America travel pointers

Maxwell Edison wrote:
People hitchhike all the time in northern California. If you are
in a group of three or four it is relatively safe. Two young women
is less safe and more than four will not get rides due to lack of
room.

I will not pick up more than one person at a time. I will have more
than one hitch-hiker at a time, though.

I hitchhiked . . . California. It is a great way to meet people.
You don't need to be afraid, just careful.

Me, too. Also Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas,
Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland (and DC),
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. I've
also hitch-hiked in Europe from Le Havre to Gibraltar and in Mexico
from Puebla to Mexico City.

You can read about some of it in "The New South(!)
http://geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/TheSouth.html at the site at
Right in the sig.

The trouble with hitchhiking is the interminable waits sometimes as
Americans are afraid of strangers.

Night people are less so. My experience is that travelling at night
is quickest and best.

Lastly, try to take the back roads. The interstate freeways are
boring and hard to choose good places to stop off.

Tell your sister to have fun and welcome to California!

Yup.


Outlawpoet wrote:
Writing from Southern California here - do not hitchhike.

In the old days, hitch-hiking in Southern California was better'n
taxi service! Never ceased to amaze me. In more recent years,
friendly waves or comments were more frequent than rides.

It's seriously dangerous here

It's no more dangerous there than elsewhere.

it seems like every week or so another woman is killed or missing.

Hitch-hikers?

L.A. is especially tricky 'cause we've become a dumping ground for
the crazies. Unfortunately, I mean that literally. Police and
hospitals from other counties have been caught dumping their
insane in our Downtown area. And it seems like most of them end up
staying.

That's been happening here since the Reagan Governorship.

Honestly, the cheapest and best way to get around down here is to
rent a car or van for a week.

True.

-- __________________________________________________ ______________
"San Francisco is a pleasure. Los Angeles is a headache" Rita (NYC)
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Lynne Jeffers wrote:
According to http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21957.htm,

California Vehicle Code 21957: "No person shall stand in a roadway
for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any
vehicle."

Sure sounds to me like hitchhiking is illegal in California.

Not to me. I've never stood "in a roadway" when hitch-hiking. I've
never solicited (to use the word above) on a freeway but have on
ramps leading to freeways where there's ample space to safely pull over.

-- __________________________________________________ ______________
San Francisco is a wonderland -- Orestes
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

In article . com,
Maxx at says...

Maxwell Edison wrote:
In article , PTravel at
says...

"ROD" wrote in message
news9nEg.3924$Ji1.1123@trnddc05...


My little sis is travelling to American in a few weeks with her mates and
they are doing it on the cheap. Mostly California. Mostly hostels. Maybe
hitchhiking (sounds a bit dodgy). Maybe backpacking. Eating cheaply. I
want
to ensure she is safe and is careful. Apart from going with her, anyone
have tips for me to share. She won't listen but I can plant a seed of some
sort.
Cheers, ROD

She should not, under any circumstances, hitchhike. Not only is it illegal,
but it is extremely dangerous. This is not the U.S. of the 60s and 70s .


Hitchhiking is NOT illegal in California, except on freeways where
pedestrians are prohibited.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21957.htm

21957: No person shall stand in a roadway for
the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any vehicle.

It doesn't say Highway, Freeway, Interstate, or the dirt road to
grandmas house. It says "roadway".


Well, I'll be damned. You learn something every day. I've certainly
never seen it enforced.

But here is a great idea. Hitch a ride with The Waifs. Their bus will
say "Baby On Board"

http://www.thewaifs.com.au/Waifs.htm

Friday 25th August
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz CA

Saturday 26th August & Sunday 27th August
Great American Music Hall
859 O'Farrell St, San Francisco

Monday 28th August
Van Duzer Theatre
Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

Tuesday 29th August
McNears Mystic Theatre
21 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA

Icono Clast wrote:
ROD wrote:
California. Mostly hostels. Maybe hitchhiking (sounds a bit
dodgy). Maybe backpacking. Eating cheaply. I want to ensure she is
safe and is careful. Apart from going with her, anyone have tips
for me to share. She won't listen but I can plant a seed of some
sort.

Eating inexpensively and well is easy if one doesn't patronize chains
and/or franchises and is careful to maintain a healthful and
nutritious diet.

A money saver, for example, is buying the morning juice at a grocery
store for $1.50 a pint rather than pay $2 for four ounces at a
restaurant. The bonus is being able reüse the bottle if she is one of
those water-carrying types.

Hitch-hiking is the best of all ways to travel; I cannot recommend it
highly enough. I always pick up hitch-hikers as I have a cosmic debt
to pay.


Iceman wrote:
All of [the original post] is perfectly fine except for the
hitchhiking, which she should not even consider, period. It just
isn't done in the US,

Bull****!

so 99% of normal people would be afraid to pick up a hitchhiker,

Perhaps. So, what? The rest of us are enough to have a nice trip.

and you take your chances with the people who would.

Just as you do everywhere else in every aspect of life.

PTravel wrote:
This is not the U.S. of the 60s and 70s .

True. Reportage, so-called "journalism", is more inflammatory and
less accurate.


PeterL wrote:
Don't hitchhike. It's very dodgy, esp. in California.


Keith Willshaw wrote:
NO HITCHIKING


Gregory Morrow wrote:
DO NOT HITCHIKE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. This is a sure way to
place oneself in danger,

So is crossing a street, going into a bar, etc., not necessarily

ESPECIALLY FOR FEMALES.

Additionally, most all municipalities ban hitchhiking, she'll get
in trouble with the law if she attempts this.

In spite of being illegal in most places in the USA, one does not get
into trouble. I've always welcomed police checking on me while aside
the road. The most serious threat I've ever gotten from police was
"We'll bust you if you're here in the morning". I wasn't.

If she wants to ensure that she returns to Oz in a coffin (or even
ensure that she permanently disappears) then hitchhiking is the
SURE way to go...

Utter nonsense! The probability is that she'll meet nice people
who'll treat her respectfully and well. Yes, the negative
possibilities are numerable but extremely unlikely.


I've found that either the hitchhiker or the one picking them up are
drunk or crazy. I've been on all sides of this equation. It would be
extremely rare that two sane and sober people would hook up this way.

wrote:
Maxwell Edison wrote:

In article .com,
Iceman at says...

ROD wrote:

My little sis is travelling to American in a few weeks with her mates and
they are doing it on the cheap. Mostly California. Mostly hostels. Maybe
hitchhiking (sounds a bit dodgy). Maybe backpacking. Eating cheaply. I want
to ensure she is safe and is careful. Apart from going with her, anyone
have tips for me to share. She won't listen but I can plant a seed of some sort.

All of that is perfectly fine except for the hitchhiking, which she
should not even consider, period. It just isn't done in the US, so 99%
of normal people would be afraid to pick up a hitchhiker, and you take
your chances with the people who would.

People hitchhike all the time in northern California. If you are in a
group of three or four it is relatively safe. Two young women is less
safe and more than four will not get rides due to lack of room. Advise
your sister to check the condition of the driver. If you smell alcohol,
say "no thanks."


Sorry, 1 or 2 girls hitchhiking is a BAD idea, ESPECIALLY if they are
visitors who don't understand all the quirks of the culture. Girls
hitchhiking is a no-go as far as I'm concerned...


When I was younger I hitchhiked all over California. It is a great way
to meet people.


And your chance of meeting druggies, rapists, and serial murderers goes
up exponentially - the type of people you least want to meet are the
most attracted by the most vunerable of hitchhikers, which are young,
foreign, female tourists.

Any number of examples of why young women should not hitch hike can be
found he

http://www.crimelibrary.com/

I rarely pick up hitchhikers any more, but driving from Crescent City
to Eureka a few years pack, two guys hitchhiking were holding a sign
that simply said "Aussies". I picked them up and they spent the night
at my house. We had a great time. The "Aussies" sign was just the
ticket to let me know they were international travelers.


Making a decision as a grown male to pick up hitchhikers yourself is
one thing - encouraging young females to hitchhike is another one.


The trouble with hitchhiking is the interminable waits sometimes as
Americans are afraid of strangers.


And with good reason. Most sensible adult males do NOT want to pick up
young females, especially if they are older and/or married. In this
PC-crazed society where "he-said, she-said" disputes are typically
resolved by giving the female the benefit of the doubt, you subject
yourself to accusations of sexual assault, solicitation for
prostitution, and set yourself up for blackmail/theft. I don't pick up
women traveling alone in my car, and I don't even like women riding
with me unless I know them well enough to know they aren't kooks or
wackjobs.

Best for young women to use public transportion, or rent their own
vehicles.



--
L'Chaim

Miriam

In the beginning
the Word already was.

Icono Clast wrote:
ROD wrote:

California. Mostly hostels. Maybe hitchhiking (sounds a bit dodgy).
Maybe backpacking. Eating cheaply. I want to ensure she is
safe and is careful. Apart from going with her, anyone have tips for
me to share. She won't listen but I can plant a seed of some sort.


Eating inexpensively and well is easy if one doesn't patronize chains
and/or franchises and is careful to maintain a healthful and
nutritious diet.

A money saver, for example, is buying the morning juice at a grocery
store for $1.50 a pint rather than pay $2 for four ounces at a
restaurant. The bonus is being able reüse the bottle if she is one of
those water-carrying types.

Hitch-hiking is the best of all ways to travel; I cannot recommend it
highly enough.

Are you male? Please remember that Rod is asking for his younger sister.
While some males do get harmed by other males who picked up hitch hikers
nowhere near as many males get hurt (raped or killed) as females do.
Doubt it? Many, many examples he

http://www.crimelibrary.com/

--
L'Chaim

Miriam

In the beginning
the Word already was.

frank megaweege wrote:
Icono Clast wrote:

ROD wrote:

California. Mostly hostels. Maybe hitchhiking (sounds a bit
dodgy). Maybe backpacking. Eating cheaply. I want to ensure she is
safe and is careful. Apart from going with her, anyone have tips
for me to share. She won't listen but I can plant a seed of some
sort.

Eating inexpensively and well is easy if one doesn't patronize chains
and/or franchises and is careful to maintain a healthful and
nutritious diet.

A money saver, for example, is buying the morning juice at a grocery
store for $1.50 a pint rather than pay $2 for four ounces at a
restaurant. The bonus is being able reüse the bottle if she is one of
those water-carrying types.

Hitch-hiking is the best of all ways to travel; I cannot recommend it
highly enough. I always pick up hitch-hikers as I have a cosmic debt
to pay.


Iceman wrote:

All of [the original post] is perfectly fine except for the
hitchhiking, which she should not even consider, period. It just
isn't done in the US,

Bull****!


so 99% of normal people would be afraid to pick up a hitchhiker,

Perhaps. So, what? The rest of us are enough to have a nice trip.


and you take your chances with the people who would.

Just as you do everywhere else in every aspect of life.

PTravel wrote:

This is not the U.S. of the 60s and 70s .

True. Reportage, so-called "journalism", is more inflammatory and
less accurate.


PeterL wrote:

Don't hitchhike. It's very dodgy, esp. in California.


Keith Willshaw wrote:

NO HITCHIKING


Gregory Morrow wrote:

DO NOT HITCHIKE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. This is a sure way to
place oneself in danger,

So is crossing a street, going into a bar, etc., not necessarily


ESPECIALLY FOR FEMALES.

Additionally, most all municipalities ban hitchhiking, she'll get
in trouble with the law if she attempts this.

In spite of being illegal in most places in the USA, one does not get
into trouble. I've always welcomed police checking on me while aside
the road. The most serious threat I've ever gotten from police was
"We'll bust you if you're here in the morning". I wasn't.


If she wants to ensure that she returns to Oz in a coffin (or even
ensure that she permanently disappears) then hitchhiking is the
SURE way to go...

Utter nonsense! The probability is that she'll meet nice people
who'll treat her respectfully and well. Yes, the negative
possibilities are numerable but extremely unlikely.



I've found that either the hitchhiker or the one picking them up are
drunk or crazy. I've been on all sides of this equation. It would be
extremely rare that two sane and sober people would hook up this way.

I think "Icono Clast" needs to take off his rose colored glasses and
remember we're giving recommendations for a young woman from a different
culture unfamiliar with Californians.

--
L'Chaim

Miriam

In the beginning
the Word already was.

Miriam Cohen wrote:
Maxwell Edison wrote:
By all means take the coastal train on Amtrak.
It's called the "Coast Starlight."...
Excellent views of coastal California and lots of fun.

Just a little correction here; they can take the Surfliner from San
Diego to LA and then transfer to the one you mentioned.

Mark Brader asked me to post this followup:

Further, be aware that the "coastal scenery" is not visible for the
whole train trip. The Coast Starlight does connect various coastal
cities, but between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area there
is only about a 100-mile section where it actually runs along the coast.
This is near the start of the trip, through Ventura and Santa Barbara.
On the other hand, that section is certainly scenic.

Also be aware that the train has a reputation for serious delays.
This would be less of an issue on the northbound trip since the train
does originate at Los Angeles. Southbound it's coming from Seattle
and will have had more of a change to accumulate delays.

--
"There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart
death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network."
-- Guy Almes

In article , Steve Summit at
says...
Miriam Cohen wrote:
Maxwell Edison wrote:
By all means take the coastal train on Amtrak.
It's called the "Coast Starlight."...
Excellent views of coastal California and lots of fun.

Just a little correction here; they can take the Surfliner from San
Diego to LA and then transfer to the one you mentioned.

Mark Brader asked me to post this followup:

Further, be aware that the "coastal scenery" is not visible for the
whole train trip. The Coast Starlight does connect various coastal
cities, but between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area there
is only about a 100-mile section where it actually runs along the coast.
This is near the start of the trip, through Ventura and Santa Barbara.
On the other hand, that section is certainly scenic.

Corrections noted. I guess I meant coastal California, which includes
the hills around San Luis Obispo and the Salinas Valley (views of the
Santa Lucia Range.)

The train route from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria (and SLO) has some of
the best train coastal scenery in the U.S. In fact, the train, for many
miles, is not even near a road. Worth every penny to ride that line.
Closest public views you can get of Vandenburg launch pads, to boot.

Also be aware that the train has a reputation for serious delays.
This would be less of an issue on the northbound trip since the train
does originate at Los Angeles. Southbound it's coming from Seattle
and will have had more of a change to accumulate delays.

True enough. Though people who travel by train generally are a patient
bunch. Bring a deck of cards, some magazines, some cheese and crackers,
and a bottle of wine.

--
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action." - Johann
Goethe

On 16 Aug 2006 20:03:47 GMT, (Steve Summit) wrote:

Also be aware that the train has a reputation for serious delays.
This would be less of an issue on the northbound trip since the train
does originate at Los Angeles. Southbound it's coming from Seattle
and will have had more of a change to accumulate delays.

I'll repeat a story I tell every so often here.

About a year ago I was out for a morning stroll in downtown
Tucson and I decided to check out the newly refurbished train
station. It was about 10:00 on a Friday morning and when I
entered I noticed a dozen or so people in the waiting area.
Looking around I noticed the schedule board. Now, the only train
using the station is the Sunset Limited, Jacksonville, Florida,
to Los Angeles, which runs every other day in each direction
(it's a three day trip).

The schedule board clearly showed that there were no trains on
Friday, so I asked the station agent what they were waiting for.
He said they were waiting for last night's train.

At least it was the westbound, due at 23:59 the previous night
and nearing the end of its three day journey.

On the other hand, I have seen the eastbound, scheduled for
Tucson at 02:20 after departing Los Angeles at 14:50, passing
through Tucson around noon.

If you're accustomed to riding trains in Europe you will probably
become quite frustrated riding AMTRAK.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *