FWIW - us Yanks aren't fond of TSA, Homeland Security, CB&I, but I was trying to focus on why people might visit or want to visit the US & not send the thread to the TSA forum ;).

And while some states have a 55mph limit, others don't - or folk don't follow it ;) :D But yes, it was enacted back during the last big oil crisis. Granted we all don't go as fast as folk do on the Autobahn, but there are certain places (the Great Plains states) where you'll be left in the dust if you do the speed limit. Actually the state I live now everyone speeds, but they're very polite about it. They pass quickly on the left & then immediately return to the right lane; the left being left free for passing.

And yup - our weather can indeed be big. Heck, I just saw a pic from Arizona a couple of days ago where a dust storm kicked up that lasted 5 hours & was 50 miles wide :eek:

But to summarize what I said before - there's something for everyone, whether it be culture, nature, food, weather. Keep other places on your list, but visit the US too. We like visitors - especially FT ones.

Cheers.

Because, IME, Americans can't drive. They do vaguely operate a car when drinking coffee and texting, whilst switching lanes constantly just to be one car further ahead of the rest of the pack who are already doing 75 in a 55 limit. But, whatever, the Interstates are a reasonable way of getting from A to B ... if a little bit scary!

I like to keep a bit of safety distance from other veee-hickles. Do that in the US, and there will be 3 cars or a truck instantly trying to fill that bit of space. Curiously, it seems to have got/gotten a lot worse over the last 10 years.

And the hits just keep coming... .:rolleyes:
Perhaps you should consider taking an piece of advice that you gave to yourself in an earlier post

Why do I visit the USA? Because I absolutely adore the place, foibles and all!^

The most scared I have ever been in 35 years of crisis-free driving was in the rain on the M5, Birmingham to Bristol. Tiny flimsy cars zooming along at 90-100mph, huge lorries thundering by and cutting you off with inches to spare... US interstates are comparatively well-mannered.

There's no doubt about it ... you just don't get the British sense of humour/humor. I thought the SFO area was full of relaxed people, enjoying the sunshine and generally being h a p p y ;)

I don't know how perfectly they drive on the West Coast, but if you want some thrills try using I-95 south of DC, I-495 [The Beltway] and I-395. There are plenty of DC-area Americans here who will validate that statement.

I love America and Americans. Is it that that you don't like Brits?

I share your grief, brother :D

One 'Big Issue" in UK is the foreign [ie European] trucks with the steering wheel on the wrong side. I don't know why they do that, but it happens a lot ;).
It's always worth checking the registration/licence plate to see where they come from before committing to a manoeuvre.

The only consolation is that in the UK people [generally] only overtake on the outside. The 3-dimensional challenge in the USA is quite interesting.

I apologise for the tiny flimsy cars used on UK roads ... so many of our roads are small roads, of course. It's a small country. I always rent a 'small house on wheels' for my comfort and safety in the USA. :D

:D :D Football is the proper name, but of course in the US, they give that name to the funny game with guys who have unnatural looking shoulders that the referee keeps spoiling by stopping play every time someone gets the ball.

I agree there. Went to Miami a few weeks ago on a "Volunteer Crew" trip. The captain and a couple of my crew colleagues drifted into a bar with a Spanish sounding name and lined up the beers (and a "party pooper" coca cola pour moi moi). A football (okay "soccer" pftui, pftui) game was in progress on the incredible wall-size TV between the USA and Mexico. All around us was excited Spanish chatter!

Mexico scored - we cheered thinking that the crowd in the bar would want Mexico to win! To our surprise and chagrin, other occupants of the bar booed! The bartender leaned across and said, confidentially, "You see, even though the regulars are largely Hispanic, they still see themselves as American first and foremost. They are all rooting for the USA!"

Never once felt any threat though for cheering the wrong side!

Would I have got away with cheering West Ham in a bar full of Millwall supporters?

I find that "apathy" and "soccer" in unison work quite well :D

"It's only a game, not a cause for a religious/cultural War."

Of course, that's wrong. I know that. It was silly to suggest that a game of football [of whatever persuasion] isn't profoundly important to some people. I just don't give a sh 1t who wins. ;)

We are quite happy one the west coast, in general, and I am quite happy, in particular. What I have a problem with are bigoted generalizations, towards any group. Your comments, don't strike me as being attempts at humo(u)r, British or other. They strike me at attempts to make easy, tired jabs about a nation that you have limited exposure to. Though, I'm happy to be shown to be wrong
To your question, I quite like Britain and it's people. It is the nation that gave me some of my dearest friends and the woman I love

The national 55 mph speed limit was dropped 15 years ago, so if a state still has one, they either like throwing people in jail (South Carolina) or may have smaller highways that pre-date the Interstate system (mostly the northeast).

For a while after the 1996 change, Montana's speed limit was whatever was "reasonable and prudent" which some people treated like Autobahn speeds. The law was struck down for being vague.

Craziest thing I ever saw: I was flying LHR-DUS and as we approached the runway, we were parallel to a highway I assume was a stretch of the Autobahn. There were cars going faster than the plane, and it was raining!

You really need to drive defensively here. I've had lots of close calls where speeding cars zig zag across four lanes of freeway traffic thinking they're going to make better time by spending time in each lane (we do not award prizes in this category), so be prepared to jam on your brakes or speed up to get out of the way. We have a lot of folks that are unlicensed and uninsured, so if you are planning to drive here with a rental car (hire car?) please make sure you are adequately insured should one of these folks run into you.

You think I'm bigoted ... because I describe [accurately] the driving habits in the Greater DC area? I drive more miles per annum in the USA than I do in UK, so please allow me an opinion on what it's like where I drive in the USA.

You think I'm bigoted ... because I eat out more in US restaurants than I do in UK? So why do I praise [and post menus] of places I eat?

I won't say any more ... we are clearly poles apart. That's as in "Poles of the Planet", and nothing to do with a country in Europe. :rolleyes:

There's a number of Bay Area freeways with 55 mph speed limits by choice. They tend to focus around heavily congested areas such as San Francisco or the Bay Bridge itself. In the county I live, all the freeways are 65, and if you hit I505 which connects to I5 out in the country it jumps to 70.

I'm sure folk can start a thread in Omni re: driving habits & speed limits of US & elsewhere ;).

I thought of this thread again because one of the posters in this thread asked for input on where/things to eat in the Chicago forum, and got some great recommendations - none of which were chains & some very unique to Chicago. I'm now hungry!

Cheers.