Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to groceries, prescription drugs, newspa-
pers, or clothing that costs less than $175.
The tax on meals and takeout food is 5%.
The lodging tax is 12.45% in Boston and
Cambridge.
Telephones
For information about
making local, long-distance, and interna-
tional calls, please turn to “Staying Con-
nected,” p. 52.
Telegraph, Telex & Fax
The primary
provider of
telegraph and telex services
is
Western Union
(
&
800/325-6000;
www.westernunion.com). You can tele-
graph (wire) money, or have it telegraphed
to you, very quickly over the Western
Union system, but this service can cost as
much as 20 percent of the amount sent.
Most hotels have
fax machines
avail-
able for guest use (be sure to ask about
the charge to use it). Many hotel rooms
are wired for guests' fax machines. A less
expensive way to send and receive faxes
may be at stores such as
The UPS Store.
Time
Boston is in the Eastern time
zone. The continental United States is
divided into
four time zones:
Eastern
Time (ET), Central Time (CT), Moun-
tain Time (MT), and Pacific Time (PT).
Alaska and Hawaii have their own zones.
For example, when it's 9am in Los Ange-
les (PT), it's 7am in Honolulu (HT),
10am in Denver (MT), 11am in Chicago
(CT), noon in Boston and New York
(ET), 5pm in London (GMT), and 2am
the next day in Sydney.
Daylight saving time
is in effect from
1am on the second Sunday in March to
1am on the first Sunday in November,
except in Arizona, Hawaii, the U.S. Vir-
gin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Daylight
saving time moves the clock 1 hour ahead
of standard time.
Tipping
Tips are a very important part
of certain workers' income, and gratuities
are the standard way of showing appreci-
ation for services provided. (Tipping is
certainly not compulsory if the service is
poor!) In hotels, tip
bellhops
at least $1
per bag ($2-$3 if you have a lot of lug-
gage) and tip the
chamber staff
$1 to $2
per day (more if you've left behind a big
mess). Tip the
doorman
or
concierge
only if he or she has provided a specific
service (for example, calling a cab for you
or obtaining difficult-to-get theater tick-
ets). Tip the
valet-parking attendant
$1
every time you get your car.
In restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip
service staff
15% to 20% of the check,
tip
bartenders
10% to 15%, tip
check-
room attendants
$1 per garment, and tip
valet-parking attendants
$1 per vehicle.
As for other service personnel, tip
cab
drivers
15% of the fare; tip
skycaps
at
airports at least $1 per bag ($2-$3 if you
have a lot of luggage); and tip
hair-
dressers
and
barbers
15% to 20%.
Toilets
You won't find public toilets or
“restrooms” on the streets in most U.S.
cities, but they can be found in hotel lob-
bies, bars, restaurants, museums, depart-
ment stores, railway and bus stations, and
service stations. The visitor center at 15
State St. has a public restroom, as do the
CambridgeSide Galleria, Copley Place,
Prudential Center, and Quincy Market
shopping areas. The central branch of the
Boston Public Library, in Copley Square,
has toilets in the basement. Large hotels,
coffee bars, and fast-food restaurants are
often the best bet for clean facilities. Busi-
nesses in popular tourist areas such as
downtown Boston may reserve their rest-
rooms for patrons.
You'll find freestanding, self-cleaning
pay toilets
(25¢) at locations around
downtown. These include City Hall
Plaza, Congress Street behind City Hall,
the plaza in front of the New England
Aquarium, and Commercial Street at
Snowhill Street, just off the Freedom
Trail. Check these facilities carefully
before using them or sending a child in
alone; despite regular patrols, IV-drug
