Edition 459 – American Observations
Having recently returned from my 15th trip to the United States of America, and the first in 5 years, it was interesting what I observed, during my travels:
- California, especially is obsessed with the EV, yet the rubbish on the side of the road, right throughout Los Angeles, is appalling. If you care for the environment, don’t you care for all of it?
- The wealthier people are, the less generous they are. After a great shore excursion, off our Caribbean cruise, in Dominica, four, older, quite wealthy Americans talked openly on the bus, about how much they would or wouldn’t tip the tour guide and the driver. As they walked off the bus ahead of me, none of them tipped either of the locals. The irony was, we were in a third world country, and two of the four were ostentatiously displaying their expensive jewellery.
- Infrastructure, in a number of locations, looks in desperate need of renewal. One of the main gateways into the United States, LAX, is grubby, run down and more congested than ever. If they’re renewing the terminals at LAX, one at a time, one wonders how they’ll be ready in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA.
- Begging has moved off the streets, and inside. Whilst in a Target store, picking up some essentials, I was approached by someone about buying a blanket. It turns out, he didn’t want my opinion…he wanted my contribution towards his purchase.
- There’s a marked difference in the hospitality offered by Floridians, vs Californians. The West Coasters are more polite.
- After all this time, they still can’t figure out Tea! Ask for a cup of tea, and it comes with honey and lemon, and often the lemon is perched on the mouth of the cup. Ask for milk with your tea and the reaction is like you’ve asked for cyanide.
- Back to our Caribbean cruise, and I was incredibly disappointed with the complete lack of manners of, frankly, too many US co-cruisers. “Please” and “Thank You” seem to be simple words of gratitude that have been forgotten. More than once, I heard the demand “get me that (drink), (food), (product on the shelf)” as if it were a directive from someone in the military. The observation was not just mine – it was noted by a surprisingly large number of non US based travellers.
- On more than one occasion, when travelling either by Uber or pre-arranged transport, I was told by long standing residents of the USA, who had emigrated some decades prior, that they wondered if now was the time to return to their former homeland.
- Sadly, there’s a degree of suspicion amongst people you come in contact with in the USA. From wait staff in restaurants, to Uber drivers, to store assistants, to those working in hotels, the previous, almost overbearing welcome, was replaced with a hesitation to want to engage. Perhaps the novelty of being an Australian in the USA has worn off? Or, perhaps, the divisiveness that appears to have overcome the nation, permeates even the most basic interaction amongst individuals in daily life?
I’ve loved travelling to the USA for more than 30 years. LA holds a very special place in my heart as it’s where some monumental decisions took place in June 1991, with a special lady. However, it’s not the place it was, and perhaps, for a while, venturing elsewhere in the world is more preferable.
This Week’s Tip
“Travel affords you the opportunity to remind yourself, of what you take for granted, at home.”