# How do American ideas of luxury compare to European ones?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 16, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650 "2010-05-16T16:13:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650/101 "2010-05-20T18:55:53Z")

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> [@Perciful](#):
>
> I can’t live without air conditioning. I was surprised to learn many Europeans don’t use it.

Growing up in California, hardly anyone I knew had air conditioning. Neither of the houses I grew up in had it.

Public spaces are a different story, but none of my schools had AC either.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650/102 "2010-05-20T19:05:56Z")

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> [@Kyla](#):
>
> Growing up in California, hardly anyone I knew had air conditioning. Neither of the houses I grew up in had it.

My apartment didn’t have a/c. I hated the Summers there.

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650/103 "2010-05-20T19:08:46Z")

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> [@Kyla](#):
>
> Growing up in California, hardly anyone I knew had air conditioning. Neither of the houses I grew up in had it.
> 
> Public spaces are a different story, but none of my schools had AC either.

I’m guessing you didn’t grow up in Fresno. 😛

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**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650/104 "2010-05-20T19:27:24Z")

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> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#):
>
> I’m guessing you didn’t grow up in Fresno. 😛

Ha, no. The Bay Area.

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650/105 "2010-05-20T23:33:00Z")

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Ours is a maritime climate, without extremes of humid heat or dry cold. Continental Europe (especially when you get far from the sea) will have these greater extremes.

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**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-american-ideas-of-luxury-compare-to-european-ones/539650/106 "2010-05-21T07:50:35Z")

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> [@Perciful](#):
>
> I can’t live without air conditioning. I was surprised to learn many Europeans don’t use it.

Europe is quite a big place with a diverse climate. I don’t have any need for it in London, but my holiday home in southern Italy has it.

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