Coming to America (Cultural Learnings to Make Benefit Australia)

[Captain_Nick]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. It's a three week study course and there will be 'cultural activities', including a baseball game and a trip to the great lakes.

I figure I can only afford a week or so before the course starts, so clearly I'm not going to have time to do America properly.

The trip from Sydney will stop at LA on the way, and nineteen hours in a flying cigar is long enough for me. I'm thinking I can start in LA and slowly head up to Michigan, either by car, bus or train. From the looks of things there will be plenty to see, do and eat on the way.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Biggest difference is the cheese. Most Aus pizza has so little cheese, and the cheese is so ungooey (totally ungooey in many cases) that you could turn the pizza upside down and all the toppings would fall off. The other difference is a lot of the dough here is terrible, no chewy gluteny wonderfulness.

Of course there are great things about great Aus pizzas too, but they can be quite a different animal.

 

[Captain_Nick]

BTW, as I'm sure you all know we don't really have a tipping culture in Australia. How much is a good tip? I understand that food is cheap in America and 10% of a little is not very much at all :/

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Give 20% unless service is bad if you're at a restaurant with table service. For a bar and you're paying as you go, I'd give a dollar a drink or 20%, whichever is greater. I think you can probably get by with less, but it's still a good rule of thumb and will make every one of your servers think Aussies are generous.

 

[urbandefault]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. It's a three week study course and there will be 'cultural activities', including a baseball game and a trip to the great lakes.

I figure I can only afford a week or so before the course starts, so clearly I'm not going to have time to do America properly.

The trip from Sydney will stop at LA on the way, and nineteen hours in a flying cigar is long enough for me. I'm thinking I can start in LA and slowly head up to Michigan, either by car, bus or train. From the looks of things there will be plenty to see, do and eat on the way.

If you're driving from LA, definitely take Interstate 40 and detour to the Grand Canyon just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. You'll go right by the Great Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest, and pass through Winslow, Arizona (immortalized by the Eagles in the song "Take It Easy"). You'll see Albuquerque, New Mexico, Amarillo, Texas (stop at the Big Texan Steak House), almost all of central Oklahoma. Then up through Missouri (the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is pretty cool), across Illinois (meeting your Chicago requirement), and then into Michigan.

It's a long drive, but definitely worth it for the sights and side trips.

 

[Captain Ice]

Besides, where else are you going to experience the wonderful American sports tradition of peeing in a trough?!

LA

 

[Mary Ann]

Maybe after I've eaten all the regional food, seen all the natural wonders, gone to all the museums, explored all the best cities, driven all the great drives, visited all the Trekbbs'ers I might go to a baseball game. OR maybe I'd just go go Canada instead

And watch a hockey game, right?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Yep if you can see the Grand Canyon definitely a good choice, photos do not do it even 1/100th justice. Sounds like a great week, hope you report back!!

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I'd skip NYC and head to Darwin Minnesota to see this.

^ Nah, I wouldn't go for something like that. I feel they're just stringing people along. Tourists shouldn't be left on the ropes.

I knew just from your response what that link was going to be. Didn't take the twine to read the article, though.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Professional interest in pizza. My trip will be paid for by pizza

Word is that you chaps have pretty much perfected the stuff.

DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Iguana-Dalek?

Besides, where else are you going to experience the wonderful American sports tradition of peeing in a trough?!

LA

I think he means, peeing in an *indoor* trough.

 

[thestrangequark]

Professional interest in pizza. My trip will be paid for by pizza

Word is that you chaps have pretty much perfected the stuff.

DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME

The truth is sometimes hard to stomach, I know.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Like a deep dish, I surmise.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Italian pizza, American pizza (and Chicago pizza) are three separate things. Once that's accepted, they can be enjoyed on their own merits. That being said, I've been able to find good wood oven pizza in America, I didn't find good American-style pizza outside the US.

 

[USS Triumphant]

DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME

Sorry, but no pepperoni or pineapple available as toppings = pizza, Jim, but not as we know it. Whenever I've seen actual Italian recipe pizzas, the phrase that floats through my head is "early proof-of-concept prototype".

 

[Captain_Nick]

Professional interest in pizza. My trip will be paid for by pizza

Word is that you chaps have pretty much perfected the stuff.

DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME

It takes more than mozzarella, tomato and basil to make a good pizza

 

[Alidar Jarok]

^ I disagree. There are good pizzas with more toppings, but it's certainly all that's necessary.

DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME
DO NOT BLASPHEME

Sorry, but no pepperoni or pineapple available as toppings = pizza, Jim, but not as we know it. Whenever I've seen actual Italian recipe pizzas, the phrase that floats through my head is "early proof-of-concept prototype".

I like ordering a pepperoni pizza in Italy because I get a pizza with bell peppers on it

 

[iguana_tonante]

It takes more than mozzarella, tomato and basil to make a good pizza

No, it really does not. If your pizza isn't going to be a great Margherita, then no amount of topping will ever save it.

But I see pizza is a contentious topic, so please resume the trip advices.

 

[Captain_Nick]

I see that pizza is a contentious topic. Perhaps it would be best if we got back to talking about awesome stuff to see in America.

SO

Like I said, I'm thinking of starting in LA and slowly heading towards Chicago/East Lansing. It is not be feasible to see the whole country in a week so I might have to forgo New York and the East Coast (until next time!)

Is it possible to hire a car in one place and return it in another? I know that if I were to try this here in Australia the rental company would charge an arm and a leg if I don't return the car to the same place that I got it from.

 

[Captain_Nick]

HA beat me to it