1: Monster Truck Events
2: A Drive In Cinema
3: Finding someone who voted for Arnie
4: Peach Cobbler (always sold out verywhere we went last year)
5: Hooters (sorry Molly!)
Travel; General: July 2004 Archives
1. Peanut Butter
Never ate it as a child, now can’t get enough. I blame the States where peanut butter can be had in anything – especially candy. Any product called Skippy has to be good by me.
2. Manhattan
I just love the pace of life, the hustle and bussle and the high rise buildings. You just don’t get architecture like that in the UK.
3. Going to the Movies
Best place to see a US movie is in the US. As Mark says the great thing is when you come out of the cinema it’s like you’re still watching the film – even US car parks are different to the ones in the UK.
4. The Countryside
Stunning beautiful scenery, distinctive flora and fauna – there is so many beautiful places to admire.
5. The price of petrol
You can drive for a day on 10 bucks of petrol. Now that can’t be bad.
6. Diversity
A land of contrasts. Exploring and trying to get to understand those contrasts is half the fun.
7. The radio
Rich range of music, news, talk shows – all very distinctive from the UK - it's a great way to discover new stuff. In particular I like driving along to some Motown station, it always makes me feel like I am in a Quentin Tarantino movie.
8. TV
Okay – there’s some dross like Becker which I just can’t be doing with, but there’s quality drama of movie like production and writing standards (24, West Wing etc.) lots of great comedies (Friends, 3rd Rock, Larry Sanders,) talk shows (Conan, Letterman, Leno,) as well as lots of curiously addictive daytime dross like the Judge shows – I can’t get enough of them.
9. Climate
I like it hot and humid and you don’t get that much in the UK whereas anywhere vaguely mid state or below has that for much of the year. Mind you they also have lots of snow in the winter too – a level of variance which far exceeds anything we have.
10. Shopping
I’m a boy who loves to shop and the US can be a shoppers paradise – music is no longer as cheap as it was, but clothes still are especially if you hit the sales at the right time, nevermind the outlet stores or Filenes basement. I reckon about 75% of my wardrobe including all my footwear is from the US…
I'm ignoring the illiberal policies of the Bush administration and going on to more generic and less polemic things...
1. Racism
Indirect or otherwise, segregation is everywhere and you have to remind yourself how recent it is that the civil rights movement was busy changing the legislative landscape.
2. Homophobia
Gay is cool with Graham Norton and Queer Eye, but it’s still pretty much in the closet – look at the fuss Clinton had with the military, it’s a basic human rights issue and one which Americans don’t seem to be able to deal with.
3. Price of petrol
Yes it’s cheap and so I love it because of that, but at the same time I know it encourages excessive consumption, and I know that’s also a ‘bad thing’.
4. Small mindedness
Most Americans don’t have a passport or leave the State in which they were born. Tells you all you need to know about how the majority view the world and their desire to explore it. Hard to imagine George W ever been elected in any other G8 country (okay except Russia when he could buy his way to power).
5. TV
It takes me about 10 mins to work my way through all the channels, by which point I’ve probably missed the first ten mins of something I wanted to watch. Oh and whilst I’ve got used to the ad breaks now their propensity still winds me up.
6. The food
Emphasis always appears to be on quantity not quality. So I tend to stuff my face, but not enjoy it that much J
7. Distance
Such a big place – it takes ages to get anywhere. We Brits are just not used to that.
8. Fast Food
I’m lovin’ it – but sometimes, especially when I’m on the road, it would be nice to eat something a little more wholesome and a little less full of sugar, sodium and E-numbers.
9. Extent of economic inequalities
It’s the richest country in the world, but healthcare, housing, pay scales and general quality of life issues vary greatly. Wonder how many Americans would class themselves as socialists? I love the can do attitude, but that doesn’t mean you don’t provide an adequate safety net for those who cannot.
10. Scary truck drivers
Late night interstate driving anywhere in the South is not to be recommended. Why do the trucks with their headlights on look so menacing? Perhaps it’s the tailgating or perhaps it’s the fact that they really might be transformers, ‘trucks in disguise’.
1. Firework Supermarkets
What is it with these things? In the south you seem to find them every couple of miles on the interstate, whereas in the UK you can only buy them in the lead up to one day of the year.
2. Discovering new fast food outlets
I’m with the guy who wrote Fast Food Nation (?) I know the stuff is really bad for me, but it tastes so damned good. There’s so many new chains and I confess I do like to visit them – often you have no choice (see above) but I also like to try and eat something new every day in the states, be that a new type of soft drink, cheese or whatever.
3. Politics
I love politics full stop, and American politics and politicians shapes the world. So you can put me in front of 60 minutes, Public Radio, C-Span or anything like that for as long as you like – I’m like a pig in shit.
4. TV news
Just the best way to see how a country views itself and its place in the world. The American networks are no exception. And if you need a laugh because there’s a gap in the cable schedules from wall to wall Simpsons and Friends, you can always watch Fox News – that’s always good for a laugh.
5. Wal Mart
The supermarket chain from which everyone else follows. The hunting and oral hygiene sections always holds a particular fascination for me, as does things like the giant trampolines etc. here’s a chain which does nothing in small measures.
6. Technology
Again, where the US leads the rest of the world often follows – my first real exposure to PPV, TiVO, HDTV and a whole load of other stuff was in the States.
7. The people
Typically friendly, easy to talk to and fascinating to share a conversation with. You may not agree with a thing they say, but they’re always good for a chat.
8. Theme parks
Not for me – no desire to go upside down, regurgitate my lunch, wet myself or generally scare myself so silly that I lose control of bodily functions. Yet every state in the US seems to have about a dozen, and they’re always really busy. Can’t understand why.
9. Pornography
Way more mainstream and acceptable in the US than it is in the UK – the sex film industry makes more money than Hollywood in the US, in the UK we still associate it with the dirty mac brigade and are still getting over the fact that our parents had to have sex in order to produce us.
10. Pay Phones
I use them when I have to and I can never work them out. It usually takes me about 20 mins to make a single call. Now I’m now the most stupid man in the world, so why do I find it so difficult. Thank God for my Tracphone, else otherwise I’d waste a disproportionate amount of time on try to make collect calls.
