US here we come

While only in the US for about a month, a pattern emerged as to how individual Americans viewed Australians. First, let me say that there was a very good vibe toward us. I think of the relationship as akin to one between cousins. Certainly, culturally, Australia has been very influenced by US television programs and films and fashions. The opposition to this influence – which some critics label as ‘cultural imperialism’ – has many sources and they are mostly conservative ones: the old Anglo British elite who bemoaned any move away from Empire, the locals of the generation who remember the Second World War when a million American soldiers were stationed in Australia and who resented the better pay and attraction to the womenfolk of the ‘Yank’ soldiers (who were supposedly “overpaid and over-sexed” as well as over here”) and the churches and other moralists who felt that US culture (including imported comic books in the 1950s!) were a source of moral degeneration.

Later, the war in Vietnam, for which Australia introduced selective conscription, inflamed an anti-Americanism as an off-shoot of a legitimate (in my view) anti-imperialism. Yet this was not really anti-Americanism, as we modelled elements of our protest activity on those of our American fellow-activists and were in solidarity with them.

During my family’s visit to Hollywood, New York and San Francisco in May, we found a consistent perception of Australia on the part of ordinary Americans that drew on portrayals in popular culture, specifically and overwhelmingly on the movie, ‘Crocodile Dundee’. I was occasionally asked where I was from, followed by: “Are you British?” or “Are you English?”. While Australia never had a revolution of the magnitude of 1776, and has remained a constitutional monarchy, this question provokes the prompt response: “No, I’m an Australian”.

This, in turn, leads to references to one of three things. Firstly, a number of Americans laughingly referred to the scene in Crocodile Dundee where Paul Hogan’s character is about to be mugged by a knife-weilder. Hogan looks at the would-be mugger’s weapon and then brings out his own, much bigger, knife and says: “You call that a knife – that’s a knife!”. I enjoyed enacting that line with maybe half a dozen individuals and could be confident they’d ‘get it’.

Paul Hogan certainly has shaped Australia’s image in the US. He also appeared in an advert, widely run on US television in the early 1990s (I think), which had the punch-line: “Put another shrimp on the barbie”. Quite a few individuals greeted me with that line, on learning that I was from Australia. I hate being a party-pooper but I must admit that I always replied by pointing out that no-one actually says that in Australia and, what’s more, we call them prawns not shrimps. It was all good fun.

Finally, for some reason Americans think it’s unusual to call a jumper a jumper. A couple of people immediately said to me, on learning where I was from: “Oh, you guys wear jumpers!”, with emphasis on the word “jumper” as though it was something from outer space. I’m still figuring this one out but am reasonably confident that in the US they are called “sweaters”. There must be an Australian show on TV in the US that has people using ‘jumper’, which is quite accurate as that’s what we tend to call ’em!

I’m not sure whether Americans really think Australians are basically crocodile hunters. The counter-image, of course, relates to the Sydney Opera House, which also seemed to be associated with Australia.

I guess clarifying and understanding who and what different cultures and peoples really are is part of the greatness of travel and tourism in an age when jet travel is more accessible to more people than it has ever been.

Any comments on this – by other Aussies or Americans or whoever – welcome!

Barry

I recall that it cost me about $2000 (Aust) to fly from Australia’ east coast to London back in 1980. It might have been slightly more. From (shaky) memory, it was about the same in 1985 (though it took about 37 hours, as I took a long-winding but cheaper route).

The airfares today are not much different. Does anyone have any comparative costs? Is it true that, in real terms (relative to wages), airfares are much cheaper now than they were 20 to 30 years ago?

Barry

… parents travelling with their kids!

</a

Joan and I travelled to the US from Australia with our two children, Joey and Hannah. Joey is 14 and going through that phase when the individual needs to separate from their parents and forge their own identity (while still totally dependent on us for things like laundry, cooking, finding the remote, buying more batteries, etc.). It’s a healthy process for them but a difficult time for parents. Our daughter, Hannah, was eleven when we left Canberra but turned 12 in Hollywood. Our original plan for the month overseas was scheduled for 2007 but had to be postponed due to circumstances beyond our control. I reckon we just made it – had we postponed the trip another year, to 2009, it would have been almost unworkable in terms of travelling with a 15 year old boy. An essential element of that stage of life is a self-centredness that makes it difficult to compromise and negotiate.

Before offering some advice based on our experience, I must point out that while Hannah was delightful and Joey difficult, it was definitely worth all the effort. Joey seemed mostly alienated and dissatisfied while in the US with us – the “dead-beats”, as he called us on one occasion! – but no sooner were we back in Canberra than he was talking enthusiastically about aspects of the trip that he enjoyed. He just loved LA and wants to return – with his mates, as soon as they’re all old enough. He even checked the air-fares on the internet. Like me, Joey would have liked another week, at least, in the States – a pity he didn’t show his enthusiasm so much when we were actually there, but it’s great to know that he basically enjoyed the adventure, albeit with his (dead-beat) parents and younger sister.

Hannah, only just having turned 12, was keen to return home. She is not yet going through the stage of life of separation from her parents and that dependency worked for us all. She was amazing really, keeping up with our many miles of fast walking each day, fitting in with often hectic routines. She was usually very tired at night and slept deeply, as did Joey.

The Hints

1. The very first point I’d make is that, when planning the trip, make sure to do all you can to involve your children in the planning. It should be their journey as much as yours. Joan and I attempted this involvement by asking Joey and Hannah what type of things they’d like to do in the US and which places they’d like to visit. Obviously, we didn’t expect them to come up with details but we wanted to take on board any general interests they had. We also involved them in the Internet selection of accommodation and booking of activities. Again, early teenage years can be difficult all round and – after we had gone through all the discussions and booked and paid for the tickets to Hollywood, New York and San Francisco – Joey became enthusiastic about the idea of visiting Detroit. (He is an admirer of the rapper, Eminem, who grew up in Detroit). Unfortunately, it was too late to change the plans at such short notice, and neither Joan nor I wanted to anyway, as we had provided every opportunity for such suggestions weeks earlier. I guess young teenagers leave things to the last moment.

None the less, it was a worthwhile process having the planning discussions, as it enabled a degree of inclusiveness, where we could all be happy (up to a point) and it provided a ‘moral’ justification for the route the trip took.

2. As a parent, there have of course been the ‘best of times’ and the ‘worst of times’ over the past 15 years. I found it very helpful to psyche myself up prior to departure by imagining the worst possible scenarios in terms of relationships falling apart within the family unit overseas. I’d imagine the worst possible cases of rudeness and lack of cooperation, and I’d work out in my mind how I’d deal with them. It was an excellent exercise, as I went on the trip prepared for anything! As it turned out, there was no worse case scenario, just some difficult times – and I was mentally prepared. A benefit of this preparation was that I did not (I think) contribute to any worsening of the difficulties that did arise. (Parents can be part of the problem, too). Joan often talks of needing to be balanced emotionally. She says (of dealing with stressful situations): “Imagine yourself on a surfboard. You either keep your balance on the big wave and have an exhilarating experience and make it to shore – or you fall off and possibly sink”.

3. The psychological need for separation in the teenage years also affects relations with siblings. Hannah was sometimes on the receiving end of Joey’s dissatisfaction. It was understandable that there would be tensions occasionally, as the four of us were together 24/7. Also, four people to a motel or hotel room is very close-range living. In New York, unless you’re a millionaire, your hotel room will be very small. Ours was comfortable enough but just big enough for two double beds – plus a roll-out bed. And this is hint number 3: it is definitely worth paying the extra ($15 to $20 per day) for an additional bed so that, if travelling with two children who would rather not sleep in the same bed, they can have their own space in the hotel room. Of course, there was a need to work out a fair system as to who would have the roll-out bed at each new destination but this was done easily, taking turns on the basis of days and locations. Had we not paid the extra money for an extra bed, I’m sure we would have had big problems and issues almost every night.

4. While we were aware of the dangers of being in a big city in a foreign place, Joan and I both felt that it was necessary and worth the risk to leave the kids in the hotel room at night so that we could have a break from them and relate as a couple. Neither of us wanted to do this regularly but we did it on two or three occasions. We just left Joey and Hannah with instructions not to open the door to anyone, and they spent the night watching TV while we gallivanted about Manhattan.

5. It’s essential to be able to communicate in the advent of becoming lost in an unfamiliar place, especially a bustling city. Thus, we purchased three mobile phones in New York – one each for the children and one for Joan. We wrote the numbers on a bit of paper and the deal was that, should any of us become lost, we would use the mobile phone. The phones were about $20 each, plus $20 phone cards.

6. As part of the preparation for the trip, once the fares were paid and the itinerary finalized, I typed up and printed out copies of the full itinerary and also printed out slips of paper with the details (phone number and address) of each hotel/motel and also flight details of each leg of the journey. I made sure that each of us had this little slip of paper with these details, at each leg of the trip. Again, this was a measure for a situation in which one of us became lost. We would just have to refer to the slip of paper to know the name and address, phone number, of our hotel and also the next booked flight.

The above certainly worked for us.

Barry

c. Barry York 2008

Here’s a photo of San Francisco Bay, from the top of Telegraph Hill (ie, the hill that has the Coit Tower). It’s among my favourite photographs taken during our US trip.

Barry

Here’s a photo of Joan and me – just to put our faces to our signatures.

The statistics for our posts show that we’ve had 700 unique hits. Needless to say, neither joan nor I have a clue who the great majority of you are – but thanks for checking us out!

Barry

My wife Joan reckons I need to write this to get it out of my system.

Gee, I’m feeling flat since returning to Canberra. I was kind of hoping and expecting to feel uplifted and invigorated. Any other intrepid travellers out there who have had the same experience?

Mind you, I’m not really “intrepid”. I’m 57 and have only been overseas five times, the last being 12 years ago. That trip (to the UK and Malta, with brief visits to Rome and Berlin) was a bit of a disaster for me. Very demoralizing and a trip I ended up wishing I had not undertaken (though Joan disagrees on this – she views it more positively). We travelled then with our son who was two years old. And Joan was pregnant with Hannah. We both experienced health problems, too, and had to cut the trip short.

My previous overseas trips were in 1985 (with my London-born mother) to England (and Malta, on my own); in 1980 to Malta and UK (on my own), and to China (yes, RED China!) in 1971 (as part of a delegation of the Australia-China Friendship Society). (I reached Beijing, or Peking as it known back then, before Nixon and Whitlam – nyuk, nyuk).

Malta features prominently in my travels because my dad is Maltese.

I think on all my previous overseas trips, I returned home feeling good, glad to be back. Currently, I’m wishing I was still in the US. Maybe it’s just to do with the break from domestic routine and wage-slavery (not that I don’t like my job – but, hey, I do it primarily for the money!). It was highly stimulating just being away from the predictable and venturing into the relatively unknown. Every street corner offered a new view, new risks, new excitement, the unexpected – whether in Manhattan, Roscoe, Binhamton, Hollywood or Frisco.

Maybe it’s to do with my age – I’m more aware of my mortality these days. Will I be able to go overseas again? If so, when?

Oh well, better start saving!

Barry

Carousel horses at Recreation Park, Binghamton, New York. The carousel features in the Twilight Zone episode titled ‘Walking Distance’.

Sorry to be jumping around chronologically. We’re back in Canberra but I just sent off the following letter to the Press and Sun-Bulletin newspaper in Binghamton, Broome County, New York State.

We went to Binghamton because of my life-long dedication to the Twilight Zone television series. Its creator, Rod Serling, grew up there.

Anyway, on return to Australia, I just wanted to say ‘thanks’ to Binghamton, and figured the best way to thank an entire city is to write a letter to its local newspaper.

Here’s what I wrote:

“Dear Editor,

“My wife, Joan, and our two children, Joey (aged 14) and Hannah (12), and I visited New York City as tourists in May and, as part of our holiday, decided to have a few days upstate in Binghamton. The attraction was the fact that Binghamton is the hometown of the late Rod Serling, creator of the original Twilight Zone television series. I used to watch the Twilight Zone, as a youngster growing up in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1960s, and have followed it, as re-runs or in new versions, ever since. Serling was a genius and I feel a debt to him for sparking my youthful imagination in ways that helped the development of my critical mind and intellect.

“One of my favourite episodes, ‘Walking Distance’, was based on Serling’s childhood experiences at Recreation Park. Indeed, the carousel was recreated for the episode, which starred Gig Young as a middle-aged executive, alienated from his current situation, who yearns so strongly to ‘go home again’ that he actually does so, meeting his childhood self and parents – only to discover the hard truth that he belongs in the present because ‘there’s only one summer to a customer’!

“It was a thrill for my family and me to visit Rec Park and to see the carousel, not to mention the plaque to Serling in the nearby band shell. But that was only one of many Rod Serling sites that made our visit to Binghamton a highlight of our stay in New York.

“We remain very grateful to our new-found friend, Larry Kassan, the Director of the Rod Serling Video Festival at Binghamton City Schools, for his extreme generosity and kindness to us. He took us to Serling’s high school, Binghamton High, where we inspected the Helen Foley Theatre and art display, showed us the Serling historical marker on the school’s front lawn, and also took us to the downtown walk of fame, where Serling is again commemorated. Larry also took us to the Broome County Forum Theatre, where we were very impressed with the photo display and exhibition dedicated to Serling. Perhaps the most enchanting aspect of the visit was seeing the home on Bennett Avenue where Rod Serling grew up. I just stood there, taking in the ambience, trying to imagine the young Rodman running around the street, or making his way up to Rec Park.

“Thank you, Larry, for giving my family and me some wonderful special memories. And thank you ‘Binghamton’ for recognizing and commemorating one of the greats that your city spawned”.

Barry

Our blogs have been overwhelmingly positive about our time in the US but there were some disappointments (for me). Also, there were heaps of things were didn’t do that were on our list. These I think of as “next times”, as I do hope I’ll visit the US again. We had a hectic schedule and still couldn’t do such things as:

– Visit downtown Los Angeles (from Hollywood)

– Visit the City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco

– Actually walk or drive across the Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate bridge in Frisco

In New York, I hope (on the next visit, if there is one) to do the following:

– Visit and tour the great sky-scrapers, including the Flatiron, Woolworth’s, Chrysler and the Empire State building

– Get up close to the Statue of Liberty

– Walk or drive across the Brooklyn Bridge

– Go to the Comedy Club on W53rd Street. We bought tickets from a street hawker but never got round to using them. (Joan ended up giving them away to one of the hotel staff).

– I had hoped to go to an “open mic” venue for stand-up comedy and to do a routine. I’ve done this in Canberra and went down very well at the RAW Comedy 2008 heat. (After bombing terribly at the 2007 contest). Anyway, I had a few addresses of such venues but didn’t follow up while in NYC.

– We didn’t make it to the Dakota Hotel or to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Next time, for sure.

– I want to find a really good local blues venue, preferably with black American blues musicians. B B King’s club was within walking distance of our hotel but it hardly had any blues bands at all. It seemed to be trading on King’s name. Mind you, Bobby Bland was billed to appear there but his gig was postponed.

– Joan and I both want to do night tours of NYC, by bus and boat. Again, next time. I’m told the Hudson River one is stunning.

– I’d like to do a Hudson River day cruise, just going north for a couple of hours.

Anyway, you can’t do it all on one trip. Especially when there are four people involved, each with their own interests and desires.

As for general disappointments, I’d make two points (as always, subject to the dislaimer that I was only in NYC as a tourist for three weeks):

– New York (and LA and ‘Frisco) are very similar to Australia in broad way of life, architecture, standard of living, aspects of town planning, and local customs. Of course, the differences create the magic but, had I wanted a holiday in a totally different culture, I would have been disappointed with the US, and would have aimed for Mongolia next time. I guess there was a slight disappointment in the extent to which our two societies are so similar.

– New York City is not a 24/7 society! This disappointed me and I’m beginning to wonder whether there is such an economy/society anywhere on the planet. I’d say the trading hours in NYC are only slightly more extended than ours in Australia – where campaigns for restrictions on extended hours are led by the churches (and the pseudo-left). I’m philosophically in favour of the 24/7 society because it expands choice – and thus extends personal freedom.

Anyway, it was all a fantastic adventure and I might write again, if anyone’s interested, to talk about how (surprisingly) flat I feel being back home.

Barry

This guy sits behind the bushes and scares passers-by. It’s great! Talk about schadenfreude!

Anyone who has visited San Francisco in recent years will be familiar with the black guy who sets himself up on a little chair along the Embarcadero and hides behind a couple of large leafy tree branches (that he holds in front of himself) and scares passers-by. He is heading to becoming a major tourist attraction. We were doing some shopping on the other side of the road when we noticed him. Very soon, there were about 20 other shoppers just standing across the road waiting to see the reaction of his next victims. While we were there, about 60 people in all stopped to watch.

People applaud and even cheer each successful effort. It’s almost addictive and I reckon I could have stopped there, just watching, for hours. It’s the variety of his victims that contributes to the intrigue. You see them coming – as does he – and share in the joke. Hey, here comes a family, just strolling, enjoying the boat harbour – ha ha, little do they know what’s behind those ‘bushes’ ahead. Hey, now comes a young couple – they’re obviously in love, holding hands, oblivious to the world around them – ha ha. Their turn next.

The black guy wears sun-glasses with thick yellow rims and shuffles the branches once his victims are within close range. He also sometimes does a loud growling noise to add to the shock. It’s one of those hilarious situations where you wonder afterwards why you found it so funny. Anyway, we generously put some cash into his little bucket and moved on for the day. I reckon he’d make a small fortune from this highly innovative way of entertaining others (and himself too, no doubt).

Anyone know anything about him?

Barry