Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
610
For Residents of the United States
To
find your regional passport office, either
check the U.S. Department of State web-
site or call the
National Passport Infor-
mation Center
toll-free number (
&
877/
487-2778
) for automated information.
POLICE
In most of the region, phone
&
911
for emergencies. If 911 doesn't
work, dial 0 (zero) for the operator and
state your reason for calling.
SMOKING
Arizona, New Mexico, and
Colorado prohibit smoking in all indoor
public places, including restaurants and
bars. In Utah smoking is prohibited in
restaurants but not private clubs, lounges,
or taverns. Las Vegas prohibits smoking in
most public places except casinos and bars
that don't serve food.
TAXES
Combined city and state sales
taxes vary from place to place but usually
range from 6% to 9% for purchases, 9%
to 13% for lodging. The United States has
no value-added tax (VAT) or other indi-
rect tax at the national level. Every state,
county, and city may levy its own local tax
on all purchases, including hotel and res-
taurant checks and airline tickets. These
taxes will not appear on price tags.
TELEPHONES
See “Staying Con-
nected,” on p. 50.
TIME
The continental United States is
divided into
four time zones:
Eastern
Standard Time (EST), Central Standard
Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time
(MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Alaska and Hawaii have their own zones.
For example, when it's 9am in Los Angeles
(PST), it's 7am in Honolulu (HST), 10am
in Denver (MST), 11am in Chicago
(CST), noon in New York City (EST),
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. Virgin
Islands, and Puerto Rico. Daylight saving
time moves the clock 1 hour ahead of
standard time.
The American Southwest is in the
Mountain Time Zone, 1 hour ahead of the
West Coast and 2 hours behind the East
Coast. Note that Arizona does not observe
daylight saving time, so time differences
between Arizona and the rest of the coun-
try vary with the time of year. The Navajo
Reservation observes daylight saving time.
The Hopi Reservation, which is sur-
rounded by the Navajo Reservation, does
not.
TIPPING
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 a disaster area
for him or her to clean up). Tip the
door-
man
or
concierge
only if he or she has
provided you with some specific service
(for example, calling a cab for you or
obtaining difficult-to-get theater tickets).
Tip the
valet-parking attendant
$1 every
time you get your car.
In restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip
service staff
and
bartenders
15% to 20%
of the check, tip
checkroom attendants
$1 per garment, and tip
valet-parking
attendants
$1 per vehicle.
Tip
cab drivers
15% of the fare;
sky-
caps
at airports at least $1 per bag ($2-$3
if you have a lot of luggage); and
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, and so forth. Large
hotels and fast-food restaurants are often
the best bet for clean facilities.
VISAS
For information about U.S.
Visas go to
http://travel.state.gov
and
click on “Visas.” Or go to one of the fol-
lowing websites for the countries listed
below.
Australian
citizens can obtain up-to-
date visa information from the
U.S.
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