London for 20 years then "oop north" for 20 years, so I know what you mean. Talking to strangers is more natural up here for sure, although there is still a wal

London for 20 years then "oop north" for 20 years, so I know what you mean. Talking to strangers is more natural up here for sure, although there is still a wall of "why is this person talking to me?" to break through at the start of any conversation. I think maybe the accent breaks through a lot of barriers in the US.