Not his best idea. Other cards such as American Express and Discover are also accepted by most retailers, but not as widely. Attitudes taken in the South, Texas, and Rocky Mountains (United States of America), even tresspasers are seen as dangerous on private property and may be shot if seen as a threat. Because they lack state sovereignty, the governments of D.C. and the territories exist at the mercy of the federal government, which theoretically could dissolve them at any time. State citizens enjoy the power to vote for federal representatives, federal senators, and the federal President. For example, in the nation's second largest city, Los Angeles, Kroger operates Ralphs and Food4Less, while Albertsons operates Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions, and neither operates any stores under their own names. In a lot of regions of the US it is emphatically discouraged to open about one's sexual orientation and you will receive unwanted attention, remarks, threats, violent attacks, be physically attacked with police unsympathetic to your need for help or complicit, and be refused service. Although the trend has moderated in recent years, portions have grown surprisingly large over the past two or three decades. The overall idea could have been very good, even though it isn't exactly original, but I just thought the author didn't make the most of this great idea that she had. The Amish, who have lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio for generations, speak a dialect of German. This disorder causes Henry to involuntarily travel through time. Read up on the policies before coming to know what the laws your State have on defending yourself. See also: Rail travel in the United States. For Canadians and Bermudians, the entry period is normally for a maximum of six months. If you identify your country of origin or book through Web sites customized to your own local market, you may be given a quote which includes loss damage waiver and both required and supplemental liability insurance for considerably less. This culminated in the development of the popular Boeing 737 and 747 jetliners; the 737 is still the world's most popular airliner today. He searches out pharmaceuticals in the future that may be able to help control his time traveling. Many reviewers were impressed with Niffenegger's unique perspectives on time travel. However, Forever stamps are not valid for international use. Don't even think about paying a fine directly to the officer who cited you, since that will probably be interpreted as a bribe. Young people who are full time students of certain nationalities can apply for a J1 "Exchange Visitor" visa which permits paid work as au pairs or summer work for up to 4 months in virtually any type of job. Place an order by phone (or, at an increasing number of establishments, online or using an app) and then go to the restaurant to pick it up and take it away. There are also frequent but much slower regional trains covering the same stations along the Northeast Corridor for lower fares. The Grand Canyon is possibly the world's most spectacular gorge; Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park are both home to the world's largest living organisms, the Giant Sequoia; Redwood National park has the tallest, the Coast Redwood; Glacier National Park is home to majestic glacier-carved mountains; Canyonlands National Park could easily be mistaken for Mars; and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park features abundant wildlife among beautiful, verdant waterfalls and mountains. Generally, the best barbecue is found in the South, with the most distinct styles coming from Kansas City, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. While there are some locations in the United States with high crime rates, most violent crime is heavily concentrated in certain inner city neighborhoods (most of which are specifically identified in the relevant city-specific articles in this travel guide), or poor outlying areas. Common American bills are for $1, $5, $10, $20, while the $50 and $100 bills are less common, and the $2 bill is usually only available by special request at a bank. It's worth noting that most American ID's have the date of birth laid out as month/day/year, while frequently other countries ID's use year/month/day or day/month/year which may cause further confusion. If anything about you appears suspicious, you and your vehicle may be searched. Calls to other locations require using the international access code ("011") followed by the country code of the destination number. Unlike most other countries, if you ask for "water," it will be still unless you specifically ask for "carbonated" or "sparkling" water. Fortunately, widespread adoption of provisions of the Uniform Vehicle Code, and federal regulation of traffic signs under the Highway Safety Act, means that most driving laws do not vary much from one state to the next. There are no reservations on Greyhound buses. Make sure to bring enough that if you and your family had to eat only that dish, they would be full, in order to ensure that there is enough food for everyone. Nearly every religious faith practiced in the world is represented in the U.S., with very little religious violence to show for it. In some parts of the country, you can also rent other types of motorcycles, such as sportbikes, touring bikes, and dual-sport bikes. Compared to Western European Democracies, there are an extraordinary number of elected positions in the United States. The number one rule of respect among Americans is that it must be earned by your actions and integrity. Real wealth grew rapidly in the postwar period. As long as he/she is accompanied by the physical presence of a parent or legal guardian who is over the age of 21 and has the approval to consume alcohol, but this varies. Be sure to allow enough time before departure to complete the necessary inspections. This includes the semi-automatic-only versions of several military assault rifles, including the AR-15, AK-47, FN-FAL, and Uzi. Today, all four carriers are quickly migrating to the newer LTE standard (which uses SIM cards), and most Verizon and Sprint phones support LTE, CDMA, and GSM. However, due to the cost of upgrading, this technology may not be available everywhere, with small, independent businesses and those outside of metropolitan areas still possibly requiring a "swipe". Hence if you do not have one, you can purchase a prepaid card or gift card with Visa/Mastercard or Amex logo for yourself in a good number of stores but you may need to provide identification before the card is activated. Postal Service, although this does take some extra planning and preparation. Foreign visitors regularly find their hair dryers to be starved for power in the US; conversely, Americans' hair dryers are regularly burned out and destroyed by high voltages overseas. If counting the Insular Areas and Minor Outlying Islands, the United Kingdom, Samoa, and Haiti would also share maritime borders. From toys to priceless artifacts, from entertainment legends to dinosaur bones—nearly every city in the country has a museum worth visiting. Also, ANY drug possession near a school, however slight the quantity, will land you a heavy jail term. Besides going through a regular security search to enter the departure area of the airport terminal, it was standard up until 2015 at many airports to have an additional layer of security around waiting areas for gates for US-bound flights with a secondary security checkpoint of its own. Information directories are also available online at each regional telephone company's web site (most often AT&T, Verizon, or CenturyLink; also Frontier in West Virginia and FairPoint in northern New England), as well as www.free411.com. Sauce of varying spiciness may be served on the dish, or provided on the side. In the largest cities, "corner stores" abound. The United States cannot be defined solely by television and movies. University campuses, large hospitals, governmental agencies, military bases, sections of the U.S. military or a single large building may have their own unique ZIP code and any mail sent to that particular ZIP code goes to that institution's internal mail room for onward delivery. Other large chains have achieved almost nationwide coverage but are notably absent from at least one region, like Chevron, Texaco, Exxon, Valero, and Conoco. This is true for all classes of service. Most trucks are open for business during afternoon and evening hours Monday through Thursday, afternoon, evening and late night hours on Fridays, and late night hours on Saturdays. Another option are extended-stay hotels directed at business travelers or families on long-term stays (that are often relocating due to corporate decisions). The climate nears the humid subtropical regime of the rest of the United States the further north in the state you travel. Michigan When invited to a meal in a private home it is considered polite for a guest to ask if they can bring anything for the meal, such a dessert, a side dish, or for an outdoor barbecue, something useful like ice or plastic cups or plates. In "up-scale" restaurants, rules for men to wear jackets and ties, while once de rigueur, are becoming more relaxed, but you should check first if there is any doubt. Examples include Marriott’s ExecuStay, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites; Extended StayAmerica; Homestead Studio Suites; Homewood Suites by Hilton; and Hyatt House. Users of British and Commonwealth English will find quite a few terms which differ in US English: Please see our English language varieties article for more words that differ. In the last 25 years, America has seen a boom in craft brews, and cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Boston are becoming renowned among beer lovers. Given the difficulty and expense of getting from the center of some of the major Northeastern cities to their respective airports, trains can sometimes be more convenient than air travel. As a result, the Spanish spoken is almost invariably a Latin American or Puerto Rican dialect. However, even accounting for the burden of sales taxes, US retail prices still tend to be much lower than in many other countries. African-Americans, women, members of a particular religion) and may still attract primarily students from that group. However, Bahamaian citizens are not exempted from visa requirements for traveling to American Samoa. If you speak a language other than English or Spanish, it is not likely that the dispatcher you reach will be able to understand. Country music dance clubs, or honky tonks, are laid fairly thick in the South and West, especially in rural areas and away from the coasts, but one or two can be found in almost any city. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, millions of US manufacturing jobs fell victim to outsourcing. NOTE: Some public Internet terminals track users' activities and nearly all of them are connected to a filtered Internet connection. Nearly all public libraries have PC terminals with broadband Internet access (and usually productivity software such as Microsoft Word) available for free, public use (this is the reason why the US lacks Internet cafes!). Amtrak does NOT offer cross border trains to/from Mexico nor are there any other onward passenger trains going south from the U.S./Mexican border. Long-term visa holders and permanent residents have been fined, or in extreme cases had their visas canceled for being found without their documents. Unless your debit / credit card is U.S issued, expect to incur foreign transaction fees from your bank. At that stage the CBP officers will likely search your possessions, and may read any documents, letters or diaries found in your possession. In recent years (the last few decades), traditional media has been challenged by the rise of independent media on both sides of the aisle. [24] Charles DeLint wrote in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction that one of Niffenegger's "greatest accomplishments" in the novel was her ability to convey the emotional growth of Clare and Henry in character arcs while at the same time alternating their perspectives. For the blind, many signs and displays include Braille transcriptions of the printed English. Harley-Davidson is the preeminent American motorcycle brand and Harley operates a motorcycle rental program for those licensed and capable of handling a full weight motorcycle. Also, Niffenegger explains that her "own natural inclination is to go small. She finds herself in love with two different men: Zach, a normal man, and Oliver, a musician and fellow time-traveler. American universities established themselves as the most prestigious academic institutions in the world, thanks to generous assistance from the federal government in the form of the GI Bill, followed by massive research and development investments by the military-industrial complex, and later, the Higher Education Act. Even the longest available coast-to-coast escorted tour packages (approximately 20 to 45 days in length) only cover about half of the Lower 48 states and do not include Alaska, Hawaii, or the inhabited territories (i.e., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam), all of which are also fine tourist destinations in their own right. Before she is born, Henry travels to the future and meets his ten-year-old daughter on a school field trip. The variety of restaurants throughout the U.S. is remarkable. State Highways are usually undivided but may occasionally be freeways; you can generally count on them being well maintained (and plowed in the winter) and that following one will get you to some form of civilization sooner rather than later. More than likely, local Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions can give better answers on the current state of visas from the above countries. A few places offer a separate, third "family" restroom which is single-occupancy but spacious. For the most part, racist hate groups tend to prefer to be reclusive due to the mainstream unpopularity of their views. Passengers whose journeys originate in major Canadian airports and involve either US or Canadian carriers will have the advantage of clearing US entry formalities (passport control and customs) at their Canadian port-of-exit. Historically, logos for foreign cards like JCB and China UnionPay were very hard to find outside of high-end luxury boutiques, although both JCB and China UnionPay have longstanding alliances with Discover and can be used anywhere that takes Discover cards. You can also purchase a mobile broadband modem which can be attached to your laptop via the USB port and subscribe to a prepaid plan. Most states (currently 45 of them) and Washington D.C. have found and use loupes in the federal law to allow underage drinking, example; in some states like Delaware and Mississippi, underage drinking is legal on private, non-alcohol premises(including private properties not open to the public). These lanes are clearly signed, marked with white diamonds down the center of the lane, have double-white lines on the right, and are limited to vehicles with two or more occupants. Do remember that any kind of boating requires some preparation and planning. GoToBus.com is the largest online booking agent for these smaller "Chinatown" bus companies. If in doubt about properly applying for such visas, it is best to get a licensed immigration attorney. Due to the vast distances involved, traveling between regions often means crossing through many different landscapes, climates, and even time zones. If you are open with your destination it's almost always possible to find a ride on C.L. In southern Florida, Haitian immigrants primarily speak Haitian Creole, a separate language derived from French, as their second language, although a substantial number also speak French. Some states have tolerated card rooms for many years, which have since rebranded themselves as "casinos" (notwithstanding their lack of slot machines) to compete for business against true casinos in New Jersey, Nevada, and Indian reservations. From either train station take local transportation (light rail in San Diego or bus or taxi in El Paso) to get to the actual border crossing. Outside of drug-using circles, most Americans frown upon illicit drug use regardless of quantity. This is not considered entrapment by US laws since the arrested person was consciously intending to commit an illegal act. Other immigrants, including many Scandinavians and Germans, moved to the now-opened territories in the West and Midwest, where land was available for free to anyone who would develop it. business, tourist, transit, student, and journalist) and $190 for those that are (employment). You can learn more by visiting the official CDC website. Do not assume that you are in any sort of trouble or that you are even suspected of causing trouble, simply because you are being subjected to these further screenings. Oregon only bans it in the Portland metro area. Oregon, States that Observes Mountain Time Only (This is more of an issue nowadays with a weak Canadian dollar.) Under US law, all persons requesting entry as non-immigrants are presumed to be immigrants (that is, trying to permanently migrate) until they overcome that presumption by presenting evidence of "binding ties" to their home country as well as sufficient proof that the visit will be temporary. Ribs and chicken are always eaten with your fingers; pork and brisket are either eaten with a fork or put into a sandwich. Most metropolitan areas will have a mix of public and private hospitals, and in turn, US private hospitals can be either non-profit or for-profit. Coffee shops (of which Starbucks is the most well-known) are popular for breakfast; although they offer pastries and other items, most people frequent them for a morning dose of caffeine. Ribs are served as as a whole- or half-rack or cut into individual ribs, brisket is usually sliced thin, and the pork shoulder can be shredded ("pulled pork") or chopped ("chopped pork"). Purchasing loss damage waiver cover, and both required and supplemental liability insurance may add up to $30/day to the price of a rental, in some cases doubling the price of the rental. Please don't forget to buy tickets before you board the train as some systems will have a substantial mark-up on the tickets sold on-board while others won't sell tickets on-board and will subject you to a hefty fine instead. Illinois Gambling has since spread outside of Nevada to a plethora of U.S. cities like Atlantic City, New Jersey and Biloxi, Mississippi, as well as to riverboats, offshore cruises and Indian reservations throughout the continental United States. Be aware that tipping delivery personnel is considered customary, particularly as many of them deliver using their own vehicles at their own expense. The Great Plains are notorious for their tornado season, which lasts from March to June. They do serve many places that Greyhound doesn't and ally with Greyhound against other competitors. Nightclubs in America run the usual gamut of various music scenes, from discos with top-40 dance tunes to obscure clubs serving tiny slices of obscure musical genres. This is true even if you are not a citizen or legal resident of the U.S. Do not offer bribes to a police officer in any way or under any circumstances. It is somewhat widely understood that the United States government operates its military without taking the preferences of its citizens into consideration and that the United States, for better or worse, is a military superpower. Nazism and other Fascist ideologies are viewed negatively by pretty much everyone. Severe weather in the Great Plains is often forecast days in advance by meteorologists and reported by local news stations via TV and social media. For example, a call from the United States to the British Museum in London would be dialed as 011-44-20-7323-8000. However, some small businesses and independently-owned stores specify a minimum amount of money (usually $2-5, but can legally charge up to $10 minimum) for credit card use, as such transactions cost them around 30 to 50 cents (this practice is also common at bars when opening a tab). Some states have "open bottle" laws which can levy huge fines for an open container in a vehicle, sometimes several hundred dollars per container. While Griffin praised the plot and concept as "clever", she argued that Niffenegger's writing is usually "pedestrian" and the story at times contrived. The lower end is dominated by Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Old Navy. These are almost all higher than this federal minimum and wage floors can also be set even at county or municipal level (city, town or village). In many rural areas, especially on the coasts and in New England, bed and breakfast (B&B) lodging can be found. This means that you are allowed a limited number of bags to check-in where each bag should not exceed certain linear dimensions (computed by adding the length, width and height of the bags). Tipping is not expected at restaurants where patrons stand at a counter to place their order and receive their food (such as fast-food chains). (Progress toward adopting signs with internationally understood symbols is extremely slow; don't count on seeing any.) Sometimes, "falls" refers to "rapids" instead. Certain towns and cities have "no-go" areas for certain ethnicities, where hostility can be felt, although tourists are unlikely to travel to such localities and even unlikelier to face actual harm. To date, it is the bloodiest conflict on American soil, with over 200,000 killed in combat and a overall death toll exceeding 600,000. It's home to a wide array of popular tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and Chicago to the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida and Hawaii and the deserts of Arizona. Conversely, if the drink is filled for you at the counter, it is considered perfectly acceptable to request less ice, or even no ice depending on your preference. A gay American man is 44 times more likely to contract HIV than a heterosexual one, and 46 times more likely to contract syphilis.