Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with europe and usa

Propitious places to move to & unusual living situations for having 3 or 4 days a week free to work on personal project

cotesdurhone — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:39:38 -0800

I'm working on a project that requires at least 3 or 4 full days attention each week. What are some places in the US or world I could move to, &/or unusual living situations, that would give me a good chance of doing this? Other considerations:

• Part-time job terminating Jan 1, and definitely want to move elsewhere (currently live in Boston)
• Have $5000 savings. Will probably also be able to continue receiving unemployment (about $1,000 month) if I move out of state (but not country, obviously)

• Age 30. US Citizen.
• Languages: English, Russian
• Skills: Writing and editing, visual art, Russian translation (but no graduate-level degrees to show this)
• BA from Liberal Arts college + semester (2 terms) at Oxford

Any and all reasonable options considered.

• Preferred urban environment: vibrant arts scene, inspiring architecture, not overrun with college students or sports fanatics, ethnically and age-ally diverse
• 'Ideal' destinations: Montreal, France
• Hypothetical order of preference: 1. Montreal & France (tie) 2. EU, Scandinavia, & Turkey 3. Eastern Europe 4. USA & Canada 5. South America 6. Asia 7. Australia/New Zealand 8. other

• Preferred rural environment: the more (interesting) people around, the better

• "unusual living situations" = housesitting - caretaking - living in some cabin - (earnest) meditative community - collective farm - kibbutz - teaching abroad - or anything else

• If it's helpful to know— the project is of a literary nature (a novel and other writings)

Finally, what are the very best resources (books, websites, magazines, etc) that might be of help?

Where should I live in the USA? I like music, culture, etc - but I need to be close to Europe.

wingless_angel — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:13:01 -0800

Where should I live in the USA? I like music, culture, etc - but I need to be close to Europe. So I have the opportunity to be a US permanent resident next year and am starting to research as much as I can about where I might live. But there's a glitch - the timing is kind of bad and I am going to need to spend a fair of time in Europe over the next 3 years for work. I've got the permanent residence maintenance issues in hand (assuming I get the visa next year of course! I'm a DV winner) but the big question is: where should I live in the US (probably a few months each time) and establish my life/residence until I move for good?

I have spent about 4 months in the US across the past 5 years for vacation and conferences, places I've liked best have been Seattle, Chicago, especially Evanston, Santa Monica (but not so much the rest of LA), New York. I have only spent a day in Boston, but it seemed good. I don't drive so public transport is critical. I would not move to San Francisco for this reason. Climate I am not so worried about.

I have previously lived in Sydney, The Hague, and currently London. I like areas that are lively but not on top of the action - we live just north of Camden Town, and I lived in Newtown when I was in Sydney. I eat a lot of Asian and ethnic foods - I like variety. I also like living in a place with a lot of music, good bars, bookstores, museums etc and access to open spaces and parks. Living in London and the Hague, I'm used to an overpriced cost of living. My husband is an academic so a city with lots of academia would be good. Most of my US friends live in NYC.

The kicker is that I would be going back and forth between the US and Europe often for a couple of years, so I would prefer somewhere that is close flightwise to keep costs and flight times down (7hr flight vs 11 hr, for instance). A city with ample short-term leases would be good (or long-stay holiday apartments). We also need someplace where establishing a life is not too difficult - places where you can open a bank account and get ID and build credit. London for example, is tedious at this.

Where should I go, MeFi?

What cell phone for usa and europe?

NorthCoastCafe — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:37:14 -0800

Please recommend a cell phone for use in the USA and Europe. Will be in London and Italy for at least six months. Would like a phone that I can use in the USA and Europe. Pay-as-you-go plan preferred. Just starting to think about a smart phone for email and wi-fi internet access. Cost is a consideration. Suggestions please.

What do I need to import items from USA and abroad for the purpose of reselling

You Should See the Other Guy — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:18:30 -0800

I just got a new job in a retail store in Toronto, Canada. We want to import items from the USA and Europe in order to resell them. I am concerned about getting hit with customs/duty/taxes/broker fees/etc. What fees am I able to avoid and how can I avoid them. Who do I need to contact in order to get this stuff across the border as quickly and cheaply as possible. Note that I am primarily buying from small companies in small quantities, with total order costs in the $200 to $1000 range per shipment.

I have had some packages come in (mostly shipped via USPS) with absolutely no charges or delays. I've had others (via UPS, mostly) hit with significant fees which basically eliminated my profit.

Please write your answers as if you're talking to a child. I'm new to this job (second week) and no one at this store has ever had this job before (they have never imported previously).

The items, if it's relevant, are all entertainment (mostly music (cds/vinyl) and dvds on small independent labels).

New passport and traveling in America

Anonymous — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:40:17 -0800

Question about a new passport and getting into the United States My girlfriend had a British passport that she used to get into America on a tourist visa twice, both times for a little less than 90 days, and the two times were two weeks apart. The second time she got sent to secondary inspection where they basically told her that after this time, she'd have to stay away for 6 months in Europe before she'd be allowed back in. She left about two weeks ago for Europe, so she shouldn't be allowed back in till January 09.

Now that she's in Europe, she's applied for naturalization from another EU country (Belgium) and they're going to issue her a new passport in the next few weeks. Will the passport system link her old passport to the new one, or is she free to come back in less than 6 months?

buying a 3G iphone in america to use in europe

freddymetz — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:17:28 -0800

buying a 3G iphone in america to use in europe Can i do it without signing a contract with at+t?

US Arts Funding Compared to Other Countries

ao4047 — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:57:38 -0800

I know that the US has lower per capita arts funding than comparable countries. How do countries outside the US characterize arts funding and subsidies? How is arts funding in other countries 'justified'? Are there arguments about it often in legislature or media?

Ameica the vast

MiguelCardoso — Wed, 07 Apr 2004 17:59:22 -0800

Here's what could be called an urgent question for Europeans who make their living writing (amongst other things) about the United States. How do you explain to intelligent Europeans that "America" is actually as big and varied a proposition as "Europe"? If not more. [More inside.] Just as Americans have no idea of how diverse Europe is, Europeans think "America" is a collective noun of Republican cowboys interspersed with old-style Anti-Vietnam hippy protesters. They have no idea of the enormous geographic and cultural diversity of the U.S. New York; Washington; California; the Midwest - that's about as far as even the most sophisticated analysts will go. What good arguments can a European journalist give to show that America is a big country, where everyone is just as opposed to everyone else as in all the countries of Europe?

Are there any foreign-product swaps like a CD swap?

MiguelCardoso — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 21:14:34 -0800

There are a lot of American products you can't get in Europe and vice-versa. Does anyone know of any private, Internet-based mail-swap scheme, similar to CD swaps? [More inside.] Despite apparent European Community and U.S. Customs strictures, it's never been easier or cheaper to ship stuff between Western Europe and the U.S - if it's not a commercial transaction.

Small private packages are usually waved through Customs on both sides. Does such a scheme exist?

My particular interests (unavailable in Europe) are Beer Nuts, Planter's Cocktail Peanuts (they're available in Europe but they're roasted in England are are deplorable) and stuff like ordinary plastic ice-trays (too small and expensive here) and a wide variety of other foodstuffs too humble and non-gourmet to be imported.

If such a scheme doesn't exist, would anyone be willing to start a Metafilter Mail-Swap scheme, modelled on the successful CD swaps?

There would obviously have to be some form of accounting (to compensate for shipping costs) but perhaps the simplest solution would be to to swap, say, 20 dollars worth of Beer Nuts (on the American side) for 20 dollars worth of perfect, fresh pimento-stuffed Manzanilla olives (about 10 big jars of the best brand), including postage costs.

Any ideas? Opinions from those with experience of the CD swaps would be most welcome. Thank you!