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Post by chrisgrimes on Aug 9, 2004 7:54:34 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
I am doing a 3 - 4 week tour of the US in October, visiting our agents across USA and doing joint sales calls etc, exact itinerary still being worked on but will be definately in the following areas
Miami, Norfolk, Charleston, New York, Boston, Chicago.
I am in the business of moving freight around the globe and we have a lot of business with the USA.
Once I have the dates etc maybe some you guys over there can recommend some good venues for local bands, beer etc. Whilst I will be with some of my buddies in the US, when I'm abroad I like to have the weekends and some evenings free so I can forget about work.
I am going to try and work some kind of flanker and take out my standard mexican strat in a gig bag, plan then to get a top of the tree strat as a replacement and bring it back in the bag, going to donate the mex to one of my buddies out there. I know numerous guys who have worked this, same applies with golf equipment, you guys in the colonies also get bargain deal compared to us back in the hq of the empire !!
Haven't been to the US for a good few years now so looking forward to the trip.
Can I get any beer with a kick now, don't like 3.5% bud !!
Ta
Chris - UK
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Post by samicksg on Aug 9, 2004 11:25:31 GMT -5
You want good beer, your going to have to come north of the border to my place for a cold one ;D
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Post by supedupviper on Aug 9, 2004 11:49:35 GMT -5
I live 30 miles south of Chicago, so I kinda know my way around there. Theres a big guitar center in north halsted, you should really go there. As for local bands, I would go to The House of Blues, theres always bands there.
Hope you enjoy your stay here ;D
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Post by hcoll on Aug 9, 2004 20:09:47 GMT -5
...recommend you refer to your trip as sales meetings...business trip...marketing...etc...........
..."joint sales"...especially around Miami...could be construde as having a different meaning...you're inviting trouble for yourself...especially at Customs..........
...travel is hard enough these days without being overheard by someone and misunderstood.............
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Post by chrisgrimes on Aug 10, 2004 1:39:44 GMT -5
hcoll
thanks for the tip, i don't even smoke the stuff !!
I have not been to US since 9/11 (my sister got stuck in vegas for 2 weeks she had just got married there and couldn't get flight back) but colleagues and friends tell me your customs and immigration really do their job well, there's a stong possibility i might need a visa as my passport expires in december, who'd have thought it, a brit needing a visa to visit our oldest friends !!! World going mad.
I'll have a whole host of invites from US companies who I will be visiting but we'll have to see what kind of reception I get when walking through arrival terminal, most likely will kick off in Chicago, work across Cleveland, Pittsburgh, then to Boston & Providence and then run down the road to Miami.
Thanks again
Chris
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Post by hcoll on Aug 10, 2004 4:51:02 GMT -5
...if your trip is in October...isn't there enough time to renew your passport...............
...never ever have I smoked the stuff...second hand maybe in the halls of a college dorm or at a concert........
...seems like certain "buzz" words should be avoided...especially when you're on a plane or even in an airport...the Queen's English might be cause for concern...for example...it's a pharmacy...not a chemist...in the hinterlands of Chicago's O'Hare that might be construde as an inquiry about exposives............
...in this swamp we call a Capital...we can't drive from one end of town to the other without going through a rode block...god forbid if we're driving a truck............
...if you haven't been here since 9/11...you're in for a bit of a shock...you might be use to seeing soldiers guarding airports...policemen carrying machineguns...we're not............
...sorry about all this...but it's better to know ahead of time and be prepared..............
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Post by chrisgrimes on Aug 10, 2004 6:25:51 GMT -5
Hi hcoll
The passport thing will be sorted, it's just that US currently insist us Johnny foreigners have 6 month validity on older passports, I'll now have to get one of those damned things with retina images etc !!! Hope I don't have to get a visa, queuing for ages at US embassy in London.... god forbid.
I'm fortunate that I have made previous trips over the pond so am aware of the language "differences" .
Concerning the security issues, guess you are right, we have a bit more experience regarding security issues. It was a huge shock for us when we started to see armed police and soldiers at the ports and airports, our police (coppers, old bill, etc) ARE NOT ARMED, the average officer has to deal with the scum of the earth armed with a baton !!
If you want to see scary, trigger happy, baton crazy police, take a visit to Turkey. Last year I had a week in Istanbul as a guest of our agents, I tell you even though I was in the company of great Turkish people I had to produce my passport so many times I thought it might be an idea to leave it at the police station !!
Ta for all the info
Chris
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Post by samicksg on Aug 10, 2004 10:58:56 GMT -5
Tell me about it, even us Canadians need passports to avoid a hell of a long hassle  |
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Post by hcoll on Aug 10, 2004 13:41:05 GMT -5
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