Benign Troll

The partisan squabbling on the Europe forum suggests a question that might bring out some constructive ideas:

You have a European (or Asian or Latin American) friend who is coming to the US for a 2-week stay. This is a wealthy friend who will pay for transportation and hotels for both of you. Where would you take him, to show what you love best about America?

ncgrrl

When my mom's relatives visit from the "old country" they love old west stuff. Cowboy hats, blue jeans, horse riding. They might even like Gatlinburg (sorry Leone) because it is so different from their home.

Anyway, I would rent a pickup truck (very American) and take foreign guests to the national parks out west, then follow it up with true American capitalism at its best: Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, etc.

Liam

I would start by taking this person to NYC for a few days (Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, the usual sights), just because I think that NYC is a place everyone should visit at least once.

Then I would take my friend to New England for the remainder of his/her stay to show that there are parts of the US which value tradition and history. I would spend a few days along the coast (Martha's Vineyard or Cape Cod), two days in Boston (especially to show that not all that is great about America is "supersized"). Finally, I would head up to the mountains of Vermont, NH, or Maine for the scenery, hiking, whitewater rafting, etc.

I think this trip would expose him/her to a side of the US that is often ignored in the popular media (TV, movies, etc) upon which his/her preconceived notions of the US would likely be based.

Leone

Oh, ncgrrl, you mustn't play jokes on our foreign guests ... unless of course you'd balance G off with something spectacular on the NC side of the range. Oh, I see ... G can be an example of where the US started 200 plus years ago ... perhaps even held up to demonstate what sort of unfortunates get caught in a backwater of arrested development, that has nonetheless foisted itself on the travel scene in the hopes of scoring a few dollars off the unwary. That I could see. And here I'd thought you were tottering on the edge of rationality ... I'm see ... I should have know that crafty mind concealed a higher purpose. Ciao

Dan

NYC
San Francisco/coast
Yosemite
Yellowstone

ncgrrl

Leone, I tease because I love. My aunt and uncle loved those hokey, old-west-ish places when they visited. They didn't go to Gatlinburg, but I guess they would have loved all t-shirt shops and fudge stores. Tacky?, you betcha; American?, you betcha.

I see nothing wrong visiting tacky places as long as you know in advance it is tacky. If you go with the right attitude (slumming anyone?) you can have a good time. Though I wish someone had warned me about Cherokee beforehand. If I had known HOW tacky it was I would have adjusted my mindset ahead of time. At least the mountains were beautiful.

By the way Leone, have you seen John McEnroe's new ad for the Lincoln Blackhawk? Everyone goes from tennis whites to black, black, and more black.

L

Hey, ncgrrl, your melody is fine, as are you lyrics. Thanks for the chat, and have a good day. My confirmation for Paris just arrived ... I must now leave G. to its own devices. Take care, and ciao. Leone

x

What I love best about America? Hmmmmm. . . . .

I think I'd start out with my daughter's fast pitch softball game. Then, we'd run a mile down the street to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (better than the Smithsonian). Catch an SEC football game (preferably an Auburn home game). Run 2 hours up the road to Nashville, take in a show at the "Grand Ole Opry" (I've never seen one), then party in downtown Nashville, listening to the incredible talent drawn to the music city.

What I love best about America are the people and our incredible diversity. We'd probably head to Savannah or Charleston and check out some of the antebellum homes. THen head up the coast, stopping in Manteo to give them a look at the Elizabeth II and the replica of the original English village - to give them a better understanding of what our "ancestors" faced to settle the "new world." A stop in D.C. for a peek at democracy in action - for better or worse. Slide on up to NYC for a day or so in the big Apple. From there we'd head out west, with a stop in Pittsburgh for some pizza. The Grand Canyon would be a must, as well as Yellowstone and the giant Redwoods! They'd better be wealthy, it'd take a private jet at our disposal to do everything!

Marie

First of all I would tell him to keep his money -- my treat!

I'd put clean sheets on the guest bed and clean towels in the bath and plan daytrips in my local area. Our village is on the Erie Canal - we would take a boat ride for a few miles and go through several locks. Maybe meander over to Palmyra and show him Hill Cumorah. We're in the Finger Lakes area of New York - lots of vineyards with wine tastings, lovely lakes - would take him to Ithaca and Skaneateles Lake. Then off to Niagara Falls and Letchwork State Park. If he's in the mood for city life would take him to Toronto. Although travelling is my passion, what I like best about America is right in my own back yard.

Florence

Thanks, Benign Troll, for the lovely thread from this European who had the great pleasure to be introduced to America (specifically Arizona) by friends. I've loved the great scenery, the little places, and the people (the coffee could do with some improvement, though ;->).

Thanks to Marie for her lovely ideas, this is exactly the way I've been treated by my friends, and the way I've treated them when they visited me in France and Switzerland last May.