its just not florida

[chrizzy100]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by philgrove
perhaps if it was <span style="color:blue">disneyland weston super mare</span id="blue"> instead of disneland paris then living here wouldnt seem so bad


[/quote]


We would go to Weston once a month when I was a kid.......[msnsmile2]

[philgrove]

and now you go to florida........... i dont understand what did we do to upset you[msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

[Carla]

Philgrove, sorry, but you are highly unlikely to ever see a local eating in Sizzlers, Ponderosa or Ihop in the tourist area!!! Over the last few years I've met a lot of Floridians (only one born and bred there) and have some very dear friends who've lived in the area for lots of years now.

Life for them is not as easy as it may look to a visitor. They work longer hours than we have to, for less money than we get for the same job. They get less vacation days than we get. They wouldn't dream of going out without setting their home alarms. They ALWAYS lock their cars when leaving them and are careful where they park. There are some areas of the city of Orlando that they would never go to at night. They NEVER go out in the heat unless they have to. They have air-conditioning to make their lives tolerable. They NEVER sunbathe. They don't bother to have their own pools because the novelty wears off pretty quickly and pools are very expensive to run, so if and when they fancy a swim, which isn't often, they use their community pool, if it has one. They don't visit the Theme Parks because they can go any time they like, so rarely ever actually go, except maybe with visiting out-of-state relatives.

You are looking at Florida through the eyes of a visitor who is always on holiday whenever he goes there. You only see what you are meant to see. Everything is "theme parked and Disneyfied" especially for the visitors. That's how it should be for you, but it is not what the reality is for those who live there.

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by philgrove
i do understand everyones points about how great this country is, and with most of them i would agree, but take these examples and consider that i have 2 small children. in the u.s. if you are good at something, you get a scholarship to progress in that field whether it be accademic or sports orientated, collage football teams are supported by crowds upwards of 30,000 people, here they get 150 parents and close friends, (even some premiership football teams cant boast that sort of support).and something which i have noticed being in the motor trade is that when you buy something- a car for instance it comes with everything- standard, and the best example is the u.s. government trying to keep fuel prices as low as they can even in fuel crisis we are suffering. i mean who wouldnt want to pull into esso and pay 90p for a gallon not a litre. all this is because in the u.s. you expect service in whichever field to be right and not adequate....... and think of this, your off for a few days, its nice, and you want to take your family out, start the day with a nice breakfast out, what have you got? a pack of sandwiches from the garage, or a trip to a little chef where you push a dirty woodgrain tray round a shelf only to be told " the eggs will be 5 minutes " then have some really pleasant and happy person[)] to relieve you of the contents of you wallet and the soul of your first born. give me sizzlers, ponderosa, or ihop " to name but a few" anyday. im sorry to rant on but we are our own worst enemies, how long after driving with courtesy and abiding by speed limits in florida does it take us to get into the " its my road, mine, mine all mine" frame of mind? not long, normally before youve left the airport car park. when your told "have a nice day" all the time it eventually sinks in that they mean it. i'll leave it there, and again i am sorry for going on..................have a nice day![8D]
[/quote]

Philgrove, with all due respect, I think it is very superficial trying to judge a country either way by the number of extras on a car, fuel prices or the type of breakfast. Comparing their histories, USA is NEVER going to be like the UK even a thousand years from now no matter how hard it tries. As for the 'have a nice day' comment - I am sorry but I find it the most meaningless, inappropriately used and annoying remark in the American vocabulary.

[Sharon G]

We love Florida and will go back every year,at least twice a year(hopefully).

I agree the weather is not that great here but we,ve just come back this weekend from "The Lakes"....Windermere in Cumbria.
We're regular visitors here throughout our "summer months"!!!

The place is absolutely beautiful with breathtaking scenery and lots of fantastic boats to look and drule over.
The weather this weekend has been really hot and sunny and we even topped our Floridan tan up!![msnsmile2][msnsmile2]
It's so different from Orlando but thats how it should be!!

We love both places for different reasons.

Sharon

[pbensur]

As an American, I love my HOME in Pennsylvania and would never leave it. Florida is great and I love to visit but NEVER would want to live there!! At the end of of my stay, I've always had my fill and am more than ready to return HOME. Life in the U.S.A. is NOT Florida folks!!

One of my closest friends here at home is originally from the UK. She enjoys her life here, but given the chance would move back to the UK in a heartbeat! Not because her life here is so different because it's not. But, her friends and family are there and what makes a place more appealing than the comfort of those around you?

[chrizzy100]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by pbensur
As an American, I love my HOME in Pennsylvania and would never leave it. Florida is great and I love to visit but NEVER would want to live there!! At the end of of my stay, I've always had my fill and am more than ready to return HOME. Life in the U.S.A. is NOT Florida folks!!

One of my closest friends here at home is originally from the UK. She enjoys her life here, but given the chance would move back to the UK in a heartbeat! Not because her life here is so different because it's not. But, her friends and family are there and what makes a place more appealing than the comfort of those around you?
[/quote]

I know we moved to get away from our families.......which could be why we can look on the USA as our home now.....don't get me wrong...I love my famliy.....but more so now they are so far away.....by moving I never lost my friends......I just gained tons more.......[msnsmile2]

[philgrove]

well at leats i got a reaction, even if it is a little more aggresive than i expected, and i wasnt judging a country on its cars, fuel or breakfast, the key word was "example". if i was to list all the benefits of living in the states you would have to buy more web space. and yes with benefits come problems and america does have its share, but this string was to assess those pros and cons and not to go banner waving. the usa outlawed the kkk whereas we are allowing the bnp to invade our homes through the media. we allow extemists to preach evil but the u.s. deport and try them, and yes their police are armed which some see as a problem this country is bound to take on. well bring it on. ifelt safer walking with my family around kissimmee and orlando even at night than i do around my small seaside town which is called home.

[Calamity Jane]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:You obviously haven't used anywhere near as many public loos in Florida as I have (after 2 children and in my late 40s - I have trouble passing them by!!). Very little difference between the two countries here, except for Disney toilets.
[/quote]

Carla...You are the same age as me ( late 40s indeed) we are but mere whippersnappers I have the ability to pass all loo's without a problem[:I]

[philgrove]

and one other point about what the locals do. its a fair comment to say that they very rarely use the eating establishments mentioned, which when you consider they have to work is obvious, but its about choices, they have (in many different fields) quality choices, but we dont seem to want or be able to compete in any way. and instead of spending our money and charity's money preserving historical rubbish like the churchill papers, or spending 300 million quid on a white dome with a 10 year life span, lets look to the future. how far would £300 million have gone to finding a cure for cancer, now that would have been something to celebrate the millenium with. the u.s is slated for the amount it spends on space exploration, but its not all about nice pictures and eating liquid from a packet as it weightlessly floats, but its about scientific experiments to make our life here better. the yanks have it right, look to the future with a cursary glance at the past and not the other way round.