My Impressions of the USA, Wall Street, and Americans

Hello, friends! Every few months I try to go somewhere. It helps keep my brain in shape. I am too lazy to write about ordinary countries like Europe, and given how easy it is to get a Schengen visa, many people have already been there anyway.

Today I will tell you about my latest trip, which was to the USA. For a very long time, America seemed like something unattainable to me. I do not know why, but I had a firm belief that of all people, they definitely would not let me in there)) But in the end, they did.

Once you get to the USA, you start to understand this whole culture much more deeply, because we were raised on American movies, brands, and technologies. I also visited the famous Wall Street, the center of world evil, and saw several states. I will share my impressions of getting a visa, the people, the prices, and life in the “decaying West.”

There are many rumors and speculations about the American visa. It is considered difficult to obtain. Having one then makes it a bit easier to get visas for other countries as well, because the consulate sees that the Americans already checked you, which means everything is okay.

Is the devil really as scary as he is painted? In fact, no.

First, you do not need to book any tickets or hotels in advance. And God forbid you bring those reservations to the visa center, they will see it as an excessive desire to get into the USA and will not give you a visa.

First you need to fill out a form where, in addition to standard information, you will answer a couple dozen stupid questions like “Are you involved in transporting human organs?”, “Are you part of a terrorist group?”, “Have you ever forced a woman to have an abortion against her will?” and so on). Then you pay the consular fee, currently 12000 rubles, all online. And only after that do you schedule an interview.

No papers, employment certificates, or bank statements are needed. The most important thing is the conversation with the officer at the US consulate. The officers are Americans. Whether they like you and your answers determines whether you get a visa or not. And no English, otherwise there will be more questions and you are unlikely to get the visa. The officers' goal is to keep out those who want to stay and work in the country. But they are happy to see silly tourists with fat wallets) Personally, this article helped me get the visa. I did not use any “helpers.”
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Technically, there are no special difficulties in getting a US visa. For me, at the time, the hardest visa to get was the UK one. It is much easier to get an American visa.

Upon arrival in New York, long and total screening awaited us. I do not know whether I was lucky or if it is always like that, but I had to spend 3 hours at passport control. The officers held long conversations with almost every arrival, longer than in other countries. They tried to trip me and my girlfriend up: first they ask, “How many days did you come for?”, and I say “21.” Some time later, after other questions, he asks again, “So you are saying you came for 9 days?” They are tricky like that)

In general, enormous attention is paid to security everywhere. There are lots of metal detectors, cameras, bag checks, and so on. At first it is stressful, then you get used to it.

But the people themselves are very open and friendly. It takes a while to get used to greetings in the spirit of “What’s up?”, “Hi, buddy,” “Hey, man,” and so on. Later you realize that it is just a form of politeness, but the feeling of openness and ease is still there. In general, that same freedom is felt everywhere, even if it is illusory.

From the point of view of language, personally I find American English many times easier to understand. I understand Europeans, and especially the British, worse. The British, not all of them, seem to swallow the beginnings and endings of words. It even makes your head hurt afterward). But American English is clear and understandable. Beautiful, in one word.

Despite the sanctions, Russians are treated normally. In expensive stores, it is especially great: they have long been fed by our oligarchs, officials, and other Russians who do not mind buying up half a store on Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive.

Of course, everything is expensive. But the exchange rate of the ruble against the dollar is primarily to blame for that.

However, something else is annoying. Namely, taxes. Everywhere, prices, even for groceries, are listed without tax. That is, if you see a price of $100, you will pay $110 at the checkout. That means an extra 5-10% on top of the cost, depending on the state.  Hotels also charge additional taxes. If you booked a room and the price on Booking for your stay is 100 thousand rubles, be prepared to actually pay 115-120 thousand.

For those who like shopping and then getting part of the cost back, there is no tax free. Not even at the airport, aside from small duty free shops where there is nothing but perfume and cosmetics.

It is also worth separately noting the tips everywhere. Everyone expects them: taxi drivers, spa salon staff, waiters, concierges, guides, and so on. And the expected size of the tip is larger than in the rest of the world.

What pleased me was the ability to pay by card for 99% of goods and services. Cards from Russian banks work, but they are not accepted everywhere. It depends on your bank and on the American bank handling the acquiring at a particular store. If they are not under sanctions, the transaction will go through.

If you think Americans eat nothing but burgers and French fries, you are mistaken. Of course, there are plenty of burgers everywhere (just like in Moscow, by the way), but if you want, you can find any kind of food, from any cuisine in the world. There are many restaurants with good, tasty food. And not necessarily expensive ones.

It would be wrong not to mention McDonald's. There are not as many of them as I thought. Among the locals, it is believed that bums and blacks eat at McD's. Burger King and KFC are not really valued at all... Something like that)

Donuts, which according to movies police officers love so much, are also not very widespread. The Voodoo Doughnut chain deserves a special mention separately, because it is really tasty there. It has cult status. When you walk down the street with a box of their donuts, you will hear approving exclamations, shouts, and requests to share. I am serious)) And they also have a tasty donut with bacon.

Bacon. Mmm.... For a long time I did not understand the numerous memes about Americans' love for bacon. I tried this product in different countries, in seemingly decent places, at breakfasts in expensive hotels. And... I did not understand what was so tasty about it? The secret turned out to be simple: there is NO bacon like in the USA in other countries. Real American bacon, crispy, not too fatty, very tasty. That is why they love it so much.

The USA is a big and very diverse country. Different states are unlike each other, like countries of the European Union.

New York greets you with low little houses. To see the skyscrapers, you will first have to get from the airport to the city.

As for the skyscrapers, there are hundreds of them in the center, and they are concentrated not somewhere on one street, but everywhere.

Times Square shines with lights all night long.

Overall, New York is a huge metropolis where a huge number of nationalities live: there is a huge Chinatown, a Russian quarter, and Little Italy.

It is interesting to see places from favorite movies and TV series: about 400 films are shot here in a year.

That Very Bull

Charging Bull, also known as the charging, attacking bull, is actually located not on Wall Street, as everyone thinks, but a little before you reach it.
If you want to take a picture with it, be prepared to push your way through a crowd of Indians and Chinese tourists.

The brief history of its creation is that after the stock market crash in 1987, sculptor Arturo Di Modica spent 360 000 dollars to cast and install the sculpture as a symbol of the "strength and power of the American people." The creation of the statue was the sculptor's own initiative, not a commission from the city. It was an act of street art.

At first the statue was installed in front of the stock exchange building, but it stood there for only 1 day. The police confiscated the sculpture, which had been installed without permission from the authorities, and removed it from the street.

Thanks to the public protests that followed, the statue was returned, although at a distance of a couple of blocks from the exchange.

Everyone knows that for success in trading you need to rub his, excuse me, balls really well. But it is no less important to rub the horns too. Which I did)

Wall Street and the NYSE

NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange, oddly enough, is not on Wall Street either. Technically, it is located on Broad Street, which branches off from Wall Street.

Unfortunately, ordinary mortals have been forbidden to enter the exchange since the events of September 11, 2001. Safety comes first.

But earlier, they say, you could come to the exchange and, while eating pastries, watch the fluctuations in the prices of your favorite stocks.

On Wall Street itself, by the way, there is nothing interesting: restaurants, the Museum of Finance, shops, a couple of business centers. That's all.

Wall Street

To get to the Statue of Liberty, you have to cover quite a distance: it is located on a separate island. A funny fact: women were forbidden to attend the opening of the Statue. That was the kind of Liberty it was.

The main Apple store on Fifth Avenue. This is exactly where the most devoted fanatics make a pilgrimage with tents every autumn, in order to be the first to buy the coveted mobile phone.

It looks nice at night too)

The second most famous city in the state of Florida after Miami. The main attractions are amusement parks. That is why we came here)

And in general, this is one of those "car" cities of which there are many in the USA. Everything is very far away, public transport is underdeveloped, and living without a car is unrealistic.

Las Vegas is known to everyone as the city of sin, full of casinos and entertainment. Yes, that is indeed true.

Since I had previously been to Macau more than once (the "Chinese Las Vegas", near Hong Kong), I had a persistent feeling of deja vu. Except that there were not as many Chinese people.

But, in my opinion, the main thing in Las Vegas is the Grand Canyon. Majestic beauty, truly.

The trip on a "Buggy" through the "Valley of Fire" also left an indelible impression.

Another "car" city. Everything is veeeeery far away. A large number of rich people from all over the world, stars, movie actors, etc. live here. TV series are filmed at the studios, but few movies are made in Hollywood now. Expensive.

Rodeo Drive

Beverly Hills

Venice Beach

For tourists there is the Walk of Fame with its stars, the Universal and Disney parks. And if you are unhappy with your appearance, you can find the best plastic surgeons in the world here, the ones celebrities go to.

I really liked the USA, an extremely interesting and multifaceted country. A separate world, I would say. You can feel the spirit of freedom, although no one has canceled total surveillance of citizens. Now I understand why many people go there to earn money and stay to live there illegally ))

Sincerely, Pavel Vlasov
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