[Pete]

Originally Posted by Big Money

..... I personally wouldn't consider the newspapers a reliable source of useful information.......

You would be amazed at how you can "get a feel" for an area by reading a local newspaper and viewing a good city map and district map- even for just a couple of weeks before a trip.

Skip the world news - focus on the national and city news - read the letters to the editor.

And while there continue to read the local paper and catch the local news if you can.

You might find youself a couple of days ahead of the official US reports.