- Free water at restaurants
- Free access to bathrooms in public areas
- National parks
- ???
It’s very pretty. Like there are truly, wonderously beautiful places in the us. There’s genuine wilderness. Not much, but there’s some. The people can be very cool. There’s a lot of good food.
I drove through the Rockies a couple years ago (California -> Nevada -> Utah -> Colorado) and it was breathtaking. Every hour the terrain changed shape and color into something more beautiful. I never saw anything like it in the Bible Belt where I grew up. Literally all I did was drive on the interstate to get to my destination, yet it felt like a vacation.
Diversity, both of people and geography. You can find a much wider spectrum of people (ethnicities, etc.) than in many other countries, and experience almost every biome the planet has to offer with some truly spectacular natural features.
We are, of course, doing our best to get rid of both those positive things.
I’m pretty sure nearly every country has those three to some extent.
- ???
NYC public metro is pretty cool, maybe it’s just because I was raised in NYC but I still think it’s a cool thing. Too bad they’re going to sell it to some Israeli dumbfuck when Zionism collapses.
NY Gov Kathy Hochul slashed congestion pricing which cuts Metro Transit Agency funding which will have a ripple effect throughout US’s already aging infrastructure. Rightists in NYC have also been creating a moral panic around NYC’s subway being unsafe and the cop mayor Adams is upping police presence in the subway dramatically. The only reason you’d continually beat your public infrastructure to death is if you want to privatize it. Who better to gobble up US public infrastructure than the Zionist ruling class whose capital flight is going to happen sooner rather than later?
Like holy shit they spent billions on the OMNY payment system even though fares were never a real issue, they are ready to sell this dump to the highest bidder.
The level of junk food so much more advanced. I’m vegan, I went to the Northeast ten years ago, and the amount and quality of vegan ice cream, cakes, etc blew me away.
I remember that Americans were more upfront and friendly than other countries. I’m unsure if that’s still true.
It depends on the area I think. I’ve heard from multiple individuals that people are generally assholes on the east coast, one person told me when he visited California he felt like he was in a Disney movie.
It’s complicated. People on the east coast move fast and speak their minds. If they’re mad at you they’ll let you know. But at the same time, they can be very helpful and kind, they’re just going to be assholes about it. I used to joke that you’ve finally adjusted to living in Philly when you can tell the difference between “I am going to stab you and then piss on your grave” fuck you and “hey do you want to come over for dinner and meet my mom” fuck you. It’s a very aggressive, frank culture, but not necessarily a cruel one.
Meanwhile, down south, there’s a whole system of intense social violence built around cruel courtesy. Folks will use phrases like “bless your heart” the way we use “Deeply unserious”. Then go over to Texas and you tend to get genuinely, weirdly friendly people. Up in the Midwest folks are superficially polite but really extremely cold and distant. In California everyone’s friendly but the stereotype is that it’s a superficial friendliness that doesn’t reach the eyes. This is, of course, all dependent on race, class, gender, and a dozen other factors.
Folks say there’s no culture in the US, but there really is. Deep, complicated cultures with their own norms, problems, joys, dialects. And then you get in to PoC and other minority groups. Like, White Minnesotans have a totally different culture than Hmong Minnesotans, African American Minnesotans, or Somali Minnesotans. There’s overlap, but also a huge amount of difference.
I had a friend say people in California are “nice” in that they’ll encourage you to find investors for your shitty idea, where people on the east coast will just tell you it’s a shitty idea and save you the embarrassment.
That said, people in NY are some of the kindest i’ve met around the country. There’s nowhere else where conversations in line happen as frequently. Trying that in other places has gotten me weird stares or ignored.
Then go over to Texas and you tend to get genuinely, weirdly friendly people.
So true though. I’ve lived here my whole life, but most of my coworkers are from other states. I’m the one that’s always convincing people to eat lunch with me instead of alone at their desks. It’s been fun getting all these dorks to open up and get to know each other.
I also enjoy occasionally sprinkling some leftist stuff into these lunch conversations. Nobody expects communism from the person with the yeehaw accent
Lived and traveled all over the US. CA has the broadest range of behavior in public. Biggest assholes I’ve ever seen in my life, who will literally mock complete strangers out loud to their face. Then the kindest, most generous, and caring people you’ll ever meet standing right next to them. It’s like all the jerks kept getting pushed west at the same time the people who they mistreated tried to migrate there to get away from them. Once they reached the west coast they all kinda settled in.
Were they white? Strangers talk to me way less in the Bay vs when I was in Canada (I’m east Asian)
this depends on where you go and what you’re expecting. The way I’ve always phrased it is like:
- People in the south are polite, but not nice.
- People in the north are nice, but not polite
- And people in the pacific northwest are somehow both nice and polite
Yeah hard disagree on the PNW. The west coast is extremely passive aggressive. They’re neither nice nor polite, they’re just couching their rage under passive aggression.
