Angelika The USA is in the final stages of the election campaign, and newspaper writers are typing their fingers to the bone. We are already quite exhausted from all the debates, analyses, and forecasts. Many have asked us for our assessment since we live in this country. Who will win, Harris or Trump? This may sound a bit offhand, but the chances are still 50-50 for both. We can't provide any smarter analyses either. It's very close. The decision for Biden to step aside in July was necessary and important, but unfortunately, it came a bit too late. I would have at least wished for an open Democratic convention where not only Kamala Harris was nominated, but also other candidates, for whom the delegates could have cast their votes. But no one asks me.

Angelika San Francisco has an interesting voting system, namely the so-called "Ranked Choice Voting" . Roughly and simply put, the voter ranks all the candidates in order of preference. The candidate they like the most is placed first, the second choice in second place, and so on. This initially sounds simple, but it has its pitfalls, as I will explain in more detail shortly. Such an election process prevents run-off elections, but it is often criticized as being too complicated or opaque.

Michael Our neighborhood, Noe Valley in San Francisco, is known to be almost at the center of the peninsula on which the city spreads out. However, hardly any tourist knows about our little oasis, a well-preserved small village with its own marketplace, amidst a decaying city where chaos has reigned for years due to misguided policies.

Michael When I'm out and about as a pedestrian, I find California drivers easier to tolerate than those from other states or even the Germans. Okay, most Californians can't drive at all, creeping along like five-year-olds, but thanks to automatic transmissions, the car still moves forward. However, California drivers simply lack the most basic skills to assess situations in traffic. Just like someone who is already behind the wheel at the age of five.

Michael The prices for food in restaurants have noticeably increased in San Francisco, so it's important to know where you can still eat and drink well and affordably in our expensive city.

Angelika I like listening to music, but I'm not particularly adventurous when it comes to different genres, and I'm not always up to date with the latest trends. I'm a bit stuck in my youthful Sturm und Drang years when it comes to music. I still enjoy listening to the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Supertramp, Billy Joel, Meat Loaf, Herbert Grönemeyer, BAP, Udo Lindenberg, and so on. It might also be because I generally tend to be nostalgic.

Angelika San Francisco is known to have a built-in natural air conditioner, namely the fog. This is extremely practical because the temperature cools down at night, even after hot days. Overall, San Francisco has a pleasant, mild climate. It is never scorching hot, but there are many sunny days with T-shirt weather.

Michael When it comes to burger joints in America, there is sort of a three-tier system. If you order a burger in regular restaurants, let's say at a pub named "Cactus Jack's Bar and Grill," you often get a thicker ground beef patty on a "Brioche-Bun" a still somewhat way too fluffy roll, but with a slightly cake-like structure and a golden-brown sheen. In upscale establishments, the ground meat is often a freshly minced half-pounder, and you can (and should) order the burger "medium," if not even "medium rare." However, the galloping inflation has led to such a dish a) now costing 20 dollars and b) because it should actually cost more than 30 dollars, but no one would pay that much for a burger, the patties are getting thinner and thinner.