US here we come

Just some random observations, some inspired by comments sent (by Stephen and others) in other threads.

A gripe! I’m yet to have a really good coffee in New York. This is counter to my expectations. The coffee tends to be weak and too watery. I’ve waited a while before posting this observation, as I kept expecting to come across some good strong brew somewhere. I’m not craving vegemite but a real cappuccino, of the type we can routinely purchase in Canberra, would be great.

We haven’t watched too much television but, as Joey and Hannah and I love the medium, we have watched some. Yes, there are many channels to select from and it’s good to catch up on the latest from the World Wrestling Entertainment corporation, not to mention Jerry Springer and Judge Judy. Jerry remains extraordinarily entertaining… but why?! In NYC, as in Hollywood, the Spanish language is common on TV, with several Spanish language channels, including versions of Judge Judy and other programs except in Spanish with Spanish-speaking performers. Also, there are local channels that focus on state or city-based news and events, including a community channel. It’s fun having so many channels to choose from. The other night in Roscoe Joan and the kids and I were laughing a lot at the antics of Lucille Ball in the original series of “I Love Lucy”. Still a classic.

I’m still surprised at how cheap things are over here, in shops and restaurants. Stephen, even taking into account the tips or gratuities that are sometimes paid in addition to the cost of services, it’s less expensive than Canberra (and I’d assume other capital cities in Australia). This applies to things like laundry services as well as super-markets and restaurants. Also, the quantities are big – very big! And the quality thus far has been very good. Of course, in Manhattan, hotel accommodation is very costly – but everything else is surprisingly reasonable.

The practice of giving a gratuity, or a tip, had us a little tossed at first. When do we do it? When not to? Anyhow, it seems that if there’s a service involved beyond what you’re paying for anyway, then you give a tip as a sign of appreciation. We’ve had offers of tips rejected on two occasions, as unnecessary. I suspect that wage rates in service industries in NYC are low and tips are necessary to the individual worker. A tourist guide-book said that, in the case of a ‘bell-hop’, you should give one dollar for each bag carried. This tax-free income would boost income to a level considerably higher than that expressed in the official wage rate. In Hollywood, we offered to tip the guy in the local super-market after he packed our groceries into plastic bags for us. He laughed and declined the offer, saying that it wasn’t necessary in that situation.

John and Fiona asked about the flushing of toilets – does the water go clock-wise or anti-clock-wise? This is indeed one of the huge questions of our time! And, being committed to the scientific method of discovering truth, I set about testing the hypothesis that the water flushes clock-wise. Here’s my conclusion, based on tests in Manhattan, Roscoe and Binghamton. Make of it what you will. In Manhattan, the water just flushes very quickly, as though assisted mechanically, straight down the pipe. In Roscoe, it flushes anti-clock-wise. And, in Binghamton, – I kid you not – it flushes clock-wise!

Hoping this has elevated your understanding of the laws of Nature,

Barry

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 7:13 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.