Do You URBEX? USA Sites

Ruins in Jerome, Arizona (wikicommons)

Previous blog posts on the subject of urban exploration:
Do you URBEX? 1. Defined, Trends & Picks

With this post, we look at some of the more accessible sites popular with urban explorers in the United States. Plus we share USA-specific news, inspiration and resources.

In USA URBEX news

Matt Lambros' After the Final Curtain photographs show America's forgotten movie theatres - Denzeen
Urbex Photographer Discovers Eerie ‘Train Graveyard’ in North Carolina Forest - Petapixel
Urbex Instagram Photog Killed While Subway Surfing in NYC - Petapixel
‘Urban explorer’ arrested inside Niagara Falls church - Niagara Gazette

URBAN PHOTOGRAPHY INSPIRATION - USA

Liz's URBEX Photography Blog - Peeling Walls
Philip's URBEX Flickr Photos - DJ Philly GEE
Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream - book by Matthew Christopher

USA-specific URBEX resources

10 Eerie, Awesome or Abandoned Places You Can LEGALLY Visit in the US - Architectural Afterlife
Abandoned America: An Autopsy of American Dreams - Matthew Christopher's blog, books, events
Abandoned America Photography Workshops - USA workshops by Matthew Christopher
After the final curtain - Matt Lambros' blog, events
URBEX Location List USA - Urban Exploration Resource
A listing of tunnels in Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia - Tunnels & Bridges

ALABAMA.... [read more].

Want more layover ideas?
• Read more stories on the LayoverIdeas Blog • Explore cities worldwide on LayoverIdeas.com

Related resources
Do Your URBEX? 1. Defined, Trends & Picks
Mugging: are you a target? 10 resources
Spot the deadly fake taxi on your international travels!
Dealing with taxi drivers
Dealing with touts
Airport arrival advice

Travel Tax Squeeze: Best and Worst USA Cities

Here's interesting news if your travels take you to major cities in the USA.

This past week, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) released its annual travel tax report on car rentals, hotels and restaurants in 50 top USA cities. Of most interest to travellers are what the GBTA calls "discriminatory travel taxes", which are taxes imposed specifically on travel services, above and beyond general sales taxes. Here are a few highlights.

Worst USA Cities for Travel Taxes


Rental car return backup at Portland Airport - the USA city with the highest
discriminatory travel tax rate - that will effect your rental car bill

The top 10 U.S. cities with the highest discriminatory travel tax rates are:

2013 Rank	City	$ over general sales tax
1	Portland (OR)	$22.86
2	Boston	$19.34
3	Indianapolis	$18.10
4	Minneapolis	$17.46
5	Chicago	$17.39
6	New York	$15.96
7	Washington, D.C.	$15.61
8	Kansas City	$15.26
9	Charlotte	$15.16
10	Milwaukee	$15.04

Minneapolis jumped up two spots over 2012 (from 6 to 4), and Washington D.C. jumped up four spots (from 11 to 7).

Best USA Cities for Travel Taxes

Enjoy your rental car in California, the taxes won't break the bank

You may be interested to know that California and Florida are among the states with the lowest discriminatory travel tax rates in the country, making them tourist friendly.

The top 10 U.S. cities with the lowest discriminatory travel tax rates are:

2013 Rank	City	$ over general sales tax
1	Burbank	$1.58
2	Orange County	$3.16
3	Ontario (CA)	$4.48
4	San Diego	$5.27
5	Oakland	$5.79
6 *	Tampa	$7.27
7*	Fort Lauderdale	$7.27
8*	Fort Myers	$7.27
9*	West Palm Beach	$7.27
10	Los Angeles	$7.37

* tie

The biggest change since 2012 was Los Angeles, which dropped from 5th to 10th.

More...

The information gathered by the GBTA is helpful, and we are appreciative of the level of detail the organization shares in its press releases, allowing us to share it with you. You may also be interested in the total travel tax burden rankings - just refer to the references below for more.

All information in this blog post is from the following Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) press releases:

• GBTA Reveals Best and Worst Travel Taxes Across Top 50 U.S. Destinations
• Taxes and Fees on Travel Reaching the Tipping Point 
• Bad For Business: A Billion Dollars In New Travel Taxes