Question for Non-U.S. DUers: Ever been to the U.S.?

Where did you go? What did you think?

My dad used to have a good job and the whole family was invited to Europe (Stockholm) when my dad had to attend a conference. On our way we changed planes in Miami, and when we were coming back we spent 3 days there.

I liked it, but I didn't spent much time and I was only 13. I can't say I remember much.

I've always lived near the border. I've gone to the States for dinner or just for a drive. I've also been there for work, shopping and holidays.

I've spent a fair bit of time in Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Arizona, Hawaii, Georgia and North Carolina

I've also been to Oregon, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts for visits.

There are a few other places I've driven through or stopped at the airport.

Y'all talk funny. I've generally enjoyed my visits, but I do notice differences from Canada. I would say that the racial divide is greater in the States. I think there are more extremes in wealth in the States - Very Rich & Very Poor. Your servings are bigger in restaurants. You have better Mexican food. Canadians tend to be more well traveled.

I'm always happy to visit my neighbors to the North. You guys have what WE ought to have.

Cause we didn't! Our mothers' brought us up right.

Polite. Friendly. Most importantly, HUMAN.

;-)

Homer (to a Canadian): "Is there anything we can bring you from the US?"

Canadian: "Well, I'd like to see an adult with the IQ of a child being executed...we don't get that alot up here, eh".

between you, and people who say "Y'all". The North has more in common, culturally, with Canada than with parts of our own nation.
But remember this: We're all Irish on St. Patricks Day!!!

No matter where they're from.

Besides, when I'm in Canada, I like to go "oot and aboot in a boat".

That all of you talk funny.

(I'm probably dating myself with that info).

Just like yvr girl, I've always lived on or near the Border. When I was a teenager, we used to row across the Lower Niagara River to buy beer and meet American girls... Crossing the Border used to be such a casual event...we'd drive over just for dinner, or shopping, or for a lark.

I've been to NY (I love Buffalo!!), Pennsylvania, all of New England, Georgia, Florida, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona...

My favourite US city is Seattle...Tucson and Buffalo are tied for close second, both for their art communities and friendly people.

You ROWED across the Lower Niagara?! Where did you go in Buffalo? And tell me why you love it -- we don't hear that a lot. Where did/do you live in Canada?

I did spent about 2 month in the USA in 1989. New York, Cincinnati, Texas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and back to New York. With a hired car and some friends of mine. I really loved it and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would do.
It was peculiar somehow. I didn't expect much and fell in love with a lot of cities and people in the U.S., while some of my friends, who did expect a lot, were rather dissapointed or even shocked by the social injustice and brutality in the USA - I did know about it before, and I didn't expect U.S. cities to be as clean and peacefully as european cities.

I loved Brooklyn and the small city districts in New York like little Italy and the jewish district around Washington park. And I loved San Francisco.

I simply couldn't get Texas (but I don't understand Bavaria and South-Germany either!) and I did hate Los Angeles. A nightmare. And I did hate all this streamlined upper-middle-class suburbs with one house like the other and the next swimmingpool just like the one before and no social life at all. Disgusting.

And I did meet a lot of wonderfull people there and I have never experienced an openess to strangers and a hospitality like this before in my life.

Dirk

Unfortunately, the ones you folks hear about in the news are not.
America is full of cry babies and big mouths. And, as we know, the size of ones mouth is inversely proportionate to the size of ones intellect.

on business and for pleasure. The pleasure bits were mostly california or the east coast (new york, boston etc). My business trips were more varied covering some of the vast area between east and west.

For the most part I liked the people (with a few exceptions but you find those anywhere) and the country and I had some truly memorable experiences some of which are not suitable for a family bulletin board.

Then shrub got elected and it seems to me that things started going down hill. I've been back once since then (in 2002) and then Iraq happened and I instituted a boycott which will continue until someone brings about regime change and removes your weapons of mass destruction (here my definition of WMD includes corrupt politicians, greedy and venal global corporations, religious fundamentalists, as well as the more traditional gases, bombs etc).

come to Chicago or San Francisco, the two best cities we have.
Chicago, of course, is the Center of the Universe.

My friend from New York claims it's true.

...universe.

By the by, I've always wondered about the origins of the word Canuck.
Would you most kindly explain?

It sounds like it might be an Angisised version of a native or French word... I'll have to look it up...........but not tonight!

how people from Indiana are called Hoosiers. Ask 10 Hoosiers about the origin of that word, and you get 6 different explanations, and 4 "I don't knows".

It's

Centre
Theatre
Metre
Colour
Honour
Valour
Neighbour
Cheque

...and it's Zed, not Zee. Zed.

If you're travelling west along 2nd avenue, the sign directing you to downtown via the Cambie Street Bridge (right across the street from the new police precinct) is spelled "City Center"?

Subtle US Imperialism, I tells ya.

Spent junior and senior years of highschool there, 4 years of university there and additional 2 more years for a second degree plus one year of bumming around ;)

I would have to say it was a positive experience. I learned lots of things and really open my eyes to a wider world. But there was also what I consider a darker side they many Americans simply did not see. Wasn't too sure of did not see or did not want to see. Out of sight and out of mind prehaps.

I spent my times between Santa Barbara and San Francisco. When in Santa Barbara, I was in a private high school so I guess there were a lot of "spoilt brats" there. I found them extremely arragont and ignorant. A combination that does not go well together. They seemed to dispise Hispanics and called them all sorts of names. Everything revolved around them and it's always about "what I want". But that was only a smaller percentage of the students. Most of them were really nice and I made some really good friends. I found it rather odd that I had to take the TOFEL tests before coming over to prove that I could actually speak and write English. When I came over, I found my understanding of the English language to be much better than the average student. Many were unable to tell the diffrence between "there" and "their" and which word was to be used under which circumstances. I spent many hours as a spell checker for other students in my dorm even for the upper classmen. There were also those "in your face" types that I could not comprehend or stand. Those that always yell "USA! USA!" We're the greatest country in the world!" , "We'll kick your ass if you piss us off." I was always told "Like it or leave it!" comments from little Freepers in training.

Los Angles scared the heck out of me. It was too big! When landing at LAX, the scene reminded me of the first Star Wars movie when the rebel fighters were swooping in on the death star. The ground looked like that from the air. Concrete everywhere.

I then moved to SF and spent many years there. It was my first experience of spending time in a large US city. The first things I noticed when walking downtown was the smell of urine on the sidewalks, the pan handlers and homeless. It was very distressing. I had not expected that. I was also not used to the style of crime and shootings I read about on the papers since I come from a country that has extremely strict gun laws. A shooting was considered a rare event. Here it was every day news. People shooting up their work place etc... It was at this time I started to lean about Republicans and Democrats. Guess which party appealed to me ;)

But I loved San Francisco and still do. Too many positive things to say about it. Would love to go back for visits but will refrain from doing so until things in Washington DC start to get back to normal with real leaders insteads of puppets and puppeteers. At least I'm hoping.

I still have a positive feel towards America and Americans because I know that not all Americans are freepers. Many are good people. It's just the loudest that attract all the attention and unfortunately, the loudest are Republicans.

:hi:

but its just a matter of time and money...as soon as I have enough of both Ill be over there like a shot

In 2003. I visited San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento (California), Seattle (WA), Bloomington and Indianopolis (IN), Minneapolis (MN), Detroit (MI), New York City(NY), Boston (MA), Lancaster (PA), Washington DC, Baltimore (MA), Arlington (VA) and Newark (NJ). We also drove through Connecticut and Delaware.

To say that I loved and cherished my experience in each city and that I fell deeply in love with the American culture, people, lifestyle and history would be a total understatement. Already deeply in love with America, the trip exceeded my expectation in every way, shape and form. You guys are all truly lucky to live there and I hope to have that opportunity some day.

I must concede, though, that when I was enjoying the spectacular beauty of each and every city, I kept thinking that "a country this wonderful doesn't deserve to have * as its president". That is still what I believe

Never expected to do so, either. Living in Norw. is a bit like living in the US, your culture and social life is very much a part of our daily life here.
The US was, like, not faraway and exotic enough to prioritize for a holiday?

But now I want to visit the US, and may even apply for a citizenship sometime :D
I'm turning into an Americophile! :-o

Do you think they'll accept a nosy Norwegian with an anti-Bush hangup??

unfortunately Karl F***ing ROVE is of Norwegian ancestry; what a f***ing DISGRACE.

So you've noticed that too? ;-)

Yeah, his roots are Norwegian - sometimes I think that's why I'm so pissed about this all.
I think he's a shame and a disgrace to us, fortunately the Norwegian people are also waking up to this fact now. You know that some polls here prior to the US election showed a 90-93% in disfavor of Bush and the neocons? I'd say that was caused by the huge turn-off from the Karl Rove election campaign. It is kind of a hushed fear among people here, regarding the Bush phenomenon. I meet a lot of people on the local boards and hangout-places, and the rejection of neocon/neo-'Christian' values is more or less universal.

I think that when KR visits Norway the next time, he'll find that the ordinary people he meet will turn away from him in disgust. The politicians already have; I watched the chagrin spread on the face of our PM on Nov. 3rd last year, when the election results was final and we all looked 4 more years in the eye. He was very sombre when interviewed and announced that Norway needed to turn towards Europe.
It's some turn, because we're not a member of the European union, and are more or less viewed to have some kind of 'Europhobia' among the rest of the Europeans :D
(I'd say it's rather a 'Unionophobia', though. We were in a union with Denmark for four hundred years, then with Sweden for another hundred. In fact, we're celebrating one hundred years of freedom this year - the union with Sweden was terminated, peacefully, in 1905. It's gonna be a blasting loud celebration .-)

Always nice to meet some Americans of Norw. heritage :-)
I've met several other too - here's to you all :toast:

I'm very proud of my Norwegian heritage and am disgusted with Karl Rove. I hope the Norwegian people turn out en masse to protest his evil ass - he truly is a piece of gargage.

Portland or Seattle. We'll welcome you with open arms! ... Plus you're used to not much sunshine ;)

Yep, that would probably be a good place to settle :D
Thanks for the welcoming.

Sure we will. They're called "Minnesotans."
John
And there's millions of 'em.

There was famine and bad years here back then, and more than 850.000 Norwegians went to the 'new land', USA, during the period from 1800 to 1925.
It was a large part of our population; in 1822 Norway had 1 million citizens, in 1890 the number was 2 millions. Today we are about 5 million citizens.

It is estimated that the number of Americans with Norwegian heritage living in the US is even higher ;-)

almost every year for vacation, so far only East Coast and South. Was a nanny for 10 months in Charlotte, NC and an intern for half a year in Savannah, GA. I love the States and the people I met (probably all Dems, since I got along with them very well). My bf is American. What else can I say?

a few visits to new England, mostly University stuff ;-)

Loved it.

I remember NOTHING. Being Irish in NYC on 17th March is a health hazard. I never had so many strangers buy me drinks and want to chat. Thank God your beer is weaker than ours or I may not have made it home alive.

seemed very decent and not at all the sort of person who would vote for bush. Of course, I was visiting places like New York, San Francisco, Vermont, etc. I did venture to Utah, but that was for the Sundance film festival, so I doubt it was business as usual there.

I've never ventured into the South, but I've always had a hankerin' to go to Austin. Maybe for SxSW. Should I?