Wondering about America

[rapunzel77]

Originally Posted by ZenitYerkes

You know, when people from Europe go to America we're all "Everything's KING SIZE here!"

Just wondering, what do the US people think about size matters on Europe?

Madman is right, compared to the US, Europe does have small cars. Also, one has to think about the geography. European countries are closer together and they are smaller. The cities and towns are often centuries old, built for a pre-industrial age. This was illustrated well for my family back when we lived in Germany. My dad had a funny idea to just drive anywhere so we did. We ended up in Trier without a map nor any plan. Our vehicle was a Dodge Caravan, made for American highways, not tiny streets.

My dad got lost, couldn't find a place to park and then tried to get back to the main road using a small side street. The van BARELY could fit through the alley! There was probably 1/2 an inch of clearance on either side...lol .

The other thing to keep in mind when talking about Europe vs. America is the sheer size of the US. We take up a good portion of the continent (although Canada takes up more, most of it isn't fit for habitation being tundra). There is very diverse geography here. Also, the towns and cities are much younger. Some of them on the eastern seaboard were built using European models (New York, Boston, etc) so they can accommodate smaller cars, closer stores, houses, etc. However, most don't.

Most cities will have a structured nucleus (ie. downtown) surrounded by sprawl. It is common to have a ring or a main interstate that goes through the city.

Due to the geography and migration patterns of our ancestors, Americans tend to want things to be spread out and bigger. Our cars are bigger. Our roads are bigger, etc. So when an American goes to Europe, they see everything as being very tiny in comparison.