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1) If you want to live in a detached home in a suburb of Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome or Athens, and a nice one, you have to have oodles of cash...sure, you can live in a detached home in a rural area where land values are cheap in those same countries.
2) Americans make plenty of very competent mid-priced mid-sized cars that are very conducive to long trips...cars with comparable amenities in Europe are usually high line, expensive and don't last as long...not only that, they need their timing belts replaced, a technology that American cars simplified a long time ago. When I told my relatives in Europe that my last car went 271,000 miles (438,000 km) on its ORIGINAL powertrain and was still running strong when I disposed of it, they said that such a feat was impossible with their cars.
Two things:
1) If you want to live in a detached home in a suburb of New York or San Francisco and a nice one, you have to have oodles of cash. sure, you can live in a detached home in a rural area where land values are cheap.
2) The only big difference between European and American cars I see is the number of cupholders. There are tons of cars that last very long. It doesn't have anything to do with one car being in Europe and the other in the US but depends on the car and the user. Perhaps your relatives just don't handle their cars very well or buy cheap ones. Actually, no offense, but European car brands are way more high end and better built than most US brands I can think of. Just because some cars are smaller that doesn't mean they're bad.
You look at Europe and they got a great long history.
You look at East Asia and they got a proud culture
What is so special about USA. History? Nope Europes better and they
got tons more of it.
Much of USA is also sterile. Same neighborhoods, same Shopping malls. Even
some of the people act the same. Not my idea of culture or interesting country
for that matter.
If it wasn't for NYC and maybe Chicago, there'd be no reason for anyone to visit USA.
Boring as in what? Daily life? How does history have anything to do with daily life? How often you you go sightseeing? Probably not often at all. Personally, I like modern sites better than old ones such as old buildings in Paris, Colosseum etc..
Might want to elaborate on this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulhall
What didn't they teach you about the Battle of Britain or the nearly 25 million Russians who perished.
WW2 started for us Brits on the 3rd Spetember 1939, America didn't enter the war for another 2 years and 3 months on 8th December 1941.
Britain's RAF had already seen off the German Luftwaffe, and the Germans were aware that their navy was no match for the Royal Navy out at sea.
We had also survived sustained bombings of our cities.
If he hadn't turned to Russia and attacked them, the U.K. would have fallen.
1) If you want to live in a detached home in a suburb of Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome or Athens, and a nice one, you have to have oodles of cash...sure, you can live in a detached home in a rural area where land values are cheap in those same countries.
2) Americans make plenty of very competent mid-priced mid-sized cars that are very conducive to long trips...cars with comparable amenities in Europe are usually high line, expensive and don't last as long...not only that, they need their timing belts replaced, a technology that American cars simplified a long time ago. When I told my relatives in Europe that my last car went 271,000 miles (438,000 km) on its ORIGINAL powertrain and was still running strong when I disposed of it, they said that such a feat was impossible with their cars.
Exactly.
Americans enjoy a higher quantity and quality of consumer products than practically any European nationality. A 2,000 square foot (about 200 m^2) detached house on a 8,000 square foot suburban plot in most of the U.S. is standard, and can easily be afforded by the average working family; in Europe, such houses are the reserve of the wealthy. In the U.S., the average car has for decades had an automatic transmission, cruise control, power windows / locks, etc., in addition to a far roomier interior (even in actual cars, not to speak of SUVs) and much larger engine. This is indisputable.
Whether you want to argue that Europeans have a higher or equivalent quality of life to Americans is another matter entirely.
1) If you want to live in a detached home in a suburb of New York or San Francisco and a nice one, you have to have oodles of cash. sure, you can live in a detached home in a rural area where land values are cheap.
2) The only big difference between European and American cars I see is the number of cupholders. There are tons of cars that last very long. It doesn't have anything to do with one car being in Europe and the other in the US but depends on the car and the user. Perhaps your relatives just don't handle their cars very well or buy cheap ones. Actually, no offense, but European car brands are way more high end and better built than most US brands I can think of. Just because some cars are smaller that doesn't mean they're bad.
Obviously BMW and Mercedes are looked upon as high-end brands, both in the U.S. as well as at least some of Europe. But what about the brands we don't see in the U.S. - Skoda, Fiat, Seat, Citroen, etc.?
Boston, if that's where you live, is older with more interesting architecture, built during an era when Americans valued architectural asthetics. I've been there, it's a great place to see.
The new American cities look like they've mostly come as pre-fab from the same factory. Nowadays, neon lights substitute for asthetics.
If it wasn't for NYC and maybe Chicago, there'd be no reason for anyone to visit USA.
I see your overall point. But I'd add some more places than that:
Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans are all interesting cities and have some unique qualities. Lancaster County in Pennsylvania with the Amish and Mennonites is interesting too. I also can't see how anyone can not be interested in visiting Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Other than that, there are lots of great natural wonders in the U.S., from the west coast beaches, Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon in the west to the Smokey Mountains and beaches in the east.
1) If you want to live in a detached home in a suburb of New York or San Francisco and a nice one, you have to have oodles of cash. sure, you can live in a detached home in a rural area where land values are cheap.
2) The only big difference between European and American cars I see is the number of cupholders. There are tons of cars that last very long. It doesn't have anything to do with one car being in Europe and the other in the US but depends on the car and the user. Perhaps your relatives just don't handle their cars very well or buy cheap ones. Actually, no offense, but European car brands are way more high end and better built than most US brands I can think of. Just because some cars are smaller that doesn't mean they're bad.
1) For the average salaries in southern Europe, it's not apples to apples. What they make over there is mind-boggling and I don't understand how it pencils...even to live in a flat.
2) A durable car like a Ford Fusion costs in the low 20s. The low 20s in Euros (assuming parity, which is how things are priced) gets you a throw-away car over there.
Boston, if that's where you live, is older with more interesting architecture, built during an era when Americans valued architectural asthetics. I've been there, it's a great place to see.
The new American cities look like they've mostly come as pre-fab from the same factory. Nowadays, neon lights substitute for asthetics.
I live about 30 minutes away from Boston, came via South Florida & the UK originally. I love Boston and New England in general. It's nice to see real scenery combined with buildings that are centuries old. Much of the northeast blows the stereotypes of soulless US cities with endless chain stores/restaurants and dead city centres out of the window. Although I miss Roman ruins, Norman castles and the English countryside, I am far from bored here when I have so much on my doorstep, including New York, which is not far away.
I probably would be bored in much of the sunbelt though, although I did enjoy living in Miami and Fort Lauderdale for a while.
Americans enjoy a higher quantity and quality of consumer products than practically any European nationality. A 2,000 square foot (about 200 m^2) detached house on a 8,000 square foot suburban plot in most of the U.S. is standard, and can easily be afforded by the average working family; in Europe, such houses are the reserve of the wealthy. In the U.S., the average car has for decades had an automatic transmission, cruise control, power windows / locks, etc., in addition to a far roomier interior (even in actual cars, not to speak of SUVs) and much larger engine. This is indisputable.
Whether you want to argue that Europeans have a higher or equivalent quality of life to Americans is another matter entirely.
But the homes are more expensive because it's not a wooden frame like in the U.S.
Automatic transmission? You should be smart enough to know that the car makers build cars specifically for each region. If Europeans wanted automatic transmission, they would build it. Automatic transmissions are very unpopular in Europe. They don't want it, so don't make many cars with automatic transmissions.
Automatic transmission? You should be smart enough to know that the car makers build cars specifically for each region. If Europeans wanted automatic transmission, they would build it. Automatic transmissions are very unpopular in Europe. They don't want it, so don't make many cars with automatic transmissions.
Right. Automatics just aren't popular in Europe. Our roads are generally not suitable for cruise control. You can get an automatic, but they are more expensive if the transmission fails (just as I recall when my dad was stupid enough to buy an automatic Ford Sierra, which broke). I personally prefer manual: you have more control over the car and you don't put as much wear and tear on your brakes.
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sure, you can live in a detached home in a rural area where land values are cheap. 
There are tons of cars that last very long. It doesn't have anything to do with one car being in Europe and the other in the US but depends on the car and the user. Perhaps your relatives just don't handle their cars very well or buy cheap ones. Actually, no offense, but European car brands are way more high end and better built than most US brands I can think of. Just because some cars are smaller that doesn't mean they're bad.