Diegetics

I´ve been to the USA almost ten times, I have spent almost 6 months in Northern California and I can say that I´m a big fan of America.
Still, there are some things from the land of Uncle Sam that disturb me.

What are your choices of the good and the bad about the USA?

I´ll be the first one here:

I love California´s central coast, from the Big Sur up to San Francisco
I hate Los Angeles.

PS: Democrats x Republican stuff are not allowed here.

I've lived my whole life in America, so I don't feel qualified to respond.

I love America, more and more with every day. Leaving partisan stuff out, I love this place. When I go to a state or region I haven't been to in awhile I like just sifting the American soil in my hands for few moments.

I don't like how fat people are here and I don't like the drug communities. I feel like those people should know better. Or should have before it was too late. I don't like vinyl siding.

Well I spent about 7 years in the US Midwest, so my experiences are mostly based on that region.

Likes:

the big sky of the Midwest

Chicago: the waterfront sets a standard that all cities should aspire to, the outstanding architecture is a history of the 20th century

sailing on Lake Michigan

sleeping outside on a bench at the tip of Navy Pier, back when it was a naval pier, to sober up and then watching the sunrise.

learning to soar - fly a glider - above the endless cornfields and catching an updraft from the afternoon cumulus clouds

other cities I visited and liked: San Francisco, San Diego, Baltimore, New Orleans [quite different from other US cities], Charleston

people for the most part were friendly and helpful

the opportunity to work with people, both native and expat, who were the best in their field

the

music: the blues and jazz venues were first rate

the well kept picturesque towns along the

rowing on the Fox River

the bike path system along the Fox River

Pal Joey's Pizza: the best I had every tasted.

Dislikes:

the blandness of much of suburbia and endless miles of ugly clone strip malls and car dealerships

highway billboards

the class structure

the over sized food portions served at restaurants and the, back then, lack of variety in supermarkets

the lack of public transit and having to drive everywhere

having to know which part of Chicago and other cities were safe and which were not

cities that didn't make a particularly positive impression: Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Miami, Orlando, Washington, D.C. [the Mall area is impressive, the Smithsonian is outstanding, but outside of it . . .],

tragic urban ruins: Detroit, the steel works of Gary, Indiana, Buffalo, Rochester [Kodak]

the BI [British Imperial] system of units: as one engineer succinctly put it,
"It's like wiping one's butt with a pine cone, it gets the job done, but the experience is not pleasant."

I spent a year in Nebraska, as an exchange student, and visited several times mostly for my work. I have also spent a marvellous one month vacation travelling from national park to national park, in the Mountains states and Arizona. The Grand Canyon (North Rim) is probably my most cherished experience. Having seen it several times in films and pictures, I never thought the real thing could be so awesome. I tend to divide Americans in two groups: big city Americans - whom I don't much care for -, and small town Americans, who are probably among the friendliest people on Earth. If I ever had to live in the US I would choose Colorado. Oregon and Washington State might come next, but I only know them from pictures.

Likes:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium, truly world class
-Eating pork ribs with local beer in Texas
- I know it´s a generalizatin, but like ansuchin ( b th way, ansuchin your remark was spot on: a complex nation with a kind, generous and insular people) and endovelico said, I like the spirit of the people, usualy generous and friendly.
-The Universities and research centers are wonderfull.
-Eating sea food in New Orleans.

Dislikes
-Sometimes people are too insular.
-Public transportation is very bad
- Theme parks
- The coffe
- Fast food
- The fact that in some cities you have to take a car in order to do anything; sometimes you walk a lot in the streets and there is no one around!

Likes:

Some of the greatest universities and research centres in the world.

Amusement parks. Roller coasters.

Clean cities, reliable and sanitary water and food. Well maintained, signed, and logical motorways with people who obey traffic laws for the most part. Police whom you can trust not to shake you down for bribes if you need their help.

Rule of law.

Ice Cream

Spectacular scenery of an extraordinary variety. Favourites of mine were the rainforests in Olympic National Park, Mt. Ranier, and the High Sierras in California. Climbing Half Dome in Yosemite was a memorable experience, but the hike up to Cloud's Rest was the best.

Cold weather and the fashion opportunities that presents: boots, furs, sweaters, overcoats, wool, leather...

Again, a friendly, generous people. I found Americans always wanting and willing to help.

Philadelphia cheese steaks.


Dislikes:

Bland food that tries to establish a taste through salt and too much oil. People eat too fast, and "fast food" is perfectly dreadful.

Hopelessly confusing, pricey, and aggressive health care

People who would immediately start talking about sex tourism when I told them I was from Thailand. People who would mistake my politeness for their stereotype of Asian female submissiveness.

Fervent Christians who were not able to understand that my acceptance and support of their religion did not make me a potential convert and who would not let that go.

Cold weather and heavy snow and ice. Having to scrape and shovel to get out of the car park.

Political partisans, looking for converts (see "Fervent Christians" above).

New age types wanting to talk to me about "past lives" and "reincarnation" when they discovered I was a lifelong Buddhist

People who lectured me about Asia based on what they read on the internet and heard on the telly or the radio.

Connecting through Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

People who would never consider speaking anything other than their own local dialect of English.

bunch of arty types taking pot or acid tends to be less ugly than a bunch of trash types taking meth or crack.

aka: drug communities is a pretty broad brush !

I have chalked up 28 states over 40 years at the last count, many of them multiple times.

Best positives: the openness, creativity and dynamism of the place. The "can do" mentality - whoever you are. The unbelievable friendliness of people, and by and large their fundamental trust and decency. The beautiful small clapboard towns, and two of the most stunning cities on the planet: NYC and Chicago. Grand Canyon, Yosemite (never been to Yellowstone, unfortunately). Theme parks, a great American art form, especially those in Vegas. The sense of space. Thankfulness that by and large it has done pretty well as world leader. Wines, beef, pork ribs, cheesecake, key lime pie, Yuengling beer.

Negatives: the startling insularity, not just ignorance about the rest of the world, but total lack of interest - sustainable when America was peak top dog, but not now. Linked to it, the myth of American exceptionalism. Homeland security. The hysteria and paranoia (and lack of perspective) after 9/11. The gun culture. The racial obsession (by blacks as well as whites). Decaying cities left to decay. Not just the sprawl, but the uniformity of it. The eastern seaboard summer (stultifying heat and humidity, even up north). Puritanism (everything is sinful, except greed) and prudishness. The so-called coffee, tasteless vegetables and salads, most beers.

The positives way outweigh the negatives, because they contrast major moral virtues with, by and large, venial sins(except for greed).

Oh, and I agree with an about O'Hare (add Miami as well) - except that London Heathrow is even worse.

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I clicked on this thread with a certain apprehension, but it turned out to be unfounded.

This American appreciates your comments, and the opportunity for introspection that they bring.

I find myself agreeing with most of the points being made, those with which I have experience, anyway.

Before reading Crashtech's comment, I was about to point out that, contrarily to what some Americans think, they aren't hated by other peoples, and even (!) Europeans are largely appreciative of Americans. I dislike many American policies but I like America and I think most Americans are wonderful, compassionate people. So much so that I think they deserve better rulers... Shouldn't you be working towards that?...

Nice perspectives, Torchood and Ansuchin.

Never been west of State College, PA, so I wouldn't know. East coast people are 1/3 Jersey Shore and 2/3 their respective situations (I think that is fair).