Difference between revisions of "United States of America"

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Revision as of 00:09, 10 October 2009

Flag of United States of America United States of America
Information
Language: English (de facto)
Capital: Washington DC
Population: 303,893,000
Currency: American Dollar ($)
Hitchability: Average.png (average) to Good.png (good)
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

For specific information on each state please have a look at the bottom of this page.

guakasite, wikitalk hitching in New England, taken by amylin, September 2007

The United States of America as a country is divided up into 50 states; for the convenience of the common hitchhiker these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals at the following pages (see below). The US is bordered by Canada to the North and Mexico to the South.

Hitching, like everything else in America, varies greatly depending on what type of area and what part of the country you are passing through. In general you can get rides fairly easily if you hitchhike the right way; in fact, often you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.

In most states you can't hitch from the interstates (motorways) themselves, but you can always stand at on-ramps (highway entries) like in Europe. In some areas (such as certain towns or municipal areas) hitching is illegal everywhere, however, it is still allowed de facto. The police in a region may interpret laws related to hitchhiking differently, at times forcing a hitchhiker to choose an alternate route by walking or using other means of transportation. In most cases, though, hitchhiking is legal or tolerated as long as you are not on the interstate itself, where it is rightly considered a safety issue. There are also many limited-access highways (i.e. with on-ramps and off-ramps) that are not part of the interstate system; these typically prohibit hitchhiking as well (other than at the on-ramp).

It's generally easier to hitchhike on the West Coast. In Oregon, it's not even prohibited by law to hitchhike right on interstates.

Relatively quite a few people in the United States are profoundly religious. If you're not, try to deal with it in a positive way and accept the difference. More often you will be picked up by really cool people, and often dropped off exactly at the point of your destination, as hitchhiker Guaka's experience shows, for example.

Long vs. short distance

If you're going for speed over a long distance (3+ hours), then the best bet is to stay on the interstates (designated by "I-##) instead of local highways. Try to stick to on-ramps that have truck stops, rest stops or any other reason for drivers to stop there (restaurants, gas stations, etc.) You can also look for rides at the truck stops themselves, but be discreet about it as some a staff or customers are rather unfriendly to hitchers and will rudely ask you to leave their territory or call the police on you.

If you are only going a few hundred kilometers, you can often make better time on state or local roads. There are many more places to wait at, and there is much more potential traffic. Most of the traffic on the Interstate system won't be able to notice you while on the on-ramp. Even if you are going long distances, if you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers.

Police

Often, particularly close to major cities, the police will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be friendly when you come up clean, sometimes even driving you to a better spot.

In most states, such as New Jersey, Virginia and New York State, on the East Coast and Nevada and Arizona in the West, there are laws against hitchhiking that are possible to be circumnavigated. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may not "solicit a ride" in any way, i.e. showing a sign or a thumb to traffic. The police could ticket you for loitering or vagrancy. If the police passes and sees a hitchhiker walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop to check IDs but technically they have no reason to pull you over. As a result, the best result is to not use a sign or your thumb whenever an oncoming car looks like a police cruiser. The laws are enforced because of "traffic safety" reasons mostly but in reality police rarely gives tickets to hitchhikers - they just check IDs for warrants whenever possible.

Car License Plate

Every state issues its own specific car plates. For example, a car from Alabama will have a specific Car license tagged as such. In some States, the license plate will also show the county of residence. This can be added information if you spot such car that might be going the same direction as your. It might also be helpful to write down the license plate number in case of foul play.

Food

Drink: It is often possible to retrieve used cups from the trash at fast food restaurants with "free refill" policies and refill them.


Eat: The advent of urban sprawl, and the The United States' culture of throwing many useful things and food in the trash has the side-effect of creating many opportunities for dumpster diving in urban areas. Port cities are especially good. Note, however that dumpster diving is in a similar sort of gray area as hitchhiking, with local legality depending on the particular state's laws, and the prevalent attitudes of local law enforcement officers.

Grocery stores are prime targets for food (Trader Joe's is especially likely to have an unlocked dumpster, and has lots of organics). Grocery stores cannot sell packaged foods past their expiration date, and so throw them away in dumpsters behind the store.

Another great place to dive is food distribution centers. As they supply restaurants, their food comes in bulk and they throw out their food sometimes days before the expiration date. Google Maps can help you turn up locations. Check Trashwiki for detailed information on dumpster diving in the United States.


trash:United States of America