The Gipper's Guide to America

mjp28

On ATMs we have used the ATMs rarely that are in some ABC stores (and they are really nice and everywhere in Waikiki and elsewhere ). I prefer those as it's more private, over the ones that are right out in the public for all to see. Anyway some did charge a fee for those machines years back, but it was small, maybe $2.

For stateside I'd call your issuing bank to check on details . My brother is touring Canada now and found some big surprises on banks, calling cards, cell usage and more.

I prefer charge cards for most things .

The Gipper

@gftchris said:

Not 100% set the itinerary, but it largely looks like:

Land in Vegas

4-5 days in Zion

1-2 days in Grand Canyon North

3 days in Bryce Canyon

2-3 days in Moab

2-3 days around Page

A couple of days in grand canyon south rim and flying home.

Trying to finalise the actually day to day itinerary - I hate faffing on the morning trying to decide what we're going to do today.

The times you are spending in each spot will give you more than enough to explore each of them fully. Plus you should also have time to explore some of the lesser known attractions in that area. Cedar Breaks, Pink Sand Dunes, Goblin St. Park, PIpestem, Snow Canyon, The Escalante, Capitol Reef, Rainbow Bridge. And if you get a chance, again, try to check out Sedona. You will be happy if you do and you will regret it if you don't.

mjp28

@the-gipper said:

Best Architecture, Home Residence: Taliesin West, Scottsdale AZ (Frank Lloyd Wright), Winchester Mystery House, San Jose CA

I have since been to Falling Waters, and it certainly take home a blue ribbon.

MANY years back the wife and I took a trip to Uniontown, PA and took an impromptu unplanned trip to all the sites in the Mt. Washington/Ft. Neccesity area it was quite fun -but- I kept seeing the Falling Water signs and being a Frank Lloyd Wright fan wanted to see it but we just ran out of time.

We drove back in the fall through beautiful Scenery, PA and up through northern WVA but I've always regretted not seeing Falling Water.....before the major safety renovations.

The Gipper

@mjp28 said:

MANY years back the wife and I took a trip to Uniontown, PA and took an impromptu unplanned trip to all the sites in the Mt. Washington/Ft. Neccesity area it was quite fun -but- I kept seeing the Falling Water signs and being a Frank Lloyd Wright fan wanted to see it but we just ran out of time.

We drove back in the fall through beautiful Scenery, PA and up through northern WVA but I've always regretted not seeing Falling Water.....before the major safety renovations.

I don't know what major safety renovations they may have made.....but whatever they did did not take away from the auspiciousness of the place....at least from what I can tell.

mjp28

@the-gipper said:
I don't know what major safety renovations they may have made.....but whatever they did did not take away from the auspiciousness of the place....at least from what I can tell.

http://old.post-gazette.com/lifestyle/20011208lowry1208fnp3.asp

I saw this on PBS, it was quite interesting.

....Analysis showed that the living room cantilever supports not only itself but the one above it -- the master terrace that leads from the master bedroom and rests on the living room's steel window frames. To stop the deflection, Silman determined there was only one pragmatic solution: Strengthen three of the four concrete beams under the living room with a post-tensioning system that will hold them tautly in place. High-strength steel cables will be added along each side of the beams, with one end anchored in new concrete blocks attached to the beams and the other end fed through a hole drilled through the outside wall of the living room.

Hydraulic jacks will gradually tighten the cables and then permanently anchor them, stopping the deflection. The engineers won't try to correct it; at this point that would only cause more problems. Just as importantly, the deflection will continue to tell, at a glance, the 20th-century history of the house.

In addition to making other structural repairs, workers also are waterproofing the flat-roofed house. Water damage is especially evident in the guest bathroom, where the cork walls are stained and concrete is spalling.

The house that cost $155,000 to build will take $11.5 million to restore, a figure that also includes water treatment, sewage and landscape improvements to be done over the next few years. Restoration of the house will be completed next year......

Westside Steve

Chris, as long as it isn't United!

WSS

The Gipper

@westside-steve said:

Chris, as long as it isn't United!

WSS

My somewhat "bad" experience was with Frontier. I have flown mostly Delta and United and that has been OK generally. I mean, you get treated like a piece of luggage no matter which airline you go with. Fees for luggage, no free real food anymore (pretzels and pop...which sometimes they make you pay for), cramped seating. But Frontier was just worse.

gftChris

OK so what the fuck is the deal with the different time zones between Utah, Arizona, Navajo etc. Seriously, wtf. We have a tour booked that says like "11am (Arizona Time, Pacific Daylight Time)" and then "all our times are quoted in Mountain Standard Time"

So I google to check and they are different times. So which is it? MST is clearly different to PDT and yet they're completely ignoring that. Does anyone have a clue what the answer is?

The Cysko Kid

I think mountain time is 1 hr earlier than pacific. So if pacific time is 11:00 mountain time will be 10:00.

gftChris

That's what I thought, but this tour company doesn't seem to understand that. We've decided to just call ahead the night before and ask "in how many hours?" or something.

The Cysko Kid

Actually I'm backwards it's later. So 11 pacific time is 12 mountain time. Sorry about that

The Gipper

@gftchris said:

OK so what the fuck is the deal with the different time zones between Utah, Arizona, Navajo etc. Seriously, wtf. We have a tour booked that says like "11am (Arizona Time, Pacific Daylight Time)" and then "all our times are quoted in Mountain Standard Time"

So I google to check and they are different times. So which is it? MST is clearly different to PDT and yet they're completely ignoring that. Does anyone have a clue what the answer is?

Ah! I guess you should have been warned about that. The state of Arizona does not change when the rest of the nation does.....except on the Navajo reservation. So, yes, while they are in the mountain time zone, for part of the year they have the same time as the Pacific time zone, and for part of the year they have the same as the Mountain Time Zone. Just be careful with it.

gftChris

You have a Retarded country in some ways.

The Gipper

@gftchris said:
You have a Retard country in some ways.

What we have are 50 states that set their own rules and laws about various things......and actually more than that because as you may be aware by now, the Indian reservations also have their own set of rules and laws that may vary even from the state in which they are located.

Its why you have sports gambling and prostitution legal in Nevada....but nothing of the sort in neighboring Utah where you can't even buy a lottery ticket. It is why you have time zone differences such as the ones you have experienced. It is why you have some states that have not had the death penalty in like 100 years, and others, like Texas, that are executing people at a rate of 50-60 a year.

Are there not variances in laws/rules/statutes between say England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland? Multiply those differences you have by about a factor of 10 or 15.

gftChris

Nope, no differences in law. It's more like differences between EU countries to be honest, which I get, but you have one country. And think about this - I start on the AZ/NV border, and it's midday. I go east, in to Navajo land, it's 1pm. I keep going east, and it's back to 12pm.

The Gipper

@gftchris said:
Nope, no differences in law. It's more like differences between EU countries to be honest, which I get, but you have one country. And think about this - I start on the AZ/NV border, and it's midday. I go east, in to Navajo land, it's 1pm. I keep going east, and it's back to 12pm.

You are probably in the only part of the country where that would happen.

One Post

Ar. is one hour ahead of MT time half of the year.

mjp28

"One said:
Ar. is one hour ahead of MT time half of the year.

I remember one of our steel manufacturing plants was in St. Joe, IN and they did not change for daylight savings time (might now who knows?) but it was strange coordinating with engineering, manufacturing, sales, the office etc.

They'd have to assign at least one girl there to follow us in Ohio. Confusing for our clients also.

gftChris

Everything is so big here. Which seems odd until you see the people, then you realise it's all in proportion.

syd

@the-gipper said:

Here is some food for thought as you plan your summer vacations. Some hints for your travels, all USA (incl. possessions):

Best Sunset: Cape Flattery, Washington

Best Sunrise: On top of Mt. Haleakala, Maui. (honorable mention: Quoddy Head, Maine)

Best Beaches: St. John, US Virgin Islands

Best Patriotic site: Fort McHenry, Baltimore

Best Trees: California: Redwoods/Sequoias/Ancient Bristlecone pine/Joshua Trees

Best Single Vista: Inspiration Point, Yosemite NP (Multiple vistas: Grand Canyon)

Most Fun Town: New Orleans. (Honorable mention: Chicago)

Best Small Town: Woodstock, Vermont. (honorable mentions: Chatham, Mass. Seaside Fla.)

Best Consistent Architecture: Santa Fe, NM

Campiest Attraction: House on the Rock, Spring Green, Wisconsin

Nicest College Campus that is not Kenyon: Duke (honorable mention: Notre Dame)

Nicest State Capitol building: Olympia, Washington (more for it setting than the building itself)

Best Tall Building: Empire State Building

Best Statue not called Liberty: Mt. Rushmore

Best Scenic Town Setting: Sedona, Arizona

Best City Park System: Savannah, Georgia

Gawdiest Display of Wealth: Newport, Rhode Island

Best Stadium: Wrigley Field

Best preserved Western Town: Tombstone, Ariz. (honorable mention: Lincoln NM)

Best hiking for the average person: Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Best Lake: Crater Lake

Best Mountain Range: The Grand Tetons

Best Casino: Lakeside Inn and Casino, Stateline Nevada (Tahoe)

Best Aquariam: National Aquariam, Baltimore

Best Breakfast/Dinner combination: Camellia Grill and Commander's Palace, New Orleans

Feel free to add your own

just at crater lake last week before last