Traveling the World

When Americans think of Europe, they think of the major/capital cities like London, Paris, Rome, Athens. Most families go for about two or three weeks because they want to hit all the major sight-seeing spots like the Eiffel Tower, the islands of Santorini, or a boat ride in Venice, but enjoy the beauty and history of the land that are likely to only see once in their lifetime because these trips can be costly. Historical significance seems to be another theme in the European travel guide because Americans like to see architectural marvels from before the time of Christ and other attractions that were considered ruins long before our Founding Fathers had been born. America is ethnically and culturally diverse, perhaps like no other nation in the world and Americans want to see something that is distinctly Irish or German or Polish so they can see what their traditions have evolved from; the original model, if you will. Americans want to see places where they have only read about or heard stories of. they want authentic Italian food from Italy, they want beer from Germany and maybe even some croissants in France in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Americans, like Europeans, want to see major attractions, world wonders, places to go and objects to see before you die, but even though they have read about and possibly seen it on television, actually experiencing it in person is much more powerful and an everlasting memory, which is ultimately what Americans desire when they travel Europe.

Europeans traveling to America are bombarded with many different options across the country, but it depends what part they intend to visit, but if they want to go coast to coast, one travel site has the Grand Canyon, Universal Studios, and  Red Rock Canyon in Colorado as their top three overall destinations in the U.S. Others on the list include Miami Beach, Ground Zero in NYC and Sea World. It seems as if the travel agencies are catering to the likes of the Europeans or other foreigners in showing a healthy mix of natural grandeur and man-made marvels. the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood and Central Park in NYC as well as the Statue of Liberty seem to be other highly attractive places in which Europeans don't often see in their own lands because of the famous architects or brilliant minds who helped develop the relatively new country in America. Europeans seem to like the natural beauty that has been there for millions of years, along with the mix of new technology and design  in America, seeing as how it is a couple of thousand years the junior of most of the established sight seeing spots of Europe. Some Europeans may even come to see the art that is seeing 8 million people try and traverse 469 square miles of NYC, while getting to their destination on time. Others may just come to see all those people and then drive 30 minutes out of the City and see farmland as far as the eye can see. Beaches, architectural marvels and even museums are commonplace amongst the travel guides for the United States, which leads one to believe those traits are what make America is distinctly American because the variety and input from a vast array of cultures and nationalities, not found in Europe because those are the origins of America; the United States just brings all those idea into one place, making the diversity and variety in a comparably small area unique to America. America has some of the most publicized history, of which is also targeted and such powerful building in Washington, D.C. are also sights to been seen, not only for their beauty, but because the most powerful people in the world work there everyday.

Europeans have the notion that America is still young and new, but that is part of the attraction as well as the diversity of culture and nationality that makes America the melting pot it is, which is what many European come here for, in my opinion. I think the themes of diversity and grandeur have been clearly laid out as the two main reasons Europeans come to experience America, which would be, in my view, correct values to place on the United States.