Hi.
I am a luganese now working in Zurich so I can say a couple of things about Lugano (in random order)
- there is a Indian Resturant in Lugano. It's called King Coconut. It should be in Viganello
- Cinema prices: 10 on monday, 12 with a special card and 15 on friday/saturday (main show only)
- Coca-cola : 3.30-3.80
- Bus: 1.60 single (if I remember correctly..I don't use it so much.Lugano is not that big)
- McDonald: I think around 10.-
- a beer costs more or less the same as a Coke (for a 3dl beer)
- accomodation: I know only www.castalia.ch for that.
- you can easily find a job at McDonalds or at some reastaurant, but forget a job in IT


I read somewhere that Ticino (and Lugano) has something special about climate because it's closed in valleys. You can easily notice that if you go from Zurich to Milan by train. In the German part of Switzerland you can have fog,rain and cold weather; then when you enter Ticino you'll see sun and warm weather. Then when you go in the "pianura padana" you get the fog again.

Speaking about people, it's true that Luganesi are not as open as italians. We are just in the middle between the somewhat boring swiss germans and the too much outgoing italians .
We are in no way similar to Californian, that's for sure. Try to speak with a stranger in a bar and you'll see the difference. (This is one of the reason a lot of ticinesi men marry foreign women.)

About prices, a lot of ticinesi goes to Italy for shopping, especially for food, since electronics is more expensive there (because of the taxes mainly).
I usually suggest to go to Como on weekends to have fun on that beautiful city (ask Geoge Clooney) and to go shopping on the big supermarket there (Bennet for example, wich is easy to reach even when there are kilometers of queues at the customs (hint: Pizzamiglio )

About irish pub, Lugano has more than 300 bars but unfortunately they all look more or less the same. No irish pub. There was an irish pub in Locarno but it had to close. Ticinesi don't go out often during weekdays


Feel free to PM me if you need some more info.