Introduction
The US claims to be the greatest success story of the modern world -
a nation fashioned from an incredibly disparate population who, with
little in common apart from a desire to choose their own paths to wealth
or heaven, rallied around the ennobling ideals of the Constitution and
the Declaration of Independence to forge the richest, most inventive
and most powerful country on earth.
Despite polemicists who justly cite the destruction of Native American
cultures, racism and imperialism at the top of a long list of wrongdoings,
half the world remains in love with the idea of America. This is, after
all, the country that introduced the world to the right to the pursuit
of happiness, free speech, electric light, airplanes, assembly-line
automobiles, the space shuttle, computers, blues, jazz, rock & roll
and movies that climax at the high-school prom.
On a short trip, it can be hard work dismantling your preconceptions.
So much of the country has been filmed, photographed, painted and written
about that you need to peel back layers of representation to stop it
from looking like a stage setting. This worldwide representation can
make the country seem strangely familiar when you first encounter novelties
like 24-hour shopping, bottomless cups of coffee, 'Have a nice day,'
drive-thru banks, TV evangelists, cheap gasoline and newspapers tossed
onto lawns. But you'd be foolish to read too much into this surface
familiarity, since you only have to watch Oprah for half an hour to
realize that the rituals and currents of American life are as complex,
seductive and bewildering as the most alien of cultures.
Come prepared to explore the
USA's unique brand of 'foreignness' rather
than stay in the comfort zone of the familiar. You'll discover several
of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes,
a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than
the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most
approachable natives in the world.
Full country name: The United States of America (
USA)
Population: 285,000,000
Area: 3,618,000 sq miles (9,370,000 sq km)
Capital city: Washington, DC (pop: 570,000)
People: Caucasian (71%), African American (12%), Latino (12%), Asian
(4%), Native American (0.9%)
Languages: English, plus many secondary languages, chiefly Spanish
Religion: Protestant (56%), Roman Catholic (28%), Jewish (2%), Muslim
(1%)
Government: Federal republic of 50 states
President: George W Bush
Calling & Finding Information on Telephone
Making Internation Call: To make an international call i.e.
to
India you need to dial
011-91-<STD CODE-<TEL. NO. e.g.
011-91-22-1234567. Here 011 indicates an international call. 91 is the
country code for India. 22 is the "area code" for Bombay and
1234567 may be the actual phone number you want to dial.
Useful Information and Numbers:
Directory assistance for Local telephone numbers:
411
Long distance within USA:
1-(Area Code)-555-1212
Toll Free number enquiry:
1-800-555-1212 . Most of the
1-800 numbers are toll free. You will not be charged for the calls you
make to such numbers.
Emergency Number in case of fire, theft, medical emergency etc:
911
Ways to Call:
1)
Pay phones - Using pay phones is the same as using public
telephones in India. You need to drop in the coins (usually
35cents
or more) to initiate a call.
2)
Collect Call - If you are running short of coins, you can
use the collect-call facility to call anywhere in the U.S. All you have
to do is pick up the handset and dial 1-800-COLLECT(press those numbers
which forms the word COLLECT, for example:1-800-2655328) or 1-800-CALLATT
and follow the instructions on the phone. Making a collect call is free
for you, but the person who receives your call is charged.
3)
Calling card - Pre-paid cards are available sometimes in the
airports to call all over the U.S. Follow the instructions provided
in the calling card to call.
Things You should Know
Holidays In USA
Some of the dates you should know while planning your trip and while
you are in
USA when most of the shops and places are closed. The follwing
are only some of the holidays which may affect your trip. Everything
is closed especially on thanksgiving and Chirstmas. So, keep in mind
while making your plans to go shopping or site seeing.
January 1 - NEW YEAR'S DAY
Third Monday in Febuary - PRESIDENTS' DAY
A Sunday in April - EASTER SUNDAY
Last Monday in May - MEMORIAL DAY
July 4 - INDEPENDENCE DAY
First Monday in September - LABOR DAY
Last Thursday in November - THANKS GIVING
December 25 - CHRISTMAS DAY
December 31 - NEW YEAR'S EVE
Shopping hours
Departmental stores are opened 24 hours a day. Shopping Malls generally
open at 10:00am and close down at 9:00pm. On weekends and on holidays,
these timings may change. Generally, on weekends malls close down at
6:00pm
