The Travel Thread

[Anikesh]

read a lot abt goa on net

 

 

if any of uguys been there can u tell me where wud u prefer to stay south or north goa?

 

i heard north is very crowdy

[Sufyan]

mein bahut jagah gaya

bahut logon ke saath

 

 

 

acha kalmuhi kulta ....magar jahaa bhi jaa...jiske bhi saath,...

wapas toh mere paas he aana hai

 

[kvignesh]

I have booked train tickets online for the first time,and i have an doubt,Is an college id card with Photo and address qualify as ID proof or i need to provide original driving license,passport etc?

 

I hope this is the right thread to ask.

[ctrl_alt_del]

Ooh I found this thread...

 

ok so now pour in places to visit suggestions for Network, New Jersey, Las Vegas..

Pubs, shows, shopping.. Sab chalega..

 

 

New York: I am sure you will be hitting Macy's. Empire State Building is right next to it. Walk a little bit (or buy a 7-day unlimited subway pass for $30) to get to Rockefeller to look at the angels, the humongous Christmas tree and even ice-skate a little while half the New York watches. Visiting Times Square goes without saying. All of these cab be done in the evening. Mornings you can reserve for Batter Park / Statue of Liberty. Make sure you go early to grab the tickets and then stand in the long lines to catch a ferry to the Statue. Or consider catching a ferry from New Jersey. Either way, start early.

 

Wall Street and the famous Bull sculpture is a 2 min walk from the Battery Park. Keep walking around a little more and you will get to Trinity Church and 2 blocks down, you will have the 9/11 Memorial and the Freedom Tower. Be advised that to visit 9/11 memorial, you will have to book way in advance. Even with tickets, you will be allowed in only at the time allotted to you, so plan in advance. It is a very moving experience so do not miss it.

 

Once done here, catch a subway train to Brooklyn Bridge, preferably sometime in the evening. Walk/cycle across the length of the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy the crowds of people soaking in the beautiful skyline as the lights come up. Be careful about the windchill on the bridge; it can get incredibly cold. And oh, don't forget to go for a morning walk at Central Park. It is beautiful! We caught it during the peak of Fall season; the fall colors were amazing! In contrast, in 2010, I visited NY during the Christmas weekend and got completely snowed over. It was lovely though! The Museum of Natural History is close by but go in only if you have a day to spare.

 

New Jersey: Not much to say about this place. I found it very drab and boring. Maybe some one can correct me. Spent most of time in NJ paying toll at toll-booths. If you are driving from NY-NJ, make sure you are carrying enough change, preferably quarters to pay for the toll; many toll booths will accept only Ezee-Pass or coins. I was fined $20 because I didn't have enough quarters to pay $1 toll! We went to see the NYC skyline at night from Jersey City side. It was a beautiful experience. Check out the beautiful 9/11 memorial built in memory of those Jerseites who perished that day. There were so many Indian names in there.

 

Las Vegas: Well, what can I say. My experience of Las Vegas will be completely male-centric. Walk the Strip. Enjoy people in suites coming over to you and passing you cards for strip-clubs with limo service and free food. Enjoy the fountains at Bellagio. Walk through the casinos, maybe try your luck a bit. Grab a drink at Paris and a gondola ride at the Venetian. Watch the Pirates Show at...the name escapes me but it is right on the Strip so you wont miss it. Plan in advance to grab some cheap tickets for the latest shows in Las Vegas, like the Blue Man group or Cirque Du Soleil. Make sure you visit the actual downtown for some old-world charm and the beautiful lighting they have there. If you still are sober and energetic the next morning, go visit the dam.

 

As for clothes, I don't think getting anything from India will make sense. Just grab whatever woolens you have and wear them on top of some good thermal underwear and you should be good for the first day. Check out if it is just cold or snowing and accordingly raid Macy's and grab some amazing deals ($400 ladies coats going for $200). Make sure you get something to cover your head and ears. Mine literally froze off during the 2010 Christmas thunderstorm.

 

Hope you have an amazing trip. And take a lot of pictures.

[Bird Bird Bird]

I have booked train tickets online for the first time,and i have an doubt,Is an college id card with Photo and address qualify as ID proof or i need to provide original driving license,passport etc?

 

I hope this is the right thread to ask.

You need a govt. issued photo id.

[kvignesh]

You need a govt. issued photo id.

 

Thank you very much,i will better take my driving license.

[megzworld]

New York: I am sure you will be hitting Macy's. Empire State Building is right next to it. Walk a little bit (or buy a 7-day unlimited subway pass for $30) to get to Rockefeller to look at the angels, the humongous Christmas tree and even ice-skate a little while half the New York watches. Visiting Times Square goes without saying. All of these cab be done in the evening. Mornings you can reserve for Batter Park / Statue of Liberty. Make sure you go early to grab the tickets and then stand in the long lines to catch a ferry to the Statue. Or consider catching a ferry from New Jersey. Either way, start early.

 

Wall Street and the famous Bull sculpture is a 2 min walk from the Battery Park. Keep walking around a little more and you will get to Trinity Church and 2 blocks down, you will have the 9/11 Memorial and the Freedom Tower. Be advised that to visit 9/11 memorial, you will have to book way in advance. Even with tickets, you will be allowed in only at the time allotted to you, so plan in advance. It is a very moving experience so do not miss it.

 

Once done here, catch a subway train to Brooklyn Bridge, preferably sometime in the evening. Walk/cycle across the length of the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy the crowds of people soaking in the beautiful skyline as the lights come up. Be careful about the windchill on the bridge; it can get incredibly cold. And oh, don't forget to go for a morning walk at Central Park. It is beautiful! We caught it during the peak of Fall season; the fall colors were amazing! In contrast, in 2010, I visited NY during the Christmas weekend and got completely snowed over. It was lovely though! The Museum of Natural History is close by but go in only if you have a day to spare.

 

New Jersey: Not much to say about this place. I found it very drab and boring. Maybe some one can correct me. Spent most of time in NJ paying toll at toll-booths. If you are driving from NY-NJ, make sure you are carrying enough change, preferably quarters to pay for the toll; many toll booths will accept only Ezee-Pass or coins. I was fined $20 because I didn't have enough quarters to pay $1 toll! We went to see the NYC skyline at night from Jersey City side. It was a beautiful experience. Check out the beautiful 9/11 memorial built in memory of those Jerseites who perished that day. There were so many Indian names in there.

 

Las Vegas: Well, what can I say. My experience of Las Vegas will be completely male-centric. Walk the Strip. Enjoy people in suites coming over to you and passing you cards for strip-clubs with limo service and free food. Enjoy the fountains at Bellagio. Walk through the casinos, maybe try your luck a bit. Grab a drink at Paris and a gondola ride at the Venetian. Watch the Pirates Show at...the name escapes me but it is right on the Strip so you wont miss it. Plan in advance to grab some cheap tickets for the latest shows in Las Vegas, like the Blue Man group or Cirque Du Soleil. Make sure you visit the actual downtown for some old-world charm and the beautiful lighting they have there. If you still are sober and energetic the next morning, go visit the dam.

 

As for clothes, I don't think getting anything from India will make sense. Just grab whatever woolens you have and wear them on top of some good thermal underwear and you should be good for the first day. Check out if it is just cold or snowing and accordingly raid Macy's and grab some amazing deals ($400 ladies coats going for $200). Make sure you get something to cover your head and ears. Mine literally froze off during the 2010 Christmas thunderstorm.

 

Hope you have an amazing trip. And take a lot of pictures.

 

 

Thankyou so much.. Every word there is so useful.. (Barring Vegas really.. I am not sure if I will like getting cards for strip-club ) I really look forward to this trip.. And am super excited. It helps that I am going with someone who has been there several times.. and yes, we will be driving from NY to Jersey.

 

For take a lot of pictures.. Oh sure.. DEFINITELY!!

 

Repped!

[MarketTantrik]

Repped Cody for that amazing post.

[hammerhead]

Las Vegas: Well, what can I say. My experience of Las Vegas will be completely male-centric. Walk the Strip. Enjoy people in suites coming over to you and passing you cards for strip-clubs with limo service and free food. Enjoy the fountains at Bellagio. Walk through the casinos, maybe try your luck a bit. Grab a drink at Paris and a gondola ride at the Venetian. Watch the Pirates Show at...the name escapes me but it is right on the Strip so you wont miss it. Plan in advance to grab some cheap tickets for the latest shows in Las Vegas, like the Blue Man group or Cirque Du Soleil. Make sure you visit the actual downtown for some old-world charm and the beautiful lighting they have there. If you still are sober and energetic the next morning, go visit the dam.

Thanks for the info on Vegas.I too am planning a trip to LA around new year and will drive to Vegas from there.

Edited December 8, 2011 by hammerhead

[ctrl_alt_del]

@Megz: You are welcome. And yes, you will be given card advertising strip-clubs. There is a virtual army of these people manning every street and cross-section, handing out the cards. One followed us hollering about "free limo, free food, free entry". When we said no, he kept following us, shouting, "Indians are the best bargainers in the world and I am giving you such a great deal and how can you say no?!". We were walking with a huge crowd of people from different countries and all were laughing their guts out. Well, I guess that is a part of the experience of being in Las Vegas.

 

@MT: Thank you kind sir.

 

@hammerhead: You are welcome. In any case, men don't need any directions on how to enjoy in Vegas; pleasure finds them instead. Just walk with the crowd along the Strip (wear comfortable shoes) and enjoy the sights and sounds and people of Vegas. There are some truly wacky ones out there. As for driving from LA to LV, I hope you have driven that route, or for that matter, any route in California before. I swear, those guys drive like crazy and those Californian roads are so badly grid-locked. It is even worse in the city of L.A. My Asian driver broke every law ever written while driving us from the E3 convention center to LAX. Btw, new year celebration at LV or LA? I think LV has some amazing fireworks display by all the hotels along the strip. I wanted to go this year but after the New York trip and pending Chicago trip, no money left.

Edited December 8, 2011 by ctrl_alt_del

[megzworld]

Thanks dude.. I did visit an ahem ahem bar in macao..and was surprised to see what I saw.. I guess I will check those lv clubs out as well.. I m gonna watch some shows as well and who knows.. May be drive a sports car!!

 

Lets see.. I m very excited. Only fear too much cold..

 

Btw, we will also be going to Washington.. Any suggestion for that place?

[ctrl_alt_del]

The LV clubs will be worth checking for sure. Lots of ladies also come to the club just for giggles so you won't be alone. Keep a track of the discount tix websites. They sell of unsold show tickets for real cheap so you could grab a bargain there. Sports/luxury cars can also be rented for pretty cheap though I guess the insurance rates would be a killer. See if you can visit a gun-range and fire those awesome fully-automatic guns they have there. You will see a lot of ads for those.

 

L.V. wouldn't be that cold but NY sure would be. North-East hasn't seen much cold or snow till now compared to last year but it seems like that would change in the coming few weeks. I have a hunch you will be celebrating a white Christmas and New Year when you land here.

 

As for Washington, it really depends upon what you wish to see. If it is just the Capitol Mall that you want to visit, I think a day would be enough. Everything is in a one mile (or is it three?) range in one straight line so you can start from the Union Station and see everything one after the other. If you go visit during the day, you can hire bi-cycles from Union Station (with or without guide) and cycle around seeing the sights. Careful though; the front and rear brakes are reversed here! If you want something new, they have these Segway tours which promise a lot of fun. Or you can get on any of the hop-on-hop-off bus or the tram tours. They are super-cheap and very convenient. Make sure you check their websites for days-of-operation; they might be closed on Christmas eve, as they were on Thanksgiving when I went there. Many recommend seeing the same sights at night when they light the whole place up. It is supposed to be very beautiful. And I am assuming the Christmas lighting should still be up.

 

Once you are done with that, you would need a day or two to cover all the amazing museums that D.C. has to offer. The Museum of Natural History alone would eat up all your time. Plus, most of these are free! Infact, I intend to pay D.C. a visit again just to visit all the museums without the distraction of any other place to visit. I would suggest if you have hired a car, park it at the Union Station and then walk or catch a cab to the Capitol Mall. It will be much more convenient that way rather than risking getting your car towed off or not finding a space to parallel park to begin with.

 

Btw, how long is your trip? You seem to be covering a lot of places that are quite far away, like NY and LV! Flying across Continental US can be pretty taxing, especially if you are on a east coast to west coast red-eye with multiple layovers on the way. It is almost like flying an international flight! Not to mention the freaking time-zones! Get as much rest as you can, whenever and wherever you can!

[megzworld]

The LV clubs will be worth checking for sure. Lots of ladies also come to the club just for giggles so you won't be alone. Keep a track of the discount tix websites. They sell of unsold show tickets for real cheap so you could grab a bargain there. Sports/luxury cars can also be rented for pretty cheap though I guess the insurance rates would be a killer. See if you can visit a gun-range and fire those awesome fully-automatic guns they have there. You will see a lot of ads for those.

 

L.V. wouldn't be that cold but NY sure would be. North-East hasn't seen much cold or snow till now compared to last year but it seems like that would change in the coming few weeks. I have a hunch you will be celebrating a white Christmas and New Year when you land here.

 

As for Washington, it really depends upon what you wish to see. If it is just the Capitol Mall that you want to visit, I think a day would be enough. Everything is in a one mile (or is it three?) range in one straight line so you can start from the Union Station and see everything one after the other. If you go visit during the day, you can hire bi-cycles from Union Station (with or without guide) and cycle around seeing the sights. Careful though; the front and rear brakes are reversed here! If you want something new, they have these Segway tours which promise a lot of fun. Or you can get on any of the hop-on-hop-off bus or the tram tours. They are super-cheap and very convenient. Make sure you check their websites for days-of-operation; they might be closed on Christmas eve, as they were on Thanksgiving when I went there. Many recommend seeing the same sights at night when they light the whole place up. It is supposed to be very beautiful. And I am assuming the Christmas lighting should still be up.

 

Once you are done with that, you would need a day or two to cover all the amazing museums that D.C. has to offer. The Museum of Natural History alone would eat up all your time. Plus, most of these are free! Infact, I intend to pay D.C. a visit again just to visit all the museums without the distraction of any other place to visit. I would suggest if you have hired a car, park it at the Union Station and then walk or catch a cab to the Capitol Mall. It will be much more convenient that way rather than risking getting your car towed off or not finding a space to parallel park to begin with.

 

Btw, how long is your trip? You seem to be covering a lot of places that are quite far away, like NY and LV! Flying across Continental US can be pretty taxing, especially if you are on a east coast to west coast red-eye with multiple layovers on the way. It is almost like flying an international flight! Not to mention the freaking time-zones! Get as much rest as you can, whenever and wherever you can!

 

Oh again awesome help there..

 

We will be driving to Washington from NJ. And will be there for only a day.. I am a big fan of Museums, my friend not so much.. but I guess I will patao him anyway.. Or let's see how we plan out..

 

We are trying to do a lot in 10 days and yes, I believe we will be tired, but unfortunately our job would not allow us more days of pleasure and I wanted to greedily see as much as I can.

 

Please do suggest clubs/places to visit in Newyork, we will be staying in a hotel in time square itself..

 

Repped you sir for all your help.

[hammerhead]

@hammerhead: You are welcome. In any case, men don't need any directions on how to enjoy in Vegas; pleasure finds them instead. Just walk with the crowd along the Strip (wear comfortable shoes) and enjoy the sights and sounds and people of Vegas. There are some truly wacky ones out there. As for driving from LA to LV, I hope you have driven that route, or for that matter, any route in California before. I swear, those guys drive like crazy and those Californian roads are so badly grid-locked. It is even worse in the city of L.A. My Asian driver broke every law ever written while driving us from the E3 convention center to LAX. Btw, new year celebration at LV or LA? I think LV has some amazing fireworks display by all the hotels along the strip. I wanted to go this year but after the New York trip and pending Chicago trip, no money left.

Hmm, I have not decided where I will have my new year celebration. But I do know that either LA or LV will be better than Minneapolis (in -30C and buried in snow). I am hoping that driving will not be a problem even though this is the first time I will be visiting the west. The largest US city I have driven in is Chicago. I am counting that my Indian driving experience will carry me through

Edited December 9, 2011 by hammerhead

[ctrl_alt_del]

@Megz: That is one thing that I cannot help you with. I am not much of a club-going person so woefully inexperienced in that. I will probably end up recommending TGIF! On a side note, do NOT go to TGIF on Times Square; the drinks prices are a rip-off! The only pub we visited in New York was Three Monkeys which was right next to my hotel, Ameretinia, which also happens to be a block away from Times Square. The pub was small and cozy and the crowd very pleasant. We had a good time there. Check out reviews of NY pubs on Yelp.com. You will get good information there. There are so many Irish bars to choose from! And don't forget to sample the road-side food selection after a late night clubbing. You will get some amazing food on the New York streets at rock-bottom prices. There is supposed to be a renowned Biriyani card somewhere in Downtown Manhattan. I haven't been able to find him. See if you have better luck!

 

You do have a packed schedule but I guess you will not be doing much of driving so I guess you can catch a good nap while in the car. One day at Washington will be pretty tight. Start early, finish late and make the most out of it.

 

@Hammerhead: Ahh! Didn't realize you were in Minneapolis. I would love to have some snow over here, though preferably without the negative thirty's. I guess LV would be a good option. And yeah, with Indian driving experience under your belt, you can drive in any country. Have a good one!

[hammerhead]

@Hammerhead: Ahh! Didn't realize you were in Minneapolis. I would love to have some snow over here, though preferably without the negative thirty's. I guess LV would be a good option. And yeah, with Indian driving experience under your belt, you can drive in any country. Have a good one!

Thanks.

[megzworld]

@Megz: That is one thing that I cannot help you with. I am not much of a club-going person so woefully inexperienced in that. I will probably end up recommending TGIF! On a side note, do NOT go to TGIF on Times Square; the drinks prices are a rip-off! The only pub we visited in New York was Three Monkeys which was right next to my hotel, Ameretinia, which also happens to be a block away from Times Square. The pub was small and cozy and the crowd very pleasant. We had a good time there. Check out reviews of NY pubs on Yelp.com. You will get good information there. There are so many Irish bars to choose from! And don't forget to sample the road-side food selection after a late night clubbing. You will get some amazing food on the New York streets at rock-bottom prices. There is supposed to be a renowned Biriyani card somewhere in Downtown Manhattan. I haven't been able to find him. See if you have better luck!

 

You do have a packed schedule but I guess you will not be doing much of driving so I guess you can catch a good nap while in the car. One day at Washington will be pretty tight. Start early, finish late and make the most out of it.

 

@Hammerhead: Ahh! Didn't realize you were in Minneapolis. I would love to have some snow over here, though preferably without the negative thirty's. I guess LV would be a good option. And yeah, with Indian driving experience under your belt, you can drive in any country. Have a good one!

 

 

Thanks Mr. Delete,

 

My boss just told me that i need to be connected from work (sigh!) even on vacation.

 

I was planning to buy a sim once I land in USA. What would be a good option according to you? Going with a matrix connection or buying one there? How expensive would it be considering I will need even data connection to download my mails etc.

 

As for sleep.. yeah I plan to sleep when my drives..but will that not be very rude? I guess, we will take rest whenever we can..and play it by the ear.. let's see.

[hammerhead]

Thanks Mr. Delete,

 

My boss just told me that i need to be connected from work (sigh!) even on vacation.

 

I was planning to buy a sim once I land in USA. What would be a good option according to you? Going with a matrix connection or buying one there? How expensive would it be considering I will need even data connection to download my mails etc.

 

As for sleep.. yeah I plan to sleep when my drives..but will that not be very rude? I guess, we will take rest whenever we can..and play it by the ear.. let's see.

 

I have seen some people having lot of trouble with Matrix (inflated bills and all) and I do not know how their data plans work. I would recommend using your Indian phone on roaming for a few hours after you land (in case of emergency) and buying a prepaid US number. You do not need a SSN to buy prepaid. Since you will be using data I am assuming that you would require a smart phone. You can check AT&T page for prices and all here. Check the prices for TMobile, Verizon, Sprint etc too.

[Javs]

I have seen some people having lot of trouble with Matrix (inflated bills and all) and I do not know how their data plans work. I would recommend using your Indian phone on roaming for a few hours after you land (in case of emergency) and buying a prepaid US number. You do not need a SSN to buy prepaid. Since you will be using data I am assuming that you would require a smart phone. You can check AT&T page for prices and all here. Check the prices for TMobile, Verizon, Sprint etc too.

 

to add to that, i have to say since i travel to US twice in a year, i use t-mobile, and i found them very good.

 

if you need internet and unlimited calling try the pay daily plan with 2$ a day

 

hope it helps, and matrix is BS, go with local sim

 

mind you, you also lose minutes for incoming calls in USA

 

 

PAY BY THE DAY PLANS

With Pay by the Day plans, you pay only when you use your phone.Starting as low as $1 per day.

 

TALKTEXTWEBPRICE UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedFirst 200 MB/day at up to 4G speed

$3^.00/day Select this plan

Show plan details

UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited2G speed

$2^.00/day

Select this plan

Show plan details

10¢/minUnlimited----$1^.00/day Select this plan

Show plan details

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2011 by Javs

[ctrl_alt_del]

Excellent suggestions there. Yes, the best thing to do is pop by at the nearest Best Buy or any of the cell-phone providers and grab a Pay-As-You-Go phone. I think getting just a SIM card might not be possible in case of providers like AT&T so you will have to pay for a basic phone ($15), take out the SIM card and put it in your cell-phone. Make sure you get it activated on YOUR cell-phone. Sometimes they bind it to the phone it was originally in and then getting it reversed is a hassle.

 

Do a bit of research on the your handsets compatibility with the local carriers. My European Nexus S will not work in 3G on AT&T's network though it is fine on T-Mobiles. Find out which network will work best for your handset as access to 3G/4G speeds is as important as receiving and making calls for you. Some carriers, like T-Mobile disable data connectivity when you go into roaming mode with a pre-paid connection. Make it a point to find out if your provider does that. On a side note, many hotels in US tend nickle and dime you by making wireless internet access chargeable (upto $10/day). You can also access internet on many domestic flights using the Go-Go Internet Service.

 

Keep some quarters handy for making calls from Pay Phones as soon as you land. I had international roaming activated on my Vodafone post-paid and it never worked. As Javs pointed out, here you have to pay for making calls, receiving calls as well as sending and receiving SMS. Hence, you will get multiple packages that give you all sorts of combinations on free SMS or free calling or unlimited internet or all three together. Pick out the ones essential to you. In any case, I think you will have to pony up atleast $30 to get your phone functioning on the new SIM.

 

As for being rude, I would be more concerned about him feeling drowsy while you slumber away next to him. But I guess the driving sections of your journey will be short enough to prevent you from drowsing off.