A few snaps from the USA
- durbster
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A few snaps from the USA
Not sure where to put this but me and the wife had a bit of a road trip around western United States recently so here's a few of her snaps.
The uber cool San Francisco - here's Alcatraz:
The view back to San Francisco from Alcatraz:
The Palace of Fine Arts
I have to say, I didn't expect to see a building quite so stunning in the States. I thought at best it'd be half-arsed and not well researched replicas of European architecture but this place was beautiful and knocked me off my pedastal.
We like to walk around a place to get a feel for it. That takes a lot of effort in San Francisco
Yosemite National Park - stunning place
The sun rises as we begin a 12 hour drive to get to the Grand Canyon:
Not a huge novelty for many of you I'm sure, but I still love this kind of view:
Zabriskie Point in Death Valley:
And the Grand Canyon:
And finally, the absolutely bonkers Las Vegas:
The Stratosphere:
The uber cool San Francisco - here's Alcatraz:
The view back to San Francisco from Alcatraz:
The Palace of Fine Arts
I have to say, I didn't expect to see a building quite so stunning in the States. I thought at best it'd be half-arsed and not well researched replicas of European architecture but this place was beautiful and knocked me off my pedastal.
We like to walk around a place to get a feel for it. That takes a lot of effort in San Francisco
Yosemite National Park - stunning place
The sun rises as we begin a 12 hour drive to get to the Grand Canyon:
Not a huge novelty for many of you I'm sure, but I still love this kind of view:
Zabriskie Point in Death Valley:
And the Grand Canyon:
And finally, the absolutely bonkers Las Vegas:
The Stratosphere:
- richo
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
I did a very similar trip two years ago and i totally agree America is a lot prettier than i expected and the air quality was a big surprise even in the guts of LA .
Going to Washington (Smithsonian) , NY and Florida in another years time , can't wait to go to the Kennedy Space center and the Smithsonian .
Going to Washington (Smithsonian) , NY and Florida in another years time , can't wait to go to the Kennedy Space center and the Smithsonian .
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- Speed
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
All fantastic shots, especially the first shot which just does something for me.
I'm very jealous, we went to the US in '07 & were blown away by how different it was than we expected...mainly the people, they were really generous & friendlier than in the movies. There were also more beggars than expected too, especially in Vegas which was just awesome.
I can't wait to go back. We're gonna get to New York next time.
I'm very jealous, we went to the US in '07 & were blown away by how different it was than we expected...mainly the people, they were really generous & friendlier than in the movies. There were also more beggars than expected too, especially in Vegas which was just awesome.
I can't wait to go back. We're gonna get to New York next time.
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- richo
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
I found the amount of homeless in San Fran Cisco very disheartening and quite scary to be honest, my kids witnessed a very old Asian women get king hit by a black dude because she was going through his bin .
To say they were frightened to walk the streets is a complete understatement . Still as Speed said the people were really nice and not what i was expecting and the service over there is amazing.
Edit: How fooking cold is SFC and what a miserable bastard of a place Alcatraz must of been, we went in summer and had to buy jackets etc because it was so cold.
To say they were frightened to walk the streets is a complete understatement . Still as Speed said the people were really nice and not what i was expecting and the service over there is amazing.
Edit: How fooking cold is SFC and what a miserable bastard of a place Alcatraz must of been, we went in summer and had to buy jackets etc because it was so cold.
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- DexterPunk
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Excellent!! Love the shots from Yosemite and Death Valley. Grand Canyon as well of course. Thanks for posting
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Great photos, thanks! I'm a bit jealous for Yosemite, tbh
The rest I'm not too fussed about, but I went the wrong time (lack of research) so all I could see was a half frozen Niagara Falls, Yosemite was closed
It wasn't that special IMHO - but I went in with high expectations, from Hungary, USA looked like the pinnacle of the modern civilisation. And then I've realised they've the same crap over there, but with more people way below the minimum line (my minimum). And more way over it, too. And that did not appeal to me - it still doesn't to be honest.
There's also, indeed, more violence there it seems. My hosts back then warned me about the (lack of) wiseness of going to certain places mostly within New York. And while there I've heard at plenty of killings daily on the radio - in the bigger cities that is.
The rest I'm not too fussed about, but I went the wrong time (lack of research) so all I could see was a half frozen Niagara Falls, Yosemite was closed
It wasn't that special IMHO - but I went in with high expectations, from Hungary, USA looked like the pinnacle of the modern civilisation. And then I've realised they've the same crap over there, but with more people way below the minimum line (my minimum). And more way over it, too. And that did not appeal to me - it still doesn't to be honest.
There's also, indeed, more violence there it seems. My hosts back then warned me about the (lack of) wiseness of going to certain places mostly within New York. And while there I've heard at plenty of killings daily on the radio - in the bigger cities that is.
Surprise, no sig. Now there is. Or is there?
- Speed
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Emjay just pointed out that my post was a little ambiguous (which is pretty common with my posts).....Vegas was awesome.....not having more than expected beggars.
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- durbster
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Yeah we were surprised by a lot of things over there. I suppose it's impossible not to have certain expectations with all the media we import from them.
The food was a bit shit. We ate well in San Francisco and Vegas but just trying to get a simple, decent meal was tricky. And the cheese. In France they eat a lot of cheese but the supermarkets have an entire aisle dedicated to the various types. In America they seem to have cheese on everything but it's all processed crap.
The yanks were great. Quick to help if you looked like you needed a hand and everyone was really polite. It seemed honest and genuine too, not the false front we were expecting. We were decent tippers though so that may have helped
The amount of homeless people was a shock although perhaps they're drawn to the tourist areas so it may not be representative. Mind you, when we arrived we decided to use public transport in LA and when we were buying a ticket a bloke walked up behind us asking for a dollar. When I politely declined he said, "whatever man. Some tourists are cool, some tourists are whack." and stumbled off. I've never been called "whack" before. I felt quite proud
Not quite as many monster-fatties as I expected too, although when we went to an ice hockey game I watched a man eat what must have been a six litre bag of popcorn.
There were a few places I felt uncomfortable though. Even in Hollywood, I decided to take a shortcut and it only takes a few steps from the tourist road it suddenly feels quite intimidating. The contrast between wealth and poverty is incredibly stark, particularly in LA. You walk round the corner from a $billion restaurant franchise and suddenly feel like you're in the third world. San Francisco was probably the only place we never felt uncomfortable despite walking across the entire city. Great place.
The TV was bloody awful. The news was tabloid level at best and I know there was an election on but aside from Sandy hitting the east coast, there wasn't a single story given any coverage. I wish I was exaggerating but there really wasn't. The God TV stuff was terrifying too and the shamelessness of these preachers was amazing; "send me $$$ and I'll have a word with God. Within six months you'll... oh I dunno... experience a miracle," or one of my favourites, "send me exactly $273 and I guarantee your business will start making money." Do they have no regulation for this kind of thing?
Thankfully we spent more time in the car than in front of the TV and the radio was really good.
I'd definitely like to see more of America. The southern states would be interesting and we might do a weekend in New York next year if we can save up enough before our visa runs out.
The food was a bit shit. We ate well in San Francisco and Vegas but just trying to get a simple, decent meal was tricky. And the cheese. In France they eat a lot of cheese but the supermarkets have an entire aisle dedicated to the various types. In America they seem to have cheese on everything but it's all processed crap.
The yanks were great. Quick to help if you looked like you needed a hand and everyone was really polite. It seemed honest and genuine too, not the false front we were expecting. We were decent tippers though so that may have helped
The amount of homeless people was a shock although perhaps they're drawn to the tourist areas so it may not be representative. Mind you, when we arrived we decided to use public transport in LA and when we were buying a ticket a bloke walked up behind us asking for a dollar. When I politely declined he said, "whatever man. Some tourists are cool, some tourists are whack." and stumbled off. I've never been called "whack" before. I felt quite proud
Not quite as many monster-fatties as I expected too, although when we went to an ice hockey game I watched a man eat what must have been a six litre bag of popcorn.
There were a few places I felt uncomfortable though. Even in Hollywood, I decided to take a shortcut and it only takes a few steps from the tourist road it suddenly feels quite intimidating. The contrast between wealth and poverty is incredibly stark, particularly in LA. You walk round the corner from a $billion restaurant franchise and suddenly feel like you're in the third world. San Francisco was probably the only place we never felt uncomfortable despite walking across the entire city. Great place.
The TV was bloody awful. The news was tabloid level at best and I know there was an election on but aside from Sandy hitting the east coast, there wasn't a single story given any coverage. I wish I was exaggerating but there really wasn't. The God TV stuff was terrifying too and the shamelessness of these preachers was amazing; "send me $$$ and I'll have a word with God. Within six months you'll... oh I dunno... experience a miracle," or one of my favourites, "send me exactly $273 and I guarantee your business will start making money." Do they have no regulation for this kind of thing?
Thankfully we spent more time in the car than in front of the TV and the radio was really good.
I'd definitely like to see more of America. The southern states would be interesting and we might do a weekend in New York next year if we can save up enough before our visa runs out.
Speed wrote:Emjay just pointed out that my post was a little ambiguous (which is pretty common with my posts).....Vegas was awesome.....not having more than expected beggars.
- KNAPPO
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Love #2, that shot inside Alcatraz is fantastic.
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Been meaning to comment for a few days but nice snaps Durbs - I especially like the landscapes, some great shots of spectacular country and I never tire of seeing a mountain range for my horizon ... makes me miss Huesca, actually. I'd like to go back and visit more of the Western side as our trip only took us as far as Chicago and back from NYC.
Also, the observations you've all made of the States are pretty true of my time there - generally really friendly people, and great service in any place you take your custom ... very difficult to buy decent food outside of a restaurant though, the bread, the cheese, etc. all nasty, sweetened stuff and the fruit/veg were enormously chemically enhanced. I was only 16 at the time but I still needed two hands to eat an apple ...
Also, the observations you've all made of the States are pretty true of my time there - generally really friendly people, and great service in any place you take your custom ... very difficult to buy decent food outside of a restaurant though, the bread, the cheese, etc. all nasty, sweetened stuff and the fruit/veg were enormously chemically enhanced. I was only 16 at the time but I still needed two hands to eat an apple ...
- J.D.
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Nice pics Durbs. Enjoyed following your travels in the US.
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- Big Kev
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Great pics.
The grand canyon and Yosemite look amazing.
The grand canyon and Yosemite look amazing.
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- durbster
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Here's a short video of the trip if anybody would like to see
- Vilante
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Excellent vid!!
- Speed
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Fantastic video Durbs. Really makes me want to go back.
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- VTRacing
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
Awesome video, great job.
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Re: A few snaps from the USA
сначала мы убиваем американского лося и белку.
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell.
Proudly never a mod or admin at RSC from 2001 - 2009.
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell.
Proudly never a mod or admin at RSC from 2001 - 2009.