On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 12:51:57 GMT, Rita wrote:
>On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 13:19:34 +0100, "carrigman"
> wrote:
>> 1. Why can't the marked prices on things include the NYC sales tax? I
This annoys my husband (and most Europeans, I suppose) when we visit
the US. One reason may be that you theoretically don't have to pay it
unless you live in New York. People who live in other states often
have larger purchases mailed to them to avoid the tax. Then they are
supposed to pay the appropriate sales tax imposed by their own state,
by declaring it on their annual tax returns, but few of them do this.
Europeans could also have items mailed to them, but then they would
have to pay customs and VAT when the package arrives, which is usually
much more than sales tax, especially when the freight companies add
their "processing fees".
>>2. How come there are so few internet cafes? I eventually happened on one,
>>by sheer chance, in
>> West 33rd Street.
>New York real estate rental prices are astronomical and the modest Internet
>cafes seen in many places in Europe could not make it here. Those that do
>exist often are located off the beaten track in areas where rents are not
>so high.
>There are quite a few in my neighborhood in Astoria, Queens, I'd say
>a dozen or so within a 10 block radius of my home. But rents here are
>far cheaper than in Manhattan.
Something that tourists may not realize is that almost any copy center
(e.g. Kinkos) has computers for hire. The price is a bit exorbitant,
probably because of the high rent Rita cites, but there are lots of
copy centers around. You should never be far from a computer.
There used to be more internet cafes than there are now, but many of
them went broke. For one thing, the demand is lower than it used to
be. What with cell phones, Blackberries, Palms and Wifi, not as many
people need them to keep in touch.
>>3. What's with all the honking? If traffic is held up for an instant there
>>is a cacophany of car horns
>> being sounded. Again, not something one hears in most European cities.
>
>Ah yes. There is no rational explanation for this I'm afraid. It is
>purely a New York thing and a most annoying one.
The first time I took my kids to New York City (over 20 years ago), my
eight-year-old daughter saw a sign which threatened a $50 fine for
honking. She asked me, "Is that a joke?"
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it. |