My new husband of 1 month left for Newcastle yesterday for his job. I will be coming over in about a month. I could use all the info you can help me with...weather, cost of living, banking, grocery stores, clothes to wear (I live in shorts and tank tops!), and any other info you can give me. As I have never been out of the US, this will be a huge adventure for me, and is causing me some stress. I have looked on the internet, but have not found it to be very helpful in what I am looking for. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Don't be stressed....adventures are fun! But you can forget your shorts and tank tops until next summer (and it's likely you won't need them for much of that) As you're coming to stay for a while, you might as well wait till you get here to buy most of your warmer clothes, but you'll definitely need warm waterproof outerwear as well as clothes you can layer underneath. And hat/ scarf/ gloves/ warm footwear. You might see snow, but it's more likely that much of the winter will be damp chilliness, with occasional bouts of frost, and damp chilliness feels colder than anything else imo.

The UK cost of living isn't cheap and, from reading posts on here, it seems that it's a great deal more expensive than the US, so try not to be too surprised. The North is generally cheaper than the South, London being particulalry expensive.There are plenty of supermarkets (Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons etc), which are often on out-of-town sites but are usually cheapest for food/ alcohol/ CDs/ DVDs etc, but there are also many smaller shops. Newcastle (assuming you mean on-Tyne, as opposed to under-Lyme)is a large city with plenty of shopping choice so I've no doubt you'll be fine. There are several major banks,with little to choose between them. The best thing to do would be to go into a local branch aand ask what they can offer/ will require from you.

If you're staying for a while you need to think about finding a GP locally(general practitioner....first port of call for anything other than emergency medical treatment)and registering with his/ her practice, and also a dentist. Phone your local GP/dentist for details once you arrive.....the phone book will have them listed. A good source of free information is the local library, and the local council office will also be able to help with some things (or at least point you in the right direction).

You'll find the UK very different, although you'll recognise some similarities (e.g. Macdonald's, TV programmes). Be prepared to relish the differences, and to get used to the Newcastle accent/ dialect('Geordie') which might be difficult to understand at first. I'm sure you'll have a brilliant time, and Newcastle is especially well-placed for exploring places like York, Northumberland and Scotland.

Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to email me with any more questions, and I'll do my best to answer them!

Well New Nride, your New Husband should be able to help, a phone all cannot be all that expensive(or did he spend all the cash on a new engagement ring?). In any xase, Brits do not worry much about clothes. The only thing: don't wear sneakers, or else you won't be allowed into most of the clubs...
BTW: which Newcastle are you talking of?

Well New Bride, your New Husband should be able to help, a phone all cannot be all that expensive(or did he spend all the cash on a new engagement ring?). In any case, Brits do not worry much about clothes. The only thing: don't wear sneakers, or else you won't be allowed into most of the clubs...
BTW: which Newcastle are you talking of? Apologies Ma'am, I just notice that we are in the Geordie forum.

You need warmer clothes. This is not Daytona Beach. Clothes are fairly expensive in the UK so visit your local discount mall and get some basics to tide you over until you get to know your way around.

You'll need warm socks and "real" shoes. You'll need warm slacks and sweaters of various weights to layer. A wool scarf will be handy and you will need a winter coat. If you can afford a Goretex with zip-out lining, it would be easier to pack. Another possibility would be a raincoat with a zip-out lining. Be sure you have at least one pair of waterproof shoes and an umbrella.

If you have this much, you'll be fine until you live there a while and discover what you need and where to purchase it reasonably. You really won't need those shorts and tank-tops until next summer and if you're used to Florida, you may not need them at all. The UK is cool most of the time, sort of like San Francisco.

Don't be nervous or stressed. It will be a new experience and you'll get to meet all sorts of new people and see new places. This is what dreams are made of. 8^)

Have fun.

I was born in and live in Newcastle - send me a private e-mail asking me exactly what you want to know and I'll give you the low down. Fiona

Hi! I was new to England from the USA too 13 years ago. It is a culture shock but it is also exciting too. You will learn more by just getting out and about once you get over here. I found volunteering in a local charity shop helped me to meet people, get an idea of the currency and just learn more about the culture.

I'd recommend signing up for a good long distance phone service (one.tel offers calls to America for only 3p a minute). If you are like me, I spent alot of my first weeks phoning everyone back home. And pack a few of your favourite foods you can't live without. When I got here in 1992, there were no bagels anywhere! I was close to tears. :( Fortunately there is alot more choice now. But you'll still pay through the nose for a box of Lucky Charms.

Good luck with your move. If you want to ask me any questions, feel free.

www.uk-yankees.com is a forum for US expats. I kmow some of them live in Geordie Land.

Hi and hope you are looking forward to some great times in England. I am an American who married a Newcastle native and have lived here since 2000. As the other posters have said, you'll need warm clothes. It's been close to freezing this past week, even during the day at times.

I actually found Newcastle much more similar to living in US than I expected, and despite many warnings about all the rain in England, I don't find it all that bad. Of course it does rain fairly often, but it doesn't normally lasy for days at a time, so there's lots of sun and nice weather, too. One word of warning, though. Summers can be a shock; the first one I spent here I kept waiting for summer to arrive and it never did. It doesn't get much warmer than about 72 degrees, and the biggest culture shock I've had here was to find newscasters calling temperatures of about 85 "sizzling"! We can tell them a thing or two about what "sizzling" means.

Anyway, if you do find yourself getting a bit homesick, you can head for any of the following, all of which you'll find in Newcastle: Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, MacDonald's, TGIF, Starbuck's, Baskin Robbins, Haagen-Dazs, Staples, Subway, Costco, Woolworth, Wal-Mart, and lots of others.

The food might take some getting used to, as it's heavy on fried stuff and you get french fries with everything, including pizza. The oddest things on the menu (to Americans) are baked beans on toast, spaghetti on toast, and chip butty (a sandwich of nothing but bread, butter, and french fries). They also put weird things on pizza, such as baked beans, and the pizza itself almost always is mad with cheddar than the correct mozzarella. However, you'll find lots of appetizing things to eat as well, and English cooking is becoming known for getting better and healthier all the time.

There are lots of wonderful places to visit in the Newcastle area, and you'll enjoy exploring. Even if you don't have a car immediately, bus service is much more extensive and frequent than in many places in US.

Do enjoy your stay, and feel free to ask anything else if you wish.

Regards,

Cathy

I really don't know where you've been eating pizza but I can't remember the last time I got cheddar instead of mozzarella on a pizza! Newcastle has a wide range of Italian restaurants and pizzas places most of which are VERY good.

Right, I didn't mean to insult any Italian restaurants in Newcastle or elsewhere. I don't tend to go out for pizza myself, but instead buy it in the supermarket. Take a look at all the pizzas on sale in the frozen section of the supermarkets. You really have to look far and wide for a pizza (or lasagna or other Italian product) that doesn't have cheddar, unless you buy either American or imported Italian brands.

By the way, my husband patronises mostly pubs, not retaurants (Italian or otherwise), and it's the rare pub that doesn't use cheddar in its Italian dishes.

Still don't agree......personally I don't buy frozen pizza but I still have to argue against the statement. Lets go shopping in Newcastle and I'll show you where to buy a frozen pizza without cheddar on it.

I have to agree with Cathy about the baked beans. I really found it strange when I moved over here to see people eating baked beans with breakfast. But now, after over a decade, I enjoy it myself. I know what you mean about the pizza cheese. It doesn't seem to have the same "stretch" like the cheese on pizzas back in the states.

I've lived in Newcastle for 22 years. It's a compact, devloping city centre which you can easily walk across in a day. It used to be cheaper than the South East, but I find it about the same now, and house prices are pretty much the same as anywhere apart for London.
There are some nice towns on the coast within easy reach of the town, and a reliable CLEAN metro system, a car is not necessary. Traffic is terrible, especially when trying to cross Tyne. Made worse by huge student population who find it necessary to own cars.
It feels like quite a safe city, perhaps because I know it well.
There are scores of high quality restaurants many offering tea-time/lunch discounts. Some remaining traditional bars, more and more pub chains.
Supermarkets are mainly out of town, not much to choose between them. Smaller shops in town
Weather is not too extreme, easterly wind can get a bit chilly, padded jacket and jeans are fine for the worst of the weather.
The Northumberland landscape is some of the most dramatic you will see