New York

[ilikecheese]

20% on meals if you enjoyed it. 15% is standard. In many places that is (or was) "double the tax," but now tax on meals is 9-10% or higher. Then there's stuff like cabs, doormen, bartenders. That can truly get a bit confusing even for a Yank like myself.

See I look at it completely differently. Especially with food, but really with pretty much everything.

I am tipping the service provided, not the food. The food is expected to be good. The wait staff should be penalized if the food isn't right but their level of service is excellent. But yeah...20% is kinda a standard. Valets get a couple of bucks. Same with doormen. Bartender will get an extra buck per drink if they are decent. Cabs I'll usually do about 10%.

 

[wm02]

I want to go to Camden yards and a cab ride around the moody areas like on the wire . lol

If you go, check out the Inner Harbor, Fort Mc Henry and Fells Point. The train museum is really good too if that's your type of thing

 

[SerenityNigh]

See I look at it completely differently. Especially with food, but really with pretty much everything.

I am tipping the service provided, not the food. The food is expected to be good. The wait staff should be penalized if the food isn't right but their level of service is excellent. But yeah...20% is kinda a standard. Valets get a couple of bucks. Same with doormen. Bartender will get an extra buck per drink if they are decent. Cabs I'll usually do about 10%.

I think we largely agree. Worst is good food with bad service, but it's hard to separate the two. You can tell when the food is surprisingly bad vs normally bad food. Good waitstaff shouldn't labor to serve bad food, and I'm not making any extra effort to support bad food.

 

[Brennan]

I would ditch going up the Empire State and do the Top of the Rock instead. Better view and experience overall especially in the daytime.

 

[Garrick]

I would ditch going up the Empire State and do the Top of the Rock instead. Better view and experience overall especially in the daytime.

Cheaper and less crowded, too

 

[Garrick]

20% on meals if you enjoyed it. 15% is standard. In many places that is (or was) "double the tax," but now tax on meals is 9-10% or higher. Then there's stuff like cabs, doormen, bartenders. That can truly get a bit confusing even for a Yank like myself.

It wasn't that long ago that 15% was standard, but the base pay for most wait staff hasn't increased in over a decade.

 

[SerenityNigh]

It wasn't that long ago that 15% was standard, but the base pay for most wait staff hasn't increased in over a decade.

It was about 20 years ago (sake!) I got my first waiting job. First thing I was told is, "You'll make $10/hour in tips. If not, you'll be gone, one way or another."

 

[Rook]

I want to go to Camden yards and a cab ride around the moody areas like on the wire . lol

We used to have a Wire Tour where you Brits can take a bus around the city and gawk at real live poors.

There isn't much in Baltimore. The only footie pub is a Liverpool one. Fells is decent to get a drink at, and Preakness weekend is fun. Inner Harbor is decent but its just chock full of chain resturants. Camden Yards is nice but PNC is better. Pittsburgh is now a much better medium sized city to visit today.

Favorite East coast cities
1. Philly
2. Boston (but only on the weekends) getting around is tough during work days.

 

[ilikecheese]

We used to have a Wire Tour where you Brits can take a bus around the city and gawk at real live poors.

There isn't much in Baltimore. The only footie pub is a Liverpool one. Fells is decent to get a drink at, and Preakness weekend is fun. Inner Harbor is decent but its just chock full of chain resturants. Camden Yards is nice but PNC is better. Pittsburgh is now a much better medium sized city to visit today.

Favorite East coast cities
1. Philly
2. Boston (but only on the weekends) getting around is tough during work days.

I would imagine anyone from Europe visiting would enjoy Philly or Washington to B'more, no?

Baltimore has a great history and all...but from what my brother and sis-in-law say it's mostly crap on a violent crime stick.

 

[l4toffee]

Coincidentally For those who love this city. BBC 2 @ 9pm on Tuesday is the start of a 3 part series.



@chicoazul @l4toffee @Moomin @ijjysmith @The Esk @SunKing @anjelikaferrett @NSNO_Phil_1878 @bigjonny @bring back the catt @Eggs @Gladystweet @Bilko

Already recorded that I can't wait mate

 

[Rook]

I would imagine anyone from Europe visiting would enjoy Philly or Washington to B'more, no?

Baltimore has a great history and all...but from what my brother and sis-in-law say it's mostly crap on a violent crime stick.

The bad areas are mostly out of view of wherever you'd go. However its not a touristy city. DC isn't really either unless museums are your thing.

NYC reminds me of London a bit only its a lot more spread out and harder to get to places. If you travel over here and stay on the east coast I'd go to places like Lake Placid/Adiondracks, Western Mass, NH where you can see some nature and places you can't see over there.

 

[anjelikaferrett]

If you get time, take a train ride to New Haven, Connecticut. It's the home of Yale University and a very typical New England town. Totally different to New York....and you can tell everybody you've been to Yale! I think someone has already mentioned the Natural History museum. I loved that.

 

[Nil Satis Niasse Optimum]

Cheaper and less crowded, too

Plus you can take a pic of the Empire State from there.

 

[Nil Satis Niasse Optimum]

We used to have a Wire Tour where you Brits can take a bus around the city and gawk at real live poors.

There isn't much in Baltimore. The only footie pub is a Liverpool one. Fells is decent to get a drink at, and Preakness weekend is fun. Inner Harbor is decent but its just chock full of chain resturants. Camden Yards is nice but PNC is better. Pittsburgh is now a much better medium sized city to visit today.

Favorite East coast cities
1. Philly
2. Boston (but only on the weekends) getting around is tough during work days.

Love Philly. Amazing place. The Reading Terminal food market is where I left my heart.

 

[Zatara]

Get into a cab and say follow that car. I've done this and it was ace.

* Taxi drivers may not share enthusiasm for it.

@ianefc ive been in some of the most dangerous taxi journeys imaginable...notable shouts for Ho Chi Minh and Guangzhou but i have never felt as physically sick as when i was in NYC.

I was there during the financial crisis, i think for a 4 night business trip with a colleague and we kept having to tell these lunatics to slow down and we would tip them.

Suggest to get the hotel to get a driver for you if you dont want the mrs vomiting before getting anywhere.

When i was there it was like tumbleweed...empty. my colleague was well connected and had a mate working for one of those agencies where famous people/VIPs can call and get immediate table reservations and tickets to anything.

Its a long time ago now but as we both smoked we went to a few places on the rooftops at night for drinks and skyline views

Hotel ganzevoort was one i remember, my colleague pretended to be Katy Perrys agent and we got amazing service.

One other thing, if you get a car to pick you up note that when i landed there was a 2hour immigration queue.

Have fun!