Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Major credit cards are widely accepted, and they are required for car rentals.
ATMs have largely negated the need for traveler's checks. However, traveler's checks in
US dollars are accepted like cash at most midrange and top-end businesses (but rarely
at budget places).
Personal checks not drawn on US banks are generally not accepted.
Tipping
Tipping is standard practice across America. In restaurants, for satisfactory to excellent ser-
vice, tipping 15-20% of the bill is expected; less is okay at informal diners. You should only
tip below this, or not tip at all (the latter is a very drastic move in American restaurants) if
the service was exceptionally bad.
Opening Hours
Unless otherwise noted the standard business hours in reviews are as follows:
Banks
8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday; sometimes 9am to noon or 2pm Saturday.
Bars
In Miami, most bars are open 5pm to 3am, in Miami Beach 24 hours, but most bars
close for a few hours at 5am; in Key West 5pm to 4am; elsewhere 5pm to 2am. In all
places, some bars close earlier if business is slow.
Businesses
9am to 7pm Monday to Friday.
