What is the best way of transporation to get from Itasca to downtown Chicago where all the bars/clubs are?|123953

I will be visiting Chicago next week but will be staying in Itasca. I_d like to visit the bars in downtown but what are the different ways of getting there and cheaper ways than a cab.

There_s a Metra station right at Irving Park (rt 19) and Walnut. Easiest way, it_ll take you right to union station. Lots of places within walking distance or short cab ride.

You should try the metra or call RTA for more detailed info. The number is 836-0000 if your calling from any local telephone number. Give them your starting location, time of departure, and ending location and you should be on your way. However, Itasca is mayb 20 miles west of Chicago so there may be some buses involved also. But keep in mind you_ll save taking this route and remember to be safe and of course have FUN.

Check out this website:
http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/
and be sure to put the address of the hotel you are staying at (you can always ask for the address at the front desk if you are not sure). As has been previously mentioned (and you can confirm this on
http://www.metrarail.com)
you can take a Metra Train to Chicago_s Union Station from Itasca but not knowing where you are staying in relation to the train station it might be a mile or two away.

One word to the wise....most bars in the downtown area stay open until 3-4am....Metra_s last train out is around 1am. If its feasible you might want to check the El (Blue Line) and ways to get from the O_Hare area to Itasca.

Have fun in Chicago next week!

Where would be the best place to live in the San Diego area?|110472

I am single and planning to move in just a few years. I would like to live outside of the busy cities- I love quiet and slower living.

-East Chula Vista (Rencho Del Rey, Eastlake or Rolling Hills Ranch) is laid back. The area is reletively new. Lots of homes were built between 1999 and 2005. They are still building. There are parks, trails, shopping, resturants, and medical centers. Reminds me of Small Town, USA.
-Bonita is quiet and laid back. It_s tucked into a pocket between Spring Valley, National City, and East Chula Vista. Has a lot of country views with ranches. We used to drive through so our daughter could see the horses. Nice golf course there. It is expensive as well.
-The Tierra Santa is laid back and quiet. It_s kind of secluded but not far from freeway access. Not many people have to come into Tierra Santa unless they live or work there. Not a lot of shopping. Two grocery stores, a few shops, Blockbuster, a few resturants, a post office. If you want major shopping you have to cross the freeway.
-Ramona is nice and quiet. A small town with mountainous landscape. It_s a far from downtown San Diego.
-Poway is also reminesent of a small town. It_s secluded but has shopping and is one of San Diego_s best school districts. I know you_re single, but I thought I_d throw that out there anyway.
-Coronado is an island and it_s very laid back like a small town too. It is a tourist attraction and there are military bases there so the traffic during rush hour can be horrible.
-Point Loma (there area which is after Rosecrans and Nimitz Blvd intersect) is very quiet and close to the beach. Shopping is very close but once Rosecrans turns back into four, then six lanes, it_s hectic sometimes because the Sports Arena is in that area.

Mmmmmmmmmm, Coronado is just the best place in the world if you ask me. Better start saving fast, it is extremely expensive! But if you could get a small apartment over a shop in town, well now, that would be incredible!

San Diego is a big city.

If you move to east county you are outside of the busy city, but.. you are then pretty much in the desert. East County is _quiet and slow_.

The beach communities can be quite but Very expensive.

How much should i give in tips in New York?|121172

Hi,
We are off to New York this weekend and from the replies i_ve had from my previous question we just can_t wait.
First question is New York cheap for buying clothes and if so where would be the best shops.
2nd Question:- How much should i leave tips for taxi drivers, restaurants etc...without offending anyone?
Thankyou for your time and i appreciate any advice you have to give.

Hi
I usually tip about 15% and if the service is very nice, a little more

Manhattan
clothes: I think your best bet would be to go to some of the large stores and find sale racks
the following all have men_s and women_s clothes:
* Lord _ Taylor - Fifth and 38th St
* The Gap - stores all over
* Saks Fifth Avenue - Fifth at 50th St
* Bloomingdale_s - Lex _ 59th
* Paul Stuart - Madison at 45th

and there is
* Canal Jean - 718 B_way / phone: 226-1130
* Conway - 35th and B_way or 201 E 42nd St on Third Avenue

x

The rules for tipping in New York are similar to those in most other large cities: you tip from 15-20% of the pre-tax bill, assuming you receive reasonable service. Go over 20% only if you receive truly delightful service. Tip below 15% only if the service was really bad. If it was completely awful and it was clearly the fault of your waiter rather than the kitchen, you shouldn_t leave a tip at all (you might receive a nasty look but probably no words).

The folks who most commonly receive a tip are taxi drivers and restaurant waiters. If a bellhop carries your luggage into or out of a hotel, you tip about $1 per bag. If the hotel helps you get a cab, you tip about $1. If your hotel has a concierge who helps you, provide a nice tip based on the service that was provided.

I would say New York definitely isn_t a cheap place to buy clothes, although you might find some shops around China Town or the Lower East Side, especially street stands and street fairs that sell clothes cheaply. In terms of tipping, I would say 20% of the bill (before tax) is pretty standard at restaurants and I usually leave about $2 tip for taxi drivers, unless its to or from the airport in which case I leave more like 5-7 dollars tip. Enjoy your trip!

2nd answer.........only give tips if bill says Service charge not included........Otherwise the service is assumed to be paid for.

New York is pretty cheap for clothing and easiest to find a lot of stuff and there are no taxes for clothes and shoes under $110/. You should give the driver at least a few dollars. They won_t care because they_re happy with what they get. For restaurants, only if it_s a fancy restaurant, leave about 15-20% tip of the bill.

I live and work as a waiter in the city
Q#1: New York is an OK place to shop for clothes if you_re looking for a good deal on something casual, otherwise no, it_s a bad place to shop because high rent makes store owners raise prises on everything. My favorite place to shop is H_M on 5th Ave. and something like... 45th St.
Q#2 leave about 20%. in a restaurant double the tax if the service is ok, and double and a half if the waiter is cute.
VERY IMPORTANT!! a lot of times a waiter will put T.S. = table service on u, double the tax if you look like a tourist or have an accent, so make sure u read the bill later and ask if the tip is included!!
have fun!

Tips in restaurants 15-20% depending on good service to excellent service. Taxi driver a couple of dollars.

Shopping go to Macy_s. Sale days. Even if you don_t buy, it_s a great store to check out

Have a great trip)

My friend, New York is a the best place to shop for clothes. May I recommned some of the store that will have great discounts on clothes.

-H_M (there are several locations in Manhattan)
-Century 21 Department Store (Church and Cortlandt Street)
-Barneys New York (660 Madison Ave)
-Burlington Coat Factory (6th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets)
-Chinatown/Canal Street Area

As in regard to tipping, that_s up to you. Some people tip anywhere between 10 and 20%.

Good luck and happy travels
Native New Yorker

not really cheap but great bargains on designer stuff : Century 21 (near WTC), or for cheap slightly trendy stuff H_M on 5th ave or 34th st. I wouldn_t say new york is the place to get anything cheap but you should visit Macy_s too- it_s gigantic and they have some good sales though maybe not this time of year.

tip between 15% and 20%

Well to find cheap clothes in N.Y is hard unless you go to the ghetto my friend. Other than that N.Y is the Fashion capital of the U.S and its pretty expensive.
The Tip you should always give 10% of what you are charged or more but it_s 10% percent. Have fun in N.Y City

Are minors allowed to camp by themselves in the US National Parks?|119081

The ages would be 17s and 16s. Is it possible for us to make reservations and check in without an adult?

no, must be 18 or have an adult chaperon

Is it true that those hawaiian natives are hateful and mean and despise white people?|192605

I heard you should never go to hawaii until the natives change their horrible attitude.
They are also dangerous and the cops don_t do anything to protect tourists.
Is this true?

You are sadly misinformed. As with everywhere, there are some people who never like other people. Native Hawaiians (they don_t really like being called _natives_) are mostly part of the economy and cultural life--if you show respect you usually get it back. There are also Americans of Filipino, Samoan, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Togan, Micronesian as well as white people (which are the predominant race as a whole) both who were born here and who moved here.

Yes, the cops protect tourists. It_s a VERY safe place--low crime but not no crime. Most crime is actually burglary as we do have an _ice_ problem here. People in Hawaii are generally nice and helpful, but we have problems like everyone else.

If you come with that attitude, you will get attitude back. Aloha!

Edit: Hawaiian Dee is also sadly misinformed about life here in Hawaii. As I said, there are problems, but on the whole it_s just different, not worse. I moved here right after high school and took my knocks like anyone and am now considered _local_ by most of my Native Hawaiian friends. I took time to really get to know the cultural, the Hawaiian language, and how things are.

You have already received many answers with a lot of good detail. But I just want to add that if you come here with an open attitude, _ want to learn about the local culture, you should be fine. If you come here with the attitude that things are so much better wherever you came from (which kinda begs the question, _then why are you here?_), well, that is another story. There will always be a minority of people who have a chip on their shoulder for a variety of reasons, but most people here are very welcoming. Now, if you are coming here as a tourist, you probably won_t even meet all that many local people, except those employed in the hospitality industry. Lastly, how could it possibly be true that the local police do nothing to protect tourists, when tourism is our bread _ butter?

Question for Dee... if inter racial marriages are such a no-no, how is it that we have so many hapa people here?

I think it depends on which island you visit. I was primarily raised on the island of Hawaii (which the state is named after), and I moved to Oahu several years ago to finish my college education. I have to say that it_s been a somewhat bizarre transition for me. Yes, I came from a much smaller town than the city of Honolulu, and many of the locals here tried telling me that my discomfiture stemmed from this. Nevermind, that my family did move around quite a bit, and I had lived in much larger cities prior to living in Honolulu. It took a bit of guesswork for me to figure out that there reason I felt out of place here was because the majority of the local Oahu people I have come across seem to have a very limited perception of what a local should not only how they should look, but also how they should speak and dress. (I am half white, don_t speak pigeon) It was never this way on my island. Everyone was pretty much accepted, an while there were occasional disagreements with the locals and the mainlanders who had moved there, but they were never divisive. Here on Oahu though, I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of locals who are very abrasive to tourists, especially white tourists. I woud_nt go so far as to say that they are dangerous, although you may want to stay out of certain areas of the island. Just be aware that you may face some animosity (read up on Hawaiian history to give you some insight) on your visit, but I would not use that as an excuse to not visit Hawaii. Not all of have that horrible attitude that you may be wary of encountering!

1. Sometimes.

2. No. But you should consider your relationship to native peoples and the land, and learn the history of Hawaii to understand some of the resentment. As Bob Marley sang,

_If you know your history,
then you would know where I_m coming from.
And you wouldn_t have to ask me,
who the #3|| do I think I am?_

Do the Hawaiian islands and cultures exist merely to make your vacation a pleasant one? No.

Should they be working to make their islands and social relations look just like the place you just left? No again.

Are there some social and economic issues they could stand to work on? Absolutely, but that_s their problem to solve, not yours.

3. Some are dangerous, mostly because of the crystal meth epidemic and other social issues, but crime in Honolulu isn_t significantly worse than crime in other major US cities. And our cops work very hard. Their priorities may not be your priorities, but that_s true anywhere.

Some people come here expecting a paradise of racial harmony, and are disappointed when the reality doesn_t match the picture postcard in their imagination. They aren_t interested in finding out more--the why of the situation--so they report back the message you heard.

OMFG! all these people who think they know what they_re talking about need to BE QUIET! they have no idea what it_s all about.

white people come here acting like they run the island, and those are the people who cause problems!

and i mean seriously it would be the same anywhere else!!!!!!!!!

and the cops are always there


so to all these people who ask this same question every dammn day shut up you dont know what you_re talking about and quit asking get your a** down here and take a walk in our _native_ shoes trust me you_d get irritated too.


get your history right and facts straight

you already have lots of answers and if i gave you a new one it would sound similar to some you already got.

i just wanted to say to hawaiian dee...inter-racial marriages are a NO NO? hmmm...most of the marriages in hawaii are inter-racial. my great grandfather on my mom_s side was pure filipino while my great grandmother was pure hawaiian. i don_t know about my great grandparents on my dad_s side. my grandpa on my mom_s side was full on white and my grandmother was half hawaiian and half filipino. on my dad_s side my grandma was hawaiian and chinese while my grandpa was white but raised by hawaiians. most marriages in hawaii are like that so i don_t understand why you think it_s a no no.

aloha!

First of all there are no _natives_ here. There are Hawaiians. And we have hundreds of tourists who come here and have no problem. This id because the treat that land and it_s people with RESPECT.

Yes there are some hatred for a couple of reasons. The Missionaries took away the Hawaiian language and the Hula. And the overthrow of the islands was an illegal act.

The police do protect the tourist what you have herad in untrue.

We just got back from Maui and Oahu. I DID feel like we were invading someone_s home many times when we were there, at least at grocery stores, gas stations, and food stands. Many locals would give us the cold stare and not answer back when we tried to strike up conversation. (maybe they don_t speak much english?). We often felt like a nuisance and wondered why they were so cold, as tourism IS their bread and butter, as boomergal mentioned.

We never felt like anyone was being deliberately hateful or mean, but did feel a little despised. We ventured out to some remote beaches, where mainly locals hung out, and felt sorta unwelcome (kinda like if you walked into a wedding reception where you weren_t invited). We were always respectful and kept in mind that it IS their home, and how would we feel if our neighborhood was overrun with nosy sightseeing groups!

But, I do agree. There was some tension. I wanted to tell them to just relax, and share :) We are admiring their world!

I don_t know where you heard such a thing. I have lived in the No. shore of Oahu for years and I have never been treated badly or _hatefully_. It is no different than any other place, treat people like you want to be treated.
I have always respected the Hawaiians and feel thankful they share their island with me. Are there issues..of course!! the same way there are issues with the native American Indians.
The police definitely have a full time job especially in Honolulu/Waikiki..its a metropolitan city, with alot of people/tourist. No different than L.A. or New York.
Personally, I have never felt love as I have here on the islands..... thats why it has the aloha spirit.
Aloha!!

You get the Funniest Question of the Month Asward.

Congratulaitons.

it is dangerous

When I went there, it wasn_t toooooo bad, but it_s highly understandable

Before I moved to Hawaii in 1984, I visited there with my 3 kids who were small at the time.

We rented a car and went to Kaena Point. If you_ve been there you know where that is. Rather inaccessible, dirt road at the time, extremely narrow and dangerous the farther you go - which I did NOT know at the time or I wouldn_t have gone there. We were just out driving around.

I came to a point where the road twisted around the side and I couldn_t see too far. Just then 2 local males came through so I asked them _how is the road up ahead? Is it safe_?

One of them said _Oh yeah it_s safe no problem, go for it._

The other one hit him in the side with his elbow and said _Don_t tell her that, she has little kids!_

The first one shrugged and said _Yeah! It_s safe! No problem!_

The other one just shrugged and shook his head at that point and they turned around and walked away. I heard the first guy say _So what. They_re haoles._

So I drove on a little further and found that not only was the road not safe, it virtually almost disappeared and for sure my car would have gone straight down the mountain and more than likely my kids would have been killed.

Ok? Yeah, I will never forget that, and the hatred in the eyes of that first guy.

So yes, there ARE locals who hate whites, and I mean REALLY hate whites. Enough to see three little white kids dead.

I should point out that the rest of my trip there was fantastic - as long as I stayed off the West side and hung out in the tourist areas, stayed on the highways, etc. and didn_t get into the local_s areas.

I did end up coming back there each year for the next three years, and always had a fantastic time. I finally moved there in 1987.

My boyfriend at the time decided to drive a pedicab. I guess those are outlawed in Waikiki now, but they weren_t then. There were a lot of locals who also drove pedicab, and they had their own area, their own stands that they stayed by. My boyfriend, who had come over with me, was 6 ft. 6 in. and about 280 lbs. ended up at their stand one day. Three or four guys decided they were going to try to beat the crap out of him for it, but unfortunately for them, my boyfriend picked one up, threw him against a wall, picked the next one up and did the same thing, knocked out the third guy, and I guess the 4th one ran away. So he never had another problem there.

I got a job at the Ilikai Hotel, where I cleaned the parking garages. I had to drive around on a machine that swept the garage floors, and then hop off to pick up any garbage along the sides. I was the ONLY white there in that entire department. The rest were all locals. And I had no problems with them except for ONE guy. And this guy was a freaking nutcase. He was a local, and he absolutely HATED whites. He would follow me around, glaring hatred at me from his eyes. Even sometimes I would be all alone working in the garages and look up and see him staring at me from around one of the posts in there, hatred in his eyes. It was really, really scary after not too long, and I went to my boss (also a local) and told him about it. He put a stop to it IMMEDIATELY. The guy who was following me around and glaring at me was around for a few more weeks, then he left and I never saw him again.

So these are a few of the incidents that happened, these are the more blatant ones. There were always the smaller things too, like getting the cold stares from some of the locals (not all, I got plenty of smiles too!) in areas outside the tourist sites.

Eventually my boyfriend left to go back to the mainland, but I stayed. I got involved with a local guy, and pretty much after that things were fine.

I did know a guy who came here from the mainland, he worked in the post office and got transferred. He brought out everything, his car, his family, the whole household. He left within six weeks to go back to the mainland. He said the locals in the post office were horrible to him, hated him, made his life totally miserable. I thought _wow what a lot of money he wasted to come out here just to turn around and go back._

His kids too, got beat up in school during the weekly _Beat Up a Haole Day_. Yes, they really did have that. The local kids at school would beat the crap out of a white or two every week. It wasn_t of course an OFFICIAL day, just something the local kids thought up and started doing. I don_t know if that still goes on.

So, people who say that there is no hatred of whites in Hawaii are full of it. Oh yes there IS hatred of whites. But I have to say that in all the time I lived there, I found much more acceptance than hatred. I lived also on the north shore for a while, and it_s pretty mellow there, not much of that going on up there. It was mainly on the West side that it happened, or among the locals in the tourist trade, a few of them hated whites.

Like I said, I did get involved with a local guy and things were fine from then on. I had no problems whatsoever. Except for the occasional eye roll from someone who thought that locals shouldn_t be involved with whites, but I didn_t get any overt hatred from then on. So for the next few years I had a great time there, no problems at all. Made a lot of local friends that I still have today even though I moved back to the mainland, we still keep in touch.

So yeah, anyone who wants to move there should be very aware that there are locals who hate whites, but that there are many MORE who don_t and are great people.

Also, you have to take into consideration that their land WAS stolen from them and that_s just not right in my opinion. There was a group when I was there that was just beginning. They were going to try to withdraw from the States or something, and take back the land as theirs, but I don_t know how far this ever got - at least I have never heard on the news that the State of Hawaii has ceceded from the Union and is now an independent country, so I guess they haven_t got too far.

Anyway, oh! About the cops? I never once saw a cop NOT protect anyone in danger, whether they were white or local. The cops there are ok. I don_t know how this may have changed since the ice epidemic hit, but the cops were just fine when I was there. They stayed out of our way, we stayed out of theirs, and everyone got along just fine. I never saw any police brutality or anything like that. Very laid back guys, most of them are, or were.

If I knew someone who was going to move there, and they were white, I would say go for it, but I would also tell them what to avoid, what to watch out for, what to do, what not to do, where to go, where not to go, etc.

Hope this helps some.

YES!

Unless you are BORN here.......

Otherwise I have been here for 6 years and I have experienced tons of racism, discrimination, and prejudice....

Also I am in a Inter-racial marriage....so that is a big NO NO here! So that makes it worse...

Never have I experience such reticule from people on the mainland as I do here in Hawaii...


But for tourists...its better to stay in Touristie areas and not venture to the WEST SIDE of the Island at all.

There have been many many violent acts of crime there with the locals and tourists...
I never go to that side of the island!

The police do not do anything because they are natives and locals as well

How do I get to major tourist sites from Union Station?|131956

I live in the western suburbs and take the Metra-BNSF line into Chicago, which ends at Union Station. I want to know what buses/El trains I should take to get me to these places:

Lincon Park Zoo
Museum of Science and Industry
Museum Campus
Chinatown
Navy Pier
North Michigan Ave. (Magnificent Mile)

Some places I haven_t been to and would like to know how to get there. Others I have been to, but may be taking a longer route than neccesary. I_m also not planning to visit all of these places at once. Just over a few weekends in the summer. I have a CTA _Chicago card,_ so i don_t have to worry about the upcoming fare increases.

Check out the RTA_s online trip planner:

http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/


Also go to the CTA_s webpage for information, instructions and route maps. Here is the URL:
http://www.transitchicago.com/


You can take the Red Line L train south to Chinatown and get off at 22nd/Cermak. From Union Station, exit the west side and walk south 2-3 blocks on Clinton to Blue Line L stop (under the Congress/I-290 overpass) and board train toward O_Hare. Go three stops to Jackson and transfer to the Red Line train towards Dan Ryan/95th. Cermak/Chinatown will be 3rd stop to the south. Follow your nose to Chinatown from there--it_s right there. Exit the L to the WEST-avoid going east of the tracks--trust me on this.

For Mag Mile, Navy Pier and the Museum Campus (Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium _ Soldier Field) you are within about 2-2.5 miles from all of them at Union Station. It_s not a bad walk on a nice day. You can exit Union Station towards the East, cross the river and look up. The Sears Tower will be right there. Take a left on Wacker Drive as it snakes alongside the Chicago River. Once you cross Lake Street (Green Line L tracks overhead) Wacker will curve right (East) and you_ll see some of Chicago_s best architecture. Go East along Wacker and you_ll hit the Mag Mile where the river and Michigan Avenue intersect. Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower are the first buildings you_ll see. Follow that north. To get to Navy Pier, take Michigan Avenue north just a couple blocks to Grand Ave--just north of Tribune Tower on your right. Head down the stairs to Grand Avenue and walk East until you are at Navy Pier.

A cab ride is the quickest to any of these places in my opinion--you might end up spending $10 max per leg.

If you want to keep on a budget and still get around efficiently, CTA (includes city buses and the L train) is the best. Get yourself a CTA Visitor pass for $5/day and you_ll be good to go:

http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/fares��


Have a blast!

What bus in manhattan do i take to get to the bronx?|140084

I live in Manhattan and I am trying to find a way to go to Metropolitan avenue in Parkchester in the bronx. What bus would i take to go there?

Just take the 6 train its much easier.

Depending on what part of Manhattan you_re living in, you will have to take multiple buses to get from Manhattan to Parkchester. My advice take the subway instead.

Drop me a line, by click on the avatar and e-mail icon in the profile and I be glad to help with travel direction by subway.

Good luck

U can always know at
http://www.googlemaps.com
Just put ur locations in the get directions on the left and then put by public transportation. Good luck!