# What's so special about the USA, that tourists won't be able to get elsewhere **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629 "2012-02-03T05:05:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629/161 "2012-02-07T20:33:52Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Once again: if you’re going to talk about specific landmarks, even landmarks that have similar counterparts in other countries, then every single country and, indeed, every single street is unique. Hell, my living room is unique, because it’s the only place you can see certain pieces of art. We are all unique and special snowflakes, after all. > > OTOH, the Grand Canyon doesn’t really have anything comparable elsewhere. > > Seriously, does nobody else at all get my point? No. Nobody else does. We mostly seem to agree that the point of traveling is to see specific things. If I want to see “a desert” I can just pick whichever is close or easy to access. If I want, KEY FUCKING WORDS HERE, if I WANT to see the Sahara, there is only one place to go. I can go to the Mojave, but the Sahara is not the Mojave. If I wanted to see “a skyscraper” I could just go downtown. If I want, for whatever reason, to see The Burj Khalifa (sp?), the current tallest building in the world, I can only do that in one place. If you don’t understand that some people want to see specific stuff, my advice is to not ever travel, because you’d probably be highly annoying to those traveling with you. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629/162 "2012-02-07T20:44:39Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Once again: if you’re going to talk about specific landmarks, even landmarks that have similar counterparts in other countries, then every single country and, indeed, every single street is unique. Hell, my living room is unique, because it’s the only place you can see certain pieces of art. We are all unique and special snowflakes, after all. > > OTOH, the Grand Canyon doesn’t really have anything comparable elsewhere. > > Seriously, does nobody else at all get my point? I don’t think I get it, no. Is this just a pedantic point? You’re not really saying that going to see one statue is pretty much going to see any statue, right? I mean, say I live in New York. I’ve always wanted to go see [Cristo Redentor](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OC-FTprY7sw/TpWo9jtQ6zI/AAAAAAAAAdk/8gUC3Qi_S0g/s1600/Cristo+Redentor+Rio.jpg), but why bother? I have a famous harbor statue right in my back yard. Why go all the way to Rio for that? You’re not saying that, are you? (Sorry, **YoDoc**. I think I’m saying the same thing as you. Did not mean to step on your toes.) ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629/163 "2012-02-07T21:27:25Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > That’s the insane thing to me: the whole boils down to "rocks"to you. > > I have no idea what to say to that. Everest=rocks. King’s Canyon? Buncha fuckin’ trees. Sahara? Sand. I dont know if this is deliberate misreading or the horse is just too high for oxygen but either way its time to give up. Otara ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629/164 "2012-02-07T21:47:53Z")
> [@Otara](#): > > I dont know if this is deliberate misreading or the horse is just too high for oxygen but either way its time to give up. > > Otara More like that I will never be able to understand a traveler that can stand in Namibia and say it’s “close” to the Grand Canyon, or someone who can stand at any other remarkable place on the face of the planet (not restricted to the US, so you can put your mind at ease about any pro-US jingoism - and yes, I am a world traveler) and say it’s “close” to any other place. I dunno. I guess if you’re enough of a clod to look at any given, say, canyon, and just see an erosional landform like thousands of others similar to it, without any appreciation for its geographical context, scale, or cultural setting, I’m probably not going to enjoy a traveling discussion with you. High horse? OK. ---
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629/165 "2012-02-08T01:00:05Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > (Sorry, **YoDoc**. I think I’m saying the same thing as you. Did not mean to step on your toes.) No worries. I just want this person to have reason in their life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-special-about-the-usa-that-tourists-wont-be-able-to-get-elsewhere/611629.md?page=8)