AmericaThenandNow

As I leave for the airport in a few moments we can pause for reflection on what’s the same, and what is changed about America.

We have previously noted that the country is holding its collective breath and hoping for the best from President Barack Obama. With just a few weeks to the inauguration this remains the same, but the sense of urgency is increasing in direct proportion to the ballooning size of the problems facing the country.

As President Clinton used to remark the keys to the problem remain the economy. Without getting that right nothing else can be fixed.

Some things remain the same about this country; the people are amongst the most polite in the world. Even if this common courtesy is plastered on a bit thick at times it is still preferable to the icy indifference of many European citizens and the plain rudeness of many in the UK.

There will be tests of the country in general, and the President in particular, from Russia and Iran, and the leaders of those countries should remember that it is the liberal democratic Presidents who act the most tough when pushed too far. It was J.F.K. who nearly went to nuclear war with the Soviet Union over the Cuba missile crisis not Nixon nor Reagan.

The portions of food served in American restaurants remains gargantuan and I recommend you all travel with a companion so that you can share meals, or buy yourself some jumbo sized clothes!

I recall a time, many years back, when the traffic in LA was easy to navigate, and the surface streets were hardly ever blocked. You can no longer make such a statement; now the supermarket car parks can even be full, which is truly shocking.

The movie theatres are still outstanding but not cheap when they provide stadium style seating. But the managers of the cinema complexes in Europe should be trained in the States so that they could learn how to do the job proficiently.

In fact the quality of service is still better in general than anywhere else. Mind you when you are expected in California to provide a gratuity of 20% I think you’re entitled to great service with a smile.

Another outstanding aspect of American life is the sheer diversity and choice available to you. The other day we woke up in Los Angeles and decided that the grand kids should experience the joys of snow. We jumped into the car and drove for less than two hours to Lake Arrowhead and had a great meal by the beautiful lake and then took the kids onto the wonderful toboggan run. Their laughter was uncontained particularly when I fell like a collapsing tree onto the rock hard ice. Apart from this discomfort our day could not have been better.

Similarly we have been into the desert and out to the coast several times and had a wonderful day on each occasion. There’s probably nowhere else where a family is spoilt with so much choice and I haven’t even mentioned Disneyland, the museums, parks and zoos, all enhanced with some of the best weather in the world.

So, as I speak to friends and family members who tell me that I am going to experience minus10 degrees when I get back to the UK I can only hope that the heating is working OK in my home and that the pipes haven’t frozen and that the politicians are not screwing up too badly. But at least I will have those wonderful friends and relatives to share a laugh, a tear a hug and a memory with. In the end nothing is more important.