This was originally meant to be a response to the discussion started by rousseau about consumer conveniences. I am starting a new thread so as to avoid burdening the skylines thread with further Europe/North America angst, but in my view, although there are broad differences between those regions (and Asia), a lot of this is different on the country, region, and city level as well.
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Originally Posted by rousseau
Now that I'm older and set in my ways, I've come to realize that I take a lot of things in North American life* for granted, convenience and perceived generosity (material and of spirit) being two critical ones that would make me think twice about the prospect of long-term residence in Europe.
I'll never forget walking out to the taxi rank at Stansted and being told by a driver in no uncertain terms that we needed to purchase a voucher in the airport stating our destination before we could set foot in a taxi. I've never been in Europe in the summer, but I've heard numerous stories about how the North American ice free-for-all is totally foreign there, and...gulp...I'm not sure how I would cope with that. Between May and October (well, not this fargin' October) I need ice all the time. On longer car trips my wife and I often request and receive a separate cup of ice at drive-thrus to put into our water bottle, to go along with whatever iced coffee drinks we're getting. On long bike rides in the summer heat I've stopped in at 7-Elevens to fill my water bottles with ice. Is that going to happen in Italy?
I'm also pretty dependent upon late night shopping and various 24-hour services. And paying to use public washrooms? I would find that difficult. Not to mention the sterner engagement with the public in the shops. I can't count the number of times I've gotten free samples and extra little things in local shops like bakeries or whatever here. How much generosity of spirit emanates from behind the counter in a bakery in Germany? Or Spain (the dourest Latin country going)? Never mind getting into long, cheery conversations with proprietors. The friendliness of strangers is not a thing in Stuttgart.
That's my paean to Canadian life right there.
*Funnily enough, East Asia, the only other place I've lived in and travelled in a lot, takes North American convenience and generosity to a whole other level.
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Copenhagen is a pretty good city on this level. Where you really feel the absence of North American-styled retail hours is in the evenings; a lot of places close at 6 when their equivalents in Toronto would close at 9 or 10.
That said, there are some niceties here that I didn't have in Montreal: the metro runs 24 hours, spirits are sold 24 hours/day (that's only good if you are misbehaving, admittedly), and there is a pretty solid spread of 24-hour pubs and restaurants (no better than Montreal's, but this is a smaller city).
There are 24-hour pharmacies available in the central areas, with basic items (Tylenol, cough syrup etc.) commonly available at 24-hour depanneurs.
Most bakeries and coffee shops offer free samples of cakes and the like, as well, although I had never really noticed this before rousseau mentioned it.
When you go to the neighbouring Stockholm, however, this falls flat, and the 'inconvenient Europe' thing is more apparent. The same is true with Germany, although Berlin can be a bit of an exception. Paris is a public ghost-town by 11 p.m., although a million things go on behind anonymous blue doors. But getting a burger at midnight is nightmarish.
A lot of these things come down to labour legislation and the like; others come down to expectations. In general, Europeans are more used to the idea that certain times of the day are for certain things, which is probably down to less individualist societies. Denmark's libertarian streak is likely what's responsible for Copenhagen's relative goodness here.
One interesting place to note here is Spain, where there is a late-night culture that has little to do with bars, clubs, and partying, and a lot to do with siesta-type norms. It's not really a New York-style consumer freedom thing, but more a version of the European 'different times of day mean different things' mentality in which late-night is considered a proper venue for ordinary life. In Madrid, you can find families hanging out at cafes while the kids play in the square or playground at midnight, and even things like bookstores are open as well. By 2 a.m., however, this is gone. Midday in summer can be deader than midnight in that city.
I think this could be a good discussion if we focus on the places we live, what they're like, and why they're like that.
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