What is your opinion on the United Kingdom?

[footballmouse]

Every summer we would drive from Ohio to Pompano Beach for 2 weeks. As a little kid, that was the longest car ride EVER!!!!! When I was around 9 we switched things up and decided to start going to Siesta Key instead.

 

[neverlandsky]

We're leaving the area soon, yet here's the major ones.
*VHCOL & unafffordability. Not enough housing. It's bad.
*It's play first, then family, and work very last here. Workers want Monday - Thrusday 9am -5pm, Friday - Sunday off. Averaged 500+ call-ins monthly. So it's high turnover with employment and now hiring signs everywhere way before Covid. Covid made it worse and we were forced out of our careers. It's so bad that businesses are now operating on reduced hours. For example, Chipotle opens at 2 pm and McDs closes down their drive-thru making it takeout only to control the incoming traffic/rush times.
*No checks and balances when it comes to restaurants, we've been food poisioned too many times. We barely eat out now here.
*Infrastructure is an F.

 

[mjkacmom]

It was few and far between and many years ago. My kids are older now and I have found dominos pizza boxes in the morning. That’s my son (21) because my daughter still won’t touch chain pizza. Lol.

I think people liked the $5 price tag and thought cheap food for a kids bday. But then don’t realize you have to buy more pizzas because those $5 pizzas are tiny!

There are always a couple of places with $8 16 inch pizzas that everyone uses for parties.

 

[olwyngdh]

I'm not sure. As a kid I collected travel brochures and every spring I would use them to put together vacation ideas and make a presentation of my top three choices to my parents. They discussed them, offered their own suggestions, and then made the choice of where we were going to go on vacation. I rarely got my top choice but there was always something included in the final trip from my presentation. I know when I harassed my dad about camping until he finally gave in my Mom was NOT happy about it but we did it anyhow and she came to love it more than anyone in the family.

 

[disney castle days]

Any sports games. My older brother was a band kid and they went to every single one of his performances, but I did competitive cheer and field hockey, and specifically, my father would avoid going at all costs, especially if it was more than an hour away.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

It's booming in our area Has consistently over the years. Traffic is a problem.

 

[bdcp]

This is what I was going to say. My parents never did anything for me that they didn’t want to do. Which was pretty much nothing.

It's not to say they never took us anywhere, but they never took us to the beach for vacation which we would have loved and begged to do, except for once when their best friends offered up a cheap rental through their family for both families. My parents hate the beach, but went because their friends invited them, not because we wanted it. Our vacations were to visit family in TX (we lived in MD) and we'd usually do something fun (like amusement park or camp) but not because it was our idea, but theirs. We went to the ice capades once, the circus once, hiking in the Shenandoah, museums, zoos, drive in movies etc, but never because it was what we wanted or asked for and what they hated, ever. We rarely ate out, but when we did it would be pizza or a family restaurant, but entirely their decision. My point was it wasn't common for parents to take kids places they hated in that timeframe. It was pretty much understood that whatever we did was for the entire family, not just the kids. Disney was never on the plate for us. Although, my parents went with their friends after we were grown up.

 

[TippyThomas]

I bought a home in a very small town and the only common problem I see is small-town gossip on the town Facebook page. In other words, not much of a problem.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

Panera like someone mentioned above. High prices for small portions.
Dunkin Donuts - my oldest teen loves to pick up a large iced coffee drink before work. It's $4.50, which is nuts.
Our local pizza place, Cleveland Pizza Company, is so good, but a large with 2 toppings is about $19.50. We treat ourselves every couple of months.

 

[georgina]

It's not to say they never took us anywhere, but they never took us to the beach for vacation which we would have loved and begged to do, except for once when their best friends offered up a cheap rental through their family for both families. My parents hate the beach, but went because their friends invited them, not because we wanted it. Our vacations were to visit family in TX (we lived in MD) and we'd usually do something fun (like amusement park or camp) but not because it was our idea, but theirs. We went to the ice capades once, the circus once, hiking in the Shenandoah, museums, zoos, drive in movies etc, but never because it was what we wanted or asked for and what they hated, ever. We rarely ate out, but when we did it would be pizza or a family restaurant, but entirely their decision. My point was it wasn't common for parents to take kids places they hated in that timeframe. It was pretty much understood that whatever we did was for the entire family, not just the kids. Disney was never on the plate for us. Although, my parents went with their friends after we were grown up.

We went tent camping every summer within a 2-3 hour radius of Cleveland. Usually a state park with a lake. Perhaps saw a historic site nearby. I don't remember EVER eating out at a restaurant. Drove to Chicago once for a wedding, the only time I stayed in a hotel as a child. Us kids would stay with an aunt for a week in the summer; she sometimes took us to Cedar Point. An uncle worked for the gas company and they had their annual picnic at Geauga Lake, so I went there a few times. This is most of the reason I have made it a point to take my kids to national parks and other parts of the country.

 

[bcla]

I wonder if it’s area dependent? We just fed 6 us for $40 at Wendy’s. McDonalds isn’t much more. Neither are price comparable to Five Guys. Now I agree with others that the quality of FG is better, sometimes worth the cost. But if Wendy’s & McD’s cost you that much, I wouldn’t plan on getting out of FG for that same price.

If you ever read the fine print in the commercials, they have little caveats. One is that special prices are dependent on franchise participation, and especially that the NYC area is likely going to be more expensive.

 

[bcla]

My oldest loves sushi (he was born in Hawaii and grew up with it). He’s not a cheap date! We get sushi carry out every few weeks; it’s always over $100. Luckily when we go back to Hawaii, we go to Sushi Bay every couple days; it’s super cheap, fresh, and the pieces are huge.

Okay now I’m hungry for it.

I've been to Asian buffets where the sushi was easily as good as many regular sushi restaurants. Not sure how they did it. Strike that - they're closed now and apparently the owners got sued for wage theft.

 

[MillauFr]

I always get the little burger at Five Guys, the normal one is way too big. So its a little cheaper that way.

Agreed because you always have to get the fries and I usually eat too many of them.

 

[MillauFr]

The best cheap pizzas here are the ones from Costco.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I always get the little burger at Five Guys, the normal one is way too big. So its a little cheaper that way.

My SO can eat two of the regular cheeseburgers and he’s stick thin. A little burger is fine for me too.

 

[AlanPetersdrew]

I moved from the US to the UK just recently, when the borders were opened. The first thing I’ve noticed is that some big cities in the UK are multinational, and you can hear various accents. It was challenging for me to adjust to so many different accents, which are coming worldwide. Besides, they speak differently there. Sometimes, I even had to use the compound sentences worksheet to start talking like them. Otherwise, they felt offended by the way I speak or text them. Besides, they don’t really like yanks - as they call us. Brits don’t like anyone, as I noticed. But, I can be wrong.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I really loved London. Used to travel there for work. Tried to get permanently assigned there but it didn't work out. Haven't visited in nearly a decade at this point.

 

[mamamary]

Building of homes on any spare piece of land. Schools getting crowded. Oh and cicadas are horrible.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Aggressive, drugged out panhandlers that are now invading the upscale areas of our city. I have never seen anyone give them money, so hopefully they get tired of wasting their time and just stop.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Homelessness
Fatal drug overdoses
Traffic
Racism
Infrastructure (see: Traffic)
Cancer (mostly prostate and uterine), Campylobacter, and Pertussis
Nursing home occupancy