Travel helps people to understand the world better.
Here are some changes I made during the last few days of west US trip.
1. Urbanization. California is really urbanized, but in US, there are places like Arizona, and Nevada which rural lands separate cities, just like China.
2. Whether people obey rules is not dependent on which country the person is, it is based on the overall environment – economical and demographic. I saw Las Vegas is like Shanghai – there are more people stop you and send you cards with naked girls and phone numbers than people selling fake Rolex on Huaihai Road. People horn in busy streets in Los Angeles, just as Shanghai.
3. Small towns are preferred. Sedona and San Diego have unpredictably jumped to the top of the favorite city list for Wendy and I. I San Diego is not small at all, but it does give people the small town feeling.
4. Los Angeles airport is not clean, the traffic is bad, and it is so big and hard to commute – just like Shanghai. It is the size of the city that makes the two cities similar. The problem of large cities is common to both cities. For a city with 19 million residents crowded in a small area, it takes effort to keep it clean and working.
5. Parking is hard and expensive in big cities like Los Angeles, just like Shanghai. Parking is easy and free in cities like Sedona, and most small cities in Silicon Valley, just like most cities in China.
It turned out I found much more similarity between China and USthan differences during the trip. I agree that travel makes better world citizen.
Your comments about comparing parts of the western USA to parts of China strike me as being right on target.
I have only visited China once, to Shanghai, but have lived in the eastern and western USA for 60-plus years. San Diego is one of my favorite cities, as you say, because of the small-town feel. Los Angeles is a mess and, like Shanghai, has to work hard to keep itself clean and working.
You are a better world citizen for all of your travels and observations.
Did you ride on the Pike Jeep (tour) while you in Sedona? There is a pretty good Chinese restaurant in Sedona called Szchuan if I remember correctly.
No, ILH. I just passed by the town, and had a nice dinner there.
I think what your discussing are the attributes of urban and suburban (high/low population density) environments. These exist everywhere, so I think you may be overstating some fairly superficial similarities. By all means, come back to the valley and experience the rest!
@Ronen, people often generalize the difference between the two countries, like US is more ….. than China. Then the more we travel in both countries, the more we realize it is more of the urban/suburban difference, or many others, not directly related to the country. That is exactly my and your points.
Urban environments, as far as I can ever tell, hold characteristics that are pretty similar. Population density and economic standing have a major impact on the overall state of a city. The changes that they create go straight down the line and effect everything else.
Sedona AZ! One of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Our family visited Sedona last summer. Great memories:)
i believe that Shanghai’s Pudong airport is way cleaner than LA airport. So I disagree with you on that.