Ever Been To The Good Ol' US of A

[Schwenck]

We have been to the US of A multiple times, and have always had a great time. We find Americans in-situ to be really friendly and incredibly helpful for the most part. We started by going to New York. My Mum & Dad had a policy pay out, so they gave all their sons some money to take their kids away. We had 3 teenagers, so I came up with the idea of going to New York. I thought they would love it! (I would have, when I was a teenager). They all turned it down!!!! I was gobsmacked. But having had the idea (and having never been to New York or the US) I was now determined, so we booked for my wife & I to go, on our own, with the kids farmed out to their other parent. As soon as they found out. all the kids moaned like hell, but we said, 'we offered you, you didn't want to go'.

So we went to New York for a week, and had an absolutely fabulous time. I have never met a city that lives up to it's legend so well. On the way home, I said to my wife, we have got to bring the kids here, which we did the following year. They loved it. We went in April and there was snow piled up everywhere, but by the end of the week we had to buy sunscreen.

We have been back to New York twice since then, but decided we needed to see a bit more of the country. So we have been doing a few tours:

Boston, and then around New England during the Leaf-Peeping season

San Francisco - then up the coast to Mendocino, through wine country to Lake Tahoe, then to Yosemite via Nevada. Back to the coast via Salinas and Monterrey.

Washington DC - then down the East Coast to Charleston and back via the Appalachians. As it was my 60th Birthday year, I treated myself to a Mustang convertible hire car, which turned out to be Fluorescent Green. Every gas stop, the lady in the till said 'Nice car, Mister).

Denver - headed north via Devil's Tower then west to Yellowstone Park. Then south through the Grand Tetons Park and then on to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We did a lot of walking in all the parks, and climbed pretty high in the Rockies.

New York - headed north up the Hudson Valley, up to Montreal in Canada, and the on to Quebec. Returned via Lake Placid in the Adirondacks.

As an example of how friendly people are in USA (and I could give hundreds), on the Rockies tour we hit a deer on the highway in the dark. The car was mostly ok, but a plastic undertray was scraping the road. We took it to the nearest garage, who looked at the damage, couldn't fix the tray, but removed it so it wouldn't drag. Despite spending more than half an hour fiddling with the car, they absolutely refused to accept any payment, even though I said they deserved something for their time.

While there are clearly lots of nasty people in the US, just the same as anywhere, generally we have have found that most people are more friendly than people in the UK or Europe.

While we have been to Virginia and the Carolinas, haven't been to the Deep South yet, but considering a tour to take in New Orleans, Nashville & Memphis sometime soon.

[brk549]

I live in North Carolina,been to Vegas several times and L.A. one time.Nothing like N.C.,mountains to coast with just about everything in between except desert which doesn't interest me,I've seen one.Most people here will treat you the way you treat them,not so much that way in L.A. or Vegas,it's all about money there but when you go to a tourist area it will be that way.I'm 63 and I've never seen a gun pulled in anger and most people I know carry one.Like I've said treat people like you would like to be treated and you won't have trouble just about anywhere you go.

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by HugoHackenbush

To answer Brecht’s question, NY, Chicago and Washington DC all have extensive public transportation. San Francisco has BART, but I’m not sure how good it is. Ask Brian 249X.

BART is geared toward commuters in the East Bay, but does pass through San Francisco. In the city itself there is an excellent Muni bus and rail system. A ride on the cable cars from Market Street to Fisherman's wharf is a must. Taking one of the many bay cruises is highly recommended. Frankly, the city itself is small enough that a person in good shape can walk almost anywhere within an hour or so. There are some fairly steep hills to negotiate.

Getting around in the Bay Area can be difficult as public transportation is rather limited. Our freeways were not designed for the amount of traffic that now congests them. We also have plagues of drivers who get frustrated and weave through traffic at high speeds, as well as idiots who text while driving, thus creating traffic hazards for the rest of us.

Fortunately, Lyft, and Uber are well established in addition to traditional taxis. Most hotels also run courtesy shuttles. It is entirely possible to take BART to the East Bay or Caltrains on the peninsula and get anywhere from one of their stops using a ride share service. Buses run in most localities, but much patience is required as they are not speedy. One must also be careful, because buses transport the poor, thus often route through high crime areas.

Mostly, you will find a variety of helpful and friendly folks who are all too glad to help and converse with visitors. Also, there are so many things to do here and places to visit that there is simply no way to take the Bay Area in during a vacation trip.

[fisherfella]

First of all, its not all that good , nor is that "ol"..

I always fly over it when going somewhere meow civilized.

Absolutely nothing to offer ,,unless you enjoy handguns..

[ShutUpLutz!]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

One must also be careful, because buses transport the poor, thus often route through high crime areas.

I know, I mean God forbid you get some of those filthy poor person germs on you.

So I guess poor people must be banned from public transportation, right? I mean obviously the only reason they are on it is to scope out and then attack the rich people who are stupid enough to get on board.

[charliels531]

Over the years I've spent a total of about ten hours in Heathrow, but that is for another column.

As airports go, Heathrow is quite impressive.

The gun thing has been slowly undergoing change. For example, what about the 400 million guns in private hands of 310 million people?

Well, in 1980 40% of U.S. households had at least one gun. By 2010 only 32% had at least one gun.

Of those 400 million guns, more than half are owned by 3% of Americans. Basically, one American in 32 owns an arsenal. That one is a white male over 50.

Now consider that at any moment 20% of Americans have a mental illness, but fewer than 10% have ever received treatment.

Denial and random violence have made America what it is.

[charliels531]

Originally Posted by Brecht

Isn't it true that most big cities in the US lack proper public transportation, so that people would buy cars and thus "help" the auto industry? I have these relatives in Portland, Oregon. They live in the suburb Vancouver (which for some odd reason belongs to the state of Washington, despite being part of Portland) and can't even go shopping without their cars. Now Portland is not even a big city compared to Los Angeles.

Oh, my dear Brecht, I get to babble about Pacific Northwest history! Thank you!

First, you have to remember that the area of which you speak has been variously subject to Salish people, the Spanish, the Russians, the Spanish again, the French, the British, and the rulers of the moment, the U.S.

Second, Vancouver is smaller than Portland, but about 100 years older. It was the capital of (I kid you not) the District of Columbia from about 1780 to 1830, which included what is now called Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The real rulers were, of course, the Hudson's Bay Company, and their factor, John McLaughlin, who resided in Vancouver.

After assorted dancing and posturing, in 1846 the U.S. took over everything south of the 49th Parallel. The Brits picked up stakes, moved north, and named their largest city "Vancouver".

Since it is now fashionable to enthuse about breaking up alliances (See, i.e., Brexit), I should note that there is a "Cascadia" movement to break off Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia from their respective countries du jour and reform the District of Columbia.

A major reason for that movement is the utter failure of the U.S. to support good public transport.

[Rogerbh]

Brian249x isn't wrong to warn people about taking public transportation - specifically in non-rush hours - as buses have drunks and drugged out people on them, the violent ones you need to stay away from - youtube usually has a few videos of fights on buses - also BART - the train system in the Bay Area - has had large groups of youths (no racist comment added) who board and loot the cars without police presence. People usually have their faces buried in the iPhones and iPads - so those are the first things snatched.

Foreign tourists are especially targeted because it is unlikely they will be around for a trial - in the rare event the criminals were apprehended.

[Motorboater]

Never been. I would like to walk around the streets of Atlanta wearing a Patriots jersey.

Originally Posted by brk549

I live in North Carolina,been to Vegas several times and L.A. one time.Nothing like N.C.,mountains to coast with just about everything in between except desert which doesn't interest me,I've seen one.Most people here will treat you the way you treat them,not so much that way in L.A. or Vegas,it's all about money there but when you go to a tourist area it will be that way.I'm 63 and I've never seen a gun pulled in anger and most people I know carry one.Like I've said treat people like you would like to be treated and you won't have trouble just about anywhere you go.

What if I think the person I've met is an asshole, and I don't give a shit about them? They're going to treat me like they don't give a shit about me?

[Devius]

Once about a decade ago (business trip visiting several cities on the Eastern Seaboard, but excluding NYC).

Overall, I had a good time...