Hold West
Quite agree on conditional line-ups-potentially dangerous and I don't the point; it doesn't save time or radio comms.
One bizarre US procedure (apart from language silliness on the radio) is the constant use of visual ground references. Something you do NOT hear around the world, but is a constant at major US airports. It is like pilots and ATCOs are trying to outsmart each other on local knowledge.
While the US certainly has its oddities, travel the world. For example, try to understand a Russian airways clearance, they just give the squawk code-zippo else. Then I found out why-in Soviet times the navigator filed the flight plan, which was countersigned and entered into the system, ta da-the airways clearance. The only remaining item was the squawk code-routing and level was assumed as planned, freqs on charts, so code and take-off clearance.
The idea of a million transition levels seems antiquated-why cannot the ICAO agree on one, hell, why can't the UK CAA agree on one. Once flew from Mildenhall to Yeovilton-RIS, RAS, and controlled airspace in 40 minutes, in and out of CAS by changing level one thousand feet.