Is there anywhere else quite like the US? (crime, to live)

[Cornerguy1]

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[Vic_Vega]

Originally Posted by City of Rain

portland, st louis, kansas city and detroit are.. well, they are crap places... nothing. i could name 10 european cities thats better and more unique than those ones. heck, any western european city of the same size beats those places. why did you even list them?

I especially like this one because, like you just said, you have never even visited those cities.

[Huckleberry3911948]

lived overseas for years. this is it.
we got problems but nothing like places i have been.
sweetest words i ever heard after 5 years gone, welcome home huck (us customs)

[bale002]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

lived overseas for years. ...
sweetest words i ever heard after 5 years gone, welcome home ... (US customs)

I was also welcomed home once, maybe twice, by a US passport control officer after a years-long absence, indeed it is a very nice policy, it makes the citizen feel good. I could never imagine such a welcome from mostly dour officials in many of the countries I have lived in.

There are indeed many aspects of the US that are unique, some that are superior, some that are inferior, and many aspects that are common and mediocre, like every place else, increasingly so with the march of globalization, for better and for worse.

[City of Rain]

Originally Posted by Vic_Vega

I especially like this one because, like you just said, you have never even visited those cities.

yeah.. youre from finland. youre pissed off about it. i get it, alright?

... i've done a lot of research about all states and major cities in the US (and the rest of the world). we had to do it for school, and ive spent a lot of my spare time doing research about it too, as its something that interests me.

those cities really have no huge attractions, impressive architecture or anything like that to identify them. neither are any of them even known for anything, really. well, detroit and st louis are known for having an insanely high crime rate, but yeah..

theyre just normal american cities, and ive seen plenty of them.

[Vic_Vega]

Originally Posted by City of Rain

yeah.. youre from finland. youre pissed off about it. i get it, alright?

... i've done a lot of research about all states and major cities in the US (and the rest of the world). we had to do it for school, and ive spent a lot of my spare time doing research about it too, as its something that interests me.

those cities really have no huge attractions, impressive architecture or anything like that to identify them. neither are any of them even known for anything, really. well, detroit and st louis are known for having an insanely high crime rate, but yeah..

theyre just normal american cities, and ive seen plenty of them.

If you don't know anything else about those cities, than that they have a high crime rate, then i'm sorry. It doesn't mean they don't have an intresting and colorful history from an era that has very much completely changed human life from what it's been, and that they are not "known" for something, especially in case of Detroit. It just means you haven't done your homework at all.

You have seen exactly two US cities as you just said, not any more. I'm sorry but reading wikipedia and looking at a few photos does not mean you have "seen a city".

[City of Rain]

Originally Posted by Vic_Vega

If you don't know anything else about those cities, than that they have a high crime rate, then i'm sorry. It doesn't mean they don't have an intresting and colorful history from an era that has very much completely changed human life from what it's been, and that they are not "known" for something, especially in case of Detroit. It just means you haven't done your homework at all.

You have seen exactly two US cities as you just said, not any more. I'm sorry but reading wikipedia and looking at a few photos does not mean you have "seen a city".

ive been to way more than two US cities. where do you get your facts from? I've been to two STATES. i hope you know that there is a difference between a state and a city. actually, now that i think of it, ive been to three states. that added with the countless hours ive spent researching USA and its cities, and id say i have a pretty good idea of what the US is about.

yes, detroit is known for having been SOMETHING at one point in time because of its car industry etc, but today its nothing but a shadow of what it once was. i said what detroit is KNOWN for today, is its extremely high crime rate.

may i ask, though.. how "colorful" is really detroits history compared to.. well, the history of ANY european city? youre walking out on a thin ledge here trying to defend these americans or whatever it is that youre doing.

history doesnt have everything to do with how great a city is, though. most american cities have downtowns that die in the evenings and the infrastructure is very often really horrible. judging from your posts you dont seem to have ever been to an american city. new york, of course, is a huge exception. the architecture is also not very impressive in most cases.. which i think is what really determines the beauty of a city.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by bale002

I was also welcomed home once, maybe twice, by a US passport control officer after a years-long absence, indeed it is a very nice policy, it makes the citizen feel good.

It is a very nice habit. When I returned on a visit recently after ten years of living abroad, though, I really blew it with the very pleasant guy who examined my documents. I was tired from the flight, the line was huge and I had primed myself for perhaps more than the usual polite remarks, as I lived abroad. He asked a couple of the standard questions, and then added pleasantly, "Welcome home."

And, I - ready to respond to a bunch of how, what, when, where questions, blurted out, "Oh no, I live in Portugal!" And only after I had said it, did it sink in that he wasn't confused about where I was living, he was being pleasant. Embarrassing.

I could never imagine such a welcome from mostly dour officials in many of the countries I have lived in.

Yeah, dour is the word for most of them. The Dutch are often cheerful and outgoing, though. But on my way back from my U.S. visit, the normally stone-faced Portuguese immigration guys surprised me. This one was a young fellow, and when I presented my U.S. passport along with my card that shows I am a legal foreign resident, he smiled and asked in perfect English, "Happy to be back?"

The worst one ever was the agent I got the last time I entered Ireland, he was a real grump, which totally surpised me.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by City of Rain

portland, st louis, kansas city and detroit are.. well, they are crap places... nothing.


how can you say that italy is the only european country that can compare to the US? Italy is tiny, and its cities are way more beautiful and interesting than any american city. dont flatter yourself.

Relax Champ. I don't consider the EU as "One Nation" and I think most of the world would agree.

I was talking about what people had said earlier in the thread. Very few other countries ( not whole groups of countries) can compare to the U.S. in size and when it comes to being able to compare city vs. city or region vs. region. As in New York vs. L.A. or the Southwest vs. Northeast.

I'm sure you'll compare Barcelona to Oslo, but that's two completely different countries.

And of course I understand that Italy is small, but it seems like one of the few countries I can think of where there are big enough differences in the cities to warrant a comparison. ( And in my opinion Italy has a few world class cities unlike a majority of European countries. )

[Vic_Vega]

Originally Posted by City of Rain

ive been to way more than two US cities. where do you get your facts from? I've been to two STATES. i hope you know that there is a difference between a state and a city. actually, now that i think of it, ive been to three states. that added with the countless hours ive spent researching USA and its cities, and id say i have a pretty good idea of what the US is about.

yes, detroit is known for having been SOMETHING at one point in time because of its car industry etc, but today its nothing but a shadow of what it once was. i said what detroit is KNOWN for today, is its extremely high crime rate.

may i ask, though.. how "colorful" is really detroits history compared to.. well, the history of ANY european city? youre walking out on a thin ledge here trying to defend these americans or whatever it is that youre doing.

history doesnt have everything to do with how great a city is, though. most american cities have downtowns that die in the evenings and the infrastructure is very often really horrible. judging from your posts you dont seem to have ever been to an american city. new york, of course, is a huge exception. the architecture is also not very impressive in most cases.. which i think is what really determines the beauty of a city.

Lived a total of 4 years in one of those "crap places" and enjoyed every minute of it when i could. I'm not trying to defend anyone here, just trying to point out how ignorant, rude, and childish you are.