Thanks luv2cthings - what are the fee with calling that number for reservations? I looked online and I would be paying double the admission price! Not to be cheap, but I'm working at a non-profit here!

Are you from Boston? or a suburb? or not connected to the city?

If you are overwhelmed simply a <i>book</i> on Rome, then the city itself is going to be a trip for you!

You need to go into Boston, and find the worst trafic jams you can find with maximum horn blaring and Big Dig noise at full intensity, just to start acclimating youtself. And how are you coming on learning Italian? Today would be a day to intnsify your efforts - - whatever vocabulary you have acquired, you could increase it by another 200 words over the next 10 days if you put your mind to it.

meganboston: Advice here is all good -- but recommend Trevi after dark -- the lighting is wonderful and the &quot;scene&quot; is fun, too. Also recommend Boboli Gardens in Florence -- get all the way to the topmost terrace for an incredible view. (You don't have to go into the palazzo to view the gardens -- just go on through for &quot;gardens only). Leave at least 2 hrs. for it.

(Completely side issue, for Rex, with as lightened-up a tone as possible: -- don't want to start a whole new scrappy thread about it, but since your first line jumped out at me -- about waiting &quot;on line&quot; -- here's this: I know it's been a time-honored, usually regional difference whether people say &quot;on line&quot; (NYC) or &quot;in line&quot; (some other places) and I've heard truly silly justifications why one or the other is more accurate: &quot;You can't be IN a line, the line's on the pavement and you stand ON it.&quot; &quot;As a member of the line, you are standing IN it -- if you were ON it, you'd be on people's heads!&quot;

But since we now have a very specific other meaning for &quot;on line&quot; -- what we all are when we're linked to the internet -- do you think maybe can we choose &quot;in line&quot; for what you wait in, to get into a museum, etc.? ;-) ;-)

Some other time, we can talk about change OF a dollar (or Euro) vs. change FOR a dollar (or Euro)! Once again: ;-) ;-) )

Megan,

The booking fee for the Accademia or Uffizi is &euro;3. You don't pay until you arrive, and if there isn't much of line when your get there, just buy your ticket as though you did not have a reservation and save the &euro;3 reservation fee.

Mark

Rex- It is not the city part that overwhelms me,I was born and raised in NYC, and have lived in Boston for 5 years now, --so yes, I stand ON line
what overwhelms me is everything you are expected to see. Everyone's advice has been very helpful in narrowing it down.

Italian -- hm. I know some spanish, hoping that helps me a little bit. I will also bring a translation book...My friend is writing down some helpful sentances like &quot;that is a rip off&quot;

Rome can still be overwhelming, no matter how Manhattan-ized you may be.

I say stand &quot;in line&quot; and understand &quot;on line&quot; perfectly, nd se no reason for eithr camp to &quot;correct&quot; the other.

I don't say (ex)change OF nor FOR dollars to euros. I say buy euros with dollars. Or I say &quot;I'm going to withdraw some money from the ATM&quot;.

Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse <i> me</i>!

lol, Cass --

When I ask for change FOR a dollar, I usually get quarters and such, not euros. In fact, I don't think you can even get one euro out of a dollar at this point.

Megan, you'll have a blast and I don't think doing huge amounts of homework really helps if you are only in a city 2 or 3 nights, so it's perfectly reasonable to ask people for their own opinion of don't-misses. If you get to the Uffizi and have to wait in line ( ! ) for more than about 20 min., it isn't worth it for such a short trip. Santa Croce is far more worth it!

Megan: The Streetwise Rome map is really good and not expensive. They carry it at Borders and Barnes and Noble. I don't recommend the Streetwise Florence map though; it includes the 'burbs and so is harder to work with for the historical center.
I lived in NYC for a year, and while I lived there I stood &quot;on line.&quot;

That's one of the reasons life in New York can be so trying, standing on that line all the time....

meganboston, if you have time before your trip, check out Rick Steve's book on Italy. He helps you prioritize and gives very good practical information. This book is small and light; you could take it with you.

Believe it or not, but getting such positive feedback about my trip is making me relax more, and get excited...
As I mentioned before, I am doing this trip on limited funds, so I wasn't too thrilled to see books are 20 bucks and up. But, if you all insist to have one, then maybe it's worth it. I took out Lonely Planet's book on Italy from the library. Maps aren't that good. Thanks for the map tip Caravaggista, I'll make sure to pick one up.
And Rex- thanks for making me nervous again! Hopefully you mean a good &quot;overwhelming&quot;...and how do you know I'm Manhattan-ized? Could be Bronx-ized...Thanks to everyone again!

megan--FWIW, you can get some info right on this site--push &quot;Destinations&quot; above. Also, there are other websites with condensed guides for free. I don't really use them, so I don't know how good they are...

Keep that relaxed thought! Buon viaggio!

You know, if I made you nervous, you will probably do better, because you will have expectations that you need &quot;to brace yourself&quot; - - and it will seem not that bad.

As opposed to thinking it won't being any big deal, and then freaking out at how REALLY intense it is.