It hit me - all the ugly places in America
I was watching TV and saw an ad for a river cruise in Europe and the scenery looked so beautiful! I guess that's why the cruise boat industry is booming in Europe. There was a castle in the distance, so huge... probably ancient!
I have heard that Italy is so sick of tourists clogging their sidewalks that some locals spit on the visitors... Yuck.
| READ: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/italys-overtourism-crisis-and-how-the-crowds-congestion-and-new-controls-are-reshaping-travel-in-2026-all-you-need-to-know/ |
Then it reminded me of a train trip I took from Connecticut to New York City. The scenery from the train window was dirty, dismal and dire, and really looked horrible. Are we in a Third World country? This was Connecticut's train tracks? No beauty at all.
Some parts of New York City are gorgeous, well-kept, and some areas are a hell-scape. You'd think they'd spend some money fixing it up, right? I know they get tons of tourism. It's worth your time to see TIMES SQUARE!
And I am thinking about places I have visited that were a real big let-down - no beauty but unattractive city-scapes with big ugly buildings. Was that intentional? Easy to get confused and lost on those mean streets, too. Like driving near St. Louis Missouri which is so spread out, you lose a sense of what direction you are driving. The freeways there made no sense (to me, at least.)
Some places like Jackson, Wyoming are gorgeous like movie sets. Very western-centric... I lived there twice and the Tetons are magnificent but staying anywhere nearby will cost you a small fortune. (Try finding a rental if you get a job! I got lucky.) I read recently that Casper Wyoming is much more affordable but it's not exactly as distinct and full of rich people as Jackson Hole.
All the ugly places in American outnumber the good places. We are not ancient like parts of Europe. It seems the national parks here are promoting the wild areas.
It hit me... What happened here?
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