Sames, differents

It is so easy to see superficial similarities between Australia and the United States. Here are some of the differents ...

Highway driving. In the States, the norm is to speed, at least 5 or 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. In Australia, from what I've seen, drivers stick to the speed limit. I've driven from Sydney to Canberra a few times, as well as on New South Wales' South Coast, and on the highway, it's pretty much going at whatever the speed limit is ...

Small businesses. I think it's the tax code, but there are a lot more small businesses in Australia than in the USA. I'll try to get some photos, but today's pick was a portable grill cleaning service. As in barbie kind of grill. This company would even detail your grill, if you had the money.

Traffic calming. While it is starting to catch on in the States, I see traffic calming and road closings (to prevent through traffic on a neighborhood street) done a lot here. It is very pedestrian-friendly, which is a good thing. Sydney is much more densely populated than DC.