Very low - what should we do ?
May 11th 2011, 11:45 pm
#76
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May 11th 2011, 11:48 pm
#77
Are we there yet?
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May 11th 2011, 11:58 pm
#79
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Actually, Fish & Chips on the Pier and a couple of quid spent on the one-armed bandits.....
May 12th 2011, 8:34 am
#80
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Well, yes clearly I have no idea how to deal with a 9 year old boy. I only do girls and so far have experience up to age 4; so I can deal with that but nothing older. So she comes with us wherever we go and hanging out with parents is still fun.
It sounds like you're only here for a relatively short assignment so make the most of it while you're here because time will fly by and before long you'll be packing up and heading back to Blighty.
It sounds like you're only here for a relatively short assignment so make the most of it while you're here because time will fly by and before long you'll be packing up and heading back to Blighty.
May 12th 2011, 8:41 am
#81
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
May 12th 2011, 1:22 pm
#82
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May 12th 2011, 5:32 pm
#84
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Thank you for the replies - they are all VERY helpful, because you've all been through it.
Some specifics....
1) Not really the "out-doors" type, but we do enjoy a day at the coast. Now that IS hard to beat here, but it has the constant feeling of being "on the outside, looking in" rather than actually living in the place. Maybe that does just take time ?
The same is true in SF - yes, it's a nice place to visit, but it's no different from living in the UK and going to London for a day, or Brighton. It's more about the day-to-day rather than the extra-ordinary that is eluding us at the moment.
4) Weeze mentioned about after school clubs - round here, probably due to the pushy tech-company types, they are all related to furthering education. Having said that, we are looking into football (soccer) clubs - possibly in the Autumn. I will check out meetup.com - new one on me. Thanks.
5) Jackattack - you make some interesting comments. I think your kids are much younger than ours, and to some extent, when you have young kids they "tag along" with you. Yes, we've done the Roaring Camp (it's far too lame for a nearly 10 year old now); even the seaside gets a bit passe for your average street-wise 10 year old nowadays. We're not into theme parks but would go to Raging Waters as a special treat. Not saying that having Preschoolers is easy (I KNOW it's not !) but there does seem to be a lack of things that are FUN (i.e. not soccer/baseball/basketball leagues or education improvement) to do at this age. Or maybe it's my age..... My son is spending over an hour a day doing homework - he had 40 minutes a week in the UK. He is a very bright kid and gets good results, so he is not struggling, but it is stopping him from being a boy. And his classmates are all locked in every day doing the same !
Some specifics....
1) Not really the "out-doors" type, but we do enjoy a day at the coast. Now that IS hard to beat here, but it has the constant feeling of being "on the outside, looking in" rather than actually living in the place. Maybe that does just take time ?
The same is true in SF - yes, it's a nice place to visit, but it's no different from living in the UK and going to London for a day, or Brighton. It's more about the day-to-day rather than the extra-ordinary that is eluding us at the moment.
4) Weeze mentioned about after school clubs - round here, probably due to the pushy tech-company types, they are all related to furthering education. Having said that, we are looking into football (soccer) clubs - possibly in the Autumn. I will check out meetup.com - new one on me. Thanks.
5) Jackattack - you make some interesting comments. I think your kids are much younger than ours, and to some extent, when you have young kids they "tag along" with you. Yes, we've done the Roaring Camp (it's far too lame for a nearly 10 year old now); even the seaside gets a bit passe for your average street-wise 10 year old nowadays. We're not into theme parks but would go to Raging Waters as a special treat. Not saying that having Preschoolers is easy (I KNOW it's not !) but there does seem to be a lack of things that are FUN (i.e. not soccer/baseball/basketball leagues or education improvement) to do at this age. Or maybe it's my age..... My son is spending over an hour a day doing homework - he had 40 minutes a week in the UK. He is a very bright kid and gets good results, so he is not struggling, but it is stopping him from being a boy. And his classmates are all locked in every day doing the same !
Can I ask what you did for fun back in the UK? You say you're not outdoor types, you're not into theme parks, you find cities touristy and not something you want to do every week, and don't seem overly keen on the cinema. What is it you are wanting to do? We never seem to struggle to find something to do.
We have also found lots of things for our daughter to do, she attends an art class, and is enrolling in a rock climbing class, there are lots of soccer and baseball clubs.... What is it you are looking for?
May 12th 2011, 5:42 pm
#85
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Hi David, we moved to Mountain View months ago after spening 3 years in LA, lots of what you said in your original post was how I felt when we first moved to the US, however when we moved to the Bay Area we have all found we love it. We also have a 9 year old, but a girl.
Can I ask what you did for fun back in the UK? You say you're not outdoor types, you're not into theme parks, you find cities touristy and not something you want to do every week, and don't seem overly keen on the cinema. What is it you are wanting to do? We never seem to struggle to find something to do.
We have also found lots of things for our daughter to do, she attends an art class, and is enrolling in a rock climbing class, there are lots of soccer and baseball clubs.... What is it you are looking for?
Can I ask what you did for fun back in the UK? You say you're not outdoor types, you're not into theme parks, you find cities touristy and not something you want to do every week, and don't seem overly keen on the cinema. What is it you are wanting to do? We never seem to struggle to find something to do.
We have also found lots of things for our daughter to do, she attends an art class, and is enrolling in a rock climbing class, there are lots of soccer and baseball clubs.... What is it you are looking for?
May 12th 2011, 6:11 pm
#86
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
you find cities touristy and not something you want to do every week, and don't seem overly keen on the cinema
1) Cities/galleries/museums/etc - we love going to. We used to pop up to London once every few months for a show/gallery/exhibition/etc. We are doing that to San Francisco, but as with any special day-out, you only do that a few times a year, not all the time. (One problem here is that there is quite a lot you have to pay for, whereas most of the London museums are free. That does limit us a little due to budgeting. And getting there is a bit of a pain - the train service is OK, but not that frequent or fast. It is dirt-cheap though compared to the UK).
2) Cinema - We have been to the cinema several times since we've been here.
As to what we did in the UK:
- Going to the coast for a day out. Again, we are doing that here and the seaside here is hard to beat..... It is gorgeous.
- Going "into town" at the weekend; shopping, library, cafes, etc. Ideally without the bl**dy car. We're struggling to find anything that resembles a town centre here.
- Cub Scouts most weeks/weekends including during the summer.
- 2-3 holidays per year (usually abroad, NL, France, etc). Usually beach-type holidays with activities for kids an hour a day, sea/swimming pool. We're all big readers (even the boy which is great !) and usually take a stack of books away with us. Bottle of wine, good meal, view of the sea and a good book....
We really are quite simple people !
We'll get there, I'm sure. It's just not quite the "Great" place that people spout on about. It's just A Place with problems like most.
May 12th 2011, 6:17 pm
#87
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
BBC Radio and British Boy Scouts and British Food and British TV
Maybe being away from what you know for a while is good - maybe we'll see the UK in a different light when we go back. After all, familiarity does breed contempt.
British Food
May 12th 2011, 6:29 pm
#88
Joined: Mar 2009
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Hi - no, not quite correct.
1) Cities/galleries/museums/etc - we love going to. We used to pop up to London once every few months for a show/gallery/exhibition/etc. We are doing that to San Francisco, but as with any special day-out, you only do that a few times a year, not all the time. (One problem here is that there is quite a lot you have to pay for, whereas most of the London museums are free. That does limit us a little due to budgeting. And getting there is a bit of a pain - the train service is OK, but not that frequent or fast. It is dirt-cheap though compared to the UK).
2) Cinema - We have been to the cinema several times since we've been here.
As to what we did in the UK:
- Going to the coast for a day out. Again, we are doing that here and the seaside here is hard to beat..... It is gorgeous.
- Going "into town" at the weekend; shopping, library, cafes, etc. Ideally without the bl**dy car. We're struggling to find anything that resembles a town centre here.
- Cub Scouts most weeks/weekends including during the summer.
- 2-3 holidays per year (usually abroad, NL, France, etc). Usually beach-type holidays with activities for kids an hour a day, sea/swimming pool. We're all big readers (even the boy which is great !) and usually take a stack of books away with us. Bottle of wine, good meal, view of the sea and a good book....
We really are quite simple people !
We'll get there, I'm sure. It's just not quite the "Great" place that people spout on about. It's just A Place with problems like most.
1) Cities/galleries/museums/etc - we love going to. We used to pop up to London once every few months for a show/gallery/exhibition/etc. We are doing that to San Francisco, but as with any special day-out, you only do that a few times a year, not all the time. (One problem here is that there is quite a lot you have to pay for, whereas most of the London museums are free. That does limit us a little due to budgeting. And getting there is a bit of a pain - the train service is OK, but not that frequent or fast. It is dirt-cheap though compared to the UK).
2) Cinema - We have been to the cinema several times since we've been here.
As to what we did in the UK:
- Going to the coast for a day out. Again, we are doing that here and the seaside here is hard to beat..... It is gorgeous.
- Going "into town" at the weekend; shopping, library, cafes, etc. Ideally without the bl**dy car. We're struggling to find anything that resembles a town centre here.
- Cub Scouts most weeks/weekends including during the summer.
- 2-3 holidays per year (usually abroad, NL, France, etc). Usually beach-type holidays with activities for kids an hour a day, sea/swimming pool. We're all big readers (even the boy which is great !) and usually take a stack of books away with us. Bottle of wine, good meal, view of the sea and a good book....
We really are quite simple people !
We'll get there, I'm sure. It's just not quite the "Great" place that people spout on about. It's just A Place with problems like most.
There are plenty of 'town centre' type places here, much more so than other parts of the US I have visited. Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Saratoga all have downtown areas. Palo Alto being very British like with a mixture of high street shops and cafes, restaurants. Mountain View has lots of cafes and restaurants a farmers market every Sunday, a couple of nice little neighborhood parks just off the high street and a huge modern library. Easy access on the BART.
San Jose has Sanata Row which is nice for shopping as is the Stanford Centre in Palo Alto. If you like just mooching around shops and stopping for some food these are both really good places.
There are lots of free things to do in San Francisco too, also check out Target free days and most museums are free one day a month.
http://www.trekaroo.com/places/san-f...ara-california
May 12th 2011, 6:45 pm
#89
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Yes, maybe.... We'll work that out over time.
Maybe being away from what you know for a while is good - maybe we'll see the UK in a different light when we go back. After all, familiarity does breed contempt.
Err - no. Californian food can be truly wonderful - we've had some superb fish, salads and fresh vegetables in some memorable locations (Monterey for example). It can be truly dire as well, but no-where near as bad as a UK Motorway service station....
Maybe being away from what you know for a while is good - maybe we'll see the UK in a different light when we go back. After all, familiarity does breed contempt.
Err - no. Californian food can be truly wonderful - we've had some superb fish, salads and fresh vegetables in some memorable locations (Monterey for example). It can be truly dire as well, but no-where near as bad as a UK Motorway service station....
I am not ashamed to say that the BBC and Radio 4 and our general level of political debate are really good. I feel as if when we return it will be like going "Back to the future".
One of the difficult things about living here is that you can end up getting too self analytical. I havent yet managed to stop raising my eyebrows at some stuff and am starting to shout at the telly. I really feel as if I have to hold on to my British objectivity about what goes on here. (See Louis Theroux, its not just me!!!)
Ok, now I`m ducking!
May 12th 2011, 6:47 pm
#90
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Re: Very low - what should we do ?
Hi - no, not quite correct.
1) Cities/galleries/museums/etc - we love going to. We used to pop up to London once every few months for a show/gallery/exhibition/etc. We are doing that to San Francisco, but as with any special day-out, you only do that a few times a year, not all the time. (One problem here is that there is quite a lot you have to pay for, whereas most of the London museums are free. That does limit us a little due to budgeting. And getting there is a bit of a pain - the train service is OK, but not that frequent or fast. It is dirt-cheap though compared to the UK).
1) Cities/galleries/museums/etc - we love going to. We used to pop up to London once every few months for a show/gallery/exhibition/etc. We are doing that to San Francisco, but as with any special day-out, you only do that a few times a year, not all the time. (One problem here is that there is quite a lot you have to pay for, whereas most of the London museums are free. That does limit us a little due to budgeting. And getting there is a bit of a pain - the train service is OK, but not that frequent or fast. It is dirt-cheap though compared to the UK).
2) Cinema - We have been to the cinema several times since we've been here.
As to what we did in the UK:
- Going to the coast for a day out. Again, we are doing that here and the seaside here is hard to beat..... It is gorgeous.
- Going to the coast for a day out. Again, we are doing that here and the seaside here is hard to beat..... It is gorgeous.
- Going "into town" at the weekend; shopping, library, cafes, etc. Ideally without the bl**dy car. We're struggling to find anything that resembles a town centre here.
- Cub Scouts most weeks/weekends including during the summer.
-
2-3 holidays per year (usually abroad, NL, France, etc). Usually beach-type holidays with activities for kids an hour a day, sea/swimming pool. We're all big readers (even the boy which is great !) and usually take a stack of books away with us. Bottle of wine, good meal, view of the sea and a good book....
We really are quite simple people !
We'll get there, I'm sure. It's just not quite the "Great" place that people spout on about. It's just A Place with problems like most.
We'll get there, I'm sure. It's just not quite the "Great" place that people spout on about. It's just A Place with problems like most.
It also takes a reality check to see what you have, last time I went back to the UK (because I was homesick.) I landed at Heathrow, picked up a hire car by the time I stopped at Oxford Services I was so down on the place and the attitude of most people I called my husband to tell him I was turning the car around and getting on the next plane back!
I'm puzzled by an earlier post about activities for your son, (I live 5 miles from you by the way.) When the list of after school activities comes out I cant believe how much there is on there, if he wanted to my son could be doing something until 10pm every night and all weekend, have you looked at other schools websites, a lot of after school stuff is for everyone.
Life is what you make it, yes its hard, much harder than anyone who hasn't done it could ever know, but it will only ever work if you try, good luck.
Sorry about the ballsed up quotes!
Last edited by Bob; May 12th 2011 at 6:57 pm. Reason: fixing the quotes