The problem with using the Hull consulate, it seems to me, is that they will only issue you with a 90-day "O" visa, leaving you then with the potential hassle of converting it to a year's "O-A" retirement visa once in Thailand (with no guarantee of a successful outcome or that the Immigration Bureau people you'll be dealing with will be anywhere near as friendly or helpful as the Hull consulate). My preference would be to get everything sorted out as far as possible beforehand, and, since I live in SW London, the Thai Embassy is easy for me to get to in person. Indeed, I note from earlier posts in this string that Bren was contemplating getting an "O-A" retirement visa from the London Embassy and that Chicowoodduck successfully obtained such a visa on home soil in the USA. I would particularly be interested in knowing what the Bank of America statement verification letter which Chicowoodduck obtained at a cost of $10 might have said.