I'll share some things that might be useful to many.

Phone service. IMHO, the cheapest way to call home is using a "Cell phone international calling" card. The price comes out to about 1 cent per minute, excluding the cellular service cost. For mobile, Verizon seemed the cheapest—a 1000-minute plan cost $40. In the end, it's much cheaper than calling from a payphone at 10 cents a minute. Plus, this method is much more convenient.

I brought my mobile phone from home and didn't regret it. With AT&T, unlimited internet cost $20 a month. I used it on my laptop via the phone—the speed was quite decent. AT&T is the only carrier where you can buy a standard SIM card for a phone from Russia.

I don't know if it's a global chain, but in Massachusetts, it's best to buy clothes at the "Marshalls" store. Their slogan is "Never never never pay full price." I was shocked by the clothing prices. Levi Strauss jeans for $20. I won't be able to buy clothes in Russia anymore after seeing this. I also liked the "Old Navy" store.

From JFK to Port Authority, it seemed more convenient to take the bus than the subway. The bus stops right at the terminal exit and costs $15. In the New York subway, it's easy to end up going the wrong way the first time.

One of the cheapest buses from New York to Boston is http://luckystarbus.com/. You can buy a ticket for $1 if you book in advance.

Regarding things to bring with you. Everyone advises a thousand times—the less, the better. It's the absolute truth. I actually think now that the optimal option is to take one 10 kg backpack as carry-on luggage. By the way, Vlad lost his luggage twice during flights with British Airways. Both times they found it later. But he arrived in America with a small bag containing his camera and documents.

But on the way back, you need to bring 2 large suitcases. With Aeroflot, and it seems the same with other companies, you get 2 pieces of luggage at 23 kg each (33 and 13 is not allowed). My suitcases only closed with a kick. And even then, not everything fit. One of the suitcases was 5 cm over the allowed sum of dimensions. I was worried about it, but no one measured it. Also, at the airport, I saw a notice that you can transport a bicycle for $100. Officially, you can bring 2 laptops with you.

I sent 4 laptops to acquaintances in Russia via USPS (United States Postal Service, not to be confused with UPS). I put them in one box—it's cheaper than sending each separately. The shipping cost $215. They have an online package tracking system. The laptops sat at customs in Russia for a month. They charged a 30% duty on the value. I didn't know about this, and neither did the people I sent them to. It still turned out cheaper, but it's not worth the hassle. However, there is a way to bypass customs duties. Duty is charged on packages worth more than 500 dollars (the amount needs to be verified) including shipping costs. No one opens the package box. The duty is charged on the amount you declare yourself for insurance. You will get it back if the package is lost. I should have sent each laptop separately and declared a value of $400 ($400 + about $70 for shipping is under the five-hundred-dollar limit). The small risk of losing some money in case the package doesn't arrive is justified.