Stevens in the States

For eight hours I had been stuck next to a large American woman on the flight over. Prior to that, I sat in DFW Airport for 2 hours, and after the flight I waited for luggage and went through customs.

Suddenly, I was free. And, it turned out, fully energised, ready to leap.

Literally. Having sat still for so long, it was time to do the opposite.

I took my suitcases into the lift to take me up through Gatwick towards the shuttle trains, and the door closed.

There, on my own, for around 8 seconds, I danced.

I danced. Madly, happily, flailing myself around to the sound of my ipod.

Complete energy usage for 8 seconds.

I then stopped. The doors opened, I wheeled my suitcase out, and continued my journey.

When you're British, all American films are set in... America. Not LA, or New York, or Seattle, just in America.

Consider it the other way round. To the Americans, all English films are set in quaint old England. It doesn't matter whether it's Snatch, The Full Monty or Love Actually, they're all based in Englandshire.

But now, having lived here for however long it's been, I'm starting to notice where American films are based. And the best films are all based in...

Chicago.

I mean, what other city can have a top three films that list like this?

3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
2. Wayne's World
1. The Blues Brothers

If you can list three better films from any other city, then I'll be impressed.

(For those watching in black and white, the only film out of Dallas that I know of is Office Space. Which actually, is worth watching.)