One of my most memorable visits to the US was a road trip along the west coast: from Seattle to San Diego. There were areas where the restaurants only took cash and locals had never heard an Irish accent. More than once, we were accused of being Australian. But the further south we travelled, the more sophisticated – and better off – people were. We stayed in a hotel in San Francisco with no bar or restaurant, but it had an astrologer on 24-hour standby.
The trip highlighted America’s variety and how, at times, it didn’t feel like one country at all but a mishmash of different ethnicities, religions, educational standards and values.
Most Americans, presumably, would take…