Anyone know of organised Bonfire Night celebrations in the US? Particularly in the Philadelphia or NYC areas? I'm kind of pining away for one, here.

There are enough expats in Philly; that's for sure!

So I have just accepted a position with a local firm here in the UK and as part of the probationary period I cannot have a vacation in the next 3 months. Now I have been a contractor for the past 5 years so vacation has never been something that has been hard for me to get. Not to mention even when I have been an employee vacation has never been something that was restricted during the first 3 months of employment in the US... at least not that I can recall. So my question is is this normal for the UK and perhaps even for the US or does it depend on the firm?

Edit: This is vacation in general. I wasn't expecting it to be paid vacation after all I haven't been on paid vacation in years!

Happy St. George's Day to the English folks in here!

England's Most Patriotic Town?

How does your town compare with Morley? I know Britons are generally less demonstrative of their patriotism than Americans (who will use any excuse to hang flags and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" or recite the Pledge of Allegiance), so are big St. George's day celebrations common? Is it an "everyman" sort of event where you are or is it seen locally as something mostly for reenactors or the BNP? I can look up Wikipedia's article on how St. George's Day is celebrated in England (and in other countries, for the curious), but all it really says is English Heritage et. al. are trying to bring it back into fashion throughout the country.

I would really like to make a chex party mix type snack for Christmas, as that's one of my faves! But since there's no chex here, can anyone think of anything I can substitute for the corn chex, rice chex, and wheat chex? Preserving the crunchy texture is critical!

Happy Holidays!

I am going back to the states on Christmas Eve (yes, I know-- IT SUCKS!) I'll be arriving on Christmas Eve at around 14:30. This gives me a little time to wrap presents, but not *oodles*.

I bought some stuff from Asda, not really thinking, just to maybe wrap a few of the gifts before the flight. The gifts will be in my checked luggage because well, I don't know, that's just how I've planned it so far.

Anyway, the wrapping paper I bought from Asda is foil wrapping paper. Well, you know, the shiny stuff but still is paper, stuff. Would that funk with the scanners at airport security lots? Should I just not even worry about wrapping and just rush it on Christmas eve when I get home?

Reason I do ask/inquire is because my ex brought over some presents already wrapped last year and didn't have any problems with people ripping open the packages. But I can't for the life of me remember if he even wrapped anything with the shiny paper or not! And if anything.. I'm just really curious if anyone has had any experiences with this sort of stuff...

I'm working on our itinerary for London, which will be during Xmas. We're relying totally on public transport and I know 26 December is a Bank Holiday. Is *all* public transport shut down for this day, too (not counting taxi's)? We were thinking of traveling to Oxford for the day, but so far my searches haven't been very promising, so I thought I'd ask here.
Cheers!

I have been reading up on Manchester since my father is from there and I will be visiting in March.  One site says the St. Patrick's Day celebration there is the largest in Europe.  Does that seem accurate to those in the know?  I guess there were a lot of Irish immigrants (like my grandparents) in the big industrial days of the 19th century.  Or maybe it is just a universal excuse for partying, like Mardi Gras.  I think I would like to experience it since I am planning to be there within a matter of days anyway.

I notice the day itself is on a Monday.  Does anyone know if celebrations happen on the precise date or on the Saturday/Sunday closest to the date? I could fly to Manchester first rather than London first, sort of switch the trip around. Thanks!

Does Britain have anything similar to the American Fourth of July/Independance Day? Not necessarily in the intent behind it, just in the way it's celebrated. I tried looking this up with google/wiki, but it's hard to really get a feel for how holidays work from encyclopedia-like text.

Thanks so much. :)

My fiancee and I are looking for a pleasant place to spend a week or so of the summer relaxing, which for us includes hiking, enjoying nature, and seeing a few historic sites. I'd thought of suggesting a hill-walking trip to the UK, and I was trying to decide which of (a) the West (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset), (b) North Wales, (c) the Peak District, or (d) the North (the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, or Northumberland) would be the best place to go. Qualifiers include not blazingly hot (by UK standards), not terrifically crowded, possessed of a fair amount of natural beauty, and having a nice town or two to stay in if we don't feel like camping the whole time.

Suggestions? I'm guessing for starters that Cornwall and the Lake District will be the most packed with tourists...

I was considering going somewhere this weekend, just a short day trip to someplace I've never been like Bath or Oxford. Do you think there will be many places open? I don't want to go all the way just to find that they are ghost towns! What are the chances of cute shops and cafes, etc., being open this weekend?

Don't forget it's Mothers Day / Mothering Sunday in the UK on 18th March. I'm just not much of a calendar person and always used to rely on a barrage of adverts on the box and in the papers to remind me, but as Mothers Day in the USA isn't until May it's easy to forget the UK one.

So my fellow Brits abroad, what are you all doing for it? Phone call? Card? Gift? I'm doing all three.

Happy St. David's Day to all Welsh and Welsh-Americans!

For those of you shipping Christmas packages, the recommended deadline is Dec. 11 for air mail.

I was able to find this link about US Postal service's international deadlines:
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2006/pr06_063.htm

I wasn't able to find Royal Mail's deadlines, but my boyfriend in England assures me that the lady at the post office said Dec. 11, too.

My boyfriend and I are going to Amsterdam for a few days before Christmas and are actually flying back into London [Heathrow] on the 25th. I just found out that no tubes or buses [or anything it seems] run on Christmas, which is crazy-talk, if you ask me. But now I'm worried about how we're going to get back home to Mile End. Are cabs the only option? I'm afraid it will cost a lot to take a cab that far and I read that they charge extra on Christmas as well. So any tips on how one might get from Heathrow to East London or just around the city in general that day without going broke? Augh, if I'd realized this we would have planned different dates, probably. :\

Does anyone know anywhere in London that might sell pre-made pumpkin pies? It's Thanksgiving today and, having an American fiance, means I have to do some sort of Thanksgiving dinner. I have most of the things but was kinda hoping to surprise him with a pumpkin pie. Any ideas?

Unfortunately, I don't have time to make one from scratch.

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