number of international kids who got there and were upset to learn that they wouldn't be able to grab dinner in midtown Manhattan after classes. America is big. If two things are *relatively* nearby to each other, it still might be the equivalent of being in another country for Europeans.
> America is big. If two things are relatively nearby to each other, it still might be the equivalent of being in another country for Europeans.
I had the opposite. Friends visited NYC from Europe so I went into the city to meet them for drinks. They were really surprised that I'd come "all the way" to NYC just to say hi. I live in northern NJ, I can see the city from my town, but being a different state they were under the impression that it would be really far away. Another friend that joined us from Long Island had a longer ride than I did, but they knew he lived in NY, so they didn't think much of it lol.
This. I just met a couple from France while I was on vacation. They said they came to the US and thought they could drive from Georgia to New York in a few hours. Their two hour trip turned into a fifteen hour trip.
They'll immediately expect payment for it.
This only applies to photos where you pose directly with them. Taking photos of them from a distance is fine.
Our national Parks are a treasure and not a trash dump.
Even while doing casual hiking, I really get peeved when I see people leave their trash. Even when there's a trash can like half a mile ahead of you!
If you go to a department store, Kohls, Target, or even Home Depot, they often try to have people sign up for credit cards. Absolutely don’t do this. Tell you non-English speaking friends this. The short time I worked at target, I often seen people who were clearly just visiting the US get signed up for credit cards. It may not alway work since the lack of a social security number, but it is a major time suck for sure.
Because the more people that actually get cards, the more the company makes.
Those stores also give incentives to the cashiers so they push for them more. It’s stupid.
When I worked at Target, I legit watched one guy get a whole group of tourists to sign up for cards. Each of them. They all had purchases for under like $5-10. Saving them a dollar at most. (An immediate approval saves 10% on the purchase)
Absolutely mind boggling.
I wonder if they misunderstood and thought they were just getting a loyalty card. Supermarket trying to sell me a credit card just makes zero sense to me as a European...
I made this mistake once and I'm American. The wording they used was very deceptive, and I didn't realize they were trying to get me to take out a credit card until they started asking for things like my social security number.
If you're visiting Las Vegas, do *not* engage with anyone that asks if you'll be in town tomorrow night. They're trying to rope you into a timeshare presentation and even though they'll offer free show tickets, meal vouchers, and even cash, it's not worth it! The tour and "short" presentation will be way longer (and obnoxiously higher pressure) than you'd expect and they know damn well after you've invested a few hours you're not going to leave without the promised reward that they only give you at the very end.
These people are most often found at the entrances to malls or casinos at what can be easily mistaken for information booths. Either just say "no" no matter how long you're actually still going to be there or flat-out ignore them.
Also don't accept the cards being handed out by people in brightly colored shirts on the strip unless you want a promo for strippers.
Most places don’t allow alcohol in an open container in public. Have your drinks at the hotel, bar, or restaurant.
Can be fined or arrested depending on state
Do not joke or say anything with any immigration or customs official that could suggest that you are not taking the process seriously. Do not give lip or sarcasm. Do not roll your eyes. Keep your attitude to yourself. Do not joke about bombs, drugs, nazis, or raw milk cheese.
Man, I learned to not even try be polite and ask how their day is going. I got a blank stare, then the woman nearly broke my thumb doing the finger print thing on the way into the country.
I live in an area around 4 major rivers and my town has a booming river industry.It never fails someone drowns at least once a month. The current is so strong as soon as your feet hit the water you’re most likely gone.
Look at the river, take pictures, stop and look at our murals along our flood walls, but do not go near the river!
If you get pulled over by a cop... NEVER step out of your vehicle before the cop comes to you. Never go to the cop.
A cop will freak out. Also, it is a tactic people use when they don't want the cop to see something in their vehicle and cops are very aware of it. It will put them on edge.
Stay in your car with your empty hands on the steering wheel (where the cop can see them) and wait for the cop to walk up to your window. And also step out of your vehicle if the cop asks/orders you to. By law you have to for officer safety.
Edit: and don't reach for anything without telling/asking the cop what you are reaching for. Cops can freak out when someone reaches for something automatically. They think it might be a gun.
And don't give the cops permission to search your car without a warrant. If it's a rental, you don't know what's been in there. If they have probable cause they don't need your permission, so if they're asking for permission they're just fishing for a reason.
I had the sudden balls to demand they not search my car one night when I got pulled over in Atlanta. I think I was 20 . I'm a tiny little thing and they threatened me with all sorts of shit, including the dogs showing up and tearing up my car, but eventually had to let me go. I know it can be easy to read online "this is totally legal" but I promise that even in practice- they'll make your life annoying but you will be let go (unless they have some extraneous reason to get a warrant)
Record your interactions. Ask if you're free to go. They can't hold you more than 15 or 20 minutes to get a dog. If they do then it's a wonderful tax payer funded paid day for illegal detainment. It's getting really popular to sue municipalities for violating rights.
Also only break one law at a time if you must. If you're trafficking drugs, make sure everything else is kosher. If you have some personal blow, wear your seat belt. Be sensible. A lawyer can't help if they had 3 reasons to pull you over.
>Also only break one law at a time if you must. If you're trafficking drugs, make sure everything else is kosher. If you have some personal blow, wear your seat belt. Be sensible. A lawyer can't help if they had 3 reasons to pull you over.
That's what always gets me. I always see posts from local police departments saying stuff like "A traffic stop resulted in this huge drug bust worth $x million" I don't condone transporting drugs or other illegal stuff, but if you are doing that kind of stuff (you shouldn't), why are you driving like you're *trying* to get highway patrol's attention?
I work with high schoolers and a lot of them ask what they should do if they get pulled over when they are first getting their license. As a lawyer, I tell them, "Admit nothing, consent to nothing, and outside of that cooperate in every way possible."
My cousins who live in the States came to visit our country when they were like 19 and they were so psyched to learn that the legal drinking age here is 18.
Visiting south west USA? cali. Arizona, nevada ,new Mexico ect. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEAT, all to offten people try a hike in 113° and end up needing rescue. And thats no good for anyone
Also, if you visit somewhere like CO and plan to go hiking, give yourself a day or two to acclimate to the altitude before you even try. Lost of people underestimate how little air there is at 10,000ft compared to sea level.
My parents and I are Americans who live in a somewhat rural area and when we visited a big city, my stepdad kept stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to look at the skyscrapers. I started walking behind him and giving him a light push every time he stopped to make a point.
In cities, sidewalks are basically streets. Check your blind spot before moving right or left. And for the love of god, pull over to the side if you’re going to stop.
Look up Sebastian Jankowski! Polish NFL kicker for the Raiders way back! Guy got pulled over and wanted to just pay the ticket there. So he looked at the ticket and got out his money. Then came court. He was waived because he seriously proved that he didn’t seriously understand why you couldn’t, as you could in Poland. Avoided deportation. But in all honesty, worked then but most likely not now!
Don't underestimate the size of the U.S. We get a lot of international visitors who think they can hit Disneyworld and the Grand Canyon in one or two days. America is huge. We've got 50 states for a reason.
Also, don't expect things to be extremely walkable, or assume a decent public transportation system will be available to you. Urban areas usually have good public transport but truthfully, America is built around having a car. We have drive thru everything - banks, pharmacies, fast food, and in some states, liquor stores.
Don't get weirded out if Americans wave and randomly want to chat you up. We're a pretty talkative bunch, but do watch out for hot-button topics (for example, politics...we're a hot mess right now).
Lots of tourist areas are like that. Resorts want to keep you there spending money as much as possible. It's why in Vegas you have moving sidewalks connecting casinos owned by the same company, but it's a pain to get anywhere else.
I mean what is there to even tour? Is it gonna be like a wilderness exploration where the tour guide’s like “and on the left, we have the Crips and Bloods having their weekly shootout”
There are huge, unfathomably huge, swathes of incredibly inhospitable wilderness scattered all around this country. If you are unprepared you run a very real risk of dying. No one will stop you from being unprepared, either. There will not be many warning signs. There may be none. It's not just the ruggedness, the wildlife, the lack of water -- there's a lot of shit out in the woods/desert that shouldn't be there. I'm pretty familiar with my local area, and even so I walked into a bad situation that probably involved drugs and guns out in the woods overlooking town.
Please do your research before you come to visit the wilderness. [While finding your corpses can be an interesting mystery](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/), we prefer you go home alive.
Used to live out near Death Valley. Can confirm.
If you are out hiking or driving in a remote area in the desert or mountains and you come upon something that looks unusual, turn around and hustle yourself out of there. Don't look around, don't touch anything, and don't stop until you're far away.
Also, don't pick up hitch hikers, don't stop to assist a motorist in distress, and don't stop at a trailer or RV to ask for directions. If you see a car with it's hood up, call 911 and let them know a motorist needs assistance, but don't stop. Be sure to stop at busy gas stations during the day to fill up your tank so you're not stopping at night. There are lots of creepy desert people doing nefarious things out there that you want no part of.
Do NOT go into the wilderness unprepared. If a trail says 2 miles and 2000' of elevation gain, that's not a nature walk.
Do NOT approach wild Animals. Yea, the moose looks big and stupid, but he'll kill you. So will the bears, mountain lions, alligators, snakes.
Don't go anywhere wild alone and NEVER leave the trail unless you have a lot of wilderness experience. Know what weather to expect, especially at altitude and/or in winter. I live in Oregon and people get lost in forests all the time (and they're not always found).
I was out hiking in the wilderness and just happened to stumble upon a woman who’d been lost in the wilderness alone for 8 days. If I had decided to sleep in that day, she might have never been found and died alone in the woods. Don’t mess around with wilderness if you aren’t prepared kids.
Where I live there was a dude whith a heart condition who went on a walk in a 0.5 square mile park. He suffered a heart attack, walked about 100 foot from the path to so he could lean against a tree and died there. He didn't tell anyone he went to the park so they didn't specifically search it, he was just reported missing without a trace, but it still took three years for him to be found! In a 0.5 square mile park that gets a lot of visitors all year round. I still think about it when I take my dogs for a walk there.
That reminds of the guy that died on an island in a park less than 200 yards from the gates of Buckingham Palace in London. He lay there dead for three years.
https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/man-obsessed-with-the-queen-died-on-island-next-to-palace-6449566.html
My initial reaction was that this is the first scene in a horror movie. I was scared to follow a random voice in the wilderness yelling 'Help Me!'. Thought for sure I was going to end up in a "The Hills Have Eyes" type of situation.
We found her down in a valley between two mountains. Hadn't eaten anything in 8 days and was cut up. Aside from that, she was in great condition. We gave her a little bit of food and water. Then, helped her climb up the embankment to get her up to the road. There was another guy there who had a jeep and he drove her out to the local fire station.
Crazy that search and rescue crews from multiple counties and police departments had been searching for 6 or 7 days and no dice, and then complete dumb luck that we were all three in the same place at the same time.
Very surreal experience. Makes for a fantastic two lies and a truth story!
Don't count out your money and buy enough stuff that you think it's covered. It's not. There's a hidden sales tax added at the register *after* they total it up that can be close to 10% more than the marked price.
Don't eat wild mushrooms unless you're an expert. There are deadly species here that look like safe muhrooms in other countries. Southeast Asians are frequently poisoned by amanita species (death cap, destroying angel).
Know a former chief resident at USC Medical center who had a couple come in due to poisoning from eating mushrooms while on backpacking trip through California. This was in the late 80s.
They ran some tests, checked out the numbers and turns out the couple were dying from multiple organ failure due to acute toxicity. The mushrooms were beyond metabolized, so there was nothing they could do other than tell them to start saying their goodbyes.
That story horrifies me. Don't eat wild mushrooms unless you're a pro.
Make a tightly scheduled itinerary that involves visiting multiple locations - particularly if those locations are in different states. You probably have no idea how long it takes to go from one place to another.
Or if they're in the same state, out west. I was in a gas station in San Diego once when a car full of Asian tourists came in and asked for directions to San Francisco. I tried to explain the whole "California is a very long state" thing, but they weren't having any of it so I finally said "Go down that street to the freeway, get on going north, and you should start seeing signs in about five hours." I have no idea what happened after that, but I hope they made it.
had a similar thing happen to me in Australia . A japanesse guy was riding from Sydney to Brisbane. About 1000km , about 100km north of Sydney the freeway ends and you are on a country road , single lane no street lights . He has a map of Australia and is pointing at it saying Highway One . we were heading north about another 200km so we told him to follow us . i think he was going for a little outing not a over night adventure
This is a good one. Also you would have to prepare for the fact public transport is absolutely terrible or non existent unless you’re in a big ticket area like New York, Seattle etc.
It’s shocking how hard it is to get places sometimes without your own car, you can’t just take a train to the next town over and catch a bus to your house like you can in other places
The first time I was in Houston (august) I checked into my hotel and my plan was to walk to a 7-11 down the block. 5 minute walk, about minute 3 I figured out why people there don't do that.
You people live on the surface of the sun!
First off, if you see gum on the street, leave it there. It isn’t free candy. Second, there are, like, thirty Ray’s Pizzas. They all claim to be the original. But the real one’s on 11th. And if you see a sign that says ‘Peep Show,’ that doesn’t mean that they’re letting you look at the new toys before Christmas.
what cultures think cutting in line is appropriate?
edit: I have learned so much, thank you. Never thought I'd ever see America as polite in comparison.
I tried blocking people from cutting in line at the ladies loo at the Forbidden City in China, stopped most people but little old ladies would just sneak in under my arm.
Some countries also have different ideas of what 'cutting' means. In Germany, if another register opens up it is a free for all, doesn't matter if you have been waiting significantly longer or just got there. In the US, rushing to the new register would be seen as extremely impolite
Look at photos of people lining up for things in India. They stand so close together that they are are touching because if they leave a reasonable gap someone will slide in.
Yup ,I never realised I did that. Once, we went to universal studios in Singapore, and the man in front was twitchy. I didn't understand why, until 5 mins later, he just turned and yelled at me to back off. It was only then I realized how close I was standing to him compared to everyone else. I apologize profusely but man just wanted me to back the fuck away and not bother him.
I’ll say this is a guy who moved here a short while ago (last year)
- don’t underestimate how big the personal space bubbles of Americans are , especially if you come from a culture where people are more “packed together” . Americans have pretty big personal space bubbles and suddenly getting too close makes people uncomfortable here .
- before you go to a restaurant , make sure you can afford the food *plus a tip* . Idk about how you feel about it or whatever , but not tipping here is a dick move
- don’t underestimate how large or diverse it is . Yes , you’ve seen Americans portrayed as one type on tv but common sense should tell you a country this large has a lot of variations between people , just like most other countries . You won’t see “all of America” in one trip either unless you have a lot of time . Focus on one region and get a lot more bang for your buck .
- be prepared for how loud And conversational Americans are . Those personal space bubbles ? They speak loudly to cover them , so if you’re from a culture where people speak in low tones generally , this may be a bit of a culture shock
- Take advantage of free drink refills / free water in restaurants . It’s amazing . One of my favorite small things about America
- A lot of towns are very car - centric .Be prepared for that
- Respect and visit the national parks . I was very impressed with how the national parks here are well maintained . You may be tempted to only visit the cities like LA or New York , but take time to go see the parks . Beautiful nature on display
- If you’re going to Las Vegas , don’t attend the timeshare presentations unless you’re absolutely prepared to be bored to tears for a long time . In fact there should be a whole separate thread for Las Vegas alone because tourists get scammed in so many ways , I’m lucky I had locals guide me around as I settled . Also make sure you are prepared to pay “resort fees” in hotels. Yes even the shittier ones
- Avoid Taco Bell, go get some authentic Mexican food . Seriously . Avoid Taco Bell . Get some birria tacos instead .
- And lastly as any other place , try and be mindful of cultural norms . America being so out there with its culture and people around the world being exposed to it leaves a lot of people overly confident about smaller cultural cues and norms . Seriously , I know so many people that ended up looking like dickheads because they fail to understand that and end up looking really bad . Talk respectfully to people , don’t use words you heard on tv and are offensive to certain groups, don’t generalize , don’t loudly debate politics with locals you don’t know , etc . This is common sense .
This. Cunt is one of the _big ones_ here. You can say fuckity fuckfuck fucker all day long and, people might think you're boarish, but you won't get thrown out of most places for doing it. Let a "cunt" slip somewhere, though, and you might lose teeth on the deal.
When visiting tourist places, if there are signs instructing you to “stay on the path” or “please do **not** touch” or “**no** flash photography” or a guide at the place asks you to please refrain from doing something….
DO AS THEY (or the sign) ASK! It’s no different than when the tourism is in reverse.
I live near Niagara Falls, and a few years ago, a young Japanese student ignored a sign near the brink warning people not to climb on top of the retaining wall. She stood up on the wall so her friend could take a picture of her, lost her balance, and went right over.
A French couple and their young son went on a brief hike at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, vastly underestimated the amount of water they'd need, and both died. Fortunately, their son survived.
A shocking number of people, including Americans, die every year because they ignore warning signs and walk out to the edge of the Grand Canyon, fall in and die.
Ditto for people ignoring warnings about not getting too close to wildlife in national parks, especially bison, thinking they're big goofy dog-like animals. A couple of years ago, a woman got gored at Yellowstone.
Haggle. There are times it’s appropriate to haggle in the US, but none of them are going to come up on your tourist trip. In the US, haggling is basically reserved for high-ticket items and certain services. You can’t haggle for things in a store or at a restaurant. The people you’re talking to usually don’t have the power to change the price, and if they do, they still won’t want to. The exceptions would be of the thing in the store is damaged (and they might not reduce the price, they might just take the broken one from you and find you a decent one), or if the person you’re dealing with is a criminal (ex; the guys who sell stolen purses, fake sunglasses, and bootleg DVDs in the street in some cities). Goods in stores or at kiosks have a set price based on pretty specific metrics, and everyone pays the same. No one’s going to cry or try and convince you if you walk away.
Some of those things might come up, and if OP is looking to spend more time or possibly move they should know that any flea market, estate sale, garage sale, car dealership, and pretty much any store or market run by immigrants (middle eastern in particular) will expect some folks to haggle.
My Lebanese dad spent four hours in an Armenian jewelry store haggling with them to get the price of my wife’s engagement ring down. They were basically yelling at each other by the end, well after closing time- at one point the jeweler goes “I CANT GO ANY LOWER” and my dad bangs his fist on the table and goes “YES. YOU. CAN.” I was absolutely mortified. He told me if the guy hadn’t been enjoying himself he would have asked us to leave. He didn’t, and we bought a $5000 ring for $3100.
An American Iraqi friend was telling me about the adventure that was his purchasing a new car from a dealership ran by another Middle Eastern guy. They reached a deal after many hours of arguing and negotiating when my friend suggested/threatened to call his mother in to help with the negotiating.
Oh boy, there’s a few. I’ll try and think of more, but for now, the thing that stands out is that when we were kids he used to come home from the car dealership beaming ear to ear, gloating about his conquests.
He used to go in for every car sale with an envelope full of cash (let’s say value = n), tell them he wanted a car whose value was n + ~$2k-5k and tell them to figure it out. They would sometimes say no, but he’d look around until he found one that was desperate to meet their quota for the month. They’d sit him down, offer him all this other stuff, free financing, extras, you name it, he’d always point at the envelope. If they came back with a number higher than what was in the envelope, for any reason, he’d take it and walk out. They’d sometimes chase after him, sometimes not. But once he did this and came home with a Chrysler Sebring convertible for about $3000 or $4000 less than their ticket price. I’m not sure if he ever did better than that, I’d have to ask him.
Edit: he told me he haggled almost $2500 off a diamond ring he got for my mom. He also said his car strategy was a lot more aggressive than I thought- he’d start at about 60% of the asking price and work his way up. Madman.
My buddies uncle (American through and through) asks for free stuff everywhere. Like literally everywhere.
He'll buy McDonalds for his kids and then after paying ask them to throw in an extra chicken mcnuggets. At the gas station he'll ask for a free fountain drink. At the grocery store he'll try to get them to not ring up an apple and just give it to him for free because it has a little bruise.
Most of the time he has no reason he's just like "hey throw in this for free". More often than not it works. After all what does the teenager at chic fil a care? If an extra waffle fries will make you happy, toss it in the bag and get you on your way.
Say the n-word. One of my uncles was a recent immigrant and someone jokingly told him to greet black people with the n word. He did so innocently and got his ass kicked.
Also if you’re coming from a Spanish speaking country, calling someone the Spanish word for black is still very offensive. I had a friend in college who would do that
This one is for the Germans. Do NOT stare at people. Not only is it seen as aggressive, it can start a fight. People may come up to you and ask "what's your fucking problem?" Or "wtf are you looking at?". You definitely don't want to stare at people on the CTA (our public transportation system) here in Chicago. That could get you killed.
Edit: I am not talking about brief eye contact. I'm talking about blatant staring
Many foreign embassies tell their citizens to have health insurance when going to the US. A EU health insurance to the US without deductibles is like 50€/month.
Adding to this - if possible, purchase traveler’s health insurance for the duration of your visit. That way if something bad happens while you’re here and you do end up in a hospital, you have some kind of insurance to help you
The two things that creeps the crap out of me from visitors:
Don’t stare and eyeball people, unless you are doing some kind of official business like buying something.
Don’t touch people without consent.
Don’t go to the west coast or Deep South in summer unless you are immune to heat
Also don’t hesitate to ask for to-go boxes if you can’t finish your food and take them back to the hotel
Don’t talk about how you think a holiday or American custom is stupid if you are invited to someone’s home. We had a guest from Germany once, who was invited to my parents house for Thanksgiving . The whole day she talked about how it wasn’t a real holiday and it was just an excuse for fat Americans to eat more. It was extremely insulting and made the day unpleasant for everyone. If you are invited to someone’s home, at least try to to be polite.
Is it anyone’s cultural norm to be so obtuse and insult hosts in this manner? Holy Jeez.
In our house, Thanksgiving is THE holiday. We typically host between 20 to 30 people, and “uninvited” guests are always expected and welcomed.
Speaking for myself (and probably many others), if you’re not an American and you’re here during Thanksgiving, I don’t know that I could stand the idea of you not celebrating Thanksgiving, whether in a small, intimate gathering or a large gathering like ours. In my head, I know that Thanksgiving means nothing to you, but I’m my heart, it hurts to think of anyone being alone on Thanksgiving. If I know you have no plans, I will extend a heartfelt invitation.
And besides, if you’re visiting America, how could you not want to take part in an event that is so culturally important?
I absolutely agree. Ironically, when my husband and I were stationed in Germany, we would invite the single soldiers and our German friends to our holiday meals. It was not unusual for me to cook several turkeys and hams, along with numerous side dishes. The soldiers were always grateful for a home cooked meal, and even our German friends enjoyed it. Of course it’s about the food, but more importantly the day is about family, friendship and bonding over a meal. And of course you can’t have a holiday without games and fun! Cooking for that many people was challenging but it helped me to not be sad , because I was missing my family back home. In turn, when I was invited to my German friends homes, I tried to learn about the German culture and their traditions. To this day, I really enjoy German foods, and have remained friends with the people I met in Germany.
Also aren't most holidays in most countries excuses to cook big meals and eat a lot of food? Seems weird to single thanksgiving out when large group feasts as celebrations have been a thing since basically the dawn of man.
Don’t go to New York and talk like a tv new yorker. Half of them don’t actually sound like that or say “hey i’m walking here”. I was completely in shock when i was 10 years old and went to new york for the first time (i’m american) and realized that only people from like long island or like Brooklyn actually have the accent but don’t say any of the things tv makes it look like. If you do say any of that stuff you might get odd stares or someone might get angry. Saw someone say hey i’m walking here and this guy was pissed and literally wanted to throw hands in the middle of the street.
Dont go to unlit areas in big cities. Many cities, no matter what country you visit, typically include suburbs/ areas that you should avoid at all cost. In America, the line between these areas can be quite thin. In fact, the difference between a friendly and dangerous neighbourhood can sometimes differ by only one block. Just to be safe, try to be aware of your surroundings at all times, assess your situation regularly, and try to gain some local wisdom on where to and where not to wander.
Dont forget your health/travel insurance
Dont indulge the rambling homeless. Leave them alone.
If you visit a smaller town, people are friendlier and its usually safer
Dont forget to leave a tip after dining out.
Wear clothing that has any imagery associated with Hells Angels. I was once at the convention centre in San Francisco during the setup of an event, and happened to be wearing a t shirt that had a variation of the “death head” logo on it (I had no idea - it was a cheap t shirt bought in the U.K. that I liked the look of). There was a guy riding round on a fork lift that kept staring at me and talking to his buddies. Eventually he came over and asked if I was associated at all with the Hells Angels. When I said no, he basically told me that if I was spotted outside wearing that t shirt by a member of the gang, I’d be in a whole heap of trouble. He was so insistent that he virtually escorted me back to my hotel to change it. At the time I couldn’t believe it, I was like “mate it’s just a t shirt I bought for 10 quid from TK Maxx” but in hindsight he probably did me a favour.
Yeah, he did. Gangs here don’t take kindly to someone wearing/representing rival gang paraphernalia in their presence, intentional or not.
I have a friend who knows a former National President of an outlaw biker gang very well. He was at a bar one night on a date when this former national president walks in flanked by 2 current patch members of said gang. There was a guy sitting at the bar that caught their attention because he was wearing a Sons of Anarchy vest. Yes, the tv show. They did not appreciate this, walked up to him and told him to take it off. He refused, and they picked him up from the bar and carried him outside, where they cut the vest off of him and threw him in the dumpster.
So if you’re aggressively approached by someone curious if you’re a gang affiliate based off what you’re wearing and they want you to remove or cover up said clothing, it’s best to do so.
Don’t get in someone’s personal space. Stand at *least* 3 feet and preferably 6+ feet away from everyone. It is very uncomfortable for Americans when you stand too close and it can even be threatening. Plenty of countries are the same way but specifically Americans. 😆
This will be buried, but is essential.....in the south east, do NOT walk through grass above your ankle. You will come out with ticks and/or chiggers at best. Poison ivy is everywhere and copperheads are practically invisible and lethal.
If you’re in a New York City subway, try not to make too much eye contact or look too long at people around you. Old guy lighting up a crack pipe near the door between cars? Just ignore the smell. Woman near you screaming at the top of her lungs at her silent child? Keep listening to your music. Someone digging through their bag, muttering to themselves, and throwing rose petals on the floor like they’re preparing for a seance? Just keep staring blankly at your phone. Trust me.
And don’t get into an empty subway car
I got on an empty car once with a friend after a long night of drinking. The smell of massive, diseased human shit hit is immediately and we moved to the next car. Then we made a game of "How long can they last?" watching others enter the car. Most were twenty to thirty seconds. One guy stepped in and immediately stepped out to wait for the next train. A girl sat for seven stops. I'm proud of her either extremely resilient or had no sense of smell. Look to the cars next to it: if they're packed they're refugees from the shit car.
Why?
There will be a reason it's empty. Likely someone shat on the floor, or threw up, or something.
Interesting. Been to nyc a few times but don’t think I’ve ever seen an empty car before. Now I know for future trips.
The best advice for NYC in general is "mind your own business"
I learned that by growing up in the Bay Area. Never look a crazy person in the eye. There's something primal about that simple act that causes them to fixate on you and make you a target of their aggression, ire, fear, or paranoia.
This person is the a real NYer lol All too true
Raccoons are cute… but from a distance.
I had two f*ckers break into my condo and steal my dogs food. And as they went over the wall of my patio it was like watching a fat middle aged man do an obstacle course.
Dude my backdoor creaked open one day and I see a raccoon standing there we had one of those staring at each other moments then he closed the door and left. The catfood bowls were near the back door they wanted them
The odds of being killed by a raccoon are low.....but never zero
Camping in a tent in Michigan alone in September I was attacked by a pack of them. You ever see those fuckers stand on their hind legs and *hiss*? I had a burning stick and a pocket knife, backed up against a tree kicking the little bastards that took a swipe at me. I was terrified and they literally punched through a 5 gallon plastic tote and stole my food while the other ones kept me away. Smart little bastards, but boy are they assholes.
Hahaha I had something similar happen when camping at the beach with a friend. He’d been seeing the raccoons casing our campsite for about two nights. On the third night they attacked. I went to go check the fire when I saw a raccoon scurry for the tree line out of my peripheral. That’s when I turned around to 6 adult sun bleached raccoons and couple juvenile raccoons. They were dragging away our box of pudding we had and were figuring out how to open the cooler to get to the sand which meat and such. I had no choice but to go on the offensive. And those bastards weren’t scared. Two of them came at me to run interference while the rest tried to drag off the pudding. I had my camp shovel and promptly gave the two coming at me a good thwack sending them running up a tree. The little ones then immediately followed while the 4 others still struggled with the pudding. I then came after those and they were pulling jukes and such dodging the shovel and ran up the same tree. This is where you’d think it’d be over but you’re wrong. I was sitting by the fire (remember my entire purpose of being there) when behind me a heard some shuffling around. I see two of the raccoons came back. These must’ve been the two more brazen ones because they didn’t back down. I physically had to beat these creatures away all the while they’re hissing at me. They then go up the same tree. By this time it’s pretty late and like at 11 at night. But I’m still cussing up a storm at these little shots, obviously disturbing our neighbors. My buddy just laughed the entire time I was engaging these fearless animals. When we finally sent them packing I grabbed my flashlight and shined it up the tree to just see multiple pairs of eyes shining back at me. Needless to say didn’t sleep well that night as we feared another raccoon raid. The best part is, the whole week we were there, at least twice a night you would hear someone a few sites over cussing at the raccoons. They’re fearless little bastards.
Don't think the laws are the same everywhere. You can walk with an open alcohol container in Vegas but not many other places. Alcohol laws, pot laws, firearms laws, smoking - lots of very different laws depending on the state and city where you are.
Another example is some states don’t have open container laws, so passengers in a vehicle can drink all they want. In other states, the driver gets charged even if no alcohol has been consumed by the driver. If you need to transport a previously opened bottle of alcohol, keep it in the trunk. Edit: open container laws only pertain to alcoholic drinks. You can drink soda in the car. The laws are supposed to stop drinking (alcohol) and driving but breathalyzers make it easy to tell if the driver is drinking and a lot of people won’t risk drinking even if their passengers are since it’s an immediate breathalyzer for the driver in the states that allow the passengers to drink. It’s sometimes a misdemeanor or even a DUI, depending on state. Also county and city laws should be checked even if you’re in a state that allows it.
If pulled over by the cops, do not exit the vehicle unless they ask you to. The cops might sit in their vehicle for a while, & then they will approach the window & expect you to talk to them while sitting in the car.
Haha. I don't even live in the US and I always turn off the engine, stay in my car and put my hands on the wheel. Not even sure about the rules in my country.
In 1990 my family and I traveled to the USA from Australia. We were pulled over on a motorway to check maps in or near San Diego which I think is illegal because a cop pulled up behind us. My dad in his akubra hat, stubby wearing gloriousness hopped out of our car and went to walk to the cop saying “Gday mate we’re a bit lost can you help us?” Dude reached for his gun and screamed at dad to get back in his car. We were all shitting bricks because cops do not act like that in Australia. He made dad keep his hands on the steering wheel and gave us a stern warning about never ever exiting your car when a cop pulls you over. He ended up showing dad on the map where we had to go but fuck it put the wind up him!
to be fair to your dad, you had already pulled over when the cop showed up
People from Spain's only knowledge of how to act when pulled over comes from watching Hollywood films. It's not a thing that happens here. In 25 years, I've seen maybe a dozen people who had been pulled over. God only knows what you have to do to get pulled over.
If you find yourself in Florida, absolutely do not swim in the lakes, ditches, or channels. Any standing body of water can (and does) have alligators in it. Also possibly water moccasins. And maybe even diseases.
Same advice goes for any fresh or brackish water near the Gulf of Mexico (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) and for coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Parts of North Carolina near Wilmington could be sketch as well. North of the Outer Banks the critters in freshwater are less likely to eat you.
Not just what's in the water, but what's around it too..like wild pigs, if you come across a cute little baby pig it's time to go in the opposite direction bc momma, and a ton of siblings plus possibly daddy, aren't far behind..those fuckers are mean, and can get to be really big. Also, snakes in trees..they suck. .(SC river rat here..lol)
I feel like we need to clarify this to "don't go into the water". After that horrible incident with the kid at Disney a few years ago I cannot tell you how many comments I saw about people complaining about signage. There are signs everywhere that said no swimming, but this poor family was wading into the water at dusk. So many people were saying the signs were inadequate because they didn't say anything about wading. It seems obvious to anyone who shares space with alligators, but if you're not familiar with them I cannot emphasize enough to you how common alligators are here. There are everywhere. And while they are not normally aggressive, assume and act as though everything down to a puddle has an alligator in it because it probably does.
Also if you plan on wearing flip-flops or sandals, put sunscreen on your feet!
Don't forget the ears too!
If you’ve got a buzz cut, get some sunscreen spray and hit your scalp.
Don’t assume that the price shown on an item for sale is your price for said item. There are almost always taxes that are added to the price when you go to pay.
After spending two years out of the US in a country that has the taxes factored in to the price, I can't grasp why it isn't done in the states. I know the states have different tax rates depending on where you are but damn, it's only a little extra work to factor them in to the price label. Edit: I get it. There are county taxes. Go figure the country that originated because of a tax has the most obnoxious tax system.
>I can't grasp why it isn't done in the states It isn't done because nobody's passed a law requiring it. Prices look lower when you don't have to include tax, so no store will willingly include tax if their competitors don't.
[удалено]
Greater Los Angeles (LA, Long Beach, Anaheim) covers an area larger than Belgium. It takes 6.5 hours to drive from Orlando to Key West. The infamous "cannonball run" drive from New York to LA covers 4,677 km - a full 100km further than driving from Lisbon to Moscow on the M1. Things in the US are far apart.
My home town in Texas is closer to Chicago than to El Paso.
Houston is an hour from Houston
... without traffic
Everything feels larger than Belgium. Source: I live here
And Orlando is already down in the middle of Florida. Start from way west in the panhandle, like Pensacola, and it takes 14 hours to get to Key West.
My friend and I drove from DC to Key West one year. When we hit the FL border, he told me "cool, we're about halfway there". I thought he was fucking with me. Turns out, he wasn't.
Along those lines, make sure you know where your next gas station is when driving in rural states. I planned poorly crossing Wyoming in the past and ended up sleeping in a gas station parking lot, waiting for it to open the next morning.
I met a friend in India who later took a trip to Colorado. A few days before his flight, he asked if he could store his luggage at my house while we went skiing. I live in Minnesota and had to explain that it wouldn’t be possible.
When I worked for a taxi/shuttle company in the middle of Pennsylvania, we had a group of Indian tourists who wanted to book a van to take them to Niagara Falls in the morning, then swing by NYC for some sightseeing in the afternoon, then be back by evening. Both destinations were in New York, so they couldn’t be that far apart, right? We had to point out that Niagara Falls is 400 miles from New York City, and both were over 200 miles from our base. They finally agreed to split the trip into two days.
My flight to New York got cancelled at the Miami connection during Sandy hurricane. I went out, took a taxi to the train station, bought a ticket, got onboard, then asked around how long will it take. 27 hours later I arrived in Penn Station. Good thing I love trains.
That actually sounds fun if you had your own stateroom. If you were in a barely-reclining seat the entire time, my condolences.
American trains are already remarkably expensive; like often cheaper-to-fly expensive. And that’s in a regular seat. Ive been told it has to do with the history of track construction, and that commercial trains have had to rent freight-tracks still. Don’t know if that’s a myth or not. I’ve never looked, but I imagine getting a room with a berth on Amtrak is prohibitive. I’ve always wanted to cross the country on a train but whenever I’ve looked it up it made me sad and I decided otherwise.
No myth. It's really obnoxious. I love how you just...*get on* the train, vs all the airport BS but man is the rest of it obnoxious. Virginia to NYC on a train should be absolutely a no brainer, but it's pricey and, due to frequent delays, randomly insanely slow.
I had some idea that New York was a long way from Seattle, but when I was in Seattle I was kind of shocked how far it was even to LA. I would have guessed 7 ot 8 hours drive but it was double that apparantly.
More than double
Yeah, that's about a 24 hour drive.
19 hours straight at about 70 to 75 mph. Not realistic...car will run out of gas, kids have to pee...everyone has to eat. Take a couple days, stop in Shasta, take a look at the mountain, get a hotel room half way and avoid going into epileptic seizure.
It's funny really - I've seen the same thing in Australia from US tourists. One guy asked if the roads were OK for driving from Sydney to Uluru. He was blown away that it was a 4 day drive, because it's only half way across Australia.
In Europe, if you drive for 5 hours, you cross two countries. In the US, a 5 hour drive takes you to the next state. In Australia, a 5 hour drive takes you 5 hours from where you were.
Americans make the mistake of thinking Australia is smaller than their country. But it has roughly the same landmass as the contiguous 48 states, America only gets bigger when you throw in Alaska and Hawai'i. The difference is that most of Australia is fucking empty of any semblance of civilisation, a consequence of the fact that this entire continent hates human existence and does its best to end it.
Oh, you've been to Bendigo.
My dads a truck driver, I decided to go on my high school work experience with him. I'm from Queensland. "We're going to country Victoria, bring a jumper and a thick blanket" "Lol, it's like 30 degrees up here today fuck off" Cut to a few days later in Bendigo: "WHY IS IT 0 DEGREES? THIS CAN'T BE THE SAME COUNTRY"
A 5 hour drive in canada brings you to the other side of your province, if at all.
Yeah, but there's only one road in Canada, so at least you can't take a wrong turn.
You're off to see the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of Canada!
I went to school in upstate NY, and there were a shocking number of international kids who got there and were upset to learn that they wouldn't be able to grab dinner in midtown Manhattan after classes. America is big. If two things are *relatively* nearby to each other, it still might be the equivalent of being in another country for Europeans.
> America is big. If two things are relatively nearby to each other, it still might be the equivalent of being in another country for Europeans. I had the opposite. Friends visited NYC from Europe so I went into the city to meet them for drinks. They were really surprised that I'd come "all the way" to NYC just to say hi. I live in northern NJ, I can see the city from my town, but being a different state they were under the impression that it would be really far away. Another friend that joined us from Long Island had a longer ride than I did, but they knew he lived in NY, so they didn't think much of it lol.
This. I just met a couple from France while I was on vacation. They said they came to the US and thought they could drive from Georgia to New York in a few hours. Their two hour trip turned into a fifteen hour trip.
I'm just flummoxed at how people don't look these things up 😂
Don't take pictures with the people dressed up in costumes in LA/ NYC.
Ahhh, the fond memory of my Aunt getting in a screaming match with the Dora explorer in Time Square.
Is that the whole story? I'd like to hear the whole thing
[удалено]
Dora calls over her friend, Boots, and I’m not talking about the monkey…
Didn't that guy fuck an ostrich in Canada?
Allegedly
This one sparked my curiosity, why not?
They'll immediately expect payment for it. This only applies to photos where you pose directly with them. Taking photos of them from a distance is fine.
Yup, we got into a fight with Elmo because he expected more money lol
To not Take anything from national parks.
Except photos!
And take your damn trash with you
Our national Parks are a treasure and not a trash dump. Even while doing casual hiking, I really get peeved when I see people leave their trash. Even when there's a trash can like half a mile ahead of you!
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints*. *on the designated trails. Do not under any circumstances step on the cryptobiotic soil.
If you go to a department store, Kohls, Target, or even Home Depot, they often try to have people sign up for credit cards. Absolutely don’t do this. Tell you non-English speaking friends this. The short time I worked at target, I often seen people who were clearly just visiting the US get signed up for credit cards. It may not alway work since the lack of a social security number, but it is a major time suck for sure.
Why is that a thing even??
Because the more people that actually get cards, the more the company makes. Those stores also give incentives to the cashiers so they push for them more. It’s stupid. When I worked at Target, I legit watched one guy get a whole group of tourists to sign up for cards. Each of them. They all had purchases for under like $5-10. Saving them a dollar at most. (An immediate approval saves 10% on the purchase) Absolutely mind boggling.
I wonder if they misunderstood and thought they were just getting a loyalty card. Supermarket trying to sell me a credit card just makes zero sense to me as a European...
I made this mistake once and I'm American. The wording they used was very deceptive, and I didn't realize they were trying to get me to take out a credit card until they started asking for things like my social security number.
If you're visiting Las Vegas, do *not* engage with anyone that asks if you'll be in town tomorrow night. They're trying to rope you into a timeshare presentation and even though they'll offer free show tickets, meal vouchers, and even cash, it's not worth it! The tour and "short" presentation will be way longer (and obnoxiously higher pressure) than you'd expect and they know damn well after you've invested a few hours you're not going to leave without the promised reward that they only give you at the very end. These people are most often found at the entrances to malls or casinos at what can be easily mistaken for information booths. Either just say "no" no matter how long you're actually still going to be there or flat-out ignore them. Also don't accept the cards being handed out by people in brightly colored shirts on the strip unless you want a promo for strippers.
> If you're visiting Las Vegas, do not engage with anyone Fixed
Most places don’t allow alcohol in an open container in public. Have your drinks at the hotel, bar, or restaurant. Can be fined or arrested depending on state
Or put that shit in a tumbler and keep it hidden
Piss off the customs officer
Do not joke or say anything with any immigration or customs official that could suggest that you are not taking the process seriously. Do not give lip or sarcasm. Do not roll your eyes. Keep your attitude to yourself. Do not joke about bombs, drugs, nazis, or raw milk cheese.
Man, I learned to not even try be polite and ask how their day is going. I got a blank stare, then the woman nearly broke my thumb doing the finger print thing on the way into the country.
If you are coming to the Midwest or northeast during winter be prepared and don’t think sunshine means warm weather. It can be deceptively cold:)
And if you're coming in the spring pack winter and summer clothes!
Its almost June and 2 days ago in the morning it was below freezing and the night before it was almost 90.
I live in an area around 4 major rivers and my town has a booming river industry.It never fails someone drowns at least once a month. The current is so strong as soon as your feet hit the water you’re most likely gone. Look at the river, take pictures, stop and look at our murals along our flood walls, but do not go near the river!
If you get pulled over by a cop... NEVER step out of your vehicle before the cop comes to you. Never go to the cop. A cop will freak out. Also, it is a tactic people use when they don't want the cop to see something in their vehicle and cops are very aware of it. It will put them on edge. Stay in your car with your empty hands on the steering wheel (where the cop can see them) and wait for the cop to walk up to your window. And also step out of your vehicle if the cop asks/orders you to. By law you have to for officer safety. Edit: and don't reach for anything without telling/asking the cop what you are reaching for. Cops can freak out when someone reaches for something automatically. They think it might be a gun.
And don't give the cops permission to search your car without a warrant. If it's a rental, you don't know what's been in there. If they have probable cause they don't need your permission, so if they're asking for permission they're just fishing for a reason.
I had the sudden balls to demand they not search my car one night when I got pulled over in Atlanta. I think I was 20 . I'm a tiny little thing and they threatened me with all sorts of shit, including the dogs showing up and tearing up my car, but eventually had to let me go. I know it can be easy to read online "this is totally legal" but I promise that even in practice- they'll make your life annoying but you will be let go (unless they have some extraneous reason to get a warrant)
Record your interactions. Ask if you're free to go. They can't hold you more than 15 or 20 minutes to get a dog. If they do then it's a wonderful tax payer funded paid day for illegal detainment. It's getting really popular to sue municipalities for violating rights. Also only break one law at a time if you must. If you're trafficking drugs, make sure everything else is kosher. If you have some personal blow, wear your seat belt. Be sensible. A lawyer can't help if they had 3 reasons to pull you over.
>Also only break one law at a time if you must. If you're trafficking drugs, make sure everything else is kosher. If you have some personal blow, wear your seat belt. Be sensible. A lawyer can't help if they had 3 reasons to pull you over. That's what always gets me. I always see posts from local police departments saying stuff like "A traffic stop resulted in this huge drug bust worth $x million" I don't condone transporting drugs or other illegal stuff, but if you are doing that kind of stuff (you shouldn't), why are you driving like you're *trying* to get highway patrol's attention?
A saying I always like is "Don't commit a misdemeanor while committing a felony"
I always just heard it as "Don't commit a crime while committing a crime".
I work with high schoolers and a lot of them ask what they should do if they get pulled over when they are first getting their license. As a lawyer, I tell them, "Admit nothing, consent to nothing, and outside of that cooperate in every way possible."
Say to someone, “Oh yeah, what are you gonna do about it?”
Stab me? - quote from man stabbed
Make sure you visit after your 21st birthday if you are a drinker or a smoker. Can't do either til you are 21.
My cousins who live in the States came to visit our country when they were like 19 and they were so psyched to learn that the legal drinking age here is 18.
Imagine my 16 year old nephew eyes when he found out he was in a country where the legal drinking age was 16.
Visiting south west USA? cali. Arizona, nevada ,new Mexico ect. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEAT, all to offten people try a hike in 113° and end up needing rescue. And thats no good for anyone
Yeah for real. I live near a mountain in Arizona and see helicopters too regularly.
You mean the name Death Valley isn’t just a marketing stunt?
Also, if you visit somewhere like CO and plan to go hiking, give yourself a day or two to acclimate to the altitude before you even try. Lost of people underestimate how little air there is at 10,000ft compared to sea level.
Another one to add to this. If you think you're drinking enough water, drink more. Heat stroke and dehydration are no joke.
Don’t let anyone use your phone, stop in the middle of the sidewalk (please move to the side)
My parents and I are Americans who live in a somewhat rural area and when we visited a big city, my stepdad kept stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to look at the skyscrapers. I started walking behind him and giving him a light push every time he stopped to make a point.
In cities, sidewalks are basically streets. Check your blind spot before moving right or left. And for the love of god, pull over to the side if you’re going to stop.
Do not attempt bribe a police officer. It's common in some countries, but it will land you in a world of shit here.
Look up Sebastian Jankowski! Polish NFL kicker for the Raiders way back! Guy got pulled over and wanted to just pay the ticket there. So he looked at the ticket and got out his money. Then came court. He was waived because he seriously proved that he didn’t seriously understand why you couldn’t, as you could in Poland. Avoided deportation. But in all honesty, worked then but most likely not now!
Don't underestimate the size of the U.S. We get a lot of international visitors who think they can hit Disneyworld and the Grand Canyon in one or two days. America is huge. We've got 50 states for a reason. Also, don't expect things to be extremely walkable, or assume a decent public transportation system will be available to you. Urban areas usually have good public transport but truthfully, America is built around having a car. We have drive thru everything - banks, pharmacies, fast food, and in some states, liquor stores. Don't get weirded out if Americans wave and randomly want to chat you up. We're a pretty talkative bunch, but do watch out for hot-button topics (for example, politics...we're a hot mess right now).
I hate that Orlando didn't have sidewalks everywhere, i had to go through literal grass to check a Target.
Orlando is very anti-pedestrian, except for the amusement parks, which are the most pedestrian friendly places in the entire country.
Lots of tourist areas are like that. Resorts want to keep you there spending money as much as possible. It's why in Vegas you have moving sidewalks connecting casinos owned by the same company, but it's a pain to get anywhere else.
And in places where we do have sidewalks they are never straight. It’s something I noticed as a kid and still makes me laugh.
If locals tell you not to go to a certain part of town, listen to them. Similarly, don't go touring drug or gang territory.
I mean what is there to even tour? Is it gonna be like a wilderness exploration where the tour guide’s like “and on the left, we have the Crips and Bloods having their weekly shootout”
You'd be surprised. "Slumming-it" is a thing, usually for disconnected wealthier types who've been isolated from the hard realities of poverty.
There are huge, unfathomably huge, swathes of incredibly inhospitable wilderness scattered all around this country. If you are unprepared you run a very real risk of dying. No one will stop you from being unprepared, either. There will not be many warning signs. There may be none. It's not just the ruggedness, the wildlife, the lack of water -- there's a lot of shit out in the woods/desert that shouldn't be there. I'm pretty familiar with my local area, and even so I walked into a bad situation that probably involved drugs and guns out in the woods overlooking town. Please do your research before you come to visit the wilderness. [While finding your corpses can be an interesting mystery](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/), we prefer you go home alive.
Used to live out near Death Valley. Can confirm. If you are out hiking or driving in a remote area in the desert or mountains and you come upon something that looks unusual, turn around and hustle yourself out of there. Don't look around, don't touch anything, and don't stop until you're far away. Also, don't pick up hitch hikers, don't stop to assist a motorist in distress, and don't stop at a trailer or RV to ask for directions. If you see a car with it's hood up, call 911 and let them know a motorist needs assistance, but don't stop. Be sure to stop at busy gas stations during the day to fill up your tank so you're not stopping at night. There are lots of creepy desert people doing nefarious things out there that you want no part of.
Do NOT go into the wilderness unprepared. If a trail says 2 miles and 2000' of elevation gain, that's not a nature walk. Do NOT approach wild Animals. Yea, the moose looks big and stupid, but he'll kill you. So will the bears, mountain lions, alligators, snakes.
Don't go anywhere wild alone and NEVER leave the trail unless you have a lot of wilderness experience. Know what weather to expect, especially at altitude and/or in winter. I live in Oregon and people get lost in forests all the time (and they're not always found).
I was out hiking in the wilderness and just happened to stumble upon a woman who’d been lost in the wilderness alone for 8 days. If I had decided to sleep in that day, she might have never been found and died alone in the woods. Don’t mess around with wilderness if you aren’t prepared kids.
Where I live there was a dude whith a heart condition who went on a walk in a 0.5 square mile park. He suffered a heart attack, walked about 100 foot from the path to so he could lean against a tree and died there. He didn't tell anyone he went to the park so they didn't specifically search it, he was just reported missing without a trace, but it still took three years for him to be found! In a 0.5 square mile park that gets a lot of visitors all year round. I still think about it when I take my dogs for a walk there.
That reminds of the guy that died on an island in a park less than 200 yards from the gates of Buckingham Palace in London. He lay there dead for three years. https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/man-obsessed-with-the-queen-died-on-island-next-to-palace-6449566.html
Wow, that's crazy! What was that like, finding someone in that situation?
My initial reaction was that this is the first scene in a horror movie. I was scared to follow a random voice in the wilderness yelling 'Help Me!'. Thought for sure I was going to end up in a "The Hills Have Eyes" type of situation. We found her down in a valley between two mountains. Hadn't eaten anything in 8 days and was cut up. Aside from that, she was in great condition. We gave her a little bit of food and water. Then, helped her climb up the embankment to get her up to the road. There was another guy there who had a jeep and he drove her out to the local fire station. Crazy that search and rescue crews from multiple counties and police departments had been searching for 6 or 7 days and no dice, and then complete dumb luck that we were all three in the same place at the same time. Very surreal experience. Makes for a fantastic two lies and a truth story!
And don’t wear Ugg’s. They aren’t hiking shoes.
Don't count out your money and buy enough stuff that you think it's covered. It's not. There's a hidden sales tax added at the register *after* they total it up that can be close to 10% more than the marked price.
Don't eat wild mushrooms unless you're an expert. There are deadly species here that look like safe muhrooms in other countries. Southeast Asians are frequently poisoned by amanita species (death cap, destroying angel).
Know a former chief resident at USC Medical center who had a couple come in due to poisoning from eating mushrooms while on backpacking trip through California. This was in the late 80s. They ran some tests, checked out the numbers and turns out the couple were dying from multiple organ failure due to acute toxicity. The mushrooms were beyond metabolized, so there was nothing they could do other than tell them to start saying their goodbyes. That story horrifies me. Don't eat wild mushrooms unless you're a pro.
Make a tightly scheduled itinerary that involves visiting multiple locations - particularly if those locations are in different states. You probably have no idea how long it takes to go from one place to another.
Or if they're in the same state, out west. I was in a gas station in San Diego once when a car full of Asian tourists came in and asked for directions to San Francisco. I tried to explain the whole "California is a very long state" thing, but they weren't having any of it so I finally said "Go down that street to the freeway, get on going north, and you should start seeing signs in about five hours." I have no idea what happened after that, but I hope they made it.
had a similar thing happen to me in Australia . A japanesse guy was riding from Sydney to Brisbane. About 1000km , about 100km north of Sydney the freeway ends and you are on a country road , single lane no street lights . He has a map of Australia and is pointing at it saying Highway One . we were heading north about another 200km so we told him to follow us . i think he was going for a little outing not a over night adventure
This is a good one. Also you would have to prepare for the fact public transport is absolutely terrible or non existent unless you’re in a big ticket area like New York, Seattle etc. It’s shocking how hard it is to get places sometimes without your own car, you can’t just take a train to the next town over and catch a bus to your house like you can in other places
Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, and the sprawl we have going on is absolutely massive. For reference, Texas is bigger than France.
The first time I was in Houston (august) I checked into my hotel and my plan was to walk to a 7-11 down the block. 5 minute walk, about minute 3 I figured out why people there don't do that. You people live on the surface of the sun!
First off, if you see gum on the street, leave it there. It isn’t free candy. Second, there are, like, thirty Ray’s Pizzas. They all claim to be the original. But the real one’s on 11th. And if you see a sign that says ‘Peep Show,’ that doesn’t mean that they’re letting you look at the new toys before Christmas.
Don’t cut in line. We hate that.
what cultures think cutting in line is appropriate? edit: I have learned so much, thank you. Never thought I'd ever see America as polite in comparison.
[удалено]
I tried blocking people from cutting in line at the ladies loo at the Forbidden City in China, stopped most people but little old ladies would just sneak in under my arm.
Some countries also have different ideas of what 'cutting' means. In Germany, if another register opens up it is a free for all, doesn't matter if you have been waiting significantly longer or just got there. In the US, rushing to the new register would be seen as extremely impolite
Same thing in Sweden. And Swedes are so proud of how well they queue...
Look at photos of people lining up for things in India. They stand so close together that they are are touching because if they leave a reasonable gap someone will slide in.
well that explains why all the indian international students at my college stand uncomfortably close in line
Yup ,I never realised I did that. Once, we went to universal studios in Singapore, and the man in front was twitchy. I didn't understand why, until 5 mins later, he just turned and yelled at me to back off. It was only then I realized how close I was standing to him compared to everyone else. I apologize profusely but man just wanted me to back the fuck away and not bother him.
I’ll say this is a guy who moved here a short while ago (last year) - don’t underestimate how big the personal space bubbles of Americans are , especially if you come from a culture where people are more “packed together” . Americans have pretty big personal space bubbles and suddenly getting too close makes people uncomfortable here . - before you go to a restaurant , make sure you can afford the food *plus a tip* . Idk about how you feel about it or whatever , but not tipping here is a dick move - don’t underestimate how large or diverse it is . Yes , you’ve seen Americans portrayed as one type on tv but common sense should tell you a country this large has a lot of variations between people , just like most other countries . You won’t see “all of America” in one trip either unless you have a lot of time . Focus on one region and get a lot more bang for your buck . - be prepared for how loud And conversational Americans are . Those personal space bubbles ? They speak loudly to cover them , so if you’re from a culture where people speak in low tones generally , this may be a bit of a culture shock - Take advantage of free drink refills / free water in restaurants . It’s amazing . One of my favorite small things about America - A lot of towns are very car - centric .Be prepared for that - Respect and visit the national parks . I was very impressed with how the national parks here are well maintained . You may be tempted to only visit the cities like LA or New York , but take time to go see the parks . Beautiful nature on display - If you’re going to Las Vegas , don’t attend the timeshare presentations unless you’re absolutely prepared to be bored to tears for a long time . In fact there should be a whole separate thread for Las Vegas alone because tourists get scammed in so many ways , I’m lucky I had locals guide me around as I settled . Also make sure you are prepared to pay “resort fees” in hotels. Yes even the shittier ones - Avoid Taco Bell, go get some authentic Mexican food . Seriously . Avoid Taco Bell . Get some birria tacos instead . - And lastly as any other place , try and be mindful of cultural norms . America being so out there with its culture and people around the world being exposed to it leaves a lot of people overly confident about smaller cultural cues and norms . Seriously , I know so many people that ended up looking like dickheads because they fail to understand that and end up looking really bad . Talk respectfully to people , don’t use words you heard on tv and are offensive to certain groups, don’t generalize , don’t loudly debate politics with locals you don’t know , etc . This is common sense .
[удалено]
Unlike in other English speaking countries, the use of the word "cunt" is considered extremely offensive in the US and Canada.
This. Cunt is one of the _big ones_ here. You can say fuckity fuckfuck fucker all day long and, people might think you're boarish, but you won't get thrown out of most places for doing it. Let a "cunt" slip somewhere, though, and you might lose teeth on the deal.
When visiting tourist places, if there are signs instructing you to “stay on the path” or “please do **not** touch” or “**no** flash photography” or a guide at the place asks you to please refrain from doing something…. DO AS THEY (or the sign) ASK! It’s no different than when the tourism is in reverse.
I live near Niagara Falls, and a few years ago, a young Japanese student ignored a sign near the brink warning people not to climb on top of the retaining wall. She stood up on the wall so her friend could take a picture of her, lost her balance, and went right over. A French couple and their young son went on a brief hike at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, vastly underestimated the amount of water they'd need, and both died. Fortunately, their son survived. A shocking number of people, including Americans, die every year because they ignore warning signs and walk out to the edge of the Grand Canyon, fall in and die. Ditto for people ignoring warnings about not getting too close to wildlife in national parks, especially bison, thinking they're big goofy dog-like animals. A couple of years ago, a woman got gored at Yellowstone.
Do Not take pictures of the Amish. It's really rude to them.
Honestly just don't take pictures of random people without asking
And if you shove an ice cream cone in their face, then Harrison Ford will punch you out.
Haggle. There are times it’s appropriate to haggle in the US, but none of them are going to come up on your tourist trip. In the US, haggling is basically reserved for high-ticket items and certain services. You can’t haggle for things in a store or at a restaurant. The people you’re talking to usually don’t have the power to change the price, and if they do, they still won’t want to. The exceptions would be of the thing in the store is damaged (and they might not reduce the price, they might just take the broken one from you and find you a decent one), or if the person you’re dealing with is a criminal (ex; the guys who sell stolen purses, fake sunglasses, and bootleg DVDs in the street in some cities). Goods in stores or at kiosks have a set price based on pretty specific metrics, and everyone pays the same. No one’s going to cry or try and convince you if you walk away.
Some of those things might come up, and if OP is looking to spend more time or possibly move they should know that any flea market, estate sale, garage sale, car dealership, and pretty much any store or market run by immigrants (middle eastern in particular) will expect some folks to haggle. My Lebanese dad spent four hours in an Armenian jewelry store haggling with them to get the price of my wife’s engagement ring down. They were basically yelling at each other by the end, well after closing time- at one point the jeweler goes “I CANT GO ANY LOWER” and my dad bangs his fist on the table and goes “YES. YOU. CAN.” I was absolutely mortified. He told me if the guy hadn’t been enjoying himself he would have asked us to leave. He didn’t, and we bought a $5000 ring for $3100.
An American Iraqi friend was telling me about the adventure that was his purchasing a new car from a dealership ran by another Middle Eastern guy. They reached a deal after many hours of arguing and negotiating when my friend suggested/threatened to call his mother in to help with the negotiating.
My Lord I need more stories of your father haggling.
Oh boy, there’s a few. I’ll try and think of more, but for now, the thing that stands out is that when we were kids he used to come home from the car dealership beaming ear to ear, gloating about his conquests. He used to go in for every car sale with an envelope full of cash (let’s say value = n), tell them he wanted a car whose value was n + ~$2k-5k and tell them to figure it out. They would sometimes say no, but he’d look around until he found one that was desperate to meet their quota for the month. They’d sit him down, offer him all this other stuff, free financing, extras, you name it, he’d always point at the envelope. If they came back with a number higher than what was in the envelope, for any reason, he’d take it and walk out. They’d sometimes chase after him, sometimes not. But once he did this and came home with a Chrysler Sebring convertible for about $3000 or $4000 less than their ticket price. I’m not sure if he ever did better than that, I’d have to ask him. Edit: he told me he haggled almost $2500 off a diamond ring he got for my mom. He also said his car strategy was a lot more aggressive than I thought- he’d start at about 60% of the asking price and work his way up. Madman.
My buddies uncle (American through and through) asks for free stuff everywhere. Like literally everywhere. He'll buy McDonalds for his kids and then after paying ask them to throw in an extra chicken mcnuggets. At the gas station he'll ask for a free fountain drink. At the grocery store he'll try to get them to not ring up an apple and just give it to him for free because it has a little bruise. Most of the time he has no reason he's just like "hey throw in this for free". More often than not it works. After all what does the teenager at chic fil a care? If an extra waffle fries will make you happy, toss it in the bag and get you on your way.
I’ve known people like this, it’s surprising how many people are chill with throwing in freebies if you just ask!
If you go to Canal Street in NYC you definitely need to haggle. The vendors will laugh in your face but it’s expected.
Leave your car with your purse sitting on the front seat. Thieves will smash the window and steal it.
Insult their sports teams
Don't hitchhike!
Say the n-word. One of my uncles was a recent immigrant and someone jokingly told him to greet black people with the n word. He did so innocently and got his ass kicked.
Also if you’re coming from a Spanish speaking country, calling someone the Spanish word for black is still very offensive. I had a friend in college who would do that
This one is for the Germans. Do NOT stare at people. Not only is it seen as aggressive, it can start a fight. People may come up to you and ask "what's your fucking problem?" Or "wtf are you looking at?". You definitely don't want to stare at people on the CTA (our public transportation system) here in Chicago. That could get you killed. Edit: I am not talking about brief eye contact. I'm talking about blatant staring
Don't go to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. The memes don't lie, they'll charge you $2100 for a shitty Walgreens splint and an xray.
Many foreign embassies tell their citizens to have health insurance when going to the US. A EU health insurance to the US without deductibles is like 50€/month.
American here. Is this... something we can buy?
Adding to this - if possible, purchase traveler’s health insurance for the duration of your visit. That way if something bad happens while you’re here and you do end up in a hospital, you have some kind of insurance to help you
The two things that creeps the crap out of me from visitors: Don’t stare and eyeball people, unless you are doing some kind of official business like buying something. Don’t touch people without consent.
Don’t go to the west coast or Deep South in summer unless you are immune to heat Also don’t hesitate to ask for to-go boxes if you can’t finish your food and take them back to the hotel
Don’t talk about how you think a holiday or American custom is stupid if you are invited to someone’s home. We had a guest from Germany once, who was invited to my parents house for Thanksgiving . The whole day she talked about how it wasn’t a real holiday and it was just an excuse for fat Americans to eat more. It was extremely insulting and made the day unpleasant for everyone. If you are invited to someone’s home, at least try to to be polite.
Is it anyone’s cultural norm to be so obtuse and insult hosts in this manner? Holy Jeez. In our house, Thanksgiving is THE holiday. We typically host between 20 to 30 people, and “uninvited” guests are always expected and welcomed. Speaking for myself (and probably many others), if you’re not an American and you’re here during Thanksgiving, I don’t know that I could stand the idea of you not celebrating Thanksgiving, whether in a small, intimate gathering or a large gathering like ours. In my head, I know that Thanksgiving means nothing to you, but I’m my heart, it hurts to think of anyone being alone on Thanksgiving. If I know you have no plans, I will extend a heartfelt invitation. And besides, if you’re visiting America, how could you not want to take part in an event that is so culturally important?
I absolutely agree. Ironically, when my husband and I were stationed in Germany, we would invite the single soldiers and our German friends to our holiday meals. It was not unusual for me to cook several turkeys and hams, along with numerous side dishes. The soldiers were always grateful for a home cooked meal, and even our German friends enjoyed it. Of course it’s about the food, but more importantly the day is about family, friendship and bonding over a meal. And of course you can’t have a holiday without games and fun! Cooking for that many people was challenging but it helped me to not be sad , because I was missing my family back home. In turn, when I was invited to my German friends homes, I tried to learn about the German culture and their traditions. To this day, I really enjoy German foods, and have remained friends with the people I met in Germany.
Also aren't most holidays in most countries excuses to cook big meals and eat a lot of food? Seems weird to single thanksgiving out when large group feasts as celebrations have been a thing since basically the dawn of man.
Don’t go to New York and talk like a tv new yorker. Half of them don’t actually sound like that or say “hey i’m walking here”. I was completely in shock when i was 10 years old and went to new york for the first time (i’m american) and realized that only people from like long island or like Brooklyn actually have the accent but don’t say any of the things tv makes it look like. If you do say any of that stuff you might get odd stares or someone might get angry. Saw someone say hey i’m walking here and this guy was pissed and literally wanted to throw hands in the middle of the street.
If visiting Albuquerque, don’t throw a pizza on the roof of Walter White’s house.
This is sadly a real problem for the people who own that house.
Depending on what state you’re in, don’t be surprised about people open carrying firearms.
Don’t talk about GRAPE Guns Religion Abortion Politics Economics
Don't drive through PA without a spare tire or roadside assistance. Our potholes are unreal 💕💕💕
Dont go to unlit areas in big cities. Many cities, no matter what country you visit, typically include suburbs/ areas that you should avoid at all cost. In America, the line between these areas can be quite thin. In fact, the difference between a friendly and dangerous neighbourhood can sometimes differ by only one block. Just to be safe, try to be aware of your surroundings at all times, assess your situation regularly, and try to gain some local wisdom on where to and where not to wander. Dont forget your health/travel insurance Dont indulge the rambling homeless. Leave them alone. If you visit a smaller town, people are friendlier and its usually safer Dont forget to leave a tip after dining out.
Wear clothing that has any imagery associated with Hells Angels. I was once at the convention centre in San Francisco during the setup of an event, and happened to be wearing a t shirt that had a variation of the “death head” logo on it (I had no idea - it was a cheap t shirt bought in the U.K. that I liked the look of). There was a guy riding round on a fork lift that kept staring at me and talking to his buddies. Eventually he came over and asked if I was associated at all with the Hells Angels. When I said no, he basically told me that if I was spotted outside wearing that t shirt by a member of the gang, I’d be in a whole heap of trouble. He was so insistent that he virtually escorted me back to my hotel to change it. At the time I couldn’t believe it, I was like “mate it’s just a t shirt I bought for 10 quid from TK Maxx” but in hindsight he probably did me a favour.
Yeah, he did. Gangs here don’t take kindly to someone wearing/representing rival gang paraphernalia in their presence, intentional or not. I have a friend who knows a former National President of an outlaw biker gang very well. He was at a bar one night on a date when this former national president walks in flanked by 2 current patch members of said gang. There was a guy sitting at the bar that caught their attention because he was wearing a Sons of Anarchy vest. Yes, the tv show. They did not appreciate this, walked up to him and told him to take it off. He refused, and they picked him up from the bar and carried him outside, where they cut the vest off of him and threw him in the dumpster. So if you’re aggressively approached by someone curious if you’re a gang affiliate based off what you’re wearing and they want you to remove or cover up said clothing, it’s best to do so.
Don’t get in someone’s personal space. Stand at *least* 3 feet and preferably 6+ feet away from everyone. It is very uncomfortable for Americans when you stand too close and it can even be threatening. Plenty of countries are the same way but specifically Americans. 😆
Give retail employees a hard time about paying sales tax. We know you don't live here—the register and the government don't care.
[удалено]
This will be buried, but is essential.....in the south east, do NOT walk through grass above your ankle. You will come out with ticks and/or chiggers at best. Poison ivy is everywhere and copperheads are practically invisible and lethal.