Is the US a shitty place to live?

[Spacemunkey]

As for California, it looks really nice on postcards and stuff.

I was born and raised in southern California and while it looks nice and it's a great place to visit, unless you have a shit ton of disposable income it sucks. On top of that it's too crowded, it used to take me an hour to go 10 miles to work on the freeway.If you get out of the city into the mountains you better believe those people know what that's worth and charge you out the ass for everything, last time I went to Big Bear in the winter it took 8 of us to be able to afford the lodge and that was 15 years ago. So glad I left.

 

[Ragemage]

Let's be clear though, you haven't denied that you've got a Skynyrd tattoo.

I don't have any tattoos either, nor piercings, haha. I don't even like Skynyrd, I'm more an old country fan, like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Love me some Merle Haggard myself. Saw Willie in concert many years ago... and Skynyrd. Not living up to my New England yankee stereotype too well, am I?

 

[TheRippaMan]

I have a relative who lived in Texas during the Clinton era and when Dubya was elected things become too difficult economically and politically that she felt that she had to leave the country. In the States taxes are low but there's also a lot of costs, you need to have a car etc. Plus other costs. My relative was a small entreprenour and that became difficult too under Bush. Was strange hearing about the death penalty being used quite a lot over there and stuff and cops stopping you for walking on the street etc.

Edit. Hmm I'd already posted basically the same thing earlier. D'oh! Oh well.

Question for Americans, have you guys ever visited outside the US and where would you want to live if not in the States?

I've been all over -- France, Italy Switzerland, China, Singapore, and I lived in Japan for a couple of years. If I could live anywhere, I'd pick Japan, but that's mostly because I miss it -- the food that is lol. I went to a japanese restaurant here, and it was over $100 for basically street food and Ramen. For some reason, it was also a really high rated restaurant in San Diego, but it tasted like ass. The only good thing was the imported Sapporo for $10 a beer. Ridiculous.

 

[TheRippaMan]

Eh, it would be beautiful without all the scrapas and D-OS that infest the cities. But every city has to have it's parasites I guess.

I moved here four years ago, and there's everything here that I could want -- hiking, mountains, desert, snow, cities, beaches, not to mention all the great food and of course cali burritos. My job pays well here, so I can't see myself moving anytime soon.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I lived in Japan for a couple of years.

わたし　も。 Where were you? I worked in Ikebukuro, Tokyo for about 4 years and go back about yearly.
You can find good Japanese food stateside, but certain dishes you just have to give up on I think. I wouldn't think there's so many ways to fuck up tonkatsu, but evidently it can be done.

A good rule of thumb is to never eat at a Japanese restaurant where there's no Japanese customers. The worse their english is, the more reassured I am too.