>> The bank charged me a very unfavorable rate of .91, a 6.5% commission AND a 3 Euro fee. The bottom line: 1$ = 1 EU. <<

Actually, this is about the same as the rate I saw Friday at two different US airports for changing dollars into Euros. ATMs are definitely the way to go, though sometimes it can be hard to find a working one at 7AM on a Sunday morning...