# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/41 "2014-06-09T18:43:17Z")
So everyone’s number one choice for an iconic American landmark is the French designed and built Statue of Liberty? I can dig it. ---
**Author:** ![Zapp\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ee59a6/32.png) [@Zapp\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zapp_S)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/42 "2014-06-09T19:35:39Z")
Interestingly, many people outside the USA confuse the Capitol and The White House, or are not even aware that they are not the same building. It’s just that fancy white building in Washington with the president and stuff, right? ---
**Author:** ![eltro102](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@eltro102](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eltro102)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/43 "2014-06-09T20:01:42Z")
> [@Zapp\_S](#): > > Interestingly, many people outside the USA confuse the Capitol and The White House, or are not even aware that they are not the same building. It’s just that fancy white building in Washington with the president and stuff, right? Oh wow, I didn’t realize they were different until now. I’d add the Pentagon to the end of the list, along with Times Square. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/44 "2014-06-10T00:10:09Z")
The Statue of Liberty Hollywood sign Golden Gate bridge All used heaps in travel advertisements and instantly recognisable as landmarks of the USA. Lesser use but still recognisable Capitol building White House Washington Monument Pentagon ---
**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 10, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/45 "2014-06-10T00:15:27Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Basically all the stuff the aliens tend to destroy in movies. This sounds like a great test! But, I don’t remember the Statue of Liberty (my vote for #1) getting vaporized in _Independence Day_. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/46 "2014-06-10T01:01:48Z")
Shortly after I moved here, the sights that gave me that " holy cow, I’m really here" feeling were: 1 statue of Liberty 2 White House 3 Lincoln Memorial 4 Miami Beach ( blame “Miami Vice”) ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/47 "2014-06-11T02:05:38Z")
Thanks for the great answers. I now consider it basically unanimous on the Statue of Liberty. Living in Hawaii, I wonder if Diamond Head would register. Pals in Japan and China tell that’s a symbol for “Hawaii”, not a “USA” symbol. They feel visiting Hawaii is not the same as visiting the USA. Which I can agree with. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/48 "2014-06-11T02:34:27Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > Living in Hawaii, I wonder if Diamond Head would register. I’ll probably feel stupid for saying this, but I’ve been to Hawaii (just Lanai, though), and I’m American, and I have no idea what Diamond Head is. ---
**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 11, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/49 "2014-06-11T02:47:06Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > **I should add that there’s no insult intended – it’s just a convenient rhyme.** > > Other examples include: > > Bubble (Bubble & Squeak = Greek) > > and > > Ethel (Ethel Merman = German) Thank you, and correct, absolutely no insult intended. I also take on board the fact that that “Yank” is not something that a large number of people in the USA would consider themselves to be, but in the spirit of not allowing people to choose their own nick name or what other people refer to them as, I choose to ignore that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/50 "2014-06-11T02:47:38Z")
nm - didn’t read the thread title ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/51 "2014-06-11T04:05:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ll probably feel stupid for saying this, but I’ve been to Hawaii (just Lanai, though), and I’m American, and I have no idea what Diamond Head is. [This](http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/images/diamond-head02.jpg) is Diamond Head. It tends to look like [this](http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/36/3693/753AF00Z/posters/diamond-head-hawaii.jpg) in posters. It’s on Oahu, east of Waikiki. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/52 "2014-06-11T04:21:53Z")
> [@Geek\_Mecha](#): > > [This](http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/images/diamond-head02.jpg) is Diamond Head. It tends to look like [this](http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/36/3693/753AF00Z/posters/diamond-head-hawaii.jpg) in posters. It’s on Oahu, east of Waikiki. Yeah, I don’t recognize it. I’m not saying I definitely haven’t seen it before in posters or whatnot (I very well may have), but it doesn’t stand out to me personally as a recognizable structure. Like I said, I may be saying something that paints me as being pretty stupid, but I really don’t know it. ---
**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 11, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/53 "2014-06-11T04:30:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, I don’t recognize it. I’m not saying I definitely haven’t seen it before in posters or whatnot (I very well may have), but it doesn’t stand out to me personally as a recognizable structure. Like I said, I may be saying something that paints me as being pretty stupid, but I really don’t know it. I know of it mainly because I’ve been to Oahu and Honolulu. Outside of Hawaii, it hardly comes up. It is iconic, yes, but the “icon’s scope” (for wont of a better term) is the state of Hawaii - or maybe even just Oahu. When I’ve been to Maui or the big island, it’s not a common icon. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/54 "2014-06-11T04:51:07Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I know of it mainly because I’ve been to Oahu and Honolulu. Outside of Hawaii, it hardly comes up. > > It is iconic, yes, but the “icon’s scope” (for wont of a better term) is the state of Hawaii - or maybe even just Oahu. When I’ve been to Maui or the big island, it’s not a common icon. Well, you know what? I was just thinking. What’s my Hawaii landmark? And I thought…that volcano. Even though I don’t recognize it, I must be thinking of Diamond Head, as that’s what is showing up on Google searches for “landmark Hawaii volcano.” So, perhaps I know it, and just don’t know it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/55 "2014-06-11T06:28:09Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Basically all the stuff the aliens tend to destroy in movies. > [@Bullitt](#): > > This sounds like a great test! > > But, I don’t remember the Statue of Liberty (my vote for #1) getting vaporized in _Independence Day_. The Statue of Liberty has a different function in movies. Showing it in a state of disrepair is indicative that this is post-apocalyptic. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/56 "2014-06-11T08:34:05Z")
Diamond Head is almost always pictured from the “side view”, [commonly showing Waikiki in the foreground](http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/images/diamond-head02.jpg), as in some of the above-linked photos. You wouldn’t know just from looking at those pics that it’s a volcano crater. Somewhat less often, one sees an [aerial view photo of Diamond Head](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xVFC_fejk4c/UBYSzLHO-dI/AAAAAAAABa8/AbzP6QyH10w/s640/hawaii-oahu-diving-turtle-canyon-oct-2004.jpeg), clearly showing that it’s a crater. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/57 "2014-06-11T08:52:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But you might also add the St Louis Arch, or the Space Needle in Seattle. I would have to google these to see what they look like. _ **googles** _ Ok, I recognise the Space Needle, but couldn’t tell you where it was or what it was called, couldn’t even tell you the country, think I’d get it confused with Toronto. I don’t recognise the Arch at all, looks like something you might find in the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/58 "2014-06-11T09:25:12Z")
The Statue of Liberty Lincoln’s Memorial The Playboy Mansion, and also in addition it’s illustrious founder, America’s _Greatest Living National Treasure_, Mr. Hugh Hefner. Quite seriously. The Hollywood Sign Las Vegas Graceland The Grand Canyon The Golden Gaye of San Francisco Mount Rushmore Around 06 million visit the Lincoln Memorial yearly, whereas it’s closest rival of that type is Lenin’s Mausoleum; ‘_More than 10 million people visited Lenin’s tomb between 1924 and 1972_’ Wiki. People wouldn’t count anything on Hawaii since it seems only temporarily in America’s custody. Either it will become free again, or America will trade it to the Chinese to wipe out part of the debt. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/59 "2014-06-11T14:43:26Z")
… you’re very strange. > [@](#): > > Around 06 million visit the Lincoln Memorial yearly, whereas it’s closest rival of that type is Lenin’s Mausoleum; ‘More than 10 million people visited Lenin’s tomb between 1924 and 1972’ Wiki. More than a million people visit Les Invalides every year, mostly to see Napoleon’s tomb. ---
**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 11, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231/60 "2014-06-11T14:43:41Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > … > Living in Hawaii, I wonder if Diamond Head would register. Pals in Japan and China tell that’s a symbol for “Hawaii”, not a “USA” symbol. > > They feel visiting Hawaii is not the same as visiting the USA. Which I can agree with. Interesting point how some non-Americans view Hawaii as a place other than “The USA”. There’s an analogy, I think, from my American perspective. I know, intellectually, that [French Guiana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana) is 100% France under French law. It’s not an external territory, it _is France_. From a practical, cultural perspective, French Guiana isn’t France to me - it’s a tropical, jungle/rain forest country that might happen to have French as an official language. If someone went to French Guiana and came back and said they had “been to France”, I would assume they had been to Europe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-what-are-our-iconic-landmarks/690231.md?page=4)