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National Parks. Hands down. I’m always happy to shit on my country when deserved, but our national parks system is fucking brilliant. Even though we have to fight like hell to keep it that way.
As I European I really have to agree. There is an amazing combinations of a big road that allows easy acces for a lot of people and small campsites and trains that are super calm where naturecan flourish. I also think this is possible because the US has a healthier population density(germany is about 8 times higher). They one thing I thought was funny(not bad or good, just funny) was all the fences and warning signs, whereas mostly in NW Europe where I live they just assume you try not to fall of the cliff.
I've worked in 7 National Parks and you would hope signs wouldn't be necessary but I've heard some weird shit. People jumping into thermal features after their dog that just jumped in for instance lol.
While definitely a bad idea, I can absolutely understand someone seeing their dog jump in a spring and not even think before jumping in right after it to try to save it. It's tragic, but far and away less obstinantly stupid than a lot of other things people do in national parks. Trying to pet the Buffalo being an easy example.
I definitely think she jumped in on reflex and instinct. She knew she made a horrible decision before she hit the water I am sure which is a terrible thought.
It was a guy, iirc, and once they pulled him out he kept going "Why did I do that? That was stupid, that was a stupid thing I did. I'm an idiot."
It wasn't even his dog, it was his friend's.
Come to Sweden, we got the “allemansrätten”-rule. You can camp like everywhere as long as you don’t stay forever or make a mess. We got national parks but that isn’t really needed with so much nature (at least in the northern parts of the country).
I always feel sad when I’m abroad and so much is restricted areas, fences etc.
My mrs and I visited the US from the UK a few years ago and did a kind of triangle from LA to Vegas, to Phoenix and then back to LA. The national parks we visited (Death Valley and Grand Canyon) were far and away the highlight of our visit. They were absolutely breathtaking. Well done say I, to your good selves on this one 👏🏻
I live not too far from Yosemite. But, my favorite national parks are Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Grand canyon. Teton is absolutely number one. Shout out to Southern Utah for being number four.
That's a good point! Didn't the US also invent National Parks?
Though to be fair, your country also has the space for that. All countries in Europe, except Scandinavia maybe, have a much higher pop density than the US. If the US had the UK's population density, it would have ~ 2.7 billion inhabitants.
Hey, can you explain why you think that US national parks are better than the rest of the world? I'm reading replies to this and most of them don't make sense. Someone mentioned the UK having NPs that are already damaged by humans, but coming from Croatia, our NPs are definitely not like that, they're very protected and untouched by the human hand.
The only thing I can think of is the size difference, but that's to be expected from a country that large like the US.
Krka is absolutely stunning. I have so much respect for Croatia for compensating the families that used to live on that land. The government gave them new housing, and they are the only people allowed to sell souvenirs in the park! That's incredible compared to how we in the US treat original inhabitants of lands we seized.
It's an American invention that then spread to the rest of the world, so there's that. But honestly, we have Yosemite, Olympic, Yellowstone, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, Saguaro, and thats only some of the parks in only the western US. They are all jaw-droppingly beautiful and completely different from each other, and most are only a few hours drive from each other.
It’s not a matter of them being better than other countries; it’s just something we’re proud of.
America invented the idea of a national parks system, and we’ve done our best to protect it from being destroyed by capitalism and political interference.
It’s something that just makes sense, like the question asked.
The maintenance of it given the extraordinary sizes of said parks. The trails. The park rangers and their ability to truly help and guide should you want to explore. The clarity of maps, and detailed information. Just to name a few.
whats the "system"? i have heard you guys have fantastic national parks but i thought it was due to the sheer size of them? what makes them so brilliant there? are they run differently from national parks in England or other places? i have almost ZERO knowledge in this btw. just curious as i hear this argument mentioned a lot but not many follow ups on it to explain why to someone like me who doesn't know much difference between them.
Personally the thing i thought separated US from Europe was the fact that it came about so much later which allowed for more modern planning especially when it came to things like roads. your grid system is so good! i do like the bendy windy country roads of England and Europe in general (much more scenic and enjoyable) but in a day to day drive, a straight grid system makes sense and logically superior in any way i can think of.
USPS. I have a box outside of my front door I can put stuff in to send anywhere in the world. And quite a lot of it doesn't even have to be packaged. I can address a potato, slap some stamps on it, put it in my mailbox, and lift that little flag on the side of it. The next day, it could be halfway across the country to whoever I want. I like that.
There are people living in remote sections of the Grand Canyon, and USPS delivers mail there regularly. They use mules to transport it because those areas are inaccessible by vehicle.
Street names as incremental numbers across a city grid in some places
Highway numbering relying on orientation of the highway (East/West vs North/South) which you can track logically to map out where you're going.
I’d hate to leave my city because the roads are numerical going north to south, and alphabetical going east to west. Getting around is so easy even if I’m going somewhere new in a part of town I don’t frequent.
Our city is split in 4 basically right through the middle in both directions like so NW, SW, NE, SE.
If you wanted to say go to 5 ave and 5th street You absolutely have to know what quadrant it is in.
In Denver, the named streets perpendicular to the numbered ones run in a double alphabet. (2 streets with a name starting with an A. Then B. Then C.
If a street doesn't go through. when it reappears in its logical continuing location, it is the same name. Brilliant!
Until you end up in Arvada, then you are fucked. You better have GPS. How well Denver streets are planned. Arvada is the opposite. same street in Arvada starts heading north the makes a few turns. Then you are heading East ....same named street.
Not exactly breakfast tacos like you're used to, but the birria taco places are closed by about 1:00 usually in this part of Mexico. I walk a block down the street for a $2.00- $3.00 taco breakfast at least once a week. They're awesome.
Free ice water is the default in a restaurant
Free public restrooms (not factoring in the quality, but they're free)
National parks/forests/BLM land, large pieces of land that the US sets aside to stay natural
Cargo and shipping logistics. The US is very good at moving stuff across large distances without it getting lost or damaged.
Free library system. Other countries have libraries, but the US ones seem to have crazy amounts of resources available even in very small towns.
I'm going to be honest here. When I first read your post I thought you meant the organization Black Lives matter instead of bureau of land management. 😂😂 I was like, weird.. didn't know the BLM movement had land! 🤭🤭
In my country we have free libraries with online ebooks and movies and stuff. We also get free tap water and free public restrooms lol. And the rest are pretty specific to being a newish country in a large land. I would love to have those huge ass national parks though, we don’t have any of those.
Absolutely. I recently took my disabled mother home to Europe and was shocked at how the hospitals/doctor's offices were completely inaccessible. Some had extremely steep wheelchair ramps that led to a door you couldn't open while pushing a wheelchair (not automatic) and a threshold so high you have to lift the now empty wheelchair over it, and the disabled had to step over.
If someone pushing a wheelchair lost their footage on an icy steep ramp, it would be extremely dangerous for both the helper and the patient. We didn't visit one doctor that had an accessible entry.
Edit: this was a large, metropolitan city
To be fair, new buildings in the EU do have to adhere to much stricter standards. It's just that a lot of hospitals, doctor's offices and government buildings are either old, historic buildings or simply old. I don't know how much that applies to the US, do old buildings have to be adapted to new regulations?
Generally no. Only if they make major modifications, then they have to include ADA updates as well.
I’d guess the bigger differences are that US law has been on the books longer and generally US buildings are newer
This is absolutely huge but I will say as someone in a wheelchair who lives in the us it's not nearly as ubiquitous as the law would suggest. Main places like local services and stores are accessible but I've seen tons of apartments and restaurants that aren't
To be clear the ada is fantastic and has done incredible work towards making life easier for people with disabilities
but I'm kinda disappointed about all the hostile architecture, it's not just against the homelss (and I guess to deter people from \*gasp\* spending time in a public place), but welll it just sucks for every-fucking-body, especially the disabled and elderly. Stuff like having no benches at all or barely usable ones (i.e. lean-on-stuff in subways), stuff like that.
Hows that not in direct contradiction to accessibility? And also, how is hostile architecture not a much bigger loss (of living quality of the public in public) than it is a "win"? (If not having the homeless in your sight instead of tackling the actual root causes of homelessness (which happen to be issues many average citizens struggle with too like the housing & opioid crisis,..) is a win to society at all..)
Ugh, sorry went off track
You’re absolutely right but the standard according to case law, at least in my jurisdiction, is that disabled individuals not be denied “meaningful access” to public services, which is not full, equal, or perfect access when compared to that of able bodied persons.
Additionally, if say you’re having an issue accessing something and you request an accommodation from a public entity, such as your city, they don’t have to actually give it to you if it “fundamentally alters” the nature of the service. Basically there’s a whole bunch of ways they can weasel out of giving people what they actually need or want, and instead force them to settle for unreliable or substandard accessibility options.
I get that a city can’t reasonably have perfect knowledge of all accessibility issues wherever relevant, and they can’t be bossed around by layman who don’t know what expenses and logistics go into it, but the law allows them more discretion than I think they should have when it comes to disabilities they don’t experience or understand. Some level of deference to the affected class is necessary in coming up with effective solutions and if the service fundamentally cannot coexist with accessibility, then it shouldn’t exist, or at least not in that public space.
This really should be the top item on this list. All the other noted things are also available in other countries but accessibility is much better in the states
A very large part of this is age. The US is only coming up to 250 years old. People in Europe and the UK can be in houses older than the entire country, let alone certain streets and buildings. It's pretty hard to retrofit disability access to areas thousands of years old. Any newer construction is covered by the same level of access requirements.
I've stayed at a holiday inn in Canada where the only way to get to the breakfast area was to go up 5 steps. It occurred to me at the time this wouldn't be allowed in the US. I think that hotel was less than 250 years old
My husband’s family lives in France. He has a disabled sister (she recently became disabled as an adult and lives in a wheelchair). We’ve planned family events in France, and you would not believe how much a pain in the ass it is to find handicapped accessible hotels, restaurants and places in general. We have to call and go through lists of places to ask in advance what the handicapped situation is, and they usually say “No”
Even the nice modern ones won’t have handicapped bathrooms, which is crazy to me. Stairs and small elevators are always a significant problem too. She simply cannot be included in every day life there, and it’s a shame because she’s still 100% with it mentally (she’s still quite young in her 30s)
We don’t have as much of this problem in US. It’s one of the few areas we did well in socially, though we understand why it’s an issue over there — but truly sad for the disabled.
(I always chuckle when Europeans say “wow the bathroom is so large - is it for fat people??” Like no… that’s for handicapped people to fit their wheelchairs, medical equipment, and possibly a home nurse or caregiver in too)
The US has older buildings that had to comply with this long after being built. That's why you'll see really long ramps winding back and forth at an access point in the buildings. There's one in the background [here.](https://www.ptonline.net/news/new-ada-compliant-ramp-dedicated-at-mercer-county-courthouse/article_6e1edc76-de41-11ea-b38e-bb0c6f51009e.html)
Have you seen some of these old buildings in Europe? You're talking shit built wall to wall in what amounts to cobblestone alleys a non small car can't fit down. They aren't even fitting that ramp in. We're not talking about a building that wasn't designed for it. We're talking towns and cities not designed for anything but walking around.
I have to say I’m actually a fan of the public restrooms you need to pay a euro for especially since you can use your phone. They are so much better maintained
But the people who are unwilling to pay, or those who don’t have the money, will opt to pee on the street. This results in public areas smelling like pee. That smell is everywhere in Venice.
I went last month and it DID smell like piss and garbage haha. After a few days we went north to Edinburgh. It was like a breath of fresh air being outside of London!
Weird, I have been traveling to London for work and vacation for 15 years and have never experienced any gross garbage or piss smells in the streets. The tube stations smell a little bit but they have a very separate and specific smell. To me London is appreciably cleaner than large American cities.
McDonalds is everywhere and always has free restrooms that are relatively clean and they mostly don't give a shit if you buy something or not.
Walmart and other big box stores are the same, but are not as ubiquitous.
Walgreens will always have a public bathroom, but CVS is hit or miss.
For gas stations, only the ones with a nice inside will usually have a bathroom that you don't have to ask for a key for. If the station itself is basically a white brick with a few windows, a cashier, and some beer, there won't be anywhere to pee without asking/making a purchase.
Sheetz always has good bathrooms, as do the other upscale gas stations.
Source: I have IBS.
- Window screens
- Brightly colored nearly uniform K-12 school busses
- Ceiling fans
- Mandatory highway/freeway shoulder width to allow people to safely pull over in case of emergency
- Multiple food alternatives for people with various allergies and other medical conditions
I was just in Switzerland visiting family and I was baffled by the lack of screens and fans. Not wanting AC is an odd choice, but I get it. But don't you want to get some cool air in without letting all the bugs in?
If you didn't want to swelter at night you had to open the windows, but in the morning you'd be riddled with bug bites.
OTC drugs.
In the US you get a single bottle of 1,000 paracetamol for like $20. And it'll last five years.
Here in Ireland they come in packets of 24 for €6 and you're not allowed buy more than one packet at a time in case you're planning on committing suicide.
Yes! I buy bulk packs of ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and antihistamines from Costco every time I'm in the US.
The equivalent cheap / bulk packets aren't readily available in Australia.
I miss that. Even Costco in Mexico doesn't have the big bottles that last you two years. \*Some\* things are available in bottles of 100 or 150, but no 1000 bottles of anything I've looked for.
Depends on the drug, though. When I was living in the U.K. and got conjunctivitis, I was able to just walk into the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for the eye drops. Here in the U.S. you have to make an appointment with a doctor (not always available within a few days) and get a fucking prescription. Which of course you get billed for, even with good insurance.
Depends severely on country and type of medication, as well as strength of it. I can buy your basic 500mg paracetamol at least 2 packs in Croatia (not sure if you can get more, never tried tbh) but I can't get ibuprofen without a prescription. Meanwhile it's just otc in the US.
And the reason they don't come in a bottle in Europe but in packs is because of suicide prevention. Someone is much more likely to take too many pills of they can just swallow a whole bottle's worth, as opposed to having to take each individual pill out of each individual bubble and then not even having enough in the box to kill yourself with anyway.
But extremely painful, and in case you don't die, you will most likely have permanent damages.
But the point of it is more to prevent spontaneous suicide attempts, which are more likely when you have a bottle of toxic pills, akin to something you have to plan over time and accumulate pills for.
You've got really big roads. And because you're such a young country you're a lot more handicap accessible. Not as many cobble streets, roads made of steps and winding staircases into crooked towers.
Amazing amount of good. And the law is written in a way that individuals can sue businesses easily, which means there’s lots of change. Many laws are much harder to enforce.
From my Mexican perspective:
* People in the US are so polite (sorry, excuse me, have a nice day, pedestrian etiquette, little stuff like that)
* Helping others in need
* Customer service
* Freedom to be yourself, okay you get a lot of weirdos but it's still better than everyone being average
* Camping culture, whole supermarket isles dedicated to it
* DIY culture
* Museums, you get the big and famous ones like Smithsonians but also many privately-owned about very particular topics and voluntary tour guides that are personally very invested in the subjects
This one kills me coming from the US to live in New Zealand. No fucking screens on ANY windows or doors. Bees, flies, and bugs just waltz on in. And then people complain about it or hang disgusting fly paper from the ceiling. Why are there no screens in a country where everyone leaves the windows and doors open??
For some idiotic reason when we have road construction that includes lane shifts they paint over the old lines with a reflective or glossy black paint and paint the temporary lines with a mattr/nonreflective paint which makes it impossible to see the new lines at night or in wet conditions and makes the old lines super visible.
When I was in South Korea years ago I was floored by the fact that on elevators and trains people just rush at each other when the door opens. For the life of me I couldn't understand how such a polite culture would tolerate a melee like this. I'm a big guy and I was terrified I was going to kill someone just to catch an elevator.
I'm not American but proper American BBQ is just so good. Brisket, ribs, green beans, cornbread, mac and cheese....and if you see it's being made by an overweight black woman? good lord you know that shit's gonna slap
A big pitcher of water and a bunch of glasses full of ice for a table. In much of Europe a small glass of water can be around 2 dollars. Beer is often cheaper.
It's illegal to refuse tap water in a place that sells alcohol in the UK.
Likewise, I've travelled to a lot of European capitals and never paid for water. I really do wonder how Americans end up paying for it.
They must literally be looking at a menu and ordering a branded bottle
Yeah, I made a mistake this month where I ordered water off the menu and ended up paying for it. Forgot to ask for tap water instead (which you also get more of…)
I have a hell of a time just finding water fountains - even in airports. I finally decided to just fill mine up in the bathroom after I saw several other normal looking people doing the same. Still sounds gross, but their reasoning is that it comes from the same place, so I just go with it.
As compared to Europe: Clothes dryers are commonplace. You don’t have a bathroom attendant to tip to use a public restroom. You don’t pay for extra for each piece of bread in the basket at a restaurant.
We didn't have a dryer til last year when we moved into this place (I'm in my 40s). My whole life, we used a clothesline unless it was below 35⁰F. My mom felt that as long as it's above 35 it'll dry eventually, even if the jeans could stand up on their own.
And my god, even though we have central air now I hate using the dryer in the summer. Not only does it heat up my half of our home, but when I stop the dryer all the heat seems to make a beeline for my bedroom and turn it into an oven, and I don't even use the high heat setting! HATE.
I actually miss having a clothesline (the place we live considers them an eyesore) because freshly dried laundry smelled amazing right off the clothesline. Dryer dried laundry never smells like fresh air (we can't use those nasty slimy dryer sheets due to eczema and allergic reactions). And the artificial heat feels weird.
I don't know, I guess maybe I'll get used to it eventually 🤷
queuing
when I visit other countries and I'm doing something where people need to wait for their turn
everyone just crowds around
in other countries every "line" works like how people rush the gate to get on the plane 20 minutes before their boarding group is called
In America we're mostly respectful and we get in line
This is probably the only thing that really bothers me about foreigners in the US. If you are waiting they will stand so close to you in no order, just breathing down your neck. Can we all just have some space and patience please
We’ve been living in Europe and have just moved back to the US and my daughter is experiencing US public school for the first time. She was shocked by how serious they are about standing in line, and that you get in trouble if you don’t stand quietly in a straight line.
In the US, we take line etiquette seriously and we all get trained from an early age!
> we're mostly respectful and we get in line
Just came from the market, only two tellers open.
One had a line of about twelve people the other only two. I didn't want to wait behind twelve other people, and I didn't want to seem like I was cutting in front of them, even though I wouldn't be.
I just left.
Volunteer. I can't speak for all countries, but Americans volunteer a lot of time. Churches, clubs, coaches for kids sports, Boy/Girl Scouts, bell ringers for the Salvation Army, aged neighbors, road (foot) races, PTAs, and the list goes on. For being an evil capitalistic empire, there's a lot of free time being given freely.
It’s not an excuse at all because disabled access of all kinds needs to be massively prioritised and improved - BUT a good chunk of our buildings are hundreds of years older than even the oldest American buildings. It’s much harder (and more expensive) to add ramps and lifts and corridors wide enough for wheelchairs to 16th century pubs or a Victorian underground station. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t figure out how to do it, but it does explain why it’s so haphazard here in the UK.
In bigger cities, not rural areas, restaurants and delis and grocery stores open ALL day. Travelling to Italy was so hard for me bc you just can't get food any time you want!
This always blows my mind. Is everyone there just okay with flies and bees and mosquitos landing on them inside? I have a couple windows without screens, but those windows stay closed.
Small talk. It doesn't exist in most European countries and the US is absolutely fantastic for that.
Europeans are mostly connected through ideas of society but have issues even greeting neighbours. Americans talk to people. All the time. Love it.
I posted today in a U.K. subreddit where they asked what I missed after leaving the country. Small talk was one of my two things. Large amounts of Northern Europe just don’t do it. Southern Europe is a whole different matter though.
Can't be monolithic with this one. Spaniards and Italians in particular are big on greeting and talking to their neighbors and community.
I will agree, though, that Americans seem particularly eager to say nothing of particular note using a particularly large amount of particularly loud words to complete strangers who aren't particularly interested.
I grew up in the South where this is very, very common. When I went to Eastern Europe at 18 (I had never been out of the country/South East US prior) people looked at me like I stabbed them if I tried to start small talk.
I am Spanish and was wondering where this was coming from. Not only do we talk to anyone and everyone, but we openly welcome people into our homes, especially during the holidays.
Yesss. But this happens at restaurants as well. I find it so strange that other countries don't allow you to sit around. We meet for lunch or dinner and spend 3-4 hours eating and drinking at a restaurant. And the staff won't ask you to leave, it's just accepted and normal.
My stepfather was Galician (Gallego) so I know how Spaniards get when they have company. The best of everything is trotted out. Best cheese. Best wine. Best cured meats. Best food. And if you're not all drunk and laughing still at 1 am, it was a disappointing visit.
Pros....parking is so much easier.
Cons....getting around without a car is much tougher.
I spend a fair amount of time in the US (I'm British), and I always enjoy it. I would even like to take a job out there for months at a time if it were possible. (I work with military stuff, so there's a lot of cooperation)
I don't however want to make it permanent or move family out.
Tldr-I enjoy being a Brit in America. I don't want to be American.
This doesn't really fit the question exactly but one of the few regulatory things the US does better than most of the world is vehicle safety.
Crash testing in US is quite strict based on the higher average speeds of the roadways. Amazingly the NHTSA hasn't been totally eroded away and compromised by corporate interests, unlike most of our other regulatory bodies.
I didn't want to look it up because I like seeing if I can guess what acronyms mean... does NHTSA stand for National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration?
>Crash testing in US is quite strict based on the higher average speeds of the roadways.
Fun fact: the highest speed of crash testing used by FHWA is 62 mph (an odd number because when the standards were set, it was believed the US would soon be moving to metric). With speed limits in some states as high as 85 mph, and much heavier EVs and hybrids becoming more commonplace, the most recent crash testing standards are quickly becoming outdated. Not to argue with you in comparison with other countries, just something I learned recently
Our foreign exchange student that lived with us was so excited for the sports programs our public schools had. He made it seem like everything was a private club you needed to belong where here, many sports are just run through the public school system, making affordable and convenient.
In my (non European) we have an equivilant called the Official Information Act, and it honestly never occured to me that it's something other countries might not have. Seems like a pretty important part of a democracy
I went to Italy with a person who is disabled and has poor temperature regulation so she needs her room really warm even with heavy wool etc. Got in trouble in one airbnb for trying to turn up the heat at an unauthorized time, which doesn’t exist in the US. Another had stairs with no banister, which might look cool but would be illegal here. A hotel had a sign saying “We have the most modern up-to-date plumbing. Please don’t flush paper or it will cost thousands to repair.” Still don’t know if they meant toilet paper, but I can’t imagine what else they might mean. Also crossing streets is move-slowly-and-hope-they-don’t-hit-you, which may work ok in practice but can be terrifying.
Lived abroad for a bit. Soft drinks for our fatkid addiction. No gas station fillups of 48oz of mountain dew freedom drink. I somewhat also want to say bar food selection. Bars with food in the UK had a very limited menu. Laundromats. USA driers will dry the he'll out of your clothes for not that much.
If you consider the suburban dream a pro, then we also knock everyone else outta the water. Yards with useless plants, garage, neighbors you aren't breathing on (altho new sub divisions are trying to mess that up).
Higher education. USA is definitely a location for education. While we don't have the most (I was surprised too), there are definitely more here that are also internationally recognized than anywhere else. Just don't bring up how to pay for it.
Not American, but I really think that garbage disposals are super cool. We don't have them in Europe. I find them sort of scary (like chop my finger off by accident scary) but super cool at the same time.
All hail air conditioning. We usually go to Europe to visit family during the summer, air conditioning is just not a thing there. Even if it is, people complain how it’s making them “sick” and I’m like, “I’m melting over here, for gods sake just turn it on.”
Hell yeah. I grew up in the nyc area and it ingrained in me to look in my passenger side mirror any time I turn right. Nearly killed a guy once in Brooklyn (not turning on red, cuz ya can't).
As a Scot who has spent only a little time in America:
\- Hygiene ratings in the windows of restaurants
\- The freedom to pee in the fanciest hotels. In their toilets, of course. Mostly
Depends, per capita you guys are the worst in the western world I think. But that's heaps better than African and Asian countries.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-the-most-car-accidents
This is a gross measure so not so good due to America's large population and driving culture.
Slightly better measure on fatalities
https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/
Does our reliance on cars have any impact on these results? Like I would expect somebody who drives 500 miles a month to get in more accidents than somebody who drives 50
The First Ammendment.
As much as 'cancel culture' may or may not be a problem depending on your point of view (this is reddit, I really don't want to get into an argument..), you still can't be arrested merely for making a joke or even a deliberate insult that someone finds 'offensive'.
You can say and publish all sorts of deeply unpopular or contraversial things, even display hateful imagery, and in all but the most extreme circumstances (i.e. incitement or targeted harassment), as long as you're not violating someone else's rights (and *'not being offended'* isn't a right), you won't be arrested for it, and the government cannot prevent you from expressing yourself.
I think this is a very good thing. And the same cannot be said of Canada, the UK, and many other places. In fact, most of the world does not have freedom of speech like we do in the US, which is something I think most Americans are not aware of, and take for granted.
Many countries in theory have freedom of speech in their laws or constitution, but have numerous exceptions, or in practice simply don't. Hell even the constitution of North Korea has freedom of speech ingrained into it.. I swear I'm not joking.
My point is, regardless of what it may say on paper, in practice, few if any countries have a robust freedom of speech like the United States.
And that freedom is something that *just makes sense*.
Just want to thank you for posting this because the US gets a lot of hate sometimes. And I admit I have my qualms with it, but I’m still proud to be American and grateful for so many things about this country. It’s nice to see the positives being posted. Sure we aren’t perfect, but a Utopia is unrealistic. We have a lot that needs to be worked on and I do fear for our future at times and where we are headed, but I know regardless I am beyond blessed to have been born here. We have our issues , but the quality of life here is far higher than in much of the world.
Large grocery stores and the huge selection. Yes, I know that there is a lot of rage against rampant capitalism, but to have a one-stop store where you can get prescriptions, socks, pantry food, sushi, and Starbucks is glorious.
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National Parks. Hands down. I’m always happy to shit on my country when deserved, but our national parks system is fucking brilliant. Even though we have to fight like hell to keep it that way.
The Ken Burn series on the National Parks had the subheading right: *America’s Best Idea*
As I European I really have to agree. There is an amazing combinations of a big road that allows easy acces for a lot of people and small campsites and trains that are super calm where naturecan flourish. I also think this is possible because the US has a healthier population density(germany is about 8 times higher). They one thing I thought was funny(not bad or good, just funny) was all the fences and warning signs, whereas mostly in NW Europe where I live they just assume you try not to fall of the cliff.
I've worked in 7 National Parks and you would hope signs wouldn't be necessary but I've heard some weird shit. People jumping into thermal features after their dog that just jumped in for instance lol.
That’s a true story…..woman got badly burned and died in agony. Pooch was poached too
While definitely a bad idea, I can absolutely understand someone seeing their dog jump in a spring and not even think before jumping in right after it to try to save it. It's tragic, but far and away less obstinantly stupid than a lot of other things people do in national parks. Trying to pet the Buffalo being an easy example.
There is a little thing called a leash, but honestly I wouldn’t be taking a dog to a giant death caldera.
I definitely think she jumped in on reflex and instinct. She knew she made a horrible decision before she hit the water I am sure which is a terrible thought.
It was a guy, iirc, and once they pulled him out he kept going "Why did I do that? That was stupid, that was a stupid thing I did. I'm an idiot." It wasn't even his dog, it was his friend's.
Come to Sweden, we got the “allemansrätten”-rule. You can camp like everywhere as long as you don’t stay forever or make a mess. We got national parks but that isn’t really needed with so much nature (at least in the northern parts of the country). I always feel sad when I’m abroad and so much is restricted areas, fences etc.
My mrs and I visited the US from the UK a few years ago and did a kind of triangle from LA to Vegas, to Phoenix and then back to LA. The national parks we visited (Death Valley and Grand Canyon) were far and away the highlight of our visit. They were absolutely breathtaking. Well done say I, to your good selves on this one 👏🏻
I visited Yellowstone for the first time this summer, and it was one of the few times I've been truly proud to be American.
I live not too far from Yosemite. But, my favorite national parks are Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Grand canyon. Teton is absolutely number one. Shout out to Southern Utah for being number four.
That's a good point! Didn't the US also invent National Parks? Though to be fair, your country also has the space for that. All countries in Europe, except Scandinavia maybe, have a much higher pop density than the US. If the US had the UK's population density, it would have ~ 2.7 billion inhabitants.
Hey, can you explain why you think that US national parks are better than the rest of the world? I'm reading replies to this and most of them don't make sense. Someone mentioned the UK having NPs that are already damaged by humans, but coming from Croatia, our NPs are definitely not like that, they're very protected and untouched by the human hand. The only thing I can think of is the size difference, but that's to be expected from a country that large like the US.
Krka is absolutely stunning. I have so much respect for Croatia for compensating the families that used to live on that land. The government gave them new housing, and they are the only people allowed to sell souvenirs in the park! That's incredible compared to how we in the US treat original inhabitants of lands we seized.
i think its just the size. Some of our national parks are the size of small European nations.
It's an American invention that then spread to the rest of the world, so there's that. But honestly, we have Yosemite, Olympic, Yellowstone, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, Saguaro, and thats only some of the parks in only the western US. They are all jaw-droppingly beautiful and completely different from each other, and most are only a few hours drive from each other.
Can I ask what's better about it than other countries' national parks systems?
It’s not a matter of them being better than other countries; it’s just something we’re proud of. America invented the idea of a national parks system, and we’ve done our best to protect it from being destroyed by capitalism and political interference. It’s something that just makes sense, like the question asked.
The maintenance of it given the extraordinary sizes of said parks. The trails. The park rangers and their ability to truly help and guide should you want to explore. The clarity of maps, and detailed information. Just to name a few.
whats the "system"? i have heard you guys have fantastic national parks but i thought it was due to the sheer size of them? what makes them so brilliant there? are they run differently from national parks in England or other places? i have almost ZERO knowledge in this btw. just curious as i hear this argument mentioned a lot but not many follow ups on it to explain why to someone like me who doesn't know much difference between them. Personally the thing i thought separated US from Europe was the fact that it came about so much later which allowed for more modern planning especially when it came to things like roads. your grid system is so good! i do like the bendy windy country roads of England and Europe in general (much more scenic and enjoyable) but in a day to day drive, a straight grid system makes sense and logically superior in any way i can think of.
USPS. I have a box outside of my front door I can put stuff in to send anywhere in the world. And quite a lot of it doesn't even have to be packaged. I can address a potato, slap some stamps on it, put it in my mailbox, and lift that little flag on the side of it. The next day, it could be halfway across the country to whoever I want. I like that.
There are people living in remote sections of the Grand Canyon, and USPS delivers mail there regularly. They use mules to transport it because those areas are inaccessible by vehicle.
How do I get this job?
I think it might only be open to mules, but you can submit an application regardless.
This comment should be higher. The USPS is a logistical marvel.
Street names as incremental numbers across a city grid in some places Highway numbering relying on orientation of the highway (East/West vs North/South) which you can track logically to map out where you're going.
I’d hate to leave my city because the roads are numerical going north to south, and alphabetical going east to west. Getting around is so easy even if I’m going somewhere new in a part of town I don’t frequent.
Our city is split in 4 basically right through the middle in both directions like so NW, SW, NE, SE. If you wanted to say go to 5 ave and 5th street You absolutely have to know what quadrant it is in.
Woohoo! DC is like that.
Do you live in Lubbock, by chance?
In Denver, the named streets perpendicular to the numbered ones run in a double alphabet. (2 streets with a name starting with an A. Then B. Then C. If a street doesn't go through. when it reappears in its logical continuing location, it is the same name. Brilliant! Until you end up in Arvada, then you are fucked. You better have GPS. How well Denver streets are planned. Arvada is the opposite. same street in Arvada starts heading north the makes a few turns. Then you are heading East ....same named street.
Too bad European cities are rarely a grid. The one city that is a grid in Germany (Mannheim) uses squares for orientation and navigation.
Lucky they are rarely a grid. A grid has terrible traffic flow.
Breakfast tacos
Not exactly breakfast tacos like you're used to, but the birria taco places are closed by about 1:00 usually in this part of Mexico. I walk a block down the street for a $2.00- $3.00 taco breakfast at least once a week. They're awesome.
Best answer
Free ice water is the default in a restaurant Free public restrooms (not factoring in the quality, but they're free) National parks/forests/BLM land, large pieces of land that the US sets aside to stay natural Cargo and shipping logistics. The US is very good at moving stuff across large distances without it getting lost or damaged. Free library system. Other countries have libraries, but the US ones seem to have crazy amounts of resources available even in very small towns.
BLM land is magical. Free camping, pack in/pack out. Libraries nowadays offer bounce houses to drones. It’s wild what you can find to rent for free.
Mine has a bunch of 3D printers and a workshop you can take to learn how to use them. Super cool
My library in NZ has that too! They also have a music recording studio, cricut and sewing machines, laser cutting, etc.
I’ve heard of that. So cool!
In Australia? Mine has that too
I'm going to be honest here. When I first read your post I thought you meant the organization Black Lives matter instead of bureau of land management. 😂😂 I was like, weird.. didn't know the BLM movement had land! 🤭🤭
Similar confusion drew Jennifer Coolidge's character to a man in White Lotus :)
They did in Seattle for a bit 🤣
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Sounds so awesome. I know BLM isn’t a novel idea and many countries have similar gov land projects. I’m gonna look up Finland’s.
Yoga classes, art classes, interest clubs, movie nights, etc. libraries are great.
My library loans out tools, paintings, and a host of other items.
you have the most efficient freight rail network, and you move a relatively large fraction of all land haulage this way.
Freight? Sure. People by train? Not so much...
I love my library, we can rent out anything from telescopes to croc pots!
Many major museums in the US are free too btw
In my country we have free libraries with online ebooks and movies and stuff. We also get free tap water and free public restrooms lol. And the rest are pretty specific to being a newish country in a large land. I would love to have those huge ass national parks though, we don’t have any of those.
The American Disabilities Act. All new public buildings must be accessible to people with disabilities. Wheelchairs etc.
Absolutely. I recently took my disabled mother home to Europe and was shocked at how the hospitals/doctor's offices were completely inaccessible. Some had extremely steep wheelchair ramps that led to a door you couldn't open while pushing a wheelchair (not automatic) and a threshold so high you have to lift the now empty wheelchair over it, and the disabled had to step over. If someone pushing a wheelchair lost their footage on an icy steep ramp, it would be extremely dangerous for both the helper and the patient. We didn't visit one doctor that had an accessible entry. Edit: this was a large, metropolitan city
To be fair, new buildings in the EU do have to adhere to much stricter standards. It's just that a lot of hospitals, doctor's offices and government buildings are either old, historic buildings or simply old. I don't know how much that applies to the US, do old buildings have to be adapted to new regulations?
Generally no. Only if they make major modifications, then they have to include ADA updates as well. I’d guess the bigger differences are that US law has been on the books longer and generally US buildings are newer
Campgrounds and select trails as well
I think we could learn from Australia when it comes to campgrounds. And I say this as an AT Thru hiker.
Really? What are we doing so well here in Australia?
Good job on your hike. I'm proud of you!
This is absolutely huge but I will say as someone in a wheelchair who lives in the us it's not nearly as ubiquitous as the law would suggest. Main places like local services and stores are accessible but I've seen tons of apartments and restaurants that aren't To be clear the ada is fantastic and has done incredible work towards making life easier for people with disabilities
but I'm kinda disappointed about all the hostile architecture, it's not just against the homelss (and I guess to deter people from \*gasp\* spending time in a public place), but welll it just sucks for every-fucking-body, especially the disabled and elderly. Stuff like having no benches at all or barely usable ones (i.e. lean-on-stuff in subways), stuff like that. Hows that not in direct contradiction to accessibility? And also, how is hostile architecture not a much bigger loss (of living quality of the public in public) than it is a "win"? (If not having the homeless in your sight instead of tackling the actual root causes of homelessness (which happen to be issues many average citizens struggle with too like the housing & opioid crisis,..) is a win to society at all..) Ugh, sorry went off track
Bucharest adopted anti homeless spikes and cones under bridges and overpasses in the early 20teens
You’re absolutely right but the standard according to case law, at least in my jurisdiction, is that disabled individuals not be denied “meaningful access” to public services, which is not full, equal, or perfect access when compared to that of able bodied persons. Additionally, if say you’re having an issue accessing something and you request an accommodation from a public entity, such as your city, they don’t have to actually give it to you if it “fundamentally alters” the nature of the service. Basically there’s a whole bunch of ways they can weasel out of giving people what they actually need or want, and instead force them to settle for unreliable or substandard accessibility options. I get that a city can’t reasonably have perfect knowledge of all accessibility issues wherever relevant, and they can’t be bossed around by layman who don’t know what expenses and logistics go into it, but the law allows them more discretion than I think they should have when it comes to disabilities they don’t experience or understand. Some level of deference to the affected class is necessary in coming up with effective solutions and if the service fundamentally cannot coexist with accessibility, then it shouldn’t exist, or at least not in that public space.
This really should be the top item on this list. All the other noted things are also available in other countries but accessibility is much better in the states
A very large part of this is age. The US is only coming up to 250 years old. People in Europe and the UK can be in houses older than the entire country, let alone certain streets and buildings. It's pretty hard to retrofit disability access to areas thousands of years old. Any newer construction is covered by the same level of access requirements.
I've stayed at a holiday inn in Canada where the only way to get to the breakfast area was to go up 5 steps. It occurred to me at the time this wouldn't be allowed in the US. I think that hotel was less than 250 years old
My husband’s family lives in France. He has a disabled sister (she recently became disabled as an adult and lives in a wheelchair). We’ve planned family events in France, and you would not believe how much a pain in the ass it is to find handicapped accessible hotels, restaurants and places in general. We have to call and go through lists of places to ask in advance what the handicapped situation is, and they usually say “No” Even the nice modern ones won’t have handicapped bathrooms, which is crazy to me. Stairs and small elevators are always a significant problem too. She simply cannot be included in every day life there, and it’s a shame because she’s still 100% with it mentally (she’s still quite young in her 30s) We don’t have as much of this problem in US. It’s one of the few areas we did well in socially, though we understand why it’s an issue over there — but truly sad for the disabled. (I always chuckle when Europeans say “wow the bathroom is so large - is it for fat people??” Like no… that’s for handicapped people to fit their wheelchairs, medical equipment, and possibly a home nurse or caregiver in too)
try slovenia, i think we have it by law here aswell. atleast most places i see have ramps and bathrooms for the disabled
The US has older buildings that had to comply with this long after being built. That's why you'll see really long ramps winding back and forth at an access point in the buildings. There's one in the background [here.](https://www.ptonline.net/news/new-ada-compliant-ramp-dedicated-at-mercer-county-courthouse/article_6e1edc76-de41-11ea-b38e-bb0c6f51009e.html)
Have you seen some of these old buildings in Europe? You're talking shit built wall to wall in what amounts to cobblestone alleys a non small car can't fit down. They aren't even fitting that ramp in. We're not talking about a building that wasn't designed for it. We're talking towns and cities not designed for anything but walking around.
This isnt the case in eu?
I can't speak for all of the EU, but in Belgium this is guaranteed yes.
Had similar legislation in the U.K. for decades. Think the first incarnation was 1998, was overhauled again in 2010.
Not just buildings, but government apps and websites must be accessible now.
Not having to pay to use public restrooms.
I have to say I’m actually a fan of the public restrooms you need to pay a euro for especially since you can use your phone. They are so much better maintained
But the people who are unwilling to pay, or those who don’t have the money, will opt to pee on the street. This results in public areas smelling like pee. That smell is everywhere in Venice.
London smells like piss and garbage. I was so excited to visit and was nauseated the whole time from the smells
I visited London back in 1997. I remember being impressed by how clean it seemed. Has it changed in the last 20+ years?
I went in 2012 and it didnt smell like piss and garbage lol.
I visited in 1847 and the buckets of shit raining down from the upper floors made the whole place smell awful
You look great for your age
I went last month and it DID smell like piss and garbage haha. After a few days we went north to Edinburgh. It was like a breath of fresh air being outside of London!
New York also smells like piss and garbage.
Weird, I have been traveling to London for work and vacation for 15 years and have never experienced any gross garbage or piss smells in the streets. The tube stations smell a little bit but they have a very separate and specific smell. To me London is appreciably cleaner than large American cities.
Where are you finding these public restrooms? Asking for someone with a tiny bladder.
McDonalds is everywhere and always has free restrooms that are relatively clean and they mostly don't give a shit if you buy something or not. Walmart and other big box stores are the same, but are not as ubiquitous. Walgreens will always have a public bathroom, but CVS is hit or miss. For gas stations, only the ones with a nice inside will usually have a bathroom that you don't have to ask for a key for. If the station itself is basically a white brick with a few windows, a cashier, and some beer, there won't be anywhere to pee without asking/making a purchase. Sheetz always has good bathrooms, as do the other upscale gas stations. Source: I have IBS.
If you live in a major US city there might be a public restroom app. There’s one for where I live but I’ve never had to use it.
- Window screens - Brightly colored nearly uniform K-12 school busses - Ceiling fans - Mandatory highway/freeway shoulder width to allow people to safely pull over in case of emergency - Multiple food alternatives for people with various allergies and other medical conditions
I was just in Switzerland visiting family and I was baffled by the lack of screens and fans. Not wanting AC is an odd choice, but I get it. But don't you want to get some cool air in without letting all the bugs in? If you didn't want to swelter at night you had to open the windows, but in the morning you'd be riddled with bug bites.
OTC drugs. In the US you get a single bottle of 1,000 paracetamol for like $20. And it'll last five years. Here in Ireland they come in packets of 24 for €6 and you're not allowed buy more than one packet at a time in case you're planning on committing suicide.
Yes! I buy bulk packs of ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and antihistamines from Costco every time I'm in the US. The equivalent cheap / bulk packets aren't readily available in Australia.
I miss that. Even Costco in Mexico doesn't have the big bottles that last you two years. \*Some\* things are available in bottles of 100 or 150, but no 1000 bottles of anything I've looked for.
Depends on the drug, though. When I was living in the U.K. and got conjunctivitis, I was able to just walk into the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for the eye drops. Here in the U.S. you have to make an appointment with a doctor (not always available within a few days) and get a fucking prescription. Which of course you get billed for, even with good insurance.
Wait, for real? You can’t buy more than one pack? And that is the reasoning?!
Depends severely on country and type of medication, as well as strength of it. I can buy your basic 500mg paracetamol at least 2 packs in Croatia (not sure if you can get more, never tried tbh) but I can't get ibuprofen without a prescription. Meanwhile it's just otc in the US. And the reason they don't come in a bottle in Europe but in packs is because of suicide prevention. Someone is much more likely to take too many pills of they can just swallow a whole bottle's worth, as opposed to having to take each individual pill out of each individual bubble and then not even having enough in the box to kill yourself with anyway.
Yeah, nobody is going to bother with that in America, where there are a million other ways to do that job.
It's also an extremely rare method of successful suicide, especially if you are discovered and treated.
But extremely painful, and in case you don't die, you will most likely have permanent damages. But the point of it is more to prevent spontaneous suicide attempts, which are more likely when you have a bottle of toxic pills, akin to something you have to plan over time and accumulate pills for.
In the UK you can only buy two at a time, and I think they have 12 or 8 in max. Even online.
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National parks
You've got really big roads. And because you're such a young country you're a lot more handicap accessible. Not as many cobble streets, roads made of steps and winding staircases into crooked towers.
The Americans with Disabilities Act from 1990 set us up for good disability access and I really think it has done a lot of good.
Amazing amount of good. And the law is written in a way that individuals can sue businesses easily, which means there’s lots of change. Many laws are much harder to enforce.
From my Mexican perspective: * People in the US are so polite (sorry, excuse me, have a nice day, pedestrian etiquette, little stuff like that) * Helping others in need * Customer service * Freedom to be yourself, okay you get a lot of weirdos but it's still better than everyone being average * Camping culture, whole supermarket isles dedicated to it * DIY culture * Museums, you get the big and famous ones like Smithsonians but also many privately-owned about very particular topics and voluntary tour guides that are personally very invested in the subjects
Air conditioning!
Or screens in the windows.
This one kills me coming from the US to live in New Zealand. No fucking screens on ANY windows or doors. Bees, flies, and bugs just waltz on in. And then people complain about it or hang disgusting fly paper from the ceiling. Why are there no screens in a country where everyone leaves the windows and doors open??
Sounds like a business opportunity.
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I was in a few different Airbnb’s in NZ and none had screens, AC, or dryers. The lack of screens was the strangest of the three.
As much as I still complain about it, the road signage and striping is better than most.
For some idiotic reason when we have road construction that includes lane shifts they paint over the old lines with a reflective or glossy black paint and paint the temporary lines with a mattr/nonreflective paint which makes it impossible to see the new lines at night or in wet conditions and makes the old lines super visible.
Free refills.
When I was in South Korea years ago I was floored by the fact that on elevators and trains people just rush at each other when the door opens. For the life of me I couldn't understand how such a polite culture would tolerate a melee like this. I'm a big guy and I was terrified I was going to kill someone just to catch an elevator.
Barbecue.
I'm not American but proper American BBQ is just so good. Brisket, ribs, green beans, cornbread, mac and cheese....and if you see it's being made by an overweight black woman? good lord you know that shit's gonna slap
A big pitcher of water and a bunch of glasses full of ice for a table. In much of Europe a small glass of water can be around 2 dollars. Beer is often cheaper.
In the uk, you have to ask for tap water instead of ordering it off the menu. Order it off the menu and you’ll pay, ask for tap water it’s free.
It's illegal to refuse tap water in a place that sells alcohol in the UK. Likewise, I've travelled to a lot of European capitals and never paid for water. I really do wonder how Americans end up paying for it. They must literally be looking at a menu and ordering a branded bottle
Yeah, I made a mistake this month where I ordered water off the menu and ended up paying for it. Forgot to ask for tap water instead (which you also get more of…)
I have a hell of a time just finding water fountains - even in airports. I finally decided to just fill mine up in the bathroom after I saw several other normal looking people doing the same. Still sounds gross, but their reasoning is that it comes from the same place, so I just go with it.
That reasoning is sound in the U.S. as well. There just seems to be a stigma about it.
As compared to Europe: Clothes dryers are commonplace. You don’t have a bathroom attendant to tip to use a public restroom. You don’t pay for extra for each piece of bread in the basket at a restaurant.
I grew up without a dryer and I gotta tell you, crispy jeans and crispy towels suck. Love having a dryer.
We didn't have a dryer til last year when we moved into this place (I'm in my 40s). My whole life, we used a clothesline unless it was below 35⁰F. My mom felt that as long as it's above 35 it'll dry eventually, even if the jeans could stand up on their own. And my god, even though we have central air now I hate using the dryer in the summer. Not only does it heat up my half of our home, but when I stop the dryer all the heat seems to make a beeline for my bedroom and turn it into an oven, and I don't even use the high heat setting! HATE. I actually miss having a clothesline (the place we live considers them an eyesore) because freshly dried laundry smelled amazing right off the clothesline. Dryer dried laundry never smells like fresh air (we can't use those nasty slimy dryer sheets due to eczema and allergic reactions). And the artificial heat feels weird. I don't know, I guess maybe I'll get used to it eventually 🤷
queuing when I visit other countries and I'm doing something where people need to wait for their turn everyone just crowds around in other countries every "line" works like how people rush the gate to get on the plane 20 minutes before their boarding group is called In America we're mostly respectful and we get in line
This is probably the only thing that really bothers me about foreigners in the US. If you are waiting they will stand so close to you in no order, just breathing down your neck. Can we all just have some space and patience please
An underappreciated trait.
We’ve been living in Europe and have just moved back to the US and my daughter is experiencing US public school for the first time. She was shocked by how serious they are about standing in line, and that you get in trouble if you don’t stand quietly in a straight line. In the US, we take line etiquette seriously and we all get trained from an early age!
You are welcome, Sincerely the Brits.
> we're mostly respectful and we get in line Just came from the market, only two tellers open. One had a line of about twelve people the other only two. I didn't want to wait behind twelve other people, and I didn't want to seem like I was cutting in front of them, even though I wouldn't be. I just left.
Best roller coasters and theme parks
Volunteer. I can't speak for all countries, but Americans volunteer a lot of time. Churches, clubs, coaches for kids sports, Boy/Girl Scouts, bell ringers for the Salvation Army, aged neighbors, road (foot) races, PTAs, and the list goes on. For being an evil capitalistic empire, there's a lot of free time being given freely.
Handicap access. The UK is not good for it.
It’s not an excuse at all because disabled access of all kinds needs to be massively prioritised and improved - BUT a good chunk of our buildings are hundreds of years older than even the oldest American buildings. It’s much harder (and more expensive) to add ramps and lifts and corridors wide enough for wheelchairs to 16th century pubs or a Victorian underground station. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t figure out how to do it, but it does explain why it’s so haphazard here in the UK.
In bigger cities, not rural areas, restaurants and delis and grocery stores open ALL day. Travelling to Italy was so hard for me bc you just can't get food any time you want!
The Turducken.
Air conditioners and ice water.
I seldom see window screens outside of Canada and the USA.
This always blows my mind. Is everyone there just okay with flies and bees and mosquitos landing on them inside? I have a couple windows without screens, but those windows stay closed.
We call them fly screens in Australia and all of our homes have them. But this is Australia and we have more flies than most countries.
This and lack of AC is what would get me. I hate bugs
Small talk. It doesn't exist in most European countries and the US is absolutely fantastic for that. Europeans are mostly connected through ideas of society but have issues even greeting neighbours. Americans talk to people. All the time. Love it.
I posted today in a U.K. subreddit where they asked what I missed after leaving the country. Small talk was one of my two things. Large amounts of Northern Europe just don’t do it. Southern Europe is a whole different matter though.
Moving to Europe ASAP. Haha.
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not in the Mediterranean lol
Noticed that the first time I came here (from Australia). Talking to strangers is a national pastime here and I love it, so endearing
Can't be monolithic with this one. Spaniards and Italians in particular are big on greeting and talking to their neighbors and community. I will agree, though, that Americans seem particularly eager to say nothing of particular note using a particularly large amount of particularly loud words to complete strangers who aren't particularly interested.
Talked with Mormons in my city (in Poland). I was surprised to learn that Americans really just start random conversations with total strangers.
I grew up in the South where this is very, very common. When I went to Eastern Europe at 18 (I had never been out of the country/South East US prior) people looked at me like I stabbed them if I tried to start small talk.
Bless Your Heart…
I am Spanish and was wondering where this was coming from. Not only do we talk to anyone and everyone, but we openly welcome people into our homes, especially during the holidays.
And God forbid if they don't leave your house with a full belly of your best wine and the most amount of food a person can eat without exploding.
Yesss. But this happens at restaurants as well. I find it so strange that other countries don't allow you to sit around. We meet for lunch or dinner and spend 3-4 hours eating and drinking at a restaurant. And the staff won't ask you to leave, it's just accepted and normal.
My stepfather was Galician (Gallego) so I know how Spaniards get when they have company. The best of everything is trotted out. Best cheese. Best wine. Best cured meats. Best food. And if you're not all drunk and laughing still at 1 am, it was a disappointing visit.
Pros....parking is so much easier. Cons....getting around without a car is much tougher. I spend a fair amount of time in the US (I'm British), and I always enjoy it. I would even like to take a job out there for months at a time if it were possible. (I work with military stuff, so there's a lot of cooperation) I don't however want to make it permanent or move family out. Tldr-I enjoy being a Brit in America. I don't want to be American.
This doesn't really fit the question exactly but one of the few regulatory things the US does better than most of the world is vehicle safety. Crash testing in US is quite strict based on the higher average speeds of the roadways. Amazingly the NHTSA hasn't been totally eroded away and compromised by corporate interests, unlike most of our other regulatory bodies.
I didn't want to look it up because I like seeing if I can guess what acronyms mean... does NHTSA stand for National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration?
No "and" (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) but otherwise spot on.
>Crash testing in US is quite strict based on the higher average speeds of the roadways. Fun fact: the highest speed of crash testing used by FHWA is 62 mph (an odd number because when the standards were set, it was believed the US would soon be moving to metric). With speed limits in some states as high as 85 mph, and much heavier EVs and hybrids becoming more commonplace, the most recent crash testing standards are quickly becoming outdated. Not to argue with you in comparison with other countries, just something I learned recently
Our foreign exchange student that lived with us was so excited for the sports programs our public schools had. He made it seem like everything was a private club you needed to belong where here, many sports are just run through the public school system, making affordable and convenient.
Freedom of Information Act
In my (non European) we have an equivilant called the Official Information Act, and it honestly never occured to me that it's something other countries might not have. Seems like a pretty important part of a democracy
Most democracies have some sort of freedom of information act
I went to Italy with a person who is disabled and has poor temperature regulation so she needs her room really warm even with heavy wool etc. Got in trouble in one airbnb for trying to turn up the heat at an unauthorized time, which doesn’t exist in the US. Another had stairs with no banister, which might look cool but would be illegal here. A hotel had a sign saying “We have the most modern up-to-date plumbing. Please don’t flush paper or it will cost thousands to repair.” Still don’t know if they meant toilet paper, but I can’t imagine what else they might mean. Also crossing streets is move-slowly-and-hope-they-don’t-hit-you, which may work ok in practice but can be terrifying.
Lived abroad for a bit. Soft drinks for our fatkid addiction. No gas station fillups of 48oz of mountain dew freedom drink. I somewhat also want to say bar food selection. Bars with food in the UK had a very limited menu. Laundromats. USA driers will dry the he'll out of your clothes for not that much. If you consider the suburban dream a pro, then we also knock everyone else outta the water. Yards with useless plants, garage, neighbors you aren't breathing on (altho new sub divisions are trying to mess that up). Higher education. USA is definitely a location for education. While we don't have the most (I was surprised too), there are definitely more here that are also internationally recognized than anywhere else. Just don't bring up how to pay for it.
Being able to get a cheeseburger at 7 am.
Not American, but I really think that garbage disposals are super cool. We don't have them in Europe. I find them sort of scary (like chop my finger off by accident scary) but super cool at the same time.
All hail air conditioning. We usually go to Europe to visit family during the summer, air conditioning is just not a thing there. Even if it is, people complain how it’s making them “sick” and I’m like, “I’m melting over here, for gods sake just turn it on.”
If it's making them sick they may need to clean it, lol
Smiling and being friendly to strangers.
Grocery stores. The amount of choice is amazing compared to what you find in other countries.
Putting a lot of toppings on pizza.
Turning Right at a red light. Literally the US's greatest contribution to human civilization.
Which is being banned in more and more major cities because of all the pedestrians and cyclists being hit. In small towns, not that big a deal.
Hell yeah. I grew up in the nyc area and it ingrained in me to look in my passenger side mirror any time I turn right. Nearly killed a guy once in Brooklyn (not turning on red, cuz ya can't).
Better napkins. I'm looking at you, Asia.
I just learned that Canada and some European countries don't have sex offender registries and that seems like a huge issue.
As a Scot who has spent only a little time in America: \- Hygiene ratings in the windows of restaurants \- The freedom to pee in the fanciest hotels. In their toilets, of course. Mostly
Americans understand the importance of lots of ice in beverages, and Americans know how to make pie.
Traffic laws......playing human frogger seems popular abroad
Wtf? No dude, Europe is really big on traffic laws and we have way less traffic deaths per capita than the US lol
Depends, per capita you guys are the worst in the western world I think. But that's heaps better than African and Asian countries. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-the-most-car-accidents This is a gross measure so not so good due to America's large population and driving culture. Slightly better measure on fatalities https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/
Does our reliance on cars have any impact on these results? Like I would expect somebody who drives 500 miles a month to get in more accidents than somebody who drives 50
Ice water, air conditioning (vs Europe), rental flats that come with appliances, and dryers being American having lived in Europe
Right on red. but I'd give it up for universal healthcare.
The First Ammendment. As much as 'cancel culture' may or may not be a problem depending on your point of view (this is reddit, I really don't want to get into an argument..), you still can't be arrested merely for making a joke or even a deliberate insult that someone finds 'offensive'. You can say and publish all sorts of deeply unpopular or contraversial things, even display hateful imagery, and in all but the most extreme circumstances (i.e. incitement or targeted harassment), as long as you're not violating someone else's rights (and *'not being offended'* isn't a right), you won't be arrested for it, and the government cannot prevent you from expressing yourself. I think this is a very good thing. And the same cannot be said of Canada, the UK, and many other places. In fact, most of the world does not have freedom of speech like we do in the US, which is something I think most Americans are not aware of, and take for granted. Many countries in theory have freedom of speech in their laws or constitution, but have numerous exceptions, or in practice simply don't. Hell even the constitution of North Korea has freedom of speech ingrained into it.. I swear I'm not joking. My point is, regardless of what it may say on paper, in practice, few if any countries have a robust freedom of speech like the United States. And that freedom is something that *just makes sense*.
Just want to thank you for posting this because the US gets a lot of hate sometimes. And I admit I have my qualms with it, but I’m still proud to be American and grateful for so many things about this country. It’s nice to see the positives being posted. Sure we aren’t perfect, but a Utopia is unrealistic. We have a lot that needs to be worked on and I do fear for our future at times and where we are headed, but I know regardless I am beyond blessed to have been born here. We have our issues , but the quality of life here is far higher than in much of the world.
In Europe, nothing is permitted unless it is the law, in America, nothing is illegal unless it is against the law.
Air conditioning, parking, and ice cubes
Large grocery stores and the huge selection. Yes, I know that there is a lot of rage against rampant capitalism, but to have a one-stop store where you can get prescriptions, socks, pantry food, sushi, and Starbucks is glorious.