I saw it just last week, on a boat of the shore of Crete. Even just a short distance from shore you’re far enough away from the light pollution from the small but rather touristy villages to be able to see it.
Saw it just a couple of weeks ago, every night as the campfire died out, while at one of the Finger Lakes.
I’ve seen it while driving through Arizona, New Mexico & Nevada in my early 20s. Never saw it in New Jersey of course or NYC. Even upstate NY I don’t recall seeing the Milky Way.
the brain is sensationally good at filling in colors where your mind knows they belong. Deep sea divers often report seeing red on things that they know are red (like a Coke can) but at depths where that is not physically possible (Past 40-50 feet or so it isn’t possible to see red light.) The brain says “that’s red” and fills it in.