A new world - lintworm in the USA

[ThylacineAlive]

I used Greyhound by myself for the first time back in March 2019, and I was under the impression that you needed to have bought your ticket well in advance. I have never tried just buying a ticket at the station when using an interstate bus.

Just wait until you come across the wildly popular "convenience fee". Which is especially great when it's the only option to buy something.

Ah, convenience fees. I learned how ridiculous these were when I worked in a grocery store and noticed that the small beverages available in those minifridges by the registers were over twice the price of the bottles kept non-refrigerated in the aisles which are over twice the size of the refrigerated ones.

~Thylo

 

[snowleopard]

@CGSwans is correct, though, about booking hotels ahead of time. I always do this, searching for the best deals on Expedia (and also using their customer reviews to find the nicer places). However, everyone's favorite ZooChatter @snowleopard has a much more laissez-faire attitude in this regard and seems to thrive on the uncertainty of finding a room at the last minute. If you read his Wisconsin trip report from summer 2018 you will see it did not serve him that well. Of course it also depends on when and where you are traveling. In summer (most places) it's a bad move. In other seasons when hotels are not full it's a safer bet.

I slept in my minivan 75% of the time on that particular road trip, saving me hundreds of dollars.

I know that everyone shakes their head at my night-time accommodation, but this summer I spent 32 nights in 4 different European nations and there were exactly ZERO occasions when I personally booked a motel ahead of time.* There were many days when I'd visit a few zoos, then stop for dinner at around 5:00 p.m. and only then book a motel (via my Iphone) for the evening. It sounds insane, but in actual fact I pulled it off with no problems thanks to various websites with a variety of last-minute deals. I think that I probably saved quite a bit of money in the long-run, as often there would only be a few rooms left and I'd get a discounted rate. I pulled it off from July 15th to August 15th, probably the absolute peak time for tourists in Europe...and I'll do it again next time around. Hopefully I'll be back in Europe in the summer of 2022, booking motels in the evening or bunking up with a few zoo nerds here and there.

* When @sooty mangabey and I spent 3 nights in a motel next to Vogelpark Avifauna we did pre-book that accommodation. 'Sooty' made the reservation.

 

[NSU42]

I slept in my minivan 75% of the time on that particular road trip, saving me hundreds of dollars.

I know that everyone shakes their head at my night-time accommodation, but this summer I spent 32 nights in 4 different European nations and there were exactly ZERO occasions when I personally booked a motel ahead of time.* There were many days when I'd visit a few zoos, then stop for dinner at around 5:00 p.m. and only then book a motel (via my Iphone) for the evening. It sounds insane, but in actual fact I pulled it off with no problems thanks to various websites with a variety of last-minute deals. I think that I probably saved quite a bit of money in the long-run, as often there would only be a few rooms left and I'd get a discounted rate. I pulled it off from July 15th to August 15th, probably the absolute peak time for tourists in Europe...and I'll do it again next time around. Hopefully I'll be back in Europe in the summer of 2022, booking motels in the evening or bunking up with a few zoo nerds here and there.

* When @sooty mangabey and I spent 3 nights in a motel next to Vogelpark Avifauna we did pre-book that accommodation. 'Sooty' made the reservation.

I'd second this. While my trips don't come anywhere close to the length of time as Snowleopard's, I have never once had an issue booking a hotel for the same night. I do the same thing and check various deal websites from Hotwire to Google and rarely spend over $50 for standard hotel rooms.

 

[lintworm]

With less than six weeks before take-off, one of the final hurdles was taken: getting an ESTA. Europeans can travel to the US without a visa, except that they don't really. Instead of a visa application we have to get ESTA approval to the United States, which is an easy way to earn 14 USD for the US state and a bureaucratic hurdle for anyone wanting to go to the US (or change planes there...). Apparently the EU is retaliating and is establishing a similar hurdle, called ETIAS, which comes at a modest 8 euros and will even be necessary for UK visitors...

But enough politics, after stating that I am not planning to commit genocide while traveling in the US and that I am not a carrier of the Krim-Congo virus and filling in all kinds of personal information of me and even some family members, who are not even traveling with me. I got a confirmation within minutes that I was indeed approved to try to enter the US. An ESTA approval is thus no guarantee you are actually allowed to enter by the US customs, who are apparently renowned for their lack of humor and their willingness to let you sweat. I wonder what is the rationale behind this, as they won't be stopping anybody with the measure. I much prefer the East African system where you can just fill in a card on arrival, leave a picture and part with 50 USD and you are in. No complicated issues and no fake sense of security.

 

[CGSwans]

The reason they ask you about genocidal tendencies and all the rest is that it gives them a legal basis to prosecute, jail and deport you if you *have* committed genocide, even though your original crimes weren’t covered by US law.

 

[AWP]

I got my ESTA approval last week and it seemed I had to give less information than some years ago. My experience with the US customs is not too bad, got a young latino guy that made some jokes in Houston and and a relaxed Asian man in Newark (next to a bit cranky women the first time in Newark).

 

[lintworm]

Less than four weeks now before departure .

One of the nice things about AZA zoos is that a lot of them are part of a reciprocity scheme where membership holders can visit other zoos with 50-100% discount, which is something that could save me around 150-200 USD. Are there any Europeans that have successfully used it?

The first zoo I plan to visit that takes part in this scheme is Atlanta zoo, but for some reason they do not have memberships for single people on their website. Does anyone know whether they do still have an option for single memberships... If not it does not make sense economically to buy a 2-person membership and I have to wait a bit before buying a membership elsewhere... I know that San Diego limits the geographical area from where one can buy a membership, but my guess is that they are pretty much the only one to do that?

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Less than four weeks now before departure .

One of the nice things about AZA zoos is that a lot of them are part of a reciprocity scheme where membership holders can visit other zoos with 50-100% discount, which is something that could save me around 150-200 USD. Are there any Europeans that have successfully used it?

The first zoo I plan to visit that takes part in this scheme is Atlanta zoo, but for some reason they do not have memberships for single people on their website. Does anyone know whether they do still have an option for single memberships... If not it does not make sense economically to buy a 2-person membership and I have to wait a bit before buying a membership elsewhere... I know that San Diego limits the geographical area from where one can buy a membership, but my guess is that they are pretty much the only one to do that?

The tricky part here is that, since you do not live in the US, you're going to have to buy the membership at the zoo on arrival. Unless there are any zoos with ship memberships internationally? I doubt it but, if so, what I've always done is simply buy the cheapest membership plan I can find within the AZA (they can be as low at $25 per person!) and then have the membership card mailed to my house.

~Thylo

 

[Arizona Docent]

@lintworm Let me check on something regarding reciprocal membership. I will contact you in a day or two via private conversation.

 

[Great Argus]

@lintworm Are you still coming given the current state of affairs with COVID-19? Many of us would love to hear your take on US zoos, but given the increasing travel restrictions and quarantines I imagine things would take longer...

 

[lintworm]

@lintworm Are you still coming given the current state of affairs with COVID-19? Many of us would love to hear your take on US zoos, but given the increasing travel restrictions and quarantines I imagine things would take longer...

For now I am still planning to come to the US, but the timing is far from perfect. I am due to leave on Saturday and while I don't foresee any problems in the first leg of the journey, once I get to California there might be a problem there, as the virus seems to spread exponentially by now. I am personally not too worried about contracting the virus myself, I think that chance is still pretty low. I do however find the options of quarantines, lockdowns etc. a bit scary and that could mean I either get stuck or significantly have to alter my travel plans. Had I set out 2-3 weeks ago, everything would have been fine. And even in a few weeks time we will have more information about how this virus exactly works and know how it spreads. I will still go to the US most probably, but I am monitoring this situation daily, it is all going a bit faster than expected though...

 

[DavidBrown]

For now I am still planning to come to the US, but the timing is far from perfect. I am due to leave on Saturday and while I don't foresee any problems in the first leg of the journey, once I get to California there might be a problem there, as the virus seems to spread exponentially by now. I am personally not too worried about contracting the virus myself, I think that chance is still pretty low. I do however find the options of quarantines, lockdowns etc. a bit scary and that could mean I either get stuck or significantly have to alter my travel plans. Had I set out 2-3 weeks ago, everything would have been fine. And even in a few weeks time we will have more information about how this virus exactly works and know how it spreads. I will still go to the US most probably, but I am monitoring this situation daily, it is all going a bit faster than expected though...

I wish that I could give you some reassurance that things will likely be fine when you get to California, but things are getting more intense and unsettled by the day unfortunately. Zoos and museums are still open as I write this, but frankly I wouldn't be surprised to see things start shutting down. The uncertainty of what to do in terms of quarantining public spaces is one of the things that has people nervous and uncertain.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

The key point for lintworm will also be buses and hotels, both of which may become inaccessible.

 

[Arizona Docent]

I say cancel all of California and spend that time in the great state of Arizona instead!

 

[pachyderm pro]

President Trump has just blocked travel between Europe and America for the next 30 days as a precaution for Covid-19. This goes into effect Friday a day before our thread starter was intending to take off, so I am sorry Lintworm. I assume this means that this trip won’t be happening.

 

[Great Argus]

President Trump has just blocked travel between Europe and America for the next 30 days as a precaution for Covid-19. This goes into effect Friday a day before our thread starter was intending to take off, so I am sorry Lintworm. I assume this means that this trip won’t be happening.

Sorry Lintworm, I hope you are able to get any prepaid travel/lodging back! Do you think you will postpone and try another time?

 

[FunkyGibbon]

Lintworm will almost certainly be asleep right now. It would be nice to let him wake up and deal with this on his own terms and make his own announcements.

 

[AmbikaFan]

When you say the problem is the food, are you referring specifically to food inside zoos? If so, I agree with you, as I have found European zoos to have almost universally better cafes than American zoos. If you are referring to the country as a whole, then I am not sure I agree.

I also agree that it is shocking that some big city zoos (like Los Angeles) do not open until 10am. However most of the zoos in my state open before that (and open even earlier in summer). This is also true in other states and based on my travels 9am seems to be the most common opening time. My local Arizona Sonora Desert Museum even opens at 7:30am from March through September. Phoenix Zoo opens at 7am June through August (and members get in at 6am).

I love and respect @Arizona Docent, but I must say he is withholding something crucial about Arizona zoos. The heat. These zoos may open at 6 or 7, but they close by 2 in the heat of the summer, because it's terribly hot. The second day I was in Phoenix, my daughter was working with the elephant crew all day, and as I walked around, I saw all these young couples with tots and strollers and jogging strollers rushing for the entrance. This was a weekday, so I didn't understand this huge, sudden horde of interest, nor the rush. I finally managed to ask why so many young families were rushing into the zoo--was it some kind of special event or promotion? The young dad said, "Heck, yeah! It's only 101 degrees today, the perfect weather for a family outing!" It looked as if young working professionals had just flat out left work in the dust, changed clothes, and rushed to avail themselves of this opportunity. These facilities open earlier than most, but they also close considerably earlier than most.

 

[AmbikaFan]

That said I have never met any Trump supporter in my life, basically all Americans I have personally met are nice people with quite a similar mindset to Europeans, they are just a bit loud That will be interesting, the town where I live currently has about 40.000 inhabitants but over a 110 nationalities (and according to an older report even 167, more than NYC). Race is not really an issue here at all, at least for a white male as me...

After one of the Hollywood awards ceremonies, Robert de Niro articulated something that was simple and true. Many--including me--wept in 2008 seeing an African American become president, proud that our country had come to a point where people, for the first time ever, could see themselves being represented by our government, thrilled for those people. But De Niro pointed out that over the next 8 years, we discovered just how much bigotry and racism was indeed out there, people who were not at all glad to have an African American president, immigrants, or anything else that would contribute to the "browning" of America. People who do indeed have a problem with race. This is what Trump is and why he won. Don't underestimate who and where you will find them. Make it a point never to talk about politics; consider feigning complete ignorance. As Ron Reagan (son of the former President) said on Thanksgiving Eve two years ago, when you know there are at least three vastly different opinions on where this country is headed seated around the table--and you know that you're in a "conceal-and-carry" state--consider your options very carefully and talk a lot about the marvelous food and how good the local sports teams are. Please be very cautious, Lintworm.

 

[Great Argus]

I love and respect @Arizona Docent, but I must say he is withholding something crucial about Arizona zoos. The heat. These zoos may open at 6 or 7, but they close by 2 in the heat of the summer, because it's terribly hot. The second day I was in Phoenix, my daughter was working with the elephant crew all day, and as I walked around, I saw all these young couples with tots and strollers and jogging strollers rushing for the entrance. This was a weekday, so I didn't understand this huge, sudden horde of interest, nor the rush. I finally managed to ask why so many young families were rushing into the zoo--was it some kind of special event or promotion? The young dad said, "Heck, yeah! It's only 101 degrees today, the perfect weather for a family outing!" It looked as if young working professionals had just flat out left work in the dust, changed clothes, and rushed to avail themselves of this opportunity. These facilities open earlier than most, but they also close considerably earlier than most.

Same could be said for parts of California and Texas however. They get just as hot, and the phenomenon you observe is indeed the same. Typically temperatures do not reach that high in March either.
@Arizona Docent is also certainly used to heat, given his usual haunts of Arizona and southern California, which does play a big part. I come from a very hot area myself, and I have little trouble working outside in even 100 degrees Farenheit so long as I keep hydrated. By contrast some of my extended family members melt if they visit during the summer, and hence they try to avoid doing so. So all said it is a fair warning to anyone from a color climate!