Rio Grande: Guida di viaggio, prezzi e alloggi gratuiti · 2026

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 24 lug 2013Leggi

The day before. Sonya: "Ol, if it rains, you still have to get up!" Yan asked us to arrive by 9:30. Through my sleep, I hear raindrops hitting the windowsill: "Sonya, we need to get up, otherwise I'll fall back asleep." It was already 9:30. I had completely forgotten about the schedule change. I didn't even set any other alarms from the night before. We left again without breakfast. So, a FEAT: my phone rang on the way, I picked it up, and while holding it with my left hand, I drove calmly along the wet road. I was even understanding Kristina and answering her. I'm making progress! (The last attempt ended with me meeting a wall). Kristina said she would pick us up, but we were already almost there. We should have stayed for breakfast!=) The rain lasted all night and eased up a bit by morning. But then it didn't stop until the very evening! By the way, the drains on the roads here are far from everywhere. On the way back, we had to drive through water at many intersections. What to do in this weather? Write a blog? Nah, never heard of it. Everyone went to sleep. I was the first, while the girls were finishing up pancakes. Our neighbor Natasha showed us a masterclass; she's a pro). In the end, we slept until about 6. I wake up - no rain. Hooray!!! I went out onto the porch: not hooray at all! It's as if the ocean has overflowed its banks!!! Cars are driving slowly, very carefully. Although there are no pedestrians. Personally, the water on the road was knee-deep, and a little less on the sidewalk. I remembered scenes from last year's news. The hurricane on the East Coast, Krymsk... Ugh!!!! Go away! Our house is one of the small oases. And just my luck, I immediately wanted something sweet, something salty, in short – to go to the store. It's a shame when a day off is so hopelessly ruined! Sonya went upstairs to the girls to find out if they needed to go to work. Vika and Ksyusha (the girls upstairs), Sonya, and Anya work for a guy named Dave on the boardwalk. Wax hands is a cool thing. Vacationers make figures with their fingers, dip their hands in wax, and the girls perform certain manipulations and repeat the procedure several times. In short, your hand with all its curves and life lines remains in the form of a wax figure! Interesting. I would like to make one as a souvenir! It costs $10, and $20 if it's two hands together. Vika just returned from Rio Grande. There is a store called "Ross" – Dress for Less. Brand-name items in the $10-25 price range. While Sonya was describing a mountain of new purchases (for herself, for her mom, for her dad, for her future baby – all for 350 bucks), I was thinking. The idea of going to Ross has been haunting me for a long time; I was waiting for a day off. The rain stopped. Ross is open until 21:30. So what if the water is almost knee-deep, the main thing is to get to the bus terminal! It's 19:00. I check the schedule, the bus is in 10 minutes. I act quickly: backpack, t-shirt, shorts, flip-flops, bike keys. See you tonight! It turns out the water was only standing up to Pacific Avenue; further on, the roads were as clean as after a light rain. Is it worth describing that, as always, I almost missed it? The driver promised to tell me where to get off. I'm already navigating RG pretty well myself, but I asked just to be sure. Where the buses turn onto Atlantic City, a row of large malls begins. The first one is Ross, then everything for $5 and less, then other stores. The row ends with a Walmart supermarket (where we usually buy food). I imagined Ross a little differently. I thought it was a regular shopping center, just cheap. It turned out to be much simpler: rows of clothes, sorted by size, type: top, bottom, dress, etc. Brands are mixed. My cart was filling up very quickly. I even stopped looking at the prices, usually $12-13. A large selection of trousers, jeans, tops, polos, blouses. A few swimsuits and shoes. Shoes are mainly presented in single units; it's rare to find 2 different si

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 9 lug 2013Leggi

US Independence Day. For them, it's a really big deal! "Happy 4th of Julyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Our apartment landlady, Trish, came by to check the mail and wish us a happy holiday! We all know that Americans are very patriotic! Trish was wearing a floor-length blue skirt, a red tank top with white collars, a white hair tie, and a visor in the colors of the flag! Now that is what I call a PATRIOT! Even though we aren't residents, it was very nice! These people love their country (and we use their flag as a kitchen curtain). At the hotel, I was the first one to wish someone a happy holiday; that's how much energy Trish gave me. Unfortunately, it faded a bit later on, as work completely consumed me. Almost all the rooms are occupied (in the US, the 4th of July is also the official start of the season). There were fireworks tonight, the first of the summer. From July 4th to September 2nd (Labor Day - the first Monday of September, when students start school), there are fireworks on the boardwalk every weekend! There are so many tourists, all the carousels, cafes, and shops are open – this is how Russian students make their money. Working on the boardwalk during the season is different from working elsewhere (for example, like me at a restaurant, or in large corporations). Sonya came home very late today; she finally got a lot of work hours! She stands on the promenade near a souvenir shop and blows bubbles with a bubble gun. You wouldn't believe the people she meets. The main crowd is American kids, many of them spoiled and very overweight! I think Sonya should write a blog about this. Who made what joke, who stood out. It's basically a whole thesis – the behavior of local children and teenagers in "I want it, buy it" situations (or at least a term paper!). I didn't come home late from work myself. We actually had no customers; all the guests were walking along the ocean and having fun. It's not the time, you see, for serious dinners! But getting home was very difficult. At 10:30, everyone was returning from the boardwalk. Traffic jams on the roads! Cars were in two lanes, taking up the entire roadway. You couldn't ride on the sidewalk – there were tipsy tourists, and in crowds too! It's good that I was riding with Vitya, it wasn't as scary. We carefully drove around cars and watched the pedestrians. We initially chose a different route, not taking New Jersey – the central one – but Atlantic, a block closer to the beach. The only difference was that Atlantic was stuck in traffic, while cars were speeding past on New Jersey. By the way, all of Rio Grande – my street – was also at a standstill. And until late at night. Our door is always open when we are home and awake, and the road is just 7 meters away. There are many big, cool cars in the US! We've seen enough pickups for a long time now, we aren't surprised anymore, and soon we'll stop paying attention to open convertibles. Personally, I didn't feel the holiday, except for Trish's morning visit. It was just an ordinary workday for me. And only a few rare details reminded me of the importance of the event! P.S. Now I know that the woman I congratulated in the morning is Polish! And I was wondering why she hesitated with her answer!

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 8 lug 2013Leggi

Monday, today we have a day off at the hotel. I have to be at The Establishment (that's the interesting name of my restaurant) by 6:00. Generally, there are few customers at the restaurant on weekdays, and sometimes Andrew lets us go home much earlier. I hope that doesn't happen today! My days off at my two jobs have never coincided yet. That would be great, but I'd like to know about it in advance so I can boldly head to another city. As it is, I can only go as far as Atlantic City. (Cape May and Rio Grande aren't that far away). Sonya and I have long had the idea of visiting Atlantic City (AC) – a city of brand-name stores and casinos. When I was traveling from the airport to WW, I noticed the beauty and cleanliness of this small town. Its main difference from our place is that AC exists and lives all year round. As for WW, it's a purely resort place; it's empty here in winter! AC is larger, and the beaches there are paid! To manage to visit all the stores and walk around the city to our heart's content, we decided to leave on the first bus. At 5:47, the "Cape May – Atlantic City" shuttle signaled the start of its movement, while we were just "flying" toward the bus station. I rode first, hoping to manage to buy a ticket. Without thinking about anything, I threw my bike by the parking lot and ran out onto the road to flag down the bus. I shouted to Sonya to lock my bike. Everything was somehow fast, on autopilot. My 4 years of practice chasing commuter trains and buses in Moscow are paying off. Having jumped "on board" and without catching my breath, I blurted out "tu tu Atlantic City." Which in normal people's language means "Two to Atlantic City." The driver waved something like "not now," and we calmly walked through and sat down. Sonya noticed the surprised faces of the Americans who were watching us from the bus windows. It must not be common for them. We caught a route that goes into the northern part of the city before heading to the final destination. Therefore, we had to ride around Wildwood for another 20 minutes. It turned out stupidly; we could have caught the same bus at the same place just a quarter of an hour later. Next time we'll know. It's marked in the schedule. An hour later, we were already breathing the fresh air of the bus terminal in Atlantic City. In general, the plan was: walk around the city in the morning, and from 10:00 AM, go shopping. Sonya hasn't received a single paycheck yet, but she kindly agreed to accompany me. The goal of the trip was a T-shirt, and also to see what's where and how much it costs. On the advice of the CMO and acquaintances, I flew to the States "light." Just one T-shirt and a couple of shirts. The shirts didn't really come in handy, and the only T-shirt quickly turned into a work one. Our hotel is small (they call them motels here), and they don't provide uniforms. Same in the restaurant, but there are stricter rules there. On my first trip to Rio Grande, I had to buy a black T-shirt and shoes. We walked around the bus terminal, went one way, then the other. We noted where each store was located and suddenly realized: "Why did we come so early????" There is nothing in AC except stores, casinos, the boardwalk, and the ocean. The last two points don't differ much from WW. The stores open at 10. So we were left to enjoy the huge gaming center. We were amazed by the number of slot machines and their variety! They say that Atlantic City is the eastern Las Vegas, its small copy. We haven't been to Las Vegas; it's scary to think what it will be like there if everything is already cool here! On the way to the ocean, there is a large beautiful building called Caesars. It's a hotel & casino. We accidentally ended up in the part where the hotel is – we were stunned! Everything is in gold, carpets, doormen – in short, a movie again. We moved to the casino. It is 2-3 stories high here, the floors and ceilings are colorful, wherever you look – slot machines. Dim light, silence – at 7 A

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 4 lug 2013Leggi

We had a day off at the hotel, so Sonya and I decided to head to Rio Grande. We thought about doing some shopping (I desperately needed to buy a decent bath towel) and going to the movies. We decided to sleep in. At least I did; I think Sonya even went for a run in the morning. We ended up getting up around 11, had breakfast, and checked the bus schedule. We're getting around on our own. The next bus is in 20 minutes. Not wanting to delay, we got ready in a flash, hopped on our bikes, and reached the bus terminal in about 3 minutes – it's right nearby (at the intersection of New Jersey Ave and Andrews Ave). There's a bike rack next to the station. Inside, everything is simple and clear: ticket counters, benches, and vending machines for drinks and snacks. There are also schedules for all buses passing through Wildwood, Atlantic City, and menus for many restaurants. We bought a $1.50 ticket to Rio Grande. Before this, we had been there twice: to the Social Security office and to Walmart. Both times, our landlady Trish drove us. At 12:00 local time, two buses arrived, both going through Rio Grande. The difference is that one goes to Atlantic City, and the other to Cape May. The one to Cape May doesn't stop at Walmart—a big supermarket like our Auchan where you can buy everything (groceries, clothes, hardware, cosmetics, home goods). The Cape May bus stops near the ShopRite supermarket (which is smaller and more expensive) and then goes straight to Cape May. The Atlantic City bus turns left after ShopRite and passes by Walmart (map in photos). However, we took the first option. That bus was emptier. We arrived, went into ShopRite, checked the prices, and decided not to buy anything for now. We walked to the movie theater. It's not far, we got there in 10 minutes. We walked along the same highway—I think it's Rio Grande Ave. At the fork (where the bus turns toward Walmart), we turned slightly left and saw the sign for the "Save-A-Lot" supermarket (not very big, and we didn't save much there). Last time, Trish drove us there, and we saw the cinema. We figured out the cinema quickly. It's exactly the same as back home. Above the ticket counters, there's a board with current movies. We had a choice between 2 movies and one cartoon. We chose the latter; the language is simpler. The cartoon was Epic, a standard plot—a mix of Tangled and Arthur and the Invisibles. But it was very interesting. We understood almost everything and were very pleased with ourselves. True, it's not a new release, and there were only about 6-7 other people in the theater besides us. While waiting for the show to start, we noticed the ads; almost all of them here are social, everything boiled down to some public cause. After the movie, we tried to find Walmart, but due to my mistake, we went in the wrong direction (we didn't know exactly where it was yet). We went into Family Dollar (this supermarket was recommended to us earlier)—and didn't find anything there; it was expensive and the selection was small. We had to go back to ShopRite, where I bought a beach towel for 5 bucks. On the way back, it came in very handy—it was freezing cold on the bus. I had about 1.5 hours left before work. The girls, Sonya and Anya, were making soup, and I made myself an omelet to grab a quick bite. In the end, as always, I took way too long getting ready. I thought, I'll just ride fast and make it. I completely forgot that I had agreed with Vitya (who also works at my restaurant, just as a dishwasher) to go together. Usually, we meet at 5:40 PM at the intersection of New Jersey and Rio Grande Ave. Only when I saw a missed call from him did I jump out of the house. In an attempt to call back, I couldn't keep a grip on the bike handlebars and crashed into a wall. The impact hit my phone and sunglasses, and only a small scratch remained on my forehead. That was the bike's first introduction to its owner's clumsiness. While I was coming to my senses, another 5 minutes passed. In th

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 4 lug 2013Leggi

Overslept again, woke up very late, and had to rush. I hope this doesn't happen again. My legs didn't want to pedal at all this morning. But at least work was easy. More than half the rooms were already occupied, and we spent almost 3 hours doing housekeeping. Cleaning rooms. It's not hard, and nobody was breathing down our necks. Plus, I guess we've just learned how to do it well. Today we found out that we get to keep the tips, instead of our landlady taking them. That's a very nice little bonus! After work, our neighbor Anya needed to go to Rio Grande to apply for a Social Security Number. Our landlady drives everyone who rents from her there. This time we went with them to finally get to Walmart. The Social Security Administration closes its doors at 3:00 PM and only serves those who made it inside by then. When Sonya and I went there, there was almost no line, but today there were about 10-15 people ahead of us. To avoid wasting time, Trish took Sonya and me to the store while Anya waited in line. We finally bought a big, big pot! For only 7 bucks. That's kind of cheap, even for the USA. If you ditched your employer and came to a different place... Anya was supposed to go to Montana based on her offer, but shortly before her flight, the employer stopped responding. To avoid the risk of being left without a job in the middle of nowhere, she flew to Wildwood. Where, as everyone knows, there are inexhaustible employment resources. However, Montana is listed on her DS-2019 form and all her other documents. Anya was worried about whether she would get her SSN here, and we were worried for her too. Everything turned out very well. According to her, she just explained the situation to the worker while keeping a smile on her face. He understood everything and accepted her application. By the way, no one I know has ever needed the 'Dear Social Security Officer' letter. Same goes for the I-94 printout. However, if you're supposed to take them – take them! Trish showed us a couple of shops in Rio Grande that we definitely need to check out. One of them is something like a thrift store, but all the proceeds go to help sick people in need. And you never know what you'll find in that store. It could be anything: furniture, clothes, dishes, toys. After that, we all went home together. It was a free evening for me, so the girls and I went for a walk. We took a series of photos of the Wildwoods. There are no tourists there in the evening, so you can take pictures without anyone bothering you. True, by the time we reached the boardwalk, it was completely empty. All the shops were closed, and the only people around were local kids and troublemakers (as we say in Russia) sitting on the benches. Tonight, for the first time, I felt homesick. It felt like we had come to the middle of nowhere, to the sticks. No company, nowhere to go in the evening (because of our age). Let's see how the situation changes later.

OEOlga Emelianovaolenenok · 1 ago 2013Leggi

Jose arrived very late yesterday, around 2 AM. I was sitting outside, writing in my diary and enjoying the cool air. We decided to have some tea and chat. The neighbor from upstairs had just come back from the laundry and joined us. Jose is a trained chef; every summer season he flies to the USA and works at a restaurant in Cape May from early morning until closing. He's usually exhausted after work. Today is his day off, so we could stay up a bit later yesterday. On his only day off, he cuts the hair of the local youth. Basically, he trained as a barber and is quite handy with clippers and scissors. All the haircuts are typical, with patterns shaved in using the clippers. He had a really busy day today; there's a line at his apartment! He charges 10 bucks. Guys, if you need a haircut, come by: 222 E. Rio Grande apt 1B – Monday! Morning. I dutifully got up at 8:30, had breakfast with everyone, and went to look for work. I was actually heading specifically to the Yankee Clipper hotel, as they needed a Russian girl. A rather nice woman said she needed a worker until at least mid-September! It's a pity, but I wasn't ready to sacrifice my travels. I continued my search in Crest. The hotels there are big, especially on Ocean Ave. Almost no one needs housekeepers anymore, or they need them until October. At the Lotus Inn, they offered to let me try, and if I'm okay, they'll hire me. They called the head housekeeper, Ginny, on the radio. I don't know where she's from, but her native language is Spanish, although her English is perfect. I was interrogated for a long time about where I'm from, what I'm studying, how long I can work, where I'm already working, and they even asked twice if I smoke. I need to pass a test. Ginny will show me how to do one room, and I'll do the other myself. She'll check it and that's it. Actually, Ginny paired me with a Spanish-speaking woman named Hilda, who showed me everything. Together we did 3-4 rooms. In the last one, Hilda left, Ginny came in, and checked everything. Seems like there were no major mistakes. The rooms here are cool. The hotel is 6 stories high, everything is at a very high level! They gave me a light white jacket, but if I stay, I'll need sneakers and white pants (my own). Apparently, those are the rules in all decent hotels. I spent two hours on this training. As for the salary, it's 8 an hour. Well, I was hoping to hear at least 9. You have to work from 8:30 to 13:30, but until you finish everything that needs to be done, you won't leave. As Laura (the boss) told me, we have team work here, everyone helps each other. Yeah, I think, very good teamwork, all the employees are Spanish-speaking. And if you stay late, it's on your own dime, no one will pay extra. And one more thing, she told me, "I haven't hired you yet." While it's slow, I'll call you next week! Fun times. Honestly, I was upset. Not because they didn't hire me, but I just don't want to work there. They actively use cheap labor, and that's not a very good sign for such a big hotel. At a large hotel, I filled out an application and waited about 30 minutes for the head housekeeper. They happen to need someone. The interior is designed in a paradise beach style: straw, palm trees, seashells... There are a lot of employees, only 4 people at the reception. Little palm trees, sofas – you can immediately feel the luxury and style in everything. And indeed, rooms are from 200 to 600 bucks a night. I flipped through the information booklet – huge apartments! There are all kinds, 2, 3, 4 rooms, kitchen, living room. Very chic. Although, I think it will be very difficult to remember where everything should be and how. The strict boss asked me about my experience. Actually, I'm lost on what to say about my previous workplace. I'm afraid they won't hire me without experience, but at the same time, if they call Kristina (which is standard practice) and ask how I am, it will be an outright refusal. Talking to this woman, I felt like an