"Where The Bars Have No Name" a Union City Travel Page by johngayton

When I travel abroad I try to learn at least the basics of the language - "Hello", "Please", "Thank You" and most importantly how to order a beer!

For this, my first, visit to New York I assumed that language would not be a problem (even though I knew the Yanks didn't actually speak proper English!). Nothing then had prepared me for the fact that Union City, where my hotel was located, is actually a an entirely different beast from New York so far as language is concerned.

Here English probably only just scrapes into 3rd place as the most commonly used language with Hispanic predominating, closely followed by whatever of the Chinese tongues was in use. Not even my minute Italian repertoire came in the slightest bit useful, even in the pizzerias!!

Yep, it was quite wierd to walk into a bar (the one with no name), ask for a beer and find that the server had to go fetch the owner to translate!

Union City is certainly an experience, but not, I should add, an unpleasant one, merely an unexpected culture-shock. I really should have done a bit more homework before venturing out and about on the streets.

Having gotten over the "culture-shock" (and the language barrier) I found myself liking this oddball of a place and especially Freddy's and the girl's hospitality ;))