[kkgg7]

I miss it too and I'm sure that these new stricter rules will end up making us much more inconvenienced but not any safer.

I don't see why Americans shouldn't have their passports to visit a different country. Not owning a passport means you don't want to travel aboard, right? Why should Canada be different from other destinations? Unless of course, the two countries have some sort of a schengen agreement, or Canadians implicitly admit Canada is sort of a US state.

Let's not pretend the US is different from the rest of the world. It is just another foreign country, and owning a passport is the least one should do to go to another country.

 

[kkgg7]

America is an enormously rich and diverse nation that includes many different geographies, climates and cultures etc, to an extent that Canada and certainly Britain do not. For this and other reasons (American insularity and exceptionalism for example) the 'See America' road trip is an integral part of American culture and is as ingrained in their identity as 'the grand tour abroad' might be in other places.

geographically speaking, the US is very diverse. On a cultural level, it is not. Everywhere is typical North America basically, and there is little historical stuff like what the ancient civilizations do. So for someone who is mostly interested in nature, the US offers a lot. Otherwise, you get bored after seeing half a dozen cities because they are pretty much the same. Is Boston so much different from San Diego? Not so much.

 

[jn_12]

I don't see why Americans shouldn't have their passports to visit a different country. Not owning a passport means you don't want to travel aboard, right? Why should Canada be different from other destinations? Unless of course, the two countries have some sort of a schengen agreement, or Canadians implicitly admit Canada is sort of a US state.

Let's not pretend the US is different from the rest of the world. It is just another foreign country, and owning a passport is the least one should do to go to another country.

Well, for the history of the two countries you didn't need a passport. As recently as 2002 I even crossed the border without any ID (though technically I was supposed to have it). Simply because passports are an arrangement that every other pair of countries uses doesn't mean it necessarily must be a requirement for our two countries. Canada had the benefit of being the one country Americans didn't need a passport for, which was a huge benefit for the tourism sector.

There are groups like TIAC in Canada that want an open border. It's not something I'd like to see, but the tourism sector in this country would love it.

 

[Tewder]

geographically speaking, the US is very diverse. On a cultural level, it is not. Everywhere is typical North America basically, and there is little historical stuff like what the ancient civilizations do. So for someone who is mostly interested in nature, the US offers a lot. Otherwise, you get bored after seeing half a dozen cities because they are pretty much the same. Is Boston so much different from San Diego? Not so much.

I would beg to differ. From the outside looking in America may seem like one massive uniform culture but once you get up close and personal with it - in other words once you hit the road - you will find it vastly different from one corner to another, where there are enormous (even if subtle to a non-American) regional, linguistic, culinary, historic, ethnic and cultural differences. I would agree that much of this seems to be disappearing, in some respects, but one could argue that similar forces are at play in other parts of the world too. As Ladies Mile points out in the Maine/Arizona comparison I would encourage you to visit Louisiana and then Minnesota to understand these differences.

... and as for 'ancient' cultures let's not forget the cultural and historic substratem of indiginous cultures that you will also find in many parts of America (particularly the south west).

 

[gabe]

I have been to 27 states and kkgg7 couldn't be more wrong. I'll add Miami to the list, especially Little Havana. I've been to Big Havana, and this was as close as anywhere can get to duplicating that feel.

 

[Tewder]

... and not far from there the 'Conch Republic' (Key West).

 

[taal]

geographically speaking, the US is very diverse. On a cultural level, it is not. Everywhere is typical North America basically, and there is little historical stuff like what the ancient civilizations do. So for someone who is mostly interested in nature, the US offers a lot. Otherwise, you get bored after seeing half a dozen cities because they are pretty much the same. Is Boston so much different from San Diego? Not so much.

You're kidding right ? I'm not even sure how to respond. You're saying, in comparison, Canada cities are 'culturally diverse', using your own words. I don't think you mean culturally, maybe urban form ? Either way I have no idea how you could have reached that conclusion.

 

[kkgg7]

I would beg to differ. From the outside looking in America may seem like one massive uniform culture but once you get up close and personal with it - in other words once you hit the road - you will find it vastly different from one corner to another, where there are enormous (even if subtle to a non-American) regional, linguistic, culinary, historic, ethnic and cultural differences. I would agree that much of this seems to be disappearing, in some respects, but one could argue that similar forces are at play in other parts of the world too. As Ladies Mile points out in the Maine/Arizona comparison I would encourage you to visit Louisiana and then Minnesota to understand these differences.

... and as for 'ancient' cultures let's not forget the cultural and historic substratem of indiginous cultures that you will also find in many parts of America (particularly the south west).

I don't deny there are regional difference, but what I saying is that such difference is a lot smaller than if you cross equal distance in other parts of the world. The US is a very young country by world standard, and it hasn't developed drastically different regional cultures.

Take language for example, although Bostonians and Texans speak differently, mutual intelligibility is usually not an issue across the country. While in many older countries, people who live 200 km apart simply can't communicate using local dialects.

Food is another example. All Americans pretty much eat the same food with very limited difference.

 

[kkgg7]

You're kidding right ? I'm not even sure how to respond. You're saying, in comparison, Canada cities are 'culturally diverse', using your own words. I don't think you mean culturally, maybe urban form ? Either way I have no idea how you could have reached that conclusion.

I am not comparing US to Canada. Canada doesn't even have a culture, and I wouldn't compare its culture to anything.
What I meant is the US has relatively uniform culture/lifestyle across the country, compared with other parts of the world.

 

[kkgg7]

Well, for the history of the two countries you didn't need a passport. As recently as 2002 I even crossed the border without any ID (though technically I was supposed to have it). Simply because passports are an arrangement that every other pair of countries uses doesn't mean it necessarily must be a requirement for our two countries. Canada had the benefit of being the one country Americans didn't need a passport for, which was a huge benefit for the tourism sector.

There are groups like TIAC in Canada that want an open border. It's not something I'd like to see, but the tourism sector in this country would love it.

the relationship between these two countries are really odd to me sometimes.

For example, the US has pre-clearance customs located in major Canadian airports. However, there doesn't seem to be any preclearance Canadian customs in any American airports. Makes you wonder why. Apparently a lot of Americans visit Canada as well.

 

[adma]

You know, kkgg7, your descriptions of Canada and the US as devoid of culture rather ironically reflect your own philistinism--which is made all the worse by being philistinism in the guise of sophistication...

 

[nfitz]

For example, the US has pre-clearance customs located in major Canadian airports. However, there doesn't seem to be any preclearance Canadian customs in any American airports. Makes you wonder why.

Really? It's isn't blindly obvious? You're pulling our leg.

 

[yin_yang]

I have been to 27 states and kkgg7 couldn't be more wrong. I'll add Miami to the list, especially Little Havana. I've been to Big Havana, and this was as close as anywhere can get to duplicating that feel.

low is such a sick album.

 

[Tewder]

I don't deny there are regional difference, but what I saying is that such difference is a lot smaller than if you cross equal distance in other parts of the world. The US is a very young country by world standard, and it hasn't developed drastically different regional cultures.

Take language for example, although Bostonians and Texans speak differently, mutual intelligibility is usually not an issue across the country. While in many older countries, people who live 200 km apart simply can't communicate using local dialects.

Food is another example. All Americans pretty much eat the same food with very limited difference.

Well again, I think you should spend some time in Louisiana and Minnesota and then make those claims about food and language.

There is no denying there is a common, shared pan-american culture/lifestyle that you'll find to be fairly consistent at a middle class level from one coast to another. The regional differences I'm talking about run deeper, and if you can't see that it's because you probably haven't experienced it first hand... but don't take my word for it, go get your kicks and hit the road Jack!

 

[Ladies Mile]

geographically speaking, the US is very diverse. On a cultural level, it is not. Everywhere is typical North America basically, and there is little historical stuff like what the ancient civilizations do. So for someone who is mostly interested in nature, the US offers a lot. Otherwise, you get bored after seeing half a dozen cities because they are pretty much the same. Is Boston so much different from San Diego? Not so much.

Boston not different from San Diego?

Let's see...the buildings are different, the climate is different, the food is different, the foliage is different, the arts scene is different, the language is different, the educational facilities are different...hmmm, they seem to walk around on two legs in both places, so there's that.

I assume you write these posts in crayon and then give them to the nice man in the white coat to post for you.