What do I miss?

I get this question fairly often. To be honest, I don't miss NYC. In a way, our time there had expired. We lived and worked in the City, but there wasn't much about it that got me excited every day. We do miss our house in WH, and escaping on the weekend to the peace and quiet. We know we are lucky to have this opportunity to live abroad, work and travel. Will we ever go back to NYC? Yes, and I predict we'll feel renewed and energized. But there aren't any plans to return until we feel ready.

That said, I miss some really silly things. Here goes...

• Ice. Europe isn't in to ice. I seem to always forget this.
• Boars Head cold cuts. We were a honey maple turkey and ham family. Your only cold cut sandwich option here is Subway. Blech. We move on and find alternatives.
• Nail salons on every corner. A pedicure will set you back £45. Eek!
• Air conditioning on public transport. There is no AC on the tube here. It gets pretty stuffy and smelly. I could write a whole post about personal awareness and hygiene, or the lack of for that matter.
• Dunkin Donuts coffee. I'm an addict. I hate espresso, which is the drink of choice here. I predict the stash of french vanilla I shipped over will run out in about 2-3 weeks.
• Equinox. Don't get me going on the gym situation here. As my friend Adrienne put it, "It's all about finding the best of the worst."

That said, there are so many things that make life wonderful here. I can't really complain. If these are the sacrifices we're making, I think we're doing OK.