Great Lakes - Eastern USA - page 1251

$40 for 400 minutes. Electronics store chain Best Buy ( www.bestbuy.com ) sells these
phones, as well as international SIM cards.
Rural swaths of the East, especially in the mountains and various national parklands,
don't pick up a signal. Check your provider's coverage map.

Dialing Codes

» All phone numbers within the USA consist of a three-digit area code followed by a
seven-digit local number.

» If you are calling long-distance, dial 1 + the area code + the phone number. For local
calls, you can sometimes dial just the seven-digit local number. If you're not sure whether
the number is local or long distance (new area codes are added all the time, confusing
even residents), try it one way, and if it's wrong, usually a recorded voice will correct you.

» Always dial 1 before toll-free numbers (which start with 800, 888, 877, 866). Most
toll-free numbers only work within the USA.

» Dial the international country code for the USA ( 1) if calling from abroad.

» To make an international call from the USA, dial 011, followed by the country code,
area code and phone number. Canada is the exception, for which you just dial 1 plus the
area code and number.

» Dial 00 for assistance making international calls.

» Dial 411 for directory assistance nationwide.

» Dial 1-800-555-1212 for directory assistance for toll-free numbers.

Pay Phones
Pay phones are an endangered species in the ever-expanding mobile-phone world. Local
calls cost 35¢ to 50¢ for the first few minutes; talking longer costs more.

Phone Cards
Private prepaid phone cards are a good solution for travelers on a budget. They are avail-
able from convenience stores, supermarkets and pharmacies. AT&T sells a reliable phone
card that is widely available.

Time

The eastern region is split between the Eastern and Central time zones, which are an
hour apart. The demarcation line slices through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Flor-