h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK now I'm over the rampant jet lag (hopefully...what a nightmare ) I thought I'd share a few thoughts on my impressions of Philadelphia and the USA.

I went there with several misconceptions which have been totally disabused.

1. They drive HUGE cars everywhere.

Er. no. Their cars are exactly the same size as ours here in the UK. The average car in Philadlephia seemed to be along the lines of a Volkswagon Passat or Ford Mondeo. OK not so many Fiestas or renault Clios but the huge Chevys and Cadillacs were most notable by their absence.

2. Their customer service is vastly better than ours.

Well, maybe, but I did have a minor argument with a woman behind the till at a coffee stall I went to. Got to admit that this was a little refreshing though as most places were a bit cloying with their customer service.

3. Philadelphia is a hole and it's not safe to walk the streets at night.

Well I didn't venture into 'the hood' but I was no more uncomfortable than I would be walking around Birmingham or London - maybe even more so. I think I only saw one gun in my time their too -although of course Phildelphia is the City of Brotherly Love

4. Their clothes are dirt cheap compared to the UK.

OK that one's true. In SPADES. My suitcase was damn heavy on the way home


5. Their food is much better than that in the UK

Definitely. I begin to realise why most countries' people turn their nose up at UK food. If Philly is anything to go by with respect to the standard of food in just a side street bar then - yeah it's true. Pub grub is just in comparison here.


6. They are obsessed with their own athletes in the Olympics.

No more so than any other country as far as I could tell.


7. Their politics is very much biblical based.

Well yeah. Very weird. The big hot topic most of the time in politics when I was their was the result of an interview some important pastor had done with both Obama and McCain and how it would work with the religious women of the country. Very Very different to politics in the UK.


Overall though I was struck mostly by really how similar it was to the UK. Much is made of the differences between us but I was more struck by the similarities. Definitely two nations that have come from the same roots.
I must go back some time - somewhere different next time though...

Oh yeah, and Philadelphia's mayor is called Michael Nutter.

Sorry, that just amuses me - I know it's silly

One I forgot.

They have about 2 weeks holiday allowed each year from work.

This is apparently rubbish. My old mate from my PhD years says he gets 5 weeks holiday a year from his job - that's just about the same as over here as far as I can tell.

Depends on your job.

B

Well it does here too doesn't it? Years ago I worked in a meat packing factory (oh how I miss those halcyon days <rollseyes&gt and I recall being allowed 1 week a year plus an extra day for every six months I worked there. So you'd need 10 years service to get an extra week...

I understood before I went that nearly everyone in the US got crap holidays before I went. Not so.

interesting stuff, as comparing cultures usually is. I thought the 2 weeks holiday stuff was that the 2 weeks was the paid stat holiday but they could take other holiday as and when, it was just unpaid? So it is all paid holiday then?

As far as my mate was concerned it was more or less the same as here. He has 5 weeks a year paid holiday some of which are compulsory in terms of date- but I think there was only about six of them. 4th July, thanksgiving, christmas day, new year, may day and er...um...

It may of course vary from state to state there too, not sure.

I forgot one thing more. I was warned by lots of people that getting through immigration is a nightmare in the US - to the point where someone advised me to fly there via Toronto as they are less strict with flights from Canada.

OK, they took my fingerprints from my index fingers and took a photo of me and asked me some questions - where are you staying? What is your business here? When are you leaving? What are you talking about (after me saying I was on business at a conference)?

But really I queued behind about 5 people and can't have been there more than 15 minutes at the most.

I dare say that had I a more asian or arabic look it might have been a longer wait. But then having seen the queues forming after a plane from Pakistan arrived at Birmingham airport once, I don't think we can talk much about that over here.

>>I must go back some time - somewhere different next time though...<<

How about the other side of the continent?

Well the other half wants to go to Hawaii, that's that and beyond...

Of course judging by the title of this thread, the next logical step would be Bel Air

Also, I am invited to another conference next year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Now *that* would be a cool place to go I think. Sadly I don't think I'll be able to fund that.

Not interested in trees big enough to drive through, huh?

Oh don't get me wrong I'd love to go to the other side

I could try and emulate my brother's effort of going to the grand canyon and finding it full of fog.

I think that falls under the *extremely* unlucky category. It was compounded by the fact that he was on holiday with a bunch of mates all of whom just wanted to lie on the beach in L.A. and who weren't particularly chuffed with having to drive for six hours to get there anyway...

Incidentally, I believe Redwood trees are quite common in the UK now.

I just don't think they do the giant bit yet. Maybe in a thousand years or so...

Yeah, they'd do really really well there...

http://www.redwoodworld.co.uk/

They look rather cute compared to some of the pictures I've seen of the Californian varieties