To the American brands in Germany:

- Fruit loops: do you mean the Kelloggs-product: yes, we have them, also other Kelloggs-stuff, but not as many as in the USA.

- Coca Cola and Pepsi: for sure, but the other lemonades of these companies are different. Sprite is the same, I'd say. With "Fanta" (by CC) you have to be careful, because the recepies are different in some countries.

- M&M's: yes. In the 70ies they took over the old German brand "Bonitos" (with smileys on). Childs of the 70ies -like me- have nostalgic thoughts about "Bonitos"

- Hersheys: sometimes you can get them, but we prefer German, Swiss or Belgian brands, sometimes Swedish.

- Skittles: never heard

- Oreo cookies: I think so, but under annother name. In Holland and Britain you can find them more often

- Kool Aid: never heard

- Cup O'Noodles: this kind of stuff, yes, but under annother name. Very cheap in Asian supermarkets.

- Ritz Cracker: yes, but rival-companies are more known

- Lay Chips: yes, but in Holland you find more sorts of them.

- Doritos: yes

- Cheetos: I don't know

- Cheese-its: yes, but under the name "Scheibletten", made by Kraft. No-name-Cheese-its we have also a lot.

- drumstick: under the name "Cornetto" (just today I ate a "Bottermilk fresh"), made by that company with different names in different countries:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langnese

- funyuns: with other names from other companies, yes

- pop-tarts: I don't know

- Nestlé is a multinational company (like Unilever), headquater in Switzerland.

- Reddi-whip: from other companies, yes

- Spagehtti-os: same



About Chocolate and Sweets you must know, that they are a lot of brands in several countries, but very often they are all in hands of a few multi-national companies, like Nestlé, Unilever, Kraft-Jacobs-Suchard and so on.
A friend of mine works for the biggest manufacturer of choclate-packings. He told me, that except 3 or 4 big companies only a few small independent choclate-makers are existing.

P.S.: Campell-soups I haven't seen here, perhaps other products of them. But perhaps I confuse that with supermarkets in Scotland or Holland, the European countries I've been at last.

Little candy bits, the sour ones are the best





A powdered soft drink





Yes they are very cheap here too. Usually only 59 cents (= 0.92 euro)

Do you know of a very prominent sign in Times Square, that was a 50-foot tall Cup o' Noodles? It had real steam coming from behind
Unfortunately, it was taken down in 2006, replaced by a Chevrolet sign that has a clock







Chevrolet clock

Hmm, I must think about, if I've seen it at my first visit. I've been in Manhattan two times, in Dec.2003 and Feb.2008.

By the way: in 2003 I was nearly hit by an car, coming out of a parking-garage, when I was going on the boardwalk. The garage belongs to the theater of Mel Brooks - and he was the driver, too.

We Germans ignore Kool-Aid. Generations of us have childhood-rememberings for that: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahoj

How do you do it on your long trips along The States Ingo? you get a map and you go from a state to another with a rental car?

In 1993, where I made the big "autodriveaway"-trip around the country (13 000 km in 20 days), I had classic, conservative road-maps, and I had no bigger problems. I can orientate myself quite good with maps.

At the tour this Feb. we had a "Tom-Tom" in our rental car. We have been stupid and rented one (9$ per day). If we would have taken that one of my father-in-law with software for the USA, it would have been cheaper.

In 2003, we just have been in N.Y. by plane, not with a car. Our hotel was close to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. We have used the subway to travel around- and have walked. I like to walk hours and hours, when I'm in foreign towns. If noone else is interested, I stroll around alone, too.

What car did you rent when you were here ingo?

I think that for his latest trip on February he recently said that a 2008 Town & Country, no?

My friends just returned from their North American trip. First they went to see the Montreal F1 race. Weekend ticket cost about $400 per person. Then they travelled to Cheyenne, Wyoming and then to Denver, Colorado. They had a Ford Fusion rented from Avis.

As soon as I have time (and good travel company) I will make a coast-to-coast roadtrip through the USA. I think I will rent a car from New York and drive slowly to Los Angeles. There are several routes to choose from. One possibility is US-route 50.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US-50

I think it's best to have atleast three weeks time to travel over 3000 miles. A big RWD car is a must. In a Mercury Grand Marquis one would travel in style From New York I would make a short visit to Michigan (very interesting state) to see Detroit and its surrounding cities, car museums etc. Then towards California and stopping whenever I see a junkyard

As far as I know it's not possible to return a rented car to another coast except in Hertz ??

Raul inst that very very expensive? it is something i would love to do some day too, but that, isnt it expensive?

Not so much. I have calculated that three weeks of travel would cost around €4000 per person, probably less. Flights are the most expensive part, around €1000.

It's easy to make plans in Herz website. For example Ford Explorer for 3-weeks would cost $2735. Ofcourse it is a lot cheaper to divide driving costs with several persons...

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/gaq/index.jsp?targetPage=whatView.jsp

Staying in small hotels only costs $50. Fuel is still quite cheap by European standards. Also dollar is very cheap right now. Clothes and shoes and electronics are very cheap...

Here is a interesting website which tells about the different routes you cantake accross the US:

http://www.roadtripusa.com/

Ofcourse it would be nice to visit ghost towns in Oregon, Montana etc. if easily reachable.

I found that strange too, as there are Froot Loops in Belgium.
But it is not a big loss for him, I find these cereals disgusting

As I do not know Pop-Tarts at all, I guess that they do not sell it here, which is strange since on Wikipedia it is said that it is very popular. It seems that it is sold in UK though.

@Max: yes, a 2008 Town & Country. I've said "popemobil" to it ("urbi et orbi") and have thought "It could be Big Dave's car, our forum-Vaticanist".

@Raul: have you thought about autodriveaway? I've made this in 1993. The company has offices in bigger towns, where the customers bring cars which shall be delivered to annother town in the US or sometimes Canada. It costs nothing, the driver has just the fuel to pay. And a deposit (15 years ago 250 $), which will be given back, when you've delivered the car to its destination (clean and with full tank).

Within 20 days I drove over there:

- Denver/CO to Cape Girardeau/MO (Ford Explorer)
- St.Louis/MO to Houston/TX (Ford Taurus)
- Houston/TX to Sacramento/CA (Dodge Caravan)
- San Francisco to St.Paul/MN (a Buick 6cyl, the model under the Park Avenue)
- ST.Paul/MN to Philadelphia/PA (1985 Pontiac Sunbird

The autodriveaway-guys weren't not amused, that I drove from San Diego to San Francisco on the legendary Highway 1. But then they said "Ah, you're a German, then it's o.k. US-drivers cannot handle this curvy street."
And they prefer European, mainly German drivers, because they can handle stick-shift-cars.
Forbidden areas were also Mexico, Las Vegas and the Yosemite N.P.

O.k., I was mainly on the road, but I've seen very different landscapes. Sure, if you liked an town or area very much, you have to come back in a later vacations.


Two friends of mine have made in 1992 a 3-month-USA-trip. For that they bought a car, which they've sold at the last day again. They liked the classis US-cars, so they bought a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta.
Both are extreme "Blues Brothers"-fans, so they made a trip to all locations of that movie. Except the old house of the nun they'd found all of them. Only for the "Palace Hotel Ballroom" of the show-scene they hadn't enough time.

P.S.In the St.Louis autodriveaway-office I've missed a Mercedes 500 SE, destination Beverly Hills just for a few minutes

Delta 88

So if i understood it well, autodriveaway is just that you get a car for free and the only thing you have to do is taking it to another point? and how does that company earn money if you dont have to pay anything for it?

@Raul: the best recommondation for travelling across the USA is the historic Route 66, much more stylish and interesting than the actual highways.
A bit tricky to find because the 66 doensn't existing any more, but it's possible.
http://www.amazon.de/Route-Stra%C3%9Fe-Sehnsucht-Holger-Hoetzel/dp/3550065582/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214936424&sr=8-26

Yes, so it works. The customers, who want to let deliver their car, pay the company.

And what kinf of person would need someone to mvoe his car from a state to another?