House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Pine]

I think that the friend was jealous, and perhaps a bit in love with her Montreal friend....just a thought. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 4/19/2024 at 7:02 AM, chessiegal said:

I took one for the team. This is from her web site. 

Quote

She is a proud alumni of Emerson College in Boston where she majored in Journalism with a Multimedia focus.

Even I, an alumna of a famous football school and not a published writer, know when not to use "alumni."

On 4/19/2024 at 12:40 PM, Crashcourse said:

Seems like she's another influencer.  

Excuse you.  According to her website, she's a thought leader.

Quote

She tells the stories of the world as a published writer, photographer, traveler, and thought leader.

 

Quote

Amanda has intensive experience working with renowned clients in the fields of innovation, tech, nonprofit, health, science, entertainment, art, finance, entrepreneurship, real estate, architecture, food & beverage, design, fashion, music, environmentalism, investing, smartphone apps, film, aviation, public figures, influencers, founders, authors, news outlets, consumer products, fundraisers, social orgs, travel + tourism, and much more.

And much more?  Really?  Much more than the 29 she already mentioned by name? 

Quote

Born and raised in the hustle of New York, Amanda...

Hustle but no bustle.  What part of New York is this?

 

On 4/25/2024 at 9:34 PM, chessiegal said:

Julie in Munich: As if her upspeak wasn't annoying enough, she threw in some vocal fry for good luck.

I admire your skill in differentiating upspeak and vocal fry.  I actually thought she was avoiding the fry pretty well, but it came on strong toward the end, for some reason. 

The husband's job confused me.  He said it took him months to find a job with a German company, but said he works 100% remote.  So why did it need to be a German company?  Especially if, as he claimed, engineers aren't paid very well in Germany.

I was surprised that $1200 would get them that much abode in a major European city.

[aghst]

Cadiz episode, they wanted a big home for their growing family.

He wanted to be close to his base -- he's a naval officer -- and she wanted to be close to the beach.

This time the husband was convincing when he said commute was a big deal for him, said he's over with commutes of 30 minutes or more each way.

So in the end they choose a larger home with the best commute over a smaller home closer to the beach.

They go $100 over budget of $2400 rather than potentially saving $200 with their other choice.

Family has moved around a lot but this is the first international move for his naval career.

She's going to be a stay at home mom because she may not have a work visa and the language obstacle may also be an issue.

But I don't believe she had a big career or anything so this move was probably a promotion for him which allows her to not have to work.

She was however the one emphasizing the budget a lot in the episode.

[Jodithgrace]

I knew they weren’t going to take the beach house, which was filled to overflowing with personal “stuff,” not what you would leave in a rental home. Not just art work but knickknacks and refrigerator magnets, etc. It was obviously being lived in and merely borrowed for the show. 
Option #2 was the best, especially since it came with maintenance, even at an extra fee. 

[Dirge]

The woman moving to Cadiz said that military spouses are NOT given work permits, so this is one time I didn't mind the obsession with price - I think a lot of other international house hunters are expecting that they may find some work along the way. 

She'll probably be ferrying that "aspiring child actress" around, anyway. 

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, aghst said:

So in the end they choose a larger home with the best commute over a smaller home closer to the beach.

They go $100 over budget of $2400 rather than potentially saving $200 with their other choice.

I would've chosen the beach house in a second.  I actually hated the one they chose but obviously I'm not the one living there.  Still, it was cheaper and close to both his base and the beach.

8 hours ago, Dirge said:

She'll probably be ferrying that "aspiring child actress" around, anyway. 

I read that as "spoiled brat".

[seacliffsal]

So, I laughed out loud when the wife in Spain proclaimed when visiting the first home that it didn't have any 'Spanish traditional charm' when they were standing right in front of a stone wall.  At least make the criticisms match what we're seeing.

[aghst]

London to Da Nang, Vietnam.

Young couple with a toddler son.  They’ve known each other since they were teenagers.  They were teaching when they learned of a teaching opportunity in Vietnam.

The wife is half Vietnamese, though she’s lived all her life in London.  They had to decide quick whether to move.  She hoped to be able to save a lot of money by moving.  That I suspect is the main reason though she talks up wanting to learn more about her ancestry and culture.

She wants 2 bedrooms, near work and beach, $600 max.  Berry the husband wants 3 bedrooms for parents to visit and a home with outdoor space.

First home is a high rise apt with ocean views.  Two bedrooms and many amenities at $600.  But it’s far from her work.  Too far to walk.

Second home is actual home, 3 bedrooms at $700, so just over budget.  Much closer to work but still a long walk and pretty close to the beach.  It has a giant tank with tropical fish and an inside koi pond with koi fish.  Wife thinks home is too large to take care of and thinks taking care of the fish as well would be too much.

Third home is a penthouse apt. But only 1 bedroom at $450.  It has partial views of the ocean and is closest to work for her and day care for the kid.  But Berry complains about the size though it has a huge balcony which lets him practice his nunchucks.

They eliminate house 1, he pretends to want the house but they choose the 1-bedroom apt. Well under budget.

She notes that the Vietnamese at the airport laughed at her for not speaking Vietnamese.

 

 

[Jodithgrace]

I never thought for a moment that the house with the fish was a real option. Who rents out a house with fish that need to be kept alive by the renters? Not to mention the prospect of keeping a toddler out of the pond. And despite what they said, there was no way to baby proof that place. 
 

Considering the distance that option 1 was to her work, and the prospect of taking a child on a motor bike, option 3 was the only real choice. 

[40Love]

On 5/6/2024 at 12:18 AM, Jodithgrace said:

Considering the distance that option 1 was to her work, and the prospect of taking a child on a motor bike, option 3 was the only real choice. 

I liked the 2nd house. But, you're right they didn't have the money to stay there, plus all the responsibility seemed too much to handle.. with a toddler. It was never a serious contender. Heh

They were such a sweet couple. High school sweethearts, who clearly still love each other very much. They were very considerate of each other. Some of the past couples seem like they can't stand each other.

That was definitely the case in a re-run episode in which the couple was moving from Australia because their lives seemed stagnate. Can't remember where they re-located to. But I believe it was Europe.

He kept reminding her it was his money... not hers. She would ridicule him with a smile on her face and beg him not to waste "his money" on silly things. Whoa! I would love to see if they're still together.  

[aghst]

Canada to Puerto Vallarta.  Gay couple decides to buy before prices go higher.  Plan is to vacation every year and then retire in 15 years.

They want 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, pool, ocean view and in the Romantic Zone, the most popular district, for $450k.

First home is $475k, not in the RZ and only one bathroom.  Has the view and pool, slightly dated furniture.

Home #2 is a new 1.5 bed, 2 bath brand new apt in high rise building with stunning rooftop pool and deck for $550k.

Home #3 is 2 bed, 2 Bath, pool and partial ocean view for $389k, well below budget.  But it’s 20 minutes away from the RZ and the furniture is old as are the bathrooms.

They eliminate House #1 and decide to spend $100k over budget to buy Home #2.

Maybe the budget wasn’t really that low or they really did spend way over.  They have been going to PV and have been talking to Taniel for years about buying.

Makes you wonder if some of these long-time HHI agents are real realtors and they help recruit people to do the show, as opposed to people seeking out becoming house hunters on the show because they’re fans of the show.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I watched the Ciao House 2 house hunt.  It was with the same chef as last year, house hunter wasn't Alex, it was the other chef that was on staff as last year (I think it's the same one).    It's interesting to me to see the properties.      

Thanks for the info chessiegal, I didn't read about it so didn't know they changed regions.   

Edited May 13 by CrazyInAlabama

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

It was with the same chef as last year. 

Do you mean Alex Guarnaschelli? Ciao House is her show, renewed for a second season. FN website says they are doing this year's show in a different part of Italy, thus the need for a different house.

 

[seacliffsal]

Enjoyed the couple in Puerto Vallarta.  They were willing to go over their budget quite a bit, but the condo was beautiful.  However, I would really liked to have known what the HOA costs would be (it's an oversight in pretty much all episodes in which the buyers buy a condo/townhome or in a subdivision).

[aghst]

6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I watched the Ciao House 2 house hunt.  It was with the same chef as last year, house hunter wasn't Alex, it was the other chef that was on staff as last year (I think it's the same one).    It's interesting to me to see the properties.      

Thanks for the info chessiegal, I didn't read about it so didn't know they changed regions.   

 

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Do you mean Alex Guarnaschelli? Ciao House is her show, renewed for a second season. FN website says they are doing this year's show in a different part of Italy, thus the need for a different house.

 

They're in Puglia.  The male host is Gabe Bertaccini, who was born in Florence.

In Ciao House season 1, they leased a villa in Tuscany, near Florence but not in Florence.

Gabe appeared on HHI last year to look for a villa where they would film the show.

So Gabe again was the "house hunter" for this episode to find a villa in Puglia, which is the heel part of the Italian boot.

Gabe wanted to emphasize the farm to table aspect, which he said is big in Puglia.  Puglia also has the most coastline in Italy so he wanted the villa to be near the sea as well as have a vegetable garden.

In Puglia, the farms are called macellerie (Italian plural of macellaria).

Gabe also wanted pool -- I want it all.  He didn't cite it initially but he wants something that looks great visually as well.  Obviously a big professional kitchen.

First house was a 14-th century macellaria with 17 rooms and 17 bathrooms.  Gabe said there would be 12 contestants and that they'd need room for crew as well.

It was near the coast and outside of Oltranto, a coastal town.

Gabe said there would be plenty of room and they could even have a green room.  But the kitchen was small and antiquated, only like 4 burners.  It would require massive construction to build a kitchen for their needs.

I believe this property also had the kitchen underground while the big dining room, where he wanted to film the judging was upstairs and he said that they'd have them cook something in 45 minutes and going up and down the stairs would be difficult.

Then they go to commercial and agent Rosa said that she watched Ciao House season -- did they air it in Italy?  Said she noticed Gabe's muscles and tattoos.

She introduced him to Lecce, the Florence of the South, showed him around the big amphitheater which is the center of town.

House 2 was just north of Lecce.  It was 16th century with IIRC 12 bedrooms.  But compared to House 1, it was very posh, renovated with modern internal lighting to show off the arched tufa walls and ceilings.  Tufa used in this home is from Puglia.

It had a big long kitchen.  Not enough burners but still better than House 1.  It had a long island so Gabe envisioned the contestants on one side of the island and the production crew on the other side, filming and directing.

The main negatives for House 2 were that it wasn't near the sea and it didn't already have a vegetable garden.  Instead it had beautifully manicured lawns and gardens which were lit up at night.

House 3 wasn't a real choice for Gabe.  It was a villa that the agent Rosa had been renovating for 2.5 years.  It didn't have many bedrooms and the kitchen only had 2 burners.

In fact, Rosa and her villa was featured in a previous HHI a few years ago when she was looking to return to Puglia and make a home with her husband or husband to be.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11940532/

Link has picture of Rosa from that previous episode.

Gabe eliminates House 1, because of the kitchen and the fact that overall it wasn't pretty enough for TV.

He rejects House 3, too small, he was polite about it, but Rosa wasn't really offering her home, though the budget was supposedly $25-75k a week so maybe she'd have gone to a hotel for a couple of months.

Obvious choice was Home 2 for the kitchen and the beauty.

[snarts]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Enjoyed the couple in Puerto Vallarta.  They were willing to go over their budget quite a bit, but the condo was beautiful.  However, I would really liked to have known what the HOA costs would be (it's an oversight in pretty much all episodes in which the buyers buy a condo/townhome or in a subdivision).

I liked them too and was also curious about the HOA costs, that building was beautiful and I liked the flex space with the murphy bed and pocket door. 

Their background story also made sense. One was a surgeon, the other an attorney. The attorney was with an international firm and could work remotely. The surgeon was able to manage his schedule so he could be in PV two weeks of every quarter (so 8 weeks/year). They planned to move there permanently in 5-10 years.

[seacliffsal]

I watch Ciao House Season 1 and the kitchen was waaaay too small for the number of chefs (also watched that original HHI episode).  This house had a much better kitchen and, quite frankly, I think the kitchen had to be the top priority of the selection.  I knew the third house wasn't really an option, but I enjoyed seeing it.

Liked how positive Gabe was and how joyfully he interacted with everyone he met.  This was a very enjoyable episode and makes me want to watch the new season of Ciao House, so the cross-promotion worked!

[aghst]

HGTV and Food Network must be part of the same media conglomerate.

In any event, I guess if they want to base the show in some of these historic locations, they're not going to have the optimal facilities, not just to have a dozen people cooking at the same time but to have however many production crew members filming them.

It's much easier to do it at a sound stage built for filming these shows.  But they want to play up European cuisine and show a lot of scenery.

Maybe they will cross-promote with some travel network or show too.  

Or maybe the FN doing shows like Ciao House and the baking show based in Paris is to get in on some of the travel food shows like Bourdain or Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci.

I think it would have been interesting to see an HHI episode where they chose the Paris venues for Next Bake Master: Paris.  That show films the baking scenes at a culinary school.  But the contestants are staying at a "penthouse" right in the middle of Paris with million dollar views of the Eiffel Tower and some other Parisian landmarks.  Hotels charge over $500 a night and more for rooms with such views.

[ML89]

15 minutes ago, aghst said:

HGTV and Food Network must be part of the same media conglomerate.

Yes. They're now owned by Discovery/Warner Brothers, I believe. They've always been a tandem.

[chessiegal]

58 minutes ago, ML89 said:

Yes. They're now owned by Discovery/Warner Brothers, I believe. They've always been a tandem.

HGTV and FN were both owned by Scripps Network which was bought by Discovery years ago. Other shows previously owned by Scripps include Cooking Channel, Magnolia (formerly DIY before the Gainses embarked on taking over the world).

Edited May 13 by chessiegal

[buttersister]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

maybe the FN doing shows like Ciao House and the baking show based in Paris is to get in on some of the travel food shows like Bourdain or Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci.

In their dreams. Or in so far as a trendy location only.

Same company, shared marketing strategies, which would explain the HGTV Texan couple (she with the shrill voice) remodeling a house for “friends” in Tuscany. But hey, it can work—I tuned in to see Montepulciano. And I watched a bit of Ciao House, until I couldn’t take the suckage anymore. Puglia is great, but I was out of this ep at :60–guilt by association.

[ECM1231]

On 5/13/2024 at 8:26 AM, chessiegal said:

Do you mean Alex Guarnaschelli? Ciao House is her show, renewed for a second season. FN website says they are doing this year's show in a different part of Italy, thus the need for a different house.

Did it air on Food Network for the 1st season? I can't remember. What day of the week does season 2 air? TIA

NM ... Google tells me that Season 2, Episode 1 airs May 19 at 8 pm.2 hour premiere 

Edited May 14 by ECM1231

[chessiegal]

13 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Did it air on Food Network for the 1st season? I can't remember. What day of the week does season 2 air? TIA

Yes, Ciao House is a FN show, with Alex Guarnaschelli as host. Alex is a fixture on FN, including being one of their Iron Chefs. On Season 1, Alex was very unpleasant. I hope they let her drop the 'tude this season.

The Season 2 premiere is May 19.

Season 2 Ciao House

[Dirge]

I saw a "new" episode of two friends moving to Glasgow, but maybe it wasn't really new since no one else is talking about it. I hated one of them right away because she kept saying things like "I graduated from university," which is a UK way of talking, not U.S. phrasing. She didn't have a job yet, so she kept harping on price, but they ended up choosing the most expensive city center (I'm sure she spells it "centre") flat. I agreed with that; the farther-out apartments didn't even have the extra bathroom to make up for the distance, and if they want to party they'd have spent money on transportation getting home, even if they were willing to use public transportation going out. 

I envy them!

[aghst]

Houston to Christchurch, an 18-year old teen with his mother for his soccer career.

She doesn't want him to go out to another country on his own so she will drive him to soccer practice and work on the family business remotely.

She wants 2 bedroom and 2 bathrooms, close to soccer practice field and shops for her to buy groceries to cook for him.🙃

At least they didn't mention the need for laundry, though that's probably assumed.

Their budget is $1700 but he wants water views, which would make it hard to stick to the budget.

So Christchurch is inland.  I believe to get to the coastal areas, they'd have to live in a suburb.

The soccer practice field is NW of Christchurch center while the water is to the east and south of Christchurch.

House 1 was in the city but still a bit of a drive to soccer.  It was 2 bedrooms and 1 bath but only $1300.  They balked at the one bathroom, because he's a guy and messy so they both want separate bathrooms.  She also noted that their bedrooms would be right next to each other, which she didn't seem to like.

House 2 is to the east of city center so a much longer drive to soccer.  But it has water views at $1700.  Still only 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and they are in a duplex.  Soccer mom starts noticing the water views herself.

House 3 is above Lyttleton, which is south of Christchurch and the last part of it involves driving on narrow winding roads.  It's a 3 bedroom 2 bath house at $1900 with stupendous views over Lyttleton Harbour.  She's worried about the budget and the drive on what she considers very challenging roads, not to mention she would be driving on the left side of the road for the first time.

They eliminate House 1, said it was too slow and while closer, it would still be a long-ish drive through busy city roads.

Obviously the son pushed for House 3.  She agrees because mom was loving the views herself.

Mom and dad are pretty generous.  If by 18 the kid doesn't have soccer prospects in the US or Europe, it's unlikely to happen.  But great adventure for him and his mom.

Lyttleton Harbour is spectacular but they have views with the port, with all the commercial cranes, containers and cargo ships.  More the east is the opening to the Pacific Ocean, with unspoiled views.  Or more to the west, you don't see cargo ships but instead rolling hills over aqua green water.  It's like something out of Lord of the Rings.  They can easily drive and hike to these places though.

Or from Lyttleton, which they can walk down to, they can take a short boat rid across the harbor to Diamond Harbour, which again doesn't have these commercial shipping things to spoil the views.

Of course New Zealand South Island and in general the country are known for spectacular scenery.

[eel2178]

41 minutes ago, aghst said:

Mom and dad are pretty generous.

Good grief, was he spoiled and entitled! I couldn't help thinking what he would have been like if he had seen the dorms at pretty much any college or university in the US if he had left home for school as most kids his age do.

"I just can't share a bathroom! Everyone else in the dorm is going to have to find someplace else to shower, so I can have everything exactly as I want it when I want it!"

[Crashcourse]

He came off as spoiled and entitled, but the mom didn't seem to want to share a bathroom with him either.  Also, living in a dorm and sharing a bathroom with other guy(s) isn't the same as sharing one with your mom, so I understood him wanting a separate bathroom.   

[buttersister]

7 hours ago, aghst said:

by 18 the kid doesn't have soccer prospects in the US or Europe, it's unlikely to happen.

LOL, that’s right. Not sure what this was really. 😂

[snarts]

20 hours ago, aghst said:

Mom and dad are pretty generous.  If by 18 the kid doesn't have soccer prospects in the US or Europe, it's unlikely to happen.  But great adventure for him and his mom.

I was curious and googled during the episode, he's still playing for a club in New Zealand.

Confused on why the Mom had to move with him. He was 18 (now 19). Did she say he was still in high school?  From the closing comments, it appeared she was interested in making the move permanently. Can't say that I blame her, the country is beautiful.

[laredhead]

33 minutes ago, snarts said:

Confused on why the Mom had to move with him. He was 18 (now 19). Did she say he was still in high school?

The mother did say that the son was still in high school, but he looked to me like he was probably a senior.  

[Pi237]

I’d love to move to New Zealand, it’s so pretty there. The parents obviously made big bucks to afford that arrangement. 

 I’ll never understand the separate toilet room with no sink. Things can get messy. That’s life. You’d end up touching a lot of doorknobs etc working your way to the sink. And it’s so tight and confining. That would annoy me more than the crazy narrow road. 

[chessiegal]

17 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

I’ll never understand the separate toilet room with no sink. Things can get messy. That’s life. You’d end up touching a lot of doorknobs etc working your way to the sink.

I'd keep wipes in that room to clean hands before getting to a sink.

[Jodithgrace]

Lots of countries have separate toilet rooms but, at least in Japan, they do have some kind of mini sink arrangement. 
 

What I kept asking myself during the entire episode is why the kid didn’t drive. What American 18 year boy doesn’t have a driver’s license? And if he got a license here,it would be easy for him to adjust to the left hand drive, because that would be how he learns, unlike Mom who has to unlearn her whole way of driving. Very peculiar.

poor dad, working away at home so his son can have harbor views and a chauffeur. 

[kirklandia]

You can love natural beauty and also enjoy views of a working harbor.  During the house tour, the son in the Christchurch episode sat in one of the chairs looking out the window and said he would want binoculars to watch the ships.

[aghst]

Those ships aren't much to look at though, big slabs of cargo containers.

If he could drive a few miles to the west or east, the views are much better.

The whole harbour is a haven for hikers and mountain bikers.

 

[Chit Chat]

14 hours ago, snarts said:

I was curious and googled during the episode, he's still playing for a club in New Zealand.

Maybe them being on this show was all about him being seen by potential scouts, although I'm not sure how many soccer scouts would be watching this show!!

I liked the harbor views.  I could sit for hours watching the ships coming and going.  

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

I liked the harbor views.  I could sit for hours watching the ships coming and going.  

Me too. We used to sail on the Chesapeake. There is a free version of the Marine Traffic app that shows ships. You can find out the name of the ships, where they came from and are going, the type of vessel, and their speed. I used it to keep an eye on the large commercial ships coming and going in and out of Baltimore when we were on the water. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

22 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

What American 18 year boy doesn’t have a driver’s license?

It's becoming pretty common.  Fifty years ago, we'd all but camp on the DMV's doorstep on the night before our 16th birthday to get our license.  But nowadays there's not that rush, for some reason I'll never understand. 

The bigger issue in the HH's situation is that he lived in Houston without a driver's license.  That's crazy talk.

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I used it to keep an eye on the large commercial ships coming and going in and out of Baltimore when we were on the water. 

I have family who live near a port in Florida.  When I'm there, I love to go out to the jetty and watch the cruise ships departing for their voyages.  Those are some huge ships!

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But nowadays there's not that rush, for some reason I'll never understand. 

I've heard some say that they're scared to drive.  Traffic can be scary in some cities!  Like you, we couldn't wait to get our license!  Freedom!!  

On 5/17/2024 at 8:05 AM, Pi237 said:

I’d love to move to New Zealand, it’s so pretty there.

That area was so beautiful.  I would've been happy with either the beach house or the harbor house.  I'm not familiar with the weather there and if they have a rainy season, so I'm hoping that the lady got used to driving the windy road so that if there is consistently bad weather, she's okay with it.  The drive up to the house is a little wonky with all of the cars parked on the side of the road.  

[aghst]

It gets very wet in NZ.

Whenever I go to see a beautiful port, often these huge cruise ships would be docked and blot out the sight lines.

Some of these things are the equivalent of 10 story or taller building and they're big slabs, not tapered, so it's like putting up a huge billboard to block the views.

One time I visited a fjord in Norway and there were several big cruise ships anchored there, near a village.  They were spewing smoke from their diesel engines to keep the power running and you could see a giant plume over the fjord.

No, I'm not a fan of cruise ships, either up close or from a distance.

[javajeanelaine]

I had to laugh when Mr Entitled said he was the one with the vision.  It’s easy to have vision when you don’t have to pay the rent. 

 

[proserpina65]

Christchurch: Entitled Ari isn't nearly as good a soccer player as he wanted us to believe or he'd have been recruited by a European club or at least an MLS team.  Because New Zealand is a far cry from the highest level.

I'd have chosen the second place as a good compromise.  No way would I have gone above budget in order to drive that narrow road every day for that little snot.  But then, I'd have let the brat go to New Zealand on his own, given that he's 18 freaking years old.

On 5/16/2024 at 12:19 PM, aghst said:

Lyttleton Harbour is spectacular but they have views with the port, with all the commercial cranes, containers and cargo ships.  

Yeah, they kept talking about the views and all I was seeing was an ugly ass port.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I'd have chosen the second place as a good compromise. 

I liked that house too, but maybe it was worth the higher price to get the one with 2 bathrooms.  They kept quibbling over which one was the problem as far as having 1 bathroom!  I'm not sure who the real slob was!  :)

[Pi237]

I know a handful of younguns afraid to drive. Can’t blame them-traffic has exploded in volume & everyone seems to drive like an angry Road Rager. Plus, the cost of even a beater used car is bananas now. But yeah, the freedom-I couldn’t go back to bumming rides all the time. 
 

 

[aghst]

I think with rideshare, maybe teens and young adults are using that as they need it, as long as their parents pay for it?

Unless they use rideshare or things like food delivery apps a lot, I mean like more than 3-4 thousand a year, some parents may come out ahead buying them a car, paying for insurance.

[Chit Chat]

42 minutes ago, aghst said:

I think with rideshare, maybe teens and young adults are using that as they need it, as long as their parents pay for it?

I'm worried that some young people don't want to grow up and take on adult responsibilities.  I hope I'm wrong, but I see plenty of kids in the dental practice and many of them have zero ambition, and usually can't answer basic questions.  However, I do see a good number of them who are motivated, so maybe there is hope.  

I think it was best that the soccer player's mom went with him to New Zealand.  It's probably best to have a parent there to scout things out and make sure it's a safe place, etc.  Maybe he'll be ready to be on his own in a few short years. 

[Tess23]

My children are long grown and on their own, but I would have for sure accompanied my 18-year old high schooler to New Zealand for at least a year if they were pursuing a goal. And after seeing my son's bathroom in his college apartment, I wouldn't have wanted to share with him, either.

If nothing else, what a grand adventure for both this mom and son. Hopefully dad gets to have some long visits there, too.

[eel2178]

On 5/17/2024 at 10:37 AM, Jodithgrace said:

Lots of countries have separate toilet rooms but, at least in Japan, they do have some kind of mini sink arrangement.

In Hakone, Japan, my hotel room had a toilet tank lid with a spigot and a basin built in. When you flushed the toilet, a stream of water came out of the spigot for you to wash your hands then the basin drained into the toilet tank to refill it for the next flush. It wasn't in a separate room, however. The real sink and the bathtub where right there, too.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Again, the boy grew up in Houston and doesn't know how to drive.  I understand people who grow up in New York City not learning to drive because it's actually easier to get around via public transport than in a car.  But Houston couldn't be more different. 

If you learn when you're in high school, the only financial burden other than driving lessons is adding the kid on the family's auto insurance.  That's not necessarily insignificant, but the kid doesn't need to have his own car.  Back in the day, hardly any of us had our own cars in high school.

I guess kids don't drive up and down the drag all night any more.  Boy, that was fun, even with the oil embargo in the 1970s.  Where there's a will, there's a way, and there was a strong will to drive up and down the drag.