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Tips for Indian tourists to USA from our experience
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Part # 1. Tips for Indian tourists to USA- Get set!!
A visit to USA is a dream come true to many families in the east- from Middle East to Far East. With a large young IT techies population from these countries in USA, more and more Middle aged and older parents are coming to USA for short visits.
How should you plan, what are the interesting places for the Easterners especially Indians?
I would share the experience we had during our recent 4 weeks tour of USA.
The main theme of the visit is to be decided first. We can have a plan to see the places or we can go a step higher to experience the American way of life!
Instead of boring you from the beginning, I will start by showing some interesting sights we visited and our experience by the photographs and videos.
We at Grand Canyon- Many Indians do not visit here. But it is an awesome place; Much more than what we read in childhood! (Please click 'Detail' after the link opens to see comments)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thampysam/sets/72157603516734125/
We at Hollywood - It is a good expereince, especially the -conducted tour- inside Universal Studios. ($ 70 per head!) There are settings of old classics, cowboy films, Plane crash scenes, Big flooding scenes, (We can see the flood coming!) Shark attacks, Car accidents, etc. There are demonstrations of film trick too!
See some pictures in the following flickr site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thampysam/sets/72157603513541526/
I will give the tips for how to plan and make the tour in our own middle class Indian perspective!
Part # 2: Some Misconception/worries about USA among Asian Tourists.
Now, with the value of the dollar going down, USA is the one of the cheapest places to buy good things. And many from Europe are visiting USA “Only for shopping”
But don’t forget, USA also sells the costliest consumer and fashion articles. The richest people of the world are the most in USA, still. So you should select the place and shops which match your budget. If you are one in the high income bracket in your country, this blog is not for you to follow! If you are from middle class and every penny (or dollar) matters, then you can follow these tips.
Tips # 1: Carry your international Credit Card!
In USA, you can pay by credit card even for $1! Try that in India, Pakistan, Philippines or Saudi! You will get a nasty stare!
I would not have made even half the purchases I made if I didn’t have my Credit Card.—and I don’t repent in spending that (It was not so large- only $ 2000 worth of items!) But each of these items (except some special ones!) was a steal since we went mainly to selected chains of shops where everything is available at ‘genuine’ discounts! We did shop at high end shops- mostly by the windowside!
But how do you know the shops with such low prices; and at what time?
Tips # 2: Where to shop?
Well, we were fortunate to have some relatives, specialized in bargain hunting. My sister, staying there for 25 years, makes her purchases 1 year in advance before she visits India. She HAS to give presents to each and every cousin/aunt/ nephew and niece every 3 years when she and her children visit India. So she has to plan well. And she visits the appropriate shops at the appropriate times!
So we followed her ‘tips’ as well as by many other ‘shopping specialists we met. I will introduce on such place below as an experience.
Burlington coat factory:
Our stay in Phoenix with our son for about a week was in such a suburb, a place named Chandler. Initially we felt far away from the main city. But then we found that one of the biggest and most fashionable Mall complex (Fashion Village) was just walking distance. By evening, the whole of glamorous population of Chandler and from other suburbs landed there, not necessarily shopping, but for meeting each other, dating and dining (No one seems to cook here!)
When the weight of the purse becomes light or the weight of the credit card increases! Or when you decide better to 'see places!'
PART # 4: TIPS FOR WHAT TO SEE IN USA FOR 1ST TIME ASIAN TOURISTS.Please post your comments, questions. If you dont have a gmail or other IDs, you can create an 'Open ID' at the 'post comment' location itself. With an open ID , you can post comments to all other major blog sites too!
A country so vast, with so much variety! How to select the places to visit? Here are some quick tips. It should suit your interests and personality. One route will suit an adventurous person; another may be good for a scientist. An environmentalist, will like forests and wilderness and natural beauty, Some places may be of interest to a historian and some may like only a fun filled vacation of interest.
It is difficult to satisfy all. But most Asians like "Masala” (Masala’ means - a mixture of all spices) like the Bollywood films- a touch of everything. A 3 hr movie will have comedy, tragedy, love scenes, fighting, minimum 8 songs and 5 dance scenes! Bu
t they like it all!. So I will make a similar “masala” tour plan which will be liked by most Asians, especially south Asians. But I will also make a short variation for the ‘Specialists’ who can make a ‘Detour’ as they wish.The map above is taken from DK's eyewitness travel guide series. As I mentioned in earlier post, this is a fantastic reference book for a US traveler. I tried many other graphs to put here, but finally went back to the DK guide. They have shown USA in terms of group of states with similar attractions for a tourist, like The Pacific North West, The Rockies, California, The South West, Texas, Deep South, Great Plains, Great Lakes, Capital Region, NYC and Mid Atlantic, New England.
TIP # 1 SUMMARY OF EXPENSES and Preparations.
Table of Expenses: I will start with the basic question, how much it will cost for two for a trip to USA and back. I am giving a table below with the minimum expense under few basic categories of expense like air fare, local transport, stay, food, purchases etc.
Booking your tickets. Book about two months in advance to get cheap rates. The best site to search for a travel plan as per my experience is Kayak. Search for the best rates at - http://www.kayak.com/I am giving a step by step sample for planning and booking a 5 city trip in the 4 figures given belowHow to use Kayak- List multiple cities and preferred date and time.
In the screen select ‘Map’ (left margin) to check which airport is more convenient to you (For example it may be better for you to choose Reagon International at Washington rather than
Washington DC and get cheaper accommodation nearby.
An itinerary from Kayak (On left side you can select only preferred airlines in selection screen) and change the itinerary) Don’t worry about 100 odd choices, see only 1st two pages for your selection.
You can also use Google or MSN Maps for more detailed information of streets etc. ( I found MSN maps much better with their ‘Birds view’ which is fantastic, very close, very clear like a photo can be viewed from different angles and directions. See an example below in this post.
Select your accommodation.Of course. the first choice is to look for your close relatives or close friends residing in USA. More important than saving about $ 50 to $ 100 per day, it helps in removing the tension and anxiety which you can feel, if you are alone during most part of the journey.
Our trip was most enjoyable because of the company of our relatives.
It was full of fun, old family stories and pulling each other’s legs quoting old incidences. Even loosing the route and wasting a whole day was laughed off rather causing tension and despair. And most important, no guide book can be better than your own clan right there!
However, be careful not to impose yourself with all your family, on someone who are not very close to you or are reluctant. As I have seen, the life in USA is not very easy. The father and mother has to do everything themselves since any help is very costly. I found most of them had to really take some sacrifice to entertain us. We cannot imagine it in India where things are delivered to your house on a phone call, clothes are ironed at your house gate and maids do all your household works and no garden is maintained by the owner but by gardeners! (even though it is becoming a bit costlier in mega cities). Any way this is a sensitive subject and is left to the individuals as per their own relations and sensitivities.- No tips can work!We also stayed in some hotels for some days. One such place was the YMCA. These are not really a hotel but a nice decent places reasonably priced. They have old buildings at most of the big cities right the centre.You can see an old lady with whom we made friendship in the photo alon
gside posing with my wife when we left. She may be working in the same YMCA serving breakfast and extra dishes for decades. She made a traditional French toast specially on our request! Actually YMCAs (Young Men’s Christian Association) is more of social service than a profit making hotels. Unfortunately they are closing down one by one since they cannot afford any m
ore to run such hotels.Now the agency I found most user friendly to select and book your accommodation in any hotel chains in USA is Priceline You can go to their website http://www.priceline.com/ and search for most competitive hotel stay.Some screens showing the steps in booking your accommodation through priceline are given below You
can also use other similar websites from where you can book the rooms. You can also do it directly from the chains)Enter the cities in the multi city screen of Priceline.com Make preferen
ce like 2star, 2.5 star, 3 star hotels. Select areas which are cheaper (You may have to travel more but buses are ok)As a last chance you can bid for minimum per day charge at at the required start. They will guarantee to provide accommodation at the bid rate. But they will give in any of the available hotel- you cannot select the hotel. It will be of the required star definitely. The booking cannot be cancelled, But You can even take an insurance to cover the risk of not able to make the trip!Below is the list of 2 , 3 and 4 star hotels. You can get it still cheaper in Motels mostly owned by Patels from India. But it is preferable to spend a bit more and have a more convenient and elegant place. After all you go only once in a while for a trip like this! But if you are really hard pressed Motels are not that bad!
TIP # 2 : MUST SEE PLACES (tourist spots) in USA FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS.
Some places are symbols of a country. You can’t afford to miss it. Your photos in front of these places are your records of the visits which you can hang in your room. Same is the case with USA. I will make route briefly with one line explanation and our experience where we visited and others experience where we didn’t! But I will also give some links for further reading by those more interested for that spot. I will also give a link for your feedback/questions
Washington (The capital of USA)
Sites to see: (You can get it from any internet site- so I am not detailing much)
Capitol- The legislature. Senate and congress meet here. There is a conducted tour at fixed times where you can join to go inside. You may be sitting beside a senator if you go to a canteen inside the Capitol and start a conversation if you can!
m schools syllabus all over the free countries, without a lesson of his great character in his childhood!
most leisurely part of our stay.
But we still spent a day in the Grand Canyon. As mentioned in my first blog, the pinnacle of our tour was the visit to the Grand Canyon. No photos can give the feeling when you are there! I am just giving a couple of photos and link to some good sites to see it yourselves rather than my describing it. (The photo at left is with my son , who is a professional trekker and nature lover)In the back y
ou can see a peak. It's offic
ial name is 'Vishnu temple' since it looks like a 'Gopura'of an Indian (Hindustan) Temple.
Saudi http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html
Chennai
http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/general_information.html
Mumbai
http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html
Visa General Help site for India(private)
http://www.immihelp.com/visas/application.html
3) International driving license
10) Mobile- Prepaid cards
A visit to USA is a dream come true to many families in the east- from Middle East to Far East. With a large young IT techies population from these countries in USA, more and more Middle aged and older parents are coming to USA for short visits.
How should you plan, what are the interesting places for the Easterners especially Indians?
I would share the experience we had during our recent 4 weeks tour of USA.
The main theme of the visit is to be decided first. We can have a plan to see the places or we can go a step higher to experience the American way of life!
Instead of boring you from the beginning, I will start by showing some interesting sights we visited and our experience by the photographs and videos.
We at Grand Canyon- Many Indians do not visit here. But it is an awesome place; Much more than what we read in childhood! (Please click 'Detail' after the link opens to see comments)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thampysam/sets/72157603516734125/
We at Hollywood - It is a good expereince, especially the -conducted tour- inside Universal Studios. ($ 70 per head!) There are settings of old classics, cowboy films, Plane crash scenes, Big flooding scenes, (We can see the flood coming!) Shark attacks, Car accidents, etc. There are demonstrations of film trick too!
See some pictures in the following flickr site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thampysam/sets/72157603513541526/
I will give the tips for how to plan and make the tour in our own middle class Indian perspective!
Part # 2: Some Misconception/worries about USA among Asian Tourists.
The first: They have some suspicion about us! We were asked later by friends: How was it at immigration? Did they open all your bags? Any problem at airports? Racial profiling?
Answer: Absolutely no problems! I have traveled in most of the countries in Europe, and English speaking countries of UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa etc. I would say USA was the most hospitable! (Of course Germany is the worst!) I have not seen many immigration officials at other places welcoming you with a smile and cracking jokes!
Of course getting a Visa is tedious!
Tips: Just be yourselves, if you don't have anything to hide!!. But no need to impress them with voluntary disclosures of what you have!! They will ask! Indian food stuff is OK except raw stuffs- We could even take fish pickles and other Asian smelly stuff, but well packed!!
We need not hurry. We had reached after 36 hours of starting from Saudi Arabia and were so tired! You can make mistakes if you start searching your papers in a hurry!
The second: Is the internal travel very costly?
Answer: Yes it can be. But you can plan ahead to make internal air travel much cheaper. The train is possible but more as a picnic. It is equally costly and not many people use it except metro within the cities and shorter trips between closer cities like Washington to New york etc. You can save time compared to airport formalities.
Another good way is rent a car and drive around! If 3 or 4 people are there it is much cheaper than air and train! You need to have good stamina, more people to share driving , should preferably have an international license (Your country's license will do for short time to rent a car) and have good driving control since distances are Laaaarge!!! And if you make a wrong turn it will take hours to correct!
Tips: Do it yourselves! You can book your full round trip schedule by E booking at cheapest rates! If you have a friend or helping relative it is much easier. You can find very cheap rates if you plan at least 2 months in advance as I did! (Rather my son did!) But if you have to cancel it later, it can be costlier.
The third: Is it easy to find ways to move around at large airports to your required terminal and gate?
Answer: There are guides and information kiosks every where compared all countries. At the large airport of Dallas for example, where we can move only in sky link (by rail) service from one terminal to other if you are in transit, it was so easy even though we had great tension seeing the huge size of airport! (Five terminals!And we started walking to another terminal until some one told us it is too far!)
Tips: Take only a handbag with you. Put all luggage in the check in! Easy to move, you will have piece of mind and you don't loose any! (I lost one but by luck got it back much later!) Take the map of the airport available at all kiosks! Shamelessly ask anyone if you are in doubt. Unlike Europe, you won't get a nasty look! Here everyone tries to help! Of course English language helps!
The fourth: Is driving around possible in USA by 1st time tourists from Asia?:
Answer: Not so easy for some elderly persons who learnt driving late to adjust! The right hand t
o left hand drive is a minor habit to overcome. But the shear number of branch roads makes it difficult for even USA residents! I did drive to San Francisco , but I had a good navigator and changed the steering wheel when the exits became too close and complicated! But I am confident next time I can be more efficient!
Answer: Not so easy for some elderly persons who learnt driving late to adjust! The right hand t
o left hand drive is a minor habit to overcome. But the shear number of branch roads makes it difficult for even USA residents! I did drive to San Francisco , but I had a good navigator and changed the steering wheel when the exits became too close and complicated! But I am confident next time I can be more efficient!Tips: There are google maps and direction where every turn is marked. Just practice it at home the full route and keep the map in front of you. Again don't panic. A cousin of mine who drove me around Washington did a trick when she was not sure of the exits- she just put on blinking hazard light while trying to shift lanes to the exit number to turn! And the others did give way even though with sounding horns!! She took 2.5 hrs within Washington to reach Kennedy center and we just reached when the last western classic song was sung there!! This is because one wrong turn means you need a long time to come back!
She looses way every time she drives in Washington, but still she drives around confidently in the wrong ways! As I said earlier, we can ask shamelessly! She asked -may be a quarter million of 2 million population of Washington during our 2.5 hours drive, the way to reach Kennedy center and each one tried to help!! So it is OK. After one or two city drives an average fellow can drive OK!
Of course there is GPS now which is very easy and shows and tells every turn you have to make. But again, in the multi lane exits in a city approach, it is more of a handicap!!
The fifth: Where will you eat? Is it good and affordable for frequent dine out!
The fifth: Where will you eat? Is it good and affordable for frequent dine out!
Answer. It is entirely up to to you. For vegetarians it is tough, even though there were quite a few vegetarian dishes in many restaurants we went. But it is all fast food which everyone eats! Many chains other than McDonald's and KFC (KFC were very few unlike I expected). Lots of Mexican food which is liked by Asians! (Burrito). The cost is like in other countries $ 5 to 6 for a normal fast food (subway, Mc etc) and about $12 to 20 for a restaurant western dish (Steak) ! But every one eats out always. When we talked to strangers in casual talks about this, they say it is easier to eat out- One need not cook!!
Warning! The liquor is not so cheap! If you want to booze, better to buy a bottle from duty free and drink at home and have only a small one for ambiance at the restaurant. Even wine!
Tip: If you like food and ambiance it is very enjoyable to eat out! We really enjoyed it! The extra expense is really worth it. You feel good, you meet Americans and talk to them! You experience America! But if you are tight of money and do not enjoy western food, you can eat ready to cook at $ 2 a dish and have it for lunch and dinner after 
microwave heating. (both veg and non veg) You can buy it from any Mall or food stores near your place. (Near can be 1 or 2 miles!) It is tasty!
microwave heating. (both veg and non veg) You can buy it from any Mall or food stores near your place. (Near can be 1 or 2 miles!) It is tasty!For all these, we can get prepared by buying some very good tour guide books. Much before our trip I bought a few. The most useful with every minute details was one called DK 'Eye witness Travel Guide -USA'. It was too good!. When we were in Washington and wanted to go for lunch I just told them (5 of them all staying in USA for many years) that we can get good buffet lunch at 'Cascade Cafe' at National Gallery of Arts at 'Constitution Avenue' at the 'THE MALL' just nearby! They were stunt!. How do I know this! I also explained that it is a famous one and not costly! (I even told the buffet cost!) We went there! Later I repeated my boasting to someone who was working in National Gallery of arts, and she said: Oh! Is it so famous that it is known even in India?!
The sixth: Which are the places we should see!
Answer: What to see depends on your outlook. For us, we were more interested in experiencing rather than se
eing. Since my wife and myself had vast difference in interests , we had to compromise. It was good in a way that it was not monotonous! I picked up the skyline drive, the Grand canyon as I posted earlier, the cowboy country and the cowboy Rodeo shows in Texas, the Williamson heritage town in Virginia (The way the old southerners of Civil war lived and their war heroes and their great expeditions and resistance). My wife was interested in Ranches with Cattle and horses, vegetable markets, windmills, Halloween festivals, Big Malls, Lakes , Churches etc. And we saw them all! Almost as planned.
eing. Since my wife and myself had vast difference in interests , we had to compromise. It was good in a way that it was not monotonous! I picked up the skyline drive, the Grand canyon as I posted earlier, the cowboy country and the cowboy Rodeo shows in Texas, the Williamson heritage town in Virginia (The way the old southerners of Civil war lived and their war heroes and their great expeditions and resistance). My wife was interested in Ranches with Cattle and horses, vegetable markets, windmills, Halloween festivals, Big Malls, Lakes , Churches etc. And we saw them all! Almost as planned.WELL' I ALSO TASTED SOME ADVENTURE ! I DID A SKYDIVE IN USA (Phoenix area) See it below in Youtube as 'GrandPa's Skydive' in the link below (Allow it to buffer if requird and replay)
Tip: Well, even in a vast country like USA it is not impossible to plan every place you want to see and even restaurant you want to eat, every museum of interest, every map of historic places, every monument , every drive with a guide like the one I mentioned above. I have no hesitation in recommending it ISBN 0-7894-9324-1 , ISSN 1542-1554 for planning your full tour, of course with other reference for confirmation.
Well, More tips below. Please give your comments!
PART # 3:Tips for Shopping in USA
Where to Shop?, What to Shop? How To Shop ? How much to shop? When to Shop?- In USA
Shop till you drop! (See the photo- the guide and the visitor- about to drop!)
You can do it literally in USA.
This post is a bit extended since it covers all aspects of your shopping!(I tried to make it like a 'beginner's' referance). Look at the ‘Bold’ headings to keep track! (Also remember to 'back click' if you go to linked site.)
Where to Shop?, What to Shop? How To Shop ? How much to shop? When to Shop?- In USA
Shop till you drop! (See the photo- the guide and the visitor- about to drop!)
You can do it literally in USA.
This post is a bit extended since it covers all aspects of your shopping!(I tried to make it like a 'beginner's' referance). Look at the ‘Bold’ headings to keep track! (Also remember to 'back click' if you go to linked site.)
Now, with the value of the dollar going down, USA is the one of the cheapest places to buy good things. And many from Europe are visiting USA “Only for shopping”
But don’t forget, USA also sells the costliest consumer and fashion articles. The richest people of the world are the most in USA, still. So you should select the place and shops which match your budget. If you are one in the high income bracket in your country, this blog is not for you to follow! If you are from middle class and every penny (or dollar) matters, then you can follow these tips.
Tips # 1: Carry your international Credit Card!
In USA, you can pay by credit card even for $1! Try that in India, Pakistan, Philippines or Saudi! You will get a nasty stare!
I would not have made even half the purchases I made if I didn’t have my Credit Card.—and I don’t repent in spending that (It was not so large- only $ 2000 worth of items!) But each of these items (except some special ones!) was a steal since we went mainly to selected chains of shops where everything is available at ‘genuine’ discounts! We did shop at high end shops- mostly by the windowside!
But how do you know the shops with such low prices; and at what time?
Tips # 2: Where to shop?
Well, we were fortunate to have some relatives, specialized in bargain hunting. My sister, staying there for 25 years, makes her purchases 1 year in advance before she visits India. She HAS to give presents to each and every cousin/aunt/ nephew and niece every 3 years when she and her children visit India. So she has to plan well. And she visits the appropriate shops at the appropriate times!
So we followed her ‘tips’ as well as by many other ‘shopping specialists we met. I will introduce on such place below as an experience.
Burlington coat factory:
This is a large chain for clothes for all ages, for men and women Most of the time there are deep discounts. I am giving our experience here as an example and since Burlington is our favorite shop for Bargain hunting!
Their large shops are there in most cities. If you don’t know, get the location from Google map. We found 5 big Burlington shops in a radius of 15km, in Phoenix area!
You get all the
good brands a deep discount. For example I bought a fantastic shirt of top quality by brand – original price $ 40 and sale price $ 5.5 . - A jeans of high brand name (Polo club) for $ 15 at 20 % of original cost.
I tried to find out how it is possible to sell at such high discounts!
I noticed that there were very less 'Original' American customers in these shops. Most were like us- Mexicans, Latinos, Asians, and the like. These discounted dresses are actually of the leftovers of previous fashions! When the seasons change, the new fashion wares come for bargain hunting. There are always the old stock clearance sales throughout the seasons!
Also the place is not the ideal place for the shopping pleasure. It is congested! The shelves are jam packed and clothes are hanging from everywhere.
If you are going for a pleasure of leisure and ambiance of shopping, these are not the places!
There are higher grade shopping chains more fashionable and of course costlier. But the big shopping malls and discount stores are usually located out in the suburban communities
You get all the
good brands a deep discount. For example I bought a fantastic shirt of top quality by brand – original price $ 40 and sale price $ 5.5 . - A jeans of high brand name (Polo club) for $ 15 at 20 % of original cost. I tried to find out how it is possible to sell at such high discounts!
I noticed that there were very less 'Original' American customers in these shops. Most were like us- Mexicans, Latinos, Asians, and the like. These discounted dresses are actually of the leftovers of previous fashions! When the seasons change, the new fashion wares come for bargain hunting. There are always the old stock clearance sales throughout the seasons!
Also the place is not the ideal place for the shopping pleasure. It is congested! The shelves are jam packed and clothes are hanging from everywhere.
If you are going for a pleasure of leisure and ambiance of shopping, these are not the places!
There are higher grade shopping chains more fashionable and of course costlier. But the big shopping malls and discount stores are usually located out in the suburban communities
Chandler Fashion Village
Our stay in Phoenix with our son for about a week was in such a suburb, a place named Chandler. Initially we felt far away from the main city. But then we found that one of the biggest and most fashionable Mall complex (Fashion Village) was just walking distance. By evening, the whole of glamorous population of Chandler and from other suburbs landed there, not necessarily shopping, but for meeting each other, dating and dining (No one seems to cook here!)
Just ‘prick’ the link below for a nice satellite/Hybrid view of the large complex! (I found a new word for click- 'prick!'- a good one, especially for an interactive travel site!). You can also see my other escapades in my ‘Nomao’ site..... What? You have not heard ‘Namao’ ?? --Well, I also didn’t hear it either, till I searched how to put a Google map in my blog! (This is fantastic travel and social site and we can really play around with Maps, videos and photos!- You can join it and make me your friend!)
So please ‘Prick’ below!
So please ‘Prick’ below!
That is my nickname for ‘Nomao’ site. When it opens, Prick on the Icon in USA and then ‘Shop In style!’ – just to have an image of the area- you can also pan, zoom in/out to see ('hybrid view) a small town Chandler, typical of many such smaller but upmarket suburbs unlike big cities of USA!
Chandler ‘Fashion Village’ is spread in a 320 acre area surrounded by streets. We too went there every evening when we were not touring and tasted USA way of life!
We would like to share with you the ecstasy of ‘window shopping’ in a Five star ambiance, by opening some scenes through the net!
Now get ready for some fantastic shopping experience in USA!
The link below is the interactive Map of the Chandler Fashion Center. When you move the cursor, you can see the shop’s name. If you are interested you can click and reach that shops site. You can check out the name of the shop for the stuff you want to buy at right side selection panes.
Then select your merchandise in any of the shop you select (dress, toys, electronics, furniture or computers) and compare the price here and your country (South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka etc) Middle east, Europe etc) You can verify what I say about cheap prices here in USA!
Now Prick and start!......
CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERACTIVE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AT CHANDLER FASHION CENTRE
Go on……………….and On………………. and On……………….
Chandler ‘Fashion Village’ is spread in a 320 acre area surrounded by streets. We too went there every evening when we were not touring and tasted USA way of life!
We would like to share with you the ecstasy of ‘window shopping’ in a Five star ambiance, by opening some scenes through the net!
Now get ready for some fantastic shopping experience in USA!
The link below is the interactive Map of the Chandler Fashion Center. When you move the cursor, you can see the shop’s name. If you are interested you can click and reach that shops site. You can check out the name of the shop for the stuff you want to buy at right side selection panes.
Then select your merchandise in any of the shop you select (dress, toys, electronics, furniture or computers) and compare the price here and your country (South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka etc) Middle east, Europe etc) You can verify what I say about cheap prices here in USA!
Now Prick and start!......
CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERACTIVE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AT CHANDLER FASHION CENTRE
Go on……………….and On………………. and On……………….
How was it?? You can make a bookmark and visit again! (We do it often even now!)
Grades of Shops in USA
As per me, there are three grades of stores for middle class to shop (Leave the super-rich ones; We don’t know about them!)
1st Grade: Department stores with good quality and high fashion:
1st Grade: Department stores with good quality and high fashion:
These are large establishments that offer a wide selection of merchandise including fashion cloth
ing, house wares, appliances, luggage and jewelry. They normally offer good qu
ality merchandise, well known brands and the latest fashions, but not low quality products at bargain prices. They do have seasonal sales with attractive discounts. At such times, you can get high quality or fashion merchandise at bargain prices. The Major Department Stores chains are: NORDSTORM, Lord & Taylor, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, Kaufman's, Filene's, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Burdine's, Lazarus, Rich's, Sak's, Dayton-Hudson's, Marshall's and Bergdorf-Goodman.
2nd Grade: General merchandise of affordable quality.
They are similar to department stores but they do not offer high fashion merchandise or prestige brands. Instead, they feature good quality merch
andises at affordable prices. They are particularly known for their selection of children's clothing, home appliances, housewares and
domestic goods.
Sears and JC Penny are two large national chains with stores across the USA. Sears is famous for its selection of tools and lawn and garden products.
3rd Grade: Discount stores selling at low prices
ing, house wares, appliances, luggage and jewelry. They normally offer good quality merchandise, well known brands and the latest fashions, but not low quality products at bargain prices. They do have seasonal sales with attractive discounts. At such times, you can get high quality or fashion merchandise at bargain prices. The Major Department Stores chains are: NORDSTORM, Lord & Taylor, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, Kaufman's, Filene's, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Burdine's, Lazarus, Rich's, Sak's, Dayton-Hudson's, Marshall's and Bergdorf-Goodman. 2nd Grade: General merchandise of affordable quality.
They are similar to department stores but they do not offer high fashion merchandise or prestige brands. Instead, they feature good quality merch
andises at affordable prices. They are particularly known for their selection of children's clothing, home appliances, housewares and domestic goods. Sears and JC Penny are two large national chains with stores across the USA. Sears is famous for its selection of tools and lawn and garden products.
3rd Grade: Discount stores selling at low prices
Discount stores sell some good quality merchandise at affordable prices and some lower quality merchandise at very low prices. If you are not looking for the latest fashions, or the famous brands, or the best quality, you can find some very inexpensive merchandise at a discount store.
Some national discount chains with stores across the US are K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target and Caldor.
Other types:
Branded shops and shopping streets: All Brands have their own stores apart fro
m their shops in the Department stores. One of the best places for shopping in a typ
ical Indian way on the streets for us was the 'Market road' in San Francisco (My favourite shop here: OLD NAVY), 'Promanede' in Los Angles, Pier 39 in San Fransisco. The walk along the roads with shops on both sides (and street performers in Promenade, LA) is really the same experience like in Colaba Causeway or linking Road in Mumbai, Commercial Street or Brigade Road (I miss my Brigade road!!) in Bangalore, T Nagar in Chennai, Conaught plac
e in Delhi etc
Factory Outlet Malls: I have started this post with Burlington Coat factory, our favorite Factory outlet Mart. Others are Ralph Lauren, Timberland, and Pioneer which can be found in most states.
Arts and Crafts shops: Kiosks for family shops. These big shopping centers are not known to many tourists. These are places where small areas are marked and given to a family or artists. They make sports goods, curios, crafts, clothes, children’s frocks and dresses and many home made things and sell them here. They are handmade, cute, homely and not very costly! The 1st photo at top (Shop till drop!) is inside such an ‘Arts and Craft’ shop in Texas!
Tip# 3: What to buy?
If you have gone with some specific buying plans, it is a different ball game! I have seen some European (Swiss) families coming to selected cities and shopping malls or specialty shops in USA with the maps and shopping list complete with price list, all downloaded from internet.
However for tourists like us, there are no definite plans. Our plan is only that we should buy something which we like and are not available or are cheaper than, in our country.
However from our experience I can suggest the following, if our tastes match
Some national discount chains with stores across the US are K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target and Caldor.
Other types:
Branded shops and shopping streets: All Brands have their own stores apart fro
m their shops in the Department stores. One of the best places for shopping in a typ
ical Indian way on the streets for us was the 'Market road' in San Francisco (My favourite shop here: OLD NAVY), 'Promanede' in Los Angles, Pier 39 in San Fransisco. The walk along the roads with shops on both sides (and street performers in Promenade, LA) is really the same experience like in Colaba Causeway or linking Road in Mumbai, Commercial Street or Brigade Road (I miss my Brigade road!!) in Bangalore, T Nagar in Chennai, Conaught place in Delhi etc Factory Outlet Malls: I have started this post with Burlington Coat factory, our favorite Factory outlet Mart. Others are Ralph Lauren, Timberland, and Pioneer which can be found in most states.
Arts and Crafts shops: Kiosks for family shops. These big shopping centers are not known to many tourists. These are places where small areas are marked and given to a family or artists. They make sports goods, curios, crafts, clothes, children’s frocks and dresses and many home made things and sell them here. They are handmade, cute, homely and not very costly! The 1st photo at top (Shop till drop!) is inside such an ‘Arts and Craft’ shop in Texas!
Tip# 3: What to buy?
If you have gone with some specific buying plans, it is a different ball game! I have seen some European (Swiss) families coming to selected cities and shopping malls or specialty shops in USA with the maps and shopping list complete with price list, all downloaded from internet.
However for tourists like us, there are no definite plans. Our plan is only that we should buy something which we like and are not available or are cheaper than, in our country.
However from our experience I can suggest the following, if our tastes match
- Toys for children and for gifts
- Dresses- branded and fashionable: Bargain hunting for mass buying!
- Leather Hand bags: (Really fashionable and so cheap after discounts, we cannot imagine to get it in India at such prices—and you can be sure that it is original brand and not imitation!
- Jeans pant and shirts: In Saudi and India, and other South Asian countries, we get the Levis and Wranglers for $ 8 and everyone knows it is imitation, since there is one original shop where its price is not less than $ 60. But here you can get the original at same genuine discount price. I understand, in Philipines, you may get genuie stuff moremore easily, but at a higher price.
- Branded Suitcases and large pull bag sets (You can go to USA without suitcases and buy them to carry back what you shopped– like we did! At less than half Indian or Middle eastern prices (even less than Far eastern Countries, when we compared the prices with my daughter who returned from Thailand after a short trip, at the same time)
- High quality and fashionable (European) crockery! Not at original price, but discount price. I have a weakness for such crockery and we bought some, packed it well and brought it unbroken!
- Don’t forget the souvenirs. Buy the good ones if you really want it really to show off! After all it is your memen
to for a lifetime! Also to bring it unbroken when
it reaches your destinations- the cheap ones get damaged quickly. Some of the ‘cowboy statues I bought, even though looked very attractive, was actually made of plaster of Paris. Not well packed, one was broken when we reached home! (See the cowboy in the picture on the left. But I managed to stick him up as original !-tip: use 'silicone adhesive' -as a paste in tube) - Now I can propose a deal! What about the whole house furnishing for your new house back home! (Don’t laugh! It is worth it!)
About 10 years back when high fashion things were not common in India, many families used to go to Delhi to purchase wholesale items for furnishing a new house or for a first marriage in the house. I seriously thought aft
er many ‘back -of -envelope’ calculations th
at you get much more international stuff (Not only Chinese) at a better price which can compensate your travel to USA! (Just imagine the lady of the house boasting Oh! we furnished the house with things bought from USA! Like they used to say same things about purchasing from Delhi!) It is a very reasonable calculation what with the air fares going down every year with competition and dollar depreciating. Try it out!)
If you still have doubts, please see some of the sales brochures from the bigger chains of shops example La-Z-Boy or SEARS and compare the price and quality!- Also I am giving some links below in the next tip! Wait till the dollar comes down to $1 for Rs 35 (INR) or 0.7 Kuwait Dinar soon! (No chance with Saudi Rial!) Estimate: Minimum $ 12000/- for a decent middle class home furnishing (No upper limit!) You can get a quote from any USA chains. You can even design your room, select furniture, estimate your cost and contact the shop for actual quote including shipment!
- Try the following link to design your home furnishing back home. I found this in these website
- LaZboy website : (Select Room Planner under design center)
- Or Great Indoors (For kitchen and all rooms)
- Gifts. Since we get most of the international brands in our countries, unlike in the past, there is no big attraction for chocolates, toys etc. But the clothes, toys etc are much cheaper in USA and varieties are much mor
e! And anyway you have to carry some
gift when you return to the young ones!. So you have to buy some in ‘gift wraps’ . American books for any ages from Large Bookstall chains like Barnes and Noble can be a good gift.
The electronic items are really cheap and available in the large chain shops like Circuit City , Fry Electronics 'Radio Shack' etc. The I-phone, I-pods and its other vers
ions, larger ones with plasma, LCD, HD monitors, Lap top
s and pocket PCs, blue tooth devices, and electronic toys of umpteen varieties. Even the large shops of Middle East where I look for this as a regular past time has only the earlier versions. No doubt that USA (with Japan) is leading in electronic gizmos and the world is following them! Of course we have these in Europe too, but in variety and price wise there is no comparison! I was looking for a small 'stick' for my Pocket PC in Saudi and neighboring places like Bahrain 
and Kuwait for few months without success. I could get it from a 
large Electronic Shop chain. (Fry Electronics) The salesman was so helpful and he took me to other corner of the large shop and showed it to me. - Such personal attention for small accessories is not common in Middle East or India!
-
Jewelry. Of course you should buy your quota of jewelry. We went to a chain called London Gold just to buy some small stuff
, but mainly to get an ‘experience’. There was no one there. But we got a big reception. Definitely they could imagine we were no princely visitors from orient from our attire and hesitant moves. But this land is a customer friendly place like no other!. Customer is the king whether they will buy or not! She spent one hour and answered all our stupid and ‘escapist questions’ (we wanted to get out somehow!) we asked. She talked about all kinds of Gems and stones and how to assess its quality, (showing some $ 6000 stones whereas we were looking for $ 300-400 worth of something! (It happened to be my wife’s birthday in a foreign land!) But she made us so comfortable that we didn’t hesitate to get what we wanted and that to
o at a 40% discount!! (40% discount for a jewelry in a super store! We can’t imagine that in India!) But here she said clearly that the printed price is written as ‘Suggested maximum price’ and they put the discounts as per the seasons and occasions! (and may be customer’s capacity to pay!).
May be she knows that Indians are largest buyers of gold in the world (760 Tons/year as I remember 2 years back). She even knows we (Indians) buy nothing less than 22 carrot gold!. She may think, one day we or my relatives/friends in USA may come back to the shop to buy the jewelry for some occasion! ((London Gold) for those interested-But as I said, for pure gold, India is still the best!) But it was natural and I found the same customer friendliness all over USA. And it was the same as it was 20 years back when I last visited USA!
SOME NOTES WHEN YOU SHOP :
Electric/Electronic Items: Remember that all electrical items are normally 110v and 60Hz in the US. Be sure that the item is adaptable to your local electric supply. US televisions, video recorders and cell phones use different standards than most other countries and are incompatible.
Taxes: Taxes: There is no Federal Govt. Tax in US (Like India’s Central Govt Tax). But most states and some cities collect a sales tax on all purchases. (It varies from 4% to 8% and 0 % for some items in some states). If you buy something big like a car, A Harley, or a large washing M/c cum Drier, (Or furnishing as I proposed before!) to be exported, you can usually obtain an exemption from the sales tax.
Dress sizes : Women’s and Children's (and men’s too!) dress sizes are given differently. Please see in the link below standard sizes as per age and size, which can be kept as reference
DRESS SIZES-MEN,WOMEN AND CHILDREN
FINALLY, CHECK YOUR POCKET- OR THE WEIGHT OF THE CREDIT CARD BEFORE YOU BUY!
Tip # 4: When to buy?
If you want latest fashions, at any price range the best times are before the national shopping events. In USA being a consumer driven market , they many occasions where are tempted to buy. That is why they have many festivals and national days like the following:
- Valentine's Day celebrated on February 14th. It is the
traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other. This is now
celebrated all over the world, in spite of some opposition from local cultural
organizations in some countries. - Mother’s day: The United States celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May
- Father’s day: Third Sunday of June
- Halloween day: In October. The main event for children of modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating, in which children disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy or similar items. We could experience it everywhere since we traveled in this time.
- Christmas: 25th December-The biggest buying season.
- Thanks giving day: Fourth Thursday of November, is a national celebration in USA during which most American families gather to give thanks for their blessings.
- American National Day: In the United States, the Fourth of July , the day
when the Declaration of Independence was declared in 1776 is the National day.
Celebrations are widely held with fireworks and barbecues. - New year day: 1st day of Gregorian calendar, now celebrated all over the world.
Tip # 4: When to Stop Shopping?
When the weight of the purse becomes light or the weight of the credit card increases! Or when you decide better to 'see places!'
(Make a bookmark of this site if you want to refer it when you really plan go to USA!)
PART # 4: TIPS FOR WHAT TO SEE IN USA FOR 1ST TIME ASIAN TOURISTS.Please post your comments, questions. If you dont have a gmail or other IDs, you can create an 'Open ID' at the 'post comment' location itself. With an open ID , you can post comments to all other major blog sites too!
A country so vast, with so much variety! How to select the places to visit? Here are some quick tips. It should suit your interests and personality. One route will suit an adventurous person; another may be good for a scientist. An environmentalist, will like forests and wilderness and natural beauty, Some places may be of interest to a historian and some may like only a fun filled vacation of interest. It is difficult to satisfy all. But most Asians like "Masala” (Masala’ means - a mixture of all spices) like the Bollywood films- a touch of everything. A 3 hr movie will have comedy, tragedy, love scenes, fighting, minimum 8 songs and 5 dance scenes! Bu
t they like it all!. So I will make a similar “masala” tour plan which will be liked by most Asians, especially south Asians. But I will also make a short variation for the ‘Specialists’ who can make a ‘Detour’ as they wish.The map above is taken from DK's eyewitness travel guide series. As I mentioned in earlier post, this is a fantastic reference book for a US traveler. I tried many other graphs to put here, but finally went back to the DK guide. They have shown USA in terms of group of states with similar attractions for a tourist, like The Pacific North West, The Rockies, California, The South West, Texas, Deep South, Great Plains, Great Lakes, Capital Region, NYC and Mid Atlantic, New England. TIP # 1 SUMMARY OF EXPENSES and Preparations.
Table of Expenses: I will start with the basic question, how much it will cost for two for a trip to USA and back. I am giving a table below with the minimum expense under few basic categories of expense like air fare, local transport, stay, food, purchases etc.
Booking your tickets. Book about two months in advance to get cheap rates. The best site to search for a travel plan as per my experience is Kayak. Search for the best rates at - http://www.kayak.com/I am giving a step by step sample for planning and booking a 5 city trip in the 4 figures given belowHow to use Kayak- List multiple cities and preferred date and time. 
In the screen select ‘Map’ (left margin) to check which airport is more convenient to you (For example it may be better for you to choose Reagon International at Washington rather than
Washington DC and get cheaper accommodation nearby.
An itinerary from Kayak (On left side you can select only preferred airlines in selection screen) and change the itinerary) Don’t worry about 100 odd choices, see only 1st two pages for your selection.
You can also use Google or MSN Maps for more detailed information of streets etc. ( I found MSN maps much better with their ‘Birds view’ which is fantastic, very close, very clear like a photo can be viewed from different angles and directions. See an example below in this post. Select your accommodation.Of course. the first choice is to look for your close relatives or close friends residing in USA. More important than saving about $ 50 to $ 100 per day, it helps in removing the tension and anxiety which you can feel, if you are alone during most part of the journey.
Our trip was most enjoyable because of the company of our relatives.
It was full of fun, old family stories and pulling each other’s legs quoting old incidences. Even loosing the route and wasting a whole day was laughed off rather causing tension and despair. And most important, no guide book can be better than your own clan right there! However, be careful not to impose yourself with all your family, on someone who are not very close to you or are reluctant. As I have seen, the life in USA is not very easy. The father and mother has to do everything themselves since any help is very costly. I found most of them had to really take some sacrifice to entertain us. We cannot imagine it in India where things are delivered to your house on a phone call, clothes are ironed at your house gate and maids do all your household works and no garden is maintained by the owner but by gardeners! (even though it is becoming a bit costlier in mega cities). Any way this is a sensitive subject and is left to the individuals as per their own relations and sensitivities.- No tips can work!We also stayed in some hotels for some days. One such place was the YMCA. These are not really a hotel but a nice decent places reasonably priced. They have old buildings at most of the big cities right the centre.You can see an old lady with whom we made friendship in the photo alon
gside posing with my wife when we left. She may be working in the same YMCA serving breakfast and extra dishes for decades. She made a traditional French toast specially on our request! Actually YMCAs (Young Men’s Christian Association) is more of social service than a profit making hotels. Unfortunately they are closing down one by one since they cannot afford any m
ore to run such hotels.Now the agency I found most user friendly to select and book your accommodation in any hotel chains in USA is Priceline You can go to their website http://www.priceline.com/ and search for most competitive hotel stay.Some screens showing the steps in booking your accommodation through priceline are given below You
can also use other similar websites from where you can book the rooms. You can also do it directly from the chains)Enter the cities in the multi city screen of Priceline.com Make preferen
ce like 2star, 2.5 star, 3 star hotels. Select areas which are cheaper (You may have to travel more but buses are ok)As a last chance you can bid for minimum per day charge at at the required start. They will guarantee to provide accommodation at the bid rate. But they will give in any of the available hotel- you cannot select the hotel. It will be of the required star definitely. The booking cannot be cancelled, But You can even take an insurance to cover the risk of not able to make the trip!Below is the list of 2 , 3 and 4 star hotels. You can get it still cheaper in Motels mostly owned by Patels from India. But it is preferable to spend a bit more and have a more convenient and elegant place. After all you go only once in a while for a trip like this! But if you are really hard pressed Motels are not that bad! TIP # 2 : MUST SEE PLACES (tourist spots) in USA FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS.
Some places are symbols of a country. You can’t afford to miss it. Your photos in front of these places are your records of the visits which you can hang in your room. Same is the case with USA. I will make route briefly with one line explanation and our experience where we visited and others experience where we didn’t! But I will also give some links for further reading by those more interested for that spot. I will also give a link for your feedback/questions
Washington (The capital of USA)
Sites to see: (You can get it from any internet site- so I am not detailing much)
White House- The abode of President- Residence and Office! - The seat of ultimate power! I was surprised that even with all the terrorist phobia, we could just walk up the fencing of white house which looked so near, without any Z class 
security hovering over! (Of course they will have foolproof systems without troubling normal tourist like us!)
Lincoln Memorial- The important monument to greatest President and one of the great human being. There is seldo
security hovering over! (Of course they will have foolproof systems without troubling normal tourist like us!)
m schools syllabus all over the free countries, without a lesson of his great character in his childhood! The National Mall: (Click here to open the Live Search Map by 'msn'. I stored it for interactive viewing - Press on (+) to zoom continuously to the Capitol region and click 'Birds View' at top of map to see a bird's eye view at very close quarters. (like the scanned picture on left). Pan around to see so many museums and memorials. Zoom out to select more places. It can be very interesting!) If works for any other place on the globe!- try it! Far better than Google map for a change!).
National Mall is a place for relaxing in between umteen museums, arts and crafts and political places. Just site in the lawn benches and talk to strangers like we did with this wonderful couple with their dogs. (See picture) My cousin who is a dog enthusiast started petting the lovely ones and it ended in a long conversationMuseums around.- It a treasure of vignettes of human civilization in the youngest big power of the world, the engine wh
ich pushed the scientific inventions of far off Europe into technological advancement of human race and are still doing it.
Kennedy centre.: Dont miss it if you are even slightly inclined to music and performing arts! We spend a lot time loosing our way (as mentioned in my 1st post) but it was worth it!Bus tour: 2 hr site seeing tour- rates. @ $ 20/head . You can jump into it from any stops along many roads!
Place for Lunch/Dinner : Try 'Cascade restaurant' at basement of National Art museum. Only $ 10 per head- Great buffet. (You can also buy some posters/ painting and mementos at not so high price from their Souvenir shop of National Museum.
New York : (Click on the map to enlarge it it to see all details!- again by DK eyewitness travel guide!)
This is a place for the real economic power. The statistics are staggering! I want to make clear that we didn’t visit New York this time and decided to spend mo
re time in Washington. The main sight seeing spots in New York are mainly in Manhattan, full of commercial buildings. The picture here shows 2 of the most striking buildings One the historical Empire State building and on the right the famous “Green” building, of the Conde Nast. There are many other places of attractions too in New York, but not the aura of Washington. Of course I had a wish to see ground zero where about 18 years back I took this photo from the Liberty Island. I always show this photo to my friends saying I have taken the photo of the World Trade centre which no one do anymore! Just imagine this silhouette in this picture without the highest structure of World trade center towering so higher above the other very tall buildings!.
You should make it to the Liberty Island to see and take a picture in front of Statue of Liberty, the most famous symbol of USA! (Not like my picture taken at that time with the real symbol not coming in the shot, the torch!!). But take allowance for at least 6 to 8 hours for the boat ride across and to stand in the queue for entering and going up the statue through inside lift.
Typical tour plan in New York
I am giving below a typical tour plan in New York for 2 -3 daysYou can click on any of these place names for link to information about it by the above tour operator.
Below is list of major places to see in Manhatten. To know more about a spot, click it to get the website. (Please click ‘back’ to come back)
Times Square , World Trade Center Site , New York Stock Exchange , Wall StreetSt. Paul’s Chapel , Trinity Church , World Financial Center , Federal Hall , Madison Square ParkFlatiron Building, South Street Seaport , US Customs Building , 5th Avenue , Rockefeller CenterNBC’s Today Show Set , St. Patrick’s Cathedral , Central Park , Strawbe
rry Fields , Dakota Building etc.
There are also places to see like: A world class Zoo, Bronx zoo and an Amusement park at Coney Island. Other islands to visit by ferry are Liberty Island for Statue of Liberty (as mentioned), Ellie Island for immigration museum and Staten Island for a picturesque boat ride. But all depends on your time of stay!
See the New York MAP and description by my favorite travel guide, ‘DK Eyewitness Travel Guides series’ on USA. I am again repeating it here since I am indebted it fo
r my trip plans!!). Click to enlarge it (and any other picture if you want) to full size – and back to come back. Best way to see maximum spots is to take a conducted tour by bus in Manhattan. (G
uided tour of New York) It costs about $ 60 per person and it is really worth it. One recommended tour operator is:- ‘onboardnewyorktours’ at the links below ( Or any other from the numerous agencies.) http://www.newyorkpartyshuttle.com/NYPSonlinebrochure.pdf
http://www.onboardnewyorktours.com/.com/
Te: 1-877-U-TOUR-NY & 1-212-277-8019 Email – info@onboardnewyorktours.com
Address: 7th Ave & W 50th St, New York.
CAUTIONS: (New York is a much safer place than earlier times. But still, better to be safe! Don’t hire any car- you can’t park it. Take bus or train, it is very frequent and convenient.Don’t take any valuables to lonely places (Go only to main underground metro stations (as I was advised by my YMCA hostess 18 years back)- since even though much less than years ago, there can be still some mugging. Just give what you have and walk away if you are threatened a mugger.
BEFORE YOU GO TO MORE PLACES, PLEASE SEE MY TRAVEL WEBSITE. (link below) Nomao.com- A great new site! And I am the top ranker of this site now!) IT IS A SITE FOR WRITING ABOUT THE TOP TOURIST SPOTS ACROSS THE GLOBE BY ANYONE’s EXPERIENCE. I HAVE MARKED THE INTERESTING SPOTS I LIKED DURING MY OLD JOURNEYS AND RECENT TRIP OF USA TRIPS. PLEASE CLICK 'BACK' TO COME BACK .
CLICK IN THE BELOW PICTURE OF OLDY GOLDY (My Nick name!) to see the travel site in nomao.com
After opening, just places the cursor in the gloabl map in the countries with my spots marked (as shown in the picture below) and select the one of interest to you. Or just click the list of spots on the tight side of my page (OldyGoldy).
http://en.nomao.com/oldygoldy
LOS ANGELES
We really enjoyed our few days here!:
Hollywood Beverly Hills Universal Studio Disneyland (If you cannot go to much better Disneyland at Florida)
Special Spots I liked:
Bubba Gump restaurant, long beach for great shrimp dinner
Promenade for walking along amidst festivities and road shows! And shopping!
You can see our getaways and episodes in the following link at flicker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thampysam/
Of course we had lovely hosts, a niece of ours with her caring hubby and charming baby girl!
It also happened to be the city of our son's Alma Matter, University Of Southern California (USC)He passed out just 4 months back before our visit and he was proud to show us around.
We are not used to such large universities!
National Mall is a place for relaxing in between umteen museums, arts and crafts and political places. Just site in the lawn benches and talk to strangers like we did with this wonderful couple with their dogs. (See picture) My cousin who is a dog enthusiast started petting the lovely ones and it ended in a long conversationMuseums around.- It a treasure of vignettes of human civilization in the youngest big power of the world, the engine wh
ich pushed the scientific inventions of far off Europe into technological advancement of human race and are still doing it. Kennedy centre.: Dont miss it if you are even slightly inclined to music and performing arts! We spend a lot time loosing our way (as mentioned in my 1st post) but it was worth it!Bus tour: 2 hr site seeing tour- rates. @ $ 20/head . You can jump into it from any stops along many roads!
Place for Lunch/Dinner : Try 'Cascade restaurant' at basement of National Art museum. Only $ 10 per head- Great buffet. (You can also buy some posters/ painting and mementos at not so high price from their Souvenir shop of National Museum.
New York : (Click on the map to enlarge it it to see all details!- again by DK eyewitness travel guide!)
This is a place for the real economic power. The statistics are staggering! I want to make clear that we didn’t visit New York this time and decided to spend mo
re time in Washington. The main sight seeing spots in New York are mainly in Manhattan, full of commercial buildings. The picture here shows 2 of the most striking buildings One the historical Empire State building and on the right the famous “Green” building, of the Conde Nast. There are many other places of attractions too in New York, but not the aura of Washington. Of course I had a wish to see ground zero where about 18 years back I took this photo from the Liberty Island. I always show this photo to my friends saying I have taken the photo of the World Trade centre which no one do anymore! Just imagine this silhouette in this picture without the highest structure of World trade center towering so higher above the other very tall buildings!. You should make it to the Liberty Island to see and take a picture in front of Statue of Liberty, the most famous symbol of USA! (Not like my picture taken at that time with the real symbol not coming in the shot, the torch!!). But take allowance for at least 6 to 8 hours for the boat ride across and to stand in the queue for entering and going up the statue through inside lift.
Typical tour plan in New York
I am giving below a typical tour plan in New York for 2 -3 daysYou can click on any of these place names for link to information about it by the above tour operator.
Below is list of major places to see in Manhatten. To know more about a spot, click it to get the website. (Please click ‘back’ to come back)
Times Square , World Trade Center Site , New York Stock Exchange , Wall StreetSt. Paul’s Chapel , Trinity Church , World Financial Center , Federal Hall , Madison Square ParkFlatiron Building, South Street Seaport , US Customs Building , 5th Avenue , Rockefeller CenterNBC’s Today Show Set , St. Patrick’s Cathedral , Central Park , Strawbe
rry Fields , Dakota Building etc. There are also places to see like: A world class Zoo, Bronx zoo and an Amusement park at Coney Island. Other islands to visit by ferry are Liberty Island for Statue of Liberty (as mentioned), Ellie Island for immigration museum and Staten Island for a picturesque boat ride. But all depends on your time of stay!
See the New York MAP and description by my favorite travel guide, ‘DK Eyewitness Travel Guides series’ on USA. I am again repeating it here since I am indebted it fo
r my trip plans!!). Click to enlarge it (and any other picture if you want) to full size – and back to come back. Best way to see maximum spots is to take a conducted tour by bus in Manhattan. (G
uided tour of New York) It costs about $ 60 per person and it is really worth it. One recommended tour operator is:- ‘onboardnewyorktours’ at the links below ( Or any other from the numerous agencies.) http://www.newyorkpartyshuttle.com/NYPSonlinebrochure.pdf http://www.onboardnewyorktours.com/.com/
Te: 1-877-U-TOUR-NY & 1-212-277-8019 Email – info@onboardnewyorktours.com
Address: 7th Ave & W 50th St, New York.
CAUTIONS: (New York is a much safer place than earlier times. But still, better to be safe! Don’t hire any car- you can’t park it. Take bus or train, it is very frequent and convenient.Don’t take any valuables to lonely places (Go only to main underground metro stations (as I was advised by my YMCA hostess 18 years back)- since even though much less than years ago, there can be still some mugging. Just give what you have and walk away if you are threatened a mugger.
BEFORE YOU GO TO MORE PLACES, PLEASE SEE MY TRAVEL WEBSITE. (link below) Nomao.com- A great new site! And I am the top ranker of this site now!) IT IS A SITE FOR WRITING ABOUT THE TOP TOURIST SPOTS ACROSS THE GLOBE BY ANYONE’s EXPERIENCE. I HAVE MARKED THE INTERESTING SPOTS I LIKED DURING MY OLD JOURNEYS AND RECENT TRIP OF USA TRIPS. PLEASE CLICK 'BACK' TO COME BACK .
CLICK IN THE BELOW PICTURE OF OLDY GOLDY (My Nick name!) to see the travel site in nomao.com
After opening, just places the cursor in the gloabl map in the countries with my spots marked (as shown in the picture below) and select the one of interest to you. Or just click the list of spots on the tight side of my page (OldyGoldy).
http://en.nomao.com/oldygoldy
LOS ANGELES
We really enjoyed our few days here!:
Hollywood Beverly Hills Universal Studio Disneyland (If you cannot go to much better Disneyland at Florida)
Special Spots I liked:
Bubba Gump restaurant, long beach for great shrimp dinner
Promenade for walking along amidst festivities and road shows! And shopping!
You can see our getaways and episodes in the following link at flicker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thampysam/
Of course we had lovely hosts, a niece of ours with her caring hubby and charming baby girl!
It also happened to be the city of our son's Alma Matter, University Of Southern California (USC)He passed out just 4 months back before our visit and he was proud to show us around.
We are not used to such large universities!
SAN FRANCISCO
Now we turn around to the other extreme, to the most liberal and most colorful and outgoing state of California, and somewhat bordering states of Arizona. These places are where you experience the bubbling American life. Our son had warned (even though we consider ourselves bit 'forward' by Ind
ian standards) not to stare at something which is not normal back home (like some intimate scenes!) - don’t get cultural shocks etc. (But we didn’t see much as compared to back home except normal western show of intimacy!)
We stayed at the centre of downtown at the YMCA. From there all the downtown attractions were just a walk away!
The conducted tour including bus drive, bay cruse by ship, visit to San Pier 39 Golden Bridge China Town “Bay Cruise” at the port’Please see the walking part of the guided tour below. The guide is at the front, as usual, a real professional guy, full of patience and non stop talking!The funny part from Asian perspective is the sign board above his seat in the Tourist bus saying 'TIPS ARE WELCOME’ More of the American way of life in my next post, Suffice to say that, tips are a part of their salary, (like restaurant, taxi or any service provided to the public). And it is typical American philosophy of market determined earnings! If you are good, you 'EARN' your tips. Nothing wrong in reminding you since you may not know or you may forget! It is not at all the 'Bakshis' we are used to in India! 15% tip is decent. It can vary from 10% to 20%!
OTHER CITIES AND PLACES IN TOUR PLAN RECOMMEND
LAS VEGAS- THE SIN CITY! BUT GO THEIR TO ENJOY WITHOUTDOING ANY SIN!
PALM SPRING- NOT A GREAT CITY BUT A FANTASTIC PLACE (EXPENSIVE) JUST FOR FUN AND RELAXATION (I REMEMBER BECAUSE OF THE OLD HOLLYWOOD HIT- ‘THE PALM SPRING WEEKEND’)
ONTARIO- THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL
NIAGRA- CAN MAKE A QUICK TRIP FROM NEW YORK OR WASHINGTON-MUST SEE
I AM NOT INCLUDING NORTHERN STATES- YOU CAN MAKE THE NEXT TRIP TO COVER ALL!
Tip # 3: THE COUNTRY SIDE- THE OUT- OF- THE WAY SPOTS!
We have touched some of the cities. I will not repeat for other cities which have their own great attractions. But the less treaded paths are more challenging to experience the American way of life, its people, and culture and answer a myriad of questions about America’s unquestionable success in material world. In our journey, we had a taste of both, conventional places as above and some non- conventional trip –Not so professionally planned and done, but like a layman.
AN AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL MARKET: DALLAS.
My wife was not so keen to just see the buildings and cities; she had her own perception and priorities, one which was what we read about the farms and ranches in USA ma
tching with some of my plans too! It was Halloween time in USA and what other time to visit an agricultural market! We went to one in Dallas. The real Americans (if any one before 50 years can be qualified as original immigrants) and recent immigrants from farms had brought their products and heaped at the market place. It was not much different from our small city markets, of course much cleaner. It was a real experience to roam around in the Halloween water melons and flowers and plants and vegetables.
AN AMERICAN RANCH- LUBBOCK.
Another place we m
anaged to visit was an old ranch in a less known town of Lubbock. The old ranch was more than of about 150 yrs old used by immigrants were kept in the original way. It was a real experience to see the survival instincts of the immigrants in a strange land. Of course there was always the difference of the rich and poor! The rich man’s old type mansions stood aside surrounded by dwellings of laborers and farmers!
Please note that this was a heritage site of an old ranch kept in it old way. We tried to visit a real current operating ranch but couldn’t get time!
CIVIL WAR LEGACY- THE SOUTHERN CULTURE- WILLIAMSBURG- (VIRGINIA)
But the real unexpected experience was visiting the real ‘South’ (Not Deep South). As you know the American civil war in was a war between the southerners and the northerners. We would imagine it was a story long back and long forgotten. But when you visit the real south you can see that the southerners still maintain their identity and are proud of the generals who fough
against the northerners till the end. But the difference from other countries is that they can still be thoroughbred American, more nationalist than the more liberal northerners, but at the same time there is no contradiction in still being proud of their past, proud of their generals who fought against the Union long back. We had seen the pltace earlier (Skyline Drive) where a general “Stonewall 
Jackson’ resisted the longest siege by the Union. (I think the phrase ‘Stonewalling’ came out of his name). His statue still stands majestically in the prime location of the city. Why, they even hoist the old southerner’s flag along with Union Jack and the federal govt. cannot do anything about it!! We experienced this in a town called Williamsburg in
Virginia.-the old capital of Virginia and hub of the loyal British colony. The old town was reconstructed by D. Rockefeller and is kept as it was from 1700 till the Civil war times to 1780. The old shops of the tailor, the carpenter and the restaurants are still kept as was and the ladies in old dress of long frilled skirt invite you for visiting their shops. Of course they also smilingly pose for a photograph with you. The old guillotine invites everyone to put their head and you cannot resist.
SKYLINE DRIVE- VIRGINIA
Skyline Drive is a natural scenic drive, an attraction of Virginia State. It is adjacent to he Appalachian Trai
l, and across a national park. It has a historic imp
ortance what with the longest battle of the American civil war by the famous General Stonewall Jackson. You will be stopped by the deer darting across the road, amidst the chirping of birds and insects. You can stay for many days in the small motels there with daily trekking or just looking at the forests, a peaceful interlude in the busy USA tour. We spent some time in such a motel with a fantastic lunch and scenic beauty overlooking the valley (Reminded of the Western Ghat resorts in India). We were the rare visitors on that day in October due to the rain and mist! But it had its own charm!
THE COWBOY COUNTRY: FORT WORTH, TEXAS.
No visit to USA is complete without experiencing the most famous legacy of USA, the Wild West. Having read innumerous novels and equally innumerous movies of Wild West it was my must see place in USA.I was not disappointed since one of my hosts, the youngest of my paternal cousins was a resident of Dallas. He and his wife and kids took us to
the real places after having escorted many like us before!Of course I had the full details of what to 
see there, especially in Fort Worth which is the real cowboy country. I was taken back to 150 years when I put my foot in the old cowboy country what with the streets, bars and shops on both sides of the street. When we go around you can see the largest pub in the world, with sitting place for more than 7000 people for their drinks! Adjacent to it was the pinnacle of my trip, the Rodeo show! Young and old cowboys (and cowgirls!!)- compete in bullfight, Chasing on horse and other horse trick! One of them, a 7 yr old girl, won a competitive riding event!)
See some scene at my youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/thampytube.com/user/thampytube
THE GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
(THE BEST SPOT IN USA FOR ME!!- Sorry for more photos here. It was so majestic!)
I stayed in Chandler Phoenix with my son for a week (See complex below in Window's live map) and it was the Now we turn around to the other extreme, to the most liberal and most colorful and outgoing state of California, and somewhat bordering states of Arizona. These places are where you experience the bubbling American life. Our son had warned (even though we consider ourselves bit 'forward' by Ind
ian standards) not to stare at something which is not normal back home (like some intimate scenes!) - don’t get cultural shocks etc. (But we didn’t see much as compared to back home except normal western show of intimacy!) We stayed at the centre of downtown at the YMCA. From there all the downtown attractions were just a walk away!
The conducted tour including bus drive, bay cruse by ship, visit to San Pier 39 Golden Bridge China Town “Bay Cruise” at the port’Please see the walking part of the guided tour below. The guide is at the front, as usual, a real professional guy, full of patience and non stop talking!The funny part from Asian perspective is the sign board above his seat in the Tourist bus saying 'TIPS ARE WELCOME’ More of the American way of life in my next post, Suffice to say that, tips are a part of their salary, (like restaurant, taxi or any service provided to the public). And it is typical American philosophy of market determined earnings! If you are good, you 'EARN' your tips. Nothing wrong in reminding you since you may not know or you may forget! It is not at all the 'Bakshis' we are used to in India! 15% tip is decent. It can vary from 10% to 20%!
OTHER CITIES AND PLACES IN TOUR PLAN RECOMMEND
LAS VEGAS- THE SIN CITY! BUT GO THEIR TO ENJOY WITHOUTDOING ANY SIN!
PALM SPRING- NOT A GREAT CITY BUT A FANTASTIC PLACE (EXPENSIVE) JUST FOR FUN AND RELAXATION (I REMEMBER BECAUSE OF THE OLD HOLLYWOOD HIT- ‘THE PALM SPRING WEEKEND’)
ONTARIO- THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL
NIAGRA- CAN MAKE A QUICK TRIP FROM NEW YORK OR WASHINGTON-MUST SEE
I AM NOT INCLUDING NORTHERN STATES- YOU CAN MAKE THE NEXT TRIP TO COVER ALL!
Tip # 3: THE COUNTRY SIDE- THE OUT- OF- THE WAY SPOTS!
We have touched some of the cities. I will not repeat for other cities which have their own great attractions. But the less treaded paths are more challenging to experience the American way of life, its people, and culture and answer a myriad of questions about America’s unquestionable success in material world. In our journey, we had a taste of both, conventional places as above and some non- conventional trip –Not so professionally planned and done, but like a layman.
AN AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL MARKET: DALLAS.
My wife was not so keen to just see the buildings and cities; she had her own perception and priorities, one which was what we read about the farms and ranches in USA ma
tching with some of my plans too! It was Halloween time in USA and what other time to visit an agricultural market! We went to one in Dallas. The real Americans (if any one before 50 years can be qualified as original immigrants) and recent immigrants from farms had brought their products and heaped at the market place. It was not much different from our small city markets, of course much cleaner. It was a real experience to roam around in the Halloween water melons and flowers and plants and vegetables. AN AMERICAN RANCH- LUBBOCK.
Another place we m
anaged to visit was an old ranch in a less known town of Lubbock. The old ranch was more than of about 150 yrs old used by immigrants were kept in the original way. It was a real experience to see the survival instincts of the immigrants in a strange land. Of course there was always the difference of the rich and poor! The rich man’s old type mansions stood aside surrounded by dwellings of laborers and farmers! Please note that this was a heritage site of an old ranch kept in it old way. We tried to visit a real current operating ranch but couldn’t get time!
CIVIL WAR LEGACY- THE SOUTHERN CULTURE- WILLIAMSBURG- (VIRGINIA)
But the real unexpected experience was visiting the real ‘South’ (Not Deep South). As you know the American civil war in was a war between the southerners and the northerners. We would imagine it was a story long back and long forgotten. But when you visit the real south you can see that the southerners still maintain their identity and are proud of the generals who fough
against the northerners till the end. But the difference from other countries is that they can still be thoroughbred American, more nationalist than the more liberal northerners, but at the same time there is no contradiction in still being proud of their past, proud of their generals who fought against the Union long back. We had seen the pltace earlier (Skyline Drive) where a general “Stonewall 
Jackson’ resisted the longest siege by the Union. (I think the phrase ‘Stonewalling’ came out of his name). His statue still stands majestically in the prime location of the city. Why, they even hoist the old southerner’s flag along with Union Jack and the federal govt. cannot do anything about it!! We experienced this in a town called Williamsburg in
Virginia.-the old capital of Virginia and hub of the loyal British colony. The old town was reconstructed by D. Rockefeller and is kept as it was from 1700 till the Civil war times to 1780. The old shops of the tailor, the carpenter and the restaurants are still kept as was and the ladies in old dress of long frilled skirt invite you for visiting their shops. Of course they also smilingly pose for a photograph with you. The old guillotine invites everyone to put their head and you cannot resist. SKYLINE DRIVE- VIRGINIA
Skyline Drive is a natural scenic drive, an attraction of Virginia State. It is adjacent to he Appalachian Trai
l, and across a national park. It has a historic imp
ortance what with the longest battle of the American civil war by the famous General Stonewall Jackson. You will be stopped by the deer darting across the road, amidst the chirping of birds and insects. You can stay for many days in the small motels there with daily trekking or just looking at the forests, a peaceful interlude in the busy USA tour. We spent some time in such a motel with a fantastic lunch and scenic beauty overlooking the valley (Reminded of the Western Ghat resorts in India). We were the rare visitors on that day in October due to the rain and mist! But it had its own charm! THE COWBOY COUNTRY: FORT WORTH, TEXAS.
No visit to USA is complete without experiencing the most famous legacy of USA, the Wild West. Having read innumerous novels and equally innumerous movies of Wild West it was my must see place in USA.I was not disappointed since one of my hosts, the youngest of my paternal cousins was a resident of Dallas. He and his wife and kids took us to
the real places after having escorted many like us before!Of course I had the full details of what to 
see there, especially in Fort Worth which is the real cowboy country. I was taken back to 150 years when I put my foot in the old cowboy country what with the streets, bars and shops on both sides of the street. When we go around you can see the largest pub in the world, with sitting place for more than 7000 people for their drinks! Adjacent to it was the pinnacle of my trip, the Rodeo show! Young and old cowboys (and cowgirls!!)- compete in bullfight, Chasing on horse and other horse trick! One of them, a 7 yr old girl, won a competitive riding event!) See some scene at my youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/thampytube.com/user/thampytube
THE GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
(THE BEST SPOT IN USA FOR ME!!- Sorry for more photos here. It was so majestic!)
most leisurely part of our stay. But we still spent a day in the Grand Canyon. As mentioned in my first blog, the pinnacle of our tour was the visit to the Grand Canyon. No photos can give the feeling when you are there! I am just giving a couple of photos and link to some good sites to see it yourselves rather than my describing it. (The photo at left is with my son , who is a professional trekker and nature lover)In the back y
ou can see a peak. It's offic
ial name is 'Vishnu temple' since it looks like a 'Gopura'of an Indian (Hindustan) Temple. The man at the top (An Italian tourist I think) amazed us by climbing bare hand standing the the top of this rock! Many tourists like us were shouting. Some said there were cases when helicopter had to be called to bring back some adventurists like this man who couldn't make it back!
For serious naturalists, there is a National Geography tour which is worth every dollar (Since the dollar amount is a bit high, its worth also is high!) I will make it one day!)
For serious naturalists, there is a National Geography tour which is worth every dollar (Since the dollar amount is a bit high, its worth also is high!) I will make it one day!)
THE SPORTS CRAZY NATION- THE SUPER BOWL, CHASE STADIUM, PHOENIX!
I had heard a lot of stories about the importance of ‘sports’ in USA. (Details in my next posting of American people)
. So I wanted to see a sporting event, any sports. (rugby, basketball, Baseball, even soccer which is not so popular in USA – There is no cricket anyway in USA!) I asked many of my relatives to book one for me. Everyone said it is booked for months in advance!!
I couldn’t believe! So just went to try myself to Phoenix, the most famous place for baseball.
I could see the stadium but no chance for any ticket! But I could have a long chat with the very ‘sportive’ American host there who explained everything about the baseball scen in USA patiently. There was huge souvenir shop only on baseball- I bought some and came back! Another unfulfilled wish!
SKY JUMP (SKYDIVE)- CASA GRANDE (Arizona) , My adventure of Grandpa’s skydive (skyjump)was given in my 2nd post of this blog (Down below) You can see the video of my skyjump in youtube in the link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ekIVc6cPo
If this ‘youtube’ site is blocked your office, please send the lin
k home and see it from there and show you kids, they will love it! (YouTube is blocked in many offices, rightly so!!)There is no word to describe it, pure thrill! Of course you can do the skyjump in other countries too, but here it is absolutely professional, including the way the company personnel talk and deal with you! 100% customer friendly, at the same time serious and 100% safe. (My wife and son told me to withdraw even at the last moment!) It costs only $150 for the jump and another $100 for the Video.He takes the video with a camera tied on his wrist!! He extends his arm always focusing on me!
For those who want to know more details, Skyjump is just jumping out from an aero plane flying at about 13000 ft at about 150-200 km/hr. You will move free in the air for some minutes at the same speed but loosing your height. Then you can open your parachute and land safely.
Of course for beginners like me, we will be belted below the instructor and he will do all the jumping, parachuting and landing. We have to just enjoy. He will give some demo and instructions before flying. As my instructor said, (seen in the Video) “If you don’t do ‘arching’ as I said, you will die and so will I” !. (Scary! but, safe if you do it correctly!).
I asked them that since I am not very young; do you need any medical check up or something? They told No, just sign here --The paper said:- ' phoenix area skydiving'- are not responsible for any accident or loss to me!
Well, fare enough!
But Mr Mark, the guy who took me up and jumped with me ! He is real professional. If you watch the Video, you will see him always smiling in the video! (That was his 3rd jump on that day- still!) So confident! SO entertaining throughout! It is all show but seemed so natural for me!!! That is USA trade mark! Customer is the king! (See his photo on the right margin of this blog!)
If you happen to go to USA and wants to experience the 'skyjump thrill', I recommend them.
See their website www.phoenixareaskydiving.com
Tip # 4: SOME CHECKLIST FOR YOUR TRIP
1) Getting non Immigrant US Visa.(B1)
You can apply and get appointment online at your nearest US consulate. I had heard a lot of stories about the importance of ‘sports’ in USA. (Details in my next posting of American people)
. So I wanted to see a sporting event, any sports. (rugby, basketball, Baseball, even soccer which is not so popular in USA – There is no cricket anyway in USA!) I asked many of my relatives to book one for me. Everyone said it is booked for months in advance!! I couldn’t believe! So just went to try myself to Phoenix, the most famous place for baseball.
I could see the stadium but no chance for any ticket! But I could have a long chat with the very ‘sportive’ American host there who explained everything about the baseball scen in USA patiently. There was huge souvenir shop only on baseball- I bought some and came back! Another unfulfilled wish!
SKY JUMP (SKYDIVE)- CASA GRANDE (Arizona) , My adventure of Grandpa’s skydive (skyjump)was given in my 2nd post of this blog (Down below) You can see the video of my skyjump in youtube in the link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ekIVc6cPo
If this ‘youtube’ site is blocked your office, please send the lin
k home and see it from there and show you kids, they will love it! (YouTube is blocked in many offices, rightly so!!)There is no word to describe it, pure thrill! Of course you can do the skyjump in other countries too, but here it is absolutely professional, including the way the company personnel talk and deal with you! 100% customer friendly, at the same time serious and 100% safe. (My wife and son told me to withdraw even at the last moment!) It costs only $150 for the jump and another $100 for the Video.He takes the video with a camera tied on his wrist!! He extends his arm always focusing on me! For those who want to know more details, Skyjump is just jumping out from an aero plane flying at about 13000 ft at about 150-200 km/hr. You will move free in the air for some minutes at the same speed but loosing your height. Then you can open your parachute and land safely.
Of course for beginners like me, we will be belted below the instructor and he will do all the jumping, parachuting and landing. We have to just enjoy. He will give some demo and instructions before flying. As my instructor said, (seen in the Video) “If you don’t do ‘arching’ as I said, you will die and so will I” !. (Scary! but, safe if you do it correctly!).
I asked them that since I am not very young; do you need any medical check up or something? They told No, just sign here --The paper said:- ' phoenix area skydiving'- are not responsible for any accident or loss to me!
Well, fare enough!
But Mr Mark, the guy who took me up and jumped with me ! He is real professional. If you watch the Video, you will see him always smiling in the video! (That was his 3rd jump on that day- still!) So confident! SO entertaining throughout! It is all show but seemed so natural for me!!! That is USA trade mark! Customer is the king! (See his photo on the right margin of this blog!)
If you happen to go to USA and wants to experience the 'skyjump thrill', I recommend them.
See their website www.phoenixareaskydiving.com
Tip # 4: SOME CHECKLIST FOR YOUR TRIP
1) Getting non Immigrant US Visa.(B1)
Saudi http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html
Chennai
http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/general_information.html
Mumbai
http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html
Visa General Help site for India(private)
http://www.immihelp.com/visas/application.html
Note:
· Remember to pay Visa fee to a designated bank before going for VISA interview (I missed and had some delay) · After my 1st VISA interview, I had to give more information and go again. I got VISA only for 1 yr whereas my wife got for 10 yrs! I can apply again! The embassy staff and security are very cordial.(In Saudi and in other Asian countries)
· You can also reschedule your visa date 3 times. But read carefully each page and send with all signatures. There are authorized agents now in each country. Be confident and brief in your VISA interview. Too much talking may be harmful as much as too less talking. Be pleasant and confident.
2) Insurance
Get insurance for Medical and accidents. Many Banks give. About US $ 200 for 2 in Saudi British Bank (SABB-Takaful by HSBC) or many other banks. You can get it in 15 minutes! (But it will not insure for any accident during SKY JUMP!!- see the risk I took!) · You can also reschedule your visa date 3 times. But read carefully each page and send with all signatures. There are authorized agents now in each country. Be confident and brief in your VISA interview. Too much talking may be harmful as much as too less talking. Be pleasant and confident.
2) Insurance
3) International driving license
This is very useful if you are hiring Cars in USA or even driving your relative’s car! In Saudi Many travel agents get it for you within one day Cost SR 100
4) Credit Cards/ Debit Cards/ Take them carefully and remember the pin numbers. You can hide the 3 or 4 digit code number at the back or below Credit Card # .(These numbers are used in internet identification and someone can remember it- Not happens normally- but still!)
5) Identification card Most of the shops ask for it when you use your credit card. I could manage with my Karnataka Card driving license. Best is your Income TAX Pin card with Govt. of India emblem! It gives some self dignity!
6) Important contact numbers THIS IS VERY HANDY. Even if you have it in your Lap Top or PDA or in flash cards, a small piece of paper with phone no and address of your contacts in USA is better for quick reference many times! Of course numbers of those back home too!
7) Maps and directions
Of course! You need soft and hard copies before going out at any state or city! 8) Guidebook
MOST IMPORTANT. AS RECOMMENDED BY ME IN MANY POSTING TAKE A COPY OF DK EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE Guidebook ( www.dk.com ) 9) Camera, Video
Don’t miss a chance to click. Instead of a clickable Video, A good Camera (At least 8 Megapixels) with short Video capability is the best choice instead of separate Camera and Video (unless you are a professional) And Click whenever you can like Japanese! I still regret not taking our photographs in some places like Heathrow where we spent 8 hrs or at some unforgettable places in Los Angeles etc! Take enough extra SD card (For Sony it is a special card MD card. So take also a MD/SD card reader (multi card reader) to see in a computer!)You should carry your own Mobile with home card. You should have another mobile with USA Prepaid mobile Card. BUT Caution: US is much behind in India for common man’s communication. The rates are higher within USA and AT& T and other operators do not have much common service arrangement. I had big problem after spending a lot on AT & T mobile which does not show any signal in many of the states and many of the Interstate and State highways!! And no local agent can help you in any way! So don’t take AT & T! Check others specifically ask for the MAP for overage in the areas you are going to carry them before buying!
avel.
11) Laptop./ PDA/Flash Card
Lap top will be useful since you can work or play with it on the way or get internet. PDA is compact and can be carried around and can get internet (But buy iPhone in USA which is very cheap and bring it back to be used as a simple PDA without mobile (I hear there are some people who can make it work as a mobile in Saudi too!)12) GPS if you plan to rent cars. If you are going to drive, GPS will be very useful. But you can also buy cheap ones after you land in USA!
13) Canvas shoes especially for for ladies).during air tr
avel. My wife found after lot of research that canvas shoes will help in preventing swollen and paining foot and she was proved right! Even after 36 hours of journey she didn’t have swollen foot. (Normally she gets even after a 4 hr journey! IT should be good for Gents too. And we noticed many travelers in our plane using canvas sports