Something to be sure that you understand is the '45 deg join'. It's quite well described in the FAR/AIM, but I'm surprised how many UK pilots who have flown there don't seem to understand it. What the FAR/AIM doesn't mention is the common use of VRP's for joining, often at 2 mi 45 deg to the downwind abeam the tower. Studying the chart will often reveal these VRP's before you get there so that you can be primed for a possibly unintelligible place name that the controller says.