From England to the US: Interview with Rianne Part I

Rianne

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rianne, a chocoholic and lover of travel who often gets "itchy feet" as the expression goes. Every one of her trips must include trying the best dessert in the area. She lives in England in the city of Southampton, famous for being the port city from which the Titanic departed. She was visiting Los Angeles last summer and stayed in the same room as me in the Walk of Fame hostel on Hollywood Boulevard. In our chat, she shares a great deal about her travels on the West Coast and how it compares to her home country.

Mariya: Can you share a bit about what brought you to Los Angeles last summer?

Rianne: I'm quite the movie and TV program addict. That's why a lot of places I go are normally places I've seen on TV or in a movie somewhere. So that's why I look up where they filmed something and I say, "OK, I can go there and there when I'm in this city." 

[LA is] the ideal place to go when you're a bit of a movie buff because it was fascinating for me to see soooo many places there that I had seen on TV, and also going to a couple of the studios. I got to see the magic of how they put everything together. 

M: What did you enjoy the most about your trip? 

R: Do you mean overall or specifically Los Angeles?

M: We could talk about both!

R: Overall, it would be catching up with a lot of my friends who I hadn't seen in a long time. They're people that I've met through travel. I realized there were quite a few on the West Coast, so that's why I decided to do that route when I went. Then obviously making a lot of new friends, like you, along the way, which was really nice!

Something else that I enjoy doing that I forgot to say was going on walks and hikes, so that was a big part of my trip as well. Not when it was too hot! That's why I didn't get to do the hike to the Hollywood sign; I really wanted to do that.

M: It was really hot when we went, I have to say.

R: I would like to do that, so I definitely want to go back to do that. Well, it's LA so it's always going to be warm, but when it's cooler in the day. When I went to Runyon Canyon, about an hour or two before sunset and that was perfect. It was just nice and refreshing when I went.

Other parts of LA that I liked: obviously the studios. Oh, Hugh Jackman! I got to see him when I went to the Hollywood Bowl, which was amazing. That was one of my favorite bits. I did that one as a YOLO thing. We weren't far where we were staying from the Hollywood Bowl, were we? It was like a 10-15 minute walk. The night before I went, I walked up and I was just planning to listen, and when I could hear him singing that night, I was like, "I need to get a ticket." So I just went to the ticket office and was like, "Do you have any tickets for tomorrow?" and then I just booked one. I've never done that before. I'm very organized when I go places. I have everything planned out and scheduled. So that was a "treat yourself" moment. I'm so glad I did it! He is worth every penny! He's brilliant.

Oh, and one of my favorite days was my last day with you guys! That was like the perfect last day. It was really good, especially ending with the gig. That was fun!

M: Did you find that coming to the US was a culture shock?

R: I don't think it is because I feel like in some ways we are quite similar as countries. I feel like of all the countries in the world, America and the UK are kind of "best buddies."

M: Well, yes and no.

R: I don't know, because maybe we're more so with Canada. But that's what it feels like to us. And because I had been to America quite a few times before, so I'm more used to it.

A few things that I was kind of aware of...it's not so much culture though...I was very anxious about guns. Very, very anxious. When I was by myself, I would always be kind of looking over my shoulder and planning an escape route if the worst happened, like was there anywhere I could take cover, that kind of thing, which I would never ever think about back home.

I [also] feel like strangers are a lot more friendly in America. I don't know if that's something you find or I just came across some nice people.

M: It's hard to say. I think there are a lot of stereotypes about different parts of the US and how they act towards tourists. I think California and the West Coast in general have a more positive view where they're friendlier and more laid back. I would say there are definitely a lot of stereotypes around New York, where I'm from, that are like "they're the rudest, they're the meanest, they'll brush you off."

R: I didn't get that impression at all when I was in New York! Everyone I came across was friendly.

M: Thank you! [Laughs]

R: I think it's the opposite. In England, as a stereotype, we're thought of as being super polite, but I don't think that's the case at all. We really keep to ourselves. In America, you'll pass someone and they'll say "hi." That rarely happens in England. If someone says "hi" to us, we're like "Whoa! Why are you talking to me?" We really keep to ourselves and we're kind of stuck up.

M: You think that's true for England? Because I know that's a stereotype some people have.

R: I really do. In my experience, anyway. Maybe it's just in southern England. People from northern England tend to be friendlier. I can say that because I am from the South and we do have a big North-South divide. But I will admit, they are friendlier.

I've also noticed that there aren't really any pubs in America, mostly bars. We have some bars in the UK too, but really pubs are more homey and quaint. You can sit by a roaring fire, it's more of a family place where people go to get a pub meal. And there are over 60,000 pubs in England.

STAY TUNED FOR PARTS II AND III OF THIS INTERVIEW.