Travel Trivia from the US!

I didnt create this blog when i'd visited the US in winter of 2006, but I did write an email-travelog to some of my friends, and I thought it only appropriate that those emails should find a home here on the blog. This was more of a "Amazing Facts about the US" kind of thing..so here goes...
Dec 30, 2006:
Hello all!Am currently in Charlotte, NC and its a great place.Was on the road from New Orleans to Atlanta to Charlotte - with ample time to reflect!Dont have a personal blog, so I'm writing to you folks abt the lessons learned here till now.

• On a clear day, look up. You're bound to see atleast two jets leaving their trail in the sky.
• Dont get excited if you see piping hot black coffee in the caraffe - the milk is NEVER warm - so your coffee WILL end up lukewarm.
• There's no point adding more sugar to american coffee - it has inbuilt anti-sweetening properties
• You will rarely ever take the same road to come back. So no point remembering how you went from A to B, since B to A will be a different route altogether.
• Christmas REALLY means a holiday - its like a "shiv sena bandh" in Mumbai
• After Christmas is NOT the best shopping season(Always thought so). Weekend after Thanksgiving is the best time for shopping.
• Learnt how to pronounce "Ya'all" (a substitute for 'You folks')
• Anything can be turned into a tourist attraction if you make jazzy pamphlets, and have a restroom, ample parking, a coffee shop, and a souvenier shop at the site.
• If you think ice-creams and soft drinks sell more in warm/hot places, think again. Its about 30deg Farhenhiet (i think thats minus something deg C) and people are freaking out on Coke and ice cream!
• Even numbered 2digit interstate roads go East-West and odd numbers go North-South (how simple is that). If you see a 3 digit number, its a city bypass!
• Hence, dont' think of compass directions when you're on the road - sometimes, you need to take the interstate North to go to a city thats actually directionally on your south!

well..just completed the first third of my travels here...will keep posting any new Amazing Facts as I discover them!

02 January 2007

Hellew folks!As promised, here is the second set of Amazing Facts of American Life:

• If you ask an american "how far is this?" - the time he will tell you will be calculated at 20mph speed in a city area and 60mph on expressway.
• A corollary to that is, Nothing is at walking distance from your house
• When you see a "Do not Pass" sign on the road, dont stop; That sign means "Don't overtake"!!!
• When an American points and says "Look how crowded that place is!" - dont expect to see people. He's just referring to the number of cars in the parking lot.
• A corollary to that is - thou shalt not see people on the sidewalks - they're all at home, in office,in a mall or in their car.
• When shopping for girl stuff, thou shalt be confused by two adjacent sections marked - "Ladies" and "Women". Dont panic - 'Women' is just an euphemism for older ladies!!!

8th January 2007

I'm back again with possibly the penultimate edition.Went up to New Jersey and New York last week and had an amazing time.Most people think of New Jersey as the Indian hub and its only claim to fame is its proximity to New York. However, I suggest anyone going to there take time off to see New Jersey's forests...they've done a swell job of preserving them!Coming back to Amazing Facts -here are some more!

• Its possible to stay in a hotel that charges your 150 USD per night but does not have any room service/restaurant/minibar of its own!
• There is little difference between night and day at Times Square in New York - the area is always lit up by neon anyway
• The Statue of Liberty is a UNIQUE place - because only HERE will you see mothers encouraging their sons to look under a Lady's skirt...(there is a tour to look inside the statue from underneath!)
• Some states require cars to have only a rear number plate! so, if u want to run away from a crowd, drive in reverse to hide your number!
• Dont EVER take your own car to drive around in New York.
• Better have a strong bladder if you plan to visit NY - there are no public restrooms! (Actually later I found that you can use one in the tourist center or the one in Hard Rock Cafe - both in Times Square)
• State capitals are almost always NEVER have the highest population, neither are they the commercial capital of the state And the killer Fact-
• The statue of Liberty is NOT in New York! Its actually in the state of New Jersey!!

Well...I hope some of that was new information for you!!