Jude

I live in Europe and visit the US about three times a year. <BR> <BR>I like to visit but I would not like to live there <BR> <BR>What I like <BR>- It's inexpensive. A weekend in New York including flights from London is not much more expensive than a partying weekend in London <BR>- Most people speak an understandable form of English <BR>- The variety - different caosts cities etc <BR>- Generally the people are freindly and approachable <BR> <BR>I like to go to the beach, shop and relax. I recharge my batteries for my hectic life at home.

Art

Hi Jude, Interesting to hear that a European visits us in the US to recharge their batteries. Especially after all of the threads that have promoted Europe as much more laid back and a much slower life style than here is the US. Maybe we(N. Americans) see Europe as much more laid back because we are on vacation there? <BR>Comments from both sides of the Pond??? <BR>Regards <BR>Art <BR>

###

Art- You don't have to look far to find horror stories about driving in the U.S. (road rage, congestion, drunk and drugged drivers, etc.), but after a week on the road in Ireland the good ol' U.S. of A. seemed pretty tame! The drivers there seemed like they were all on their way to a four alarm fire, and on roads that are about as wide as my driveway!

Capo

I remember visiting a German friend and his wife in the Bavarian town of Kempten back in the late '80s. We drove around the area -- called the Allgau (sp?) -- one day and I remarked how aesthetically pleasing it was that all the houses had a similar look (white with red roofs that blended beautifully with the lush green of the countryside.) <BR> <BR>My friend's wife, who's an architect, replied that she found it boring and longed to visit America where she assumed (or perhaps knew) that we had very little of this kind of uniformity with our houses.

Paul

I'm originally from Ireland, but live in the States (8 years now). What I like about the U.S.: <BR> <BR>My wife; <BR>That achieving success at work is based on my knowledge and skills, rather than what school I went to or my religion; <BR>The weather; <BR>Large appliances (more beer in the fridge!); <BR>Pizza; <BR>Bruce Springsteen; <BR>The big highways; <BR>Less biogtry; <BR>My new house (not too big, but bigger than what we're used to in Ireland) and garage (we haven't figured out yet that garages should be attached to the house!); <BR>People are less judgmental here; <BR>Satellite TV (now I can see all of the football (soccer) I want); <BR>College basketball; <BR>Cheap Levis; <BR>24-hour diners; <BR>Pancakes; <BR>That I've made friends from all over the world while living here; <BR>Freedom of the press (it becomes so important to you after you've seen censorship. Yes, they do have censorship in Ireland and the United Kingdom); <BR>How big this country is. My wife and I would like nothing better than to take 3 months off and drive around the U.S. Maybe the next time we move back to Ireland for awhile, we'll take the time. <BR> <BR>People do litter more in Europe than the U.S. It pains me when I go hiking in Ireland, and I see trash way up the side of mountains. It absolutely kills me. People just dump their trash every where. <BR> <BR>There are many, many things I miss about home, and there are things I dislike about the U.S., but I won't go into them here. Besides, what I like about the U.S. far outweighs my dislikes.

Art

To ###, Yes there is road rage here in the US, drive by shootings etc. Actually my first view of road rage was in Germany in the 60's. A German driver was cut off (don't know if it was intentional or not) and he went out of his way to get back at the perpetrator. Also in the 60's there was a law passed that you could be arrested if you pointed your index finger at your forehead (Do hast ein fogal, or You are crazy) as one person was shot to death after he had done that to another driver.

sallymae

Kavey, This is my very first post on this board and I'm American. I have to tell you to try Target as well. Hanes Her Way is a super brand. You'll find them in all major U.S. cities. Happy travels.

michele

I just want to say thank you for this thread. It is so interesting and nice to hear the things that Europeans appreciate about the United States. The U.S. isn't perfect (noplace is) but sometimes I think we get an inferiority complex about the U.S. in comparison with European countries. Vive la difference.

Al

We live in a tourist-oriented community and work as volunteers at local spots and so have a lot of contact with tourists, especially those from abroad. We are constantly amazed at their remarks about things we take for granted. For example, they are surprised at the concept and practice of volunteerism. Working for free? Working for fun? Never. Cleanliness: foreign visitors are amazed at how clean our town is because local citizens ("The Litter Lifters") volunteer to keep sections of streets and highways clear of any trash. Freedom: foreign visitors say over and over again how helpful our police are. They marvel at the absence of "verboten" signs in our parks and forests. Low-cost gasoline. Convenient shopping hours in our stores. Free parking. Drinking fountains with (gasp!) free drinking water.

xxx

My sister in law from Germany says she likes America because we have endless varieties of potato chips!

Duane

My wife and I absolutely love England, particularly the English people. We have found them to be nothing but polite and friendly people. We were eating in a pub one day in York, and were forced to eat at the same table (because the pub was so full) with an English lady and her adult daughter. We began talking about how much we love England, and they countered that they really enjoyed America. I asked her what she liked about America, and they both stated together, without missing a beat, "Ranch dressing!" Oh, what we American's take for granted.

Lauren

Ooh, a nice thread about the US! <BR> <BR>Is it OK to wear fanny packs and white sneakers? You bet it is. Even Hawaiian shirts are OK. There are no fashion police! <BR> <BR>I love this thread. Yes, vive le difference! We should both visit each other and enjoy what we do not have at home. Come to the US for Doritos, ranch dressing and peanut butter! Go to Europe--well--that is not the point of this thread. <BR> <BR>Folks in Europe: The best part of the US is the national parks between the Mississippi and California (the part in the middle). Utah, which I am sure does not get a lot of European tourists, has 7 spectacular National Parks (but no liquour by the drink in restaurants--don't ask me; ask the Mormons). <BR> <BR>Incidentally, I don't live in Utah but do recomend it as a tourist destination. I live in the Washington, DC, suburbs (You know, the Washington in the EAST) and, if you get to my neck of the woods, I would be happy to introduce you to Maryland crabs. <BR> <BR>Email me. <BR> <BR>We love Europe because we don't have all that "old stuff" but we have a lot of "stuff" to see here too. <BR> <BR>Not to mention the Grand Canyon. <BR> <BR>Again, thanks for a great thread.

Kathy

What is it about ranch dressing? When we met our daughter in Madrid after her study abroad, the delightful widow she had lived with invited us to her apartment for dinner. Our daughter asked us to please bring some ranch dressing with us for Fe as she loved it so much.

Art

Lauren, Utah has 11 national parks, the most of any state. Don't forget the ones in Calif, Wyoming as well. By the way, In Utah, I ran into several German tourists in Brice, Zion, Canyonlands etc. <BR>

Lauren

Eleven National Parks in Utah? They must have added a few since I was there OR I can't add. America's best state for scenery!

topper

Top it.

Judy

Hello Hans, a very interesting thread! <BR>I just came back from Cape Coral, Florida, and found out(when we bought a lot) of our future neighbors there, 25% are Germans! I guess they like my favorite state, yes? <BR> A couple from Germany(a lawyer in the entertainment industry there), are so extremely happy about the warm and sunny weather, they just had to build a "tiki" bar! <BR> I guess they will be rockin' the area big time! <BR>FYI, there were quite a few people chilling out on Fort Meyers beach last week, that were from other countries. I can not imagine a more "Margaritaville" like, laid back area, IMHO. <BR>Judy <BR>

Evelyn

We were eating at a Disneyworld Epcot Pub and met some people from London...I asked them what it was they liked about the US...immediately he said the first think he did was rented the largest car he could rent and drove...they both thought the hotels here were absolutely the largest they had ever seen and 'so cheap!'. . .

egg

"Freedom of the press (it becomes so important to you after you've seen censorship" <BR> <BR>Hmm, although I enjoy many things in the US, newspapers are one of the things I miss. There are just so many newspapers in the UK all coming from different political directions. In the US, there are essentially no national newspapers and because of the interests of big business, and the ubiquitous hyphenated-Americans, a degree of unofficial sensorship prevails. I think that many Americans would be interested to see how newspapers in other countries report the Arab/Israeli conflict to name only one issue. <BR> <BR>Try having a look at a news website e.g. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...ne6/papers.htm

Kavey

SallyMae <BR> <BR>Welcome to the board... and thanks for posting. I will definitely keep an eye out for target in July when I am next in US (San Francisco). I think I have come across Hanes before, I have some socks by them from my last visit... <BR> <BR>Many thanks!!!