Visting Vegas

The view from the Eiffel Tower looking up the strip.

We flew into Las Vegas at about 5.30pm on a Saturday night. The view from the plane was stunning. The lights are amazing. After we checked into our hotel we decided to hit the strip to check out Vegas on a Saturday night. For the first two hours at least we were completely overwhelmed. So here are some tips for visiting Vegas.

The best thing to do when you get there is just walk the strip. The strip is about 6km long so be prepared for some serious walking. A lot of the major stuff is a bit closer together but it’s still a good walk. Dunno how those girls do it in massive heels – good on them.

Hotels in Vegas are soooo cheap. We stayed in Circus Circus which was pretty cool. It’s one of the older hotels but the rooms are comfy and clean and they have free circus acts throughout the day. It’s towards the north end of the strip and is a little walk from the main area of the strip but a pretty good place to stay all around. Food in Vegas is a bit more expensive though so be prepared.

San Francisco Sights

I’ve managed to get to quite a few places throughout the semester – so far Chicago, St Louis, Vegas, the Grand Canyon and San Francisco – so I thought I’d share a little about what I most enjoyed so if you’re planning a trip you get some ideas about where to go and what to do. Since we only got back from San Francisco on Monday I thought that’d be a good place to start.

Esther and I at the Golden Gate Bridge. Make sure you walk it if you're there!

If you’re trying to do it on the cheap a hostel is a good way to go although you never quite know what you’re going to get (yes there are hostels in most cities in America). We stayed at Globetrotters Inn on Ellis St and had a great time. The place is cosy and pretty clean but most importantly the people are great and there’s a great atmosphere. And it was really cheap! Some friends stayed at the USA Hostel and said that was really nice too.

If you’re going to San Francisco the Golden Gate Bridge is a given! We did a cruise out under the bridge and around Alcatraz Island which was good and cost us just over $20, but better by far was walking over it. It is a decent walk so be prepared. It took maybe an hour and a half to walk there and back – we weren’t walking fast and we took a LOT of photos. The bridge is 2.7km long (1.7 miles) but well worth the time. Wear a jacket – it can get ridiculously windy!

Tips for Tipping

I’ve been meaning to write a post about tipping for a while now but knowing that this post will take some time and some asking around because I still don’t totally get it.

You can play the dumb tourist and not tip for a few days but if you intend on going back again I wouldn’t suggest it. It’s not like they earn a heck of a lot either so I’d feel bad not tipping.

Let’s start with restaurants. Unless you never intend on going back again, 10 per cent is usually the minimum you should tip. 15 to 20 per cent is a good amount. If the service was really good tip 20 per cent, it it was average try 15. Somewhere in that range is what you’ll find most people giving. And if you’re out with American friends, don’t be afraid to ask them what they would usually give.

Weekly Words 2

Yeah so the Weeky Word section hasn’t been weekly thus far, but hey, I’m going to keep the name anyway.

This time around there’s no theme. It’s simply whatever words I can think of at the moment that are used differently. This week we’re starting with the Kiwi words and working back the other way.

An almost extinct, nocturnal bird that can't fly and is almost blind. And it's our national animal??

Kiwi - how could I have missed this one. It really should have been my first post I guess! The first thing people think of when you say Kiwi is the fruit. I have had to explain to almost everyone that a Kiwi is also our national bird and the nickname for a New Zealander. When you call yourself a Kiwi be prepared for some strange looks. Here’s an ad that was used as an example in one of my classes – it’s a guaranteed laugh!

Dodgy - a lot of people will know what you’re talking about but not all. This was one of the first words to catch me out. Sketchy is more commonly used in the States. You should have seen me fumbling to explain what dodgy meant before someone asked if it was like sketchy.

Jandals - no one knows what a jandal is. Stick to flip flops if you want people to know what you’re talking about. And no, we don’t just call them sandals because they are a specific type of sandal (yes I’m talking to you. You know who you are!).

Money, money, money…

Ok. So a slightly more serious post this week. I’ll try not to make it too boring though!

Money is a big issue when you’re going to another country, no matter how long for. I thought I’d fill you in on how I’ve done it so far – it’s worked out pretty well if I do say so myself.

Before I left I got myself a bunch of US cash. I think I got out maybe around US$700 (because I knew I had to pay $500 for housing as soon as I got here). As well as being very handy, getting foreign cash is super exciting. Every time I looked at it I got excited! (Lame I know. But hey!)

The truth about American food – Part 2

As I wrote the last post I realized food is a topic far too important to even attempt to cover in one measly blog post. We covered the size of food in the last post. To sum up – it’s often pretty big; you don’t have to eat it all.

This week I’ll delve into the nutritional content of American food. Well maybe not quite. But I’ll give you a few handy hints on what to avoid and how to eat healthily.

Pizza is a sometimes food! (This is two pieces but you get the idea of how big they are.)

Another warning I got before I left New Zealand was regarding the availability of fresh food. The conversation went something like this:

Friend: “I’ve seen you munching on fruit.”

Me: “Yeah…”

Friend: “You’ll never find fresh fruit over there. You’ll have to hunt out fresh fruit and veges. Enjoy it while you can.”

This has not been a problem since I arrived here. As you saw in my last post, the first meal I had was a salad. Yes, the cheese and chicken were more processed than plastic but the vegetables were fine.

When you go out for dinner you will see a lot of burgers, pizza and Mexican on the menu (I love Mexican so that’s fine by me!) and very few of the types of meals you’d expect in a restaurant in New Zealand. I have yet to see a roast of any kind and the typical meat and veges dish that is the norm back home is a rarity here. Admittedly we tend to stick to the cheaper restaurants but this still came as a surprise.

Most restaurants do offer salads, which are a good option if you feel like you’re turning into a burger (or a pizza for that matter) and you can often choose vegetables or salad as a side rather than fries. I know, choosing vegetables over fries is a hard call, but sometimes it’s just necessary. Balance, my friend, is the key.

Weekly Words

So I’ve decided to have a weekly vocab lesson (so long as I don’t forget. To be honest I was going to start it last week and forgot).

We get enough American TV back in good ol’ New Zealand to have no trouble interpreting American English most of the time. I have however had many a blank stare when I’ve inadvertently used Kiwi slang (most of the time I don’t even realize that they don’t use those terms until I see the glazed over eyes, tilted head and puzzled frown).

I figure since we’re on the topic of food this is as good a place as any to start.

Biscuits and gravy

Biscuit – Ok. I’ve stuffed this one up a few times now and had people look at me like I’m crazy when I offer them a biscuit and hold out a pack of cookies. Cookie and biscuit are not the same thing here. A cookie is what we, in New Zealand, call a biscuit. If an American says biscuit they are referring to a food that resembles a very crumbly, dry scone which is usually eaten for breakfast – often with gravy. Be warned!

The truth about American food

Miranda watches as Allan tucks into a foot long corn dog. They don't do things by halves!

“It’s impossible to find a small meal. I wanted a light meal so I ordered a stuffed tomato – it was the biggest tomato I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ll put on at least 10kgs.”

These are just some of the comments I heard before I left New Zealand for my American adventure.

More than anything else, friends, family and acquaintances warned me of the perils of American food. They put the fear of God in me – or more correctly the fear of returning with some excess weight. And it was food that was one of my first experiences in the States.

After spending over two months in the land of excess, and eating with exchange students from France, Spain, Argentina, Germany and Scotland to name a few, I have uncovered many of the truths and myths surrounding food.

Size is perhaps the most obvious difference.

After a 12 hour flight from Auckland to LAX my stomach was rebelling against the aeroplane food, so I decided to settle for a Coke while I waited for my connecting flight. I stood in line at Burger King wondering how big a small drink would be. Sure enough, the smallest size drink would at least classify as medium back in New Zealand. Was this a sign of things to come I wondered?