the food quality and options are better. the coffee is better. i could go to a fast food place at the mall and get a better customer service experience from the cashier than i would at a nice restaurant here, and tipping isnt a thing. it was generally whiter than expected, especially sydney. people were largely way more civil and polite. i like your weirdly bustling shopping malls with woolies at the bottom of them. everything is generally cleaner and more orderly. the prevalence of water-sports and other aquatic activities for obvious reasons is great. i had some deep conversations with guys about my perception of the country as an overbearing nanny-state, but there is a sizable group that refused the vaccine and run their own successful businesses - so that was enlightening. to me, it just felt like a version of the us that no longer exists.
United States