persephone Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Hi everyone. It's not long now til my trip to Harvard. I've never been to the USA before- can anyone give me any useful hints or tips?What sort of tips do people give in restaurants or at the airport (I'm getting wheelchair assistance)Any other points of etiquette you could let me know about that I may not already be aware of?ThanksP x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Safe journey and have a great time!!!! at least on the US side, you will have an airport staff person who will likely greet you at your airline's gate and wheel you to where ever your luggage arrives.As for restaurants, I don't know the area, but generally speaking most newer places conform the the US's American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are typically accessible and accommodating.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 15% to 20% of the bill is standard in restaurants. I don't know about airport help. If they accept tips, a couple dollars would be good.Have a good time! There's lots to see and do.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Maybe I'm wrong, but when I was at the airport and I used their wheelchairs and their assistants, I did not tip anyone. I thought it was part of their job to handle disabled people?Persephone,You'll have a great time visiting, unless I misunderstood you and you are coming here for medical help?I just went to the UK and back and thought I'd never survive, but I did. We tip more in restaurants, 15 - 20 %, which was more than the UK. Also, we say, "bye" or "bye bye" on the phone, not "cheers". We have "parking lots", not "car parks". You won't find any "bangers and mash" or "fish and chips".We say "excuse me" instead of "sorry". I mean, the language is slightly different, if you know what I mean?We tend not to be as polite, a little but more rough around the edges, than UK people.We have different accents depending on where you are. Boston, or New England area, has their own accent, as do New Yorkers, southerners, mid westerners. It will take some getting used to when we speak, but pretty soon you'll understand us.And, how could I forget? We drive on the right-hand side of the road and tend to use stop signs and stop lights instead of "roundabouts". Our drivers are on the left of the vehicles. Watch especially carefully crossing the street since you will probably be looking in the wrong direction.We have stores that can be open very late, and some of them stay open all night.I'm happy for you that you will be here. Take care.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Thanks Yeah I'm not coming for medical help- I'm giving a paper at a conference Excited. But terrified! I'll remember the excuse me thing. Over here, people say "EXCUSE ME" when they're mad at someone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 You can find fish and chips, but mushy peas? Not so much.My sister in law is English but lives here now. She imports her peas.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 To be truthful, I'm not a fan of mushy peas! Do you guys have salt and vinegar crisps? (I think you call crisps potato chips. What we call chips, you call fries). Funny, these differences, aren't they!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Yes, we have salt and vinegar crisps:they are called potato chips. To be honest, when I visited the UK I realized that our languages are gradually diverging from each other. There are many instances in which you say one thing, and we say another. I felt so stupid speaking that I kept quiet.I'm glad we still understand each other on here . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 You can find salt and vinegar flavored potato chips (aka crisps in UK) in pretty much any larger grocery store -- some of the smaller shops that are intended for a quick run in for milk, sandwiches, eggs and such may not have a big variety of choices. While you're in New England, if you like seafood, you may want to try to find a local place that serves fresh lobster --often it's served steamed with the vegies in the pot with it, such as corn on the cob and potato. As others have mentioned, I've not usually tipped at the airport but if you do, no more than a few dollars is appropriate. At restaurants, larger groups eating together may have the tips included already in the check (6+ diners eating together), so make sure if you're with a large group, that you find out before you pay too much. Standard is 15%, and if the service was exceptionally good, we usually leave 20%. We'll also leave 20% if we've made lots of special requests. Oh, here's something I found funny--in Europe, they called an oil and vinegar based salad dressing "American" dressing--but here at home, we call that "Italian" dressing.If you're getting tea or coffee, it will typically be served to you with 1/2 and 1/2 cream on the side, not milk so if you want milk, you'll need to specifically ask.You also may find that the portion sizes of the meals are HUGE compared with what is typical in Europe. Also, most restaurants do serve alcohol, but some may not--usually that means you can bring your own bottle of wine, beer, etc. If you see BYOB, it means "bring your own bottle"; usually if they have a bar and serve alcohol on the premises you are not permitted to byo.HAVE FUN!!!Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 To be truthful, I'm not a fan of mushy peas!Me neither. I thought they were nasty when we visited in 2005. But I didn't want to hurt your feelings if you were a big fan! Steak and ale pies, now, THAT's something I can support! And you guys have great beer!Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Thanks ladies! I should be ok with the BYOB as I'm tee total, I don't drink at all now. I'm also vegetarian so the seafood won't appeal to me but my DAd may like to give it a try,though THanks for the tips on tips (ha ha!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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