Passing the time...

So I'm waiting for my visa and someone on here said to try and do everything you'll miss about the US that you cant do in the UK.  Visiting friends and family is obvious but what are some thing you miss about the US that you were surprised at? Or does anyone else have good idea for passing the time waiting for a visa?

 Im at the end of week 7 I'm packing up my place still and just spent the day with my brother, his girlfriend,  and my mom book shopping.

So I'm waiting for my visa and someone on here said to try and do everything you'll miss about the US that you cant do in the UK.  Visiting friends and family is obvious but what are some thing you miss about the US that you were surprised at? Or does anyone else have good idea for passing the time waiting for a visa?

 Im at the end of week 7 I'm packing up my place still and just spent the day with my brother, his girlfriend,  and my mom book shopping.

That was me!

I would go to the restaurants I love, specifically Chinese or Mexican and Chili's and Wendy's and Chik-fil-a and any local restaurants that are awesome. US foods over here are rarely what you expect.

Spend time in your favourite places, if you go hiking, biking or anything outdoors, make time to go! And bring your friends!
I really miss the mountains and plateaus where I'm from.

If you have any traditions with your friends, do them now, even if it's not the traditional time.
My friend and I would go to Village Inn and get pie and French fries and just talk for hours. We did that a few times before I left.
I got my group of friends together and we went to our martini bar and just talked and enjoyed our drinks. We went to our local bar where we had a traditional shot, a sheleighleigh. Both bars where we knew the bartenders. It'll be awhile before you find someplace where the employees know you.
We had dessert night every Tuesday, taking turns to make dessert and pick a movie to go with it. So much fun.


Get you haircut by your fave stylist before you move. I still haven't found the right person and I'very been here 2 years.

If you have a great relationship with your mom and she lives close by, spend a lot of time with her. You'll both appreciate it. Or talk a lot on the phone or over Skype. The time difference makes communication less spontaneous and more planned.
 
I know you miss your SO, I remember how I felt. But you have your evenings completely free after they go to sleep. Make the most of them! No sense wallowing at home being sad.

I know money can be tight, it was for us. Have fun nights in with people. Watch movies, bake cookies, cook dinner together.

Then, if you're like me, when you go to bed you can say good morning to your SO and you have a good feeling to fall asleep too.

If you like to drive, DO IT NOW. I used to love a leisurely drive into the country, but even though there's no shortage of lovely country over here, driving is miserable. I have cruise control on my car and have never even bothered figuring out how to use it.

I miss pedicures.  Yes, you can get them here but it's not the same.  Grab some girlfriends and go sit in the big fancy chairs and have a good gap while getting a top notch pedicure for $20.

I also miss convenient shopping, like at Walmart or Target where you can just get anything and everything in one place.  I miss Bed Bath and Beyond.  I used to miss Bath and Body Works but I seem to have been able to find decent enough replacements here.

I miss spontaneous meetings with friends.  I feel like things have to be planned and put in the diary here.  I miss the no-effort meetups.

I miss having a ceiling fan.

I miss free refills at restaurants.

I miss at the end of my meal at a restaurant asking for a drink to go at no extra charge.

It's the little things.  Of course family and friends is the hardest.  If you are near enough and have the budget, maybe book a weekend or two away to somewhere in the US you haven't been and want to go (for me, I knew I'd be moving to the UK for work when I finished my MBA, so I went to Chicago and Las Vegas, as I knew a lot of Brits would have been and would be surprised I hadn't - so I changed that!).

My husband says there is no ranch dressing.  I don't know about else where but here in Iowa we basically eat ranch with everything.

I called my brother to see about eating Mexican tonight.  I think I'll miss that a lot. I actually like the Chinese better then here in Iowa.  The best Chinese I had was at a caravan park in Essex.

I've been to England loads and thankfully have a pub where we frequent and everyone knows us.  I've also made some contacts/friends over there, I'm hoping this helps with the transition.  Thank you all for the advice.  From the time over there I've experienced so far I think I'll miss the convenience of things.  Laundry, dishes, groceries, any shopping seems like more of an undertaking

My husband says there is no ranch dressing.  I don't know about else where but here in Iowa we basically eat ranch with everything.

Newman's Own Ranch is available here in the supermarkets if that's any use to you?

A couple of the online importers carry Hidden Valley and Wishbone. So hopefully you won't be stuck. 

https://www.usafoodstore.co.uk/search.php?search_query=Ranch+dressing&search_submit=+

https://www.americansoda.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=rANCH+DRESSING&submit=Submit

Newman's Own Ranch is available here in the supermarkets if that's any use to you?

A couple of the online importers carry Hidden Valley and Wishbone. So hopefully you won't be stuck. 

https://www.usafoodstore.co.uk/search.php?search_query=Ranch+dressing&search_submit=+

https://www.americansoda.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=rANCH+DRESSING&submit=Submit

I'll second that.
Just as an FYI, the Newman's Own ranch isn't like Hidden Valley. It's more garlicy and I actually prefer it.

You can get HV ranch dressing packets on Amazon as well. You could also bring a few bottles over in checked luggage if it comes to that.

I'll second that.
Just as an FYI, the Newman's Own ranch isn't like Hidden Valley. It's more garlicy and I actually prefer it.

You can get HV ranch dressing packets on Amazon as well. You could also bring a few bottles over in checked luggage if it comes to that.

I was thinking the hidden valley ranch packets would be the way to go.  I haven't tried one yet but my friend says it's even better than bottled.  I already brought loads of meatloaf seasoning packs over, my two stepchildren love meatloaf so does my husband but they definitely don't have the packets there. 

Costco sells a pretty good ranch too! I was there the other day with a friend and one of the samples was a baby carrot in ranch dressing - it was so American, it made me grin!

Get you haircut by your fave stylist before you move. I still haven't found the right person and I'very been here 2 years.

I'm only just starting to find somebody that I even remotely trust to cut/colour my hair over here after 3 years! And I still don't have a reliable place for brow waxing (all about threading and I personally would rather a wax!). I used to be able to do all that in one go!

I'm going right before I move to get a cut and colored.  I've had it done over there with good results but they didn't last and it was way more expensive then here.

Ditto on pretty much what everyone else said. For me, the most important was spending time with family since we're all very close. We did a LOT together to get the most out of our time- took a trip to Florida to visit my eldest sister, visited the Lake Erie islands, went to festivals, had cookouts. If possible, stock up on any medicine you may take as well. It's just easier and less hassle to have at least a couple months' supply of something, than to make a doctor appointment right away upon arrival. Before I left I had an eye appointment and got more contact lenses. I also had a dental check up.

Stock up on any favorite products, whether it's bath/beauty, food, clothes, etc, as they may be more difficult to find or unavailable in the UK. All my fav stores are in the US, and I definitely miss the shopping there. I'm a mall kind of gal, what can I say?

Also, do any favorite hobbies. In my case, I used to love bike riding near my parents' house in the country. The roads there are very open and wide, I biked for miles. While there are country roads near to where I live now, they're very narrow and winding... I just wouldn't feel comfortable riding there.