Going to America!

**Damien** · 25-08-2005, 14:51

Hello! I am off to america next week (California). I wanted to know if there was any thing i need to know and tips and what not. I.E Good shops, Things I should bring etc etc.

Also (bit late now) you do not need a Visa as long as you have a passport with the magnitic strip right?

orangebird · 25-08-2005, 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Hello! I am off to america next week (California). I wanted to know if there was any thing i need to know and tips and what not. I.E Good shops, Things I should bring etc etc.

Also (bit late now) you do not need a Visa as long as you have a passport with the magnitic strip right?

No,you don't need a visa - you'll be asked to fill out a green form on the plane, and that should be fine.

**Chris** · 25-08-2005, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Hello! I am off to america next week (California). I wanted to know if there was any thing i need to know and tips and what not. I.E Good shops, Things I should bring etc etc.

Also (bit late now) you do not need a Visa as long as you have a passport with the magnitic strip right?

You do not need a visa so long as your passport is machine readable - that's not a magnetic strip though, it's this lot, at the bottom of your photo page:

>>>>DAMIEN>>>>UK>>>>847392749231743291047329>>>> > etc etc etc

They will make you fill in an immigration form on the plane though.

Other useful info - serving staff in restaurants and hotels are paid peanuts as it is expected that they will earn tips. So it's important that you do tip your waiter!

**Derek** · 25-08-2005, 14:56

My tip would be avoid LA like the plague and go to San Francisco.

As for things to do. Well looking at your age in the profile drinking is out which cuts down on a lot of places I could have recommended

Where abouts in California are you going? Are you going to be based in one place or moving about?

As for tips the main one is DO NOT try and joke with the customs and immigration people. They are the single most humourless and dour faced group of people on the face of the earth.

**Damien** · 25-08-2005, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris T

You do not need a visa so long as your passport is machine readable - that's not a magnetic strip though, it's this lot, at the bottom of your photo page:

>>>>DAMIEN>>>>UK>>>>847392749231743291047329>>>> > etc etc etc

They will make you fill in an immigration form on the plane though.

Yeah, thats what we have. Thanks

Quote:

My tip would be avoid LA like the plague and go to San Francisco.

As for things to do. Well looking at your age in the profile drinking is out which cuts down on a lot of places I could have recommended

Where abouts in California are you going? Are you going to be based in one place or moving about?

As for tips the main one is DO NOT try and joke with the customs and immigration people. They are the single most humourless and dour faced group of people on the face of the earth.

HeHe. We are going to LA, San Diego and Hopefully San Francisco. Maybe death valley nation park as well.

LemonyBrainAid · 25-08-2005, 15:10

Remember to take lots of photos to show on CF when you get back.

I'd love to go to America (west) - I've only been to Florida/The Bahamas before

Have fun

Mal · 25-08-2005, 15:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris T

Other useful info - serving staff in restaurants and hotels are paid peanuts as it is expected that they will earn tips. So it's important that you do tip your waiter!

I agree with Mr Pink about this

Kliro · 25-08-2005, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by dezzo

As for tips the main one is DO NOT try and joke with the customs and immigration people. They are the single most humourless and dour faced group of people on the face of the earth.

I'll agree on that one, we almost got charged $1000 for forgetting about some fruit we had in a bag, she said if we walked forward any more she would have arrested us, not nice people at all!

So dont bring any food at all past them!

bob_a_builder · 25-08-2005, 15:29

Quote:

serving staff in restaurants and hotels are paid peanuts as it is expected that they will earn tips

or they could just run their businesses on a proper footing in the 1st place, pay the staff properly, so the advertised price is the price, not the price less 15%
15% is now the EXPECTED amount apparently
I hate the expected nature of tipping in the US

Just come back for 2 week in LA and Las Vegas myself, expect to see a lot of freeway in LA, everything is so far apart, and some of them are like rideing old wooden roller coasters

You'll have to have 2 fingerprints and a photo taken on the way in too - helps make the queue longer !

Gareth · 25-08-2005, 15:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kliro

I'll agree on that one, we almost got charged $1000 for forgetting about some fruit we had in a bag, she said if we walked forward any more she would have arrested us, not nice people at all!

So dont bring any food at all past them!

And I'll third that too. I visited Chicago during the Foot & Mouth outbreak, and the immigration official asked if I'd been anywhere near a farm or any farmyeard animals. I bit my tongue and didn't make any jokes about sheep

but I made a flippant comment about being out in the countryside which was really not appreciated. Luckily, I got away with it, and didn't get the 'rubber-glove' treatment

**Derek** · 25-08-2005, 15:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

HeHe. We are going to LA, San Diego and Hopefully San Francisco. Maybe death valley nation park as well.

Well as you might have guessed the only place I would recommend in LA is the Airport for leaving

At a push Universal Studios is OK.

In San Francisco Alcatraz is pretty good but I like just wandering around Fishermans Wharf and the city in general. It has a very relaxed and laid-back vibe. One of my favourite cities.

Haven't been to San Diego but I've heard its quite nice and if you are down that way Sea World is pretty much a must.

orangebird · 25-08-2005, 15:35

I'll fourth the immigration control comments. Grumpy sods...

**Chris** · 25-08-2005, 15:36

Expect to see lots of very fat people in uniform with guns. I think they call them police.

orangebird · 25-08-2005, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris T

Expect to see lots of very fat people in uniform with guns. I think they call them police.

i just snotted tea out of my nose laughing at that !!!!

bob_a_builder · 25-08-2005, 16:32

Quote:

lots of very fat people in uniform with guns, I think they call them police

Now, now, some of them seem to be making an effort, though it seems they prefer not to go out alone

LINK

spotted on el-segundo beach last Sunday