Top North America hotels
Tipping New York City
40 Reviews Dont worry about tipping when you visit NY, I have read the forum posts of people panicking and confused, if you get a taxi agree a price inc tip, usually about 10 or 12 %, in diners again usually 10...
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Tipping / Money Matters Las Vegas
46 Reviews like the handgun and the bullet which are inseparable. the modern casino invention of the paper voucher to print your winnings at the slot machines and then you can encash it to it's partner, the...
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Drinking New Orleans
25 Reviews One of the first things I was told when I arrived in New Orleans was the recommendation to be careful with “hurricane” cocktails, because their sweet taste is deceiving, and there is more alcohol in...
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S.F. Nicknames / Pride San Francisco
14 Reviews When you refer to San Francisco as Frisco or San Fran, you're marking yourself as an outsider. No one here calls it that, and those abbreviations grate on our ears. We say San Francisco or The...
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Tipping Orlando
14 Reviews tipping at restaurants and bars is an american custom. by law in the united states servers only receive 1/2 of the minimum wage so to make a living they depend on tips. servers basically are outside...
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Eating & Drinking Chicago
25 Reviews Beginning on Thanksgiving Day, and continuing until Christmas Day, there is an old world outdoor German Winter Market in Daley Plaza. It's so much fun, I go there every year, and am always bringing...
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Tipping Toronto
13 Reviews Think. Don't listen to ignorant people about tipping. 10% is an insult at a sit down restaurant. Remember, 15% is an average standard tip all over the world, and included in EVERY bill in most...
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Tipping / Taxes / Restaurants Los Angeles
14 Reviews When you are in Los Angeles, either in the city of L.A. or in another part of the county, you'll see several restuarants. On the window of establishments, you will see a letter- either an "A", "B" or...
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Sunset festival Key West
9 Reviews To see the sunset at it's best, you need to be at Mallory Square, where hundreds of tourists gather every night to enjoy the view. Together with the marvellous spectacle, local performers, musicians,...
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Drugs & alcohol Vancouver
5 Reviews A clever new nickname for Vancouver that I just heard recently. Let me dispel the rumours somewhat. Yes the laws towards marijuana are somewhat less strict here (and everyelse in Canada) than other...
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Bilinguism Montreal
34 Reviews I was somewhat worried about communicating in Montreal, especially as most of the signs are in French, but I didn't have a problem at all. We didn't run into anyone who didn't speak english....
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Speaking Bostonian Boston
18 Reviews Visitors from outside of New England are often confounded by local pronunciations, especially of Massachusetts cities and towns. Here’s a guide that’ll help you sound like a local: City:...
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Tipping Cancún
12 Reviews Re: ".. don't tip taxi drivers in Cancun. Of course you should tip them! Just like you would in any other country." This is very wrong. Whilst tipping may be expected in Cancun it is not universal...
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Dress Code San Diego
5 Reviews San Diego is quite the beach culture. These peops are raised on the wet sand and they're not so friendly to outsiders. You stick out like a sore thumb if you're wearing elastic trunks while drinking...
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Seattle Weather Seattle
13 Reviews They say it rains a lot in Seattle! That's so true! We got used to it already except that our drivers don't. So be careful driving! So, when you come to Seattle, choose the right season then you...
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Talking Hawaiian Honolulu
10 Reviews Ok so this tip isn't exactly about how to speak "Hawaiian" itself, but more like what to expect when hearing locals talk. I myself DON'T speak "pidgin", but i know enough words to be able to...
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Philly Facts Philadelphia
14 Reviews I know Philly has a bit of a rough-around-the edges, blue collar reputation, but as long as you're not an opposing team at a professional sporting event, the locals are really friendly! They don't...
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Beaches/South Beach/Art Deco District Miami
17 Reviews For an entire week in January, Miami's Art deco festival celebrates it's design inspiration. Includes historic walks, jazz music, plenty of artwork and dining. Auctions, memorabilia and unique items...
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Driving / Roads Houston
9 Reviews Having lived in houston most of my life, you are not going to be shot if you cut someone off or honk. I honk at people all the time, no one has ever waved a gun at me. this is apparently a common...
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Tipping Puerto Vallarta
7 Reviews Even when "all gratuities included" at a resort (and I laugh), think twice about not tipping. If you like waiting 10-20 minutes to be noticed for a drink that's fine.. but tipping 1.00usd a round gets...
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Native Animals Playa del Carmen
3 Reviews We've seen the large band of coatis on both of our trips to Riu Tequila, in 2009 they were hanging out near the pool and near some of the rooms near the pool waiting for someone to take pity on them...
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Tejano Culture and Music San Antonio
4 Reviews One of the unique things about San Antonio is the wedding culture of the town. On several occasions, we ran into wedding parties getting their bridal pictures taken in various city locations. Obvious...
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Local food and drinks Quebec
26 Reviews Through our trip to the provences of Quebec and New Brunswick we would stop at a restaurant and see the mysterious word "Poutine" on the menu. Finally I was brave enough to ask, "What the heck IS...
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Internet Cafe Fort Lauderdale
2 Reviews Internet Acess is very important when we travel. Princess has an internet Cafe as well as many areas aboard the ship with wireless access. Internet plan pricing: $0.75 a minute (no plan) Plan 1: $175...
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Neighborhoods Atlanta
18 Reviews A common concern expressed by several VT members and verified by my time walking around in certain areas needs to be addressed. There are some VERY bad neighborhoods in Atlanta. Do NOT walk alone,...
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Forget your diet----our food is full flavored, fattening and well cooked---dont try to order 'blanched' vegetables. Even our salads are fattening! Must try gravy and biscuits---also soup beans and cornbread.
learn to appreciate the different cultures of North America! A small town in Mexico, or the U.S. or Canada are each different and also very different from the big cities like Mexico City, New York, Chicago or Toronto! Learn to notice the difference and not just be a 'tourist.'And.... Enjoy this continent!
If you're intending to do lots of shopping here in the United States (especially), remember to bring along an extra bag in cloth material (like what I did). :-)) If you're coming from Europe or Asia, buy ONLY American brand products. They are really, really worth it (read: cheap). Brands like Clinique, Prescriptives, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, Donna Karan, Anna Sui, Estee Lauder, MAC etc. are really good buys. If you're really SERIOUS about coinciding your holiday with a MAJOR sale, I can't think of a better time than the 4th of July sale. O.K., for those who absolutely MUST know how cheap American products really cost in the U.S.A., here's a rough guide. Let's take the brand Clinique as an example. Their LARGEST bottle of Clarifying Lotion cost only US$15.50 (excl. sales tax) in U.S.A. That same bottle costs:- 450 French Francs in Paris/ Nice (France). US$34 (S$58) in...
A 'live' weather forecast.Temperature updates... Very useful if you're planning for a major trip to the USA.Image updates automatically.
Here's a guide to the USA Lightning conditions. Image updates automatically.Again, this is extremely important if you're planning to visit the USA!
Your Guide To QUICK ACCESS FOR CASH Whilst You're On The Road ATM Networks (for Visa, Visa Electron & Plus). This is Visa?s ATM locator web page. And this site provides a searchable database that locates ATM?s belonging to the Visa, Visa Electron and Plus ATM network worldwide. ATM Networks (for Mastercard & Cirrus) - MasterCard?s ATM locator web page. This site provides a searchable database that locates ATM?s belonging to the MasterCard and Cirrus ATM network worldwide. Postcard Below: The Jefferson Memorial at dusk. Nice!
TIP, TIP, TIP! How to jump queue at the bar/ restaurant. If you are in a crowded bar/ pub and people are waiting for their drinks and you suspect that the waiter/ bartender will take forever to come and serve you... TIP the bartender/ waitress up front and let them know that you will reward good service. :-)) Yeah, sometimes, money talks. And if you leave a generous tip, the restaurant/ bar will remember you - forever. So, if you intend to come back again and again in the near future, start by leaving an impressive tip. No, not necessarily US$11,000.... If you leave a generous tip of say US$10 for a US$20-$30 bill, they will remember you. This usually seems to help them be able to pick you out of a crowd and remember what you are drinking too! If you do spend time waiting at the bar for your table, don?t forget to tip the bartender. The tip you leave at the table might not make it back...
Still on the issue of MONEY, ATMs and CREDIT CARDS... Most experienced travelers will tell you that ATMs are the cheapest way to get cash overseas. For that matter, so does Visa, which handles currency conversion for banks around the world. Here's a statement from the Visa Global ATM Network Web page: 'Withdrawing cash at Visa/PLUS ATMs using a secured PIN can save you money and makes it easy to take advantage of the favorable exchange rates offered by ATMs. Cash withdrawals are dispensed in local currency, and are debited from your account in your own currency - this eliminates additional currency conversion fees and commissions often assessed by traditional currency exchange bureaus.' Well, think again! Some banks are now tacking an additional 'conversion fee' onto the Visa or MasterCard currency-exchange commission. Not only that, but this hidden surcharge is ON TOP of the flat...
Women traveling alone or with other women, and whether on long or short drives, hear ye! ALWAYS bring a cellular phone or car phone along with you. If you don't have time to get a phone before your trip, take something that LOOKS LIKE a cell phone. If you ever feel that you are being tailed by a stranger or if anyone, especially a strange man, on the highway attempts to flag down your vehicle, DO NOT PULL OVER! Instead, whip out your phone and call someone, or even PRETEND to call someone. This is a major deterrent to would-be attackers who think you are probably calling the police. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to learn the phone number of the local police too. :-) Just in case.Also, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER pull over to help a hitchhiker or a person with car trouble. Instead, call the police from your cell phone or from a payphone further down the road.Haven't you seen 'Law and Order' (yeah, the...
ATMs If you're coming from outside of USA/Canada: The simplest way to obtain local currency when you're in North America is by using an ATM (automated teller machine). Yeah, that machine that dispenses cash from your local bank account. An ATM will normally give you a better exchange rate than what you'd get if you were buying foreign currency with cash or traveler's checks since the exchange is made at the interbank wholesale rate. Or worse, some friends in trying to help - tell you to use your Visa/ Mastercard to withdraw cash from these ATMs. NO! Such withdrawals are considered CASH ADVANCES... a definite no-no because of the EXHORBITANT fees charged by these credit card companies! Then how do you think these credit card companies survive? :-)) Now, go back and knock your buddy's head for being so ignorant. :-) Today, you'll find an ATM machine at nearly every corner of North...
Casablanca Hotel New York City
1 Review and 1901 Opinions This is a Hotel /Bed and Breakfast. It is a oasis in the middle of Times Square. It is quiet inside...
Argonaut Hotel - A Kimpton Hotel San Francisco
4 Reviews and 1844 Opinions There's no doubt this hotel, provides a level of luxury and convenience, that many travellers will...
Four Seasons Las Vegas Las Vegas
8 Reviews and 1181 Opinions Definitely one of the best hotels in Las Vegas where I found everything what I want. The hotel is at...
Reviews and photos of North America attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for North America sightseeing.
Q: Are there, like in many European countries, limits for the amount of cash you can legally bring with you in and out of the...
A: For Canada, if you bring in more than $10,000 CAD (or equivalent in other currency) you will need to declare it to customs but there is no limit. There is a box on the...
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