America the beautiful.
So much to see. So much to experience.
Just because we don't have exotic oceans and ancient history doesn't mean there isn't majesty to take in.
There are many vacations to put together.
And now we don't have to use a paper map to plan.
Our apps and GPS have it all planned out.
Redditor driedkitten wanted to compare notes about the greatest ways to see the USA, so they asked:
"Where is the most beautiful place in the United States?"
So far the cliffs of California is my favorite part of the US.
The Falls
niagara falls GIF
Giphy
"Subjective of course, but Crater Lake is certainly a sight to behold."
KaboodleMoon
"My home state of Oregon is full of beautiful places, South Umpqua falls, Illinois River, and Multnomah falls. Are some favorites."
jlp120145
Oh Hoh...
"A tie for Acadia, Hoh rainforest, and Rainier in the fall."
ParkLaineNext
"I was going to say Acadia. It's very underrated for some reason. My mom's friend by coincidence ended up being my English professor in college and we went on a trip to see family in ME. We stopped at Acadia for a day and she said it reminded her a lot of her visit to Greece."
NunChuckNorris007
"Hoh rainforest is absolutely devastatingly beautiful. Hiked the whole Hoh river trail when I was 17 and it's still near the top of the list for my favorite things I've ever done."
Hal9000_Red_Eye
In Awe
"Glacier national park. I was continuously in awe that the place was real life."
StrebLab
"The vistas of this road, on a motorcycle, were beyond breathtaking to experience. Would 100% do it again. Being on a bike allowed for stops at the waterfalls where there was no room for vehicles to pull over, and the views from the tunnels under the road were supernatural."
tastygrrrl
The Road Ahead
"There is a stretch of the Navajo reservation where there is no cell service, AM or FM radio reception. The road stretches before you for miles surrounded by red rocks touching blue sky. The buzzing undercurrent of modern connectivity fades away and your brain can be truly still."
tulleandtiaras42
"We did a little unscheduled off-roading in that area when we came to a road closed barrier. A Navajo couple pulled up alongside us while we pondered the dirt road heading roughly in the direction we wanted to go and assured us it was passable. Really lonely place... but wonderful."
KaleidoscopeWeird310
On a Clear Day
Mountain GIF by Sunshine Village
Giphy
"Mount Rainier."
WWDB
"If I stand right at the doorjamb of my front door on a clear day, I have a beautiful view. I owned this house for 15 years before I figured that out. You can't see it from any other position in the doorway, or if you're outside."
Wise_Ad_4816
Mountains are hot. That is all.
See the Country
Happy Dance GIF by PLAYMOBIL
Giphy
"Depends on what you’re looking for. The United States is a big place."
"For me - Hawaii is hard to beat."
Own-Willingness-3935
Beautiful scenery...
"Zion National Park is the most well-known place in Utah. But my entire state is an outdoorsman's paradise. LOTs of beautiful scenery in both the northern and southern parts of the state."
nekor18670
"Totally!!! And it’s very different. I personally prefer Southern Utah because the red rocks make me feel like I’m on Mars. But I grew up in the salt lake valley, so the mountains lost a lot of their majesty. But if I’m being honest, I miss them terribly."
Bye-sexual-band-n3rd
Smell the old growth
"I’m incredibly biased, but the most beautiful place is the California redwoods. Drive up 101, and then detour towards Petrolia. There is absolutely nothing like it. Roll down your windows and drive 35mph. Smell the old growth. Stop at the pull out. Take a small hike. It’s worth it."
Altril2010
"Yes, 100%. My brother lives in McKinleyville and I am going to see him the end of April. Can't wait. It's my happy place. They are like the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls... you have to see them to believe them. Those redwoods are something else!"
strongy78
Utopia
"Yosemite! You drive thru the tunnel and come out the other side. Looks like heaven/Utopia."
Socalrdb
"Did a hike in Yosemite on January 1 last year. A spectacular way to start the year. I had seen photos of it, seen it in movies, watched countless videos on Youtube about it but -nothing- prepares you for the sight of El Cap as you turn that corner. I was very nearly moved to tears."
ThrustersToFull
Amazing
Episode 1 Boat GIF by The Simpsons
Giphy
"The Shenandoah Valley. Its an amazing place if you're an outdoorsman. Hiking, fishing, hunting, bird watching, camping."
homoco4396
All the wonders of the world. I may have to check all of these out.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.
But what is the American Dream? The ideal can be described as a life granting everyone freedom to achieve success with few obstacles in order to carve a life out for themselves and start a family.
To some, the American Dream is simply epitomized by its culture of baseball, hot dogs, and backyard BBQs.
But what would be the antithesis to the notion that "all men are created equal?
Strangers online shared their analysis when Redditor amountgood asked:
"If there’s an American dream, what’s the American nightmare?"
The thread began with sarcasm.
Why Cody Rhodes?
"Cody Rhodes is a professional wrestler known as the American Nightmare. He's the son of the late, great Dusty Rhodes, who was the American Dream."
– familyman121712
How Tuneful
"The American nightmare is a song by ice nine kills."
– EarthWillOvercome
And then Redditors mentioned their worst-case scenarios.
No White Picket Fences
"Honestly, for me ending up homeless."
– NoticeWhenUAreHappy
Unforeseen Setbacks
"For me it's getting a serious illness that prevents working, losing everything, being unable to provide for my family, and having to be taken care of by them."
– LividLager
When Dad Got Sick
"This was my Mom and dad's situation. My dad started developing ALS symptoms in his early 60's, by the time he turned 63 he could barely walk/talk let alone work. So he really lost the last high earning years of his life unfortunately."
"Compound that with 24/7 nursing 'heavy' care and my mom would have burnt through most of their savings if not ended bankrupt - had I not quit working and moved home to help her. Luckily she is a licensed RN so medically he was in better hands compared to a lot of other people suffering from it. She just couldn't move a 180 pound 6' 1" man like I could."
– Tler126
Roadblocks To A Healthy Life
"Yep! Can't afford a house, had to get married to get health insurance, if I miscarry, I might have to wait until I'm literally dying of sepsis before I can get medical treatment and if everything goes well, my baby is still full of microplastics :( The future is terrifying."
– listlessthe
Comparisons to the present were inevitable.
Our Current State
"What America is becoming right now."
– favnh2011
A New Reality
"Current America. -An American."
– TTdriver
We Grieve
"Agreed. What we are right now is pretty f'king terrible. Obviously things can get worse, but it feels like that the worst is inevitable. An absolute nightmare for sure."
– BleedingTeal
Dream Vs. Reality
"The American dream occurs when you are asleep. The American nightmare occurs when you are awake."
– cedriks
People analyzed the concept of what makes the American Nightmare.
At Second Glance...
"Ironically, the American nightmare is exactly the same as the American dream, just different perspectives."
– jcbasse
"The American dream is a marketing concept to sell you crap as you attempt to keep up with your peers. I have nicer rental properties than the little apartment I rent for myself. It’s about priorities."
"Where I live, the bike you ride is more impressive than the car you drive."
– Backyouropinion
It Doesn't Apply To Marginalized People
"American dream: prosperous 1950’s style suburbs and social mores."
"American nightmare: exactly the same, but you’re black. (Or a woman, or gay, or trans, or neuro-divergent in any way etc)"
– Charlie_Mouse
The Sitcom Life
"The same thing for someone else. For every person who dreams of a Leave it to Beaver lifestyle that's another person's Purgatory. The true American Dream is simply having the ability to live life as you so choose if that's a Sitcom life then hell live it. If that's in the middle of the city hitting the coffee shop and bakery every morning then do it."
"But too many people mistake their dream for everyone else's."
– jackfaire
Speaking Of Sitcoms
I can't personally say what constitutes the antithesis of the American Dream, but I can say when I realized the so-called "Dream" only applied exclusively to a demographic that was different from mine.
My earliest notion of the American Dream was life depicted on a TV show called The Brady Bunch. (Sadly, we're in an era where people have never even heard of this once-popular American sitcom).
It took me a long time to realize I had been internalizing my resentment of the show for not representing characters that looked like me and having storylines relating to other cultures.
I'm still nostalgic about the show's more inconsequential moments with the family–like settling arguments with a potato sack race or banding together and running through an amusement park to deliver the correct blueprints for the dad's high-stakes business meeting.
But as a youngster, I couldn't help but compare my situation to the perfect White family and realize I would never have that.
To me, that was an American nightmare in a sense. Not being able to attain the unattainable.
But it took me a while to realize I'm so grateful to have had the best of both worlds–of being raised in a country that offered me opportunities leading to a sustainable career in the entertainment industry AND having a background with a rich culture and loving family that shaped me into the proud person I have become.
The Brady's can never take that away from me.
However, I'd still love to be invited over to their house and brush Marsha's hair or have a jam session with Greg up in the attic.
In an ideal world anyway.
Reddit user Leon2778 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, what's a good thing about living in America?"
People around the world still hold onto ideas about what America really is. Let's hear it from the Americans themselves, shall we?
Spoiler Alert: there are cats in America and the streets are not, in fact, lined with cheese. Feivel and his whole singing family lied to us all.
Natural Diversity
Grizzly Adams 70S GIFGiphy"I like the diversity of the landscape & natural world."
"I’ve been to mountains & deserts & mountains in deserts."
"Been to the ocean with a sandy beach, to lakes with sandy beaches, to lakes with rocky beaches."
"Been to the woods & to forests."
"I’ve seen so many different native plants, all kinds of animals, & bugs. It’s pretty damn cool."
- ghosts-go-boo
"Some people say Americas greatest idea was national parks."
"Yah it’s highly commercialized, but it has preserved some awesome nature and in the US we have some of the most amazing and diverse national parks."
"We have forests with trees so big you can drive through, crazy arched rock structures you can drive through, hundred foot tall sand dunes, beautiful Jurassic park style steep mountains, arctic wonderlands, giant canyons, and so many more amazing forests mountains waterfalls deserts and so much more."
- Pristine-Ad-469
"National and state parks."
"National parks are beloved destinations for both citizens and visitors from around the world, even more people visit the state parks."
"With sweeping vistas, stunning forests and incredible wildlife, amazing hiking and camping adventure, parks are one of the brightest jewels of America."
- SuvenPan
"I’m Mexican and I live in the USA. There are plenty of national parks in Mexico too, but they all get filled with houses."
"There’s no real authority stopping anyone from building their house on a national park unless it’s one that brings in the dough, like the monarch butterfly sanctuary. The US does a great job of protecting its landscape."
- youburyitidigitup
As An Outsider
"Not American but I’ve lived in the US for 15 years. As an outsider:"
"Closets. I love all the built-in closets. I was never a wardrobe fan."
"Separate laundry areas."
"That most housing is detached. On the one hand it does mean a huge reliance on cars. On the other hand I never ever hear my neighbors."
"Accessibility of toilets is a heck of a lot better than any other country I have visited. During the day I can usually rely on finding a Target or Starbucks or something. Even if I have to buy something to use it they’re easier to find than in Europe."
"The casual way everyone dresses. My fashion-conscious friend is appalled but especially as a parent I appreciate that I can dash out in my pjs if I really, really need to."
"Convenience. Every time I visit my family now I forget that not all shops are open until 9/10 pm."
"I also live in Washington state currently and have developed a deep love for all the coffee stands around here."
- anyaplaysfates
Access
Style Swag GIF by Pose FXGiphy"Wheelchair accessibility."
"As someone who uses a wheelchair for all ambulation, I can say the US has a leg up on that compared to the other countries that I have been to."
- hisamsmith
"I've had multiple European friends visit me here in the US and each one, at some point in the trip, commented that one of the big differences they noticed from their home countries was that the ADA was shockingly effective compared to its equivalents elsewhere."
"Almost every public building had ramps, elevators, etc. as needed."
"Obviously it's not like other countries all dislike people with disabilities--just the fact that we did it on such a large scale seems representative of the same kind of inclusiveness that people are also talking about in the comments about American citizenship."
- darkshiines
Turning Right
"With a few exceptions, we can treat red lights as a stop sign if we are turning right."
- SmartAlec105
"As Jeremy Clarkson said 'It's America's only contribution to the western world.' "
- N8_Smith
"I can always spot the tourists when they're just sitting waiting at a red to make a right turn."
- [reddit]
"Not gonna lie, visiting Florida made me hate that rule because I always felt like I'm about to be run over any minute by someone without any patience in a pick up truck bigger than the local Starbucks."
- Night_the_Noivern
"First time I visited Europe and rented a car, I was turning right on red every time."
"No harm caused as far as I could tell. I legitimately didn't know you couldn't do that."
- IAMAdot2
Just Wear Whatever
"I can wear what I want."
"Sure I have strict parents at the age of about to be 21. But coming from the middle east, most people in America don't realize the blessing we have here to be able to wear shorts or jeans or tank tops."
- DarkenedProdigy
"True, I guess Americans just have to deal with the societal taboos of doing so in the Bible Belt and not any violent consequences. Purity culture still exists here but it is less extreme for the most part."
- carissadraws
"I feel this. I love wearing shorts and cropped/tanktops, especially on a hot summer day, to walk around like nobody's business."
"If I do it in my conservative country, shame and all types of degradations will be blessed upon me and my mom will cry while pulling out all sorts of dramatic scenes."
- [reddit]
Opportunity
"I was very young when my parents and I immigrated here, and I have far more opportunities here than I would in India. So I’m very thankful for that."
- sunsetskye_
"I was almost born in Mexico. Since then I’ve visited often and appreciate what I have in the states."
"In Mexico if you aren’t wealthy it’s gonna be an impossible task to become a professional. People in the states take for granted what they have."
- Occhrome
"Completely agree!"
"My parents moved to Canada from Serbia for better opportunities. When I was 14 we moved from Canada to the US."
"I’ll never forget visiting my family back in Serbia and noticing how well educated everyone is, but then they end up having to work retail or manual labor jobs because there just aren’t opportunities there like there are here."
"I think it’s a bit better now that we have remote jobs as a possibility but it’s not like in the US where any ordinary bloke can own a company with a bit of ambition and some paperwork."
"Truly amazing!"
- wrong_world_666
Talk That Talk
buzzfeed video news GIF by NowThis Giphy"I can talk sh*t about the president and not get arrested and disappeared. So that's pretty nice."
- Its_All_True
"Talking sh*t about the president is pretty much a national pastime, even when you generally agree with them."
- Sad-Frosting-8793
"Criticizing our 'leaders' for their bull is essential to the American experience."
"We have a large amount of Somali migrants in my area, they would come in to buy weed and always enjoyed our raucous talks about how our public servants abuse their power on the backs of the common person."
"Turns out hating ridiculous power structures is something everyone who smokes weed in any place hates with a passion."
"Seeing Somali couples go on libertarian rants with you makes you shed a tear of American ideals like no other experience. Open them borders and let some f*cking freedom ring yoz."
- jpz1194
Too Nice?
"The people here are actually very nice. There are a few turds that make us look bad, but most people are friendly and helpful."
- Actuaryba
"Was going to say the same. There are some jerks, but most people here are really sociable. At the very least, not rude."
"Knew a friend (here for school) from Finland. Had to keep telling him not to be suspicious when somebody holds the door open for you, or strikes up a conversation in line at the grocery store, or whatever."
"He said he was having culture shock because people were being 'too friendly' and he thought they might have some ulterior motive for it. He got over it."
- atx00
"Friend of mine is from Germany and said he had a similar experience when he went on a business trip here once. Now, though, he loves such trips because he really likes the culture here."
- Drakmanka
We're Open
"Everything is open, all the time."
"I realized how nice this is when I lived in Europe and stuff is closed on Sunday and at 5-6pm every day."
- mam630
"Funny, I moved to the US and the one thing I really miss from back home is that Sundays have a special Sunday feeling."
"Not sure how to describe it. Everyone is off, everything is closed. It's like, you have no option but to relax, it's out of your control, it's imposed rest."
"In the US, the closest feeling to that is snow days."
- deepuw
"Vegas local here. Wanna have a burger and a beer at 3am on a Tuesday? Done."
- EnricoPalazz0
"That's what I was going to answer with. If I want to go buy a big screen tv and a large milkshake at 3 a.m., I can."
- Trentorio
So much space
step brothers bedroom GIFGiphy"Honestly, if I had to pick the #1 thing I'd say the open space."
" The USA has so much open space that we've carved off enormous parts of the continent to permanently be just open space. The US National Park system is the crown gem of the nation."
-McFeely_Smackup
"US needs to preserve even more spaces like this"
-ZhouCang
"I'm not from the US, but from an outsider's perspective I'd have to agree with this. Your national parks are absolutely outstanding and I cannot wait to visit them."
-ExoticOracle
"Capital W Wilderness areas are the crown gem of the nation. The wilderness act is the single coolest piece of legislation ever written. And I mean that in a littoral sense. The writing is so distinct and poetic."
-orowitzzzz
Free pet pets
"You can go to humane society and pet cats for free!!"
-Cats_are_happiness_2
"Which is a GODSEND for people with allergies. I don't want a cat, I want to interact with a cat juuust until I explode."
-AbeliaGG
"My local shelter encourages people to come down to pet and play with the animals! One of my coworkers goes down for an hour a few days per week to love on the kitties, because she can't have one. They adore her for it."
-EducationalAd232
"I volunteer at a NJ rescue affiliated with PetSmart charities. I feed and play with the cats once a week and then enjoy seeing them go home on Adoption Day. I have 2 cats of my own, so I’m not tempted to bring one home with me."
-Excellent_Ambition43
Accessible tech
"How inexpensive tech is"
-Arndt3002
"And how available it is. I have coworkers from other parts of the world who stock up like crazy when they're in the US."
-magster823
"Looking at American online stores as a European makes my mouth water seeing the price of things over there."
-Jackfille1
Free-Soda-om
Fast Food Drinks GIF by jjjjjohnGiphy"Free refills."
-Proper-Emu1558
"And free bathrooms! It seems so awful to me that in some places abroad you have to pay to use a public toilet or risk soiling yourself if you can’t cough up the cash."
-TeHNyboR
"They can take my 88oz of carbonated water and syrup from my cold dead hands."
-QuinceDaPence
"Nevermind that. It’s the free ice water that just appears at your table at every restaurant."
-toastemino
"I had a friend visit from Europe and they would absolutely not believe me when I said they could go up and refill their soda cup. Absolutely thought I was condoning theft and they insisted they could pay for another cup"
-Zeddrocks
Go to the store whenever
"Our grocery stores stay open really late. On the east coast, it's until 11 or 12 at night. On the west, it's 24 hours in some places. This is, in all seriousness, the thing I love most about my country."
"A close second place is our gorgeous national parks. But I don't go to a national park every week. I go to a grocery store."
-ThatDismalGiraffe
"I don't even have to go to the grocery store if I don't want to, I can just get everything delivered in a few hours!!!"
-Spooky_Tree
"I’m in the south and we had several 24hr grocery stores it was really convenient but because of Covid they close at 11pm, hoping it changes. Love the national parks as well."
-MiaLba
What to eat?
homer simpson mess GIFGiphy"I'm not American, but when I was there it was undoubtedly the food. At no given point was I more than a ten minute walk from good food. Contrary to what Reddit would have you believe, it's not all fast food either(though Whataburger is insanely good)."
"There's a lot of good little places to eat and you're never far from one."
-ravingdante
"And if you live in a decent sized city and/or metropolitan area, you can choose from among at least a dozen different countries' cuisines"
"Sure it might be Americanized to some extent, but that kind of variety is always appreciated"
-striped_frog
"and even in Nowheresville, Midwest, you still have like 5 different nearby options for international food, often owned and made by people of that nationality."
-wanttotalktopeople
Get with the program
"AC during the summer"
-I2eN0
"Yeah the fact that other countries who totally have the infrastructure to have AC just... Don't. Blows my mind."
-finallymakingareddit
"Omg yes 😭 I was in Japan for the 2018 heat wave and the lack of AC was HORRIBLE. It was well above 100°F with insane humidity and even at night, it was still uncomfortably hot."
"I'm from northeast Ohio and was so not used to that heat let alone that heat without AC in many of the buildings. I have no idea how people there cope with that."
-fillmorecounty
"Yeah I visited family in Spain a couple summers ago and let’s just say I’ll never make the mistake of visiting in the summer again. It was an insufferable heat that was impossible to get away from. My friend and I, who I traveled with, ended up not even really seeing much because the heat took away our desire to leave the house."
"That being said, I spend a summer abroad in England and that at least wasn’t too bad except for a couple days of heat wave where I didn’t leave my room and just had fans on me."
-I2eN0
"Ice in drinks. We really value ice."
-CaptainoftheStella
"I was so surprised about the lack of ice in drinks in Europe."
-nvdagirl
"England is a barbaric place without ice. I asked a server for a side of ice and he came back with a cube."
-MorallyCorruptBae
"When in Europe I ask for a FULL glass of ice and then also my beverage. Because if you ask for extra you get 2 cubes."
-lyzipoo
"10000%. It is such a nice luxury that cold drinks are by far the norm."
-ruffsnap
"This. You don’t realize how much you need it until you go abroad and it’s f**king summer and they hand you a lukewarm bottle of water for like four euros"
-yramaro
Alright fam, what American freedoms are you in the mood to celebrate?
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