# Non-Americans, what are our iconic landmarks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 6, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231 "2014-06-06T22:33:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/1 "2014-06-06T22:33:28Z")
Everyone knows France has the Eiffel Tower and England has Big Ben. What do you consider it for us? I figure #1 would be the Statue of Liberty? Some possible others: [ul] [li]Mt Rushmore[/li][li]Capitol or White House[/li][li]Golden Gate Bridge[/li][li]Empire State Building[/li][li]Hollywood sign[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/2 "2014-06-06T22:42:45Z")
Yes, I think the Statue of Liberty might be number 1. Some others that I’d add are: The Empire State Building The Pentagon Disneyland ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/3 "2014-06-06T22:45:42Z")
I think of iconic landmarks as the ones that are instantly recognizable in a photo or even a line drawing, so I don’t think Disneyland qualifies. Does anyone actually know what it looks like? But you might also add the St Louis Arch, or the Space Needle in Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/4 "2014-06-06T22:48:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think of iconic landmarks as the ones that are instantly recognizable in a photo or even a line drawing, so I don’t think Disneyland qualifies. Does anyone actually know what it looks like? You don’t think that [this building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DisneylandCastle.JPG) is recognisable? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/5 "2014-06-06T22:59:33Z")
Grand Canyon Las Vegas Strip Washington Monument. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/6 "2014-06-06T23:24:03Z")
Would any of the National Parks register? Like Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone (with the Old Faithful geyser) or the Grand Canyon? ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/7 "2014-06-06T23:34:26Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > Would any of the National Parks register? Like Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone (with the Old Faithful geyser) or the Grand Canyon? I’d say all of those. Also the Lincoln Memorial. The Mississippi River? Also maybe the Everglades/Florida Keys, although they’re not as famous as most of the others mentioned here. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/8 "2014-06-07T03:09:52Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > You don’t think that [this building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DisneylandCastle.JPG) is recognisable? We have so many castles in the US people probably get them confused 😛 ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/9 "2014-06-07T09:20:37Z")
As a non-septic, I’d say: Statue of Liberty Empire State building Grand Canyon White House Route 66 (yeah it’s not really a landmark but it is sort of iconic) Las Vegas strip Alcatraz If I was visiting, those are the places on my list. I’d like to hire a car and do route 66. ---
**Author:** ![Caneknife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Caneknife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caneknife)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/10 "2014-06-07T09:30:33Z")
I’m Australian, the most iconic landmark I wanted to see first when I went to America was the Statue Of Liberty, then the White House, loved both. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/11 "2014-06-07T10:33:54Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > As a non-septic, I’d say: > > Statue of Liberty > Empire State building > Grand Canyon > White House > Route 66 (yeah it’s not really a landmark but it is sort of iconic) > Las Vegas strip > Alcatraz > > If I was visiting, those are the places on my list. I’d like to hire a car and do route 66. In addition to route 66 being a very well known landmark, I think that the classic sign that adorns it and other US highways would also be instantly identified by millions around the world. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/12 "2014-06-07T10:42:27Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > You don’t think that [this building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DisneylandCastle.JPG) is recognisable? The cartoon version of that building is recognisable, but not that building itself. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/13 "2014-06-07T11:19:29Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > In addition to route 66 being a very well known landmark, I think that the classic sign that adorns it and other US highways would also be instantly identified by millions around the world. No argument that it’s identifiable, no argument that it’s iconic. Does it meet the definition of a “landmark”?, probably not really hence my comments but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to drive it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/14 "2014-06-07T11:31:10Z")
[Gun Shows](http://www.gunshows-usa.com/). They don’t exist anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/15 "2014-06-07T11:42:52Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > No argument that it’s identifiable, no argument that it’s iconic. Does it meet the definition of a “landmark”?, probably not really hence my comments but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to drive it. Yes, as soon as I posted that I thought “iconic” or “emblematic” rather than, um, landmarkic. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/16 "2014-06-07T14:23:06Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > The cartoon version of that building is recognisable, but not that building itself. Yes, the building itself. Many people 30 and younger don’t know the movie version, do know the real one. That one and its siblings are in what seems to be every freaking poster for trips to Disney’s theme parks. Now, will people be able to tell you which one is Disneyland, which one Disneyland Paris and which one Disneyworld? No. But they know it’s “Disney” and that it’s “American” even if it happens to be near Paris, France. “Miss Libby”, the Vegas Strip, the Hollywood sign, the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building, the White House, that area in DC with the obelisk and the Lincoln memorial; many of us don’t realize how many monuments are together there until we visit, tho, and many people will know for example that there is a wall with names of people who died in the Vietnam war but won’t know what does it look like, won’t see a picture of it and say “ah, the Vietnam wall” the way they’d say “ah, the Empire State”. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/17 "2014-06-07T14:26:57Z")
What about the [Chrysler building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Building), I see it pop up in many UK films/TV that show New York City? Is it iconic outside the states? Is it iconic outside the US, Canada & UK? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/18 "2014-06-07T14:27:45Z")
As an American, I’m following this thread in interest to see what our foreign friends think. It looks like the Statue of Liberty has taken an early lead. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/19 "2014-06-07T19:47:04Z")
Hoover Dam. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/20 "2014-06-07T22:15:27Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Hoover Dam. And you can take all the dam pictures you want to. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231.md?page=2)