Richard

Whats better in California-- <BR> <BR>NO SMOKING LAWS! No smoking in any public places including bars! <BR> <BR>Pooper Scooper laws. Why do people let their dogs poop on the sidewalk where people walk? <BR> <BR>Customer service is much better here. <BR> <BR>I like coffee in Europe, but I like Starbucks too. <BR> <BR>Customs is more accurate here than in Europe. Nobdy even checked our passports or luggage when we arrived in Itaky or The Netherlands.They seemed tobe more interested in smoking. But the did check passports in Germany. <BR> <BR>

Cheryl

Inky - I'm under no obligation nor order to give my email address, thank you very much. You challange and berate many people at this forum and I guess that's how you get your jollies. I'm seriously beginning to think you and Stellarossa/Tony Hughes are triplets.

lynn

Greetings... <BR> <BR>JO - Forget about Inky. All this person ever does is hassle people like a 10 year-old bully in the school yard. Don't take it personally. <BR> <BR>RICHARD - Right on! I always look forward to coming home to the no-smoking laws. It's amazing how much you get used to NOT having to deal with smoke when you live in California. As for the coffee, I must admit I prefer the Paris version. However, at my local coffee place, I have them put a shot of espresso in with my brewed coffee and it comes close. <BR> <BR>When it comes to what I miss at home, I have to agree with many of the above and add "that feeling of confidence." When you are in your own environment you know where you are going, you know how long you have to get there, you know what to expect once you arrive, and you know where you can take a shortcut if necessary. In another country, you might have a map and be pretty sure where you're headed, but you're never positive until you actually get there! <BR> <BR

Tony Hughes

&lt;sigh&gt; I'm afraid this happens every so often. Someone feels threatened by a difference of opinion and starts to take this personally. <BR> <BR>Cheryl-noname, seeing as you have brought me into this i will give you my opinion. <BR> <BR>A forum is all about discussion. If someone disagrees about something they have a RIGHT to say so. Think back in history to any oppressive regime and you will see that one of the first things to happen is a block on freedom of speech. <BR> <BR>I think this may be a reason why so few people voice different opinions on this forum - if they do then they will be ripped to shreds by people who refuse to consider that London is a toilet or Paris isn't the cats pyjamas or driving on the 'wrong' side is such a strain and shouldn't be attempted unless absolutely necessary. <BR> <BR>Now i may be related to Stellarossa (let me let you in on something, bub - it's me!!, doesn't the email address give it away?) but I believe Inky has 6 more arms than me and thus we were not conceived at the same time. <BR> <BR>If I agree I may tell someone if I disagree I may also tell someone. I give advice, I help out. I also point out things that I think are incorrect. <BR> <BR>What a boring, sterile, world it would be if everyone agreed about everything. <BR> <BR>Cheryl, you don't have to include your email address but (now think positively) perhaps people may want to contact you directly. <BR> <BR>r

Paul Rabe

What do I miss while I'm in Europe? <BR> <BR>1) getting sports news from USA. <BR>2) in Italy, anyway, getting ANY English language television. <BR>3) buying things I realize I need late at night. <BR>4) discount stores. I *KNOW* people hate the spread of WalMart, but isn't it nice to get everything you need under one roof, at half the price? <BR>5) drinking all the water I want at a restaurant for free.

michele

"did I miss the skyscrapers did I miss the long freeway? <BR>From the coast of California to the shores of the Delaware Bay? <BR>You can bet your life you did 'til I got back to the USA" <BR> <BR>I miss VARIETY.

dan

I have to put myself in the camp of those who misses ice-cold softdrinks and water fountains. I also get very thirsty in Europe, especially with all the site-seeing. I absolutely loved all the softdrink machines on the streets of Japan and in the Paris subways. <BR> <BR>Also non-smoking sections, keeping up with sports, sleeping in my own bed, and being able to really relax without feeling like I am missing something. <BR> <BR>Nevertheless, all this is nothing compared to my love for being there.

Miss Marple

The original Inky is or was or at least claimed to be a UK resident.

Farrah

While I am in Germany, what I miss in Canada is the following:<BR><BR>- free coffee refills<BR>- pooper-scooper laws<BR>- Shoppers Drug Mart, especially the one open 24 hours ... you can buy anything you could possibly need at home and the pharmacist is always ready to make you whatever medicine it is you need w/prescription in 15 minutes<BR>- Walk-in clinics ... do we really need to make doctor appointments? The clinics are open till nine or ten o'clock at night and free for all of us taxpayers. <BR>- Chicken wings and zuchinni sticks<BR>- Mike's Hard Lemonade<BR>- Outlet stores with top-of-the-line clothing for half the price, which probably makes it 1/4 of the price AT LEAST as to what it is here (and because of our dollar, it is even better in Canada then it is in the U.S.A.)<BR>- pool bars with big screen televisions so that we could watch the Tyson vs. Lennox fight<BR>- Camping - REAL CAMPING - not the camping you do here, where everyone either camps beside one another, or they camp somewhere off a bike path or road (called roughing it) ... in Canada, we know what real roughing it is. And no words can explain the beauty of solidarity in the middle of nowhere, in breath-taking scenery, where the fish or beavers are your neighbours - that is real appreciation for nature.<BR>- Properly BBQ'd burgers ... you keep the lid on, but the Germans seem to think I am crazy for wanting to put a lid on my BBQ.<BR>- Businesses being open until a reasonable hour and malls staying hopen till 9 (I think this is reasonable) and it is possible to buy milk or bread on a Saturday or Sunday back home.<BR>- people who don't smoke are respected by smokers<BR>- people take their shoes off at the front door at home<BR>- local telephone calls for a maximum of $3,50 Cdn. a month or across the continent calls for a maximum $20,00 Cdn. a month/ plus the monthly surcharge of $3,50 Cdn.<BR>- we don't have to pay taxes to the Catholic Church.<BR>- polite people who will smile at you, hold the door open for you and stop anywhere on the road to let you cross, generally speaking<BR><BR>And much more ...<BR><BR>But - here is also a list of things I DON'T miss about home:<BR><BR>- No free dental care, nor prescription drugs<BR>- Two weeks vacation to start, after five years only three ... on so on ...<BR>- It is illegal to serve alcohol after 2:00am - thank God that law was changed, a few years ago it was 1:00am (in Quebec it is 3:00am)<BR>- Legal drinking age is 19, which I think is silly, I see more drunk teens at home than I do here (18 in Quebec)<BR>- It now officially takes 2 years to acquire your driver's licence and LOTS of money<BR>- Car insurance is absurd<BR>- Speed limits (though ours aren't nearly as bad as the Americans)<BR>- No drinking alcohol on beaches nor in public places that don't have the authorization to serve you<BR>- The J-Walking law exists<BR>- Though Canada does have a recycling program, we are not forced to recycle like the Germans are (though somehow, Canada is the cleanest country I have ever seen)<BR>- All the rude people working in customs <BR>- All the stupid laws they have at Toronto airport - i.e. If I am 51 Kilos and my bag needs to be checked and I can't lift it because it is so heavy, the customs guy doesn't have to because it is in his contract, in case he strains his back and the customs guy is 1m94 and weighs 250 lb and works out! And I am forced too ... I don't miss this and many other dumb laws<BR>- The government controls all the sales of alcohol ... in Ontario, you can't buy alcohol in a grocery store, nor at a gas station, nor at a MacDonald's ... only at LICENSED bars and restaurants or at the Liquour Store.<BR>- I definitely don't miss the price of alcohol.<BR>

ANONYMOUS

<BR>To Tony Hughes and Inky and anyone else who gets on their high horse about posters who want to maintain anonymity...<BR><BR>Let's get this straight once and for all. A person has a RIGHT to anonymity if they so desire, for whatever reason. For example, some people do not wish to be contacted by strangers, and there are many good reasons for that; I'm sure it won't be too challenging for you to think of some. <BR><BR>Some of the best advice I've had on this board has come from posters who don't provide their real email addresses.

gina

hear-hear......

Uncle Sam

1. BBQ<BR>2. Iced tea<BR>3. Fried chicken<BR>4. Capitalism and opportunity<BR>5. Big old Baptist churches with large choirs<BR><BR>US

xxx

<BR>1)A more humane society which does not kill it's own citizens even though they have broken the law.<BR><BR>2)Democratic and inteligent leadership<BR><BR>3)Humility (as opposed to nationalism and over zealous pride)

Avery

Things I miss about home (US):<BR>-Pooper-scooper laws. Many people have asked in their postings, why do the dogs have to poop in the middle of the sidewalk? My husband thinks the reason dogs are so well behaved in Europe is because they're less restricted.<BR><BR>-Being able to use a regular, clean, sit-down toilet in a store. While traveling in France I would sometimes go without water so I wouldn't have to deal with that stand-up public toilet.<BR><BR>-Cheap gasoline. Although the US could take some lessons from Europe with regard to conservation--why do our cars need to be so big?<BR><BR>There are certainly plenty of things I miss about Europe. Here are just a few:<BR>-Bakeries on every corner. Why do I have to go to a supermarket to get sub-par baked goods in the US?<BR><BR>-Good coffee. I won't even drink the watered-down dreck they produce in the States.<BR><BR>-Reasonably priced bottles of great wine. US is getting better at this in the stores but not in restaurants.<BR><BR>-Comfort in smaller spaces & nice town centers. In the US, people seem to believe bigger is better--cars, homes, roads, sidewalks, food portions, stores, etc.<BR><BR>-Limited fast food establishments. Drive on any interstate in the US & the landscape is marred by the tall signs & billboards of villages comprised only of fast-food restaurants.

my

I thought the French coffee (espresso) was much better than most the coffee I've gotten in the U.S. (which in general is very weak, and the flavors in flavored coffees are all chemicals, so I don't like to drink them). I used to be a big Peet's coffee drinker, but I can never brew it the way they do.<BR><BR>I'm not that big an ice user either, so I don't miss it in general. That was interesting too.<BR><BR>Most the places I've driven in the U.S. are chock full of speeders (and I've driven in many). It seems more often the speed limit is a suggestion, lol. Unless, of course, there's a cop car in sight.<BR><BR>The breads and pastries, in general, were just so much better in Paris that the average or even above average breads I get in my neighborhood in Brooklyn.<BR><BR>So what do I think is better at home? I'd agree, even in Brooklyn, people are--in general--nicer in the stores, hotels, etc. I also agree I have more confidence and a higher comfort level in the US because I know the language much better, the culture, habits, laws, mannters, etc.

Capo

Live rock 'n' roll music. Very rare-to-nonexistent in cities I've been to in Italy & France. The first night we were in Rome, we asked our waiter (who was probably in his 20s) if he knew anywhere where we could hear live rock 'n' roll music, and he said no. And this is in a large city.<BR><BR>There was supposedly a club in Venice that had live music and we found it, but it appeared closed that evening. Fortunately, the pub we ended up hanging out in, Margaret Duchamp on Campo Santa Margherita, had great recorded rock 'n' roll music, courtesy of the owner, Luciano. <BR><BR>We finally got our live music "fix" in Vieux Nice, at the Thor Pub on the Cours Saleya. Saw a French band with the awful name of Big Fat Mama doing some great cover versions of rock songs.

xxx

Two things:<BR><BR>--Smoke free establishments and anti-smoking laws that are respected<BR><BR>--Queueing up for service rather than pushing, shoving, elbowing, line jumping and rushing the counter for service<BR><BR>Other than that, not too much

Tony Hughes

Oh this great thread resurrected. two plus two equals the square root of four, I believe.

x

Tony,<BR><BR>Haven't I seen that comment somewhere before? You are like a stuck record.

Uncle Sam

XXX,<BR><BR>In the future, why don't you just have the guts to say you wouldn't want to live in the US, instead of trying to indicate it through your sarcastic, self righteous demeanor?<BR><BR>US