I don't mean to generalize, but this is my own experience.<p>Sincerely, I don't know how the US manages to be the second most touristic country in the world. Travelling to the US can be a nightmare - customs, TSA, metal detectors, body scanners, etc. As a tourist, I've never felt as unwelcomed as when travelling there.<p>Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but I seriously got the feeling that people who work at airports, subway, or any other place that is by definition essential to tourists are unable to communicate without shouting. The fact that in spite of working at such a place most of them don't even speak a second language may contribute to that - it's like people will understand better what you say if you just say it louder.
Not to mention that you are expected to know exactly how everything works, from the local language (which sometimes becomes Spanish) to how much you have to tip, otherwise people will look at you with that "oh, you must be new here" look.<p>Strangely enough, the common american that you find in the street tends to be relaxed, friendly and always willing to help. People will sometimes start talking to you in a pretty natural and informal way (this wouldn't happen in Europe).<p>So, tl;dr: services suck but once you are through the trial of idiocy that is getting into the country, you'll most likely have a good time.
One thing I remember from a long road trip I took in the nineties across the US was, on multiple occasions, being told that I was "brave" or "courageous" when it came up in conversation that I was an atheist (okay - technical agnostic, working atheist if you want to be picky :-)<p>Everybody was nice. Nobody was mean about it (I got a lot of hassle over being a vegetarian though) but it was felt odd for two reasons.<p>First that it came up. I'm from the UK and we just don't get onto the topic of religion that much. Especially with complete strangers from other countries that you've just met.<p>Second the "brave" thing obviously... I've occasionally found some of the more extreme ends of the religious community over here annoying... but never anywhere close to the extent that I would feel stating my (non)religious views would be any kind of brave or courageous thing...<p>An odd difference.
This article reminds me of when I landed a job in the US (at the time I was living in Canada).<p>As a part of the relocation package I was sent a book "Culture Shock: USA".<p>Quite an entertaining read. The most memorable quote was "In the US, it is usually typical for a husband to accompany his wife to the hospital when she gives birth".
Before coming to the USA for the first time I read the following in a guide: "Americans often communicate via inflected grunts and groans, such as "uh-huh" for yes and "uh-uh" for no.
"food, which they praise for its quality and variety (and portion size) in a tone of near-disbelief"<p>huh, really? Whenever I get back from traveling I feel the opposite.<p>Sure in places like NY you can get any kind of food. But in my mono-cultural hometown there is little besides hamburgers or pizza.
> Of the many pieces of advice proffered, four of the most common are: [...] don't drink and drive (they take it seriously here!)<p>That is absolutely not my impression of America. Americans I have met have a shockingly casual attitude to drink driving. I've also seen it been portrayed in a <i>positive</i> light on American TV (e.g. fictional protagonist regaling a tale).<p>In Ireland drink driving is still fairly pervasive amongst my parent's generation and in rural areas. But with younger people drink driving is totally taboo thanks to strict laws and a lot of education. Our media would never broadcast anything that was positive of drink driving in any way.
It's interesting to read about things that are just ingrained from birth and you don't really think about them. When you see them written down they sound kinda bizarre!
Interesting read.<p>Are there any good wikis or Internet Communities - guiding Visitors to learn new cultures, behaviors, ethics in different places?<p>It's nice to see a comparison chart on - cost of living, labor costs, a basic meal, hotel rooms(Comparison charts should be - City vs Another-city and Country Level comparisons)<p>And I would definitely pay $$ for such a service.