7 Weirdest Things I've Seen in America

[@michelepaccione8806]

I was in my back yard one day when two police officers walked through my gate. Surprised, I asked if I could help them. One of them said, "have you seen a duck go by?" I HAD just seen a duck go by...she walked past me and into my pond. I was wondering what kind of legal trouble a duck could possibly be in, when I realized one of the cops was carrying a trash can, and the peeping of little ducklings was coming from it. It turns out the ducklings had been washed into the sewer, a neighbor had heard them and called the police, and the police had rescued them. They asked if they could put the ducklings in my pond, I said sure, and then there was a VERY cute family reunion.

[@rridderbusch518]

Awww...! Sweet story. I'm glad you were there! :-D

[@sarahlashbrook6991]

Oh my goodness! It’s Make Way for Ducklings in real life! ❤

[@leeannwilson3388]

Sweet!❤❤

[@MerelyGifted]

That's awww-inspiring! Absolutely wonderful!

[@MarySpain1958]

Ahh nice that you allowed the to live in your pond.

[@susanyoung1600]

Speaking of respect and funerals...My Dad was raised in Pennsylvania and remembers being in a funeral procession. The Amish they passed plowing with horses stopped, took off their hats and waited for the procession to go by. He thought that was sweet.

[@woobiewv]

That still happens in the American South.

[@ahwell9984]

Also in Boston. People stop their cars and stand beside them. Sometimes they cross themselves.

[@mikelamb4528]

@@ahwell9984 I've never really seen exactly what you describe in Massachusetts, and I've been here my whole life. People do yield the right-of-way at intersections, etc., and let the funeral procession pass intact though, as mentioned. That's actually required by law too.

[@Callie83]

As a server and bartender, that works alone, in a 35 seat bar and grill, THANK YOU! Thank you for being kind to a young man trying hard to serve his customers, and tipping above and beyond. When the door opens and the place fills up in 5 minutes flat, I throw menus at everyone, let them know that I see them, and will be with them as quickly as I can. 80% of people see me running around and are incredibly understanding, but the other 20% get irate. It seems as though some people have an unearned sense of entitlement. They will wave their hands in the air, shout "WAITER", and try to get other customers riled up. Coincidentally, they are usually the last people to walk into the crowded restaurant, then expect me to drop it all to be at their beck and call. I try to finesse them back into a better mood and gently point out that I have a few tables ahead of them. I figure I have a 50/50 shot at winning them back over, and I usually can. BUT some people treat me so awfully that I'd prefer they go elsewhere. It's really a shame that so many people act that way, however, they are the exception, not the rule. Anyway, just came here to say my thanks for being a decent human in what was definitely a chaotic time.

[@yanguskhan8513]

as someone who has also worked in the resturant industry, i get where youre coming from. ive always thought that if one want to eat at any resturant, you have to work in one during dinner service for an hour or two. if people did that, theyd understand how hard everyone is working in front and back of the house to get food out in a timely manner, and patrons would be less jerks about it.

[@PaulArtman]

Absolutely the unsung heros of the food service industry! He 1) showed up. 2) Was actually trying to do his (and that of several others) job. Which is somewhat unusual these days, sad as it is. I never tried table service. I have Cerebral Palsy, so nobody would have been pleased with the result, but yes. The dude was commendable for his work ethic. Blessings to him. He probably is self employed where he still may sometimes not get paid, bit has a better life.

[@feralfarrell1336]

This man needs a segment on some news show. He is so funny. Smart. Clever. Perfect mix of English and American humor. And positive!!

[@mattfinleylive]

-To be fair, he probably gets paid better doing this.

[@KayvonJavid]

Humour*

[@paulkienitz]

I had a five raccoon incident just a few hours ago... whole family of them so confident that they belong indoors, that we practically had to push them out. The mother even left two of her little ones inside with us, apparently with complete trust that they'd be fine in our hands.

[@richardklug822]

We had a similar incident last summer. We discovered A mother racoon with two babies under our back porch. Not wanting them as permanent residents, I stomped loudly on the floor boards to scare them away. Mom grabbed one of the babies and headed for the nearby woods. Left alone, the remaining little one let out a blood curdling scream that was amazing loud for such a small creature. Thankfully mom shortly returned to cart it off too, and we never saw any of them again.

[@worldtraveler930]

A group of raccoons is commonly referred to as a mob!!! 🤠👍

[@ssga_tgbuddy3082]

Thank you for tipping a guy who was having a really rough time.

[@finfable835]

I once ran my bicycle into an alligator that was laying on the bike path at the University of Florida. I almost fell off my bike from the impact and the gator didn’t even open its eyes to look at me.

[@richstanton8545]

😱😱😱😱

[@jessicaazzola6703]

Wow!

[@AtarahDerek]

Gators are fat, lazy dinos who generally ignore people when they're on land (very different story in the water, though, or when their babies are involved). Crocodiles, on the other hand, are far less tolerant of being used as speed bumps.

[@raoularmagnac2037]

Maybe he traveled over to Gainseville because he heard that it's the home of the "Florida Gators!" 😉🐊😜

[@ashleycnossen3157]

He must have been in torpor

[@catherinespencer-mills1928]

Coyotes are very successful urban wild life. They do live in suburbs and even manage to get into the city center on occasion. One got on the city train here in Portland very early one morning. Train engineer closed off that section and called animal control. They captured it at the next stop and took it way out in the more wild area before releasing. If you are up early enough in my suburb, you can see coyotes checking out the menu on garbage pick up day.

[@kathywiseley4382]

I'm guessing that they either aren't out and about early or, really, through the night. Coyotes are mostly nocturnal, although you can, and obviously he did, see them during the day. Wait until he sees a groundhog. They are very much acclimating to urban areas.

[@bluegreenglue6565]

I live in a major city, but across from a nature preserve. a couple of times a year, when the big engines at the fire station down the block start their sirens, the coyote pups will start howling -- very very cute!

[@LindaC616]

We have coy wolves here on the island. As well as regular coyotes. The population went from about 50 20 years ago to currently over 100. While they are mostly nocturnal we have started seeing them in the daytime. Some people report being followed with their little dogs on a dog walk around dusk. And lately they have adopted wolf behavior and you will see 3 or 4 of them on people security cameras hunting in a pack

[@kennethcook9406]

Sounds like the racoons where I live. We have coyotes too, but the racoons are far smarter.

[@mcalcock2241]

If you work odd hours or are otherwise driving or walking through just about any American suburb in the wee hours, you will definitely spot coyotes (and raccoons, amd possums amd barn owls, etc.) They're mostly too smart to come out in the day, but human trash, human pests, and human pets are far too good to pass up. (Also why you should always keep you cats indoors.)

[@HighlanderCelt]

Am a British expat myself and I've seen a fair few strange occurrences. While camping and making s'mores around a campfire we were happened upon by a black bear. A friend of mine then proceeded to tame the bear with an offering of a bag of marshmallows. The bear ate them, watched us briefly then buggered off. I then went and changed my trousers.

[@goldilockz6517]

😂 thank you for sharing!

[@ANPC-pi9vu]

Your friend should not be feeding the bears.

[@garethbaus5471]

That is generally considered to be bad practice feeding the bears trains them to create a lot more opportunities for a negative interaction.

[@TheAidanodian]

Bad choice in feeding the bear but I’m glad y’all didn’t die

[@cann5565]

A fed bear is a dead bear. Don't feed the bears.

[@SusieMullins-t6i]

This has to be one of the best things KZbin has ever offered. LAWRENCE, WE LOVE YOU!!!

[@stacyrussell460]

Hearing the story about the beyond frazzled server at IHOP reminded me of a server we had years back. She was equally upset bc orders were coming out for tables who just got there while others had to wait even longer. Turns out their computer deleted earlier orders, including ours. Customers were so mad. Some left. We waited & gave her a generous tip for not completely losing her mind that night.

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Sounds ds like working in any customer service job today..severely understaffed,,,,,. constantly.

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

1) TRUMP!

[@Birdbike719]

@@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307 Your example of something weird you've seen, right. Or are you lost?

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

@@Birdbike719 Weirdest thing in america Trump after trump being elected!

[@eboone]

@@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307 How about you run for president

[@ianthompson1907]

I like how he just quickly moved past a guy named Chainsaw Jim with a history of shenanigans because that wasn't the weird part.

[@occheermommy]

I noticed that too and Im new to the channel so I didn’t know if he had talked about him in earlier videos. If not he needs to.

[@austinweber4582]

Clearly, Brits aren't worried about firearms in Chicago. Chainsaws'll do it.

[@steveofthewildnorth7493]

Welcome to Amurka. Where everyone has a Chainsaw Jim neighbor. I do!

[@garyfrancis6193]

Passed - Passed refers to movement. Past refers to time.

[@redrick8900]

My take away, that must be totally normal where he's from.

[@ParkerPetersPlays]

Lawrence will literally be like "America's weird" while coming from a land where beans reside upon toast.

[@lindaeasley5606]

And they roll cheese wheels down a hill for sport

[@NickBradford-ck7ry]

I was born in Colorado and grew up in San Diego CA. And you need to keep beans on toast outta your mouth. Lol you don't like it fine but it's great lol.

[@NickBradford-ck7ry]

I was born in Colorado and grew up in San Diego CA. And you need to keep beans on toast outta your mouth. Lol you don't like it fine but it's great lol.

[@NickBradford-ck7ry]

Sorry that was supposed to be much more fun and playful then it ended up sounding

[@Vonononie]

Don’t come after our glorious beans on toast. We’ve gone to war for less. I’ll assume you’ve never experienced the joy of having beans on toasted sourdough bread, with a grating of mature cheddar over the top on a cold autumnal day so you’re forgiven

[@angelofmyheart1967]

Hello, Mother Brown!👋 Your son, Lawrence is doing a marvelous job of talking about his adventures in America. You should be very proud of him. 😀

[@LythaWausW]

Still laughing, "not 50% on zero, that would be zero." I tipped 50% on a floor installation that I thought went really well. Just kitchen and bedroom, linoleum and carpet, and they did the job so fast, and in my opinion it was so cheap, I gave them ....a few hundred Euros more. My husband will never understand why I did that. I was new here. I wanted to pay what I thought was appropriate. Sometimes you just feel the need to really reward someone, you get that.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Laurence, good on you for giving that poor kid a really nice tip. I knew you were a good dude, and this is a good example of exactly why.

[@johnopalko5223]

I saw my first dead body when I was eight years old. My Grandpa died and my parents made me stay in my room until his corpse could be removed. I did get to go to his wake, though. It was pretty sad. He worked second shift so he was still asleep when I was leaving for school and was already at work when I got home. As a result I only saw him on weekends. I had just started piano lessons that week and I couldn't wait to tell him. It was not to be, alas. He was a great guy. He and I used to watch the baseball games on television and he'd give me sips of his beer. Sixty years later, I still miss him.

[@alphagt62]

@@rogerwilco99 if he robbed a bank he’d pull 40 years.

[@bethsmith3421]

Funerals are such a weird thing in and of themselves. Most of my family forgo them. We all want to be cremated. No pomp, no ceremony, then dump the ashes somewhere nice. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust but without all the religious and creepy extras, like having people come up and stare at your lifeless body. WEIRD?!

[@rancon265]

@@bethsmith3421 That's why the Irish all get drunk and shit talk the dead guy.

[@paulwerner3150]

Sorry for your loss. There are a few out there that I wish I could still be with, thanks for sharing

[@Dippedinsilver1974]

That was so kind of you to show that waiter compassion. Good for you for putting positivity into the world.

[@susan3037]

My daughter lived in Chicago, there was once a cougar that turned up in her neighborhood. Not an old woman chasing after younger men, an actual cougar of the big cat family.

[@cleverusernamenexttime2779]

Not to be that guy but, cougars are actually the largest member of the small cat family

[@MetroCSN]

Yes, the cougar came in from Milwaukee and passed through my suburb. I think it took the Amtrak "Hiawatha" service between Milwaukee and Chicago . A cougar was hit by a car near hear just last month (October, 2022) on an expressway the other day, and another one was captured a week later in Springfield IL after wandering in from Nebraska.

[@susan3037]

@@MetroCSN Amazing!

[@Puddlef1sh]

I almost ran into a literal cougar while doing ski patrol in the Rockies.

[@Immafraid]

They are of the genus _Puma_ , not _Panthera._

[@snowangelnc]

I showed my 7th graders some of photos from Europe and one of the things that surprised them was seeing graves in the floor or cathedrals. I explained to them that the idea that's been ingrained into us that you never, ever walk over a grave is part of our culture; it isn't universal. They said that made sense, but then we got to St. Paul's Cathedral where they saw the Crypt Café and they lost it again. I understood their feelings; I'd already known about the cultural difference before going, and even then, seeing the cart with the sugar and napkins parked on top of somebody's final resting place felt unsettling. I sprang the final twist on them when I told them that I've heard from British people that talked about being the same level of creeped out when they found out about our tradition of leaving the casket open for viewing before the funeral.

[@t.prophoto]

Oh how I wish we’d drop the practice of the open casket.

[@caseytailfly]

One time we went to IHOP with my in-laws and inexplicably one of them ordered the fish. After some time the waitress returned to inform us that no one in the kitchen knew how to prepare it because, surprise, no one had ordered it before! 😂

[@anonygent]

LOL.

[@SuperDrLisa]

🤣

[@brianmccarthy5557]

I shudder to think where they would get it from in the kitchen.

[@Birdbike719]

@@brianmccarthy5557 from the box in the freezer labeled "Mrs. Pauls".

[@mikeyoung9810]

Don't most restaurants have a menu and are only set up to make items on their menu? Otherwise, they'd have to have endless ingredients ready for anything.

[@pablobruning4508]

In the 80s, I lived (as an American) in Glasgow, Scotland, as a student. One night, I heard a raucous commotion outside my flat. When I went outside to look, riot police on their horses were trying to disperse a crowd of football hooligans. The Protestant-supported Rangers and the Catholic-supported Celtics had just completed a match. It was at that point when all hell broke loose. I had never seen anything like that before, coming from rural America. I was told it was a quite common occurrence after these two rival teams played one another in the same city. Crazy.

[@nicholashodges201]

I grew up in a college town. That's just game night. Be careful kicking any can you see the next day. Sometimes the tear gas doesn't go off when it's thrown, which means it'll pop with the next good jar...

[@tereseshaw7650]

There is a a fresco from Pompeii which shows a brawl between fans of two chariot race teams. There were deaths The then-emperor fixed the problem by banning all such races---for 10 years. Greeks talk. Romans act.

[@randlebrowne2048]

@@nicholashodges201 Hooliganism just seems so alien for someone from Texas. That's the kind of behavior that'll get you *shot* here (and *not* by police).

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

Scotland sounds like Britain's Florida. A bit colder though.

[@JJfromPhilly67]

@@aaronaaronsen3360 Every nation has its "Florida."

[@tordjarv3802]

I recently moved from Sweden to east Tennessee for work, and the other day when I was grocery shopping at a Kroger I saw a family dressed in old style cloths (19:th century farmer cloths). I don't think they where Amish (since I thought the Amish mostly lives in Pennsylvania and also their cloths where not like the pictures I have seen) but maybe they where, after all I don't know much about the Amish. Anyway, it was like they had stepped out of a time machine and just happened to exit in the middle of a Kroger in 2022. I have full respect for people living what ever lifestyle they like, it was more that it was an unusual sight for me. The second weirdest thing I have seen so far was a man and his pet squirrel in central Knoxville and the squirrel was wearing a tiny t-shirt with the logo of the local football team, that was definitely the cutest thing I have ever seen.

[@cyndialver2130]

Go Vols! Welcome to Tennessee and I hope you truly enjoy your new home.

[@sophierobinson2738]

Mennonites. Similar to Amish, do live in Kentucky and Tennessee. They use electricity, telephones, etc. And drive tractors everywhere.

[@LindaC616]

Omg, the squirrel!

[@staceyn2541]

Even weirder, I saw a Mennonite (branch of Amish, I think) in Sam's Club with one of those giant flat carts fully loaded with boxes of TGIF Tater Skins snack chips. And nothing else. I have so many questions ..

[@grace7701]

Amish and Mennonites are definitely in quite a number of states definitely not just Pennsylvania.

[@jennifers1977]

The funeral car thing is all over America. Here in NY a lot of the time they have police leading the way too.

[@k33k32]

The best part of a funeral procession is getting to drive through all the red lights

[@AnnaCarlson-b9u]

They do the "pull over out of respect" thing in North Carolina too- it is so frustrating sometimes Btw- I was born and raised Northwest of Chicago near the Wisconsin border

[@beenaplumber8379]

A funeral procession went past my workplace in 1992. It took about an hour and a half, and there were over 600 cars in it, nearly all police cars. It was for a cop who got shot while on duty, and every department within a few hundred miles sent a car. I think they just closed the roads in advance of that. It was a major event.

[@mdshonkkc]

Thank you for the restaurant story. I wish more people were as understanding. I've been that 16-year-old waiter before.

[@MrSophire]

When I go to work, I am not really loyal to my company but to my co workers. I show upon time or not needlessly call out and come in if needed if it makes my co workers life just a little easier. I hated when other workers were so nonchalant about coming is 30 minutes late of call in to ditch work as if it didn’t matter that those that were there had to work harder.

[@loismiller2830]

Always glad to hear the number of years you have been in America go up. 14 already. We're glad to have you on this side of the pond.

[@rohan1970b]

The funeral one reminded me of a stand-up comedian (now deceased himself) told a story of going back to his hometown in Mississippi and was standing on the sidewalk talking to 2 childhood friends. The bit started with him telling the audience how Southerners are funny without meaning to be. After they bowed their heads in respect to the funeral procession passing by, afterwards, he asked his friends "who died?" His friend immediately responded with "The one in the front car". :)

[@richarddavis6133]

Jerry Clower.

[@rohan1970b]

@@richarddavis6133 Yes, I grew up to listening to h is 8 tracks with my father (who was from Mississippi himself). I later bought CD myself.

[@Regolith86]

Out in the country, we didn't have mortuaries and so it was always customary for the undertaker to do his job and lay your kin out right there at home. Well the church would loan ya folding chairs and you'd have visitation and everything right there but when the nighttime come you had to sit up with the dead because it wasn't right to leave 'em alone. Well, the last time I sat up was '65 when my old arthritic Uncle Fred died. He was 97 and so stooped over the morticians couldn't straighten him out. They used a logging chain to hold him down and covered that all up with a cape and a gown and didn't tell nobody in the family because that's the kind of stuff folks just don't want to know about. Well we were all sitting there; it was 3 in the morning and then there come up a cloud, a-thunder lightning and storming. Well, that lightning flashed and that thunder clapped and that chain around old Uncle Fred went 'snap' and rattled and fell to the floor with a thump and Uncle Fred just sat right up! Well when Uncle Fred sat up, so did everyone there and there came a great parting of the folding chairs. And that preacher nearly knocked me down, he said "Oh, I'm headin' out that kitchen door!" I said "Rev, that kitchen ain't got no door in it!" He said "Don't worry son, it will have in a minute!" And I ain't never seen so much jumping and shoving before. And then somebody stepped on an old cat's tail. It let out a scream, a screech, a wail and to say the least, that howl didn't help to calm the situation down. And then that lighting flashed and that house went black and I spoke to my feets; I said "Boys, make tracks!" And I went out that screen door lickety split for town! Well I cut through the cemetary, fell in a hole. It was Uncle Fred's grave, and it was dark and cold! Yeah, the town drunk dug it and he dug it too deep and unbeknownst to me, he's still in there asleep and I'm scratchin' and jumpin' tryin' to get out of that hole and he woke up and said: "You might as well come over here and sit down beside me, boy, 'cause you ain't gettin' outta here tonight." But I did!

[@susanunger2278]

@@Regolith86 hysterical

[@richarddavis6133]

@@Regolith86 "Sittin' up with the dead" by Ray Stevens.

[@Heather-jj9sk]

The racing piggies get oreos, from what I have heard from prior experience. On any given day, I could see a human racing for oreos. 🤣

[@LindaC616]

The odd day. Between 3:30-5, I might be up for it 😅

[@spacehonky6315]

I definitely would! (and I probably couldn't resist a little cheating if necessary.)

[@cherispitzer7115]

In Wisconsin the pigs also get an oreo cookie for winning the race :)

[@LindaC616]

@@cherispitzer7115 that's so Wisconsin, it's almost Canadian! 🙂

[@LindaC616]

@@rogerwilco99 I'm sure you're probably right. I had an uncle who raised them. It would never have occurred to him to feed them people food (he was a contemporary of my father's, who was born and raised during the depression).

[@brolinofvandar]

As a native of Metropolis, Illinois, let me give some backstory on the Superman issue. To understand how it came to be, you need to look at the geography. Metropolis is on the banks of the Ohio River, about 40 miles or so upstream from where the Ohio and the Mississippi merge (at Cairo, IL). Fort Massac, located adjacent to the town and on a bluff overlooking the river was established back in the days of George Rogers Clark. Given that rivers were the highways and freight lines of the day, it was on the assumption that the proximity to the junction of those two major rivers would lead to growth for the town, becoming a metropolis eventually. So, that's what they named it. However, they were wrong, Metropolis stagnated at around 6-7000 people and, instead, a city across the river in Kentucky grew into the 40K range. That would be Paducah, KY (also, my actual birthplace). Going back to the geography, we need to look at the highways, and imagine how things were BEFORE the interstate highway system was completed. You should be able to note that IL Hwy 45 passes directly through Metropolis and continues over to Brookport, IL, to use the Irvin Cobb Bridge to cross over to Paducah. Step back, so to speak, and you'll see that there only a handful of bridges across those rivers (without the Interstates). So, traffic from the St. Louis area (or beyond) travelling toward Nashville (or beyond) would likely be following Hwy 45, right through Metropolis. So, a constant flow of traffic meaning a constant flow of new money and maybe people. Then, the Interstates. In this case, I-24 in particular. If you look at a map, you'll see that I-24 passes just outside Metropolis, slicing through the back of the Fort Massac State Park and across its own bridge to Paducah. The business people of Metropolis looked at this and realized, the traffic flow through town was going to go away, and they needed to give people a reason to stop at their little town of 6500 or so, rather than the city of 40K five minutes later. Research discovered we were the only town bearing the name Metropolis (a name we'd had since before the author of Superman was born). And, as "luck" would have it, adjacent to the existing State Park on the highway out of town towards that new interstate was the County Fairgrounds. Even "better", on a road alongside the fairgrounds was a Quonset hut sort of building that housed a roller skating rink. They contacted the Comics people and arranged a deal with them to "officially" declare our town the "Home of Superman". A ceremony was held and it was on national news. They renamed the Courthouse Square to Superman Square, which is where the statue is now located. Signs featuring Superman appeared at the edges of town, in store windows, on the water tower, etc. They took the Fairgrounds with intentions of building Superman theme park. Not a bad idea, this was in the early 70's (my high school days) and theme parks were sprouting up everywhere at the time. They also took the skating rink to be a Superman Museum. And, put pictures of Superman's upper body with a hand out as if to say "stop", on the top of the Stop signs around town. Renamed the town's newspaper from the Metropolis News to the Metropolis Planet. Couldn't call it the Daily Planet, unless they wanted to repeat content or reduce size down to a page or two. The News was a very thin weekly paper. The name change didn't change that. However, the pictures on the stop signs disappeared with the first weeks (to reappear in various teens bedrooms, etc). The fairgrounds had the grandstands torn down and the lot cleared, but the theme park never went anywhere. The property sat with a big For Sale sign for years and has now been incorporated into the State Park next door. The museum was a bust because they had nobody with any real collections or the knowledge to properly stock and run it. Basically, aside from name changes nothing else worked. Somebody would usually play Superman in parades. That Superman statue isn't the first one there, either. If you thought it's weird now, the original statue had an out of proportion head and was an embarrassment. I missed a lot of that (joined the Navy in 76 and left town), but I remember hearing from family about how bad it was. So, what you see now is the replacement. The museum that exists now has no connection to the original feeble try. As I understand, a true collector moved to town and took on the job of making a working museum. I can't remember for sure, but the building it is now in was originally either a furniture store or an appliance store, I think. I was never in the stores on that block. And, they've also now turned an annual Superman celebration into a "thing" that apparently draws people from around the country, if not the world. The town's economy was originally factory and farm based. There was a plastics factory adjacent to the State Park, since closed and I believe recently torn down. Once upon a time, there was a button factory in the area somewhere. We used to pick up shells on the river bank with nice neat circles punched out of them. There's a chemical factory right outside town. I worked at a glove factory that's no longer there. My father worked at a coal fired power plant over at neighboring Joppa, where there was also Portland Cement and a few others. The Superman thing was a stab at keeping a flow into town. Unfortunately, that never turned into anything all that big. So, now there's a casino down on the riverfront. Hated by most of the locals, largely because of the traffic it pulls into town. It was originally an actual riverboat that was semi-permanently moored there, with the hotel building built out onto it. Went there for a high school reunion in the early 2000's. You'd walk down a hallway in the hotel, and then find yourself standing on deck. They've since removed the boat, so it's just another casino now. I will also point out that when you cross onto the river you are actually in Kentucky, technically. The state line is on the Illinios side of the river. As we used to say, go down to the river and get your feet wet, you're in KY. I don't know if that drove the location of the casino (having no idea of the difference in IL and KY casino laws).

[@erdossuitcase7667]

I’m glad you gave a nice tip to that poor kid. I once had an English boss and she didn’t tip. I spent a couple of years going behind her and leaving tips for her. She finally started tipping herself. As far as coyotes are concerned, in my town they live in abandoned or foreclosed houses.

[@glenn6583]

Coyotes live in dens

[@gamemeister27]

​@@glenn6583 ...Which in a city could be in an abandoned building

[@nightengalenorth6881]

Near me, there's a family of them that live in a drainage pipe in a park

[@staceyn2541]

3 of the weirdest things I have ever seen happened on one Thanksgiving. Traveling from Bloomington, IN to family, we come around a curve at the top of a hill on a country road and pass a Buddhist monk. Full orange robes, bald head, black knee socks and trainers, walking stick and all, walking backwards up the hill. He was just out of sight of the second, younger monk we passed, walking normally up the hill. Super weird until I realised we were a mile or so from the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist center. About 25 minutes later, we pass a massive dead wild turkey by the road. Also weird. I have seen flocks of them (do they flock?) in that area but none of us could remember ever seeing one as roadkill. 20 minutes later, we are just a mile from our destination, across a T junction, there is one of those tiny 2 seater commuter cars. Weird enough, this is a very small town and people tend to go for big vehicles. In it, was a massive looking man in nice clothes, looking super pissed. He had the window rolled down and his arm sticking out. As he drove away, we realised he was actually holding onto a large push mower. This man was literally hauling a mower down the road, manually. Smh. The mower probably had more horsepower than that car. It was a really surreal drive. Just over an hour in the car but very memorable! Ride home was uneventful.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

I think you got caught in a David Lynch movie in a parallel universe.

[@ubernerd83]

There's actually a whole monastery just outside of Bloomington.

[@nicholashodges201]

@@brianmccarthy5557 nope, just Bloomington. Most of the town is either medicated or needs to be medicated. The Dali Lama's nephew lives there, so he visits a lot, so there's a monastery. The "locals" are San Francisco/NYC type "liberal", so there's not many that will give permission to hunt. So you see a lot of critters along side the road that aren't typical roadkill. You also don't see many open hunters/gun owners. That WILL cost you your job there. My best advice is to stay far, far away from that place. And if you have a child who wants to go there for IU, you need to slap them until they regain their senses or brains start to leak from their ears. "Locals" is in scarequotes b/c well over 50% of the population are students who *never leave*, if you were born there, you're a "townie" and you spend most of you life trying to GTFO until you finally do.

[@nicholashodges201]

@@ubernerd83 right next to a golf course. But I'm pretty sure the landhogs in the city council annexed it years ago

[@kimberlysimpson343]

@@ubernerd83 Yes, it's just SE of town, on I think Snotty Road. I lived less than a mile from the Tibetan Temple for 3 years while attending IU. This was in the 90's, and I would be considered a townie. Bloomington is NOT what it used to be. I used to say that when I retire, I wanted to live in Bloomington. Not anymore, it's been ruined.

[@idoc-2]

I'm from Indiana, and in the pig races I've seen in the past, the officials place ONE Oreo cookie ("biscuit" in the UK) in a pan at the finish line. The pigs know that the first one to the finish line gets the cookie, and they run amusingly fast to beat the others to it! There is usually friendly wagering for non-monetary prizes on which pig will be the winner of each race. Many county fairs in Indiana have pig races.

[@JAScreativeArts]

I love your channel! I’m a born and raised Hoosier, lifelong Anglophile, and my husband is from Chicago! It’s so entertaining to hear your take on all things midwestern/Chicago/Indiana!

[@TroyPacelli]

My wife and I used to go to the annual Metropolis Superman Celebration every year (Before the recent insanity in the world). If you showed up dressed as Zod during the Celebration, you'd be well received and invited to a bunch of room parties and costume photo shoots. You do that any other time of the year, you'd see a much of locals take a deep breath, roll their eyes, and then affect a placating, welcoming smile.

[@Phantom_Fireside]

Thats what I said, man I love going to it

[@gwgux]

The weirdest thing I saw (so far, I still have a lot longer to live...I hope) was on the road here in South Carolina. I was at a gas station and had just gotten back in the car to see someone stopped at a light, put his car into reverse, and then drive in reverse a mile down the road against oncoming traffic to get on an on-ramp for the interstate he missed. He was going pretty fast in reverse too, and somehow didn't hit anybody. I've seen a LOT of crazy stunts on the road, but that one where nobody (somehow) got into a wreck with that guy takes the cake.

[@carynfisher9463]

I'm only surprised that didn't happen in Texas.

[@cowhand6112]

Years ago, headed North out of New Orleans on last leg of family vacation. Saw a billboard advertising some clinic that performed vasectomies. About 10-15 miles later saw another billboard advertising vasectomies. About 25-30 miles later saw a billboard advertising reversing vasectomies. I got a good laugh out of that. In a way reminded me of the old Barbasol signs. Lawrence really needs to take a trip across South Dakota to Wall Drug Store.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Then there are the Burma Shave signs where each of four signs you'd pass would be one line of a poem, and the last sign would have Burma Shave on it as if a signature at the bottom.

[@cowhand6112]

@@ginnyjollykidd You're right it was Burma Shave not Barbasol. Thanks for catching that.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Yup. I've heard that Wal-Drug is a spectacular business there. No joke.

[@nunyabusiness9433]

@@ginnyjollykidd Just went there last year. Some tourist traps transcend to become attractions in and of themselves; Wall Drug is the pinnacle of that category.

[@markpage9397]

The one thing that stands out in my head is a picture of a Moose in the Anchorage newspaper walking down a residential street with a child"s backyard swing set in its rack.

[@jentoby73]

I live in Anchorage, and am not surprised. They sometimes get Christmas tree lights tangled in their antlers. They eat the trees, so when they’re stripped off the bark, the lights can get tangled in their antlers

[@markpage9397]

@@jentoby73 I live in Juneau. That was something I saw years ago in the Anchorage paper in the news rack at the local grocery store. I do get more than my fair share of black bears in the yard usually trying to get in the trash dumpster. It makes for a big mess. Moose don't like it around here in that there is not the kind of browse they seek.

[@Jacqueline_R]

I'm from Anchorage, very common in my neighborhood to have moose walk through, eat trees. Always fun to see them ❤ we have black bear in park across the street, 5 min away.

[@markpage9397]

@@Jacqueline_R I"m actually in Juneau. Moose is one thing we don't have here, but there is not a Summer that goes by I don't have a bear try to get into my dumpster. What a mess!

[@JustAGalOnTheGo]

I’m surprised that he didn’t mention the raccoons, they are in the cities too. They use the sewers as their own underground subway and then pop up out of the rain drains to rob you of garden foods or pet food that is left out. Their little bandit masks are so appropriate.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Raccoons are everywhere, like possums and skunks. Unlike coyotes they don't attack humans and are usually friendly neighbors. They usually live in a fairly limited territory and are familiar with the humans there. They are also domesticated animals in some areas. I 've seen them used as home security in New England.

[@jamiemoss3633]

Raccoons are wild animals. They are not domesticated.

[@ANPC-pi9vu]

@@jamiemoss3633 Not domesticated, but can still make great pets.

[@ANPC-pi9vu]

@@brianmccarthy5557 Coyotes attacking people is insanely insanely rare. Domesticated dogs attack people more often than coyotes or wolves. lol

[@SianiLane]

The thing about urban areas in the US is that we have lots of wildlife that has gotten really good at living with us, and in the case of much of it that means avoiding us. In my suburban neighborhood I've seen deer, hawks, eagles, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, possums, and even turkeys on occasion. But you very rarely see any of them besides the birds and the squirrels. The successful ones avoid us!

[@lia4057]

Metropolis- one of my friends used to live there. During one parade, he and his twin brother were on a float dressed as Clark Kent and Superman taking turns jumping in and out of a phone booth.

[@iciclecold2991]

Boy, oh boy, do I have a treat for you! Whilst tent camping as a child (which I hated) we saw a 'face tree' which is exactly what it sounds like. A tree that appeared to have a face. Completely natural and made of bark and knobbly branch stumps. It wasn’t even a tourist attraction, just sitting there in the back of the campsite. It was funny!

[@ruthparker9756]

I'm from a small town in Pennsylvania that used to have bed races during the yearly fair. The beds were on wheels, and 4 people pushed with one on the bed basically cheering them to the finish line. There was usually alcohol involved lol.

[@razark42]

"There was usually alcohol involved" explains a lot about this country.

[@kimberlysimpson343]

They have bed races annually in Louisville during Derby.

[@spacehonky6315]

Where i grew up in rural Missouri, there's a small town community picnic involving an outhouse race. Sounds similar to your bed race. I'm guessing the costumes are hilarious?!

[@mournblade1066]

Was that Bedford? I'm from Altoona, and I remember seeing something about them on the local news. The Bedford Bed Races.

[@ruthparker9756]

@@mournblade1066 no, it was Girard, a small town in the northwest corner outside of Erie.

[@vickiewallace415]

I serve food and GUARANTEE it happens so so so much more than you think! Also, thank you for your kindness to that poor kid.

[@e.j.johnson5756]

I was in restaurant decades ago when I was informed that the cook was also the waitress. It was a small town that stayed open late and she did a remarkable job of cooking and waiting on tables. My guess is she probably had to do the dishes for some sorry a$$ manager that was too cheap to hire enough people; jerk rod!!!

[@nco_gets_it]

Anyone else still remember the Burma Shave signs along the highways?

[@ValkyrieLadyK]

Love your stuff and I have to mention that you're the first British person I've ever heard correctly pronounce "coyote."

[@maolcogi]

When you said you gave him a 50% tip I laughed out loud, then you explained not of the $0 but the original price. I was sad, and glad at the same time. Good job. Oh and pigs will eat ANYTHING, like LITERALLY ANYTHING. Oh and another edit, there are no native Crocodiles in Florida, it's all Alligators - Evidence - I am Florida Man.

[@veramae4098]

I was out for lunch with our church ladies. I told them I'd read waiters hate church groups because they demand so much service and leave lousy tips. Hint, hint. Sure enough, everyone left tiny tips anyhow. I left $30. I like doing random good deeds. I can feel proud of myself for decades off one! (I do more than one each decade ... 😂 )

[@sarahlashbrook6991]

I grew up in a very rural area in FL. Every year we had an event called the Ham Jam, which was a giant party (almost like a fair) and bar-b-que contest. One of the events was always pig racing, but the pigs being raced were pot belly pigs and they did absolutely nothing fast. They sort of meandered around the track, rooting here and there, to the raucous cries of the audience on the sidelines. I used to love going to the Ham Jam 😂.

[@xrysoryba]

And the looser was star of the barbeque.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Pot bellied pigs are pets and domestic animals. Very unusual to eat one. Very. The pigs were just having fun. Some pigs are trained to run in pig races and betting, along with prize money, does occur.

[@XianHu]

@@brianmccarthy5557 I believe Mark Hunter was just being facetious

[@CAMacKenzie]

@@brianmccarthy5557 I believe that in Asia, they're just common farm animals, and sources of meat, which is said to be quite tasty.

[@garryferrington811]

...and then, plenty of fresh barbecue! Yum!

[@cynthia7564]

I was sitting at my desk in Colorado when a bear (YES, a BEAR) walked up to my window and ambled off, happy as you please. I was shocked for about a day.

[@mournblade1066]

Isn't Colorado pretty famous for its bears? I mean, maybe if you're in downtown Denver or Boulder it might be a rare site, but I've always pictured Colorado as bear country.

[@janderson6257]

Several years ago when numbers of coyotes were booming in Chicago there were a couple of well-reported incidents downtown. Such as (1) a coyote that took refuge from traffic on Michigan Avenue by scooting under a taxi. (2) a coyote in the Loop that took refuge (via door standing open) in a convenience store and hopping into an uncovered case of refrigerated food.

[@LindaC616]

Actually, the one in the refrigerated case was a Subway, I believe, lol

[@jefferyindorf699]

@@LindaC616 A BUFFET!? For me?!🤣

[@jmcg6189]

They come down the river.

[@LindaC616]

@@jefferyindorf699 lol, it was the drinks cooler

[@janderson6257]

@@jmcg6189 And along railroad rights of way. Maybe some day they'll find out how beavers end up in Lincoln Park.

[@IosuamacaMhadaidh]

Ok, I've been binge watching this content and can't get enough 🤣🤣 And I'm an American too. The silliness cracks me up, lots of puns and jokes. This guy should do voice over work imo!

[@benfreeman9717]

Your restaurant experience is typical of most food establishments in rural Oklahoma. It's extremely difficult to find people that are willing to show up to work regularly.

[@Just-aNerd]

Not everyone stops for the processions. I was in a funeral procession a few weeks ago and three people tried to cut me off. Two tried to merge into the procession. It was a very somber day interrupted by some of the worst road rage I've ever had.

[@HALberdier17]

That happened to a funeral procession I was in back in 2016. They actually did merge over in front of the car that was two cars in front of the car I was in. Then a minute later they got out of the procession because they arrived at their destination which was something stupid like a laundromat or grocery store. Definitely not something where it mattered if they got there half a minute earlier or not.

[@luisvelasco316]

In the South this behavior will definitely get you a ticket and possibly arrested.

[@Og-Judy]

In a funeral procession for an elderly family member in the 1960s, one of my cousins(not their parent) got t-boned by someone trying cut through . Luckily they weren't hurt.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

Coyotes are common in cities; we just don't normally see them as they are usually more active at night. Many of us partially rely on them to control the out-of-control rabbit populations. But the urban chicken owners and owners of small pets do worry about them.

[@LindaC616]

I just bought a house a year ago. I brought up the subject of the trees between my yard and the neighbor on the left when I was talking to the neighbor on the right. I like the pine trees. She mentioned that a couple of years ago there were coyotes living there. She said if she walked out at night she would just see their eyes glowing in the dark. Yikes!

[@stormd]

Coyotes in the midwest also interbreed with wolves, and the "coywolf" as it's known, does surprisingly well in urban and suburban environments. There's a cool PBS Nature documentary called "Meet the Coywolf", that goes into great detail the way these animals enter cities, navigate through them, hunting and living mostly out of sight, but you can occasionally catch a glimpse of them. It's very fascinating.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

@@stormd If you paid attention during the documentary there's a chilling moment the narrator ignores. A young mother is with her toddler and a coywolf is closely observing them from broken cover. Those of us who hunt call that stalking the prey. They attack vulnerable humans. Not surprising that in Democrat cities actual wolves roam the streets and the idiots who vote Democrats into power have no problem with the decay of their waning civilization.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

They can and do attack small children and the vunerable elderly, along with drunken and stoned homeless people. They commonly kill cats and smaller or elderly domestic dogs. You find their heads littering the area near their dens. Usually major urban areas don't do anything until somebody important is attacked. Much as what happens with crime. You get what you vote for.

[@tgardenchicken1780]

@@stormd That was a cool documentary, I saw it also on PBS.

[@KaBar41]

2:32 "When we're driving through Gary" You, Laurence... you are a brave, brave man. Foolhardy, perhaps, but brave nonetheless.

[@oasislabs84]

The jokes about Anderson, Indiana always make me laugh, I live nearby and went to high school right by there, and everything you say is completely true!

[@trevormillar1576]

I would have expected a town called Anderson to at least have a Thunderbirds museum.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

When I was younger, I got to go to Mammoth Cave National Park to take one tour or another. This is a spectacular place and worth mentioning, IMO. There was the 4-hr All-Day Tour, and the 6-hr Wild Cave Tour. First, Mammoth Cave is gargantuan, and it crosses a number of states underground. It links to a number of other caves that offer tours as well. It is a limestone cave with Karst topography, which means that it was carved out by rivers and underground water dissolving the limestone. There is a river that does flow underground there at one point: the Green River. We wore a hard hat with a lamp, and I bumped my head on the low ceiling several times going in. At one point, over a fairly steep drop, we walked on a shelf over it which split so you have to have a foot on either side of the split as you walked. We slogged through the Green River, and I fell on my butt and covered myself in silt. I crawled army style through a passage so low I couldn't bring my legs up to push myself along. I could only pull myself along, arm by arm. I'm not claustrophobic, but that very low passage almost gave me a panic attack. (I recovered quickly.) At the end of the Wild Cave Tour, we overlapped with another tour there and we saw what is called "Frozen Niagara." But it's not a waterfall. It is a complex collection of mineral stalactites and stalagmites that have strikingly beautiful colors and which in itself does look like a frozen waterfall. It's beautiful. Spelunking is one spectacular thing to do in America, and Mammoth Cave is the largest cave system in the US. Worth checking out. Oh yeah. On the All-Day Tour, halfway through you are deep underground, and there is an area they put tables in called the Snowball Dining Room. Here you get a box lunch. If you need to go to the restroom, you have to go behind a giant rock. The first rock is for men, the second is for women. When I ventured back there, I was quite relieved there was up-to-date plumbing and modern bathrooms behind the rocks. But it's a fun joke!

[@dianakile8602]

I've been there several times and it really is quite something. I'd advise anyone going, to take a jacket or sweatshirt because it's very cool in the caves. It was always very unnerving when the guides turned off their lights due to the suddenness of pitch black and the feeling of being so far underground.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Yes. Mammoth Cave is a constant 58°F, so a nice, insulated coat is advised.

[@patricialavery8270]

Glad you tipped the kid.Been in that kind of situation and people blame the lowest people,never the store managers.

[@Mrs_T76]

Yup. Customer service can be a complete nightmare!!! People have no empathy!

[@HermanVonPetri]

It really sounds like he needed to hear a kind word. My heart goes out to him, especially for trying to work though the situation.

[@fly124]

I ABSOLUTELY love watching your videos!! Your humor and wit cracks me up every time!!

[@mimiwills8610]

There are thousands of coyotes living in Chicago. There's a yearslong University study of our coyotes. They collar some and follow them for study. You don't see them because they are stealthy and usually only come out at night. In rare cases, they are even seen downtown.

[@LindaC616]

We have gone in the last 20 years from having 50 here on the island to > 100. About 4 years back, a friend of a friend from Perú was visiting me for July 4th. As we left the house which was an old brick mansion divided into apartments, we walked across the expansive lawn. All of a sudden, I saw a Coyote coming toward us on the diagonal. I shouted to 2 ladies who were walking in the street "heads up! Coyote! " They responded with "there's another one here in the bushes " and pointed at my right. That 1 emerged from the bushes, and the 2 of them Criss- crossed back-and-forth across the lawn in front of us, searching for squirrels and rabbits. On the way home after the fireworks, my friend was scared because it was dark. She kept asking "are they aggressive?" 🤣🤣 on the day she left as we went onto the bridge to the continent at 5:00 in the morning, in the cloverleaf on ramp there sat 1 of the biggest coyotes I have ever seen, just chillin', getting ready to start his day

[@ANPC-pi9vu]

@@LindaC616 They love using the centers of on and off ramp greenery for dens. It's such an unusual adaptation, but makes sense because roadkill means free breakfast delivered to their doorstep on the regular.

[@LindaC616]

@ANPC 5493 true. And we're overdeveloped here, anyway. They go into the nearby cemeteries. Some of ours are coywolves. Very large, and increasingly, we are seeing them hunting in packs...

[@christinacody8653]

Hey, you went to Metropolis, IL (which reminds me more is Smallville, but anyway)! It's fun to visit in June, when the Superman Celebration takes place. Go during the Celebration as Zod and you'd get people begging for photos.

[@SHGogo-df5jr]

Ohh yeah that one waiter situation reminds me of something similar. Not too long ago actually we where getting McD's late like from midnight to 3am(?) and there was only one teenager working that night! Drive thru only, but still. This one kid was taking orders, cooking, and giving them out all by himself! As u can imagine the line got uber backed up but mostly I just felt bad for him. Pretty sure he was kinda new to the job too

[@jeffjay9350]

Lawrence, I once drove a Brit who arrived at O'Hare for his first visit to the USA down through NW Indiana past those same billboards. He was shocked to say the least.

[@LindaC616]

Lol, shocked enough to say "well, no sh#$"?🤣🤣

[@suzannea66]

I wonder what he would have thought about the Cannabis billboards they have in states were it is legal.

[@HariSeldon913]

The ones by O'Hare are mostly for hair loss treatments.

[@ronjohnson5070]

It seems there are fewer billboards in Texas than in the 70’s

[@LindaC616]

@@ronjohnson5070 they are slowly disappearing. Locally, I used to laugh at one in a town half an hour north of me. There's an avenue running through that has a speed max of 45mph, gets a lit of traffic for that reason, people can "bypass" the town, where speed limit is 25mph. There was a billboard that advertised "Swords! Daggers! Knives! Incense..." 😆

[@srice6231]

At the Tillamook County Fair there are pig and Ford races where the contestants run to a box and grab a pig. They then jump in a stripped down Model T and drive around the track with the pig in their arms. Then they put the pig back and grab a new pig and drive it around. They do this 3 times. The fastest to do this is the winner. It is always great fun to watch!

[@Ashcrash82]

I'm shocked that there would be enough people that know how to drive a Model T to even make this plausible.

[@cd5sircoupe]

Here's a good one. My friend and I were traveling to the next town over in one of our cars in the early evening, 8pm ish?, (this is over a decade ago, spare me) and we were going over a land bridge across a local reservoir that is surrounded by tons of woodland. We round the corner and bam, there's a massive albino/white wolf just sitting in the middle of the road. It eventually moved out of the road maybe 1-2 minutes after we stopped. There's a very small population of timber wolves/grey wolves/whatever they're called in state, but this was like, pure white and majestic AF. Never seen anything like it.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

Wow!!🐝🤗❤️

[@ianadkinstherapy]

My wife and I lived in Anderson for a couple of years (2012-13) and your characterizations of Anderson and Indiana generally is always 100 percent spot-on.

[@danielbanks7500]

I live there now and yes they are!

[@samanthamaynard4447]

I'm new to the channel and did not expect to hear about your adventures in Anderson, IN. I'm from a small town nearby and your assumption is most likely spot on. Believe it or not, Anderson used to be a vibrant, thriving city due to the auto industry there. Not sure if your wife is that local that she'd know that. Happy to have you as an honorary Hoosier, though.

[@mer8795]

In Oregon we banned billboards. Now the state has small traffic-like signs, with icons for services at exits of highways. The vendor pays for their icon/logo to be on it. I think some towns allow billboards, but i see very few, since I was an adult.

[@ashleycnossen3157]

Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any when I was growing up. Miss living there

[@jodimurphy8440]

When did they get banned? I’m from there and go back to visit often. Pretty sure I’ve seen them. 🤔

[@mer8795]

@@jodimurphy8440 like I said, some towns allow billboards. You won't see them along highways. Some personal homes may have a small personal sign of somekind, but not commercial. Its been that way a long time. I live in Willamette Valley.

[@compmanio36]

I-84 through Ontario definitely has them. You can see them from the freeway for sure.

[@gleep24]

Vermont, where I grew up, also banned billboards on highways. They would interrupt the view of the natural beauty of the state, especially in the fall. 🍁🍂

[@johnwood551]

You should check our Vulcan , Alberta Canada. They have a Star Trek Enterprise Statue and a photo board of all the crew in uniform where you stick you face through for pictures.

[@mcalcock2241]

That IHOP story is bringing back flashbacks, and I never even had a food service/retail experience nearly that bad. Working customer service (and its chronic understaffing) has been that awful for at least the last 20 years. (Probably longer, but can only speak to my own experience.)

[@MelissiaBlackheart]

6:00 I've seen that too. There's a saying in many parts of the States that goes something like this: "You can tell the true quality of someone's character by how they treat the waiter." Not always true, but... those people who were berating him are definitely not what I'd call good people.

[@TheGrinningGamer]

Love the Culver’s shoutout, Lawrence! Always happy to hear people agree it’s the premier fast food chain in the midwest.

[@daffers2345]

The independent pet store here has an event called "Small Animal Saturday" and they have hamster races. The hamsters are in hamster balls on a big board with squiggly wooden tracks. The racers try to get their hamsters to follow their hands or fingers so that the hamster ball goes down the track. It's very funny and cute.

[@garryferrington811]

I understand hamsters are good eating, too.

[@juniperwildflowers]

One time while driving in Houston I saw a bulletproof vest on the side of the road, on fire. I don’t even want to know what happened!

[@JJfromPhilly67]

Oh that's beautiful!

[@kevinloving3141]

Well at least the bulletproof vest on fire wasn't IN the road.

[@kyletowers9662]

Someone brought a flamethrower to a gun fight

[@georgeadams1853]

I encountered restaurant service like you mentioned in Cazenovia, NY, about 60 years ago. We stopped at a restaurant around 8:00 a.m. for breakfast. We commented amongst ourselves how fortunate we were that restaurant wasn't busy -- then we learned why. Despite the large dining room, there was only one waitress for the entire restaurant, and there were only four occupied tables, with our family of seven accounting for two of those. The cook was constantly berating the waitress, who couldn't keep orders straight. I know our table received at least one order that no customer had ordered. Another time, in Indianapolis, we were seated by the host at a table that we later learned had no assigned server. It turned out to be a better experience, as the manager comped us on our meal.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

Cayotes are pretty common over here in Portland. It's amusing, quite a few people actually take them to shelters thinking someone lost their dog. I don't need to explain why that's bad lol

[@JohnMiller-zn9pf]

Yes, Metropolis uses Superman as a tourist attraction, along with the statue and museum, they have the Metropolis Planet newspaper, statues spread out around town dedicated to the orginal cast of the Superman TV series, and have an annual Superman Festival

[@carlablair9898]

This made me smile because I have been through Metropolis. The United States is full of fun stuff.

[@alicialexists]

Here's one strange thing that I experienced as a third-generation American in the USA: An American friend of mine correctly guessed that I had German ancestors but vastly overestimated the approximate percentage of my ancestors who were either German or German American. This was quite surprising for a couple of reasons. First, from my experience, Americans tend to consider it a much higher priority to not mix up the different types of Asians and Asian Americans than to do the same for European Americans. (I won't comment on that.) Second, I don't know German.

[@biskitgravyyum6478]

While I grew up with billboards and used them for reading practice as a young child on long boring road trips (I am part of the generation that grew up without handheld video devices or DVD players in the car and got carsick if I tried to read a book), I have seen one really weird one. We also have the accident lawyer signs, but there is one with a 3-D representation of a wrecked vehicle hanging out of it. Funeral practices always seem weird. I regret that not many people still pull aside for a funeral procession where I live. However, the first funeral I can remember attending took me aback when we went to the home of the family and proceeded to have basically a "party". People were sitting around eating fried chicken, potato salad, etc., while some of the men were sipping on beers. Meanwhile, the granddaughter was sitting on the couch weeping copiously. In the world of nature the most memorable, if not exactly weird, thing was seeing a bald eagle just sitting in a field that I pass by on my way to work and experiencing a moon set that was almost as brilliant as a sunset.

[@LindaC616]

Depends on the funeral. My father knew that he was going to die, and specified that he did not want anyone to cry. He said he wanted his fellow firemen to have a beer party for him. So they did!! My mother rented the town hall and they had a double kegger

[@LindaC616]

I am from the same generation. Every year when my family and I, well part of my family and I, drove up North in Michigan, we would look for certain billboards along the way. Some of them had rhymes on them. One in particular that sticks in my memory is "fatty, fatty, run for your life! here comes skinny with a butcher knife!!" I don't recall what product it was advertising

[@litz13]

Learning to read via billboards works great until you get to the GA/FL state line on I-75 and your parents have to answer your questions about why all the girls are XXX on all the signs.

[@Og-Judy]

@@LindaC616 50s kid. Reminds me of the Burma Shave ads

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Having a family get together after a death with food and drink is normal for many of us. I'm shocked when people don't.

[@aprilhosler8534]

Thanks!

[@Princess_Celestia_]

The weirdest thing I've ever seen was a dude from the U.K. who came here to the States on a vacation. He set up a camp at the local camp ground but he built his camp fire within an arms reach of the front of his highly flammable tent. During the night his tent caught fire. When the wind picked up.

[@439pm]

The billboard thing is so true. When we went to England, I commented on the lovely scenery as we drove. My daughter said yes there are no billboards asking ARE YOU GOING TO HEAVEN...OR HELL?

[@robin_the_red_fox4082]

The experience of attending my grandfather's funeral was very heartbreaking, and I remember the wake we had with the open casket. It was a very surreal experience for me for several reasons. 1) I had never been seen the body of someone who had passed away and the fact that it was someone I was close with did not help. 2) He had gone through the embalming process and it looked strange because it was as if they had filled in areas of his face that were sunken in with age previously, and made him look younger..I guess...it just felt very weird and I had a moment where I wondered if we were burying the right man. Of course, all this on top of it being a very emotional day. A very bizarre and emotional day

[@doxieladycrochet3139]

I am in SC and we also practice stopping as the funeral processional drives past.

[@meedwards5]

I live on a mountain at the southern most point of the Sierra Nevadas. I was drinking my morning coffee and walking my puppy in the back yard when 2 juvenile mountain lions came up the deer trail next to our property. They walked single file up the trail watching us. The one in the rear looked very frightened of us. The one in the front looked quite ready to attack us if necessary. They continued following the deer trail up the mountain. It was incredibly surreal. They were about 100 feet from us. My adrenaline was pumping but I knew what a rare thing we were experiencing. Very weird but very special.

[@margaretstutts4362]

I have to thank you, I busted out in a full belly laugh about the funeral scene. I know that’s not a funny thing but your reaction to the open casket visitation and the having to wait on cars in a procession hit me as funny. Then the coyote got me. And your reference to cartoon chickens. I needed this laugh. I do wonder why he was in Chicago, but I’ve heard they’ve learned that trash has food in it. So they are coming into cities more since their forests are not in existence anymore.

[@cjhansen6618]

I grew up in Idaho and I definitely saw my fair share of Coyotes. Here in Utah however we have Cougars/Pumas, Rattlesnakes, Desert Hares and Roadrunners.

[@LindaC616]

I was amazed at how tiny the rabbits are in the California desert. My niece said "they don't get big here. They don't have anything to eat and cars ran over them before they got too big."" I used to love to watch her dog bound out into the yard every time we opened the door, chasing off the family of quail that was eating Lord knows what in the dirt that was their yard

[@Kiraiko44]

That might have been the only coyote you've seen, but I guarantee it's not the only one around especially in Chicago. They've become pretty successful in urban environments. (and both urban and rural coyotes eat a lot of domestic cats and dogs, so keep an eye on your pets outside)

[@markrenfrow9873]

PBS has a show that followed the Windy City's coyotes, saw them following people on sidewalks, staying in shadows, following dog walkers, ect. Estimated between 350 and 500 in the city, if I remember correctly.

[@paulwerner3150]

​@@markrenfrow9873 yes, but do they pay taxes. ;)

[@cliftondearmond9397]

I didn’t see it myself, but in the craziness of 2020 a wallaby was spotted in my suburban Colorado neighborhood. Apparently it escaped from a sanctuary some 25 miles away, how it survived and made it so far was almost comical.

[@borisdevilboon8064]

Idk if youve covered it in another vid, but the main reason there are so many Florida Man news stories is our "Sunshine Law" which basically makes all police arrest records public records, so its easier for the press to find these weird details here than most states.

[@laural5177]

I live on a barrier island in Florida. I often see in my backyard armadillos, opossums, coyotes, gopher tortoises, marsh rabbits and once a bobcat but the weirdest thing was a guinea pig which I suspect was an escaped pet.

[@lesley4215]

Southern Illinoisan here, during covid they had a giant mask on Superman's face LOL. I guess kryptonite and covid got him a little weak in the knees! 😂😂

[@jstringfellow1961]

At the Oklahoma City Zoo we encountered a coyote out of the exhibit. We quickly let the guardians now, but they informed us he/she wasn't a resident and was just wandering around the place.

[@rmillerridlon]

I was driving through Illinois and stopped at the rest stop near Metropolis and saw a similar statue. So you don’t even have to go into town to see him, my kids loved it!

[@JohnMiller-zn9pf]

there is a small one there , the big one is in front of the Court house. They even have the Superman Festival every year

[@danielpittman889]

I love how you make it seem like Tarah just throws you into these bizarre situations. Surely she warns you what to expect!

[@alanolson6913]

Interesting to be told how others outside of the US see us. As a native English speaker, I’ve sometimes wondered what English sounds like to non-English speakers.

[@sylviakstambaugh7743]

Truthfully I don't think I've ever been to a closed casket funeral. As a kid I had lots & lots of old relatives. We seemed to be going to funerals every couple of month's. There was always a reception afterward. They were like a reunion. Everyone had a favorite story to tell about the deceased. It was a celebration of life. You would have loved the old Burma Shave signs along the roads. I too am in my 70' s. Life was really grand back then!!

[@markreed392]

A friend lived near San Diego State University. Several times while seated on his porch a huge flock of parrots would fly overhead. We assumed that they were the pets of students that escaped or were let go when summer came.

[@stevenvarner9806]

Mexican parrot species ranged into the US in the past, but it's becoming rarer to see them. Most of the large flocks of parrots in the county are from escaped non-native species from when it was legal to buy wild parrots and import them. Search for the article called How the wild parrots of San Diego arrived in America's Finest City.

[@robertabarnhart6240]

We have feral parrots in my area. They're all descended from a group of birds who escaped from an aviary when an epic windstorm blew the roofs off the cages.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

There has been a large flock of green parrots descended from domestic birds in the South Bay area of Los Angeles for at least 50 years. They nested very often in the huge ash tree of our back yard growing up. I still see them often flocking in trees or flying in a massive group in the area. They're thriving and suprise outsiders.

[@dennisquinn8558]

@@brianmccarthy5557 Yes. Large flocks of green parrots. Noisy, and mostly near the coast.

[@Birdbike719]

We used to have a flock of green parrots in Austin as well. Would see them from time to time in different areas of the city. Haven't seen them in a while though. Perhaps they joined their friends in California.

[@joniharrison9492]

Same thing happened to me with the funeral. From what I understand, the guy was usually quite scruffy because everyone who saw him said how well he had scrubbed up. It was very bizarre.

[@RonSparks2112]

Open casket funerals are grotesque. They provide an added element of trauma and grief to people who really don't need anymore. There are far better ways to say goodbye.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

@@RonSparks2112 Why do you fear and mock the dead? Wakes and visitations are normal for most Catholic cultures. If you're some kind of extreme Protestant or an atheist or whatever, don't try to impose your bizarre beliefs on us. Just go and hide from death, which I assume you rightfully fear given what may come after for you.

[@mournblade1066]

@@RonSparks2112 I mean, sure, if the body is messed up from an accident or disease.

[@grannyweatherwax8005]

This sounds more like a you issue.

[@aris1869]

I live in the suburbs, in a massive forest, and I don’t think I’ve ever NOT seen SOME type of dead animal on or next to the road on my morning school drive. Once I had to stop because the car in front of me hit a deer and I had to drive around the deer while it was still alive and twitching. Deer, armadillos, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, birds, opossums, I’ve seen it all.

[@StuartdeHaro]

I have seen squirrels dragging all sorts of things up trees. There was the entire slice of deep dish pizza that was hauled all the way across my back yard and 6 feet up my cedar tree to the first branch. There was the Herculean effort of a squirrel schlepping a partially full iced coffee at least 20 feet up a very nice maple before presumably having its heart explode from the caffeine. Most recently was an unopened granola bar. I didn't see the climb, but it ran a significant distance across an open plaza with its prize toward the safety of some oaks.