There are many things I miss from my time living in the US. On a recent trip back it became clear what the things I really miss are so here, in no particular order (apart from the first one) are my top ten.
1) My friends. Skype, Facebook, e-mail and all that stuff is great, but nothing beats hanging out with your friends. Of course whilst I lived in the US I missed my friends in the UK so life is never simple. It was great to see some of my friends again though, and hopefully I’ll get back sooner next time to catch up with some of the people I didn’t get to see.
2) The quiet roads of the Mid-West. I live in South London. Our car tends to get dusty and often goes 2 weeks or more without being moved because we get the train everywhere or walk. This is partly because the roads are a permanent jam of snarled up traffic. I drove 90 miles the other week. All but 10 miles of it was on motorway or dual carriageway (otherwise known as freeway for those needing a translation). It took me 31/2 hours. I love the fact that when you drive in the Mid West you can accurately predict how long your journey will take you. Just love it.
3) Cocktails. Most British pubs do not sell cocktails. You can buy them in bars and they tend to be expensive and in general with far less alcohol than their US counterparts. I know it makes me sound like a lush but I do miss going out and drinking martinis all night. I especially miss half price cocktails or buy one get one free happy hours. Very happy hours…..
4) Target. For those of you who have never set foot inside a Target store, you have missed out. It is kind of like a Tesco Extra / French hypermarket but with less food. Super Target has a broader range of groceries, but this probably still accounts for only around a quarter of the floor space. Target basically sells pretty much everything – clothes, electronics, toys, baby stuff, books, homewares, and my personal favourites, a great range of toiletries and cosmetics at very sensible prices. They also sell mega vats of things like shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. I miss perusing the wide aisles of Target. Please come to the UK and bring your wide aisles with you.
5) The price of petrol (gas). It costs somewhere around £50 ($84) to buy a full tank of gas for a mid sized car in the UK. The same tank in the US costs around $34 which is about £20. I so miss filling up the car with gas in the US……
6) American breakfasts, especially hash browns (the kind made with shredded potato), pancakes and french toast. We have tried to track down a decent American breakfast all over the UK, mainly in London. We have been quite successful with the pancakes and french toast, less so with the hash browns. The quest goes on.
7) Iowa corn. Fresh, left in it’s husk, soaked in water & then put on the grill. Sweet, crunchy, lovely. Sadly I was in Iowa too early for the corn on this trip. Next time.
8) J Crew and Banana Republic clothes at sensible prices. I have yet to figure out why the prices in these stores are so much higher in London than they are in the US. Some of it is accounted for by the difference in sales tax rates – 20% in the UK. Way, way higher than in any State in the US. However, this does not account for all of the mark up. Anna is a big Anthropologie fan and the same thing applies there as well. Very cross making.
9) Free refills on soda and coffee. I had completely forgotten free soda refills. I ordered a diet coke with my lunch and was once again surprised when a new coke arrived as I got to the end of the first one. Even better when the bill arrived the soda was $2. Aggh. That would be at least £2.50 in the UK and probably more.
10) Drive through everything. Coffee shops, banks, dry cleaners. So convenient. Whilst importing this degree of drive through would not be anywhere near as good where I live due to point 2, I do miss the ease of getting chores done without having to get out of the car.
