Do's & Don'ts in the US !

[evilzee28]

Hi Guys, well, we've finally set the date for coming to the Good 'Ole US of A! We're coming to Florida on March 31st until April 14th 2006. Arriving at Sandford airport & we'll be renting a villa At The Abbey at Westhaven, Orlando.

Now I know we've spoken about stuff on my other posting here but,........What are the do's & don'ts of living/driving in the US, you know "don't go into this area" or "make sure you tip the bellboys", "watch out for alligators" etc etc. I know that it's second nature for you guys but for me it'll be totally alien as I've never been to the US before, come to that I've never driven abroad before either so that'll be a totally new experience just trying to understand the road signs I guess!! lol.Any thoughts would be appreciated. For the driving experience side of things, just remember the first time you went out in a car on your own Hope to get to NPD to get parts for my car, maybe do the Garlits museum & the Ocala cars thing,anything else you could suggest? Thanks guys,..................Nigel

[907rs]

#1, and definitely the most important rule....... Drive on the right side of the road.

[evilzee28]

Originally Posted by 907rs

#1, and definitely the most important rule....... Drive on the right side of the road.

Oh Yeah,very good, never thought of that lol

Someone told me that the road signs are above the freeways etc but tell you where the intersecting roads are going,not the road you're on (does that make sense) is this right, sounds a load of B***cks to me? Over here the signs on the overheads tell you where your road is going. He also said that sometimes the red traffic lights don't always mean stop, & on occasions you go through them,surely this isn't right!!!!!!!!! I think he's having a laugh at my expense.DOH!!

[MaxHarvard]

where are you from? that might help us know what to tell you since we can kinda know what to compare it to

Lets see, when you see flashing lights behind you... MOVE OVER!! Americans dont even do this, but its common curtesy, as i'm sure it is in your country too

Tips... very few hotels in America have bellboys anymore, its rare unless you go to a high-end hotel, so i wouldnt worry about it. Most hotels will turn down the sheets every day, so if you have anything of value in the hotel room, hide it or put it in your rental car... too many horror stories. Plus, if you have money out on the table or somewhere in the hotel, the staff cleaning the room will think its a tip. Just an FYI.

Dont mess with the aligators in FL, they get touchy about that...

Act with confidence when you travel and go places, honestly... people who prey on foreigners can see who's "lost" when they go places and when they arent from the area. Act like you've been there 100,000 times before. The black socks with open toed sandals give away a tourist from 10 miles away

[evilzee28]

Originally Posted by MaxHarvard

where are you from? that might help us know what to tell you since we can kinda know what to compare it to

Lets see, when you see flashing lights behind you... MOVE OVER!! Americans dont even do this, but its common curtesy, as i'm sure it is in your country too

Tips... very few hotels in America have bellboys anymore, its rare unless you go to a high-end hotel, so i wouldnt worry about it. Most hotels will turn down the sheets every day, so if you have anything of value in the hotel room, hide it or put it in your rental car... too many horror stories. Plus, if you have money out on the table or somewhere in the hotel, the staff cleaning the room will think its a tip. Just an FYI.

Dont mess with the aligators in FL, they get touchy about that...

Act with confidence when you travel and go places, honestly... people who prey on foreigners can see who's "lost" when they go places and when they arent from the area. Act like you've been there 100,000 times before. The black socks with open toed sandals give away a tourist from 10 miles away

Thanks for that Max, I'm from Great Britain if that helps any.Thankfully I don't wear open toe'd sandals so ok there I guess. trouble is if I do get "lost" as soon as I open my mouth they'll know I'm a foreigner for sure "awright mate, 'ows it gowing" lol.

[Damn True]

With a regular 3 lamp (Red, amber, green) signal lamp if the red lamp is solid red, it means stop until it turns green.
Sometimes you will find that type of lamp flashing red (usually only late at night) when you see this you are to treat the intersection as a 4-way stop yielding right of way to the car on your right.
In some rural areas you will see a single flashing red light over the center of an intersection, again, a 4-way stop.
If you see a flashing yellow you are to slow but not stop for the intersection and proceed with caution.

[dagger]

If you are bringing young children with you (10 years old or less) be sure to arrange for daycare if you plan on making excursions without them. I live in Tampa and it seems like once or twice a year there is a story about European tourists leaving young children alone at their Florida hotel for some length of time. The children always get out of the room and start wandering around and the parents wind up in jail for child neglect/abuse.

On a lighter note, check out the cruise at Old Town in Kissimmee on Saturday nights (I think it's on Saturday nights). Hundreds of cars show up any given weekend. It's pretty cool.

Dave

[evilzee28]

Originally Posted by dagger

If you are bringing young children with you (10 years old or less) be sure to arrange for daycare if you plan on making excursions without them. I live in Tampa and it seems like once or twice a year there is a story about European tourists leaving young children alone at their Florida hotel for some length of time. The children always get out of the room and start wandering around and the parents wind up in jail for child neglect/abuse.

On a lighter note, check out the cruise at Old Town in Kissimmee on Saturday nights (I think it's on Saturday nights). Hundreds of cars show up any given weekend. It's pretty cool.

Dave

what sort of time does the Old Town thing start & finish?? Are there any best vantage points?

Thanks for the info guys

[evilzee28]

Originally Posted by Damn True

With a regular 3 lamp (Red, amber, green) signal lamp if the red lamp is solid red, it means stop until it turns green.
Sometimes you will find that type of lamp flashing red (usually only late at night) when you see this you are to treat the intersection as a 4-way stop yielding right of way to the car on your right.
In some rural areas you will see a single flashing red light over the center of an intersection, again, a 4-way stop.
If you see a flashing yellow you are to slow but not stop for the intersection and proceed with caution.

Hell that stoplight thing gets complex huh?Whats a 4-way stop,is this where everyone at the intersection has the right of way from all the different directions, sorry for being stupid?

[907rs]

Originally Posted by evilzee28

Hell that stoplight thing gets complex huh?Whats a 4-way stop,is this where everyone at the intersection has the right of way from all the different directions, sorry for being stupid?

The person that comes to a stop first has the right-of way, so it's a good idea to pay attention if you come to one.