Going to US next week for first time - Anything to be aware of ( Or to buy ? :p )
 

I am going to the US this weekend for the first time and will be staying in OK, it is for work purposes but anything which would be worth seeing or trying out whilst I am in this part of the world?

Also I do know various things are significantly cheaper in comparison to the UK so anything I should be buying just for the sake of it ? :p

Should be exciting, never been to the US before :)

Oklahoma SUCKS.

You are in the second worst part of the US (Detroit is king). There is seriously nothing worth seeing for hundreds of miles.

I guess you could go to Dallas if you want a gun or something, just don't get executed by the state, they are a testy bunch.

:p

Honestly, the closest forum member that I know of to OK (depending on the part of OK you are in) are Zeddoo and Arathon.

Regardless of where you go, hit up a sports bar, it is NBA Finals time and the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing the Miami Heat (LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, basically). You can try, but tickets to the game will be astronomical.

Will is right on all fronts; I'm sorry you have to go to OK. If you have the time the bigger cities in TX are really worth going to.

Lol so yeah, OK is one of the worst places to go here(US). If you like BBQ, OK City has great food.

Oooo... Ouch. Oklahoma? Are your flights stopping over anywhere?

The days of things costing half the price in the US compared to the UK are gone. You might save 20% on UK prices (depending on the sales tax of the state you are in), but that's about it.

Enjoy the change of culture though. I love it in the states, it's a completely different state of mind to the UK. Regardless of what Will and the other Americans on here say, you can't fail to have a good time on your first time to America.

EDIT: Oklahoma though...what are you being punished for?

EDIT2: Some electronics are still a lot cheaper over there.

Yeah, i'd say there will be a bit of culture shock for ya in OK. My guess is you will be in Oklahoma City or Tulsa or some where close. If you wanted, you could check out an Indian Reservation, or Casino... Will is right about the NBA finals. That is a one horse state when it comes to sports and their only horse is in their 1st NBA finals. Definitely worth checking out the sports bar scene. Hell, just be really english and look confused about the sport and those Okies will give you an ear full on the game and how great Kevin Durant is. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/smile1.gif

As to traveling to Texas, Dallas is really your only option. But it is a minimal of 3.5 hrs away, and unless you want to see where JFK was shot, there isn't really much worth a 7 hr road trip. It is a city of restaurants, shopping malls and subdivisions for literally as far as the eye can see. If I were you, I'd just focus on staying in Oklahoma. Maybe visit Norman, Oklahoma. It is home to their largest university, and is a college town thru and thru. Being summer (oh, you do know how hot it will be, right? It was 100f in dallas today, so it will be ~ 95+ in Oklahoma) the water parks and pools will be in high use. Definitely bring multiple pairs of shorts/short sleeves/bathing suits for when you are not working. You do not want to be stuck with business attire only!

Find an electronics store. We get things cheaper on that front. Eating wise, you will do well with Steaks and BBQ or comfort food. Hell, I bet you can get some really good mexican food there to.

Oklahoma is pretty country, there just isn't much to look at. It is all flat prairies with forests to the south. You will be safe, OK is not particularly dangerous. They actually voted against sharia law in OK, so that will be a bit different than the UK http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/tongue1.gif

To the OP - As much as I wish you could visit NYC or LA (NYC much preferred) I agree with Zedddoo. See if you can see/get caught up in a Thunder-Heat NBA game and find some ribs and steak. The NYC area has almost anything you can imagine, but Oklahoma...not so much. Gook luck. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/smile1.gif
Edit: I'd rather take a week of vacation and stay within 50 miles of NYC/home than go to Oklahoma. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/laugh1.gifhttp://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/cool1.gifhttp://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/cry1.gif

Dude Oklahoma is awful, you might as well just stay home.

I googled things to do in Oklahoma, just to see if I were missing something worthwhile. Google search results just returned a sad face.

Something I did see, if you are outdoorsy at all, you might check out a BassPro store. They are usually 150k square feet of everything that can be used outdoors. Hunting, fishing, hiking, all the sports, and every little nick-knack in between that could be used outside. If nothing else, it is certainly a place where you can waste some time. OK isn't really known for their popular music or art scene, so your best bet on that front would be the college towns. Might try out a honky tonk (country music bar), there should be plenty around you in OK.

Really, if you haven't been to the US, you will enjoy yourself still. Try all of our fast foods, and giant drinks with lots of ice. Our megaplex movie theatres, experience the inside of an actual walmart and take your own photo's. OK will have all the places you get from our popular culture, it is just like most of the US, these cities are a couple of hundred years old... and there really isn't much to see that isn't just generic cookie cutter american city in cities that young.

You gotta try one of these
http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress....0&h=200&crop=1
I hear they are actually pretty good, and while I love bacon, I am not so high on the rest of it. 510 calories and 19 grams of pure, saturated heave... I mean fat.

This about sums it: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--dw...do-in-okc.html

Fair enough, Think there is a connecting flight in LA but I am not sure how long I am there for. At the end of the day I am only out there to work ashame it is as boring as you say. Odd thing about the UK is every city is distinct and fairly interesting even the crap holes there is something interesting and "different" about each place

Just had a look at the different overhead maps of OK, and where I live. Fairly different places from the sky.

http://www.boxrick.com/OK.jpg

http://www.boxrick.com/MB.jpg

Well of course they are going to be different; they are two different countries. The US has significantly more room; so everything is built out. It makes traveling by car, in country, significantly less appealing. Anything over a five hour drive and its a plane for me.

He's referring to the grid system opposed to the organic layout of a lot of UK cities. A lot of Europe (and some of the UK uses grid layouts as well)

Grado Headphones are much cheaper in the US. That's about all I can think of.

I dunno, depending on what type of person you are, you might enjoy a laid-back, boring state like OK, especially if you're a first time visitor to the US and a little unfamiliar!

It's better than having to visit.. I dunno Delaware or Compton.

Something about Oklahoma I just remembered. well, being that more native americans live in Oklahoma, then anywhere else... and since Native Americans have alcohol tolerance problems, Oklahoma, in all its wisdom, did this: All beer bought in the state must have an alcohol % lower than 3.4. So, you know how american beer is piss beer? Well, Oklahoma beer, is pissed out American beer http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/smile1.gif

Have you never had craft brew beer in the US? Lagunitas, Rogue, Firestone, Drake's, Speakeasy, etc?

Sure mass distributed beer is garbage but it is virtually anywhere.

You do bring up a valid point though, OK has a lot of "near-beer" and strict laws on alcohol.

For the record, Budweiser is terrible in any part of the world. It just doesn't have any taste.

http://www.stonebrew.com/images/beer...ottles/aba.png
Mmmmm...