Four and a half years out of America, and we've never looked back.

I remember early on we were in a park with friends in the middle of the summer, and there were these kids playing, quite small. It was quite late, after 11, and I suddenly realized that these kids had no adult with them. And they were definitely on the affluent side with a home to go to.

It took me quite a few seconds to think it through - they are perfectly safe so their parents don't worry if they go play in the park at night. (And the attitude is, "You can't wrap your kids in cotton wool.")

That police officers would be competent and relaxed and just laugh at e.g. drunken idiots provoking them - still hard to believe.