MNers living in the USA

[MrsFrumble]

There used to be a brilliant, long running thread about 10 years ago; a little community of mostly immigrant Brits (but some native to the US) who just chatted about our day-to-day lives. I moved back to the UK in 2016 so stopped reading and posting.

I’m now back the US for the foreseeable future and was wondering if any of the original gang were still around, or anyone else would like to chat about life here. Election madness? The weather? Missing Marmite and decent cheese? Sadly I can’t remember anyone’s usernames or I’d try summoning…

Chick-fil-A is indeed banging! I can bribe my 15 year old to accompany me on any errand, no matter how tedious, if I promise him Chick-fil-A.

Judging on how crazy everyone went here last year when the Thunder won the championship, I can imagine NYC celebrating the Knicks with about 15 times more people was quite the spectacle.

It was amazing! 🤩

I turned to DP and my friends and said the words “I can’t believe we’re in NYC for the Knicks winning” or “what a time to be in NYC” about 20 times. 😁 I think the same about the World Cup too - I’ve never lived anywhere while it’s been the WC host. DP and I went to see France v Sweden at MetLife and it was incredible - a real bucket list moment. 🥰

Popping in to say hi from Tennessee! Quiet 4th here, our pups are deathly afraid of fireworks so its always a tough day in our household! I just completed my citizenship interview and will officially be US citizen next month! Started off on a L2 visa many years ago and worked my way through the system. Good luck for anyone dealing with USCIS!

Hi everyone, I found this thread when it popped up in active - I should probably thank Okie for that :)

I'm Irish living for many years in Boston. Started with green cards but we are citizens for more than 20 years. I'm really enjoying the world cup - I think there was a Scottish MNer on this thread - just wanted to say the entire city of Boston is in love with the scots, including my young adult children. They were an absolute blast to have visiting us. DH went to the England v Ghana game (supporting Ghana :) )

ps The American Constitution's provisions apply to everyone - not just citizens or green card holders.

Hi, @Pallisers. I was just up in Holden, MA for a memorial service. It was nice to see all of my Boston area family. Both of my kids went to college in MA, with the second graduating in 2024, so my first trip back in two years.

I was in Boston this time last year and loved it! We’re planning another trip to MA next year, to go to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket - both look dreamy.

Missconduct I think our kids were applying to colleges around the same time. Was one of your looking at Endicott or am I mixing you up with someone else?

We just booked a week in Truro on the cape. Also a couple of weeks in Maine - also lovely.

Our son did go to Endicott and graduated in 2022. Our daughter attended Mount Holyoke College and graduated in 2024. The drive to South Hadley was mercifully short compared to all of the trips we made to Beverly we made with DS.

Is anyone else in the SF Bay area?

Here in Alameda we supposedly have the longest 4th of July parade in the country. We had our dog with us and she only tolerated about twenty minutes of it, but it was a good parade, especially the martial arts kids doing cartwheels and snapping nunchucks.

(Oh and about the pledge of allegiance: as should be obvious from the text, it's meant for US citizens. Of course it's perfectly all right for noncitizens to stay respectfully quiet, but some might prefer to mumble along so as not to attract attention from wackjobs. I say this with full confidence, having a cousin who's a lawyer working for USCIS. 😝)

Also great in the parade: the dancing horses. It's a kind of Mexican dressage.

And if anyone can't find halloumi locally, if you have Mexican groceries in your area, try panela instead. More delicate, less salty, but a similar texture and it holds up nicely to grilling.

I’ve lived in Maine for nearly 20 years now. When will you be here? Are you doing Portland? Bar Harbor and Acadia? Lakes and mountains?

It is absolutely delightful here right now, since the recent heatwave finished. My little town has a massive festival coming up, so all my kids will be back home for it.

I don't get the love for Chick Fil A. Why is their chicken any better than anyone else's? I won't patronize them anyway, because of their homophobic stance, but I don't feel like I'm missing out.

I spent the 4th in Chicago, where my daughter lives. It was a lovely weekend! Unfortunately it was so foggy that evening that we couldn't see any fireworks at all!

It’s really foggy in NYC today.

ZZtop we go to the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin Me every year - a magical place. My dd2 went to college in Maine - Colby. It is such a beautiful state. Portland is one of my favourite cities.

We have this weird yellow smokey atmosphere in boston at the moment - from the Canadian wild fires.

It’s not fog, it’s wildfire smoke from Canada.

Yes I know! Foggy is still how I would describe it. Foggy and polluted. There are people wearing covid style masks.

Chicago has been truly awful, thick with smog and smelling like a bonfire.

Fog and smoke are very different things!

My daughter lives in Chicago. It sounds like it's been awful there with the smoke.

Ohh lovely, that’s an area I have not yet explored. That sounds like so much fun. If you’re passing through Belfast you should try Dos Gatos - very atmospheric and great food.

I hope the smokiness clears for you soon. It’s actually not really affecting Maine right now, but I’m sure it’s coming.

Thanks ZZ. We usually stop in Belfast on the way up to Brooklin so will definitely try Dos Gatos - lovely to have a recommendation.

@MrsFrumble Some of those fans are also loving our central AC, country fried steak and mac 'n cheese.