Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To describe tourism in a country the size of a continent as mediocre is one of the most ridiculous things Ive heard! Admittedly Ive never been to the US and it may not be my first choice of places to visit, but if you cant find what you are looking for in a place that has so many different environments and great facilities you cant be looking very hard!
This. And why pick on the US? If the US is "mediocre" or boring, what's Canada? Let's just write off North America altogether, then...
Oh, oops, I see the OP has done exactly that.
While the ubiquity of chain stores can make US cities and towns seem the same, that's only a very superficial observation. Santa Fe, NM, with it's distinctive adobe architecture has no equal, and has more world-class museums than any small town (and some large cities) in the US. Berkeley, CA has banned chain stores and fast food restaurants from most parts of town, and is a beautiful college town with exquisite architecture and beautiful Bay vistas. San Francisco has breathtaking Bay views, the ocean, the Golden Gate, Golden Gate Park, and several high-quality museums. Miami has the Cuban thing going on, and beautiful beaches, and the Everglades nearby. The NE is full of quaint old towns and unique shops and restaurants. New Orleans is famous for jazz and French creole culture, and its own architectural style. I can only conclude that some of the writers quoted in the OP, and the OP himself, haven't been to these places.
At least in the US, the plumbing works.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 07-27-2012 at 01:59 PM..
Uhm of course the states are going to be less foreign.....they are in same country.
(...)You say Vermont vs. Virginia vs. Texas compared to Sweden vs. Italy vs. Portugal. That's a totally unfair compairson you are comparing three states amongst themselves to three countries. Why do you all keep insisting on comparing one country to an entire continent?
My comments are in response to what certain Americans have said on here: saying the U.S. is diverse like Europe is diverse.
I wouldn't have raised it if the reverse argument had not been made here.
But my thing is don't compare the U.S. to other continents compare them to other COUNTRIES. Who do you feel has more variety in their cities? France or the U.S.? Spain or the U.S.? Germany or the U.S.?
(...) As a standalone country the U.S. has much more variety than the U.K. or Germany. Not saying that it's more interesting, but it has more diverse cultures and variety.
Honestly, small US cities are less accessible for tourists than small European ones in my opinion, .
I don't find them just less accessible, they also tend to be a lot less interesting. This is one of the biggest differences between Europe and the New World (USA, Canada, Australia), is that most rural areas and small towns and villages in Europe are so much more interesting to visit than their New World counterparts.
I think that when it comes to big cities the European ones tend to have more, well you know (I don't have to get into it), but that the larger New World cities are no slouches either these days and are usually very rich culturally as well.
But why is it that interesting rural areas and small towns in the New World are so few and far between (and understandably played up as exceptional) whereas in Europe they are a dime a dozen? Most times, you don't even have to look, you just pick a road at random and you'll end up in a place with lots of character.
I have a theory about this (stolen from an author) but don't have time to expand upon it right now...
But why is it that interesting rural areas and small towns in the New World are so few and far between (and understandably played up as exceptional) whereas in Europe they are a dime a dozen? Most times, you don't even have to look, you just pick a road at random and you'll end up in a place with lots of character.
I can only conclude you haven't truly explored the US, though there's something to the OP's statement that the US is strong on natural beauty, when you do explore rural areas. Still, if you pick a road in New Mexico, or northern Arizona, you'll end up in some pretty interesting little villages that are outside mainstream Anglo culture. Coastal CA towns and villages are also unique as well as extremely scenic.
A main difference I see between Europe and the US is that the US has handled population growth by allowing expansion of towns to run amok, while Europe somehow controls urban growth, preventing it from taking over productive farmland. It helps to have a population accustomed to living in apartment buildings. The urbanization of farmland is especially notable in California, and the rapid urban growth does tend to create a certain feeling of homogeneity or sameness.
Architecturally there isn’t much older than 300 years. Everyone says what the US really has going for it is natural scenery. Wouldn't architecture and natural scenery in other countries make the US less exciting or fascinating?
I've also come across these comments while searching thru the City Data forum:
What do y'all think?
Travelling internally in the USA is ok. For domestic travel, it is probably the 2nd best country in the world--behind China, but ahead of Russia and Australia.
There are a lot of similarities of domestic sightseeing in the US and China. They both have magestic mountains, frozen tundra, teeming metropolises, sunny beaches, spectacular canyons, beautiful waterfalls, etc. China ekes out a win with taller mountains, more desolate deserts, a wider array of cultures (compare Hong Kong or Shanghai to Kashgar and Lhasa), the US takes second place with a slightly more homogeneous culture and slightly less impressive natural and man-made wonders.
The US does win out in terms of independent travel and preservation of the natural beauty it does have.
The funny thing is, Chinese also say the same thing about domestic travel as Americans; with so many thnigs to see here, why go anywhere else?
Travelling internally in the USA is ok. For domestic travel, it is probably the 2nd best country in the world--behind China, but ahead of Russia and Australia.
There are a lot of similarities of domestic sightseeing in the US and China. They both have magestic mountains, frozen tundra, teeming metropolises, sunny beaches, spectacular canyons, beautiful waterfalls, etc. China ekes out a win with taller mountains, more desolate deserts, a wider array of cultures (compare Hong Kong or Shanghai to Kashgar and Lhasa), the US takes second place with a slightly more homogeneous culture and slightly less impressive natural and man-made wonders.
The US does win out in terms of independent travel and preservation of the natural beauty it does have.
The funny thing is, Chinese also say the same thing about domestic travel as Americans; with so many thnigs to see here, why go anywhere else?
Yeah I think people in other countries forget to that just to get from LA to New York is like a 6 hour flight! When in Italy or Spain within a 3 hour flight you can literally go to two other continents. Americans do a lot of domestic travel not because they are ignornant, it's because there is so much too see within their own country.
I don't find them just less accessible, they also tend to be a lot less interesting. This is one of the biggest differences between Europe and the New World (USA, Canada, Australia), is that most rural areas and small towns and villages in Europe are so much more interesting to visit than their New World counterparts.
I think that when it comes to big cities the European ones tend to have more, well you know (I don't have to get into it), but that the larger New World cities are no slouches either these days and are usually very rich culturally as well.
But why is it that interesting rural areas and small towns in the New World are so few and far between (and understandably played up as exceptional) whereas in Europe they are a dime a dozen? Most times, you don't even have to look, you just pick a road at random and you'll end up in a place with lots of character.
I have a theory about this (stolen from an author) but don't have time to expand upon it right now...
I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you here, m'kay?
I spent 25 years in California and have spent the last three years in the Midwest. I thought we would get bored exploring the "flyover" country. Nothing could be further from the truth.
For instance, we went to Kansas City, MO a few weeks ago and went to the WWI Museum. I was absolutely blown away. This is a world-class museum that I had never ever HEARD of.
Sometimes I think the biggest problem in the Midwest is lack of marketing. Of course, if you talk to people here, they will say, "Did it occur to you that maybe we don't WANT a bunch of tourists here?" lol
We have been having the best time exploring tiny towns that are nothing but a fleck on the map, Amish villages, etc. Bardstown, KY, ever heard of it? It's where almost all bourbon whiskey is produced. It's a beautiful little town with a lot to see.
We love comparing the different BBQ (Memphis vs Kansas City vs St Louis), different attitudes, architecture, etc. Now, you would be right in saying it isn't VERY different, but the subtlety of the differences is part of what makes it interesting to me.
But my thing is don't compare the U.S. to other continents compare them to other COUNTRIES. Who do you feel has more variety in their cities? France or the U.S.? Spain or the U.S.? Germany or the U.S.?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicagoist123
Why do you all keep insisting on comparing one country to an entire continent? As a standalone country the U.S. has much more variety than the U.K. or Germany. Not saying that it's more interesting, but it has more diverse cultures and variety.
I think it's because of the size.
America is a country, but is larger than all European countries together. You can not compare the United States with any country in Europe, where the majority of countries are smaller than California or Texas.
Is not fair to compare the U.S. with Europe, one is a country and the other is a continent, although in this case the country has more extension than the continent, but also, it's not fair to compare the U.S. with Portugal.
I don't think America is mediocre or homogeneous at all. Historically never was, the north was colonized by British and the south by Spanish, that already are 2 different cultures, and besides, we must take in to account that has received immigrants from around the world, and that multiculturalism has emerged American culture. So there are more different cultures in US than in any European country.
But I also think that, comparing the size of the countries, the Europeans have more diversity.
I think it's because of the size.
America is a country, but is larger than all European countries together. You can not compare the United States with any country in Europe, where the majority of countries are smaller than California or Texas.
Is not fair to compare the U.S. with Europe, one is a country and the other is a continent, although in this case the country has more extension than the continent, but also, it's not fair to compare the U.S. with Portugal.
I don't think America is mediocre or homogeneous at all. Historically never was, the north was colonized by British and the south by Spanish, that already are 2 different cultures, and besides, we must take in to account that has received immigrants from around the world, and that multiculturalism has emerged American culture. So there are more different cultures in US than in any European country.
But I also think that, comparing the size of the countries, the Europeans have more diversity.
Disagree. A country is a country. So now we can't ever comapre Japan to China? Or China to South Korea? Because they vary in size? I guess we can't compare the U.K. to Greece either because they vary in the size of their population.
So I guess it's ok then to comapre Europe to Asia. So if I said that the U.K. is mediocre in what it offers when compared to Asia. Do you think that is fair? Because that is what you all are doing.....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
