Astoria OR

Cruise ships berth at the port’s East Basin, about 2.5 miles from downtown. If more than one ship is in port, passengers may arrive by tender.

A shuttle leaves every fifteen minutes while a ship is in port. Eleven buses carry passengers from the pier to downtown Astoria. A $15 all-day pass allows unlimited hop-on, hop-off travel and includes Astoria’s historic trolley along the Columbia River rail line. The trolley has only 2 stops, at 10 and 16 street. On cruise days, local taxi services have 7-8 cabs available.

• A shuttle leaves every fifteen minutes while a ship is in port. Eleven buses carry passengers from the pier to downtown Astoria. A $15 all-day pass gives unlimited hop-on, hop-off travel and includes Astoria’s historic trolley along the Columbia River rail line. The trolley has only 2 stops, at 10 and 16 street. Local taxi services have 7-8 cabs available on cruise days.
• Live music: local bands including the Brownsmead Flats, Bond Street Blues, Jackson Andrews Band and others play on the cruise pier as each ship arrives and throughout the day in port.
• Astoria River Trail: a paved 2.5-mile route between downtown Astoria and the port’s East Basin.
• Astoria Column, on Astoria’s highest peak, with sweeping views of the area.
• Lewis & Clark National Historical Park, including Fort Clatsop, the Corps of Discovery’s winter camp, and many other Lewis & Clark historic sites across the area.
• The Columbia River Maritime Museum.
• The Flavel House Museum.
• The Fort Astoria Memorial.
• The Clatsop County Heritage Museum.
• Chamber of Commerce information.

The Astoria Riverfront Trolley runs along the Riverfront. A round trip costs $1 and a full day costs $2; the schedule varies by season and weather.

With a hire car, visit Astoria Column, Fort Clatsop—where Lewis and Clark wintered—Seaside, a lively tourist town, and Ecola State Park at Cannon Beach.

"Never on a Sunday Market" is a lively open-air market with up to 40 art, craft and jewellery stalls run by the artists and craftspeople themselves. Cruise passengers can stroll along the pier and see the area’s distinctive offerings.

The United States dollar, shown by $, is the official U.S. currency, and ATMs are everywhere.

Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, even for transactions of only a few dollars, and may sometimes be the only payment method. Overseas visitors should note that prices often look lower than they are because tax and gratuities are seldom included.

Most states levy sales tax from 2.9% to nearly 10% of the retail price, with 4-6% typical. It is almost never included in displayed prices, except for gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on the premises; it is added when you pay.

Tipping is widely used and expected in America. Although Americans debate the right amounts and who should receive them, these are the generally accepted rates:

• Full-service restaurants: 15-20%. This is often the waiter or waitress’s only income. Tips can be left in cash or added to the credit-card slip. Few restaurants add an automatic service charge, so check the bill first and then decide how much extra to tip. The amount remains your choice when a charge has already been added.
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and other personal services: 10-15%.
• Bartenders: $1 per inexpensive drink or 15% of the total.
• Bellhops: $1-2 per bag, with a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• Hotel doorman: $1 per bag when assisting, and $1 for calling a cab.
• Tour guides: depending on tour length, group size and overall quality, $5-10 per person for half day tours or less, and $10-20 per person for longer tours.
• Private car and limousine drivers: 15-20%.
• Hotel housekeeping: $1-2 per day for long stays, or a $5 minimum for very short stays (optional).
• Food delivery, including pizza: $2-5, possibly more for very large orders.

The U.S. has no federal official language, but English is the everyday standard. Several states have declared English their official state language. Spanish is also official and widely spoken in New Mexico; French is official in Louisiana and Hawaiian in Hawaii, but neither is used on anything like the scale of English and their status is mainly historical.

For emergencies, dial 911.

In major metropolitan areas such as New York and Los Angeles, many drugstores and supermarkets operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Department stores, shopping centres and most other large retailers typically open 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours, generally 11 a.m. or noon–5 or 6 p.m. They tend to stay open on holidays, apart from the most important ones, including Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when stores generally close.