Is there an AMA American thread?

[upskilledotter]

I have so many (probably really boring) questions to ask of Americans (USA) but don’t know if a suitable thread exists.

Are basements a thing?
As others have said, yes, basements are common, at least in all the houses I lived in (Northeast US). But we called it the cellar, and everything below grade was called "down cellar." I still use the term, even after living in the UK for 40 years, but it doesn't come up much!

Our cellars were spacious, useful for storage, and, once, even a playroom, but never "finished" (converted into proper living space). It was always warmer in winter and cooler in the summer.

I've never lived in Florida or the Deep South, but I know that some areas are only a few feet above the water table, so a lot are built on slab foundations , no cellar.

Do you get annoying older kids on Trick or Treat night?
Used to when I was a child in the 60s. Mainly teenagers.

We were forbidden to go anywhere near Halloween because I grew up in a strict Christian sect, so we also were bullied at school around Halloween because we couldn't participate in the school-mandated Halloween decoration sessions. And the neighbors thought we were strange that we didn't participate in trick or treat.

From what I know from relatives in the US, trick or treating door-to-door is not common anymore (no one knows their neighbors well enough), so parents take their little ones to arranged Halloween parties. (Just what I have heard about the areas where my relatives live).

What one convenience that is common in the US do you rate above all others?

As others have mentioned, screens in windows (proper sturdy metal screens) are essential. Another "convenience" is AC. Bad for the planet, but essential in the summer in most of the US (even parts of the Pacific Northwest now, which is crazy!)

And dyers. Some places forbid hanging clothes out (mainly HOA areas, Home Owners Associations), so a dryer is essential.

Does no one ever steal from those outdoor post boxes?

I've heard of it happening, but stealing from mailboxes is a federal offence, so it's not a risk most people would take.

And do newspaper delivery kids really throw papers onto the lawn or porch as seen in films?

Used to, all the time, and we often made money this way as kids. By the 80s and early 90s, though, most of the routes around where my family lived were taken over by "man with van." But, they would still throw the newspapers! These days, I would imagine most people don't even get a newspaper.

How can you tell that someone is American or Canadian?
I find it easy to distinguish the accent, but mainly in older people now. (I think YouTube and online media in general has "flattened" out a lot of the accents). But, I had relatives in Maine, and there were always Canadians around there, and the Canadian accents were completely different from the Maine ones.

Probably the easiest way to tell is the pronunciation of "out" - very different in "Canadian" (although the Canadian accent changes as well, according to where you are, as it's such a vast place). Newfoundlanders sound nothing like Acadians or Quebecois! And none of them sound like people from Maine!

Forgot to say: there are a few areas in Maine , close to the border with Canada, that might consider themselves to be "Acadian" but I meant the Canadian side of Acadia.

School supplies: I HATE this with a passion 😡. My DC are in a private school with fees in the tens of thousands per year (I won't tell you how many because it will reflect poorly on me and my judgement). I STILL have to buy bloody notebooks and graph books and pens and pencils and folders and highlighters and compasses and $156 calculators 😡.

WORSE, is my DD asking me once if I would take her shopping for her "first day outfit". Wth is a first day outfit, I asked? It's something special to wear on your first day at school - didn't you used to have that in Britain the 1900s? NO, we had UNIFORM!!! And why do you need to look special on one day only, and why the first day when we all know you're going to be wearing ugg slippers and baggy trackpants and generally look like you just got out of bed by the end of the second week??

Conveniences: this really depends on where/how you live. My washing machine has over twice the capacity of a standard British one, which actually makes it far more water and energy efficient. However, I have a tumble dryer (live in an apartment) so that cancels that out. "Right on red" is the ability to turn right when the traffic light is red if safe to do so (would be turning left in the UK, obvs). It's great, except if you live in NYC (where you can't do it), and travel elsewhere in NY State (where can do it) or NJ (where you can do it if permitted) let alone anywhere else (where I rarely remember what the rules are). Prescriptions are never handed to you as the patient for you to take to the pharmacy: they're sent directly from the doctor to the chemist to dispense, and often it's already been dispense and is ready for pick up by the time I get there. Pharmacists tend to be very helpful with drug administration and getting vacation overrides from your insurance company and sourcing generic drugs. Driving licences and passports are renewed online only, it's great. There are loads more but I have to pop out, will come back when I have a compiled list!

We live in Montreal and my in laws in Quebec. Our accents give us away

Have been reading the American press coverage about Greenland. Why do so many Americans think they now ‘have’ Greenland? No one else does.

Thank you all for these wonderful insights!

I don't feel so bad now at not being able to distinguish a Canadian and US accent. I can tell Québécois but that's all. Makes sense that sounds similar the closer to the border you are.

Also surprised at variation in what is and isn't paid for in regard to school resources. My closet experience is French - where everything is paid for really including books - although there are discounts and bursaries for expensive items (well there used to be!)

The intel on basements makes total sense too when you look at extreme weather patterns across some states.

Also surprised that Trick or Treat is not as universal as I expected

Halloween and Trick or Treating is big in my neighborhood. In fact, a few houses are already putting up decorations.

That’s not what I’m seeing.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-says-u-s-has-reached-greenland-security-agreement-with-denmark-61a7ffcd?st=UqGm2Q&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

What media outlets are you referring to?

You’ve not watched the news outlet’s interviews with Trump supporters? More idiotic Trumpsters saying we in Canada will be next. Will never happen although I imagine some of the northern states would love to join us instead.

No, I get news from real news outlets. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the national TV news networks interview Trump supporters. Perhaps you should be more selective in the American media you choose to watch.

We try and avoid American news where possible but saw that CNN and Politico have now been banned from the WH. Your ability to get the true facts is becoming more limited all the time.

So where did you see the Trump supporters being interviewed?

Back to the OP's questions: There are no basements in some areas such as Florida, which sits on top of an underground river. Some houses are raised to prevent flooding of the main living areas and if the raised area is enclosed, people might refer to it as a basement, but it is entirely above ground. My brother's house is like this, and the ground floor is used for a garage and some storage, but by code, it can't be used as living space.

The eight foot tall plastic skeletons have already gone up in front of some houses in my neighborhood. It will get much more elaborate as we get closer to Halloween.

There is definitely trick or treating in my neighbourhood. I do know places where there isn’t. Sometimes it’s too spread out. I’ve heard stories of areas where it just seems to have stopped but not here.

I’d prefer if we could keep the Trump stuff elsewhere, but there’s plenty of outlets that report the truth. People choose not to read or watch them because they believe Trump’s nonsense about “fake news”. I will say that even Fox News has shown signs they’re not buying all his nonsense though.

Agreed, @knitnerd90 This has been a fun thread for those of us Americans who aren't having that much fun right now. It would be nice if we keep to the AMA topic.

I was going to come back with more conveniences but have just remembered a major inconvenience: online banking is way behind the UK/EU curve here. Can't do interbank transfers via your own bank unless you've already set up something like a standing order or direct debit. You have to use a third party app (like Venmo or Zelle) which is linked to your bank account! I still pay for things by check here, especially when it's a large amount incurring a 3% credit card surcharge.

Other conveniences: car insurance applies to the car rather than the driver (exceptions with some insurers for young people), which is why you see people on TV and in movies randomly and easily driving other people's cars. It's great. Eating out in big cities is way easier, whatever your budget. Because there are no pubs or cafes (there are, but not like in Europe - for alcohol it's more bars with licencing hours), bodegas and take-out only places are much more commonplaces. It makes getting light food, quickly, a lot easier. Public transport in NYC is significantly cheaper and quicker and more efficient than in London, now that we have the congestion charge. It's also a lot dirtier and grimmer in the summer, but it gets us where we need to go quickly and cheaply!

Agree about banking. My sister and brother-in-law were sharing a vacation condo with DH and me which I had paid for, to be reimbursed for her portion. I don't have any of those third party apps, so she went to a branch of her bank, withdrew cash which I then took to my bank to deposit. On the other hand, as to insurance, she and my brother-in-law used my car during the whole vacation with no worries about insurance.

I never know what a condo is. What is it in UK? 🙈

There are two common forms of apartment ownership in the U.S. Condominiums are owned directly by the buyer, who pays their own mortgage and a monthly fee to the condominium association to cover shared costs. The other form of ownership is a Cooperative (called a "Co-Op"), in which you buy shares in a building that entitle you to occupy a particular apartment. You can get a loan from a bank to buy the shares, but the interest rates are higher than a normal mortgage loan, The Co Op has a board that has to accept you as a member before you can buy shares, and exerts much tighter control over what you can and cannot do in your apartment. Some Co-ops are very picky about who they accept.

Re the banking issue, every bank and brokerage account I've ever had here has allowed me to set up electronic funds transfers to other people and businesses. All you need is the recipient bank's routing number and account number. It's not instant, though. The funds show up the next day for the recipient. You can also do a bank wire, which shows up the same day but may incur a fee.

https://www.fidelity.com/customer-service/choose-eft-or-bank-wire

A condo is basically a flat or maisonette, which you buy (and are therefore the "leaseholder") but the "freeholder" is a co-operative formed of the other owners (normally). They usually have an association (committee) that decides if you should be allowed to buy the condo (anything from do you make enough money, will you fit in, are you going to be reliable, and are you "their sort of person" which, in the case of discrimination, is illegal, but don't tell me it doesn't happen!).

If you're accepted, you buy the condo, pay extra fees into the association (similar to ground rent and management charges) to cover snow removal and insurance, etc, contribute to repairs to the building (as you now own a share of the "freehold"), and must abide by The Rules. (Heaven help you if you do not!)

In many states, you still also have to pay property taxes, and I'm pretty sure you cannot just sell to anyone you like, because of course the association will have to decide that they like your buyer! And, normally, you cannot sublet to someone else without association approval.

It's a minefield, a rip off (in my opinion), and to have to pay property taxes on top of purchase and fees is highway robbery. But, for many people, it's all they can afford. Or all that's available.

I hate condos. I hate leaseholds. Can you tell??

And what @MissConductUS said!

I’ve never understood what “down town “ is.

in many states, you still also have to pay property taxes, and I'm pretty sure you cannot just sell to anyone you like, because of course the association will have to decide that they like your buyer! And, normally, you cannot sublet to someone else without association approval.

You're mixing up condos and co-ops. A condo is owned in fee simple, and the owner can sell to anyone they like without association approval. A Co-op is owned indirectly by buying shares in the cooperative.

Condos vs co-ops: Key differences for US homebuyers - Upfront and monthly costs are just two areas where these common types of home ownership differ.

It's typically the oldest part of the city, often at the center, but not always. NYC, for example, grew from the southern tip of Manhattan northward (Wall Street was the site of an actual wall), so that area is called downtown.

Yes, thanks for clarifying. I suppose I was trying to compare them both to leaseholds in the UK for @Mumteedum because we don't have "fee simple" here. But "freehold" is not the same as "fee simple" because there are no freehold flats or maisonettes in England and Wales (I think it's slightly different in Scotland, and might be different again in NI). Freeholds don't have associations.

But freeholds do sometimes have management charges.