traveling to America (USA)

traveling to America (USA)--About Us

traveling to America is dedicated to providing the latest information about traveling to and in America. I'm an American who has traveled extensively in Europe and other areas of the world and understand the differences in culture, habits, conversational style and daily activities. Since I travel across the USA often, I'm constantly updating myself about the many changes that are occurring in America. This blog's goal is to provide the latest information that you will need while traveling throughout the USA. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to us. We would like to make your stay in America as pleasant as possible.

Poplar Forest--Thomas Jefferson Retreat--Reopened To Public

When Thomas Jefferson left public office in 1809, he took his first extended stay at Poplar Forest, a planatation retreat near Lynchburg, VA. The house is the first octagonal house in America. It's an architectural masterpiece. It reopened April 1, 2009 and will remain open through November. It's hours are 10am to 4pm and is closed on Tuesday. Admission is $10. For more information, go to www.poplarforest.org.

Obama's Exhibit Of Campaign Art

An exhibit called "Officially Unofficial Inspired Art For Obama opened April 1, 2009 in Chicago. It's sponsored by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs. The exhibit includes prints, posters, photographs and videos seen during Obama's presidential campaign. The show runs through May 15, 2009 at the Chicago Tourism Center, 72 E. Randolph Street. It's free.

Six Great Vegas Spas

Las Vegas is famous for 24-hour fun, gambling and and shows.  In addition, tucked away from the casinos and glitzing malls, is cutting-edge treatments and high-tech spas.  Although these spas are located in hotels, they're open to the public at least part of the time.  Some offer affordable day passses.

The spas are:

The Spa--Wynn Las Vegas    The $250 Good Luck Ritual is based on the five elements of feng shui.  A 80-minute full-body massage is also offered.  For additional information, go to www.wynnlasvegas.com.

Bathhouse--THEHotel at Mandalay Bay  This modern-looking facility brings a welcome intimacy to the Vagas spa experience.  Your candlelight bath with a choice of black moor mud and herbs is $65.  A computer selects the perfect scent blend based on your completed questionnaire.  For additional information, go to www.mandalaybay.com.

Red Rock Spa--Red Rock Casnio & Resort   This spa is located in nearby Summerlin.  Pediures change with the seasons for $85.  The best reason to come to this resort is the Adventure Spa which takes guests outdoors to go horseback riding and rafting down the Black Canyon.  For additional information, go to www.redrocklasvegas.com.

Qua Baths & Spa--Caesars Palace    This Roman-themed spa offers the city's best bargain--$45 day pass.  Offerings range from a banana-leaf body wrap-$170 to an energizing Lomi-Lomi massage-$170.  For additional information, go to www.harrahs.com/qua.

Canyon Ranch SpaClub--Venetian and the Palazzo    The highlight of this spa is the Aquavana--a European-style circuit of soaking tubs and relaxation rooms.  In the "experiential rain shower", you push a button marked Tropical Storm for alternating warm and cool drenchings, the sound of birds and the scent of pineapple..  For additional information, go to www.canyonranch.com.

Spa Bellagio--Bellagio   In this spa there are 17 different facials incorporating everything from crushed pearls to French seaweed, a gorgeous Jacuzzi area lit by a crystal chandelier and a steam room issuing thick billows of eucalyptus-scented steam.  For $210 you can get a Watsu massage.  For additional information, go to www.bellagio.com.

FLY NOW!!! CHEAP FLIGHTS WON'T LAST LONG!!!

With the economy bad, airlines are finding it very hard to fill seats.  It is easy to compare prices by using  sites like www.tripadvisor.com, www.fly.com and www.farecompare.com.  Most of the cheap flights require a Saturday night stayover.  Without a doubt it's a  great time for cheap travel.

There are two fundamental shifts in air travel under way.  First, airlines are dropping more routes and parking airplanes in the desert.

Next, they are going to "unbundle" more services that are included in the price of the ticket.  In the future, airlines prices are going to be like a restaurant menu.  They will be efficient, user friendly and full of a la carte choices.  The strategy is based on imposing extra fees on a number of amenities and services--not just checked bags and food items.  The plan is to have a basic ticket price in 3 or 4 categories and then have a bunch of items you can add.  When you purchase the ticket, you can chose the extras in advance.  Some of these items are:  checked luggage, snack, aisle seat, exit row seat, beverage, video games, passenger assistance, early boarding and maybe a wheelchair.  In order to know the total price of the ticket, plus taxes, you will have to add all the chosen extras, taxes and the base ticket price.  This is the future method for increasing the price of flying.

This is the pricing arrangement I experienced when flyng discount airlines in Europe.  You purchased a cheap ticket and paid for everything else.  I doubt that the basic ticket will be cheap. 

WEBSITES--Make Your Next Trip Easier

This  list of webistes could make your next trip easier.

1. Find Out Where The Locals Eat.  In Europe use a series of blogs called Spotted by Locals-http://spottedbylocals.com.  In the USA, use Chowhound-http://chowhound.com-for a list of places to eat from Flordia to the Pacific Northwest.  For local comfort food, use Roadfood-http://roadfood.com-for a list of eatries along the highways and byways in the USA.

2. Build A Better Itinerary.  You can save all your travel reservations in one place on Tripit-http://tripit.com.  It builds your schedule and provides additional information about your trip.

3. Seek Alternative Lodging.  Instead of staying at a hotel, stay at a home, apartment, cabin or condo.  Homeaway-http://homeaway.com-has a list of 118,000 properties in 100 countries.

4. View Every Available Flight.  ITA Software powers many of the major booking sites.  You can't book a flight on this site, but you can see all your options at http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch. 

5. Avoid Speed Traps.  Speedtraps-http://speedtrap.com-is a great resource for showing all the speed traps along your route.

6. Track Flight Arrival Time.  FlightStats-http://flightstats.com-lets you find out the on-time rating of flights and tracks your plane in real time.

7.  Score A Fare Refund.  Yapta-http://yapta.com-lets you track fares and book a ticket when the prices are the lowest.

8.  Get Directions.  Google Maps lets you find driving, walking, mass transit directions on www.maps.google.com.

9.  Plan A Road Trip.  Roadescapes-http://roadescapes.comcom-helps you plan your road trip from your start point to the hotel.

10. Locate Cheap Gas.  Gas Buddy-http://gasbuddy.com-relies on a network ofnearly 200 gas price information sites.

11.Research Airfares.  FareCast-http://farecast.com-predicts if your fare will rise or fall.

These webites were provided by Christopher Elliott in an article in National Geographic Traveler, April 2009.          

This  list of webistes could make your next trip easier.

1. Find Out Where The Locals Eat.  In Europe use a series of blogs called Spotted by Locals-http://spottedbylocals.com.  In the USA, use Chowhound-http://chowhound.com-for a list of places to eat from Flordia to the Pacific Northwest.  For local comfort food, use Roadfood-http://roadfood.com-for a list of eatries along the highways and byways in the USA.

2. Build A Better Itinerary.  You can save all your travel reservations in one place on Tripit-http://tripit.com.  It builds your schedule and provides additional information about your trip.

3. Seek Alternative Lodging.  Instead of staying at a hotel, stay at a home, apartment, cabin or condo.  Homeaway-http://homeaway.com-has a list of 118,000 properties in 100 countries.

4. View Every Available Flight.  ITA Software powers many of the major booking sites.  You can't book a flight on this site, but you can see all your options at http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch. 

5. Avoid Speed Traps.  Speedtraps-http://speedtrap.com-is a great resource for showing all the speed traps along your route.

6. Track Flight Arrival Time.  FlightStats-http://flightstats.com-lets you find out the on-time rating of flights and tracks your plane in real time.

7.  Score A Fare Refund.  Yapta-http://yapta.com-lets you track fares and book a ticket when the prices are the lowest.

8.  Get Directions.  Google Maps lets you find driving, walking, mass transit directions on www.maps.google.com.

9.  Plan A Road Trip.  Roadescapes-http://roadescapes.comcom-helps you plan your road trip from your start point to the hotel.

10. Locate Cheap Gas.  Gas Buddy-http://gasbuddy.com-relies on a network ofnearly 200 gas price information sites.

11.Research Airfares.  FareCast-http://farecast.com-predicts if your fare will rise or fall.

These webites were provided by Christopher Elliott in an article in National Geographic Traveler, April 2009.          

This  list of webistes could make your next trip easier.

1. Find Out Where The Locals Eat.  In Europe use a series of blogs called Spotted by Locals-http://spottedbylocals.com.  In the USA, use Chowhound-http://chowhound.com-for a list of places to eat from Flordia to the Pacific Northwest.  For local comfort food, use Roadfood-http://roadfood.com-for a list of eatries along the highways and byways in the USA.

2. Build A Better Itinerary.  You can save all your travel reservations in one place on Tripit-http://tripit.com.  It builds your schedule and provides additional information about your trip.

3. Seek Alternative Lodging.  Instead of staying at a hotel, stay at a home, apartment, cabin or condo.  Homeaway-http://homeaway.com-has a list of 118,000 properties in 100 countries.

4. View Every Available Flight.  ITA Software powers many of the major booking sites.  You can't book a flight on this site, but you can see all your options at http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch. 

5. Avoid Speed Traps.  Speedtraps-http://speedtrap.com-is a great resource for showing all the speed traps along your route.

6. Track Flight Arrival Time.  FlightStats-http://flightstats.com-lets you find out the on-time rating of flights and tracks your plane in real time.

7.  Score A Fare Refund.  Yapta-http://yapta.com-lets you track fares and book a ticket when the prices are the lowest.

8.  Get Directions.  Google Maps lets you find driving, walking, mass transit directions on www.maps.google.com.

9.  Plan A Road Trip.  Roadescapes-http://roadescapes.comcom-helps you plan your road trip from your start point to the hotel.

10. Locate Cheap Gas.  Gas Buddy-http://gasbuddy.com-relies on a network ofnearly 200 gas price information sites.

11.Research Airfares.  FareCast-http://farecast.com-predicts if your fare will rise or fall.

These webites were provided by Christopher Elliott in an article in National Geographic Traveler, April 2009.          

National Cherry Blossom Festival--Washington, DC

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is the Spring event in Washington, DC.  The two-week festival runs from March 28 through April 12, 2009.  The blossoms are around the Tidal Basin near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and are expected to reach peak bloom April 3 through April 9.  On March 28, there is the Smithsonian Kite Festival near the Washington Monument.  The festival's parade and the Japanese Street Festival is on April 4.  For more information, go to www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

Tipping in America

These are the tipping guidelines for services in America.

Waiter: 15% to 20% of pre-tax bill; Bartender:  $1-$2 per drink, or 10%-15% of tab; Concierge:  $5-$20 depending on complexity of service provided; Porter:  $5 or $1-$2 per bag; Housekeeping:  $3-$5 a day; Taxi Driver:  15%-20%; Spa Services:  10%-20%; Hairdresser:  10%-20% and Coat Check:  $1-$2 per item.

Economical Travel In America

With the economy tough, a national park trip is an invigorating way to see America and boost your spirits with clean air, wide skies, and the wonder of the American landscape.  The following suggestions are some easy ways to save on your next trip.

1. Stay in the park.  Most travelers think it's cheaper to stay outside the park.  The prices of lodging in the park are the same as outside lodging and the prices don't change.

2. Book yourself.  If you stay in the park, make the reservations directly through the property.  Go to  www.nps.gov , pick a park, and click "Plan Your Visit.  Booking companies may charge a higher fee and this is an unnecessary.

3. Pitch a tent.  A national park will usually charge a small fee for a campsite--around $19.

4. Share a shower.  If you want indoor plumbing, reserve a room without a private shower and save money.

5. Exercise your mind.  Most parks offer free lectures and other activities.

6. Skip the summer.  At most parks off-season visitors can save up to 38% of the summer rates.

7. Take a pass.  If you are 62 and older, you can buy a $10 Senior Pass.  This lifetime pass gives you or a carload of friends free entry to national parks.  For information on the pass, go to http://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior.html.

For information on America's national parks, go to www.nps.gov. 

Forget Mexico!!!! Do Not Cross the Border to Mexico!!!!

Sometimes when travelers from other countries come to visit America, they cross the border and go to Mexico. If you are planning an additional  trip to Mexico this year, forget it.  Any travel in Mexico is very dangerous.  Although the country is very beautiful with wonderful beaches, the USA State Department has issued warning about the dangers of traveling in Mexico.  The Mexican government is in a battle with the drug cartel and many innocent civilians are killed daily in  gun battles.  To make matters worse, the drug cartels are kidnapping travelers for ransom.  Once you are kidnapped, you are on your own.  Since many of the police are corrupt, you will get very little help, if any.  Assistance from your government will be very limited.

As a foreign traveler you are very vulnerable and an easy prey.  The drug cartels are looking for travelers who may be able to pay a ransom.  If you go to Mexico, go to a resort and do not leave it.  Do not be misled by going in groups--as a group of travelers you will only alert the cartels to your presence.  A group guide will not be able to protect you from these cartels. The best plan is to avoid Mexico this year and wait for a safer time to visit Mexico.

Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy--April 4-September 7, 2009

  For the first time, one of Galileo's telescopes will leave Italy for this exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.  This exhibit commenorates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations and explores the Medicis' role as science partrons.  The picture is a cylindrical sundial--a combination of Renaissance art and science.  The price is $15.  For more information, go to www2.fi.edu.