British Culture: What things canyou do in the USA that you cannot in the UK?)
Jeremy Miles), AmBritish.
You candrive a long way without it seeming strange.When I moved to the US someone suggested a trip to the AntelopeValley California Poppy Reserve). They said to meet them there at 2pm. "Sure", I said.Then I looked at a map. It was 80 miles away. 80 Miles! What kindof lunatic drives 80 miles to go to a park? In the UK, my sister and mother lived about 120 miles away. We would go thereonce a year, at Christmas, and occasionally once in the summer. 120 milesis a LONG WAY.We used to drive to my grandparents when I was a kid. This was 200 miles. Ittook a couple of weeks planning to make a trip that far. It was a Major Event.Now I'm acclimatized to the American Way, I think nothing of driving a longway. We go skiing, it's about 90 miles away. I was telling my mother aboutthis. "Where do you stay?" she asked. I told her we drove homethe same day. She told me that no one, NO ONE, drives 90 miles to do something,and then drives home without staying at least a couple of days.
