HumphreyC

Yeah, I always do the second time around . However then I go back to the UK for another 11 months and by the time I come back I've forgotten and get the same nasty surprise. Maybe it will be different once I've moved over permanently and assimilated.

Englishtart

Yep, eventually 'we all' assimilate!

Steerpike

I agree ... plus, coins suck - they are heavy and fall out of your pocket (men only/mainly - women use purses ... ). I always ditch coins into a big jar when I get home, which when they are pennies or quarters, is no big deal. But when I go to UK and do this, I find I have a huge amount of money piled up! Long live the dollar bill, and may it always stay nice and small - unlike UK money which I have to fold to get into my wallet

Steerpike

Hint - cut out the Philly cheesesteaks and you may find your healthcare needs reduced ...

Just what kind of places are you eating in?! Sure, we have places like Denny's and a whole slew of other low-cost, low-quality dining establishments that look dated and serve mediocre food. But if they are the only places available to you then God help you, you landed in the wrong part of town!

Sounds like you picked a challenging place to live! If there is one thing to be said for weather in the US, it is that it varies by region! Sounds like you prefer the endless gray skies, the drizzle, and the rain of UK; you could live in Southern Oregon, on the coast, and have an experience similar to England - wet, rainy, never too hot, never too cold. Much of coastal Washington and Oregon are that way, and coastal Northern CA. You'll like the veggies up there too

Bob

What I find funny about them, they're usually empty inside.

Once the folks have stumped for the place and the large car payment, they've not got any money left over for furniture to fill the place out, certainly with anything decent like antique furniture that might fit, except perhaps the reception area and living room

Bob

It's only handy when your going to a strip club so you can be cheap with your tipping

Carrying around a handful of shrapnel is horrid whatever country your in though.

Bob

There's something said for not having $300-400 monthly heating/cooling bills though.

HumphreyC

Fantastic. It just so happens that Fitchburg has (what looks to be) the world's worst, most downtrodden and disreputable strip club which is conveniently located on Water Street a stones throw from my mother in laws house.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...ed=0CBYQnwIwAA

Mind you, it's housed in such a small building that I doubt it could house more than a few punters and I have no idea where the 'performance artists' get changed.

A Dollar would probably be too generous.

VivDee

All these moans and groans about the USA.How come you still live here?

traceym

Some people don't have a choice you know.

SDDep

I disagree a bit Tracey...

Some people just like a bit of whinging...its very british...aint it..

However...way more complaining going on in the Aussie forums...i dont feel bad at all...(even if its all about the new PM)..

Ridski

You dislike Health Care? Whenever I've had it, it's been quite nice.

Expensive, yes, but still quite nice.

AmerLisa

Mummy in the foothills

We were asked what we like dislike, just giving answers.
Had it been what do/did you like dislike about living in UK it would have bee pretty much a similar thread.
6 of one half dozen of the other.
Neither UK or US is perfect, we live where we end up for many different reasons.

JayBowyer

Alright, I'll join in:

BEST:

The wooden houses they build that are actually affordable! I can actually (one day, again - long story) afford to own a house here, whereas in the UK one has to have either a good inheritance or a penchant for selling one's own body parts simply to get on the housing ladder.

Voluminous amounts of donuts.

All-you-can-eat Chinese restaurants. Like them a lot.

Space. Lots of space outside the cities.

Crunchy Co-Op stores. They're lots of fun. Nice milk.


WORST:

Healthcare costs, as everyone has said, are insane. I'm still paying for the epinephrine shots they gave my baby daughter, who died in 2008. Not trying to be morbid, but that has to change. Go Obama and healthcare reform in general!

Guns, everywhere. They freak me out, along with gun related activities like school shootings...

The surprising ignorance so many people seem to live with every day - regarding things like other countries, other people, languages, punctuation, shape of the earth and other meaningful things...

The lack of decent, affordable chocolate, steak-and-ale pies, cold meat pies of any description and all manner of other tasty foodstuff. Ah, if I could only reach out and pick up a dipped flake at the supermarket checkout...but no...