Travel USA travel tips and tricks

Drumroe

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May 9, 2007
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What's the best card to use over there?

Anyone have experience with a Citibank plus debit or the 28 degrees credit card?
Used both on my trip that just finished.

Citibank is better as it works as a debit card and you can get money at an atm, whereas 28 degrees is a credit card so you get charged big fees to withdraw money.
 

PACatter

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Dec 4, 2012
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Probably going to sound ridiculous, but I'm reading tourist books, trip advisor etc and I'm having a hard time finding things I actually want to do. Starting in October I've got a month in the East and a month in the West.
So I'm desperately calling on you guys to hit me up with the best things you did or saw in the US. Give your top 3, give me a list, give me ANYTHING.
All I've got so far is sport, theme parks, grand canyon, alcatraz, the president at sequoia NP, San Diego zoo, pentagon tour, arches NP, chandelier trees, nurtured by nature and niagra falls. Even most of these are pretty cliched and I'm not completely happy with them. Not sure what's going on, but for the first time ever, I'm having trouble planning a holiday. :(

Edit: I'm driving pretty much all the time, so can go just about anywhere.

As an easterner, I'm a bit biased, but here are my suggestions for your months in the East.

Civil War battlefields - Gettysburg down through Virginia is a great spot for it, you can tackle a lot of American history, and it is surround by some quality wine country and good southern-style cooking. You can also hit Shenandoah National Park. If you want an extended trip, you can basically drive from Gettysburg down to Georgia visiting a battlefield every day.

Maine coastline - It is rocky, cold, strange, and beautiful. It also has some of the best seafood in the US. Great for seeing fall foliage this time of year. Acadia National Park is a great hike.

N'Awlins - Just skip Bourbon Street, but the Cajun food and culture, you can't find anything like it anywhere else.

Philadelphia - A lot of tourists seem to skip it, even though it is between DC and NYC. Lots of history, a world-class food and beverage scene. Don't stray too far off the beaten path though, some areas are just plain vicious.

As far as sports, if you are going for gridiron, try and grab a college game instead of an NFL game. They are much more enjoyable.
 
Dec 1, 2014
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Heading there next week, going to:

Palm Springs
Las Vegas
New York
Philadelphia
Washington DC
San Antonio

Any tips for any of the following? I've been to New York twice before so probably looking for more off the beaten track spots, the rest are all first times.

Any nightlife tips for any of them, also? I'd be keen for some gay club tips but I'll probably have more luck with a different forum for that one, so maybe just good cocktail bars etc (unless you know!).
 

Drumroe

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By "enjoyable", do you mean you might see a combined score of over 100 points? #nodefence
:p
I did college (Longhorns) and NFL (Eagles) and found the atmosphere at the NFL to be on another level. Admittedly the Longhorns game was against a lower team so it was never going to be that exciting.
 

PACatter

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Dec 4, 2012
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I did college (Longhorns) and NFL (Eagles) and found the atmosphere at the NFL to be on another level. Admittedly the Longhorns game was against a lower team so it was never going to be that exciting.

I apologize for the general behavior of Eagles fans...
 
By "enjoyable", do you mean you might see a combined score of over 100 points? #nodefence
:p
Michigan 14, Wisconsin 7
Florida 13, Vanderbilt 6
Boise State 21, Utah State 10
Appalachian State 17, Georgia State 3
Ohio 17, Miami (Oh) 7
West Virginia 17, Kansas Staet 16

Sure, you might get games like
Baylor 45, Iowa State 42
Oklahoma 52, TCU 46
Oklahoma State 49, Texas 31
New Mexico 48, San Jose State 41
BYU 55, Toledo 48

But it's not all shootouts
Probably a greater variety in college is why I love it. Love a defensive slog more than an offensive shootout, and slogfests are few and far between in the NFL.
 
I did college (Longhorns) and NFL (Eagles) and found the atmosphere at the NFL to be on another level. Admittedly the Longhorns game was against a lower team so it was never going to be that exciting.
Comes down to the team or game in my honest opinion

Boise State - Louisiana-Lafayette was an amazing atmosphere
JUST nuding out
Atlanta Falcons - New Orleans Saints
But they both were CONSIDERABLY better than
Ole Miss - Boise State
and
Connecticut - Boise State
 
Aug 2, 2007
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Drove to a Golden State Warriors game at Orical Arena from San Fransisco - Over the Golden Gate Bridge and approximately say 30 minutes drive.

However, because we had driven up from LA, we removed tolls and had forgot to put tolls back on. We got back into the car and started driving. Forgetting the facts we didn't have 'use tolls' on the GPS, what should have taken us 30 minutes, took us well over 2 hours. We accidentally drove via San Jose.

Oakland is on one side of the bay and San Fransisco is on the other. The Oakland-San Francisco bridge and Golden Gate Bridge give cars access from one side to the other and San Jose is at the top of the peninsular about 50 miles up and 50 miles back.

Got lost and 100 miles latter, arrived back in San Fransisco.

Im a little confused reading this. Golden Gate Bridge has nothing to do with getting from San Fran to Oakland. GGB takes you north from SF and Oakland is east.
 

PACatter

Club Legend
Dec 4, 2012
1,292
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Amish Paradise
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Phila. Phillies, Eagles, Flyers
Heading there next week, going to:

Palm Springs
Las Vegas
New York
Philadelphia
Washington DC
San Antonio

Any tips for any of the following? I've been to New York twice before so probably looking for more off the beaten track spots, the rest are all first times.

Any nightlife tips for any of them, also? I'd be keen for some gay club tips but I'll probably have more luck with a different forum for that one, so maybe just good cocktail bars etc (unless you know!).

Double Knot and Tiki are some hot cocktail bars right now in Philly. And if you're looking for gay-friendly, Locust Street between 10th and 18th is a hotbed - U Bar and Bike Stop are good low-key places.

You'll hear a lot about South Street, but it's really a lot of retail. Stick to the historic sites, the zoo, the museums - plenty of that downtown.
 

Sam_Malone

Norm Smith Medallist
Jan 20, 2016
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Im a little confused reading this. Golden Gate Bridge has nothing to do with getting from San Fran to Oakland. GGB takes you north from SF and Oakland is east.

Must have been the San Matao Bridge or the Oakland Bridge. Either way, they have tolls on them and we got lost as the GPS didn't register tolls. We must hyave taken trhe tolls off to avoid paying them on the Golden Gate Bridge.

And BTW - you can take the Golden Gate Bridge to go to San Fransico when you are going Pier 39 and Fishermans Whalf.
 

Silent Alarm

sack Lyon
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Jul 9, 2010
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Honestly what is the allure of Las Vegas?

Casinos in Australia are scungey and I could count on one hand how many I've been to. I couldn't imagine them being any better when it's full of trailer trash. What is the allure of wasting money for a dumb mild risk/reward rush? And doesn't New York have all the bright lights you really need? Just seems like the bogan go-to... at least Bali has nice weather and is cheap...

Honestly could not think of a shitter place to go in America.
 

BustedWing

Premiership Player
Aug 29, 2013
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Honestly what is the allure of Las Vegas?

Casinos in Australia are scungey and I could count on one hand how many I've been to. I couldn't imagine them being any better when it's full of trailer trash. What is the allure of wasting money for a dumb mild risk/reward rush? And doesn't New York have all the bright lights you really need? Just seems like the bogan go-to... at least Bali has nice weather and is cheap...

Honestly could not think of a shitter place to go in America.

It's adult Disneyland. Pick a vice, it's there. Imagine an insane bar/club/restaurant that just couldn't/doesn't exist anywhere else... It's there.

Want to play all the famous par three golf holes in the world? Vegas has you covered.

Want to see cirque du soleil, a world class music act, and a famous comedian all in the same day? Vegas baby.

Want to take a helicopter over the Grand Canyon? Guess where you do that.

I'm not a gambler, and I firmly believe three days in sin city is plenty, but Vegas is pretty awesome for many reasons that have nothing to do with the casinos.

To have been to crown casino/star city is most definitely not the same as having been to Vegas.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

Goodo73

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Apr 13, 2009
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Honestly what is the allure of Las Vegas?

Casinos in Australia are scungey and I could count on one hand how many I've been to. I couldn't imagine them being any better when it's full of trailer trash. What is the allure of wasting money for a dumb mild risk/reward rush? And doesn't New York have all the bright lights you really need? Just seems like the bogan go-to... at least Bali has nice weather and is cheap...

Honestly could not think of a shitter place to go in America.
Honestly, why do people feel it's necessary to question/hang s**t on the holiday destination choices of others?

It certainly sounds like you've made up your mind about Las Vegas, and no-one could convince you otherwise, so I'm not sure why you've bothered to ask. If you feel it's not the place for you, don't go. Simple as that.
 

Goodo73

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Vegas is pretty awesome for many reasons that have nothing to do with the casinos. To have been to crown casino/star city is most definitely not the same as having been to Vegas.
Spot on!

People have said to me "I'm not into gambling so why go to Las Vegas?". I've always said, it's not going to be for everyone as a holiday destination (but where is, really?), but there's certainly more to the place than just gambling.
 

FUS_RO_DAH

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Dec 17, 2012
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Honestly what is the allure of Las Vegas?

Casinos in Australia are scungey and I could count on one hand how many I've been to. I couldn't imagine them being any better when it's full of trailer trash. What is the allure of wasting money for a dumb mild risk/reward rush? And doesn't New York have all the bright lights you really need? Just seems like the bogan go-to... at least Bali has nice weather and is cheap...

Honestly could not think of a shitter place to go in America.
I've been to Vegas twice and probably gambled about $50 lol.

I don't give a shite about gambling, it's literally Sin City, you can do just about anything you want
 

Silent Alarm

sack Lyon
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Jul 9, 2010
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"Do whatever you want?" You mean like pay for a hooker? Take drugs attainable in many other cities in the same country? I just don't get it. It just seems incredibly trashy. Every young traveller wants to have a few large nights and kiss a few girls but you can do that anywhere and have a good time. I'd rather go to Cancun – or as they'd call it if it was in Australia, Can+Poon – and snort blood cocaine out the bellybutton of a tanned cheerleader from North Carolina State.

I'm just saying I don't really get it. Sounds like Ibiza but worse.
 
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