Every so often someone will ask if I miss America and surprisingly the answer is no. The friendships that have been relegated to long distance ones have been replaced with regular meet-ups with my old friends from college and with more time spent enjoying family events, holy communions, spa days, milestone birthdays, weekend visits to my parents and sisters' nights out. And I've made new friends through Indoor Rowing, Swimming, Reformer Pilates and the Toastmasters Club. I've had way more fun in the last year than I've had in a long time.
There are a few things in particular that I miss about New York though:
USA Dryers (for clothes): I always wondered why people in Ireland don't use Dryers very much. I knew the cost of electricity was part of it but I realize now that the technology behind the dryers here is different and less efficient - because the dryers here aren't vented to the outside so the drying time is much longer, they shrink your clothes in the process and you need to empty water from the dryer after every load! You will see clothes horses in every home in Ireland - almost like part of the furniture. I'll have my clothes on there for a couple of days at a time as they are not going in the dryer!!
NY Drip Coffee: Having spent 29 years in NY, I bought my coffee primarily from local delis, and the coffee carts on the streets close to my office in Manhattan. This coffee is so much weaker than the Americano's here which are espresso based. Interesting tidbit I learned from a local coffee barista - the Americano was invented by American soldiers stationed in Italy during the Second World War. As they were trying to dilute the strong, local espressos to recreate the drip coffee they knew and loved, they created the Americano. The other reason I like US drip coffee is that it is always ready to serve - no waiting for any kind of brewing and when you are rushing to work or wherever, this is key!
Public Transport: I'm lucky my job is more or less remote but I do like to go into the office once a week to meet up with co-workers. I commuted 5 days a week from Long Island to Manhattan on the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) which for the most part ran like clockwork and had comfortable seating. Yes there was a delay here and there but it was reliable and fast. The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is not RAPID. Neither is the Interrail from Wexford to Connolly. In my case, there is not much to complain about as I don't have to commute regularly - but for those doing 3 days or more, if you are comparing it to any other train system, lower your expectations.
I haven't mentioned climate as something I miss. Indeed I thought the Irish weather would be harder to deal with but in Greystones, there are more sunny days than I had expected - I suppose that comes with living in the "Sunny South-east!"
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