Travel • Page 15

planning a road trip in the northeast. wanna hit boston, portland (maine) and vermont. any recs on must dos?

 

What’re your questions?

 

I did everything for my first passport last week, just waiting for it to be processed. I’ll try and answer whatever questions you have.

 

It's been a while since I got my passport (probably 7 years) but don't you just go to the Post Office and apply? I also had to take a headshot, at like a Walgreens too. Then I just sent the application, photo and my birth certificate in for my Passport and it took a few weeks to get it back.

 

Replying all at once to make it easier...
Yeah I've been told the post office does passports and I think my city does it too, but you have to make an appt with the city. And I know you have to do it in person if its you first time getting one. Does the post office accept walk ins? I understand there might be a wait time if they do. Do they keep your birth certificate for processing, then mail it back? It sounded like they do. I'm not that comfortable with the idea of them keeping it since its the only copy, but then I read you can get a legal copy and give the post office the legal copy? Do some post office do photos?

 

When I did it - again, it was 7 years ago - I just walked into the Post Office. No appointment needed. Obviously, depending on the time of day, there might be a wait (early morning, lunch hours) or if you go at like 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., maybe no wait at all. And yes, they did make me send my birth certificate along with the application, and they mailed it back with the passport. I don't know if there is any way to get around that.

Not sure if the Post Office does photos now...I know when I did it, the post office near me did not, so I did it at a nearby Walgreens that took passport photos.

 

I too will be going to Vermont (Burlington) in October for a wedding. Hoping to spend 3 or 4 nights up there. Never been so if anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears.

 

@Carmen SD I made an appointment with my local post office. It sounded like they were super busy so I assume that’s why they didn’t accept walk-ins. That probably varies with location. They also take photos for a fee, however, my location had an issue with their camera at the time. Walgreens, Postnet, possibly CVS, etc should be able to do it, then you take the photo when you apply. One thing to mention is the size of the photo. My head was barely large enough to be accepted because they weren’t close enough when they took the picture - probably not a huge deal, but something to take note of.

They kept my birth certificate and gave me a phone number to call if I didn’t get it back within two weeks. I wasn’t too worried about it since it’s mailed directly from the post office. You could probably bring a copy with you and ask if you can mail that instead.

Some of these answers may vary but your local post office should be able to give you any additional information. USPS’ website is where I found information on appointments. Booking the appointment, and the process altogether, was very simple.

If you have a California or Texas birth certificate, make sure it doesn’t say “abstract” something near the top. I guess those aren’t acceptable - I don’t know a lot of about that. They’ll be able to point you in the right direction if you happen to have one like that.

 

If you’re looking into getting your first passport, I’d also recommend checking out your local library. The one in my hometown handled all the paperwork and had a photo station so you could get everything done in one place. Where I live now has a similar setup for first time applicants as well.

 

I've been! Lake Champlain is cool (I rented a bike and went on the bike path) but it might be too cold for that in October. Echo Lake Aquarium is definitely a must-see

 

I have CA birth certificate and I didn't see "abstract" on it? So hopefully its all good. I know of places that do passport photos (other than drug store), although I can't think the name of but they all were places I got finger prints done for various jobs. I just want one closer to my area

Thanks for the help everyone

edit: found a place near me that does passport photos thats probably better than a drug store station since they do finger prints

 

Sounds like you’ll be okay. I wish I could remember exactly what and where it’s supposed to say it, but my certificate didn’t have it.

 

Taking recommendations on all things Iceland! Going there for eight days in late May.

 

Has anyone been on the Bourbon Trail in Lexington, Kentucky? Heading up there for a bachelor party in July. Never been.

 

Is there a Disneyland thread? My wife and I are going in a few weeks. I haven't been in like 15+ years and she's never been. What's good there? What sucks now? Does Fastpass still work? Is Star Tours still the greatest thing ever?

 

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a Disney thread. If not though, I'm sure the people in the Los Angeles thread can help you out.

 

Mexico City is incredible. I tried everything from street food to a couple higher-end restaurants and liked everything I ate. I'd say half the time I wasn't completely sure what I was eating. Tried a lot of beer, mezcal, a couple wines, and a glass of pulque - still makes me uneasy thinking about the taste and smell. I walked about 60 miles throughout my roughly 8 day stay with a good mix of transit and Ecobici. What a fucking awesome introduction to Mexico. Can't wait to return.

 

Sounds awesome! It's rad to finally hear the experience of someone who went to Mexico and didn't just spend the entire time at a resort in Cancun. How are the tacos? I understand they're quite a bit different from what we expect in the US and Canada. And how was the language barrier? Did you know lots of Spanish going into the trip? I don't know when I'm going to get to Mexico because right now Kenya and Egypt are my priority and it's going to take me awhile to save for those trips, but eventually!

 

The tacos, and food in general, were great. I tried everything from street food to high-end and liked everything I ate. A lot of the time, I didn't know exactly what I was eating. I just said "si!" to whatever they pointed at haha. Some of the best tacos I had were at a place called Taco Naco. It seemed like a fast food place - looks like they have 2 or 3 locations in the city. It was the first time I've had al pastor with pineapple. I'm not even a big fan of pineapple, but it complimented the al pastor perfectly. Another great one was at a street stand; it was potato and chorizo on a green/blue tortilla. I love the tacos I get here in the states, and I loved the stuff I had in Mexico, but they definitely aren't the same.

I've been trying to learn Spanish off and on and it's still very limited. I made sure to learn some key phrases, like how to order food. I tried to always start with Spanish, then ask if they knew English as a last resort. Restaurants weren't too difficult to navigate because there was typically a menu to point to, and the order is almost always drinks, food, bill. I knew the phrase, "I'm sorry, my Spanish is not good," and 9/10 times I said that, it was met with a smile and an understanding hand gesture. There were a lot of people that spoke English, too. Not always fluent, but enough to get through the situation at hand.

I was told a lot of negative things about Mexico, and while some of it may have been said with good intentions, as far as my trip goes, it was all false. I missed out for too long and can't wait to visit again. With the proper research and preparation, though you seem like an experienced traveler, I absolutely recommend it.

 

Well I'm glad you didn't listen to the negativity and had a great time! I have no doubts whatsoever that Mexico is perfectly safe and the people seem so friendly. I spent three weeks living in an apartment with two Mexicans from Guadalajara when I was living in Australia before I started my job and they were so rad. And I've met others in hostels during my travels in Ecuador and Nepal. People always try to scare you when you go to places that aren't predominantly white.

 

That's awesome. I didn't talk to anyone besides the woman running my Airbnb who was a Mexico native and she was super friendly. The language barrier didn't help in the acquaintance department haha.

I agree. As a tourist for a week, I don't want to speak on behalf of an entire country, but let's just say I'm already looking into my next visit. America's media does a damn fine job of blowing issues out of proportion and scaring the hell out of its citizens.

 

Going to Portland (Oregon) next month for three nights. Pretty excited for it

 

Cheapest way to fly to Chicago from Boston and go...Have months to book still.

 

Book flights with confidence | Google Flights

 

WiFi on planes now. This is wild, futures here etc. I’m a bunch of thousands of feet in the air as I write this lol