US Things I Miss...UK Things I like...

I've been wandering through various threads since getting here a few days ago and it's had me thinking...

Things I miss from back in the US:

ESPN...specifically the NHL playoffs and Sportscenter.  I know some NHL games are being carried late at night here on Ch. 5, but...you can't watch any whole playoff series.  Wanh, LOL  (Although now it no longer matters to me for this years--my favorite team just got eliminated in the first round, LOL)

Local news--really local news, as opposed to the *Regional* versions we get here. 

Too many foods and other products to mention, but I'm adapting/finding alternatives as I can. 

Diet Mountain Dew!!!

Later opening hours for stores/shops.  Everything shuts down early, comparatively, here. 

Wider roads...and I loathe roundabouts, but they are the standard for most intersections over here!  (ummm, this should be a moot point though for me, as I don't drive here...yet...)

Which brings me... to automatic transmission cars...

Closets...

Mixer taps!!!  This I miss like mad.  Here washing my hands, I have a choice between boiling hot or freezing cold, as there's no mixer tap to blend them, just the two separate faucets (except in our kitchen.)  It's a rental house, so we can't change the plumbing.  But from what I've seen, most British households do not have a mixer tap in the bathrooms.   Oh, what a simple thing and how I took it for granted back in the US. 

Air conditioning in the summer.

Craft stores!  Gahd I miss Michael's, etc....or anything like it!  I wish I could find--locally--something akin to that which sells plain wood things to paint, such as clock kits, birdhouses.  It's what I used to do back home and there's nothing like that here.   

* * * * * * * *

UK Things  I like:

Marks and Spencer food--they have some of the best stuff!  Some excellent ready-meals, esp. some of the Chinese food.  Great ready-to-roast roasts, too.   Yeah M&S food can be pricey, but most times it's really worth it.

TV..and we only have the basic 5 channels, but I've found there can be a lot of good stuff to watch.  (Though all the property ladder/DIY stuff drives me crazy.)   I like the difference in censorship after the watershed (9:00 p.m.)--things are more open here, for sure.  I think for the most part the news is better...(though as I said I miss having local news.)   Commercials--I've seen some of the funniest commercials ever over here.  They definitely have a warped and terrific sense of humor.

Robins--totally different from the kind I'm used to in the US.  The English Robin is tiny, but gorgeous, with a brilliant red/orange neck and breast.  And you see them in winter, too--the robin is not a harbinger of Spring here, as it is back home. 
Swans--I've never seen so many swans as I have since coming here.  It used to be something rare and unusual back home--at least where I come from.  But swans and ducks and geese and little coots and moorhens--they seem ever present on the rivers here and it's wonderful.

Being surrounded by history so deep it's impossible to fathom.  All around are buildings older than the US itself, by centuries...And from this country hailed my favourite poet--Keats.  And I love that I can go to places where he walked and lived...

The classical music stations--that there are some and they are generally good.  I do miss alternative radio, but that was already changing when I left the US.  I wish there were classic rock stations here--I do miss that!  (No we don't have digital..yet...right now that's a luxury we can't afford.)

Going to the amazing gardens/houses/castles/ruins/etc.   Some of the most gorgeous gardens are here.

* * * * *
That's all I can think of at the moment...

ESPN...specifically the NHL playoffs and Sportscenter.

I hear you! I'm a huge baseball fan and have been thrilled to finally get baseball games via the internet. There might be something similar for hockey though I guess there's more of a tradition of listening to baseball than there is for hockey.

Later opening hours for stores/shops.  Everything shuts down early, comparatively, here. 

Yup! On the one hand, it's nice that most places are closed on Sundays. The US is too consumer driven IMO. But, it drove me nuts when we lived in Kendal and could only go to Argos on Saturdays because they closed by 5:30 during the week and the DF wasn't back from work yet. So we joined the MASSES on Saturday to do our shopping. Ugh.

...and I loathe roundabouts, but they are the standard for most intersections over here!

I do drive here and don't mind them so much, you get used to them - and I have an automatic!

Closets...

Amen to that!

Mixer taps!!! 

You're on dangerous ground here! There's a whole thread devoted to this and we Yanks often get our hands slapped for whining about it! All in good humor though!
 

Craft stores!  Gahd I miss Michael's, etc....or anything like it!  I wish I could find--locally--something akin to that which sells plain wood things to paint, such as clock kits, birdhouses.  It's what I used to do back home and there's nothing like that here.   

This I can totally relate to. Espcially as I'm getting married in October and wanted to do a lot of the decorations myself!

If you NHL and MLB fans are in London there are a few places that show NASN: Sports Cafe in Haymarket (Piccadilly Circus) is the main one, also Bodeans in Poland St W1, Henry J Bean in Chelsea and we popped by the Maple Leaf Canadian pub in Covent Garden yesterday to find they are showing the NHL playoffs.  If you want to get NASN at home you can get it as an add on to a basic Sky package.

If you NHL and MLB fans are in London there are a few places that show NASN: Sports Cafe in Haymarket (Piccadilly Circus) is the main one, also Bodeans in Poland St W1, Henry J Bean in Chelsea and we popped by the Maple Leaf Canadian pub in Covent Garden yesterday to find they are showing the NHL playoffs.  If you want to get NASN at home you can get it as an add on to a basic Sky package.

Good to know! If my poor Orioles manage to do well this year, I may have to think about that! 

Good to know! If my poor Orioles manage to do well this year, I may have to think about that! 

 Not if my Bosox have anything to say about it, although your Birds are playing good baseball right now

...although your Birds are playing good baseball right now

Yes, but it's always a painful thing to be an O's fan! The invariably let us down. As a former season ticket holder, I can attest to this! 

Gotta say though, if it's not the O's, I'm fine with the Sox, just as long as it isn't those d$$$ Yankees! 

Yes, but it's always a painful thing to be an O's fan! The invariably let us down. As a former season ticket holder, I can attest to this! 

 LMAO..........come to Boston then darlin and discover what REAL pain is

Things that I miss:

coffee ice cream
big pizzas that feed alot of kids and are delivered to your door
Speidies
family barbeques
accesable free or cheap sports for kids
School colors
The Fall (leaves, pumpkins, cider, powdered donuts, Halloween, and Thanksgiving)

Things that I like here:

Public transport
Chocolate digestives
Creme Caramels
Spring
Coronation Street
Salt and Vinegar Crisps
Lush

I responded to tam's list a bit, but decided it would be fun to do a list as well...

Things I miss:

Like Minday, I miss all things Fall
American office and school supplies
cardinals (the bird, not the team!)
baseball
summer backyard living
fireflies
Old Navy and Lane Bryant
Maryland crabs (and crab dip)
proper St Patrick's day celebrations
need I say it? Mexican food
caffeine free but NOT diet Coke
cheap appliances and lighting

Things I love:

thatched roof cottages
buying Indian food anywhere
cottage gardens
the smell of sausage rolls on the high street
British comedy
focus on non-GM and organic, locally sourced food
more courteous drivers
that it's always green here
Nigel Slater and Nigella Lawson
My DF!

things i miss from england:

****my boyfriend****
tesco's finest yogurt in 'champagne rhubarb'
no-sugar squash
people who are quiet
school-kids in their uniforms

things i miss from new york when im in england:

great restaurants ( i didnt miss 'american' food in england- wasnt bought up on it- never had fast food/salty/sugary/fried foods in my home)
24 hour subway
good clothing stores
loud, outgoing people
SUNSHINE

There's no fireflys or fall stuff?!?!?!?!  Oh no!  I love raking the leaves and jumping in them, how can the kids there not experience that...and hot cider, pumpkin pies, etc.
Here are my lists in no particular order....

Things I will miss:

1. My family and friends!!!!!!!
2. The convience of everything in America
3. Being able to make jokes that people here would get (i.e. referring to American culture or celebrities, etc.)
4. Knowing how everything works, and being able to live life on automatic response.  I know I will have to relearn so many things, from how to spell to how to drive to doing taxes, etc. etc.
5. The craft stores (as previously mentioned by others)
6. Target
7. Non-Lactose Milk
8. Being able to understand others' accents and sayings.  Some of the phrases they use throw me for a loop, but I'm getting a lot better at it.
9. Feeling like I know what's what...I don't really know a lot of the current celebrities, clothing trends, etc. in the UK but I'm getting better at that too.  I'm going to buy a ton of magazines regularly and "study" up 
10.  Being able to have a large selection of stores, even when you're not in a big city.
11. Oh I'll miss my church, there's only a teeny tiny one and it's just not the same as going to a full one in a beautiful building. 
12. My dog, unless she comes over with me.
13. Christmas lights and decorations.  I know they're kind of tacky but they remind me of when my family used to drive around together and ooooh and aaahhhh and them from the car.



Things about the UK I miss when I'm here in the US
1. Jaffa Cakes, Cadbury's, Indian food, etc.
2. Good clothes, I love the fashion you can get there (Although I know a lot of you disagree).
3. Having a bar in the cinema...how cool is that?!?
4. The culture...it surrounds you everywhere.  You can easily go to a museum, play, musical, etc. and not go broke doing it.
5. The immensely gorgeous landscape.
6. I'm a history buff, so it's like heaven to me...lol.
7. The friendliness of the people.
8. Glasgow...I love walking around the shopping area with Steven.
9. Being so close to the ocean.
10. The music, so many great bands for such a small place.
11. Being so close to so many other countries.
12. The parks and gardens.
13. Going for a drink with my sweetie.
14. The more relaxed attitude and taking time to enjoy life, something I seldomly do here.
15. Hearing the bagpipe players while walking around Edinburgh.  I know it's a cheesy thing done mostly for the tourists but I just love it!  Makes me want to skip around (and maybe it has put a little extra skip in my walk a few times...lol).
16. FCUK shirts....they crack me up!

Oh there's tons more but I think that should do for now...hehe

US Things I Miss:

1.  Mexican food!
2.  My family
3.  My car
4.  Clothing stores that carry MY size!
5.  Later closing times for shops
6.  Warmer, earlier springtime weather


UK Things I Would Miss:

1.  Triangle sandwiches (especially from Boots!)
2.  Old men in flat caps and suits and ties
3.  Walking....I complain about it, but I do like being within walking distance of most things
4.  The Metro (Newcastle)
5.  High streets
6.  free cinema tickets (Orange Wednesdays, Empire, Telegraph!)
7.  friendly old ladies on the buses
8.  the markets...you can find almost ANYTHING!
9.  the history
10. the wider cultural perspective here...definitely have a different view of America/Americans than before I lived here
       permanently!


plenty more...that's just off the top of my head this morning...

I'm surprised that I can't think of more things I miss from the US!!!!!  I guess that's a good sign!  :-)

Oh, y'all are making me smile--sometimes in recognition, LOL 

And yes, Krissybelle, I'm sorry to tell you they don't have fireflies here--that's one thing I forgot to mention in things I miss!  The last couple years I lived in the States, I was living in a place kind of in the sticks and I saw more fireflies there, out in the back fields/orchard, than I ever saw anywhere.  My British roomie had never seen them before she came over to visit me--and she was thrilled to finally see some...so we'll both miss those, I guess....

Fall/autumn--oh, but there is a kind of autumn here, it's just not exactly the same, especially for those of used to piles of leaves, etc.  But the trees do change colour...I find them not as spectacular as the ones I knew on the East Coast, but...there is autumn colour to be seen and some extraordinary beauty in the landscape.   And you will find some pumpkins, if you look around.  Cider is another story--here cider is an alcoholic drink, as opposed to the pressed apple cider we know back home.   I do miss that, but there are some delicious fresh apple juices around if you look for them.  Not the same, I know, but very tasty. 

lolabola, I have to agree with you about the wider cultural persepctive here.  In fact, I think it's almost ironic that it seems there is more freedom here than back in the US, on many fronts.

Christmas lights can be found here, too--though that kind of OTT decoration I'm used to seeing back home isn't present here. 

Balmerhon, where did you find an automatic?  LOL  It seemed to me they're almost unheard of here! 

Balmerhon, where did you find an automatic?  LOL  It seemed to me they're almost unheard of here! 

There's a place outside Exeter called Exeter Small Automatics. They have a web site.

As for OTT Christmas decorations...you wouldn't by any cance be thinking of 34th Street in Hampden would you?! My aunt used to live there!

Of the five cars Joss and I have ever owned, the last three have been automatic - so they're not so unheard of here as you may think!

And although we don't get fireflies, we do get glow worms!  See:

http://website.lineone.net/~galaxypix/#About%20glow%20worms