BootsnAll Travel Community

This is probably a topic that will get a lot of people will find interesting.
It's meant as a place where you can write what you love about U.S.A or Europe but can only be found in one of the places.

This could be Wendy's int the states or toples beaches in Europe.

I´m a US citizen who spends a lot of time outside of the US. The thing I miss the most about the US when I´m away is the stellar restaurant culture. Nowhere else in the world can you find the diversity and affordability of restaurant options as in the US. In my midsize US city (Minneapolis), I can walk 10 minutes from my house, and have the choice of Lebanese, Thai, northern Indian, sushi, pizza, Greek, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Italian, or Cajun, all for under $10.

You can find that variety in London, but you´ll spend three or four times as much for the same thing. Vancouver and Toronto are the only places outside the US where the restaurant culture even approaches that level.

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Originally posted by Felix:
I´m a US citizen who spends a lot of time outside of the US. The thing I miss the most about the US when I´m away is the stellar restaurant culture. Nowhere else in the world can you find the diversity and affordability of restaurant options as in the US. In my midsize US city (Minneapolis), I can walk 10 minutes from my house, and have the choice of Lebanese, Thai, northern Indian, sushi, pizza, Greek, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Italian, or Cajun, all for under $10.

Totally agree! This is the number one thing I miss when overseas. The variety. I like Afghani food but try finding that in Florence! Or go hunting for decent Ethiopian food in Madrid. Just not gonna happen. Or perhaps there is 1 resturant tucked away behind some strange alley. But what a pain in the ass to find.

But..when in America I miss:
European railways! Easy as pie to get from city to city. Efficiant, fast, comfortable seats! Here getting from one city to another by train is nearly impossible and requires an inconcievable amount of planning. There is always Greyhound but that can be a long, uncomfortable, stinky bus ride. Where as in Europe they understand that cushy seats and a table is where it's at.
Awesome.

Europe's walkability and public transit. There are few European cities that are easier to navigate by car, rather than foot and transit. Us new worlders build these horrible monstrosities that are designed for rust cans instead of human beings.

I'm a US citizen, and there are two things that I miss when I come home from Europe: the comfort with public nudity, and the notion that not every action is a law suit waiting to happen.

In most parts of Europe you'll see some nudity on billboards and in advertising. Nobody thinks anything of it, parents don't cover their childrens' eyes. The same in the US would have churches up in arms and increase government sensorship. Americans are far too easily titillated.

Last fall at a street fair in Switzerland kids were sitting on squares of wood riding down a slanted conveyor belt -- rows and rows of wheels mounted in a frame like you see in warehouses. There were no sides on it, nothing to keep the wooden "sled" from falling off. The wooden "sled" was just a square of wood, no belts or straps. The kids climbed up on the high end -- about three feet off the ground -- and rolled to the other end. An adult was overseeing their launches. There were no helmets or pads.

There were so many ways to get injured I wondered how quickly the adults who had set this thing up would be sued if they were in the US. And yet, somehow, everyone had a great time.

When in Europe I really miss large size beverages with lots of ice. Even when you ask for extra ice, you get 2 cubes instead of 1.

I totally agree with Miamc about the lawsuit factor. It is very refreshing to not see orange cones, flashing beacons, and armed security personnel surrounding a small crack in the sidewalk.

I think about this topic a lot and I have a long list, but two for starters are:

When in Europe I love the fact that tax/VAT are included in all prices. The surprise sales tax on some things but not others in the States is idiotic. And I also love that they've (at least mostly if not entirely) done away with 1-cent coins in the Euro Zone.

But when in Europe the indifferent customer service is annoying, and the purposely-relaxed service in bars and restaurants makes me mental. I know that Europeans feel "rushed" or even unwelcome when waiters or bartenders offer a bill or keep asking if they want something else in the States, but I hate that it feels like I have to set my hair on fire just to get another drink or my check. Others may disagree, but I like the option of doing things quickly when I'm in a hurry (or not drunk enough yet).

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Originally posted by braslvr:
It is very refreshing to not see orange cones, flashing beacons, and armed security personnel surrounding a small crack in the sidewalk.

...except when I nearly plunged into an open manhole, unmarked, on an evening stroll in downtown Sevastopol. Sometimes being litigious has social benefit.

I used to miss the delicious, ultra-fat ice cream you could only get in Russia. Alas, now Russian stores and street vendors just stock the same brands available throughout Europe.

When abroad, I usually miss that, in the US, a relatively clean public bathroom is never too far away. Eastern Europe still has a ways to go in this department, although port-o-jonnys are picking up some of the slack.

I totally agree with the above posts about food. America has food down to a science, not so much in Europe. I remember spending nearly an hour roaming the streets of both Florence and Vienna, searching for an interesting and affordable restaurant.

I also missed the music scene. London has it, for sure...and Paris, to an extent. But, man, the music scene in the US is amazing--no comparison. Maybe it's a language barrier, or maybe I'm just too into rock, jazz, and blues (all American creations).

As for Europe, they definately have the backpacking thing down. I can't imagine taking a similar trip across the United States. Amtrak pails in comparison to the Eurail. And then the whole issue of staying in hostels. It's just a different scene and vibe here in the U.S. We're just too private. Moreover, I felt safe staying at even the most sketchiest of hostels in Europe...I don't think I can say the same for hostels here in America. I'd rather spend the night in a cheap room at Motel 6.

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Originally posted by SputnikLee:
Sometimes being litigious has social benefit.

I would change "sometimes" to "extremely rarely".
I personally really enjoy watching out for hazards myself. Way more than worrying if someone is going to sue me because I made a mistake.
An open manhole on a dark street at night is pushing things though...

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An open manhole on a dark street at night is pushing things though...

In a perfect world, you'd be able to sue for negligence, but the definition of negligence would be much more restricted than it is in American legal culture. And the awards would more accurately reflect the real damages...no million dollar payouts for "whiplash."

This is a great topic. When I am home in America I realize how my society is way too uptight about romance, nudity, etc. I love how you can make out passionately in public no matter where you are in Europe and no one pays attention. I like how you can dance on a table-no one tells you to get off, and if you get hurt its your own fault, no lawsuits. I miss all the local cuisines. I miss Euro Heinekens. I miss Czech girls. I miss Euro trains and Ryan Air. I miss doner kebabs. I miss being able to drink in public. I miss the architecture and history.

When in Europe I miss milk and peanut butter. I miss how considerate we are. Don't get me wrong, everywhere I have been people have been considerate and kind. But take something like waiting in line- no one waits in line as patiently as an American. I miss the customer service we receive in America. I miss our diversity. I miss how friendly we are to strangers. I miss 24 hour stores and diners.

I am goñna think about this and add møre. I am øff to the eaglefest. Cheers!

Europe vs USA - in the winter there is no contest as I walk around outside comfortably wearing my shorts and T-shirts. Just ask all those all those Europeans who fill my home state of Florida every December-March.

I love the quality of products I get in Switzerland. Whenever I'm there from a trip abroad, I am in love again with cheese and bread and all products dairy. In the U.S. and also here in Australia dairy products are crap. I actually re-branded them out here. It's not cheese. It's cheese-like-substance. Same goes for bread. Same for yogurt. Chocolate of course. The only thing that is more or less acceptable here is full-cream milk.

The U.S. has an unrivaled natural beauty that you can find in places like the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains or Alaska. Even the Great Plains are pretty stunning the first time you drive through them! Europe has some great scenery took, but nothing quite as dramatic and vast as North America. You can be truly ALONE in parts of the Western US -- try doing that in Germany...

On the other hand, Europe has wonderful urban environments. They create a real sense of shared and communal space in a way that individualistic America totally mis-understands. This covers everything from town squares to public transportation - the realization of a shared, collective good that rivals anything in the United States.

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The U.S. has an unrivaled natural beauty that you can find in places like the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains or Alaska.

Bullshit. The US has great natural beauty, but to say it's unrivaled is just a bunch of biased bs. And even in more densely populated countries, it's not hard to get away from people...people tend to conveniently congregate in cities.

I think what is fair to say is that we have a great diverse amount of natural beauty. We have desert landscapes, rolling grasslands, tropical paradise, mountains, gorges, old growth forests, rainforests, tidal landscapes, sandy beaches...ect. Since we are so big and have the likes of Alaska and Hawaii to tak on, we tend to have an amazing variety of landscapes as compared with say...Spain. Spain is gorgeous in it's own right. But, again, because of size I think the USA does have the upper hand on variety of landscapes.

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The U.S. has an unrivaled natural beauty that you can find in places like the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains or Alaska.

Don't forget the Little Pee Dee Swamp.

Seriously, I semi-agree with 2wanderers. Unrivaled? No way. Yes, America's size gives it a diversity that smaller countries (like in Europe) cannot necessarily compete with, it is by no means unrivaled. E.g.:Wildly diverse natural landscapes exists in Russia surly makes it a 'rival'. Just because there is not an Interstate highway and Hilton within 100 miles does not mean it doesn't exist!

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I think what is fair to say is that we have a great diverse amount of natural beauty.

Yes, that's perfectly fair. I didn't say it wasn't great. I said it wasn't unrivaled.

I find that when people start throwing around words like "unrivaled" and "best in the world" it's not an objective judgement. And then it pisses me off, because it sure feels like the result of a very close-minded way of looking at the world.

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But, again, because of size I think the USA does have the upper hand on variety of landscapes.

In comparison to individual countries in Europe, probably...though you must admit that countries like Italy sure can pack a lot of variety into a small space. But on a global level...there's other large countries out there with a bit of everything. China comes to mind, as does Brazil, India, Argentina, Australia...

Totally agree. Except it was USA vs. Europe. If it was USA vs. The World then I wouldn't have said so. Because Argentina has a variety as does Brasil and Russia and and and...ect.

So anyway, that was just based on the vs. Europe thing.