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Alright guys, i need your advices..

My sister and i am going on a trip this (early) march and returning (mid) april.. main cities we are visiting are Tahiti, Los Angles and New York, London, and then Bangkok before heading home.

Now, a few questions:
- Does anyone have any suggestions or places that i should visit? doesn't have to be very touristy.. good shops/shopping centers, food places, supermarkets, entertainment etc? and their locations if you know it?

- (LA and NY) is there something like a Day tripper ticket for the public transports? and how much would it cost $US?
for example here in Sydney we have one that lets you travel on any train/bus/ferry in a certain area for one whole day with the Day tripper ticket.

and any other tips you guys would like to share about those places, be it warnings or things to look out for

Thanks in advance
N3051M

Bangkok.... lots of fun there. Hit MBK shopping center. It has everything and I mean everything you can possibly look for, shops, restaurants, hotel, cinema, money exchange office/window, massages. And in the majority if not all of the shops, you can haggle on the prices. There is an elevated train stop at the entrance, forgot what line. There are also a few other shopping malls/centers in the area within walking distance.

There is also a floating market. You get in a canoe and ride around the canals with a guide. The vendors are either in other canoes floating on the canal or along the banks of the canal. It was pretty nice just to see and ride around. It was mostly food/fruit vendors and souvenirs/wood carvings.

There is so much around there. I was there about 3 years ago a few months before the tsunami. I spent a month just travelling the country.

hehe.. yeah.. can't wait till i get to bangkok.. all the food! having my sis describing her first visit there got me hungry..

i guess bangkok should be ok for us.. as my sis knows the place (kinda) and we're goin by intrepid tours.. but i should have mentioned that America and London's the ones i'm needing lots of info on..

i take it from your location you live in Chicago? we were planning to go there but probably won't have the budget or time for another pit stop.. maybe next time.. have you visited the other states?

For New York:

Go to Time Square in Manhattan
The Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island
And maybe the sight of the new freedom tower (ground zero).

LA, you're definately gonna want to wander down Santa Monica blvd, Hollywood blvd, and the like. Hit up the Hollywood Stars, and Mann's Chinese Theater. If you get the chance, head down Santa MOnica to Mel's Drive-In. Great food, great service, and valet parking. =) I went there for my cousins birthday a few weeks ago.

If you're into night clubs, there's no better place than down Hollywood blvd after about 9pm. Depending on what kind of clubs you like, you can always go into West Hollywood. They have some fun ones there. My best friend and brother take me down there all the time, so I go and have fun. Definately not for conservatives, though. =)

You'll also wanna go to the Santa Monica pier. It's alot of fun. Good beaches, nice waves if you like to surf (Surfer Girls For Life!!!!) and fun stuff to do on the actual pier itself.

I could go on and on, but on a funny note, some friends and I are getting ready to go to LA right now... haha, so... I'll just end it briefly there.

NYC: There's a good bus tour of the City -- good overview.

Rockerfeller Center and the Radio City Music Hall are great.

At Times Square, you can get show tickets (ie: Broadway - off-Broadway)two-fours (two tickets for the price of one),
You stand in line and take what you can get for that evening

LA:
Disneyland is in Orange County -- all day thing
Knott's Berry Farm -- Buena Park (has old Western Ghost town that's fun)

IF at all possible, I highly recommend a weekend in Yosemite and or Yellowstone National Parks -- some the the very best in the world.

Coming from working at Disneyland... you probably don't want to go there. It's extremely expensive... and ridiculous. If you'd like, coordinate with me and I can possibly get you a pair of tickets for free. I still have friends working there. Let me know.

Here is some info on NY transit: http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm

Current Broadway shows: http://www.ilovenytheater.com/
I can personally recommend Spamalot and Wicked

Other places of interest could be: The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art, the place is huge and has a lot of well know art), The American Museum of Natural History (spent all day here), Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the Rockefeller Center tour and Central Park.

Place I would skip: Time Square (way to many people), Empire State Building (again, way to many people), the Gugenheim Museum (boring), and the MOMA (also boring).

I second seeing Wicked.

It's amazing. I saw it once on Broadway with the OBC (Original Broadway Cast ((Love Idina Menzel!))) and I saw it again here in California when it came to San Diego with the touring cast, which was also amazing. I'd also recommend Thoroughly Modern Millie, Phantom of the Opera (unless you plan on seeing it in London, which is much better), and Avenue Q if you get the chance.

wow! thanks for your help guys! really appreciate it! keep em commin

Disneyland we probably won't be visiting.. i'll probably end up blowing my weekly budget there so best to stay away lol . the museum looks interesting though, probably fit it in some time during the week.. same with going to the theaters.. (do you have to dress up for them?)
Hmm.. i'm thinking of winging it one day and just walk around the place i'm staying at... until i probably end up getting lost somewhere..

Rockefeller center... rockefeller.. ooo.. isn't that where nintendo world is? hehe

Now here's the questions i've been itching about..

what do you guys reckon, should i buy a laptop here (and claim tax back through TRS), or overseas (probably the US) and whether "international warranty" really means international.. In particular i'm hoping Asus releases their W5Fe notebook soon (or similar..). either that or a decent HP lappy.. and whether its cheaper/worth it to get it from the US?

My sis asked that question on another forum for me.. and the replies here

Seems like you have some good replies for the US...
Personally I would skip Tahiti and get to Bora Bora or Moorea. Tahiti to me is just another city and not a very clean one at that. Food is incredibly expensive unless you eat the bare essentials and buy from a market.
Bora Bora and Moorea are two of the most beautiful and friendly places I have ever been.

if you do go to Tahiti look up the Paul Gaugan museum there..

Happy Travels

There is also Washington D.C. . There are lots of museums (Smithsonian to be specific). There are just a few problems *Cough*Congress*Cough*.

Yeh.. i would agree but that destination was chosen by my sister.. good thing its only for a couple of days..

lol..