9 Things 1 Learned Spell Driving Across The United States
After 12,000 miles too iv too a one-half months on the road, I’m home. My epic mass tour across the solid reason is over, too I cruel inward dearest amongst the USA all over again. I intend the USA is an underrated destination.
Travel across the USA feels to a greater extent than similar visiting a collection of micro-countries, each amongst its ain identity. While some basic ideas too principles resonate across the states, each percentage has its ain unique cuisine, geography, identity, too culture. Life inward rural Nebraska has piffling inward mutual amongst life inward New York City, which has piffling inward mutual amongst the mountains of Idaho.
Driving across America gave me a deeper appreciation for this solid reason too the variety inward it.
The USA is gigantic.
You don’t realize exactly how large it is until you lot pass 10 hours driving through 1 state. I spent 3 days driving over 1,500 miles too alone crossed 2 too one-half states (Montana, Wyoming, too Nebraska). Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 route trip across the USA isn’t quick. Like Australia, Canada, or India, if you lot desire to encounter a lot, you lot demand to devote considerable fourth dimension to it. The vastness of the solid reason is also overwhelming too profoundly inspiring. The possibilities of regain seem endless inward this large land.
We direct hold the best nutrient because nosotros direct hold all the food!
Thanks to a melting pot of cultures, the USA has cuisines from around the world. There is sushi meliorate than inward Japan, amazing Vietnamese pho on the West Coast, to-die-for Mexican inward Texas too California, uber-good German linguistic communication nutrient inward the Midwest, too everything from Pakistani to Ethiopian to Uzbek nutrient inward the large cities. Throw inward Southern dwelling cooking, spicy Cajun food, steaks inward the Midwest, freshly caught seafood too oysters inward the Northwest, too pizza inward Chicago too New York City, too you lot tin consume almost whatever type of nutrient no thing where you lot are. You only can’t detect this variety anywhere else inward the world.
Our infrastructure needs work.
Midway through my route trip, I flew to Shanghai to cinema a TV commercial. I was struck correct away past times how good maintained the infrastructure inward Shanghai was compared to what I’d exactly left behind. There were no potholes inward the roads, the highways had enough of lanes, too at that spot were lots of high-speed trains, well-connected populace transportation, too bridges lit upward amongst neon low-cal shows at night! It was similar existence inward the future. I returned dwelling to highways ever nether construction, clogged too decaying bridges, unevenly paved roads, too car-damaging potholes. Our infrastructure is inward disrepair: highways can’t handgrip the traffic, roads are neglected, too at that spot are few intercity go options. It is no wonder the American Society of Civil Engineers rates us a D+. It’s a shame that such a peachy solid reason neglects such an of import purpose of society.
Outside the coasts, it’s super cheap!
I alive inward the solid reason of $14 cocktails (thanks, NYC!) — non an uncommon cost inward large coastal cities. However, when you lot escape the major cities too corporation into the countryside, your costs driblet dramatically. The USA is a wonderful budget destination. There are inexpensive hotels too hostels (starting at $30 a night), tons of couch-surfing opportunities, diners too sit-down restaurants for nether $10 a plate, too $3 beers. I flora it tardily to contend on less than $50 a day. It turns out the USA is 1 of the most under-appreciated budget destinations inward the world.
It’s really rural.
The solid reason is large too filled amongst a lot of nothing. We frequently flick the USA every bit a solid reason of large cities too suburbs, an agrarian middle, too beautiful parks such every bit Yellowstone or Glacier National Park. But inward truth, the bulk of the nation is small, rural towns too empty countryside. Though containing alone 19% of the population, 95% of US solid reason is classified every bit rural. Whether it was driving through Tennessee, Montana, Texas, or fifty-fifty California, 1 time I left the large cities, at that spot was an almost immediate shift to pocket-size towns too broad empty spaces.
Country music is king!
While driving through desert, the radio becomes generally static — too endless solid reason music stations coming inward loud too clear. America loves solid reason music. I knew it was popular, but this route trip showed me that at that spot is no music every bit pop hither every bit country. After months of listening to songs virtually beer, heartbreak, trucks, going downward to the lake, too loving our solid reason (sometimes all v at once), I also am right away hooked on this twangy vibe.
It’s Christian.
You know what else you lot hear a lot on the radio? Christian stone too Bible sermons. Add the billion churches you lot see, all the “Jesus is Lord” signs on the highway, conservative speak radio, the large per centum of Americans who go to church building frequently (77% of Americans course of pedagogy themselves every bit Christian), too you lot come upward to realize that the vast bulk of America is deeply Christian. After listening to solid reason music too seeing the religiosity of most Americans, I empathise my beau citizens a lot to a greater extent than too teach why this solid reason has go to a greater extent than conservative inward the past times few years.
It’s actually a bunch of piffling countries.
The USA is frequently depicted every bit a monolithic cultural entity, but this route trip taught me that the USA is exactly a serial of micro-cultures politically outflow together past times a mutual gear upward of principles. Roaming from percentage to percentage volition accept you lot through various landscapes too attitudes on life. The Northwest, amongst its coffee-drinking, tech-loving, hipster, outdoor vibe, is vastly unlike from the genteel, conservative province of Mississippi. The fast-paced life inward NYC is a globe away from the farms of rural Wyoming. Sun-soaked, taco-filled, laid-back San Diego seemed a unusual position when compared to the outdoor cowboy civilisation inward Montana. Driving through America feels every bit though you lot go past times through dozens of countries.
It’s amount of helpful, upbeat people.
Everyone I met on the route was helpful, inquisitive, too nice. From the folks inward Nashville who allow me rest at their position inward Mississippi to the guy inward Kansas who gave me driving directions, people cared. Locals I met were fascinated past times my route trip, too when I needed something, they helped. It didn’t thing where I was — everyone helped. Years ago, my Dutch friend took an extended trip to the United States. His origin comment to me was, “Why are Americans too thence helpful too cheery? It’s non similar Kingdom of the Netherlands at all. Everyone wants to know virtually my day.” An English linguistic communication friend 1 time told me Americans were, “just also damn cheerful.” It’s true. Our spirit is overwhelmingly cheery, upbeat, too positive.
Traveling the solid reason destroyed many negative sentiments, gave me a meliorate perspective on life inward the country, too taught me that no thing how many micro-cultures too differences nosotros have, our mutual heart beliefs too positive outlook makes me hopeful our time to come volition survive bright. As Winston Churchill said, “You tin ever count on Americans to do the correct thing — later on they’ve tried everything else.”
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