Job Location advice

irishmai

Hey everyone

I'd really appreciate somebodys help here... Basically, I've been offered a job with RiRa Irish Bars and Pubs on a J1 Visa for a year

They have 10 locations across the US, and I must choose my top 3 locations, but I don't have a clue where to start!! Las Vegas sounds cool, but maybe it would be totally unbearable for 12 whole months. The other locations are scattered across the East Coast.
I would really appreciate your input and any experiences you had in the locations, or facts you know about them. I want to enjoy the 12 months, get away from recession, but also some sort of 'normal' life! I love sunshine and like going to the beach. I would like to get fit and try to eat healthy. Thanks

Here's a list of the locations they operate in, if anyone can be bothered checkin' them out:
Arlington, Virginia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Burlington, Vermont
Charlotte, North Carolina
Evansville, Indiana
Las Vegas, Nevada
Georgetown, Washington DC
Portland, Maine
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Paul_Hacket

Probably the biggest question would be: do you drive and are you going to get a car? If you're not then some of those places would be totally out of contention IMO, e.g. Evansville, Atlanta and maybe Burlington and Arlington.

I go to Vegas a lot. There is actually a lot more to the city than casinos and it's only a few hours drive from Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, etc - some of the most amazing scenery on the planet. It's a cheap city to live in and also dirt cheap to fly to L.A., SF, San Diego etc. from there.

Georgetown is physically beautiful but full of generally unpleasant people IMO. Portsmouth might be fun and Portland, Maine is a GREAT town in my opinion. Winter in both could be tough though. Don't know much about Burlington.

Do not, for the love of God, put Atlantic City down. It is one of the most depressing places on earth, and I say that as someone who loves to gamble.

Don't know much about most of the rest of the list. Atlanta is a bit of a sprawl, not my kind of town personally.

irishmai

Thanks paul for reply. Unfortunately I don't drive. I think I will put Las Vegas as first choice. I was thinking Atlanta because the weather is'nt too bad and they say its the New York of the south. I was recommended portland maine alright, that it would be a right laugh but I dont know could I handle the weather. Thanks for advice.

Dave1442397

Arlington, Virginia - A nice area, but very built up with lots of traffic congestion. Lots to see and do in Washington, DC. Hot and sticky in the summer, winter can be cold, but not too bad.

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlantic City, New Jersey - I eat at this location on a regular basis. It's part pf the Tropicana casino, so it's a nice location. The Atlantic City beach is free, and is a nice beach, plus you have the boardwalk. Once you get a block or two inland, it's run down and poverty stricken. If you have a car, there are plenty of other nice shore towns you can visit. If you don't have a car, it's an easy train ride to Philadelphia or New York City, so you have plenty of sightseeing opportunities. The weather is great in summer, but it'll get pretty cold in the dead of winter, although still plenty of sun.

Burlington, Vermont - A nice, quiet kind of town, very laid back and a nice place in general. Close to ski resorts for winter fun, and if you like outdoorsy stuff, there are plenty of hiking trails and lakes for summer activities. VT tends to be overcast and cloudy a lot in winter months, and of course, you'll see plenty of snow.

Charlotte, North Carolina - Temperate climate, nice area. Haven't spent much time there, but people like it. You'd have a nice winter there, much milder than the Northeast.

Evansville, Indiana

Las Vegas, Nevada

Georgetown, Washington DC - basically the same as Arlington. College town, so plenty of nightlife.

Portland, Maine

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

irishmai

thanks for advice dave, think charlotte will be my third choice,cheers

cactusgal

Hey, definitely don't go to Atlanta if you don't drive. I grew up there and while I do like it, it's definitely not the New York of the South (I've never heard anyone say that!) and you absolutely need a car to get around.

Public transport in the USA is not like Europe, unless you're in a big "up north" city like NYC, Chicago, etc. (or Washington DC, public transport there isn't bad, either). But if you're going to be working full time in a bar, you should consider places with cheaper rent and public transport options.

whitey1

Portland ME is a great town.....I go in the bar there, when Im in town on business about once a month. Always packed and the guys/gals who work there seem to have made a lot of friends locally. Portland has tough winters, but you just end up doing "winter stuff" such as skiing and drinking,working out at the gym and drinking. Summer and fall in Maine are spectacular. Portland has direct rail/bus links to Boston

Burlington is also a very cool town......spectacular scenery and tons of outdoorsy stuff to do such as hiking, skiing and sailing. Big College town too, so a lot of young people around. Kinda out of the way, but Montreal is a hop skip and a jump

irishmai

to be honest i just saw some advertisment saying it was the new york of the south'', I read a post bout a rira employee in atlanta and they seem to be having a laugh but i dont know anything about accomodation. I want to go to vegas(its not all to do with the nightlife,more so its situation and other attractions) but i need three choices and im stuck between second and third choice. thanks for reply

irishmai

thanks whitey1, ya portland seem to have a lot of advantages and id get over the snow and winter sports sound fun. jus going to hav to put 3 choices and thats it.thanks

ProudDUB

OP, what shape are your finances in? Would you have a few thousand dollars to spend on driving lessons and buying a car? If you do, I would seriously consider doing that, even if it means giving up other things on your wish list, such as being near a beach. Unless you are living right in the heart of a city, such as New York or Chicago, or you are living and working in a very self contained part of a city where everything is on your doorstep, not having a car will greatly impact your enjoyment of your year in the US.

If you don't have the dosh, concentrate on where has the best public transport links for where you would be living and working. Very few US cities have European levels of public transport. I certainly wouldn't want to be trying to get to and from work or the shops in 110 degree heat, or -20 degree cold, by bus.

irishmai

thanks prouddub, I dont know how to drive n with visa costs etc i will have to pay the company back, i dont think ill be able to afford a car and lessons. the bar try there best in setting you up with accomodation, usually if someone is leaving, you just take theres. I dont think accom is far from the bar. thanks for intormation

Dave1442397

Yeah, do take public transportation into account. That's one reason Arlington, Georgetown and Atlantic City are good locations - plenty of places you can go on public transportation.

Burlington I don't know as far as public transportation goes, but it's certainly a great place for a bike, at least until the snow falls.

I'd say Vegas is easy enough to get around, as there are plenty of hotel shuttles, etc.

InTheTrees

irishmai wrote: »

i dont think ill be able to afford a car and lessons.

Lessons??? ha ha ha ha!!

Americans dont bother with lessons, if you can keep the car under control for the few minutes the "test" takes, they'll give you a license. Easy.

:cool:

ProudDUB

InTheTrees wrote: »

Lessons??? ha ha ha ha!!

Americans dont bother with lessons, if you can keep the car under control for the few minutes the "test" takes, they'll give you a license. Easy.

:cool:

Not necessarily. More and more states are bringing in rules and regulations that require new drivers to take Drivers Ed and do lessons, or have sponsors and what not. It varies widely from state to state, but getting a license is not as easy as it used to be.

InTheTrees

ProudDUB wrote: »

Not necessarily.

There are a few states that have made it more difficult for 16 year old's to get licenses. Although you can get a license at 14 in south dakota.

Are there any states that require adults to take lessons?

(Although its probably getting off topic...)

CaliforniaDream

Do NOT go to Vegas if you can't drive. It's an absolute must here as there's little to no public transport.
There's no way you'd survive without a car here. I've lived here 5 years so know what I'm talking about.

biddywiddy

InTheTrees wrote: »

Are there any states that require adults to take lessons?

Not sure about lessons, but, even with our Irish licenses, we had to take a theory test on the spot in the DMV. Once passed you get a 1 month permit, and you have to pass a driving test before it expires. The test involved stopping before a line, parallel parking and backing into a space - the space is marked out with tiny cones - and then a half hour drive around the neighborhood and onto the freeway. Lots of sneaky 'no turn on red' junctions and super low speed limit zones. We live in Michigan.

Anyway, back on topic!

No help to the OP, sorry. I haven't been to any of the places listed, though my OH lived in Portland, ME for a year when he was 11 and loved it.

ceadaoin.

irishmai wrote: »

Thanks paul for reply. Unfortunately I don't drive. I think I will put Las Vegas as first choice. I was thinking Atlanta because the weather is'nt too bad and they say its the New York of the south. I was recommended portland maine alright, that it would be a right laugh but I dont know could I handle the weather. Thanks for advice.

Vegas is not a great place if you don't drive . I say this as a nondriver who lives there! I'm planning on taking the theory test to get a learners permit soon. It's more in depth than the irish version

Dave1442397 wrote: »

Yeah, do take public transportation into account. That's one reason Arlington, Georgetown and Atlantic City are good locations - plenty of places you can go on public transportation.

Burlington I don't know as far as public transportation goes, but it's certainly a great place for a bike, at least until the snow falls.

I'd say Vegas is easy enough to get around, as there are plenty of hotel shuttles, etc.

Vegas is more than just the strip, it might be easy enough to get between hotels but the public transport in the rest of the city is terrible.

Dave1442397

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Vegas is not a great place if you don't drive . I say this as a nondriver who lives there! I'm planning on taking the theory test to get a learners permit soon. It's more in depth than the irish version



Vegas is more than just the strip, it might be easy enough to get between hotels but the public transport in the rest of the city is terrible.

Interesting - I thought with all the tourists they would have more than just shuttles on the strip.

CaliforniaDream

Dave1442397 wrote: »

Interesting - I thought with all the tourists they would have more than just shuttles on the strip.

It can take a couple of hours to get a taxi to your house sometimes.
Tourists stay on the strip or fremont St. Probably 90% of people don't see outside of that.

ceadaoin.

Dave1442397 wrote: »

Interesting - I thought with all the tourists they would have more than just shuttles on the strip.

Well most tourists don't go any further than the strip or downtown. Most locals don't spend a large amount of time there unless they work there.