going to USA! - Page 2 - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**MeTurk** · 06-22-2005, 02:22 AM

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Originally posted by beck+Jun 20 2005, 07:09 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(beck @ Jun 20 2005, 07:09 PM)</div>

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<!--QuoteBegin-MeTurk

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@Jun 20 2005, 06:43 AM
Hourses, mainly hourses and wagons from the look of it.*

Horses and wagons eh? Down here in Aus we tend to ride Kangaroos around more than horses..... [/b]

You should try getting a harness on a leprechuan...

**tumblezweedz** · 06-22-2005, 02:35 AM

I prefer beaver, since they are amphibious, but of course they do tend to bite through their bridles quickly...

beck · 06-22-2005, 03:06 AM

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Originally posted by darkvelveteyes@Jun 20 2005, 08:10 PM
can i trade places with you? i wanna head to oz!!!

Hey anytime! I live in Adelaide though, to be honest I wouldn't recommend visiting Adelaide. Better off going to....well pretty much all the other states. Really not very interesting! Do come to Australia though, it's awsome!!

Ok, so I've booked to stay at the Manhattan Inn hostel on my first few nights, does anyone know it? I guess if it's a hole it's too late to tell me now anyway, but oh well! It sounded fine, and seemed to be close to transport and pretty cheap. Anyway, I'm arriving in NY on a saturday, so what would you suggest as a place to go out on my first night that would be close to this hostel?

Oooh, you have leprechuans in US? Funny they haven't mentioned it in any of the tour guides....

Are beavers kind of like our Platypuses??

**MeTurk** · 06-22-2005, 03:39 AM

I ain't no yank, I'm a paddy living in paddyland.

And I think a beaver is a gi..... Oh no wait it's like a giant rat that eats trees, their pretty cool I want to import some and set them lose around here it should be fun watching the fallout.

**tumblezweedz** · 06-22-2005, 06:47 AM

No, they don't eat them, they just cut them down so they can block off streams with them. So if you want floods, import away!

**MeTurk** · 06-22-2005, 08:38 AM

Yeah their cool I've seen a BBC doco on them. We probably don't have enough forest for them to feast on, but I could probably bring them to a garden centre for the day and let them munch away. I doubt they can run very fast so I'd have to teach them how to ride mini-motos for the get away.

And If they can learn how to ride mini-motos they should be able to get the hang of pouring concrete so they don't miss building dams.

**LaurieL622** · 06-22-2005, 09:56 AM

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Oooh, you have leprechuans in US? Funny they haven't mentioned it in any of the tour guides....

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Are beavers kind of like our Platypuses?

i'd say beavers are more like overgrown squirrels

darkvelveteyes · 06-22-2005, 10:59 AM

the Manhattan Inn Hostel is on 8th and 30th... don't know anything about it, but its an awesome area, location wise... your close to alot of stuff...thats pretty much chelsea where there are alot of art galleries, but you should make your way down to 10th or so for that. your also right near madison sq. garden, and they have tours and stuff if you want to check that out, though i'm sure its a bit pricey. the empire state building is on Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets, in midtown Manhattan, check out the observation deck and stuff, nice on a clear day! And you'll also be not too far from Union Square, the West Village and Soho where there are alot of cool shops, though pretty x-pensive, but sometimes fun to look at, at least all the good underground music stores!!! (plus Washington Sq. Park (NYU territory, alot of students), nice to hang out in during the summer, some shakespeare in the park and musicians and all, some people are quite funny there, good place to people watch) at night head down to the lower east side or alphabet city for the good bars... like detroit motor city, pianos, pauls boutique, a bunch of irish pubs, i think theres even an aussie bar i had found with a friend from melbourne, and it was pretty cool...and of course theres alot more.

oh if you want some good veggie food (just in case, though i know you aussies like yar meat) go to the Zen Palate at 34 Union Sq E. i thnk its on 15th (near a toy store)
and for the best falafal in NYC go to Mamouns on Bleeker St. best falafal outside of israel! plus they have shwarma and stuff too.

i do plan on goin to oz, mos def! got some good mates in melbourne, so i'm sure there will be plenty a party for me once i'm there, but i wanna see as much of oz as possible, though i love a good metropolis, but do love a laid back small time community/city just as much.

have a bangin' time in nyc... contact me if you need any info or stuff...

Frank from Boston · 06-22-2005, 08:49 PM

Hey Sudz, what part of Mass are you from?

Kari · 06-23-2005, 02:03 AM

One place I would recommend in NYC is CBGBs it is a bar where alot of famous bands got their start. The club Webster Hall is supposed to be pretty good too but I have never been.
When ever I go to Vegas I try to stay on the strip it is a little more expensive but it is close to all the main hotels. If you want to drink but dont want to pay the high prices go to the old strip the beers are really cheap there!!!
Spirit Airlines you usually has cheap one way flights.
If you make it to Chicago try to make it to a Cubs game they are a ton of fun. Had to be loyal and add Chicago.....

beck · 06-23-2005, 05:37 AM

Wow thanks for all that it's really helpful!
And as a matter of fact I am vegetarian, so I will check that place out for sure! Sounds good. Mmm felafel!
An Aussie bar in New York you say? Does anyone know where it is? That sounds fun. Hey if they sell Aussie beer its all good. (I've heard US beer aint all that great?True?) I'll be sure to wear my stubbie shorts, Acubra hat and say G'Day a lot. Oooh and order Vegemite sandwiches.
We have heaps and heaps of Irish pubs in Australia. Don't know how authentic they are, never been to Ireland....

Frank from Boston · 06-23-2005, 05:40 AM

Our beer tastes like nothing that you are probably used to. I'm sure that it will take a little getting used to on your part. I find that most people I know drink light beer that tastes like water.

**The Monsignor** · 06-28-2005, 10:04 AM

For flights, if they fly there, Southwest is the way to go (you can't book them from Travelocity or Expedia, only their web site) They have internet specials that run from $99-139 one way, and some last minute deals that, for a guy on a random vacation, might be affordable.

The cheapest way to guarantee travel is grayhound, they usually run this Ameripass deal, that for a single price, gives you unlimited travel around the country for a time. It's hard to beat the price, even if you would like to beat some of the passengers.

Renting a car one way is nice, but you usually wind up paying quite a bit for it (even with unlimited mileage) and many companies won't rent to you if you're young/don't have a credit card.

The drive-away companies have you move cars for a bit of money, but they're not easy to get where you're going, and if you're a foreigner, you're probably not covered by their insurance.

Good luck, and if you post an itinerary, you're likely to find TP's along the way who'll point you to the good stuff to see...

**LiveFreeorDie** · 06-29-2005, 09:47 AM

If I was to compare Aussie beer to American beer, I would have to say in general, the U.S.A. has a far broader selection of beer than Australia does. There are many, many, many excellent smaller brewers in the U.S. not to mention a very good selection of imports. There are also a lot of bars nowadays that will have at least 15 or 20 different beers on tap. Less common but not exactly rare are bars that specialize in a wide variety of beers and might have 50 to 100 beers on tap. Just keep away from anything with Coors, Miller, Budweiser or "light" or "low carb" in the name or description of the beer.

The biggest difference between Australia and the U.S. other than selection is that alcohol content in the U.S. is generally a lot lower than what you are used to in Australia. The exceptions to this are some IPAs, like Sierra Nevada. You should be able to drink the average American under the table.

All in all, I didn't think the Aussie beer that I ran into was that special, other than the alcohol content. I could take or leave VB and Crown Lager. I am sure there are better beers in Australia, those two just seemed to be the dominat ones at the pubs when I was there (so don't take my coment as insulting - I didn't mean it that way). Enjoy your time - there is no shortage of good beer.

**omisan** · 06-29-2005, 10:15 AM

Yeah, as long as you stay away from the major brands of beer, you'll be fine.

If you make it to San Francisco, I'll point you in the direction of my favorite neighborhood bar, Toronado, that has 50 beers on tap, and not a single one is Budweiser, Miller, or even Heineken. Now that's a beer bar.

**space virgin** · 06-29-2005, 10:41 AM

^ But you have or had High Life in your kegerator...

**omisan** · 06-29-2005, 12:10 PM

High Life is an exception.. it's SO low on the totem, that somehow it makes it back around to the other side. Besides, at our house, High Life isn't beer - it's drinking water..

**space virgin** · 06-29-2005, 12:13 PM

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Originally posted by omisan@Jun 29 2005, 07:09 PM
Besides, at our house, High Life isn't beer - it's drinking water..

Yes, I know, I remember...

"So bad it's cool" kinda like PBR & Hamm's, right?

**TheJake** · 06-29-2005, 12:17 PM

why dont we discuss this in the chat room