Fast Facts

Business Hours -- Offices are usually open weekdays 9am to 5pm. Banks are open weekdays 9am to 3pm or later and sometimes Saturday mornings. Stores typically open between 9 and 10am and close between 5 and 6pm Monday through Saturday. Stores in shopping complexes or malls tend to stay open late on these days -- until about 9pm -- and many malls and larger department stores are open on Sundays.

Electricity -- Like Canada, the United States uses 110 to 120 volts AC (60 cycles), compared to 220 to 240 volts AC (50 cycles) in most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. If your small appliances use 220 to 240 volts, you'll need a 110-volt transformer and a plug adapter with two flat parallel pins to operate them here. Downward converters that change 220 to 240 volts to 110 to 120 volts are difficult to find in the United States, so bring one with you.

Embassies & Consulates -- All embassies are located in the national capital, Washington, D.C., which is just across the Potomac River from northern Virginia. Some key embassies are:

Australia: 1601 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (tel. 202/797-3000; www.austemb.org). There are Australian consulates in New York, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Canada: 501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001 (tel. 202/682-1740; www.canadianembassy.org).

Ireland: 2234 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/462-3939; www.irelandemb.org). Irish consulates are in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco.

Japan: 2520 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/238-6700; www.embjapan.org). Japanese consulates are located in many cities including Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.

New Zealand: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/328-4800; www.nzemb.org). New Zealand consulates are in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle.

United Kingdom: 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/588-7800; www.britainusa.com). Other consulates are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York.

Emergencies -- Call tel. 911 to report a fire, call the police, or get an ambulance anywhere in the United States. This is a toll-free call (no coins are required at public telephones).

If you encounter traveler's problems, check the telephone directory to find the local Traveler's Aid International (tel. 202/546-1127; www.travelersaid.org), a national, nonprofit organization geared to helping travelers in difficult straits. Their services might include reuniting families separated while traveling, providing food and/or shelter to people stranded without cash, or even offering emotional counseling. If you're in trouble, seek them out.

Gasoline (Petrol) -- Petrol is known as gasoline (or simply "gas"), and petrol stations are known as both gas stations and service stations. While the price of gasoline has been going through the roof recently, it still costs about half as much in the U.S. as it does in Europe. One U.S. gallon equals 3.8 liters or .85 imperial gallons. All but a few stations have self-service gas pumps.

Holidays -- Banks, government offices, post offices, and many stores, restaurants, and museums are closed on the following legal national holidays: January 1 (New Year's Day), the third Monday in January (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), the third Monday in February (Presidents' Day/Washington and Lincoln's Birthdays), the last Monday in May (Memorial Day), July 4 (Independence Day), the first Monday in September (Labor Day), the second Monday in October (Columbus Day), November 11 (Veterans' Day/Armistice Day), the fourth Thursday in November (Thanksgiving Day), and December 25 (Christmas).

Legal Aid -- The foreign tourist will probably never become involved with the American legal system. If you are "pulled over" for a minor infraction (for example, speeding), never attempt to pay the fine directly to a police officer; this could be construed as attempted bribery, a serious crime. Pay fines by mail or directly into the hands of the clerk of the court. If accused of a more serious offense, say and do nothing before consulting a lawyer or your embassy or consulate. Here, the government must prove a person's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and everyone has the right to remain silent, whether he or she is suspected of a crime or actually arrested. If arrested, a person can make one telephone call to a party of his or her choice, and non-U.S. citizens have a right to call their embassies or consulates.

Mail -- Mail is delivered throughout the country by the United States Postal Service (www.usps.com). If you aren't sure what your address will be in the United States, mail can be sent to you, in your name, c/o General Delivery at the main post office of the city or region where you expect to be. You must pick it up in person and must produce proof of identity (driver's license, passport, and so on).

Generally found at intersections, mailboxes are blue with a red-and-white stripe and carry the inscription U.S. MAIL. If your mail is addressed to a U.S. destination, don't forget to add the five-digit postal code, or zip code, after the two-letter abbreviation of the state to which the mail is addressed (VA for Virginia).

When reviewed, domestic postage rates were 23¢ for a postcard and 37¢ for a letter. For international mail, a first-class letter of up to 1 ounce costs 80¢ (60¢ to Canada and Mexico); a first-class postcard costs 70¢ (50¢ to Canada and Mexico).

Taxes In the United States there is no value-added tax (VAT) or other indirect tax at the national level. Every state, county, and city has the right to levy its own local tax on all purchases, including hotel and restaurant checks, airline tickets, and so on.

Telephone, Telegraph & Fax -- The telephone system in the United States is run by private corporations, so rates, especially for long-distance service and operator-assisted calls, can vary widely. Generally, hotel surcharges on long-distance and local calls are astronomical, so you're usually better off using a public pay telephone, which you'll find clearly marked in most public buildings and private establishments as well as on the street. Convenience grocery stores and gas stations always have them. Many convenience groceries and packaging services sell prepaid calling cards in denominations up to $50; these can be the least expensive way to call home. Many public phones at airports now accept American Express, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards. Local calls made from public pay phones in Virginia cost 50¢.

You may want to look into leasing a cellphone for the duration of your trip.

Most long-distance and international calls can be dialed directly from any phone. For calls within the United States and to Canada, dial 1 followed by the area code and the seven-digit number. For other international calls, dial 011 followed by the country code, city code, and the telephone number of the person you are calling.

Calls to area codes 800, 866, 877, and 888 are toll-free. However, calls to numbers in area codes 700 and 900 (chat lines, bulletin boards, "dating" services, and so on) can be very expensive -- usually a charge of 95¢ to $3 or more per minute, and they sometimes have minimum charges that can run as high as $15 or more.

For reversed-charge or collect calls, and for person-to-person calls, dial the number 0 followed by the area code and number you want; an operator will then come on the line, and you should specify that you are calling collect, or person-to-person, or both. If your operator-assisted call is international, ask for the overseas operator.

Telegraph and telex services are provided primarily by Western Union (www.westernunion.com). You can bring your telegram into any Western Union office (there are hundreds across the country) or dictate it over the phone (tel. 800/325-6000). You can also send money or have it sent to you, very quickly, over the Western Union system, but the fee for this service can be as much as 15% to 25% of the amount sent.

Most hotels have fax machines available for guest use (be sure to ask about the charge to use it), and many hotel rooms are even wired for guests' fax machines. A less expensive way to send and receive faxes may be at copy centers such as Kinko's (www.kinkos.com) and The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.; www.theupsstore.com), a chain of packing service shops (look in the Yellow Pages directory under "Copying" and "Packing Services," respectively). Some Kinko's and UPS stores have computers with Internet access for sending and receiving e-mail.

There are two kinds of telephone directories in the United States. The so-called White Pages list private and business subscribers in alphabetical order. The inside front cover lists emergency numbers for police, fire, ambulance, the coast guard, poison-control center, crime-victims hot line, and so on. The first few pages will tell you how to make long-distance and international calls, complete with country codes and area codes. Government numbers usually are on pages printed on blue paper. Printed on yellow paper, the so-called Yellow Pages list all local services, businesses, industries, and churches and synagogues by type of activity, with an index at the front or back. The Yellow Pages also include city plans or detailed area maps, often showing postal zip codes and public transportation routes.

Tipping -- Tipping is so ingrained in the American way of life that the annual income tax of tip-earning personnel is based on how much they should have received based on their employers' gross revenues, so they may have to pay tax on a tip you didn't give them. On the other hand, tipping is certainly not compulsory if the service is poor!

In restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip your server 15% to 20% of the check, depending on the quality of service. Tip bartenders at least 10% to 15% (a dollar or more per drink is customary), tip checkroom attendants $1 per garment, and tip valet-parking attendants $1 per vehicle. Tipping is not expected in cafeterias or fast-food restaurants where you order at a counter. In hotels, tip bellhops $1 per bag. Tip cab drivers 15% of the fare and tip hairdressers and barbers 15% to 20%. Do not tip gas-station attendants and ushers at movies and theaters.

Toilets -- You won't find public toilets (referred to here as "restrooms") on the streets in most U.S. cities, but they can be found in hotel lobbies, bars, restaurants, museums, larger stores, railway and bus stations, or service stations. Large hotels and fast-food restaurants are probably the best bet for good, clean facilities. Note that restaurants and bars in resorts or heavily visited areas may reserve their restrooms for the use of their patrons; they usually display a notice indicating this. You can ignore this sign or, better yet, avoid arguments by paying for a cup of coffee or a soft drink, which will qualify you as a patron. If possible, avoid the toilets at parks and beaches, which tend to be dirty; some may be unsafe.