I'm a European who used to live in the USA, and I learned something: the more we Europeans hear about a certain place in the USA, the bigger of a disappointment it will be. I've had a far better time in places like Pittsburgh, San Antonio, and northern New England than I ever did in NYC, San Fran, or Disney World.
Good point, I think that's true for any place you hype up in your mind before visiting. It's like thinking girls don't shit and being disappointed when you find out they do.
Why would you write a comment in french when the video is in English, about an english topic and the conversation has been written in English... Do french people lack common sense or is that a you problem???@@francoisrougerie
As an American who lives in Europe, I totally hate the same things too. My number one piece of advice to people who visit the US is to explore our nature. Our nature is absolutely radical (if people say that) and there is so much diversity in our landscapes.
.... Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus
A lot of cities and towns in America (at least in the North East) have "greens" instead of "squares". A "green" is basically a small park in the shape of an elongated rectangle in the very center of the "old city", but they always have roads for cars surrounding them and lack the compact feel of a square. There are usually a few walking paths through the green and a church + city/town hall right up against them on the other side of the road too. Unfortunately the main issue is most of them are zoned exclusively for single-family residential aside from the church and city hall. Sometimes they will be zoned for commercial use in which case they are pretty awesome, but then you get a road or two away and you're back to single family residential zoning so it ends up being a good place to spend a small bit of time but there isn't much to explore. You will almost never find any sort of coffee shop or business within the green unless it's a major city. New York City sort of follows the pattern with its massive Central Park surrounded by buildings separated by a road, luckily the surrounding buildings aren't exclusively single family and it actually allows businesses to operate within the green.
@@100euronjuusto Finland has been on top of the list where people are free from worries about their 'well being'. This translates to happy, but Finns, and their country, have some dark times too.
@@superslash7254 Finland has the top ranking in the: World Happiness Report 2023 And has had this position for many years. It is well deserved! But happiness cannot be equaled to 'being happy' or 'joyful'. A common mistake.
I am an American married to a Czech woman. I agree with everything you said. My advice to anyone visiting the USA would be to focus on the national parks.
I haven't been and this is exactly my thoughts. I come from living in the largest cities in Europe and Asia. I want to see some urban stuff in U.S. but I think what makes it special is the incredible world class nature 😍
@@ferahl American cities are not particularly interesting, the nature however, is indeed quite lovely. there is no city in the USA that i would say is worth a special trip to. there are many areas of national forest and parks that are though. There are so many exciting parks that there are many different road trip routes one can take that go between nature based points of interest.
As a New Yorker, yup, you pretty much nailed it. We hate all those things too. One point though, the shot of McD's when you said how dirty and old they are was from before 2006. The 20 year out-of-style phone booths and the distant, orange glow of Tower Records's neon sign (doors closed in 2006) are a dead giveaway. 🙂🤘
@@pinkonesie Yeah, but "We visited...etc" with the current footage is a lie, or casually deceptive at best. Someone slams your home and holds up footage from 20 years before as evidence? WhattaYOUgonnado?
meh... I've been in NYC really a lot in the 2008-2012 (I know, it's been a few years since :) )... Most of McD still looked like a dumpster and would be the last place for me to go only if I'm extra desperate. Lots of bums inside, wasted toilets, etc. But no more neon - that's true.
@@geekytraveler5899 I went to a McDonald's near Penn Station. A bum asked me for money for food and I gave him the cold shoulder and said no. A local guy was generous and bought him some food though. My burger was also cold and sloppily put together.
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 Pretty sure it's more affordable for the average European to visit Europe though :P Probably easier than the average American can visit the rest of America.
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 I mean, depending where you go, are we talking Switzerland or Portugal? One thing is true, travel prices in US skyrocketed. Also US is better for nature, but not for the cities.
As an American who has had the fortune to travel a lot through Central Europe, and has been a 7-year follower of this channel. Everything you said is very true! BUT... BUT... BUT. I will say you fell into your own trap. For years on your channel, you have talked about tourists coming to Prague and only seeing the "touristy" area and not seeing the other, better parts. You just did that. You came to the big name, touristy American cities, but also so the garbage dump that is the large American city, too. If you want to see town centers and some "more European" like arrangements, you have to visit the smaller cities. Mind you, I live in a rustbelt big city, which has its beautiful and less beautiful points, but to see the "America" of the movies you have to visit the older, smaller towns away from the big, touristy megalopolis.
I don't think it's quite the same, though. The touristy places in Prague are still amazing - it's just that tourism and the exploiters and cheaters who live on that tourism ruined the experience. I remember it before that happened (and to be fair, a lot also improved since then). The worst parts are also quite small - usually, all it takes is to move a street or two away. But I always struggled to understand why anyone would find Times Square interesting, for example. It's just a dirty dump full of advertising and bright lights. I've never been to Las Vegas, but I imagine it being much of the same. It feels like it's trying to hook 9 year olds :D Advertising sucks. You know someone is making the decision "we could make our services/goods better or cheaper... but we can just pump tenth of the money into advertising and get bigger profits". It's not really good for you, it just tries so hard to make you feel like it is. And yeah, cars make cities awful. I hope we learn to depend less on cars. Hard to go against the current of the massive propaganda from the car and fossil fuel industries, of course. It's the main reason people are so closed-in and scared in the cities - one, cars are actually ridiculously dangerous (not to mention the secondary effects of breathing their emissions)... and two, they empty out the streets (not to mention ruin them). There's this things where an empty street is fine, a street with plenty of people is fine... but when you're walking alone in a street and meet one stranger or group... it can be really uncomfortable. And I'm already really sick of how all the women react when I just randomly meet them in the street, because they're just so scared. I remember when people used to say McDonald's is a "safe spot" where you get the same product and service all over the world. I don't know if it was _ever_ true... but it certainly isn't today. European McDonald's is still overly sweet and salty, but it just doesn't compare to UAE, Bahrain or the US (I hear it's also very different in India and friends, being vegetarian and all that). And no, our ice cream machines are never broken :P
By this logic people shouldn’t visit Prague because it’s a touristy city. In the video it’s shown exactly what it it’s, that outside the touristy spots these places in USA have nothing else to offer
I can't stand the push to get rid of vehicals. City planning has ruined tons of cities by making them unlivable, not alone unwalkable. Lookin at you SF (Tenderloin).
I don't think these are fair comparisons. You teach us common tourist traps to avoid in Prague, but when you visit the US, you went to all tourist traps blindly without doing prior research. I live in San Francisco, and I've been to LA, San Diego and Vegas more than a few times in the past. They are not as beautiful as the cities in the Eurppe, but each of of these cities have so much to offer. I just got back from Disney world as well with my girlfriend and had a blast there! You should give US another shot! I'll show you places/things to do here 😊.
Honza comes of as an ultimate party pooper here. But I do agree about certain things: lack of the "center" of a city, lack of pedestrian infrastructure, homelessness and dirty streets in general. But I'd still advise you to experience it yourself and travel. There are many amazing things to see in the States. My favourite were: the Great Canyon, natural Parks in California (Yosemitte, Sequoia), NY city. And there are many more.
I’m in Austria right now on vacation and a frequent traveler. Live in the US. One of the biggest shocks is how CLEAN it is here in Vienna and other cities I’ve been to in the EU.
I’m half Czech and VIENNA is so similar for me and what shocked me is that in the summer they have free water tanks where you can drink from in the city
Basically everywhere I have travelled in Europe has been super clean. Even in poor countries the cities are clean. Meanwhile last time I visited my hometown in the USA there was garbage literally stacked everywhere. Sofas and mattresses dumped on the side of the highway, roads absolutely falling apart...ugly dirty cities and no one can do anything about it because it would cost .5 percent tax hike to have a budget to clean the city. It was a depressing trip.
I am an American and love my country, but completely agree with your list! Just returned from my second trip to Prague and the Czech Republic and can’t wait go back! Thanks so much for your informative videos!
You blew my mind with this thing about the city centres. I live in Toronto, but I’m from Brazil. These days I asked in a Facebook group of people from Toronto where is the Toronto Centre. Basically, they didn’t know how to answer that. In Brazil, every city, big and small, has a square in the middle, with a church or Cathedral, sometimes the city hall, and this is the centre, usually it is traditionally where the city started from. In Toronto, there is no “city centre.” You have some squares and places that gather most of the people and have that “city centre vibe” - actually, it looks more like Times Square or Picadilly Circus, but not a city centre with a cultural and historical relevance, and it shocked me. They have a district called “Old Toronto”, but it is mostly like the boundaries where the city was before expanding and conurbating with other surrounding cities to form the today’s Toronto.
@@VikingUffDa I’m not criticizing it. I’m just telling what I saw. I like my home city with its Catholic structure, and I like my new home, Toronto, just the way it is :)
I'm glad you said this about Las Vegas. I went there once and what I learned is: I never need to go back to Las Vegas. Ditto for Disney and Times Square.
I went to Reno and saw all the same type of problems seen in Vegas. I was eating lunch and looked over to a bank of slot machines all in use. Not one person looked happy to be there. Several looked bored. Left me with zero interest to return or try Vegas.
Hahaha I'm going next week for a show, but the thing is I live in LA and it's a hop skip for me. A lot of people here go for the weekend to just gamble then come back. Vegas is different if you have a lot of money too.
@@lauxmyth The weird thing is that people even feel that it _might_ be appealing. I understand when you're hooked and fully addicted, you can't really stay away. But how did they manage to convince people that _starting_ that is a good idea or a nice experience? Though of course, it's _everywhere_ in advertising, in product placement, a huge number of American movies... Endless propaganda and advertising, just to get you hooked - and then they win. It's the same in European "casinos" of course. Especially the slot machines. You really see that they hit something the human brain is not ready to judge properly (though don't forget that the Skinner Box experiment only "worked" with mice who were already completely disconnected from their society and friends, and even then it was a relatively rare result - well adjusted happy mice tried once on twice and ignored the "levers" from that point on; much like most people do with drugs or gambling). You don't see the same thing with, let's say, pool. People actually enjoy that, even though it's connected to a lot of the same problems like pubs, alcoholism, smoking, betting... the activity is actually something people enjoy, not just something they do because they are compelled to. And it's scary that the video game industry actually managed to get quite the foot into the door of this too (and would have been entirely in if not for some hasty regulation in the EU). The people building and promoting such things are utterly despicable.
Same here. I visited in 2018 and I am from Latin America and I would move to Prague in a heartbeat. Wondering about retirement … Prague Old Town Square and Plaza de Cuzco are absolutely the most beautiful I have visited.
If you ever come to Seattle, the oldest part of downtown does have a square! Pioneer Square, right across from Occidental Square. It is the first developed part of the city, so the buildings are “really old” (for America - mid 1800s), and there’s historical tours you can take there, like the underground city tour. Unfortunately, since Americans aren’t as inclined to enjoy these old parts of cities as much, it’s getting a bit rundown. Though there’s hope, the city does plan to revitalize downtown and clean it up over the next several years.
I'm brazilian and had the same reaction about people smoking everywhere in public places when I've been in Rome and Florence. Cigarretes are not as popular as they used to be nowadays.
In public places you were disappointed??? //Laughs in Eastern Europe// 🤣🤣 They allow smoking INSIDE in most restaurants and cafes, it's pretty crazy to me and also smoking cigarettes? At least weed gets you high and it smells decent... tobacco and whatever else thr fuckin tobacco companies decide to put in it, does not smell good at all.
I lived in the UK for 3 years and have returned to the US recently. Honestly I love where I live in America, but I miss city centers so much 😭and the walkability of everything.
Having moved to Canada a few years back I find the whole concept of city planning around cars very interesting. They spent trillions of $ of PUBLIC funds to build roads, parking etc., all so that some PRIVATE companies can sell a car to you, which is powered by oil supplied by PRIVATE gas companies, oh and you also need auto insurance offered by PRIVATE companies. It's especially bad in the US considering how much they hate communism and yet spend all their money on roads and highways so a small group of ppl stay rich.
@@Dansker_fra_Midtjylland Life happened and I needed to be near my family. I won't say it here, but just unexpected life events. I would love to travel extensively to Europe again though!
The thing I hated about London was no real centre. It has a number of disconnected areas - Parliament, the theatre area, the Tower etc but no real centre. It took me quite a while to try and get used to that. I came from Sydney, which has a magnificent harbour, with the Bridge and Opera House, which gives that city a great centre.
Why would you ask anyone in Times Square if they’re from New York City?? no one who lives in the city will willingly go there 😂 also we don’t want ppl bothering us on the streets, we’re tryna get somewhere and usually it’s a scam lol
Being a New Yorker, we only go to Time Square to bring visitors or go watch a Broadway show. We usually go to places surrounding Time Square, but not time square.
There is a central square in Los Angeles. It's the Old Plaza, across the street from Union Station. The original church is still there from the days when it was the plaza of the Mexican village that L.A. grew from. Olvera Street, although touristy, has the oldest house in the city, and its back yard patio has a cactus garden that looks like Mexico. Chinatown is a short walk and the downtown skyscrapers are a few blocks to the south.
I'm a homelesss outreach worker in san francisco. The homeless population is not allowed to go anywhere except that one neighborhood, its a containment policy similiar to the kensington neighborhood of philly. The people in surrounding neighborhoods are to blame. San francisco in the last 20 years has experienced the largest population boom in the nations history and we built less housing than any other time in the city's history during these last twenty years as well. This is what happens in the united states without *strong* social programs like you have int europe. my job is great, but its the bare minimum that should be provided and is only one essential segment of what should be a strong social safety net, the services i provide can not succeed alone in a vacuum. I hope you enjoyed our city and hope you will come back soon and visit us again! we are trying really hard
@@ericcarlson3746 I took a cursory glance at your page, im relatively certain you do not live in the USA at all, let a lone san francisco. But i do, and this is my job, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
i also see that that way in Czech Republic but i think its the opposite way. the worst places form around the touristy places, not the other way around.. So the problem is on both sides
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 Why the hell would anyone want to see NYC? That's like staying in a nice hotel just so you can look at the toilet. 😁. Yosemite is the best of the US. The small towns of America is where the heart lives. 99% of the big cites are not American. I'm proud as a 62 year old American to say that I have never been to any of these dirty places.
@@roderickrayrutledge2740 I don't deny, Ray, but that's what has been shown to us, eastern european block, in the media. Especially after communism era. Skyscrapers, big houses with no fences, those big ass trucks, etc etc.
Loved the video! Just wanted to comment that it is damaging to attribute aspects as underpinning "America" basing it off of a single state as a reference point. We have beautiful McDonalds too haha!!
I haven't seen a beautiful Mcdonald's in years. We used to have nice really big once with slides and stuff but during covid especially it seems like it was all taken down.
Most large cities have suffered heavily from incompetent leadership for years. Focus on the national and state parks. The charm of "big city life" has died.
I love that you chose the places that most Americans hate too. Honestly, I've been to the Czech Republic and absolutely love it, for a lot of reasons. But I've purpously avoided the kinds of places most tourists would go
The problem for us is that we wouldn't really have any interest in most American style cities, and we would have great trouble getting around. Not many Europeans want to drive everywhere when we are on holiday. We want a place we can walk around and soak in the atmosphere and local life.
As a Malaysian, I love the US. And I hope to visit it someday. Personal freedom and the right to lead your own life is key. A lot of Europeans don't like America because they're used to getting beaten with a stick by their government.
OMG that's so silly 😂. You don't know what your talking about do you? It shows you haven't traveled a lot outside that "land of the free" that Malaysia is compared with us "stick beaten by our governments" citizens of european countries.
your comment is hilarious. personal freedom? not if you're black. not if you're poor. not if you want to have an abortion. not if you're atheist. of course who wants to be gay in malaysia....but seriously.....the usa is not where you should be going to in order to experience a country that looks after its citizens and believes in human rights for all.
@@azhariarifThe propaganda is insidious, but it’s really not based in reality. The USA is so restrictive in so many ways that it’s actually really, really stifling to people from other places. In daily life you’re restricted to transport by car in the vast majority of the country; there are simply no other options, and so no freedom of choice. Want to cross a road? Their automotive companies have invented a word to vilify you and lobbied for harsh restrictions on how you can cross it. Even walking itself is restricted, because the infrastructure is built to be pedestrian-hostile. There’s no true freedom living in a place like that, where even the most basic of human activities is so restricted. And that’s just 3 very basic examples from daily life. You’re much, much, much more free in many other countries than you are in the US.
As an American, I absolutely HATE these places too. I will say, you have been going to major major cities in the US. The smaller places absolutely have "main streets" full of restaurants and all of the major places. It's not a square like Europe, but its similar.
As a European who travelled quite a few places of the USA I gotta say: Look out for small towns and villages. As I recall from my most recent trip through the south-east I was pretty disappointed by Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta - but inbetween there were those tiny towns like Conyers or Covington in Georgia - with a square just like in good old europe.
I understand you had a bad time at Disney World, but going there during the busiest time of year without planning and trying to do everything is a nightmare and not really representative of the rest of the year. I’m from Norway and have done many trips to Disney World because of it’s beauty, immersion and how easy (and safe) it is to travel inside the Disney bubble. So I would recommend trying it again (minus Magic Kingdom) if you ever go back to Florida and give it a fair shot 😄 Merry christmas and Happy New Year 🥳✨
Man we want to go to disneyworld. But my first impression is: Its very expensive. Like two to three times as expensive compared to most disney land 2 park combos. I thought, okay we as a family were in japan for 3 weeks. Lets look for a week disney world with hotel and dining in florida. But its like as expensive as 22 days japan including hotels and dining. and 2 days disneyland and disneysea xD. I did not price in flightcosts. Are there some hacks? Did i miss something xD? I just does not sound like a good deal. I think i have to dig into it more.
Disney is expensive, but it can also be enjoyable. There are 3 keys to enjoying Disney: 1) go in the off season, 2) just accept that you're going to spend a fortune 3) plan, plan, plan. We spent 4 days at Disney, and 1 at Universal last spring and really had a great time, but it was a slow time of year, we paid for the lightning lanes and fast passes, and we planned out our days. In the end, we spent almost no time waiting in lines and saw everything we wanted to see. We also spent a fortune, but we had planned for that. I can't understand how anyone can frequent that place on a regular basis, it's just too expensive. But for a once or twice in a lifetime kind of trip? Absolutely worth it if done right.
Totally agree with you, I've been 8 times and I'm from the UK, you have to do your research, don't go at the busiest times, plan plan plan everthing and make sure you have a dining plan, it will save thousands !!! You can't visit DW for one day, TOTALLY CRAZY !!! if you do your research you would know that, it's 42sq miles !!!! every time i've been there I always go there for at least 2.weeks, there are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, Disney Springs(shops, resturants and bars) and a sports park.
Being from Canada, I really don't bother travelling in North America. Almost everywhere is indistinguishable. Same parking lots, same chain stores, same litter. The scenery changes a bit, but anything remotely unusual becomes mobbed with tourists because there's so little of it.
If you're from Canada it wouldn't be too far to travel to Duluth or Bemidji Minnesota, you would be Surprised at how beautiful they are and not overcrowded by out of state tourism.
@@oldbum Canada's a pretty big place, so I guess if 2000km qualifies as not too far... Though it seems "nearby" on a map, since we don't have a direct flight to Minneapolis anymore, in the amount of time it would take to fly to Minnesota, I could be in Amsterdam or Costa Rica - places I do have direct flights to. And in the amount of time it would take to drive, I could be almost anywhere in the world. And even if it was quick to get there...I just took a bit of time on street view for Duluth, and it looks like pretty much every other city of its size on this continent, with the added bonus of an interstate running along the waterfront. So I'm not sure in what way it disproves my "everything looks the same everywhere on this continent" point.
@@JBoy340a Building nationalism around a corporate brand owned by a multinational corporation, which in turn is controlled by a Brazilian hedge fund? That's just another example of the sameness I'm talking about.
Exactly. We have one tiny strip of street that managed to maintain some quaintness (although still ruined by cars and they never bothered to expand this design nor did they actually bother to put local amenities like a local market in them) and it is FLOODED with tourists now. Like it isn't even that special, but the US is so bad people make the trip.
As an American, I am glad our country is not like Europe / or vice versa. What makes the world unique is the diversity of places. What I also find a bit strange is that in the other video, you say New Orleans is one of your favorite places in the US. You have that right, but NOLA is the murder capitol of the US. I used to live there and am very familiar with the crime there.
If you go to visit a massive place like Disney World for a short period of time without having done some research and pre-planning, you’re bound to be disappointed…
I had a colleague who went on a business trip to Rio de Janeiro (or maybe Sao Paulo? Not sure :D ). The first thing he was told was "never go anywhere on your own; whatever you need, we're going to pick you up with a car" :D
City centre? Go to Dubai. Nobody outside except workers, you can barely go outside because its only roads for cars, nothing to see except different malls and tourist "traps", thats what I learned from my visit.
@@gentronseven According to youtube, that's all North American cities except Montreal, New York, and Boston. I'm gonna guess Vegas and Dubai are a few steps worse than the average though, both being in deserts and grew really rapidly/strangely.
You missed something. It is practically impossible to travel through the US for more than a week and not be fed up over how similar small towns look, road, after road, town after town.The Dairy Queen, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and other repeating fast food signs, the local high school, the main street, the orthogonal street arrangement. They all look the same, those small towns. After a while, you feel like you're not driving anywhere, just repeating the same car journey over and over again. Fortunately, the amazing scenery does a lot to break that otherwise sad, sad monotony.
If you visit New England, you will find city and town centers. The way you reacted about the US cities is somewhat how I felt when I visited New Jersey. Not a lot towns there have a center or a downtown. As a New Englander, I was surprised. A lot of states are like that. New Orleans and Santa Fe are two cities that have down town or center city areas.
As an American who now lives in Germany I agree with your points 100 percent. All my German friends take the typical USA trip of New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. I always get onto them....dont waste your money. there are such better places where you can actually enjoy yourself. Funny about Mcdonalds....in Europe the bathrooms are always clean.
(I'm in Canada) I mourn the loss of the city centre. Everyone is working from home, the restaurants in our city centre are only open for business luncheons and such (I call it "capers on a cracker" - you spend $25 and they bring you a cracker with some capers on it). People here drive to malls and the family restaurants are either in those malls or at least not in the city centre. My friend hadn't been here for 10 years, she was going to get a room downtown, I told her not to bother, come stay near me (I DO have room but she likes her own hotel room) but she chose downtown. She won't do that again. It's barren. Mostly, it's a matter of RESEARCH. Things like Disneyland/world, everyone knows someone who has been there, ask them. Disney info is good but will only answer the question you ask. "Can I see all the parks in one day?" Yes - you can. Anyone else will say "but you won't enjoy it." Disney parks are great but slow down. If you don't like waiting in line then that's not the park for you. The way I look at it is ... well, I'm here, I have no other plans, may as well walk in the line. (Very little of the lines involves standing, it's mostly a slow walk.)
so what we learned is if you go to the most popular most crowded tourist attractions, you will see too many cars and too many people, and visiting the largest parks/cities cannot be see all in one day lol I think that pretty much describes any tourist attraction in any popular country. Prague is nice but the countryside of Czech is so much nicer, less cars, less scams, less people.
McDonalds are franchises, they are all individually owned, and different. There are plenty of newer looking ones. Just because you went to one old one doesn't mean they are all.
You’ll find town squares and similar gathering places in older and smaller American cities, that had their formative years before the automobile boom. They were created organically there, which is why any new city with a town square inevitably looks forced and “Disneyfied,” because they’re trying to replicate something that didn’t develop naturally.
As a New Yorker, I avoid Times Square like the plague. I hate Las Vegas, too. San Francisco needs some more nuance and understanding of the plight of the homeless than is provided here. I love Disney World, but you need to know how it works before you go!
Old town in San Diego isn't really considered the city center. It was back in the 19th century, but it also relocated its center within the same century. It's been a long time since then and no one has considered it the center and hasn't for a long time. Downtown San Diego is, hence the name.
Absolutely spot on with the critiques. I get sad every time I come back to the States after going to most European cities or Argentina. I am planning on moving out of the US soon
I live close to Universal Studios in Japan. What I've learned is AVOID holidays and weekends at all cost. It makes the difference between having a great experience or having to stand in line all day to ride 2 rides.
I tend to avoid capitals in every country i visit, been to Czech twice, Lipno nad Vltavou the first time and Vysoké nad Jizerou the second time. On the second visit my wife pestered me to go to Prague for the day, had great fun dodging Chinese tour groups selfie sticks on the Charles bridge…..
Is the same in the tourist hotsptos of NYC and LA. Prague is a huge city with lots of interesting spots. Just because you hate chinese and wont use your brain to look for the rest of places in there, it means is bad.
Honest Guide, have you visited México ?, If you do, as a European what was your expectation?, Is it how you imagined?. As in this video, it would be interesting to know the expectations or opinions about other destinations outside your country.
Well i think a lot depends if you see the country as 1st world country like US - then you expect clean cities at least. I bet Mexico has some beautifull spots but most of the country will be poor
American here...I did note that there was no street scams that this channel usually focuses on. I mean we have some but not like the European cities this channel usually has. The only scam you need to look out for on the streets here is the wal-mart ppl who always seem to run out of gas.
City centres: Shopping Malls in the USA were actually first developed by an Austrian immigrant to the US named Victor Gruen. He moved to the US in 1938 (guess why) and noted the same thing, no centres. So he thought he'd bring them to America, believing it would be a positive. His first were downtown, outside pedestrian streets with apartments as well as shops You know, a town. Albeit a town designed with a 1950s aesthetic. Eventually someone worked out that you get better parking in the suburbs, and don't have to worry about including things like schools etc. plus a roof doesn't keep people away on a rainy day. The modern mall was born. Victor returned to Europe in the 60s, washed his hands of the mall, and started with new plans to pedestrianize Vienna (with some success).
Honest guide , I think you really need to do more research into where you are visting in US . We have so many great places, sorry you didnt have a great time . I really like NYC, but im from Chicago, so I dont mind riding the subway and just wing it . NYC is safer from where im from . Anyways you either love NYC ❤️ or hate it .
No, they had a great time in the US, on many visits actually. This is just a video that lists their worst spots. You should perhaps watch their other video, where they list their best spots in the US.
Mcdonals'es in Ukraine (first opened in 1997) already went trough renovation several times, now they are equipped with with pre-order machines to reduce queues :) Food there is still tasty and service is very good. Even comparing to some EU countries like Italy or France
It's not like Janek was talking about Europe as a whole, you had to mention Ukraine. This shit is the same in nearly all countries on the European continent + likely Asia too. Just stop with flaunting how Ukraine has basic shit like everybody else like it's some kind of luxury. Get some help.
As a Las Vegas local, I can confirm that we don’t like the strip as well. Locals only go there to give someone from out of town a tour. There’s a lot of out of this world hiking spot outside Las Vegas though and many more things to do. 😅
British person who has never thought about the fact that every city, or even town of decent size, has a town square of some kind but it's true! I just never realised that's it's a thing because that's my cultural norm. I love these kinds of details, they're just fascinating!
Great video showing good examples of bad places that people get mad to visit. I live in Ireland and have been travelling around Europe lately and there is nothing better than visiting a country/city with history and stories, full of architecture details... And some countries like Ireland, people make it even more special. I'd never visit Eua again or these places like Disney or Dubai, or even New York. There is nothing better than visiting and old town, walking everywhere...I'm going to spend Christmas in Austria and of course, Prague... I'm really looking forward to.
One of my regrets is not going to Czech Republic McDonalds when we were in Brno last summer, I later heard that they are totally different from USA in quality and ambience.
I'm British and went to the US with some Czech guys. We never went near McDonalds. We did go to Las Vegas for 24 hours and the comment from one of the guys was ''Sometimes the US is too practical for example - drive through weddings.'' Everywhere else was amazing. We went to Yesemite, the Redwood Forest, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, 4 Corners, San Diego, San Francisco, Tucson, and I got to live out a fantasy driving down Route 66 with the Rolling Stones playing the song on the record player.
One of the biggest culture shocks as an American in Prague was going to McDonald’s . My friend was quite hungover and wanted a root beer. He got a Pilsner instead lol
If you're Czech and you take a trip to the United States, when you get back, please be considerate. The Americans you know are surely sick to death of hearing the 50 millionth Czech person's story about going to New York > Chicago > Las Vegas > San Francisco > LA > Disney World and back. You might as well tell them you went on an LSD trip. Most of us don't go to the tourist traps, and hearing the same things again thousands of times gets to be too much. It's similar to when an American tells you about his trip to Prague and you realize he has no idea of anything he saw, because he merely went there to drink in different surroundings.
Things that happened to me (a Brit) when I visited Las Vegas. In three days... I was beaten to the ground by a Secret Service agent on an empty sidewalk (because mildly drunk Englishman, whistling a merry tune, with their hands in their pockets, are definitely a threat to the POTUS, who was about 100m away, inside a hotel). I was accused of stealing $500 from a stripper (who had stashed it somewhere near where I was sitting). The 'security staff' were just about to ''interview' me, round the back, when the stripper yelled 'found it' and the bruisers kindly dusted me off and required me to have a nice day. I was playing blackjack when a server took my beer away, replacing it with a fresh one. You don't take a man's drink away, even if it was free and a bigger free drink has taken its place. I was willing to die on the hill of someone taking my drink away and I refused to let go - with a hilarious tug of war going on (I'm 95kg, 200lb ish, and could do 100 chin ups so they'd have needed a chainsaw to get that bottle out of my hands) with the server shouting SIR, IT'S FREE. SIR, IT'S FREE, SIR into my shell-like for what felt like an hour. Apart from that - the food was either really good or REALLY cheap, the whole place was so fake even my pillow had implants and it was like living in a surreal film where everyone was, very nicely, trying to separate you from your cash. Amazing for a few days. Probably an absolute hell for more than that.
The irony is the strip in Las Vegas is Fremont Street, which is also considered the "Old Town", and is now 100% pedestrian, and has a roof. Here's what you need to know about the U.S.: Our cities were either built in from the sea (or lake shore), or formed around railroad hubs, or roads leading into whatever 18th century boom (gold, silver, lumber, etc) was big at the time. A few cities like Savannah, GA, Boston, MA, and a handful of others have made the effort to preserve their historical areas, which people can enjoy today. But most American cities embrace constant change, something that began after WWII with "Urban Renewal" projects that saw most "Old Town" areas demolished for modern buildings, and some of those buildings have already been torn down to be replaced with newer (soulless) buildings. When you get out of the big cities you'll find those town squares (what we call them).
Many small towns in Texas, that were founded by either German, Polish or Czech settlers still have the town square layout! But they are still small towns, not huge cities! Some towns like Dallas and Chicago have preserved historical city centers, though they may not function as such in modern times
What I tell my friends from EU and Australia is that don't go to the big cities if you want to experience what the US truly is. Go to smaller cities and towns, go to national monuments, go to national parks which are home to almost every type of environment besides a rainforest.
I lived in NYC in the 80'S and San Diego in the 90's, one of my sisters lived in San Fran for about 10 years. They were all very different then then now. I always hated Las Vegas, such a bad vibe. I agree on your list and have been to all, but I wouldn't go back on purpose to any of those places. I grew up in Phoenix, which is still lovely. Live in the DC metro area now. (I wouldn't go to a McDonalds anywhere.) I have been to many countries. I spent a couple of weeks in Prague over the past 2 years, and there are definitely a lot of scams, but it is a very beautiful and walkable city. You do a great job on your channel. 😊
i have been to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Hallstatt, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Istanbul. I visit these cities beacuse i love western architecture and the history. My relatives in America keep pissing me off when they tell me and wife, "Why not go to the America instead these "other" places you visit" my sarcastic response is "What's to see in America that is Beautiful and historic?"
I'd never thought that about a lack of a city centre... It's the same in a lot of Asian cities too, maybe because they were developed over shorter time periods? Most (Big) European cities grew steadily over hundreds of years. The oldest pub in the city I am from was nearly 200 years old when America was founded... (Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, Derby).
There was an American newspaper columnist years ago, whose name now escapes me , who would refer sarcastically to Europeans as “our betters”. I thought of her while watching this video. How right she was.
I am ashamed at what my country has become in my absence, I thought I had got it all running smooothly enough to just let it run on its own but I was clearly wrong. My bad.
Great video! I agree with everything except McDonald which I know is silly, but every example you showed was very basic and exist in the USA. Being in Orlando you really missed out on the 3 story McDonalds and the Roswell one is pretty sick too!
That's exactly what I thought, its not like every McDonald's is a garbage dump, and most of them have been remodeled in the last couple years, if you're going to a dirty city like New York, you're bound to find a dirty McDonald's.
As an American who travels extensively, I have never been to any of these places, … on purpose. We visited the Grand Canyon (hiked and camped in the bottom) and then the Hoover Dam. My husband said “ hey, we’re only half an hour from Vegas, wanna go see it?” It was a quick and very certain no! I haven’t been to a McDonalds in 12 years.
Rád sleduji váš kanál TH-cam. Moji prarodiče z mé mateřské strany emigrovali do Spojených států. Narodili se v Plzni. Mám mnoho příbuzných, kteří stále žijí v Chomutově. Rád dělám rodinný výzkum v oblasti genealogie a zjistil jsem, že je mi 25. Pravnučka svatého Václava a moje 35. prababička byla svatá Ludmila Česká, stejně jako mnoho dalších mezi nimi. Král Karel IV. Veselé Vánoce a šťastný nový rok vám a vaší rodině. Pokračujte ve vytváření videí. Miluji je.
Okay but, to be fair, if you think all American city centers are soulless, you haven't been to enough American cities. You really can't judge American cities based just off the tourist hubs of New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
As an American, I lived my dream and came to live in Europe. Prague was most affordable, but other cities, like Paris, are close enough to visit often. We always heard propaganda in the US about how bad Socialism is. People get it mixed up with Communism. Sadly, I had to leave because I couldn't afford to stay, after Covid. But now, here in the US, I tell anyone who will listen, that a country that does not wage war against other countries, such as Czechia, can afford to take care of its citizens. Free healthcare and education, little homelessness, but most important, NO CRIME because there are NO GUNS. Simple. But the illegal immigrants upset the balance of taxes providing for care of all. Also, America is so large that it is unmanageable in terms of population, therefore some areas are decaying, some totally empty and all so far apart that you must have a car. I can understand how disappointed you were here, but most of us feel just like you do.
I agree with most of your complaints. Modern America is focused on cheap, meaningless thrills, the bigger the better. But you were talking about how European cities have cute little town squares. Old small towns in America have them too. Now you briefly showed Chicago’s downtown. There is huge amount of stuff there. On Lake Michigan there is Millennium Park with free concerts in the summer. Walk south and the name changes to Grant Park and there is the Art Institute. A few blocks south of that is Buckingham Fountain. Don’t those cute little European squares have cute little fountains? Go a bit further south and there is the natural history museum, the aquarium and the planetarium. (Don’t go south of there!) And then there is the Riverwalk area in the center of downtown. Plus downtown has various government buildings, stores, restaurants, theaters, banks, … . There is an awful lot of stuff.
Your opinion might be honest, but this video is pretty one-sided and particular to your personal preferences. You complain about the tourist traps, then label a restaurant chain being dirty when its pretty clear you only visit the ones in particular spots in a few particular cities. Those places are great to stop in to use bathrooms if on a road trip or our and about (and eat if you like that) outside of cities because they are so clean and friendly - and reliably so. What? The aesthetics aren't like they are in Europe? How terrible! Lastly, you have town squares in Europe, as there is a difference in culture and history. What's really hilarious is that it isn't unusual for Europeans to deride tourists who are a bit put off by how things are different in Europe. You've even done this in your videos. It comes across as a bit hypocritical. Like Europe is the only way things should be. First video I've had to downvote from you. Disappointing in the way you presented these things.
Yep I’m an American and I’ve lived all over this country. They don’t show the streets in a lot of big cities but especially LA because it’s overrun with crime and drug addiction and huge homeless encampments that rival the slums of countries with a tenth of our resources. To me the greatest parts of America is our excellent national parks and forest systems. Most states also maintain pretty great state parks as well
Just because you have no knowledge of Disney World or when to go, does not make it a bad place to go to. There are a thousand videos on TH-cam that will give you tips on how and when to visit the property. That one is on you for not doing your research beforehand.
One thing I absolutley hate about the US is the goddamn Tax on EVERYTHING!!! You wanna buy a Drink in a 7/11 for 2$, suddenly its 2,56$, go to a restaurant and get something to eat for 11$, it now is 13,14$ JUST TELL ME WHAT IM ACTUALLY GONNA PAY!!!
Almost every city is nice and walkable in the Czech Republic though, look at the shots of random places he was showing. The average city is nice whereas the average city is awful in the US.
American here and can confirm. We build our cities for cars and fast food, not people.
haha
I love your videos♥
Didn't expect i would see one of my favourite animators here lol
Nah. You build your cities for people but around the 1950's you demolished it for cars.
ok@@Frahamen
As an American, I also hate these things about America
I came here to say the same thing!
It would be a two hour video if we listed things we hate about the states.
Same here
Why?
@@praiserdusty did you watch the video?
I'm a European who used to live in the USA, and I learned something: the more we Europeans hear about a certain place in the USA, the bigger of a disappointment it will be. I've had a far better time in places like Pittsburgh, San Antonio, and northern New England than I ever did in NYC, San Fran, or Disney World.
oui c'est vrai. c'est la même choses pour des tas d'étrangers qui viennent a Paris et sont déçu ensuite.
Good point, I think that's true for any place you hype up in your mind before visiting. It's like thinking girls don't shit and being disappointed when you find out they do.
Plenty of nice places outside the cities.
in a nutshell: don't get overhyped :)
Why would you write a comment in french when the video is in English, about an english topic and the conversation has been written in English...
Do french people lack common sense or is that a you problem???@@francoisrougerie
As an American who lives in Europe, I totally hate the same things too. My number one piece of advice to people who visit the US is to explore our nature. Our nature is absolutely radical (if people say that) and there is so much diversity in our landscapes.
People should see Desert of death, Forest of doom and River of screams.
@@dimitrijenikolic6602 Are those in Disneyland?
....
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Come to Jesus Christ today
Jesus Christ is only way to heaven
Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void
Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today
Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Mark 1.15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus
@@CheetahNL It is a mystery!
Haha this, hiking in america is the best and visiting some old small towns on the way founded by some pioneers 200 years ago
A lot of cities and towns in America (at least in the North East) have "greens" instead of "squares". A "green" is basically a small park in the shape of an elongated rectangle in the very center of the "old city", but they always have roads for cars surrounding them and lack the compact feel of a square. There are usually a few walking paths through the green and a church + city/town hall right up against them on the other side of the road too. Unfortunately the main issue is most of them are zoned exclusively for single-family residential aside from the church and city hall. Sometimes they will be zoned for commercial use in which case they are pretty awesome, but then you get a road or two away and you're back to single family residential zoning so it ends up being a good place to spend a small bit of time but there isn't much to explore. You will almost never find any sort of coffee shop or business within the green unless it's a major city. New York City sort of follows the pattern with its massive Central Park surrounded by buildings separated by a road, luckily the surrounding buildings aren't exclusively single family and it actually allows businesses to operate within the green.
As a Finn I thank you for recommending our happy, dark and beautiful little country of Finland 🇫🇮
Little? ;)
I read this comment before watching all the way through, so I was like "how the hell does he take Finland into this?"
@@100euronjuusto Finland has been on top of the list where people are free from worries about their 'well being'.
This translates to happy, but Finns, and their country, have some dark times too.
@@dutchman7623 happy?
@@superslash7254 Finland has the top ranking in the:
World Happiness Report 2023
And has had this position for many years.
It is well deserved! But happiness cannot be equaled to 'being happy' or 'joyful'. A common mistake.
Just to let you know, they did the happiness test during the summer in Finland.
🤣
😂😂😂
That sounds like a busy 5 minutes of questions.
lmao
Very True!❤
I am an American married to a Czech woman. I agree with everything you said. My advice to anyone visiting the USA would be to focus on the national parks.
I haven't been and this is exactly my thoughts. I come from living in the largest cities in Europe and Asia. I want to see some urban stuff in U.S. but I think what makes it special is the incredible world class nature 😍
@@ferahl American cities are not particularly interesting, the nature however, is indeed quite lovely. there is no city in the USA that i would say is worth a special trip to. there are many areas of national forest and parks that are though. There are so many exciting parks that there are many different road trip routes one can take that go between nature based points of interest.
thats the only reason i want to visit. that and maybe the food.
@@gergogaal568forget the food. It is by far the worst I have ever had
@@DK-ty5ue where are you from?
As a New Yorker, yup, you pretty much nailed it. We hate all those things too.
One point though, the shot of McD's when you said how dirty and old they are was from before 2006.
The 20 year out-of-style phone booths and the distant, orange glow of Tower Records's neon sign (doors closed in 2006) are a dead giveaway. 🙂🤘
Yup. But "things I hated about America when I visited twenty years ago" doesn't have quite the same ring.
@@pinkonesie Yeah, but "We visited...etc" with the current footage is a lie, or casually deceptive at best.
Someone slams your home and holds up footage from 20 years before as evidence? WhattaYOUgonnado?
meh... I've been in NYC really a lot in the 2008-2012 (I know, it's been a few years since :) )... Most of McD still looked like a dumpster and would be the last place for me to go only if I'm extra desperate. Lots of bums inside, wasted toilets, etc. But no more neon - that's true.
@@geekytraveler5899 I went to a McDonald's near Penn Station. A bum asked me for money for food and I gave him the cold shoulder and said no. A local guy was generous and bought him some food though. My burger was also cold and sloppily put together.
I’m an American. This is exactly why I spend most of my vacations in Europe.
* what the writer actually meant its because its affordable for the average American to visit Europe.
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 Pretty sure it's more affordable for the average European to visit Europe though :P Probably easier than the average American can visit the rest of America.
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 That's not even remotely true.
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 I mean, depending where you go, are we talking Switzerland or Portugal? One thing is true, travel prices in US skyrocketed.
Also US is better for nature, but not for the cities.
Where have you been so far?
As an American who has had the fortune to travel a lot through Central Europe, and has been a 7-year follower of this channel. Everything you said is very true! BUT... BUT... BUT. I will say you fell into your own trap. For years on your channel, you have talked about tourists coming to Prague and only seeing the "touristy" area and not seeing the other, better parts. You just did that. You came to the big name, touristy American cities, but also so the garbage dump that is the large American city, too. If you want to see town centers and some "more European" like arrangements, you have to visit the smaller cities. Mind you, I live in a rustbelt big city, which has its beautiful and less beautiful points, but to see the "America" of the movies you have to visit the older, smaller towns away from the big, touristy megalopolis.
This is only what they hate. There is a video of what they love also.
@@taraem5573 Yes, I know... went to same places. lol
absolutely true. Go searching for the worst and you are guaranteed to find it
I don't think it's quite the same, though. The touristy places in Prague are still amazing - it's just that tourism and the exploiters and cheaters who live on that tourism ruined the experience. I remember it before that happened (and to be fair, a lot also improved since then). The worst parts are also quite small - usually, all it takes is to move a street or two away. But I always struggled to understand why anyone would find Times Square interesting, for example. It's just a dirty dump full of advertising and bright lights. I've never been to Las Vegas, but I imagine it being much of the same. It feels like it's trying to hook 9 year olds :D Advertising sucks. You know someone is making the decision "we could make our services/goods better or cheaper... but we can just pump tenth of the money into advertising and get bigger profits". It's not really good for you, it just tries so hard to make you feel like it is.
And yeah, cars make cities awful. I hope we learn to depend less on cars. Hard to go against the current of the massive propaganda from the car and fossil fuel industries, of course. It's the main reason people are so closed-in and scared in the cities - one, cars are actually ridiculously dangerous (not to mention the secondary effects of breathing their emissions)... and two, they empty out the streets (not to mention ruin them). There's this things where an empty street is fine, a street with plenty of people is fine... but when you're walking alone in a street and meet one stranger or group... it can be really uncomfortable. And I'm already really sick of how all the women react when I just randomly meet them in the street, because they're just so scared.
I remember when people used to say McDonald's is a "safe spot" where you get the same product and service all over the world. I don't know if it was _ever_ true... but it certainly isn't today. European McDonald's is still overly sweet and salty, but it just doesn't compare to UAE, Bahrain or the US (I hear it's also very different in India and friends, being vegetarian and all that). And no, our ice cream machines are never broken :P
By this logic people shouldn’t visit Prague because it’s a touristy city. In the video it’s shown exactly what it it’s, that outside the touristy spots these places in USA have nothing else to offer
As an American I dream of the day the cities become less car dependent
Many US cities used to have electric trams / train systems. Torn down though.
Every single city except New York City is basically unwalkable and is just a giant highway with massive parking lots between every building
I can't stand the push to get rid of vehicals. City planning has ruined tons of cities by making them unlivable, not alone unwalkable. Lookin at you SF (Tenderloin).
Only in a thousand years 😂
@@gentronseven Idiot.
I don't think these are fair comparisons. You teach us common tourist traps to avoid in Prague, but when you visit the US, you went to all tourist traps blindly without doing prior research. I live in San Francisco, and I've been to LA, San Diego and Vegas more than a few times in the past. They are not as beautiful as the cities in the Eurppe, but each of of these cities have so much to offer. I just got back from Disney world as well with my girlfriend and had a blast there! You should give US another shot! I'll show you places/things to do here 😊.
fair point
Even if he's experienced in Prague, he doesn't know enough about US.
well video is about what they hated sooo
Also, at least the "tourist traps" in the USA can easily be avoided, whereas in Eastern Europe, the authorities seem to condone all sorts of scams.
Honza comes of as an ultimate party pooper here. But I do agree about certain things: lack of the "center" of a city, lack of pedestrian infrastructure, homelessness and dirty streets in general. But I'd still advise you to experience it yourself and travel. There are many amazing things to see in the States. My favourite were: the Great Canyon, natural Parks in California (Yosemitte, Sequoia), NY city. And there are many more.
I’m in Austria right now on vacation and a frequent traveler. Live in the US. One of the biggest shocks is how CLEAN it is here in Vienna and other cities I’ve been to in the EU.
I’m half Czech and VIENNA is so similar for me and what shocked me is that in the summer they have free water tanks where you can drink from in the city
Austria is truly a gem! Although some parts of Vienna are definitely getting worse every year.
Basically everywhere I have travelled in Europe has been super clean. Even in poor countries the cities are clean. Meanwhile last time I visited my hometown in the USA there was garbage literally stacked everywhere. Sofas and mattresses dumped on the side of the highway, roads absolutely falling apart...ugly dirty cities and no one can do anything about it because it would cost .5 percent tax hike to have a budget to clean the city. It was a depressing trip.
I've only traveled a little in Europe and yup, I have to agree. Much cleaner there.
I live in Europe and I don't consider most places all that clean at all. But, I come from New Zealand.
I am an American and love my country, but completely agree with your list! Just returned from my second trip to Prague and the Czech Republic and can’t wait go back! Thanks so much for your informative videos!
What American country are you from, if not a secret?
@@РомаПетров-ж1н You mean state, right? Or are you talking about America, the continent?
@@LeotheJapaneseLion9890 , hm-m... That's kinda on @teresak0507 . I guess it's a on of the continents or part of the world! %)
You blew my mind with this thing about the city centres. I live in Toronto, but I’m from Brazil. These days I asked in a Facebook group of people from Toronto where is the Toronto Centre. Basically, they didn’t know how to answer that.
In Brazil, every city, big and small, has a square in the middle, with a church or Cathedral, sometimes the city hall, and this is the centre, usually it is traditionally where the city started from.
In Toronto, there is no “city centre.” You have some squares and places that gather most of the people and have that “city centre vibe” - actually, it looks more like Times Square or Picadilly Circus, but not a city centre with a cultural and historical relevance, and it shocked me.
They have a district called “Old Toronto”, but it is mostly like the boundaries where the city was before expanding and conurbating with other surrounding cities to form the today’s Toronto.
That’s because most Catholic Cities the plaza was built around the church. Enjoy the variety. Not every country is the same.
@@VikingUffDa I’m not criticizing it. I’m just telling what I saw. I like my home city with its Catholic structure, and I like my new home, Toronto, just the way it is :)
Basically, many countries have standards. Not here in the US. 😅
Example?
US has a plethora of standards
As an American living in prague for 20 years I totally endorse this video!
How do you like living in Prague? I’ve enjoyed visiting, but living there is a different experience I’m sure.
@@jolynnmarie7701 I hope you will came to Poland , too :-) Poland is neighbor of Czech
I'm glad you said this about Las Vegas. I went there once and what I learned is: I never need to go back to Las Vegas. Ditto for Disney and Times Square.
I went to Reno and saw all the same type of problems seen in Vegas. I was eating lunch and looked over to a bank of slot machines all in use. Not one person looked happy to be there. Several looked bored. Left me with zero interest to return or try Vegas.
Hahaha I'm going next week for a show, but the thing is I live in LA and it's a hop skip for me. A lot of people here go for the weekend to just gamble then come back. Vegas is different if you have a lot of money too.
@@lauxmyth The weird thing is that people even feel that it _might_ be appealing. I understand when you're hooked and fully addicted, you can't really stay away. But how did they manage to convince people that _starting_ that is a good idea or a nice experience? Though of course, it's _everywhere_ in advertising, in product placement, a huge number of American movies... Endless propaganda and advertising, just to get you hooked - and then they win.
It's the same in European "casinos" of course. Especially the slot machines. You really see that they hit something the human brain is not ready to judge properly (though don't forget that the Skinner Box experiment only "worked" with mice who were already completely disconnected from their society and friends, and even then it was a relatively rare result - well adjusted happy mice tried once on twice and ignored the "levers" from that point on; much like most people do with drugs or gambling). You don't see the same thing with, let's say, pool. People actually enjoy that, even though it's connected to a lot of the same problems like pubs, alcoholism, smoking, betting... the activity is actually something people enjoy, not just something they do because they are compelled to. And it's scary that the video game industry actually managed to get quite the foot into the door of this too (and would have been entirely in if not for some hasty regulation in the EU). The people building and promoting such things are utterly despicable.
The entire place is designed to get you to spend money. That's it.
@@kgal1298 Many tourist places are different if money can flow.
Well, I visited Prague and you know what I hated? That I couldn't stay longer!
Come back!!!!!
Same here. I visited in 2018 and I am from Latin America and I would move to Prague in a heartbeat. Wondering about retirement … Prague Old Town Square and Plaza de Cuzco are absolutely the most beautiful I have visited.
If you ever come to Seattle, the oldest part of downtown does have a square! Pioneer Square, right across from Occidental Square. It is the first developed part of the city, so the buildings are “really old” (for America - mid 1800s), and there’s historical tours you can take there, like the underground city tour.
Unfortunately, since Americans aren’t as inclined to enjoy these old parts of cities as much, it’s getting a bit rundown. Though there’s hope, the city does plan to revitalize downtown and clean it up over the next several years.
I'm brazilian and had the same reaction about people smoking everywhere in public places when I've been in Rome and Florence. Cigarretes are not as popular as they used to be nowadays.
In public places you were disappointed???
//Laughs in Eastern Europe// 🤣🤣
They allow smoking INSIDE in most restaurants and cafes, it's pretty crazy to me and also smoking cigarettes? At least weed gets you high and it smells decent... tobacco and whatever else thr fuckin tobacco companies decide to put in it, does not smell good at all.
My favorite part of America are the national parks!
So, the parts not built by humans?
@@IvanLuelmoI'm glad you know what parks are.
@@IvanLuelmobruh, there's a lot of human involvement
@@johndorian473 at the borders of the exclusion zone...yes.
Aaaagrreeed!
I lived in the UK for 3 years and have returned to the US recently. Honestly I love where I live in America, but I miss city centers so much 😭and the walkability of everything.
Having moved to Canada a few years back I find the whole concept of city planning around cars very interesting. They spent trillions of $ of PUBLIC funds to build roads, parking etc., all so that some PRIVATE companies can sell a car to you, which is powered by oil supplied by PRIVATE gas companies, oh and you also need auto insurance offered by PRIVATE companies. It's especially bad in the US considering how much they hate communism and yet spend all their money on roads and highways so a small group of ppl stay rich.
@@sadmanh0 I wish the US would spend its money on roads like it is supposed to. Instead it is wasted on wars and embezzlement.
@@Dansker_fra_Midtjylland Life happened and I needed to be near my family. I won't say it here, but just unexpected life events. I would love to travel extensively to Europe again though!
The thing I hated about London was no real centre. It has a number of disconnected areas - Parliament, the theatre area, the Tower etc but no real centre. It took me quite a while to try and get used to that. I came from Sydney, which has a magnificent harbour, with the Bridge and Opera House, which gives that city a great centre.
@@wolemai that's probably due to the weird history of London with a city within a city and then all the burrows they have.
Why would you ask anyone in Times Square if they’re from New York City?? no one who lives in the city will willingly go there 😂 also we don’t want ppl bothering us on the streets, we’re tryna get somewhere and usually it’s a scam lol
That was his point 😄
Oh, they'll go there but only if there's an event going on that they want to go to. Or perhaps they work at some place there. heh
Being a New Yorker, we only go to Time Square to bring visitors or go watch a Broadway show. We usually go to places surrounding Time Square, but not time square.
There is a central square in Los Angeles. It's the Old Plaza, across the street from Union Station. The original church is still there from the days when it was the plaza of the Mexican village that L.A. grew from. Olvera Street, although touristy, has the oldest house in the city, and its back yard patio has a cactus garden that looks like Mexico. Chinatown is a short walk and the downtown skyscrapers are a few blocks to the south.
I totally agree. One of the great things about traveling to Europe is exploring a true city center.
I'm a homelesss outreach worker in san francisco. The homeless population is not allowed to go anywhere except that one neighborhood, its a containment policy similiar to the kensington neighborhood of philly. The people in surrounding neighborhoods are to blame. San francisco in the last 20 years has experienced the largest population boom in the nations history and we built less housing than any other time in the city's history during these last twenty years as well. This is what happens in the united states without *strong* social programs like you have int europe. my job is great, but its the bare minimum that should be provided and is only one essential segment of what should be a strong social safety net, the services i provide can not succeed alone in a vacuum. I hope you enjoyed our city and hope you will come back soon and visit us again! we are trying really hard
not true. they go wherever they want bro
@@ericcarlson3746 I took a cursory glance at your page, im relatively certain you do not live in the USA at all, let a lone san francisco. But i do, and this is my job, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Where they can go vs. where they can bed down?
Democrat policy has killed San Francisco. Used to be a beautiful place.
I was going to reply :largest population boom"? LOL! More like you get what you vote for...@@IIMiikexDII
Most visitors of the US visit the worst places in the country.
i also see that that way in Czech Republic but i think its the opposite way. the worst places form around the touristy places, not the other way around.. So the problem is on both sides
You'll need a lot of time & money to see the USA. In my country its like 4K $ for a few days in NY.
@@florin-alinbalasa2829 Why the hell would anyone want to see NYC? That's like staying in a nice hotel just so you can look at the toilet. 😁. Yosemite is the best of the US. The small towns of America is where the heart lives. 99% of the big cites are not American. I'm proud as a 62 year old American to say that I have never been to any of these dirty places.
@@roderickrayrutledge2740 At that point I could just visit Canada and have a superior and cheaper experience.
@@roderickrayrutledge2740 I don't deny, Ray, but that's what has been shown to us, eastern european block, in the media. Especially after communism era. Skyscrapers, big houses with no fences, those big ass trucks, etc etc.
If you get a chance try the national parks, the hot water springs, and the little-big cities. These places are more enjoyable.😌
And museums that are dotted all over the country.
Loved the video! Just wanted to comment that it is damaging to attribute aspects as underpinning "America" basing it off of a single state as a reference point. We have beautiful McDonalds too haha!!
I haven't seen a beautiful Mcdonald's in years. We used to have nice really big once with slides and stuff but during covid especially it seems like it was all taken down.
Most large cities have suffered heavily from incompetent leadership for years. Focus on the national and state parks. The charm of "big city life" has died.
I love that you chose the places that most Americans hate too. Honestly, I've been to the Czech Republic and absolutely love it, for a lot of reasons. But I've purpously avoided the kinds of places most tourists would go
I love other people saying America is boring and Dirty when the only places they visit are tourist locations
The problem for us is that we wouldn't really have any interest in most American style cities, and we would have great trouble getting around. Not many Europeans want to drive everywhere when we are on holiday. We want a place we can walk around and soak in the atmosphere and local life.
As a Malaysian, I love the US. And I hope to visit it someday. Personal freedom and the right to lead your own life is key. A lot of Europeans don't like America because they're used to getting beaten with a stick by their government.
OMG that's so silly 😂. You don't know what your talking about do you? It shows you haven't traveled a lot outside that "land of the free" that Malaysia is compared with us "stick beaten by our governments" citizens of european countries.
@@viquiben4919 You wouldn't understand, that's fine.
your comment is hilarious. personal freedom? not if you're black. not if you're poor. not if you want to have an abortion. not if you're atheist. of course who wants to be gay in malaysia....but seriously.....the usa is not where you should be going to in order to experience a country that looks after its citizens and believes in human rights for all.
@@azhariarifThe propaganda is insidious, but it’s really not based in reality.
The USA is so restrictive in so many ways that it’s actually really, really stifling to people from other places.
In daily life you’re restricted to transport by car in the vast majority of the country; there are simply no other options, and so no freedom of choice.
Want to cross a road? Their automotive companies have invented a word to vilify you and lobbied for harsh restrictions on how you can cross it.
Even walking itself is restricted, because the infrastructure is built to be pedestrian-hostile. There’s no true freedom living in a place like that, where even the most basic of human activities is so restricted.
And that’s just 3 very basic examples from daily life. You’re much, much, much more free in many other countries than you are in the US.
As an American, I absolutely HATE these places too. I will say, you have been going to major major cities in the US. The smaller places absolutely have "main streets" full of restaurants and all of the major places. It's not a square like Europe, but its similar.
As a European who travelled quite a few places of the USA I gotta say: Look out for small towns and villages. As I recall from my most recent trip through the south-east I was pretty disappointed by Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta - but inbetween there were those tiny towns like Conyers or Covington in Georgia - with a square just like in good old europe.
Nashville is only for girls having Bridal showers/parties.
Yes. If you want to find an elegant town square, do not look in a megatropolis.
I understand you had a bad time at Disney World, but going there during the busiest time of year without planning and trying to do everything is a nightmare and not really representative of the rest of the year.
I’m from Norway and have done many trips to Disney World because of it’s beauty, immersion and how easy (and safe) it is to travel inside the Disney bubble. So I would recommend trying it again (minus Magic Kingdom) if you ever go back to Florida and give it a fair shot 😄
Merry christmas and Happy New Year 🥳✨
Man we want to go to disneyworld. But my first impression is: Its very expensive. Like two to three times as expensive compared to most disney land 2 park combos. I thought, okay we as a family were in japan for 3 weeks. Lets look for a week disney world with hotel and dining in florida. But its like as expensive as 22 days japan including hotels and dining. and 2 days disneyland and disneysea xD. I did not price in flightcosts. Are there some hacks? Did i miss something xD? I just does not sound like a good deal. I think i have to dig into it more.
Disney is expensive, but it can also be enjoyable. There are 3 keys to enjoying Disney: 1) go in the off season, 2) just accept that you're going to spend a fortune 3) plan, plan, plan.
We spent 4 days at Disney, and 1 at Universal last spring and really had a great time, but it was a slow time of year, we paid for the lightning lanes and fast passes, and we planned out our days. In the end, we spent almost no time waiting in lines and saw everything we wanted to see. We also spent a fortune, but we had planned for that.
I can't understand how anyone can frequent that place on a regular basis, it's just too expensive. But for a once or twice in a lifetime kind of trip? Absolutely worth it if done right.
@@Buggiy Well since the food is expensive and you don't really need to eat then just don't eat. Big savings.
@@l4kr best. tip. ever. :)
Totally agree with you, I've been 8 times and I'm from the UK, you have to do your research, don't go at the busiest times, plan plan plan everthing and make sure you have a dining plan, it will save thousands !!! You can't visit DW for one day, TOTALLY CRAZY !!! if you do your research you would know that, it's 42sq miles !!!! every time i've been there I always go there for at least 2.weeks, there are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, Disney Springs(shops, resturants and bars) and a sports park.
Being from Canada, I really don't bother travelling in North America. Almost everywhere is indistinguishable. Same parking lots, same chain stores, same litter. The scenery changes a bit, but anything remotely unusual becomes mobbed with tourists because there's so little of it.
If you're from Canada it wouldn't be too far to travel to Duluth or Bemidji Minnesota, you would be Surprised at how beautiful they are and not overcrowded by out of state tourism.
@@oldbum Canada's a pretty big place, so I guess if 2000km qualifies as not too far...
Though it seems "nearby" on a map, since we don't have a direct flight to Minneapolis anymore, in the amount of time it would take to fly to Minnesota, I could be in Amsterdam or Costa Rica - places I do have direct flights to. And in the amount of time it would take to drive, I could be almost anywhere in the world.
And even if it was quick to get there...I just took a bit of time on street view for Duluth, and it looks like pretty much every other city of its size on this continent, with the added bonus of an interstate running along the waterfront. So I'm not sure in what way it disproves my "everything looks the same everywhere on this continent" point.
@@The2wanderers definitely different in Canada. You have Tim Horton's!
@@JBoy340a Building nationalism around a corporate brand owned by a multinational corporation, which in turn is controlled by a Brazilian hedge fund? That's just another example of the sameness I'm talking about.
Exactly. We have one tiny strip of street that managed to maintain some quaintness (although still ruined by cars and they never bothered to expand this design nor did they actually bother to put local amenities like a local market in them) and it is FLOODED with tourists now. Like it isn't even that special, but the US is so bad people make the trip.
As an American, I am glad our country is not like Europe / or vice versa. What makes the world unique is the diversity of places. What I also find a bit strange is that in the other video, you say New Orleans is one of your favorite places in the US. You have that right, but NOLA is the murder capitol of the US. I used to live there and am very familiar with the crime there.
If you go to visit a massive place like Disney World for a short period of time without having done some research and pre-planning, you’re bound to be disappointed…
If you ever come to Brazil you be more shocked about our city centers. Image an abandoned zone full of criminals and decayed buildings.
Go to Kissimmee, busch gardens or wild adventures if visiting flo
Go to Kissimmee, busch gardens or wild adventures if visiting flo
it really depends on what town/city, what state, population, etc. stop generalizing (sempre tem um vira lata igual vc, é incrível)
You're talking about your city, not Brazil.
I had a colleague who went on a business trip to Rio de Janeiro (or maybe Sao Paulo? Not sure :D ). The first thing he was told was "never go anywhere on your own; whatever you need, we're going to pick you up with a car" :D
City centre? Go to Dubai. Nobody outside except workers, you can barely go outside because its only roads for cars, nothing to see except different malls and tourist "traps", thats what I learned from my visit.
That's essentially what every city in the US is like outside of New York and maybe a few I haven't been to. Definitely everything in the midwest
@@gentronseven According to youtube, that's all North American cities except Montreal, New York, and Boston. I'm gonna guess Vegas and Dubai are a few steps worse than the average though, both being in deserts and grew really rapidly/strangely.
I can't see the attraction of Dubai, it just seems a good magnet for all Europe's worst, most money-obsessed people
You missed something. It is practically impossible to travel through the US for more than a week and not be fed up over how similar small towns look, road, after road, town after town.The Dairy Queen, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and other repeating fast food signs, the local high school, the main street, the orthogonal street arrangement. They all look the same, those small towns. After a while, you feel like you're not driving anywhere, just repeating the same car journey over and over again. Fortunately, the amazing scenery does a lot to break that otherwise sad, sad monotony.
2:36 Let me say something positive, *We are moving on to the next place* (Honest guide indeed)
If you visit New England, you will find city and town centers. The way you reacted about the US cities is somewhat how I felt when I visited New Jersey. Not a lot towns there have a center or a downtown. As a New Englander, I was surprised. A lot of states are like that. New Orleans and Santa Fe are two cities that have down town or center city areas.
As an American who now lives in Germany I agree with your points 100 percent. All my German friends take the typical USA trip of New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. I always get onto them....dont waste your money. there are such better places where you can actually enjoy yourself. Funny about Mcdonalds....in Europe the bathrooms are always clean.
(I'm in Canada) I mourn the loss of the city centre. Everyone is working from home, the restaurants in our city centre are only open for business luncheons and such (I call it "capers on a cracker" - you spend $25 and they bring you a cracker with some capers on it). People here drive to malls and the family restaurants are either in those malls or at least not in the city centre. My friend hadn't been here for 10 years, she was going to get a room downtown, I told her not to bother, come stay near me (I DO have room but she likes her own hotel room) but she chose downtown. She won't do that again. It's barren. Mostly, it's a matter of RESEARCH. Things like Disneyland/world, everyone knows someone who has been there, ask them. Disney info is good but will only answer the question you ask. "Can I see all the parks in one day?" Yes - you can. Anyone else will say "but you won't enjoy it." Disney parks are great but slow down. If you don't like waiting in line then that's not the park for you. The way I look at it is ... well, I'm here, I have no other plans, may as well walk in the line. (Very little of the lines involves standing, it's mostly a slow walk.)
so what we learned is if you go to the most popular most crowded tourist attractions, you will see too many cars and too many people, and visiting the largest parks/cities cannot be see all in one day lol I think that pretty much describes any tourist attraction in any popular country. Prague is nice but the countryside of Czech is so much nicer, less cars, less scams, less people.
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas is a movie where they smoke in the casinos 😂
i was searching this comment ahah
Sitting in my break room at Disney world watching you tear into it lol
Been to Disney and it is the employees there that makes it special, appreciate you guys.
Regarding getting your picture taken, with a character, fora fee, the same thing happens in Rome too.
McDonalds are franchises, they are all individually owned, and different. There are plenty of newer looking ones. Just because you went to one old one doesn't mean they are all.
You’ll find town squares and similar gathering places in older and smaller American cities, that had their formative years before the automobile boom. They were created organically there, which is why any new city with a town square inevitably looks forced and “Disneyfied,” because they’re trying to replicate something that didn’t develop naturally.
As a New Yorker, I avoid Times Square like the plague.
I hate Las Vegas, too.
San Francisco needs some more nuance and understanding of the plight of the homeless than is provided here.
I love Disney World, but you need to know how it works before you go!
Old town in San Diego isn't really considered the city center. It was back in the 19th century, but it also relocated its center within the same century. It's been a long time since then and no one has considered it the center and hasn't for a long time. Downtown San Diego is, hence the name.
There is limited westward expansion from Old Town, for obvious reasons.
Absolutely spot on with the critiques. I get sad every time I come back to the States after going to most European cities or Argentina. I am planning on moving out of the US soon
I live close to Universal Studios in Japan. What I've learned is AVOID holidays and weekends at all cost. It makes the difference between having a great experience or having to stand in line all day to ride 2 rides.
Is that in Osaka?
I tend to avoid capitals in every country i visit, been to Czech twice, Lipno nad Vltavou the first time and Vysoké nad Jizerou the second time. On the second visit my wife pestered me to go to Prague for the day, had great fun dodging Chinese tour groups selfie sticks on the Charles bridge…..
Is the same in the tourist hotsptos of NYC and LA.
Prague is a huge city with lots of interesting spots.
Just because you hate chinese and wont use your brain to look for the rest of places in there, it means is bad.
Honest Guide, have you visited México ?, If you do, as a European what was your expectation?, Is it how you imagined?. As in this video, it would be interesting to know the expectations or opinions about other destinations outside your country.
And Brazil too!
@@albertoalmeida3424 É só ladrões nesse país
Well i think a lot depends if you see the country as 1st world country like US - then you expect clean cities at least.
I bet Mexico has some beautifull spots but most of the country will be poor
I love to see Honest Guide do a world tour and review every city and town he visits lol
Nice to see a video in Times Square calling out Times Square.
American here...I did note that there was no street scams that this channel usually focuses on. I mean we have some but not like the European cities this channel usually has. The only scam you need to look out for on the streets here is the wal-mart ppl who always seem to run out of gas.
City centres: Shopping Malls in the USA were actually first developed by an Austrian immigrant to the US named Victor Gruen. He moved to the US in 1938 (guess why) and noted the same thing, no centres. So he thought he'd bring them to America, believing it would be a positive. His first were downtown, outside pedestrian streets with apartments as well as shops You know, a town. Albeit a town designed with a 1950s aesthetic. Eventually someone worked out that you get better parking in the suburbs, and don't have to worry about including things like schools etc. plus a roof doesn't keep people away on a rainy day. The modern mall was born. Victor returned to Europe in the 60s, washed his hands of the mall, and started with new plans to pedestrianize Vienna (with some success).
Honest guide , I think you really need to do more research into where you are visting in US . We have so many great places, sorry you didnt have a great time . I really like NYC, but im from Chicago, so I dont mind riding the subway and just wing it . NYC is safer from where im from . Anyways you either love NYC ❤️ or hate it .
No, they had a great time in the US, on many visits actually. This is just a video that lists their worst spots. You should perhaps watch their other video, where they list their best spots in the US.
And Janek actually loves New York. He just doesn't like Times Square in particular.
Mcdonals'es in Ukraine (first opened in 1997) already went trough renovation several times, now they are equipped with with pre-order machines to reduce queues :)
Food there is still tasty and service is very good. Even comparing to some EU countries like Italy or France
We have these order machines/screens here in the Czech Republic for several years too. However if you want to order normal way, you can as well. :)
It's not like Janek was talking about Europe as a whole, you had to mention Ukraine.
This shit is the same in nearly all countries on the European continent + likely Asia too.
Just stop with flaunting how Ukraine has basic shit like everybody else like it's some kind of luxury. Get some help.
As a Las Vegas local, I can confirm that we don’t like the strip as well. Locals only go there to give someone from out of town a tour. There’s a lot of out of this world hiking spot outside Las Vegas though and many more things to do. 😅
British person who has never thought about the fact that every city, or even town of decent size, has a town square of some kind but it's true! I just never realised that's it's a thing because that's my cultural norm. I love these kinds of details, they're just fascinating!
Great video showing good examples of bad places that people get mad to visit. I live in Ireland and have been travelling around Europe lately and there is nothing better than visiting a country/city with history and stories, full of architecture details... And some countries like Ireland, people make it even more special. I'd never visit Eua again or these places like Disney or Dubai, or even New York. There is nothing better than visiting and old town, walking everywhere...I'm going to spend Christmas in Austria and of course, Prague... I'm really looking forward to.
One of my regrets is not going to Czech Republic McDonalds when we were in Brno last summer, I later heard that they are totally different from USA in quality and ambience.
I'm British and went to the US with some Czech guys. We never went near McDonalds. We did go to Las Vegas for 24 hours and the comment from one of the guys was ''Sometimes the US is too practical for example - drive through weddings.'' Everywhere else was amazing. We went to Yesemite, the Redwood Forest, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, 4 Corners, San Diego, San Francisco, Tucson, and I got to live out a fantasy driving down Route 66 with the Rolling Stones playing the song on the record player.
At first, I wasn't really sure he's aware of the slightly idiotic look of the photos, but ok.. he obviously was 😊
I think that was a dejected look
One of the biggest culture shocks as an American in Prague was going to McDonald’s . My friend was quite hungover and wanted a root beer. He got a Pilsner instead lol
"You guys have McDonald's-served beer?"
-Me, a Brit
@@aaronhurst4379yeah
Not so bad. Imagine the vice - versa situation 🙂.
If you're Czech and you take a trip to the United States, when you get back, please be considerate. The Americans you know are surely sick to death of hearing the 50 millionth Czech person's story about going to New York > Chicago > Las Vegas > San Francisco > LA > Disney World and back. You might as well tell them you went on an LSD trip. Most of us don't go to the tourist traps, and hearing the same things again thousands of times gets to be too much. It's similar to when an American tells you about his trip to Prague and you realize he has no idea of anything he saw, because he merely went there to drink in different surroundings.
Well said!
Things that happened to me (a Brit) when I visited Las Vegas.
In three days...
I was beaten to the ground by a Secret Service agent on an empty sidewalk (because mildly drunk Englishman, whistling a merry tune, with their hands in their pockets, are definitely a threat to the POTUS, who was about 100m away, inside a hotel).
I was accused of stealing $500 from a stripper (who had stashed it somewhere near where I was sitting). The 'security staff' were just about to ''interview' me, round the back, when the stripper yelled 'found it' and the bruisers kindly dusted me off and required me to have a nice day.
I was playing blackjack when a server took my beer away, replacing it with a fresh one. You don't take a man's drink away, even if it was free and a bigger free drink has taken its place. I was willing to die on the hill of someone taking my drink away and I refused to let go - with a hilarious tug of war going on (I'm 95kg, 200lb ish, and could do 100 chin ups so they'd have needed a chainsaw to get that bottle out of my hands) with the server shouting SIR, IT'S FREE. SIR, IT'S FREE, SIR into my shell-like for what felt like an hour.
Apart from that - the food was either really good or REALLY cheap, the whole place was so fake even my pillow had implants and it was like living in a surreal film where everyone was, very nicely, trying to separate you from your cash.
Amazing for a few days. Probably an absolute hell for more than that.
The irony is the strip in Las Vegas is Fremont Street, which is also considered the "Old Town", and is now 100% pedestrian, and has a roof.
Here's what you need to know about the U.S.: Our cities were either built in from the sea (or lake shore), or formed around railroad hubs, or roads leading into whatever 18th century boom (gold, silver, lumber, etc) was big at the time. A few cities like Savannah, GA, Boston, MA, and a handful of others have made the effort to preserve their historical areas, which people can enjoy today. But most American cities embrace constant change, something that began after WWII with "Urban Renewal" projects that saw most "Old Town" areas demolished for modern buildings, and some of those buildings have already been torn down to be replaced with newer (soulless) buildings.
When you get out of the big cities you'll find those town squares (what we call them).
Many small towns in Texas, that were founded by either German, Polish or Czech settlers still have the town square layout! But they are still small towns, not huge cities! Some towns like Dallas and Chicago have preserved historical city centers, though they may not function as such in modern times
If you want to be able to walk around and have that kind of vibe that you're talking about check out Key West Florida
Niekde v polke videa som si uvedomil ze hovori po anglicky 🙂
Cesky kanal Kluci z Prahy ;)
What I tell my friends from EU and Australia is that don't go to the big cities if you want to experience what the US truly is. Go to smaller cities and towns, go to national monuments, go to national parks which are home to almost every type of environment besides a rainforest.
There is actually a small rainforest in Florida
@@jeffhampton2767 Then I would say.... WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
I lived in NYC in the 80'S and San Diego in the 90's, one of my sisters lived in San Fran for about 10 years. They were all very different then then now. I always hated Las Vegas, such a bad vibe. I agree on your list and have been to all, but I wouldn't go back on purpose to any of those places. I grew up in Phoenix, which is still lovely. Live in the DC metro area now. (I wouldn't go to a McDonalds anywhere.) I have been to many countries. I spent a couple of weeks in Prague over the past 2 years, and there are definitely a lot of scams, but it is a very beautiful and walkable city. You do a great job on your channel. 😊
i have been to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Hallstatt, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Istanbul.
I visit these cities beacuse i love western architecture and the history.
My relatives in America keep pissing me off when they tell me and wife, "Why not go to the America instead these "other" places you visit"
my sarcastic response is "What's to see in America that is Beautiful and historic?"
National parks and Puerto Rico. That's literally the only reasons to go to the US.
thats not enough to sway me
New York, Boston, Chicago, And Philly are pretty historic and beautiful 🤷♂️
@@zachr4526 and have very high crime rates.
Places that were stolen from Native Americans and rehabilitated into a Walmart are quite nice isn't it?
Disney is probably best in Spring/Fall. It’s the best time to avoid the major family vacation times.
I'd never thought that about a lack of a city centre... It's the same in a lot of Asian cities too, maybe because they were developed over shorter time periods? Most (Big) European cities grew steadily over hundreds of years. The oldest pub in the city I am from was nearly 200 years old when America was founded... (Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, Derby).
There was an American newspaper columnist years ago, whose name now escapes me , who would refer sarcastically to Europeans as “our betters”. I thought of her while watching this video. How right she was.
I am ashamed at what my country has become in my absence, I thought I had got it all running smooothly enough to just let it run on its own but I was clearly wrong.
My bad.
Please return back there and fix it. Thanks in advance.
Great video! I agree with everything except McDonald which I know is silly, but every example you showed was very basic and exist in the USA. Being in Orlando you really missed out on the 3 story McDonalds and the Roswell one is pretty sick too!
That's exactly what I thought, its not like every McDonald's is a garbage dump, and most of them have been remodeled in the last couple years, if you're going to a dirty city like New York, you're bound to find a dirty McDonald's.
As an American who travels extensively, I have never been to any of these places, … on purpose. We visited the Grand Canyon (hiked and camped in the bottom) and then the Hoover Dam. My husband said “ hey, we’re only half an hour from Vegas, wanna go see it?” It was a quick and very certain no! I haven’t been to a McDonalds in 12 years.
Rád sleduji váš kanál TH-cam. Moji prarodiče z mé mateřské strany emigrovali do Spojených států. Narodili se v Plzni. Mám mnoho příbuzných, kteří stále žijí v Chomutově. Rád dělám rodinný výzkum v oblasti genealogie a zjistil jsem, že je mi 25. Pravnučka svatého Václava a moje 35. prababička byla svatá Ludmila Česká, stejně jako mnoho dalších mezi nimi. Král Karel IV. Veselé Vánoce a šťastný nový rok vám a vaší rodině. Pokračujte ve vytváření videí. Miluji je.
Okay but, to be fair, if you think all American city centers are soulless, you haven't been to enough American cities. You really can't judge American cities based just off the tourist hubs of New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
As an American, I lived my dream and came to live in Europe. Prague was most affordable, but other cities, like Paris, are close enough to visit often. We always heard propaganda in the US about how bad Socialism is. People get it mixed up with Communism. Sadly, I had to leave because I couldn't afford to stay, after Covid. But now, here in the US, I tell anyone who will listen, that a country that does not wage war against other countries, such as Czechia, can afford to take care of its citizens. Free healthcare and education, little homelessness, but most important, NO CRIME because there are NO GUNS. Simple. But the illegal immigrants upset the balance of taxes providing for care of all. Also, America is so large that it is unmanageable in terms of population, therefore some areas are decaying, some totally empty and all so far apart that you must have a car. I can understand how disappointed you were here, but most of us feel just like you do.
This is hilarious, Vegas is one of the best cities to live in in the states. Amazing food, amazing weather, amazing nature access.
I agree with most of your complaints. Modern America is focused on cheap, meaningless thrills, the bigger the better. But you were talking about how European cities have cute little town squares. Old small towns in America have them too. Now you briefly showed Chicago’s downtown. There is huge amount of stuff there. On Lake Michigan there is Millennium Park with free concerts in the summer. Walk south and the name changes to Grant Park and there is the Art Institute. A few blocks south of that is Buckingham Fountain. Don’t those cute little European squares have cute little fountains? Go a bit further south and there is the natural history museum, the aquarium and the planetarium. (Don’t go south of there!) And then there is the Riverwalk area in the center of downtown. Plus downtown has various government buildings, stores, restaurants, theaters, banks, … . There is an awful lot of stuff.
Your opinion might be honest, but this video is pretty one-sided and particular to your personal preferences. You complain about the tourist traps, then label a restaurant chain being dirty when its pretty clear you only visit the ones in particular spots in a few particular cities. Those places are great to stop in to use bathrooms if on a road trip or our and about (and eat if you like that) outside of cities because they are so clean and friendly - and reliably so. What? The aesthetics aren't like they are in Europe? How terrible! Lastly, you have town squares in Europe, as there is a difference in culture and history.
What's really hilarious is that it isn't unusual for Europeans to deride tourists who are a bit put off by how things are different in Europe. You've even done this in your videos. It comes across as a bit hypocritical. Like Europe is the only way things should be.
First video I've had to downvote from you. Disappointing in the way you presented these things.
As an American who has lived all over Europe, I agree completely. I would visit some of the quieter towns and National Parks.
Yep I’m an American and I’ve lived all over this country. They don’t show the streets in a lot of big cities but especially LA because it’s overrun with crime and drug addiction and huge homeless encampments that rival the slums of countries with a tenth of our resources. To me the greatest parts of America is our excellent national parks and forest systems. Most states also maintain pretty great state parks as well
Just because you have no knowledge of Disney World or when to go, does not make it a bad place to go to. There are a thousand videos on TH-cam that will give you tips on how and when to visit the property. That one is on you for not doing your research beforehand.
One thing I absolutley hate about the US is the goddamn Tax on EVERYTHING!!!
You wanna buy a Drink in a 7/11 for 2$, suddenly its 2,56$, go to a restaurant and get something to eat for 11$, it now is 13,14$
JUST TELL ME WHAT IM ACTUALLY GONNA PAY!!!
If you are living in such a beauty city like Prague it will be too hard to find another beauty cities in other countries
Almost every city is nice and walkable in the Czech Republic though, look at the shots of random places he was showing. The average city is nice whereas the average city is awful in the US.
Yeah it'd be even more touristy if it was matching in beauty xD Venice, Edinburgh, Amsterdam etc. Barcelona might have a surprising balance though.