lhrsfo

Having a home in both London and Sonoma, California, you can either decide that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or you can decide to celebrate what's better in each place. So, in Sonoma I thoroughly enjoy the climate, the excellent local produce, the air quality and the forward-looking nature of educated people there. In London, I thoroughly enjoy the significantly lower prices, the sophistication and diversity and the infrastructure. It doesn't mean one's better than the other, but that they are different. And thank Heavens they are different as otherwise the world would be a very dull place.

pinniped

A friend of mine used to keep a list of Sonoma wineries that physically could not accommodate tour buses. Most of them off the main roads or up and the far north end of the wine-growing region. Basically, he said "these are the ones you want to visit." You might run into a van-sized bachelorette party at most. We followed the list one day and were either the only ones in the tasting room, or there was maybe 1 other couple. They often had a $10 tasting fee which they wouldn't charge if you bought a bottle.

This was about 15 years ago, so it's possible that even these places have built up to support the big tours, but I bet some of them haven't. We were probably an hour's drive farther away from the Bay Area than some of the big wineries, so that helped. Last time I did the main winery drag in Napa was around 2000 and even then it was overrun with buses and limos.

Central Coast (in and around Santa Cruz) also has some cool, smaller wineries.

When I saw the upthread comment about SoCal wine, my first thought was Temecula. There are a lot of newer wineries out there with some hit-and-miss offerings. However, almost all of those tasting rooms pretty new and purpose-built for the "see and be seen" crowd so it's tons of tours, rowdy drinkers, bachelorette parties, etc.

Santa Ynez valley is a fun off-the-beaten-path (sort of) place for wine. Go out there on a weekday and it's pretty chill.

pinniped

Oh, as for National Parks: the $200 comment sounds like Yellowstone or Yosemite peak season. I've stayed inside national parks (in real lodging) for less, in many excellent state parks for a lot less, and just outside national parks for a lot less.

Overcrowding is an issue with some parks, but with almost every one this can be avoided by knowing the peak season and avoiding it. There is always a period before or after the peak season when the park is navigable and not as crowded.

Try the Black Hills/Badlands area of South Dakota if you want a full 5-7 days of parks and nature for well under $200/nt in any style of lodging you like. Try Joshua Tree if you want a great park close to a city that you can do in a weekend. That's near everything from cheap motels to high-end Palm Springs resorts.

BuildingMyBento

One thing I hate about the US is that prices don't typically include tax - or at least do what Japan does, and show the price pre-/post- addition of tax.

Another negative for the US: overpriced lodging. Another positive for Japan: overall reasonable lodging. This doesn't take into account price-gouging/events/holidays.

Actually, I'd say the US represents horrible value wrt quality (of service). It has some spectacular natural attractions, but once I visit the few left on my list, I'd question ever returning to live/visit here.

pinniped

What does a standard midrange (Marriott-quality) hotel cost in Japan? I was under the impression that Japan was quite expensive for hotels unless you were talking about capsule hotels or other hotels that would likely be inaccessible to a foreigner. My own experience in Japan is limited to redeeming hotel awards, which obviously isn't a true reflection of all lodging costs in a market.

The one thing that America doesn't have much of is the modestly-priced B&B like are common in Europe. Where we have B&B's, they often aim to be high-end/luxury experiences (with varying effect). I just spent a week in Ireland along the Wild Atlantic Way staying in pleasant, but not luxurious, guest houses for ~40 euros per person per night. Those are hard to find in the U.S. I can easily find a room for 100 bucks (in most areas) but it won't have any local flavor whatsoever.

beachmouse

Amelorn

I grew up in Western Nassau (Floral Park) and will probably be passing through soon. The RE taxes are indeed mind-boggling and more or less forced the sale of my childhood home in the aftermath of my mother's death when I was 21. Given the financial and relationship issues involved, I did not see my sister (then 20) and I as capable of carrying it. The home, sold for $450k after renovations, incurred a total tax burden of about $17,000 after Village of Floral Park taxes. Frankly, I was terrified of being forced to bear 100% of the tax, bill, and maintenance burden with 50% ownership while my sister ran away from everything. [That worked out to only be partially true. My sister did effectively avoid investing any time or money & I carried the bill burden for some time. My absolute dearth of achievement in the career realm meant that I'd never be able to carry the house under any circumstances]

My grandfather (a Garden City fellow) and I have noted the difference in eating out near his permanent/winter home in Palm Beach Co versus New York. Our baseline isn't $500+ pp NYC dining (he could afford it, but couldn't countenance it as someone whose wedding cost $850), but it is fairly obvious in most cases involving like-for-like dining. We recognize that we're eating the difference, at the ultimate end, in real estate taxes.

I suppose that I should have added that my primary time in both the UK and OZ occurred 2008-12 and 2012-14, respectively. In Australia though, I had two visits back including a month over Christmas 2018 and 7 weeks this past May/June. There is the sound and fury on the media and on social media (e.g. twitter, relevant parts of Reddit), but barring the odd snipe at the other side, I really didn't feel it in Australia. When dealing with old UK friends and contacts, I detect a sense of despair & exhaustion, regardless of their Brexit stance.

The accommodation point really struck home. I was surprised in my 2016 and -17 summer travels around the US how virtually any lodging where I felt my car wouldn't have a window smashed generally would generally cost me minimum $100+ tax. I was surprised in Japan to find an abundance of modest but perfectly serviceable hotels aimed at travelling businessmen in the US$40-80 range. IIRC, this was for a double bed ensuite room running about 130-200 sq ft.

cockpitvisit

Just curious - how do you get onto the voter register in the U.S. if you don't tell anyone where you live? Or is being eligible to vote is based purely on honesty?

mhy

HMPS

Good attitude, I live like that. Having lived on two continents and a few countries and cities I am often asked "what is the best place you lived in ?" My standard reply is what is good here is bad there and what is good there is bad here. So there is no heaven on earth...if there were there wouldn't be one up there " !

GUWonder

mhy

Actually, foreigners living in the US on visas (and even green card holders) are required to report to USCIS within 10 days whenever their address changes. Although I doubt it is actually enforced with any real consistency, the US government can technically begin removal proceedings for someone who forgot to file the form

The administration's priority seems to be less on visa overstays and more on illegal border crossings. As someone said the guy behind your house is most likely a permanent resident (probably a citizen by now).

mhy

Moved from Japan to the US 10+ years ago. Whenever I go back, which is several times a year now, I experience massive reverse culture shock.

Pros:

• Efficient, clean, and well-maintained public transit systems. Even in semi-rural areas.
• Shinkansen.
• Fantastic customer service
• Super quiet in public places
• Cheap, delicious food
• Immaculately clean department stores

Cons:

• Country feels like it peaked in the 1980s/90s and is now 'stabilized', not really innovating that much anymore and just coasting
• Tourist areas are extremely congested. Kyoto is a madhouse
• Service is really good but can be inflexible. If you want anything done in a nonstandard way, often times they won't bend the rules.

passionforhotels

As someone who's lived abroad for 20 years, the biggest culture shock I get when I come back to the UK on holiday is the fact that I can understand (most) of the conversations I overhear on public transport, shops, streets etc. I can also read the street signs, advertising posters and so on without having to give it any thought. What's really odd is all the magazines that have celebrities on the cover who I've never heard of, not being able to watch British TV.

I don't drive in the UK. Firstly, I don't really know how to fill the tank at a petrol station (they do that for you in the Gulf countries) and it's all on the wrong side of the road for me. Sometimes I have to close my eyes when being driven around roundabouts because it feels so wrong to go clockwise, and I prefer to sit in the back seat as 90% of the time, I'm trying to get in the wrong side of the car because the passenger seat at the front is not where I'm expecting it to be.

Also, back in the UK I'm not taller than most people and no one stares at me because I have noticeably different colour hair or eyes. It's really weird fitting in with everyone else around you. Nice, but weird.

HMPS

130-200 is awfully small especially if two persons in a room.