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[Azzurri]

When my family comes from Italy and even Canada, they always mention how nice midwesterners are.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

If anyone else is interested in this kind of stuff, check out Stephen Fry in America. It's about a British personality who travels and does something in all 50 states. As someone born in America, really let me appreciate my own country through another's eyes. Here's a 3min clip.

I saw it on Netflix a few months ago. I've been interested in what each of the 50 states are like, rather than assume based on the California/Texas/Deep South/NYC stereotypes, and I do enjoy seeing things from the personal perspective of a foreigner. Though quite frankly, if you want a balanced look at all states (Stephen Fry just seems to drive through some without really saying anything), I recommend The States from The History Channel. I got that on iTunes.

 

[Johnlenham]

No, maybe I misrepresented. Debit and credit is popular here and growing, but not for some things like independent stores, pubs or restaurants. It's just in America it seemed like I could use my card for pretty much everything, no matter how big or small the purchase.

Really? I live out in the sticks down in kent and even the local pubs for local people with dogs and shotguns everywhere and Tweed as far as the eye can see take debit..

At worst you have to spend at least £1.


I'd like to go to the USA sometime and meet up with some of electronic music gaf.
Been using dollars here in Cambodia and they are nasty. All the same colour,weird sizes and all pappery. Sri lankan ruppees/Thai Baht and even Malaysian ringits beet the dollar!

 

[Goro Majima]

I dunno, I'd say Indiana is a pretty good representation of most of the US. I think it works well in reverse as well. I feel like if I really wanted to see the true England, I'd go to a smaller town instead of London or Manchester. Same goes for most any country really.

Really going to any city that doesn't expect tourists will give an unabashed view of that country.

 

[daviyoung]

Really? I live out in the sticks down in kent and even the local pubs for local people with dogs and shotguns everywhere and Tweed as far as the eye can see take debit..

Haha.

Kent is full of rich bros who made their money in the city and moved into the green belt to start a middle class family. It's like Surrey, the local establishments have evolved to accomodate Amex and Diners Club.

 

[Huw_Dawson]

I dunno, I'd say Indiana is a pretty good representation of most of the US. I think it works well in reverse as well. I feel like if I really wanted to see the true England, I'd go to a smaller town instead of London or Manchester. Same goes for most any country really.

Really going to any city that doesn't expect tourists will give an unabashed view of that country.

DON'T DO THIS

Spoiler

At least, not around Manchester. Trust me. Unless you go to Todmorden or the few other nice bits of Yorkshire. Avoid Lancashire. Almost all northern towns are post-industrial hellholes.

If you really want to experience England, your best bet is the wide variety of oddball little towns in the south. If you want to go to the best damn town on the British Isles, you need to go to Aberystwyth.

 

[PjotrStroganov]

Loved reading the op,

conomies of Scale

Your debit/credit card system infrastructure is awesome. I could pay by card anywhere. It wasn't until I got back to the UK, stopped at a service station and had to use a cashpoint to get money to pay a cashier that I realised just how much I was relying on my card in the US.

Don't you have a PIN card or something over in GB? I can pay with my card at almost any store in NL.

 

[PflargBlarg]

Come to think if it something stump said rang a bell ... The dessert thing. I was with some US friends at a restaurant. After dinner everyone got dessert. I started noticing after that it seems like ordering dessert is alot more common when eating out in the US.

Also, in general its SO much cheaper to eat out. Applebees 19.99 yep can dine AND includes appetizer is a steal. That would easily be a 30 - 35 dollar bill in Canada.

I love sampling regional fast food chains. SONIC, chik fil e, etc ... Soo good.

Our group of Vancouverite PAX attendees has made it a tradition to eat at the Cheesecake Factory across the street from the convention centre for lunch on the thursday before PAX.

Most enormous portions I've ever seen. One particularly large item (meant for one person) fed 3 people for lunch.

 

[cdyhybrid]

Great write up, the first time I visited the US I was based in Indiana and had similar experiences.

Heading back to go to Vegas this year I wonder how different it will be. (I have been to NYC, Florida and Washington DC as well)

Vegas is fantastic. It is truly the adult playground. Bring lots of money, though. And a spare liver.

 

[Kenai]

Bloomington is not bumblefuck.

Yea, it's really not. There's plenty of towns in Indiana that fit that description, or towns that you just *don't* want to visit. Springfield (home of the KKK), Gas City, Gary (speaks for itself), Santa Fe ("officially" has about 20 people in it from 2 different families) Peru (raw sewage leaks into the river).

Yea, Bloomington really is a reasonable representation of Indiana if you aren't trying to see any particular sites and just want to hang out. And as much as Indianapolis has changed/improved over the last ~10 years, if you aren't going to some specific convention at the ICC or a racing thingy, I couldn't recommend Indianapolis to a tourist when Chicago is so close by.

 

[speculawyer]

Fox News

I got to watch some TV due to the time difference (5 hours) and me being awake a lot earlier than I needed to be. Everything I'd heard about Fox News was correct, it's the paranoia channel right? In 5 minutes I'd learned that China and Iran were hacking into innocent American's home networks , that some schools are scrapping pledging to the flag and that Korea was planning to send some nukes your way.

Perfect.

You got to see some Southern and mid-West Americana with SC and Indiana. But you gotta realize that America is so big that there is a far amount of variation. You'd get a different impression with NYC, SF, LA, etc.

 

[Fjordson]

America is a hyper version of England. Englanders packed up and moved, and it shows. It's a beautiful country, with lots of friendly, beautiful people. There are some things I don't understand, but, oddly, there is a lot more I do understand. Not sure if that's coming from media or hearsay, or friends who have been but the similarities between people and culture is minuscule with few glaringly obvious gaps that spoil the landscape. Looking forward to going back, but probably going to hit up the South and West for a vacation. See New Orleans or Texas or Mississippi or California, somewhere that may be different. What I saw was England Cubed, but different enough for me to feel like a total foreigner.

Ultimately. Despite all you read. We're not so different, you and I.

Haha, sort of how I felt at first. Was born and raised in London, but am now living California. Loving it.