ironporer

Not trying to one-up any other thread, There are so many things I wish America would adopt:

1) Walking- granted at the price of gasoline there, walking more is just natural...but it seems like there are not even any side walys here- let alone tree lined boulevards.

2) Expresso coffee- no US coffee process quite captures the flavor of a good cafe con leche or carajillo (coffe w/ conac).

3) Tapas- I know, they are a Spain thing but the whole world could take a lesson from a good tapa bar.

4) Parks- I know we have city parks, but not the same as there. Perhaps NYC hit it on the head with GCP. Every city has a bog park there where you can walk and have an ice cream or a drink in the shade.

5) Decent Public transportation- Bus/Subway with stops every five minutes, transfers to everywgere.

6) Proximity of shops- Just go down from your flat (piso) and within 2 blocks there will be 5 cafes plus greengrocers/butchers... everything.

7) Nightlife- USA has no idea. Everyone should go to Madrid for a summer.

sibsie

Things I don't miss about Spain.

Being robbed. Lots.

Food served in regional areas that looks more like roadkill than something you'd want to eat.

Supermarkets that have unborn lamb next to the chicken fillets and baby pigs in shrinkwrap.

Pavements with dog shit everywhere

Dogs out of control who chase cars, motorbikes and people. Looks cute at first, annoying as hell on a day to day basis.

Utility companies being able to dip into your bank account at will.

Utility companies!

Bad public transport outside of the major cities.

Gross50

spain is a wonderful place. the weather, simple life, tapas,


dont know anyone who hasnt been mugged while in spain. was swamped by 3 or 4 dudes but they got nothing out of me. as for the dogs, i just loved their stupidity. but not all the shyte on the streets. they should rename train stations, smoke stations.

definitely worth going back.

ironporer

The mugging must be a "Brits on the Costa" thing- I lived there 6 years and go back yearly and have never been robbed.
Shit on the streets is a dilema. My guess is that it is the stupidity of the owners rather than the dogs.

Sibs, after reading your travails over ther one has to wonder why on earth you moved there? Seems like a black cloud stayed over you the whole time.

JulianB

Stuff n nonsense, you've just perfectly described San Francisco.

HunterGreen

I already know that after moving I'll miss 1, 4, 5 and 6. That's from The Netherlands (Holland to some). Sometimes the literal smallness here drives me crazy, but especially with 5 and 6 I'm going to miss it. I like how there are stores close together in a lot of places, but not mall style! I'll miss the open air markets as well.

OT: Ironporer, I hope things are going good with Cathy and the little one! (And you too of course, LOL).

Elaine

Muswell Hill

Let me add number 8) A decent number of days off and public holidays per year, so people don't work themselves to death, and have a community focused day where people can come together and celebrate something.

For number 2, i prefer un cortado

Where are you from in Spain/did you live? My family is in Madrid, Ciudad Real and Alicante.

sibsie

It just seemed like a really good idea at the time!

The robberies seem to be more of a problem in big cities like Madrid.

BritGuyTN

if you want good quality european espresso buy Illy

can be purchased at william sonoma or at www.illy.com

its not cheap but quality never is (its actually the same price as at the sainsburys where i used to live)

ironporer

When I lived there, I was in Zaragoza, and a village near there- Ejea de los Caballeros (near where fernando de Aragon was born... in Sos).
My wife is also from Zaragoza, and has a lot of family in Alicante (Capital).

The holidays/vacation would be great, but it must be hell to buisiness owners...and thus, job creation.

Pulaski

I used public transporation when I lived in London, it was the only practical way to get around, and very good it was too - if a little crowded in the rush hour.

Having said that, let's take off our rose-tinted spectacles for a moment and recognize that public transportation, even in the UK and Europe is only any good in the center of large congested cities.

I used to take my car to a repair and service garage just south of Heathrow, in a suburban area between Shepperton and Staines, and the bus service was less than poor. There was only ever a bus service at one-hourly intervals, and the last service was at 7pm. This was inside the M25!!! The British government talks about improving public transportation in rural areas, they should start by improving it in London!

My parents live in a city well away from London and there is a barely adequate (services 20-30 minutes) public bus service to and from the city center (which is only two miles away!), but the only way to get from one suburb to another on the buses is to go via the city center, so you pay for two bus journies and it takes forever. On the ring road you can get from anywhere to anywhere else in fifiteen minutes, perhaps twenty in the rush hour, whereas it'll take you an hour or more at any time of day, and one and half hours in the rush hour. As you can imagine, only school kids and those who can't drive use the buses there.

NC Penguin

I spent about eight months living in the US without a full driving license so I think I'm in a good position to comment on public transport in my area (and to an extent other parts of the US. I've visited other large and smaller cities of the US using public transport).

A bus service that runs 20-30 mins is far more regular than the bus service that is to be found in Durham, NC, where I live. It's one in an hour (according to the timetable) and I had ocassions when that one in an hour bus didn't even turn up! Try waiting for that in the open air in 100F temperature (there's virtually no bus shelters in Durham).

Also, the ironic thing is that new young (or inexperienced) drivers have extraordinarily high auto insurance premiums so the poorer citizens can simply not afford to drive legally so they have no option but to ride the buses.

Henry George

Go back then and quite bitching. You people really piss me off comming over here and just talking trash about the country, why the hell you come here then? Go home and let someone who actually appriciates the country and the privelage it is to be here to live here.

Henry George

No I'm pretty sure it's dog shit. Unless the Spanish nation has taken to shitting in the street since the last time I was there.

Pimpbot

Er..Because he is an American

It would appear by looking at your first couple of posts, that you are a useless troll who just wants to stir the pot. Get a clue about the people you're talking about before you start throwing insults. I see a ban in your future.