I've found some very good quick lunches for under $15 US in the UK — and sometimes for under $10.

I agree that the food in London is great (and of course, expensive with that whole pound/dollar problem). I don't know how people could complain unless they are going to really bad places. Fozz, all I can say is, I admire you for sticking out 3 months in summer at the rat - pure #&!!. Pasadena is surprising nice. If you like plays at all, the Pasadena Playhouse does an exceptional job - great talent there.

It's rare I go there on business, but Sydney is my absolute favorite city. I would live there in a heartbeat.

I think there's several possible causes for the idea that food in the UK is awful. I hear that complaint often from US residents who've been there on organized tours (remember most vacationers aren't FT members and are those people we all complain about at the ticket counter, security screening, and gate), where many of their meals were pre-arranged. Of course the tour bus isn't going to go to a really good place; they go to places that offer the tour company a good deal on the price. And, I think some of these same tourists get sticker shock once they're in Europe, especially with the current conversion rates, and they go for the cheapest food they can find. I know there are some typical British dishes that are a little odd to our tastes, or are somewhat bland. But I've never thought that any of those were particularly bad; they're just different.

When it comes to bad food I've certainly had more in this country than I have in any country I've traveled to in Europe.

Oh no kidding!

I'm just not a big fan of London. It probably has something to do with having lived in EDI for three years. The relationship between those two cities is rather similar to that between Dallas and Houston (mutual disdain based upon vague notions of superiority: either moral, economic, or otherwise). Theirs may even be a bit more heated, seeing how the Scots felt themselves subjugated to the vile English for centuries after the "Treaty of Union." Nowadays, the Scots have themselves a shiny new parliament (only a few $100M over budget, no less!) and a decent service sector economy in EDI. They even reclaimed the Stone of Scone. Still doesn't stop 'em from spitting on the Queen's Stone every time they walk down the High Street.

As for places I would be happy to live outside the U.S., my top choices would be Salzburg, Cape Town, Vancouver, and Prague, in that order.

I ate well in Ireland although some of the food was pricey. I even found a nice Greek restaurant in Gothenburg Sweden, of all places. I never did have a great meal in London but that could be because I didn't know where to go.

As far as living outside the US, Tokyo would be my first choice, then Florence, and perhaps London or Dublin.

Put PRG on the top of my list. Second is Berlin. A close third is TLV. Inside the US, I am hopeful we can move to SEA in 2011.

I applied for two jobs in MCO - neither went very far. I don't know that I could consider life outside the US.

sfogate: at least a few years ago, there was dynamite Italian place in downtown Athens, two blocks from the Intercontinental.

Edinburgh's not too shabby either. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting it earlier this year, and found it a beautiful and charming city.

To this day, I still drool over the ravioli at Casa Ferlin in Zurich, CH. Ever since I first visited Zurich, I have always said that if I had to live anywhere outside the USA, it would be Zurich.

Trust me, you have not seen expensive till you visit Zurich, nothing is cheap in Switzerland and that is with the dollar having a slight edge over the Swiss Franc.

Dan

I haven't been to enough places to pick one to live outside of the US with any sort of realistic expectations, but that said I've lusted after Singapore, Tokyo, and Ireland.

Paris or Madrid is the way to go IMHO.

Berlin is my favorite, so far.

Is it possible to check-in via a cell phone... yet? On the pda or wap site?

Where everybody knows your name. (just couldn't help myself :)). When I visited my grandfather up until college (when he passed), we used to go there everyday, get the mail and have lunch. And really everyone did know his name...would take a while just to walk down the street. Nice quaint town.

FOZZ - hope the DMB show is still on. The news about Le Roi was very sad and he will be missed for sure! The LA show was not cancelled, a friend that went said it was sad and they played a lot of Le Roi's favorites, wish I could have been there. I'm going to the shows up north (CA) hopefully.

On the places we like to go/live:
Places to live internationally, I would make some repeats on that one. Madrid, Prague, Singapore, Dubai, Lima. 3 of 5 would be repeat places, I will have to think a little longer to have no repeat destinations.
Domestically: Hawaii, LA, SFO. Can't really add any E. coast destinations as it has been years since I've made it out there, but NYC would def be on that list.