Trip Report - USA

[Renato1]

Thankfully my experience with over there has been very different. I've found much better, cheaper and generous food options over in the US than here. I've certainly found that clothing is significantly cheaper and better quality too, or if the price is akin, the quality is significantly better. (I'm a plus size woman - the range is so much better over there.) Also can't agree on the cities being very similar to Australian cities. Would agree they are more similar than in Europe, but I feel very aware I'm in the US. Disneyland feels a much cheaper day out than one at my cities royal show.

Completely agree on the drivers though!

I am biased perhaps though. I adore visiting the US.

Thanks - but we seem to have visited two completely different USAs!

My wallet started hurting from Day 1 on the food department.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I've been to all the places you mentioned above except Washington (assume DC not state). I find they are totally different to Australia but familiar through television, movies etcetera.

Places such as Mt Rushmore, Niagara Falls (yes I know it's also part Canadian), Hearst Castle and other iconic US sites could never be compared to Australia. We are unique and discrete countries which whilst similar in many ways are different in many more ways.

Agree with you about food.

Poverty is entrenched in certain segments of the US population which is a product of their political system with the canard that if you are poor and ill it's your own fault and should pay the price.

The outcome is that if you're poor and mentally ill you're generally ignored by the medical system and left to live on the streets or in the prisons.

As for smokers being treated like lepers, well about time. I wish it would happen here so I don't have to smoke as I walk down the street, sit in a park or enter a building.

Having said this it was interesting to read your experience and look forward to reading your future posts.

Thanks, I agree - the sites are totally different in the USA, but to my mind just hanging around there is very similar to Australia, for example,
1 Traffic lights and road signs - pretty much the same as here.
2. Shops were very much akin to those back home.
3. Waiting to catch a tour boat in New York, I looked up at the freeway running alongside the buildings and said to my wife - "That looks almost the same as looking at Citylink running along side of King's Way", my wife agreed.
4. Watching runners going around the reservoir in Central Park I said to my wife, "That looks almost the same as looking at runners running around Albert Park Lake", my wife agreed.
And there were lots of little experiences like that in US cities, which we never experience in European cities.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[get me outta here]

I found it much easier to find a good meal for less than $10 in NYC than I do here.

Thanks - but we seem to have visited two completely different USAs!

My wallet started hurting from Day 1 on the food department.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I just got back from LA, Vegas, Mammoth, San Fran & Monterey.

I found food to be more expensive by quite a bit especially when tips are taken into account although portions are often just ridiculously too big.
Clothes can be a fair bit cheaper IMHO especially in the big chains where you often get a foreign discount. Just ask!
Agree on the drivers, i did 3000 Miles and only really saw one aggro driver and a few hoons. but generally nobody seemed too fussed even when in high traffic.
The biggest killer for me was the price of a good hotel, especially in Frisco....Wow so expensive. Also Drinks in Vegas seem to have doubled, we got charged $25 Aus dollars for a glass of red wine or coughtail.
Yes homeless are very common.
Shame about the dollar really.

But still freaking love the place and will be back in august!

Yosemite Rocks!!!

Ahh - someone else who sees what I mean.

My wife didn't think that clothes in Macy's, Bloomingdales and Nordstroms were inexpensive. Though places like Marshalls had some some good deals on some designer stuff. I'm into fragrances, and the prices there were very dear relative to down here.

Even the one set of outlet stores we visited only had 50% off their cloths and handbags. Fragrances were by one at near full price and get the next bottle (from a more limited range) for US$9.99. I've done better that 50% buying handbags over here at Myers and outlet stores.

One thing that was surprising was liquor. In New York and Washington, prices were almost equivalent to over here. Some, like Kahlua, were actually dearer than over here. In LA, prices were a bit cheaper. But then I walked into a supermarket at Marina Del Ray and was astounded.

They had good prices on stuff like 750ml bottles of Ballantines Whisky, and brand name Vodka and Bourbon and Rum at around US$20 a bottle, with many on sale at US$16.99. But, right next to them were the exact same liquors in 1.75 litre bottles going from US$24.99 to US$30.99.

In other words, pay seven or eight dollars more, and buy an extra litre of alcohol. This was astonishingly cheap - better than I've seen anywhere in Europe.

In Frisco I picked Beck's Motor Lodge which was very expensive for what it was, but it didn't charge $51 a day for carparking like others were doing. It was out of the bustle of Fisherman's Wharf, but quite nice, with the F tram running in front of it (10 minutes or more to Union Square) and the Metro a short distance away. It was really nice, my wife really liked it, and the gay chaps sitting on it's balcony with drinks and cigarettes were very amiable and pleasant.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Guess you didn't do too much driving.The cheap food with big helpings is outside the major cities.Outlet shopping no problem when on a road trip.
But as well top dining is often way cheaper than Australia.When in NYC we always go to le Bernadin for lunch.Price has gone up to $US85 for 3 courses-with an extra 2 thrown in.Much superior and even with tax and tip much cheaper than anything remotely similar in Australia-3 Michelin stars,4 NYC times hats,in the top 50 restaurants in world since inception,zagat top restaurant in NYC for the last 9 years and Anthony Bourdains favourite NYC restaurant.We have been 10 times already.

I drove 2000 miles around California, Arizona and a bit of Nevada - and base my observation on that.

I'm not into fine dining and US$85 per person for lunch is not what I go for, regardless of whether it is better value than Australian high end equivalents. But for people into that sort of thing, I can see why you'd appreciate it.

Down in the sticks where I live, my wife and I often go to Baxter Tavern in Baxter, where we buy a seafood basket for two for the princely sum of A$49 in total. We always laugh, as what we get is bigger and vastly superior to anything like that which we buy in Italy for 50 Euros or more a head, which is nowhere near as good, quality or quantity-wise. And we get soup entree and fruit salad desert for free. That's value. They also sell big plates of pork spare ribs, and Americans who drop into the place are always telling them that those spare ribs are better than back home.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I'd estimate that I have purchased 95% of my clothing from the States over the last ten years - you just need to know where to look and when to look (sales, coupons etc). Yes, outlet malls, particularly premium outlets are excellent if you plan them into your trip. There are also many stores that heavily discount stuff from the department stores.

I think NYC and SF are excellent and nothing like Australian cities but as is touched upon by other replies, the real gems of the US are the National Parks and mountains. Yellowstone, Teton, Yosemite and the entire states of Washington, Alaska, Utah and Colorado are simply breathtaking and we have nothing that even comes close IMO.

Food has gotten a little more expensive but I still find it easy to get good value. There also seems to be an explosion of convenient healthier options which will probably take off down here in 5 or so years.

Thanks. While I could see deparment stores over there having weekend sales with 40% off and the like, the initial prices were pretty expensive to start off with. Nothing much impressed my wife at Nordstrom Rack (their outlet stores found all over the place). And in the one outlet centre we visited (Tejon), prices were good, but not compelling - though my wife wanted to by a half price Michael Kors bag which was significantly cheaper than back home, till she realized that it didn't have a zipper, which made it useless for use in Europe.

Where we stayed in San Francisco was full of fine dining establishments, which I didn't partake of any - as they were all too healthy looking to me. I settled on big Burritos from a Mexican place which satisfied my craving for meat.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I disagree on almost all points except for the drivers, homeless people and that vegas is a way of extracting money.

Thanks - well, we all have different perceptions.

Though I just looked up how much I paid to stay at the Mirage in Las Vegas, and it turned out to be the cheapest place we stayed at. Now the over all cost doesn't look as bad as I first though.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

If you spend an entire trip comparing what you're seeing/ doing/ eating etc to back in Australia then what's the point in travelling?

Thanks, but comparison is something the brain does naturally. I can't comprehend how one would switch it off - nor why one would want to. If I wasn't constantly comparing different places, I may as well just stay home and never travel.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Vegas was the cheapest hotel I stayed in the whole month I was in the US and you didn't just have to walk through the casino to get to your room but through smoke everywhere - don't remember noticing the smoking issue anywhere else because I'm a non smoker and intensely dislike smoking - I didn't really like Vegas anyway but the smoking topped it off

Food - a variety - had some great meals for reasonable price and some overpriced cough meals but I've had the same at home

Found everything quite different to Oz and Europe so disagree on that point but hey we're all different and different things press our buttons

Yes, as I just posted above - Las Vegas was my cheapest accomodation in the US, and it was a very good room.
There seemed to be very good aor conditioning in the huge gaming room - it never smelled smokey to my nose, in the way that say most pubs used to smell smokey when one could smoke in them.

I really hate cough meals when they are relatively high priced.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[ozjuice]

Ahh - someone else who sees what I mean.



They had good prices on stuff like 750ml bottles of Ballantines Whisky, and brand name Vodka and Bourbon and Rum at around US$20 a bottle, with many on sale at US$16.99. But, right next to them were the exact same liquors in 1.75 litre bottles going from US$24.99 to US$30.99.

In other words, pay seven or eight dollars more, and buy an extra litre of alcohol. This was astonishingly cheap - better than I've seen anywhere in Europe.

Regards,
Renato

Funny becuase i noticed the exact same thing when i went into a CV pharmac_, which also ironically sells alcohol. Huge 1.5L bottles of Barcardi for $25 each. I was tempted to get a few!

 

[smckay]

Well, I agree with you.
Spent 8 days in NYC and 2 in Niagara Falls. Never had a meal served to me that I hollered over. Having just spent the previous fortnight wandering around Scandinavia I also thought there was nothing that I don't see in an Australian capital.
When was the last time you saw cobblestones on a regular street, small homes on a street front, people riding bikes without car drivers going berserk? In Australia?
Drivers are better in US. Remember, these folks can be packing Heat and you annoy them they might just pull it out. But I saw one rage incident and it was totally called for - unlike Sydney where you'll cop a spray for a nothing incident.
People serving in the shops? Start a training business down here folks, you'll either get real rich or get real broke. Aussies just don't get service in shops like the US does.
Homeless - yes, lots and some serious cases on the street. The comment about poor and ill is very true and real.

Smokers not allowed in Parks? Yee haa, I just loved it. Bring it on.

Just shows to go, we all have different opinions and experiences. Like Renato said, if you don't compare things why bother leaving the house.

 

[Renato1]

I loved the buffalo burgers. Can't get them in Australia.
Clothes - I purchased brand names at 90-95% off in their end of winter sale. Very happy.
Food was similar prices to Australia after tips and taxes, but much larger service sizes.

Buffalo burgers - sounds intriguing.
I wish they'd had such sales for the start of summer, because I really like the discounts you mention.
I'm intrigued at the larger serve sizes you mention with food - it just wasn't the case where we went - I was often left looking for a double quarter pounder at McDonald's later in the night.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I travelled a few years back when the dollar was at and above parity so given things would now be 25% more expensive I can see some of your points.
It seems as though you were in large cities mostly...the prices there are always higher, same as they are everywhere in the world...go out to the smaller towns and you get better value and service IMHO.
I prefer simple food and roadside dinners and chains are everywhere for good value...hate 5 star slop that I cant pronounce, cooked by some cough telling me what I should like at $$$$$.
Vegas and Disney are money pits but you gotta do them once...or twice.
Except for the lack of speed cameras and "big brother devices" the drivers there were the same as here and Europe...some good some terrible.
But gas is sooo cheap cross country driving is a pleasure...except for the big cities.
Agree about the homeless, got asked for money plenty of times but no hassles if you said no...unlike here.

I'll be back, still 24 states left to see....if only the $A would go up a bit.

I think you have similar tastes to mine - wanting man-sized servings instead of high class or worse, "healthy", girl-sized servings.

Yes, I'm glad we did Las Vegas - it was spectacular at night, especially the ceilings inside the Venetian casino shops and Caesars Forum shops which make night time look like just-after-sunset evening time.

It was a pleasure being able to drive again on big roads where people weren't ridiculously scared to drive 5 or 10 mph above the speed limit. It reminded me of Victoria the way it used to be before they put speed cameras pinging everyone for 2 kph above the speed limit.

The cheaper petrol was good but wasn't a big factor for me - I've driven similar distances in Europe and petrol/diesel at the end of the day, isn't a huge expense.

Yes - more likely to get hassled here by the homeless who are on over $20,000 a year pension/dole.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Clothes in the US are still very cheap. You just need to know where to look and how to work the coupons/internet sign up vouchers.

Thanks - yes, frequent travellers there soon figure out all the lurks and tricks. But for a casual traveller it is more difficult.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I love USA. I have travelled to USA when the Aussie dollar has been 54 cents and above parity. When it was mid 50 cents I travelled with three young children and although things cost more I felt they were still very close to the Australian prices then. My simple comparison is a can of coke. I don't generally choose at trip based on exchange rates but on experiences. I disagree with most of the observations except the drivers.

Cans of coke varied from between US$2 to US$4 depending on where we were.
Best value were the one dollar big cardboard cups in 7-11. Though I was buying 12 packs of Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi for $6.66 at Walgreens and putting them in our hotel fridges (except for Las vegas where I had to use the ice bucket).

At Coney Island, one machine just before entering the area was selling cans for $1 a can, whereas on the board walk, machines were selling at $3 a can. It was such a hot day, I really enjoyed the one dollar cans as i guzzled two down from the heat.

On leaving Las Vegas we stopped at a rest area where I put a dollar into a machine for a can of Diet Pepsi. But instead we got two freezing cans of Dr. Pepper. I finally won something in Las Vegas!
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

We were back in NYC in Feb this year, and found clothes to be of better quality and on sale, and not just like our Aussie sales. 80% sales +. We did a heap of shopping in Macy's, probably end of season stuff. My wife still found a lot of makeup to be cheaper then home. Though looking at some charm bracelot things, they were more expensive then back home.
I still found eating out in NYC slightly cheaper then back in Aus. Werent eating at high end restaurants, just little ones just out of TS.
We first visited the states back in August 2012 , Aussie $ was nearing 1.10 us, and we had to purchase additional bags to bring home all the goodies we were buying. We found the outlets in Florida and Vegas to have the best shopping.
Cant agree more with the drivers, which surprised me with the amount of traffic they put up with in most big cities.
One big thing which stands out for me, is how much "friendlier" the people are, that are working in the jobs with direct customer contact. Just worlds apart from aussie service industry.

This shows the difference between your trip and mine - you purchased additional bags for your purchases, but we only bought one additional piece of luggage to get our extra stuff back home.

Vegas itself seemed very expensive to us in the shopping department, and Macy's was pretty dear. Then again, I remember shopping at Harrods sale in London and thinking it was great, but returning there just six weeks later and not thinking much of the store at all. I think it depends on when one is there.

You make a good point about friendliness over there. I can only agree with you. And they certainly seem to be highly enamoured of the Aussie accent.

One thing though - never say you want "beef" in anything, say "steak" instead. Most don't seem to understand how we say "beef". I ordered a beef Philly Cheese Steak, and got a chicken one instead.
Regards,
Renato

 

[get me outta here]

If staying around mid town NYC, you can take advantage of the upmarket sample sales which tend to be located in the Garmwnt district. You need to sign up for the email telling you where they will be in the coming week.

 

[Renato1]

It is interesting how different people conceive places, suppose that's what makes us individuals. We had our first visit to the USA 10 months ago, not sure if this is the OP's first visit but whilst we experienced some of the same issues, I don't necessarily agree with all the sentiments expressed.

My observations were food portions were much larger in the USA than we are used to, many time we shared a plate as there was enough to feed both of us, quality like home varied from place to place but generally was good.

Generally we don't eat fast food such as hamburgers, however had one in Vegas that was the best one I have tasted in years, there will be good places and ordinary places for buying food, no different in Australia. Experience wise it is a very different place to Australia, they are proud of their history, they preserve their older buildings, there cultural mix is different to ours and the people are generally polite and helpful, not like a number of our major cities where some people would rather get hit by a bus than assist a tourist.

I also found if you were hunting for bargains they were better value than what you get back home, especially clothing and footwear. I actually bought a pair of walking shoes, an Australian brand for about 3/4 of the cost back home, and that was with a poor exchange rate.

Homeless people are a problem in the major cities, bear in mind the population is so large it is much more noticeable. As a previous poster noted the poor are not treated well there, we have a much more compassionate society in my opinion.

I think it is hard to compare apples with oranges as it is a completely different society to ours, different cultures and attitudes, however isn't that what travel is all about, to experience those things.


My two bobs worth

I had a sit down hamburger meal in the Deli establishment at The Mirage casino. Cost US$20.
Result - I had to go across the road and had a quarter pounder and french fries at McDonalds for another $10.

Amazing how our experiences vary at the same location.

I am starting to wonder with all these contradictory responses about food serve sizes if there is a big difference between Melbourne and Sydney food serve sizes - though I never noticed that when I was regularly visiting Penrith for work many years ago.

I keep wondering how avid shoppers like my wife and I are, could have entered so many stores and not found any big bargains. We're such avid shoppers that in Washington DC we abandoned seeing the sites on our Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour in favour of shopping at the Pentagon Mall, and the sort-of-outlet stores across the road.

There's two types of homeless over there - a huge proportion seem to spend all day talking to themselves.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

The tour guide in Sanfran told us, that other states give their homeless people one way tickets to SF, as they provide better assistance and the climate doesn't fluctuate either way much during the year.

Interesting, thanks.
It was really cold the night we arrived in San Francisco, which was markedly different from the 35C heat just an hour before getting there by car.
I'd have thought LA had the better climate for the homeless.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

I found it much easier to find a good meal for less than $10 in NYC than I do here.

Admittedly, one could walk into a Panda Express and get a decent Chinese meal for under or around US$10 (depending on how many types of main meal types one gets), which was about the same as one can get here in Chinese shops in food courts. Though I thought the meat in Panda's was better than what one typically gets in our food courts.
Regards,
Renato